klipsch vs the hi end

[quadklipsh]

dudes ,

is klipsch really hi end , or is it just in a different a league that specializes in high sensitivity speakers with acceptable sound quality

i mean i just wonder the most expensive klipsch is palladium pf 39 . costing 20grands , and look at b&w nautilus , that may just start at 40000bucks and then some companies cost into hundreds of thousands of dollars or euros .....

why this big price difference ?

and why that makes me think that the research and development at klipsch is far less hitech or less advanced than the best brands out there .....

im not saying anything bad for klipsch .....God , i like em alot .

just that they never stood as expensive as those others i mentioned ,bugs me....

[tube fanatic]

You can't necessarily correlate price with sound quality. Some of the exotic, ridiculously expensive, speakers out there are priced so that they are considered "status" symbols but don't sound all that impressive. Many use rare woods which do nothing for the sound quality, but just add cost. The same goes for the drivers themselves; just because the frames use some rare metals doesn't mean that they work better than plain steel or aluminum. People are easily convinced that if something costs more, it must be better. Would you feel differently if Klipsch raised the price of K-horns to say 30 grand per pair, or Palladium 39s to 50 grand?

[psg]

Why would you want Klipsch to make speakers that you can't afford? Just for the pretige of saying you have the same brand? There are many inexpensive B&W speakers that cost far less than my Klipsch. I don't see the relevance of the most expensive model of any given brand affecting the performance of the rest of the models.

[Panacea Engineering]

Klipsch is by far the best dollar spent in sound reproduction....! When you can close your eyes and it sounds LIVE...what more could you ask for. Like anything else, the support equipment has a great affect on what you hear, as Klipsch speakers don't mask the sound. Crap in Crap out...

[dtel]

You can always spend more on anything you buy, but with speakers you really have to spend alot more to just try to get that last little difference in sound.

The also have people who would not even look a set of speakers under (pick a crazy $ number), for people like that, are they really thinking about the sound or who they may impress ?

[willland]

Look at it this way. You buy a $227,000.00 Ferrari F430 Scuderia(510hp) that will go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and top out at 198mph. Then take $85,000.00 out of your other account and hop into a Corvette Z06(505hp) and you can also go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and top out at 198mph.

Both are awesomely fast supercars but the Ferrari is 2.5 times the price of the Z06. Driving around South Beach which would you rather be in? Head to head on the track, flip a coin, you could win in either.

In the end, the Ferrari is the status simple of the rich and famous, and the Corvette Z06 is the supercar for the more common man, well maybe a richer common man.

Bill

[Boxx]

The "law of diminishing return" is always hiding in the woods.....

[Ironsave]

Quad,

Save up ~$800. (Sell the RF3s to help accomplish this).

Buy a set of used KLF 20s or 30s.

Watch everyone who comes over have their jaw hit the floor.

Tell them you paid $2000.....

My .02

You are welcome. []

[Hifi jim]

i mean i just wonder the most expensive klipsch is palladium pf 39 . costing 20grands , and look at b&w nautilus , that may just start at 40000bucks and then some companies cost into hundreds of thousands of dollars or euros .....

Well Klipsch and B&W have two things in common: both are among the larger speaker makers on the planet which allows them to produce hi end speakers at much lower prices. A small esoteric company could never produce the Palladium for anywhere near $20k. Just as no company but B&W could produce the 802D for $15k. As far as engineering goes, I have to give B&W the advantage there. Look inside their factory or R&D facility and one thing is clear; They have the most advanced speaker research anywhere, bar none. B&W sells lots of speakers here and worldwide (much like Klipsch), and this coupled with their technology allow for some incredible speakers at relatively low prices. As amazing as the Palladium appears, and as well as it reviews in the media, I feel (at least on paper), that the B&W is the better buy. Of course, I would need to hear a pair of Palladiums to make an actual comparison but dollar for dollar the 802D is a more advanced speaker and your money goes further there. Diamond tweeters, FST midrange in Marlan enclosure, Rohacell woofers, Mundorf silver/gold/oil capacitors, and the cabinet and driver manufacturing and all assembly takes place in the UK. Palladium is designed, made and assembled as a "global effort". Can we say China? Both are great speakers from great companies, and the only thing that matters is what sound you prefer.

[skonopa]

From my own personal experience, I found that Klipsch definitely delivers one of the best price to performance ratios when it comes to speakers. I've listened to some rigs that were considerably more expensive than what I have, yet I still found what I got to be right up there (and more often than not, actually preferred what I had in my own rig). Yes, I would hope that something like the B&W 802Ds would sound better than my RF-7s, but do they sound $13,000 better? Not to this pair of ears.

And yes, I've listened to the Palladiums myself and found them to be incredible speakers. I would love to get a pair, but right now, I just cannot justify the expense, nice Christmas bonuses or not.

And to add - 'heli001' is right about closing the eyes bit. I love it when I can just sit back and take in the MUSIC that I am hearing. You know you got a good setup when it really does seem to sound like actual MUSIC playing in the room, not just a recording being heard through some speakers.

