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History of the Belle Klipsch
This is a timeline for the evolution of the Belle Klipsch speaker from inception in 1971 to the current date.| Date | Event | Media |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Belle Klipsch™ was introduced as a more elegant or finished version of the La Scala. Component designations were: Woofer K-33-P (CTS, Paducah KY), Midrange K-500 horn and K-55-V driver (Atlas), Tweeter K-77 (Electrovoice). | |
| July, 1971 | The Type AA crossover network was introduced featuring Zenor diode tweeter protection. | |
| 1974 | K-56 mid-range driver (Electrovoice 1828) is used for a short period as a temporary replacement as the supply of K-55-V drivers was interrupted. | |
| 1975 | Transition to The K-33-B Woofer (CTS Brownsville TX) | |
| 1975?-1979 | K-33-E (Eminence) and the K-33-B were used interchangeably. The records are not specific about the actual start date for the K-33-E but it is believed to be in the early to mid 1970's | |
| 1979 | The Eminence K-33-E woofer is used exclusively | |
| February 1, 1983 | The Type-AB crossover network was introduced incorporating steeper filter slopes for enhanced tweeter protection and smoother response in the crossover regions. | |
| October 19, 1983 | The Type AB-2 network was introduced to accommodate the new K-55-M mid- range driver. This Electrovoice sourced driver was essentially the same as the previous K-55-V with a smoother response | |
| 2000 | Electrovoice ceases production of the K-77-M and K-55-M tweeter and mid- range drivers. The search for replacement drivers and the acquisition of the EV tooling is sought. Very limited production of a few pairs occurs at the end of 2000 and the early months of 2001 using existing part stocks | |
| May 2001 | The Atlas PD-5VH (Current version of the previous K-55-V) is modified slightly and christened the K-55-X. The various components of the K-77-M tweeter are either retooled or sourced from the new owners of the tooling and assembled by a third party. This variant of the tweeter is designated the K-77-F. An entirely new network (AB-3) was created to accommodate these driver changes. Fusing is eliminated in favor of a polyswitch for tweeter protection. A metal input panel with binding posts in a bi-wire configuration replaced the traditional screw type barrier block. | |
| Late 2005 - Early 2006 | The Belle Klipsch is phased out of production as parts are used up |
Information originally provided by Jim Hunter and Mark Kauffman of Klipsch Audio Technologies, LLC