Ojas x Klipsch KO-R2 Review: A Larger Horn With a Bigger, Freer Sound

Introduction

The Ojas x Klipsch KO-R2 is the second collaboration between the Brooklyn-based speaker maker Ojas and Klipsch, and it is a noticeably different animal from the KO1 that came before it. The earlier model has been a fixture in serious listening rooms for around two years. The KO-R2 keeps the family resemblance but changes almost everything underneath: a much larger bass cabinet, a bigger horn mouth, and a new horn design that debuts here.

The result is a floorstanding horn speaker that sounds bigger than its predecessor in every sense, with more low frequency extension you can feel and a stereo image that opens well beyond the cabinets. It is also a limited run: 600 pairs worldwide, 200 of them allocated to the United States, priced at $1,195 per pair.

Who This Speaker Is For

This is a speaker for listeners who want a room to feel like a place for music rather than a place with speakers in it. The KO-R2 is easy to drive, does not need a subwoofer to feel complete, and can be placed close to a wall or tucked into a corner without falling apart. That combination makes it unusually approachable for a horn speaker of this scale.

It suits someone assembling a first serious two-channel system, and equally someone who has owned large speakers before and wants the physical presence and scale that only a big horn can deliver. The practical requirement is simply floor space for a pair of tall cabinets and a seat far enough back to let the soundstage develop.

Where it makes its strongest case is group listening. The sense of scale is large enough to fill a room for several people listening attentively together, and the low end carries enough weight that the presentation feels complete without extra boxes in the room.

Main Strengths

The defining quality of the KO-R2 is space. The horn produces a large, deep image with a softness and dimensionality that is hard to find elsewhere, and it does so without the aggressive upper midrange that gives horn designs a difficult reputation. There is no shout, no peakiness, and no forward glare to wear a listener down over a long session.

Dynamics are the other headline. The speaker sounds free and unforced, moving from quiet passages to large crescendos without sounding strained. Given enough amplifier, it delivers headroom and woofer control that keeps the bass fast and extended rather than thick, and the low frequency extension is a visceral part of the experience rather than a background detail.

The New Multisectoral Horn

The horn is the centerpiece of this design and the most interesting part of the story. It is not a multi-cell horn, even though a large mouth and a multi-section profile invite that comparison. It is better described as a hybrid, borrowing the sectional approach of classic sectoral horns and combining it with the multi-cell idea, which is why Ojas calls it a multisectoral horn.

The horn was developed through an extensive prototyping process using 3D printed parts tested both in an anechoic chamber and by ear. The largest, most heavily sectioned version had the dimensional character the designer was after, but it also rolled off earlier in the high frequencies. Shortening the depth of the cells recovered the missing extension, and the off-axis response ended up very strong.

The measured result is a minus 3 dB point at 20 kHz, with a slight roll off beginning around 10 kHz. That behavior is typical of horn loaded designs, and here it arrives with more high frequency loading than a multi-cell horn provides. The compression driver is the same one-inch exit unit used in the KO1, which gives owners of the earlier speaker a useful point of comparison. The horn is sand cast in metal, a choice made for acoustic and durability reasons, and the parts then ship to Hope, Arkansas for final production.

Cabinet, Woofer, and Amplifier Pairing

The 15-inch paper cone woofer is the K33E used in the Klipsch Cornwall, and it is the only part of the KO-R2 shared with that model. The cabinet volume, cabinet tuning, the large deep port, the crossover, the compression driver, and the horn are all unique to this speaker.

Power requirements are friendly. The KO-R2 will play well with a few watts, and it becomes genuinely impressive with 20 or 30 watts from either a tube or a solid state amplifier. A 35 watt class A amplifier is enough to produce fast, low, controlled bass with plenty of headroom. The character shifts with the amplifier and with listening level: single-ended triode designs bring their silky midrange, while more powerful solid state keeps a tight grip on the woofer at both low and high volumes.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Availability is the first consideration. The KO-R2 is limited to 600 pairs worldwide, and only 200 of those are allocated to the United States. Orders ship in the order they are received, and production is split into lots, so the finish you want may already sit in a later batch.

There are two finishes: spiral oak and hammertone gray. Buyers who order early have the option of attending the first production run at the Hope factory, a facility that has been in continuous operation for roughly 80 years. The visit is scheduled for late August, when southern Arkansas is at its hottest, so anyone planning the trip should prepare accordingly.

On the sound side, the roll off above 10 kHz is worth knowing about, though it is normal for this type of horn design and the minus 3 dB point still reaches 20 kHz. The cabinets are also physically large, which is the price paid for the low frequency extension and the scale.

Room Integration and Setup

Horn speakers sometimes demand fussy placement. This one does not. The KO-R2 can sit close to a wall or in a corner, and its strong off-axis response means the listening area is wider than the cabinet size might suggest. Listeners do not need a subwoofer to get full range weight, and they do not need a high powered amplifier to get the speaker moving.

That ease of integration is a large part of the appeal. A pair of these can turn an ordinary room into a listening room without acoustic treatment, unusual cabling, or a rack of equipment. Feed them a modest tube amplifier or a compact class A design and they respond with scale that most speakers of this size cannot match.

Price, Availability, and Buying Advice

At $1,195 per pair in the United States, the KO-R2 sits in an unusual position for a horn speaker of this scale. The most common reaction to the price is surprise that it covers both speakers rather than one, and orders are sold in pairs only.

Pre-orders are handled directly by the maker, and buyers can see which production lot they are joining before they commit. The first 25 pairs of each color formed the initial lot, and the spiral oak finish is now in its third lot while hammertone gray is in its second.

For anyone weighing the purchase, the value argument is straightforward: a large, efficient, full range horn speaker at a price that undercuts most of what the category offers, in a run capped at 600 pairs. Buyers who want a specific finish should order sooner rather than later, and anyone interested in the factory visit should factor in travel timing. Ojas is not currently developing a KO-R3, so this collaboration remains the top of the line for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

The KO-R2 takes the formula of the KO1 and pushes it into a bigger, freer, more spacious place. The new multisectoral horn delivers the scale and depth that large horn designs are loved for, while avoiding the shout that makes many of them tiring. Add a 15-inch woofer, easy amplifier requirements, forgiving placement, and a $1,195 per pair US price, and it becomes a genuinely compelling option for anyone building a serious listening room. With only 600 pairs worldwide, the practical question is simply whether the finish you want is still available.