[dtel]

Palladium is designed, made and assembled as a "global effort". Can we say China?

No we can't say china because it's wrong, unless they moved Hope AR ?

[Mallette]

is klipsch really hi end , or is it just in a different a league that specializes in high sensitivity speakers with acceptable sound quality

Depends on whether you mean "hi end" price wise, or performance wise. The Palladium is an example of the cost you incur when you don't follow PWK's theories. Pardon, Klipsch employees, on that but it's a fact at least as I see it.

The Palladium performance is, according to many auditioners, extraordinary. It should be, in that form and for that cost, and Klipsch definitely delivers there. It's also stunningly beautiful...certainly more so than a decorator 'horn. OTOH, it doesn't sound a bit better and, even though I've not heard them, I am going to predict that I'd hear an awesome sound that had a sense about it of having required a bit too much effort and expense to reach my ears.

But the Klipschorn remains the world's finest example of where cost and performance cross at an optimum point. PWK told me personally he considered the 'horn to be an econonmy speaker. He really didn't believe you could build anything accurate any cheaper.

Now, all I want is "accurate." And "cheap and accurate" is a good thing.

So, for me and my house, you can't improve on a Klipschorn unless you start messing around with physics.

Dave

[SuBXeRo]

as lame as this sounds, the quality of sound you hear is correlated directly to the source the signal is produced from. Just to throw in another twang to things. I just heard a 250,000 dollar pair of MBL speakers and it was just a wall of sound. I want that speaker setups little brother, the are omnidirectional sound. Will i likely drop the 68k for them, uhh not unless im bleeding money and have enough to go around. Everyone likes a different sound and in the end, the speaker really comes down to the manufacturers desire for status and actual cost to build and r&d costs.

another thing to keep in mind is, where does high end start?

[Mallette]

as lame as this sounds, the quality of sound you hear is correlated directly to the source the signal is produced from.

Well, I've said for several thousand posts that "its all about the source material." I hardly find that "lame." Garbage in, Garbage Out isn't just a good idea...it's the law.

another thing to keep in mind is, where does high end start?

If you are talking about maximum performance, it starts where the source material sounds like what the engineer heard from the mike position. Anything that differs is by definition "noise" and or "distortion." At 68k you are paying for either exotic and beautiful materials, or an approach to accuracy that is very difficult to achieve.

Accuracy is = Klipschorn. My experience is that at less, you are either less than accurate, and at more, you are simply paying for a more decorative or complex way of reaching it.

JMHO

Dave

[SuBXeRo]

the even more difficult part of knowing if its worth the money are the types of components that comprise both the source and the speaker sets. There are so many typs of decorders and crossovers, capacitors, dacs etc. It becomes hard to distinguish whether a $150cd player is better than a 300-400 dollar and so on.

[Mallette]

the even more difficult part of knowing if its worth the money are the types of components that comprise both the source and the speaker sets. There are so many typs of decorders and crossovers, capacitors, dacs etc. It becomes hard to distinguish whether a $150cd player is better than a 300-400 dollar and so on.

I've always found that human ears were by far the finest test instruments. If it's hard to distuingish that a 150.00 cd player is better than a 3 or 4 hundred dollar one, then it should be obvious that the 150 dollar one is the better deal.

Sometimes things get vastly overcomplicated. "Accuracy" in audio production shouldn't be one of them. If you get dollars and accuracy confused to the point that you are influenced to any degree by the dollars involved as to accuracy you are not only screwed, but no matter how much money you throw at it you will never be satisfied.

Just listen. If there is a problem with your playback chain, you'll hear it and know right where it is. Don't spend a dime until you do.

Dave

[wwh]

I've never had the opportunity to hear any of the Palladium line, but if their price/performance is anywhere near the heritage line, I would think they would best many speakers costing $40,000+.

RMAF 2011 is only 9 months away. It would be great to hear the P-39F, maybe with some McIntosh equipment. How about it?

- Bill

[michaelhigh]

So, it's like we're driving Corvettes, huh? I like that. I also like the fact that my Forte I's sound so good that my search for speakers is over. I can concentrate on my front end (TT's covered, HD radio covered, CD player might be a consideration... or Squeezebox Touch...). Or how 'bout lots more CD's and LP's?

[tragusa3]

That's a good angle on it Michael. For me, I'm looking for that speaker that puts an end to the desire to upgrade. Anything beyond that is for what other people think, not me. And, well, I just don't care what they think!

I listen to Dave Ramsey, he is a financial counselor that has a national radio show. He likes to use the example of expensive cars and how people are willing to sacrifice security and peace for their family, all to impress (for a few brief seconds) people at a red light that they will never know. Funny stuff. And so true. Status, it's a powerful drug. Debt in this nation is almost humorous. People giving up comfort in life so that they appear to have comfort in life....

[tube fanatic]

This discussion reminds me of an optician friend who does not put price tags on his frames. Although he likes to make the largest profit possible by selling ridiculously priced "designer" frames, he has found that it's far better to let people choose their frames without the influence of price or status. Often, when he tells the person the cost of the frame, they are shocked that it wasn't double the amount...........