Klipsch turns 80 in 2026, and the loudspeaker brand from Hope, Arkansas is not arriving at High End Vienna empty-handed. Founded in 1946 by Paul W. Klipsch, the company has built its reputation around horn-loaded loudspeakers that have inspired loyalty, arguments, eye-rolls, and a lot of very loud Sunday afternoons for nearly eight decades.
That history matters because Klipsch is using High End Vienna 2026 to put its Heritage Series back under the spotlight with two very different statements: the Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn and the Klipsch/OJAS kO-R2 collaboration. One is rooted in the company’s most iconic loudspeaker design. The other shows Klipsch is still willing to step outside the box, work with unexpected creative partners, and remind everyone that horn-loaded audio does not have to live in a museum with a velvet rope around it.
Klipsch/OJAS kO-R2: Heritage Goes Off-Script
One of Klipsch’s more interesting recent moves has been its partnership with Devon Turnbull, the artist, acoustic designer, and founder of OJAS. Turnbull has built a following well beyond traditional audiophile circles, with a client base that tends to include artists, designers, musicians, pro athletes, and the kind of buyers who do not need to ask where the sale rack is.
The first Klipsch/OJAS collaboration, the kO-R1 Limited Edition horn speaker, arrived in 2024 and sold out quickly. Klipsch and OJAS have now followed it with the larger kO-R2, which made its debut at Milan Design Week 2026 and generated exactly the kind of design-world attention that most loudspeaker brands spend decades trying to buy. The kO-R2 will also be shown and demonstrated at High End Vienna 2026, which runs June 4 through June 7.
80th Anniversary Klipschorn: Heritage Reloaded
The kO-R2 will not be the only horn-loaded statement from Klipsch at High End Vienna 2026. The company will also preview the Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn, a new version of Paul W. Klipsch’s original 1946 corner-horn loudspeaker.
Limited to 280 pairs worldwide, the 80th Anniversary Klipschorn updates the classic design with a two-way active crossover architecture, while retaining the core idea that made the Klipschorn one of the most recognizable loudspeakers in audio history: high efficiency, horn loading, and room-corner reinforcement. The anniversary model is finished in Tigerwood veneer with a brass inlay tracing the contour of the folded horn, because apparently subtlety left Hope, Arkansas on the last bus out.
Each pair will be hand-built to order at Klipsch’s factory in Hope, Arkansas, keeping the connection to PWK’s original design intact.
“We created this special edition of the Klipschorn to pay homage to Paul W. Klipsch’s tech of 1946, which remains incredibly relevant today,” said Klipsch’s COO Vinny Bonacorsi. “It’s a testament to his legacy that, 80 years on, we’re bringing his original patented designs back to life. From his early interest in active networks to the category-defining K-5-J horn, we’ll always work with purpose to honor his intentions, using all available engineering advancements to push the threshold of what’s possible.”
Pro Tip: The Klipschorn is widely regarded as the world’s oldest commercial loudspeaker still in continuous production, with roots tracing back to Paul W. Klipsch’s original 1946 design.
Inside the 80th Anniversary Klipschorn
The Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn connects directly to Klipsch’s origins while updating the Heritage Series formula with some important internal changes. Based on Paul W. Klipsch’s original patented two-way concept, the anniversary model uses a new K-5-K high-frequency horn with a 2-inch throat, paired with a 4-inch compression driver that borrows its motor structure from the Klipsch Jubilee.
That is the major technical change here, and it matters. The larger compression driver and horn assembly are designed to improve output, control, and resolution in the upper frequencies without walking away from the horn-loaded approach that defines the Klipschorn.
Down low, the folded-horn cabinet works with Klipsch’s K-33-E 15-inch woofer to increase efficiency and bass extension by using the room corner as part of the acoustic system. It is still a Klipschorn, which means placement is not a casual suggestion. The room is part of the design, whether your interior decorator likes it or not.
Active Crossover: Old Horn, New Control
The active crossover network is not as much of a break from Paul W. Klipsch’s original thinking as it might seem. Even in the 1940s, PWK explored active crossover and amplifier concepts that were well ahead of commercial production realities at the time. Those early ideas never became part of a production Klipschorn, but the thinking was there.
For the Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn, Klipsch brings that idea into the present with an external active DSP crossover network. The system is designed to manage phase, time delay, EQ, and gain so the woofer and high-frequency horn integrate more precisely through the crossover region. That matters with a loudspeaker this efficient, because small timing and level errors do not exactly hide in the shrubbery.
Klipsch has already moved in this direction with the active crossover option offered for the AK7 Klipschorn, introduced in 2025. The anniversary model takes that concept further as part of the loudspeaker’s core architecture.
The external active crossover can be placed on a shelf or inside an equipment rack, and includes adjustable low- and high-frequency trim controls. That gives owners some room to tailor the system to the room and their listening preferences, which is useful because a Klipschorn still treats the room as part of the loudspeaker.
Klipsch Museum Perks
Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn buyers will also receive a complimentary membership to the Klipsch Museum of Audio History, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the history of audio and the legacy of Paul W. Klipsch.
Open to the public, the museum houses exhibits, archival materials, and artifacts tied to PWK’s life, the early years of hi-fi, and the development of Klipsch loudspeakers. Its mission also includes research, preservation, public education, and STEAM-focused programming built around PWK’s science of sound.
Klipsch is also using the anniversary to bring back material from the KlipschTape archives, the stereo recordings PWK used in the 1950s to demonstrate his loudspeakers to dealers and enthusiasts. Each 80th Anniversary Klipschorn system includes a special 180g vinyl pressing selected from those recordings, including previously unreleased tracks. The LP is expected to be offered separately through the Klipsch Museum of Audio History once available.
The Bottom Line
Klipsch is using High End Vienna 2026 to show both sides of its 80-year story: the Heritage Series foundation and the more unexpected collaborations now pushing the brand into new rooms. The Klipsch/OJAS kO-R2 and Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn are the obvious headliners, and both are likely to attract the most attention because availability will be limited and hearing either one in the wild may not be easy.
But Klipsch is not stopping there. The company will also show its updated Fives II, Sevens II, and Nines II powered speakers, giving the show a look at its more lifestyle-friendly horn-loaded systems. The Rebellion bookshelf speaker may be the sleeper, drawing from a rare 1958 Paul W. Klipsch design and giving the Heritage line a smaller-format entry. Klipsch will also preview its new Atlas Series headphones, which suggests the brand wants its horn-loaded identity to extend beyond big wooden boxes from Hope, Arkansas.
Pricing & Availability
The Klipsch Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn will be limited to 280 pairs worldwide, but we don’t yet know pricing. However, the Klipschorn AK7 are $18,999/pair at Crutchfield in American Walnut, Black Ash, or Auburn.
The Klipsch/OJAS kO-R2 will be limited to 600 pairs in either Red Oak veneer or Hammertone Silver for $11,995/pair.
Both will both be shown and demoed at High End Vienna 2026 from June 4-7.
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