why is klipsch called fatiguing and diliked in other forums

[quadklipsh]

dont they have better electronics in use ?

[Danzo]

Tthey do not like listening to sound reflections from behind caused by horn directivity. Oh wait...

[Cut-Throat]

dont they have better electronics in use ?

Horns are ruthlessly revealing. If there is anything wrong with your Room, Source, Amplification etc. the Horns will point that out. Khorns are highly customizeable and can be tweaked to your preference. But just taking a pair and plunking them into a system may yield some PI$$ Poor results.

[Ski Bum]

dont they have better electronics in use ?

Nope. Some of the sweetest electronics to be found belong to members of this forum, e.g. all the Wrights, Moondogs, NOSvalves VRD's, all the crazy fully active Jubilees and other frankenstien systems, etc. There are some very serious systems on here. Some of them are probably much more cost effective than you would imagine, too.

Of course we also use speakers actually capable of conveying the dynamic range of a recording, and sensitive enough to be used with a ton more amps than your standard issue, low sensitivity, direct radiator speaker. It adds to the fun factor.

Fatiguing? Well, I listen to my forte's for hours a day and never get tired of the sound. Quite the opposite, in fact; I feel like I can't get enough music, I just want to keep listening.

One thing I've noticed is that other forums are full of folks beginning or in the middle of the whole audio-upgrade merry-go-round. Here, most seem to have been there, done that, and discovered that Klipsch are hard to beat. Folks here haven't lost sight of the music, and Klipsch (particularly Heritage) really connects you to it in a way that few speakers can.

[Dennie]

dont they have better electronics in use ?

Nope. Some of the sweetest electronics to be found belong to members of this forum, e.g. all the Wrights, Moondogs, NOSvalves VRD's, all the crazy fully active Jubilees and other frankenstien systems, etc. There are some very serious systems on here. Some of them are probably much more cost effective than you would imagine, too.

Of course we also use speakers actually capable of conveying the dynamic range of a recording, and sensitive enough to be used with a ton more amps than your standard issue, low sensitivity, direct radiator speaker. It adds to the fun factor.

Fatiguing? Well, I listen to my forte's for hours a day and never get tired of the sound. Quite the opposite, in fact; I feel like I can't get enough music, I just want to keep listening.

One thing I've noticed is that other forums are full of folks beginning or in the middle of the whole audio-upgrade merry-go-round. Here, most seem to have been there, done that, and discovered that Klipsch are hard to beat. Folks here haven't lost sight of the music, and Klipsch (particularly Heritage) really connects you to it in a way that few speakers can.

Well Said! [Y]

Dennie

[Heritage_Head]

I think it’s a combination of things half those people probably have never even heard klipsch and are just going by what they read on forums. Not too many stores have higher end stuff. About the best speaker you might find would be the rf-82. A few stores have some stuff but most people audition lowers level klipsch. The fatiguing part I don’t know how anyone could say that from just an audition maybe they are just guessing they would be. Anything loud can become fatiguing for anyone no matter what kind of speaker brand it is. They just announced another new line of even lower level speakers so I’m guessing that rep will grow even more. I know klipsch makes money on these lower level speakers and it might be a good value I don’t know. But as they say you’re only as good as your weakest link

[Quiet_Hollow]

First and foremost is the room. NEVER trust the opinion of a proclaimed audio nut packing a several thousand dollar rig in an untreated, rectangular room sporting a hardwood floor. Same applies to someone that turns green at the mere suggestion of EQ.

Second is the electronics, but only to a certain extent. Schlep a mass market SS amp onto the butt end of a so-so DAC (ie. your home theater receiver) and it's Klipsch's instant breakfast graininess. Hook'em up to an Equibit, ICE or Tripath getting fed S/PDIF and it's strawberries and cream. Analog die-hards typically default to using DAC's, so don't expect them to know how to pull off a good digital setup. The high sensitivity of the Heritage help extract every ounce of performance out of the modern relatively low-power chip amplifiers.

