justin_tx_16 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 CNet.com's "Audiophiliac" writer, Steven Guttenberg questions, what's wrong with high-end audio while standing in front of a Klipsch Palladium speaker. I thought it was an interesting choice putting Klipsch as the image of expensive, high-end audio. There isn't an ounce of my being that doesn't think Klipsch is the best speaker company around. The best customer service, the coolest employees and really, the coolest customers. We have build this incredible community around a device that manipulates air to create sound. It's awesome. And while you can spend tens of thousands of dollars building a two-channel Klipsch system and significantly more building a home theater with Klipsch speakers, I hardly put Klipsch in the avenue of "high-end" that this article refers to. But then again, what is "high-end"? Is spending a could thousand dollars high-end or is spending tens of thousands of dollars high end? We all know you can build one killer home theater system using Klipsch for under a few thousand dollars. You can build an absolutely fantastic two-channel system for even less!The article really only opens up these kinds of questions and even points out the fact that in the long run, high quality, high-end audio is more of an investment. My 1980 era Klipsch Heresys play as good today as I presume they did when they were first sent to a high-end audio magazine editor to write his review on them! (my speakers were in a magazine, woot!) I'd never looked at high-end audio as an investment, but now I do. I look at friend's Yamaha or Sony surround sound systems; yeah they sound ok, even pretty good in their small rooms, but as soon as they move to a bigger space they have to buy all new speakers. If not, certainly time wears on these low-end products much more than if you just spent the extra cash for the real deal to start with. Now, I don't subscribe to the $20,000 turntable or think I could ever hear the difference in a $5,000 speaker and a $30,000 speaker; but I do treasure my Klipsch heritage speakers, and they're older than me! Now, thanks in part (or perhaps wholy) to the Klipsch ProMedia line of speakers, people my age and younger not only know about Klipsch but might, and likely, have already owned their own Klipsch speakers. So what are your thoughts? Either way, I'm always happy to see Klipsch in the mainstream. I remember the day that the only people who knew what Klipsch was were "old farts" like my dad :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Oops. Sorry just farted. Here's another Klipsch mention: http://news.cnet.com/2300-17938_105-10000957-2.html?s=0&o=10000957&tag=mncol;page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 It's been taken over by Video[] Unfortunately video brings in far my money for the salon's these days and very few still cater to the 2 channel nut[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 In spite of the article's title, Steve Guttenberg does seem to see the point of high-end audio, unlike some of the commentators. At least now we know that anything over $3000 for a pair of speakers is money thrown away, in one poster's opinion, at least. Funny, I don't think I've wasted a penny in building my system, and it passed the $3K mark a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'm just responding to the thread title and haven't read the article yet. Ignorance, closed mindedness and lack of experience IMHO has plagued many of the so called (or better yet self defined) high-end proclaimers. If they had had a clue or experience then PWK and Klipsch should have been treated and respected much more than many of these self proclaimed institutions have shown for his designing and setting such a high level of sound reproduction accuracy. Many times I have went into a HighEnd Shop and listened to systems costing multi-tens of thousands of dollars and left with such a feeling of happiness because what I define as accurate/musical was better served (at least for me any way) by my Klipschorns at home. Don't get me wrong though because I have heard a few systems that were very good in someways but when everything was weighed in the balance the Klipschorns always were my choice since at least the first time I heard them in 1984. Now I've moved on to the Klipschorn Jubilee which I view as the logical evolution of the orginal Klipschorn. mike tn[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 thanks for the heads up on cnet. interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobRiff Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Amen to that. I love my Jubes too, but you gotta admit that those $40 K Palladiums sound awfully good. [Y] Bob Ignorance, closed mindedness and lack of experience IMHO has plagued many of the so called (or better yet self defined) high-end proclaimers. If they had had a clue or experience then PWK and Klipsch should have been treated and respected much more than many of these self proclaimed institutions have shown for his designing and setting such a high level of sound reproduction accuracy. Many times I have went into a HighEnd Shop and listened to systems costing multi-tens of thousands of dollars and left with such a feeling of happiness because what I define as accurate/musical was better served (at least for me any way) by my Klipschorns at home. Don't get me wrong though because I have heard a few systems that were very good in someways but when everything was weighed in the balance the Klipschorns always were my choice since at least the first time I heard them in 1984. Now I've moved on to the Klipschorn Jubilee which I view as the logical evolution of the orginal Klipschorn. mike tn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 "What's wrong with high-end audio?" NOTHING! Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I will tell you exactly whats wrong with high end audio The 3 grand statement are the babblings of a blithering idiot so I will not dignify it with a response. The problem with "high end Audio" is technology and marketing. It is my theory that the manufacturers are trying to take a lesson from the car makers. Make the stuff so bleeping complicated with useless BS that nobody can buy it- take it home -and hook it up -much less troubleshoot it. I hear people in the office takling about getting 5 grand quotes for very modest hardware installed becuasde they are intimidated by the technology. The newfangled stuff is all shinly laquer finishes- carefully designed face plates on the electronic components with junk inside(considering the price paid). At the risk of being an arrogant @ss I will make a flat statement that the people on the Klipsch forum that share advice and tinker with new reference and 30 year old heritage stuff are some of the few people that "GET IT". I see 15k system after 30 k system after 30 k system in high end houses that just are a joke. Somebody really got screwed. My 5 grand 2 channel system murders anything except the same stuff with tubes.( I am working on my tubes)- jubs and palladiums obviously excluded fro my statement. My 12 grand HT heritage system murders just about anything that I have ever heard - period- same discalmier on jubs and palladium. My friends with new non klipsch dealer installed systems dont even want to talk comparioons. i avoid the subject out of courtesy as not to embarass anyone- Its that bad. People spend big bucks without doing their homework- Thats what is wrong with "high end audio" IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I won't go so far as to say that anybody who spends more than x amount of dollars is an idiot, or that there isn't life outside of Klipsch. I believe it is all a matter of taste. We, here on this forum share a similar taste in the speakers we choose. People who choose brand x, y or z and snub their noses at Klipsch are entitled to their opinion. After all, speakers are a compromise like all components. If there were any one perfect amp or speaker... we'd all be using it. Every component imparts its own sound and signature, and in the end you choose what sounds pleasing to you. Modern hi-fi has gone the direction of lowering the distortions in components and speakers to a very low amount. This in turn has reduced the colorations, but at an expense... to me it is thin and void of life and musicality. If one day there is a speaker and amplifier and source capable of 100% reproduction... it is likely that few will want it. The Brits are very good at summing up their reviews of audio in just one line. When they first reviewed the new (at the time) B&W Nautilus 800's, they were quoted as something like: "arguably too good for current programming". I'd say that sums up quite a bit about hi end audio these days. Listen to any Wilson, B&W, Focal, etc. speaker and only a small handful of the very best recordings will sound great... but wow, do they sound great! Most of your favorite recordings will be exposed for what they are... dated, flawed and unable to keep up with the gear. I love my Klipsch speakers because they make all of my recordings sound great. Some of the very expensive audio out there is very good, but perhaps not to everyones taste, and not for all recordings. But then, if we all had the same music systems... what fun what that be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Yes there is life outside of klipsch... Just not much. The HT high end market is loaded with B&Ws. Not worth the money IMHO. Heard Focal- was not that impressed- touted as the end all- be all. Have not heard Wilson. Money is best spent according to the advice of the members of this forum. A professional HT installer will not even kiss you afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I don't think there is anything wrong with high end audio. PWK used to say his speakers were for the 1% of the general population made up of perfectionists that buy his expensive speakers, and that 99% of folks didn't know what accuracy of reproduction meant. Well I would still agree with those words today. Popular high sales volume low cost mid-fi sound has gotten good enough......that people have been conditioned to these varying but definitely lower sound quality units. The mass standard is simply lower non-audiophile quality sound. PWK's words still ring true with me. Most folks simply have no idea what audiophile sound even is. I don't see anything wrong with high end audio itself. It's out there if you go and look for it. If anything it just takes more skill from the consumer nowaday's to separate the really great equipment from the rest that pretends to be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 It just makes me sick to see people throw their cash away- buy these way overpriced mediocre professionally installed HT systems- and then try to convince themselves that they did not get royally screwed after the fact- Hey- I bought a high end BLOWS system a few years back- so been there done that.Knew in one hour that I had screwed up. Fortunately someone else wanted my system so i did not get murdered when I sold it. The other medium stuff sounds like garbage beside mid grade klipsch- true- much better than in previous years.The biggest joke is - the unreal difference between used heritage sutff and what you can get for used heritage money in new non klipsch stuff. If money is no object- I would agree with the statement that nothing is wrong with high end audio. I just see a lot of folks wasting a lot of cash on poor choices due to expert marketing. Easily fixed by buying Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 From my perspective, the main thing "wrong" with hi-end audio is that it's too exclusive: b&m vendors are too hard to find, prices are too high, and the whole concept is too far beneath the radar of of many potential customers - partly for the preceeding two reasons. Why is it thus? Maybe PWK was right - 99% of the general population either don't care or don't get it ...or don't care to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Yeah but the problem is that the general public THINKS that they can GET IT just by spending a big pile of cash. As we here all know- not the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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