How much does it cost to restore a pair of Klipsch Klipschorn loudspeakers?

I get asked this question quite often, so I decided to put a webpage together to outline the costs.

The short answer is "too much"!  But read on . . .

Restoration can be done at varying levels, but for this outline I'm figuring on all new veneer with a polyurethane finish on all exposed wood surfaces on "B" style cabinets (which are the ones with the extra riser and plate), and a matching hardwood trim piece at the bottom of each cabinet.   I'm figuring on rosewood paper-backed veneer and the iron-on glue method that worked so well with the "M"khorn project www.dcchomes.com/Mkhorn.html   Other species of wood might be slightly less on material costs, especially for the hardwood trim pieces.   I'm also including a breakdown of pricing for finishing off the backs of the speakers with black paint (the way Klipsch did when the speakers were purchased with a finish from the factory), and a price for replacing the grill cloth with original style black or the feaux cane grill cloth.

It's the labor that drives the cost, as it does with almost everything these days (except those items made in Taiwan, China, etc...).   I must get $35 per hour for my time spent working in my shop.  Not only does that cover my time, but also the cost of maintaining the shop and tools.

Material costs for a complete restoration (not including the backs or grills) runs about $700.  This includes the veneer, the hardwood trim, glue, finish, fillers, solvents, sandpaper, fasteners, and other miscellaneous supplies.

It takes me about 60 hours of labor to do the veneer restoration.  This includes the time to disassemble and reassemble the speakers, detail work to really clean them up, and testing to make sure they work properly.  So the labor cost is $2,100.

When replacing grill cloth, tt takes quite a few hours to remove the staples from the grills.  It takes about 2 hours for each to install new grill cloth.   I'd figure about 15 hours labor for this job.   Grill cloth and staples run about $100.  So figure a total of $625.

When I finish the backs of Khorns, I spend quite a bit of time filling, sanding, and priming before I actually get to do the painting.  I use a satin black spray paint as a finish coat.  Finishing the backs adds another $175 in materials and 15 hours labor for a total of $700.

If your Khorns are NOT the "B" style (with the extra riser), and you want them to be "B" style, I can build risers and an extra "plate" at a cost of $300.

If your Khorns are "C" style (without the extra riser), and we're leaving them that way, deduct $300 from the veneering cost above.

Other costs to consider include shipping to my shop and back to you, delivery costs for you if you bring them to my shop yourself, delivery charges for me to pick them up at a trucking terminal or to deliver them to the terminal, crating charges to crate them up for shipping, and any mechanical upgrades such as new crossovers, drivers, or midrange horns.

As you can see, total restorations can be very expensive.  You may be able to buy new Khorns for not much more than a restoration.  Of course you probably won't get rosewood veneer either!  On the other hand, if you bring the speakers to my shop and pick them up, and only have the exposed wood restored, the cost would be $2,800.

If you have any questions, please email me; Greg Roberts