ct1615

I had a Denon DVD player and returned it because it was so loud when it played DVDs. My advice, check the players at the store before you buy them.

There are better speakers then the reference series. I bought them and they where too bright. I returned them the next day and stayed with my Synergy series set-up.

Ottscay I dont think you and some other people understand my post and no you counter point posts do not offend me. I brought home Reference speakers that are close to the same size and price as my current Synergy set up. I compared them over several days with a bright and warm receiver. I wanted to see if there was something the Synergy series speakers where missing, they where not compared to the Reference counterparts and in fact sounded better over time. Yes, I could tell the Reference series had a more Dynamic sound but I gave up the warmer sound of the Synergy speakers in order to get it. I did not want to make that trade-off. I also did not find the Dynamic sound to be a night and day difference between the Reference and Synergy series as some people stated. Im sure there are Reference speakers that sound better then the RC-25 & RB-25. I know Yamaha and HK make more expensive and better receivers but I believe the speaker match ups worked well the receivers in terms of price.

So receivers in the $500 price range don't work with Reference speakers? I should go out a get a receiver $2-3k? Shouldn't it be the other way around, a better speaker will make a cheaper receiver sound good? Hey, if knocking the Synergy line compared to the Reference line makes your purchase justified - more power to you. I tested them at home for one week. I didn't see them worth the extra $.

1. Isn't the tweeter from the Synergy F-3s and RF-35s made of similar material? I know the c1, 2.1, and 1.1 have silk dome tweeters. This may give those speakers a "warmer" feel compared to current Klipsch speakers. 2. I like the term "fair and balanced", I find it kind of funny.

I compared my current line-up of Klipsch Synergy KSC-C1, KSB 2.1, KSB1.1, and a Boston Acoustic CR400 verse the Klipsch Reference RC-25, and RB-25 while the sub and surrounds remained the same. TWO receivers where used in this test. A Yamaha RX-V730 (considered Bright by many of you) and a Harmon Kardon AV235 (considered warm). I set-up both speaker arrangements in similar fashion and played various TV shows and sports programs (Including watching my Pats win!) through each speaker set-up and receiver set-up. I then played the following DVDs on the speakers and receivers; Return of The King (DTS), The Mummy Returns (DD), and Lost in Translation (DTS). Compared to the Synergy 2.1 speakers, the RB-25 speakers produce a noticeable deeper bass and the RC-25 is slightly deeper then its Synergy counter part (you need to really listen for the bass). Both the RC and RB displayed a sharper audio output then their Synergy counterparts (some call it more Dynamic) but they where not picking up audio detail that the Synergy speakers missed. The big difference between the two speakers; the reference speakers are BRIGHT. I mean headache causing BRIGHT. While listening to them, I could not wait until the movie or program ended so I could turn them off! Once I replaced them with the Synergy speakers, my headaches would slowly go away. It did not make any difference if I had the reference hooked up to the Yamaha or HK, they where still BRIGHT. One thing I did notice on the HK, setting the receiver to DTS NEO rather then Dolby Prologic II did help tone down the speakers a bit on TV shows. My older Synergy speakers are no longer sold so I cant compare them to the current Synergy speakers but my advice if you are on the fence between Synergy and Reference speakers, save your money and invest in a better TV. You will be glad you did.

There are also too many people on this board that jump on a newbie planning on spending $500 on a/v because they feel real HT set-ups start at $5k without even asking what a person's budget is. 1. Can you imagine posting questions about your Honda and having people post "You should have bought an Acura"? 2. His question was about the SYNERGY series not the REFERENCE. He never asked to have them compared. The Synergy speakers are fine speaker and with the right set up can kick the reference series butt.

"If you can afford it, go for the Reference line. They sound much better" BS!!!!! I have owned both the reference series and synergy series. With a Yamaha receiver the reference series are BRIGHT and they don't sound that much better then the synergy series. I hate audio snobs.

