| AudioREVIEW's Forum Archives - All About Speakers |
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|   surround/center speakers,Klipsch | bkrop
Jul 25, 2002 7:06 PM | | any Klipsch lovers/haters out there? |
| Klipsch "liker" | midfiman
Jul 26, 2002 5:28 AM | | Used to love klipsch, now more of a "like alot", progressed towards Paradigm in that league |
| re: surround/center speakers,Klipsch | Doug C
Jul 26, 2002 5:37 AM | | I recently purchased Klipsch RF-5's to go with a Decware Zen Select tube amp (2 watts/channel). Had never considered Klipsch before because of all the talk about their horns being bright/harsh. Having only 2 watts/channel sent me on a search for high efficency speakers so Klipsch was on the relatively short list of true high efficency speakers.
Since the RF-5 is not a $3,000 speaker it may not grab the attention of those looking at higher end speakers. I think this is a great speaker value when matched with the right electronics. You may want to check out the link below for some discussion on the RF-3 and RF-5:
http://216.37.9.58/cgi-bin/ubb/postdisplay.cgi?forum=Forum3&topic=001464
The RF-5 has lots of detail compared to other speakers in this price range. As a result I could see if mated with below average electronics the high end could be harsh. This speaker will expose weak components in your system and poorly recorded music. On the other hand I find many CD's that got little play on my main system are very engaging with the Klipsch. The dynamic capability of the speaker really pulls out detail.
My tube amp and the Klipsch make a very good match. The combo is very quiet. To give you an idea of the detail these speakers can reproduce I now find it very easy to hear tape hiss on CD's where the material was originally recorded on tape and later transfered to CD. I don't see this as a weakness since the music itself has so much more detail. I find the increased detail adds significantly to music realism.
The Zen Select Klipsch combo is set up in a 12'x16' room using a Marantz CD17 connected directly to the Zen amp. The system achieves very high volumes when called upon. I have a sub hooked via speaker level connections and this really takes it to the next level.
Doug C. |
| re: Follow-Up Post: | Doug C
Jul 26, 2002 5:54 AM | | I should probably note that I think my very favorable impressions of the RF-5 are due in lage part to the abilities of the Zen amp. I have used this amp with several other lower efficency speakers (compared to the Klipsch) and it has an uncanny ability to pull detail out of a recording. The lower efficency speakers however did not have the ability to produce live volume levels like the Klipsch.
I have Paradigm Studio 100's in my HT system in a much larger room and like these speakers also. I'm listening to 2-channel music now almost exclusively on the Zen/Klipsch combo for the reasons noted. My main system with the 100's just can't reproduce the same level of detail and this may have more to do with electronics in that system rather than the speakers.
The Zen/Klipsch combo is my "Less Is More" experiment and I really like what I'm hearing.
Doug C. |
| re: surround/center speakers,Klipsch | Worf101
Jul 26, 2002 6:18 AM | | There's lots of Klipsch lovers and hater's out here. I've various Klipsch speakers from the legendary KG-1 on up. They make great "true" bookshelf speakers that get amazing bass for their size when paired with the right amplification. They make however the best center channels in the world. I've had every thing from the wife friendly KSC-C1 all the way up to the massive and legendary KLF-C7. You can't go wrong with a Klipsch center channel, just read the reviews here.
Yours....
Da Worfster. |
| I agree about the C7... | midfiman
Jul 26, 2002 10:19 AM | | You can drive that thing to ridiculous listening levels and it's still amazingly clear without being harsh.. |
| re: surround/center speakers,Klipsch | wanderingbob
Jul 26, 2002 9:36 AM | | I'd have to count myself as a Klipsch "lover" for HT, but only a Klipsch "liker" for two channel stereo music. My HT system features B&K electronics (which offer reasonably high resolution and available real power) and Klipsch Reference Series speakers (the subwoofer, however, is a Velodyne HGS-15).
The RC-7 center channel and RS-7 surrounds have been excellent and I can't think of any negatives concerning them except that their size and weight might be more than you would expect from centers and surrounds, which might make wall or ceiling mounting more difficult. It's not possible to place the RC-7 on top of most TV's, even fairly large RPTV's.
The fit and finish on the speakers is outstanding (they're covered with a real wood veneer - mine are maple, which results in a higher S.A.P. that usual, I think). They resolve detail in DVD soundtracks with great clarity, and the dipole design of the somehow surrounds creates an enveloping ambience when the soundtracks calls for this, yet manages to reproduce localized sounds from the surrounds too (for example, the fireplace popping after the scary story in "The Haunting"). Dialog is extremely clear through the RC-7. Finally, with the characteristic Klipsch efficiency, I can easily listen to soundtracks at theater levels or even louder. I don't listen to multi-channel music (other than incidentally on DVD soundtracks), so I can't comment on using the RC-7 and RS-7 for multi-channel music playback with SACD or DVD-A).
The RF-7 mains have been just as satisfactory for DVD soundtracks as the center and surrounds, with the same resolution and efficiency.
I do use my HT system for two-channel stereo as well (I don't have a separate system for that, although I would like to, one day). The RF-7's resolve a lot of detail in music, just as they do with DVD soundtracks, and their very high efficiency (101 Db / 1 m rated) creates an incredible sense of dynamics with almost any kind of music (and I listen to almost every kind of music except "easy listening" and rap). Needless to say, I can create 110 - 120 Db listening levels if I want to push the system that hard. I do think that the RF-7s exhibit a kind of harshness or stridency in the midrange and especially the treble at extremely high volume levels. This is most noticable to me on the classical violin. I also know that there are other speakers that resolve more detail. Essentially, I know that the RF-7's are definitely not the "last word" for two-channel music.
I don't believe, however, that I could find any other speakers with the combination of high efficiency, superb dynamics, and reasonable resolution of detail without spending quite a bit more (the RF-7's were $1735 at http://www.allhometheater.net/).
If I ever put a two-channel, music-only system together, I will probably audition ribbon or electrostatic speakers in the $10,000 price range with the goal of extreme resolution of detail and "grain-free" reproduction of midrange and treble. Until then, I haven't heard any other main speakers I would rather have for the $1,735 than the RF-7's.
Bob Gardner
wanderingbob@yahoo.com |
| Love my Cornwalls, thanks for the surround info guys. nt | tazz
Jul 28, 2002 4:44 PM | | |
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