Well, it’s been about three months and I thought it was about time I share a small review after giving a lot of hours listening to the 396s…I really believe that sound is a muscle memory and anything different can seem better, worse, or just different. So I believe it needs time to give a good true impression…
First things first the 396s are just fantastic speakers.…. They are definitely right there with the KPT904s… especially in the voice (wow just wow)… I know a lot of you that have time with the 510 or better (402) know what I’m talking about…. the 510 is so much better than other commercial speaker drivers I’ve heard... It’s really hilarious.. I have owned so many speakers, and they just wipe the floor with them.
So I have been pushing them mostly with just normal listening level music, movies, tv, and even a lot of basic podcasts….I work remote, and spend most of my time in the room they are sitting in (these speakers do not collect dust). I have also opened them way up with music, and movies as well and they sound amazing on everything…I have said this in other posts (and forums), but it’s worth repeating…the VOICE … right away you hear it. It’s so big compared to other speakers… for example I would go to the movie theatre, and I would hear that giant voice. That was the one thing in the home that I missed… I could replicate the bass…I could replicate the surround-sound, but the voice was always smaller. Only the 904s, and the 396s (510s) match that in the speakers that I have owned. For as good as La Scala sound, they don’t have that, the RF7s they don’t have that, the Cornwalls they don’t have that etc. etc.
Spending $3500 on a pair of speakers Is a ton of money, especially when I think back to what I would spend 20 years ago….I can’t necessarily say that they’re better than a $1000 pair of speakers when you’re talking bang for buck (everyone’s ears, and wallets are different). But as I sit here today writing this review I couldn’t be happier…..
Well done Klipsch.