Thanks for your response Grams. The writer (Steve Guttenburg) does a lot of work for HT magazine and I have enjoyed several of his articles. I just don't understand why you would leave that info out? You would not write a food review like that and state the best way to prepare a chicken kiev in with "good spices". Why are reviewers so scared to call out electronic manufacturers on their products?...yes I know sales $$

Cool, but who makes bright receiver? Is Yamaha a bright receiver, Sony, HK, Denon, etc.,? He doesn't say in the article and I have yet to see someone post a list anywhere.

I tested the Toshiba upscale unit on my SONY CRT HDTV and it did not improve the picture past component cables. Save your money and get a normal DVD player with progressive scan.

"The RC-25's tonal balance is ever so slightly lightweight...We have one caveat: Avoid mating a bright or even slightly harsh receiver with the RC-25, which will highlight that weakness. Our setup involved first-class electronics, and our reference discs sounded awfully good. " What is a bright receiver????? For the full article go here http://reviews.cnet.com/Klipsch_RC_25/4505-7869_7-30582947-2.html?tag=top

You may be right Drwho on the meter's battery.

It's a digital signal not an analog, how much signal loss could there possible be? You may be able to find your answer at this site http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/cables.htm

Yes I know, it stated all that in the instruction maual.

Definition of useless; I set the sound meter up as stated in the instruction booklet(at my listening position). A ran a loud test signal through each speaker but the needle barely moved. I tried it on every setting, the needle only moved on one setting. I finally just tossed the instructions, and walked up to each speaker and stuck the meter in front of it. At the end of the test, the speakers where already at the right setting. Maybe I just have good ears!

I bought the radio shack analog model and it was useless. I just trusted my personal taste and returned the unit. I didn't feel like spending $50 for the digital sound level meter. Doesn't Pioneer have receivers now that come with sound meters?

If I did, I doubt they would like the fact that I returned their player.

Believe it or not but I bought that SONY 975 DVD player and when I brought it home it had a stuck copy of "Finding Nemo" in it! It had to get serviced so I switched to the Toshiba for half the price.

I used to run my Klipsch synergy towers with a Panasonic and Kenwood receiver. Since then I have owned a Pioneer Elite THX and Yamaha RV receiver. The Pioneer Elite was by far the best but I have a hard time believing my current Yamaha (new $5-600) is that much better then a new $500-600 SONY receiver. There really is not that much difference in receiver brands at the same price and I often laugh when people tell me they hear a difference. The SONY should work just fine with the Klipsch speakers, dont let other people get to you just because you dont own the same receiver they do.

My test was to see if a DVD can be upgraded to an "HDTV" signal by a cable, it can't. Do you have HDTV from Comcast? If not, I doubt that cable will make a difference. If you do have it, then the HDMI connection should improve the picture. By the way, the cable is outragious in price.

Last night I bought the Toshiba SD-5970 DVD player so I could compare a HDMI connection to the component connection on my Panasonic 27S DVD player. My TV is a SONY WEGA (CRT) 27 HDTV that accepts 480P, 720P, and1080I signals. The Toshiba came with a HDMI cable (which was cool) but I used by own. Cables for both players where off the shelf stuff you can find at any Target, CC or BB (Monster, AR, Philips, etc.,). The test DVD was The Return of the King extended edition disc 2. I jumped through several chapters comparing both players and saw NO difference in the picture using the 480P, 720P, 1080I signals on the Toshiba OR compared to my Panasonic DVD player. Both players where hooked up at the same time. I looked at the dark images, the city burning, light images of soldiers in front of a lake, facial close-ups; no difference. Now the Panasonic does have an awesome picture but I see no reason to use an HDMI connection unless you just want less wires running to your TV. I also tested the DTS signal on both the coaxial and optical out and heard no difference, but that is a fair and balanced report for another day. The Toshiba is going back to the store.

I believe you are right and they are from Korea. As far as Goldstar goes, I don't know about that but I do remember Goldstar and their products never seemed to be anything special.

Below is the link to the unit The DAC is 10bit/27MHZ (which are some of the smaller numbers I have seen but most people tell me it doesn't mean anything) http://us.lge.com/Product/index.do

Anyone have experience with LG? I know they make cell phones and started to make LCD TV's but I saw they have single disc DVD players now. The player I saw looked cool but I just wonder if it works well. The player was not cheap, $179 with HDMI connection and SACD playback.