belial

Well, what's even funnier--or sadder, depending on how you look at it--is the thought of all those people who are convinced/swindled into thinking Bose is a better buy than Klipsch. Even if that reviewer didn't mean to imply that, someone out there sure does, or Bose wouldn't be in a number one sales position (if in fact they are). I can still remember the Bose radio my friend's mom had, and how we thought that was IT in terms of high quality audio, like there simply wasn't anything else. Of course, I was 15 at the time, and that was quite a while ago ...

I don't want to take anyone's ammo away, but from my reading of the review, boa12 is correct--that "second to Bose" comment seems to have been in terms of SALES, which may simply be a matter of fact, and not a judgement on quality. In other words, he is stating that Klipsch is the second best seller in the US, behind the hated Bose. BobG could tell us whether this is true or not. However the rest of the review does clearly slamn Klipsch.

Hey thanks, Uspark. I actually looked at this already--for some reason I don't feel like I have a good idea of what these really look like from this photo--I wish I could see them from the side to know what that "cherry" finish really looks like. I think I'm just going to go with black. Thanks for trying to help me!!!

Thanks, PhilH!

I see this topic keeps coming up, so I thought I would give this link its own post rather than adding it to the bottom of another. If you are thinking about buying ANY audio equipment on line, ALWAYS check the company's consumer rating first. Not fool proof, but a whole lot better than nothing ... http://www.audiosurvey.com/cgi-local/mailorder.pl Klipsch speakers get high ratings here, and you can often find out where people bought them from ... http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/

Wow. Thanks Gil. You more than made up for the fact that no one else had any advice! No kids, pets, and parties to worry about--just me and my girlfriend, and she's not too clumsy. We'll probably have all three someday, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. When you talk about keeping the speakers "relatively still," you're talking about for sound purposes, right? Or do you mean to keep it from toppling over? I'm pretty sure I can construct something sturdy enough to keep the speaker from falling, it is more the issues of rattling/vibrating affecting the sound kind of thing I was concerned about. I saw some photos of Sanus speaker stands and thought they looked real nice, so maybe I'll model my design after those. The landlord put in a cheap, thin carpet, so that is what I am dealing with ... Thanks for all your advice! I thought I'd never get an answer on this one.

Welcome back, DwK I'd say my current living room is quite large. I know that isn't very helpful, but I haven't measured it yet. The thing is, this is kind of an unusual situation for me, renting a large house, and I'm not going to be here forever and my next place will no doubt be quite a bit smaller. Another reason I think those RB-5s will be better. Smaller, so eaiser to schlep around, and more flexible in terms of where I can put them. I've pretty much decided to go with them. Thanks to all of you for your input! Now my only question is, black finish, or cherry? I wish I could hear from someone who had the cherry--I want to know what it looks like, how deep the color is, etc ...

Tommy Lee? The fact that he likes them makes me think I SHOULDN'T buy Klipsch. He doesn't exactly seem like the ultimate when it comes to sonic taste ....

I want to build speaker stands for the RB-5 bookshelfs, which I plan on purchasing. I guess my question is, how hard would this be? I know how to work with wood, which is what I plan to build them out of, staining them to match my TV cabinent which I built also. But, I'm concerned about vibrations. A lot of speaker stands seem to be made out of metal, and I know some people simply use cinder blocks, to dampen any vibrations that may result ... Will wood work? Or is it not heavy enough? Anything I need to watch out for? Any advice much appreciated. I posted this in home theater as well. Hope that isn't too annoying!

I want to build speaker stands for the RB-5 bookshelfs, which I plan on purchasing. I guess my question is, how hard would this be? I know how to work with wood, which is what I plan to build them out of, staining them to match my TV cabinent which I built also. But, I'm concerned about vibrations. A lot of speaker stands seem to be made out of metal, and I know some people simply use cinder blocks, to dampen any vibrations that may result ... Will wood work? Or is it not heavy enough? Anything I need to watch out for?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this site yet. You want to buy online? Always check here first. http://www.audiosurvey.com/cgi-local/mailorder.pl It is an excellent consumer site, where users vote for and write about various online vendors. After checking this site out, I purchased a center and a sub from one of the highly rated sites, and have been very happy with both. My local dealer actually marks UP from what Klipsch charges, and they have lied to me on several occasions. It is well worth it to me to buy online, saving literally hundreds of dollars in the process. This message has been edited by belial on 06-05-2001 at 06:14 PM

I'm not sure I understand, Audio Flynn. You write: "I think the RF 3 would be more prone to "moving" at high volumes." But from your description it sounds like the RB-3s are giving you trouble in that area, which is why you had to try those three different stands, am I correct? Or did I misunderstand what you meant?

After what feels like an eternity, I think I have finally narrowed down my search for Klipsch mains to the RB-5s. Only question is, do I want the cherry or the black wood veneer? My local dealer only has the "maple" variety (and when I asked, claimed that was the only kind Klipsch made!) so I'm trying to find out what the cherry looks like. I've seen the photo(s) here on this site, but I'm hoping someone who already has the cherry RB-5 might post a photo? (If that is allowed on the bulletin board). Or if someone might have a link to a photo of the cherry RB-5s? Any help is greatly appreciated!

In my never ending quest for sonic and asthetic perfection, I stumbled across the fact that I can substitute one grill for another--in particular, I can put the Synergy series bookshelf grill on the RB-5, which I have my eye on (the RB-5). Why would I want to do that? Because I much prefer the look of the Klipsch logo on the synergy grills to the one on the reference grills, that's why. Call me crazy, but this realization has left me thrilled. But ... how do I get my hands on a pair of synergy bookshelf grills? Has anyone ordered a replacement set from Klipsch? Maybe I should just call them, I know. Maybe a moderator could answer this question?

Thanks for your advice, Uspark! Even though I would have to put the RB-5s on stands, they would take up less "visual" space, if that makes sense--I plan on building my own stands, and I can stain them to match the home-built televison stand I already use, so I think that would look nicer than the RF-3's and their black vinyl cabinents ... Sorry to disagree with you, but I don't like the mix of a bright gold woofer against the black cabinent! I think it would look much better if it were all black .... That's why I would have to keep the grill on. I'm glad you like it though!

Thanks, Ross!

It's "sense". Yes, "sense" can refer to your senses, the ability to hear, smell, etc - but it can also mean the power of your mind to understand something. That's when it "makes sense." As far as I know, the real wood veneer simply looks better. But what a cabinent is made out of can affect the sound. This is just a thin wood veneer however, so it shouldn't make much if any difference--just in looks.

From what I've read, the official Klipsch line is that they cost the same because the RB-5's have that real wood veneer, which the towers don't. I'd be willing to give up a "little" bit of sound quality - depends on how much - just to have the smaller size and nicer looks of the RB-5 ... As far as that $800 price tag, I could never afford that much, DwK. I buy online. You take a chance, but if you are reasonably sure of your online dealer, I believe it is well worth it--to the tune of several hundred dollars. Klipsch, like some other speaker makers (Paradigm for one) frown on this practice, but as far as I can tell I'm not breaking any laws, or doing anything unethical, by buying online, so I plan on continuing to do so. I couldn't afford to own Klipsch if I didn't!

That was very helpful, DwK - I sure appreciate it! Seems like I won't be losing much sound. Anyone else wish to add their two cents?

Thanks to everyone who responded ... I think I'm going to stick with the "small" setting, to let the center concentrate more on the mids and highs and let my woofer handle the rest. Right now though I'm ashamed to say it's actually hard for me to tell the difference when I switch from one to the other.

I've been agonizing over whether to get the RF-3s. I know they sound great, but they are too damn big, and, I hate to say it, IMO kinda ugly. I've actually considered getting the SF-2 because they are smaller and better looking, even though they don't sound as good. But then I found out about the RB-5, and the real wood cherry veneer, and I thought my problems might be solved! So--please, I really want to know, how much of a drop in sound quality would I suffer going from the RF-3s to the RB-5? I already have the KSW-12 subwoofer, so I'm thinking that a drop in bass won't be a problem, but am I wrong? What else might I lose, sound quality wise? Please let me know what you all think ASAP as I can't wait to complete my HT/music setup and finally quit thinking about all this stuff long enough to actually enjoy some sounds! All input appreciated.

I just read a very detailed review of the RF-3s and the reviewer made mention of a "cherry" finish version that he said looked a lot nicer than the "plain black" model! Has anyone else heard of this? My understanding was that the RF-3 only came in that, hate to say it, rather cheap-looking "plain black" finish. Yet here we have a reviewer who not only mentions this "cherry" finish, he ADMIRES it--which would seem to mean he's actually seen it, and it's not just a mistake. The site is an Italian one (but available in english) so is it possible Italians get a version not available here in the US? I want to see these suckers! Here's a link to the review: http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/klipsch-rf3_e.html

I finally got the RC-3 I had ordered as a replacement for the SC-1 I had previously and did not care for, and I am happy to say there is a definite improvement. I was planning on killing myself if I could not tell a difference. But--now I'm not sure how I should set the bass output for the center on my Yamaha reciever: "small," or "large"? I have my mains running through a KSW 12 subwoofer, and the center set to small, which means of course the bass is output to my mains, and thus the KSW 12. Since the RC-3 has pretty good bass, should I just set it to "large"? How do the rest of you have your setup configured? Yes, I will listen to both myself before making a decision, I was just curious to know what more experienced RC-3 owners thought.

I know Usparc. I'm just being silly.

Did I forget to mention that I was featured on the cover of last month's Playboy?