The final thing to become noticeable is the phase response of the system. Mainly the characteristics of the tweeter and squawker horn alignment and how the crossover handles traffic in that region. If you ever listen to some heritage speakers back to back with good headphones, you'll appreciate what I'm talking about. I've got my AL-3 equipped LaScalas sounding as good as I possibly can given my room, velvety smooth with top to bottom definition, but they still get me sleepy from time to time when I listen to them for more than an half hour or so. On the other hand, I can stay plugged into my earbuds all-day-long and well into the twilight without a hint of drowsiness. The La Scalas are not harsh in any way, but they are not quite as coherent as a true point source. Some can not sleep at night knowing that. To each their own. I believe for the price, a used pair of Heritage speakers (especially the full horn ones) represent incredible value if you have the floor space for them and simply shake my head at those that say otherwise.

[JJkizak]

Of those people complaining of being fatiged by Klipsch speakers I would like to know how many are over 60 years old, that being the problem.

JJK

[tube fanatic]

Of those people complaining of being fatiged by Klipsch speakers I would like to know how many are over 60 years old, that being the problem.

JJK

In my experience, the age group you mention is far more likely to enjoy the sound of horn type speakers! As high frequency hearing declines with age, the fatigue some complain of when using horns with crappy solid state electronics becomes less apparent. I've encountered far more complaints about the sound of horn type speakers from much younger listeners.

[Mallette]

First and foremost is the room.

I disagree. Happy to place this in second place, but no way in first. The worst "room" I listen in is my car and there as everywhere great source material sounds great and crappy source material sounds crappy.

That said, and to get to the point of Quad's post, my opinion is that given the vast majority of source material is mediocre at best it should come as no surprise that so many can't tolerate the accuracy of great horn systems...or any accurate system.

When I hear a Beethoven's 7th that is fatiguing on my horns, I dig up another, better engineered one, and sink into bliss.

Or, I could replace my horns...

Dave

[quadklipsh]

In my experience, the age group you mention is far more likely to enjoy the sound of horn type speakers! As high frequency hearing declines with age, the fatigue some complain of when using horns with crappy solid state electronics becomes less apparent. I've encountered far more complaints about the sound of horn type speakers from much younger listeners....

i disagree.

your view implies that other non horned brands know better than klipsch how to generate 14k and above frequencies and make em amiable to youngsters too. []

[Groomlakearea51]

"I've got my AL-3 equipped LaScalas sounding as good as I possibly can given my room, velvety smooth with top to bottom definition, but they still get me sleepy from time to time when I listen to them for more than an half hour or so."

It's not fatigue.... it's the result of superb sound that relaxes you, and to the point where you can simply take a nice nap!!! LOL!!!

[H]

[pzannucci]

Many people like to have a frequency response that is flat or slightly trailed off in the upper frequencies, especially where the ear is most sensitive. A number of Klipsch speakers have a slightly tilted up frequency response, especially when you may need to aim them straight at you to get the most open midrange. Most people try to compensate for this by dampening the room significantly not to have the high frequency bouncing around. On axis many are too hot requiring things like Dean's RF7 mod. Some minor tweeks to the speakers to drop the high frequency down a db or two will make a significant difference to people who are put off by what they consider overbearing highs. Some consider it detail but on some speakers, I would call it fatiguing.

It also matters how loud you listen. The louder you listen typically the more you will need to mellow the high end to balance the frequency range.

[mark1101]

A speaker is an audio tool, and a Klipsch speaker is a high performance audio tool. If you aren't educated on how to properly use the tool and try to be conventional and just plug it in with high expectations.............you are bound to be disappointed. Klipsch, especially the Heritage line are "fussy". There are more amps that make those speakers sound bad, than good. You need to know what types and brands of amps to NOT connect them to.

Properly educated on use of the tools makes all the difference in the world. We here know that, but when folks don't "get it" they tend to diss the brand.

[jacksonbart]

Diliked!!! Thems fightin words

[tromprof]

My K-horns sounded like they were taking a dental drill to my ears when I hooked up an older Sony receiver to them. Bad equipment will sound even worse with speakers like these, as very good equipment will sound even better. My K-horns sound sublime with SET tubes.

[bombadillo]

I feel that its just a listening preference. They are crisp, sharp, detailed and some don't like that. I feel like polk tends to be too focused on their titanium dome tweets and they are "harsh" and fatiguing in my eyes. I prefer the smooth mids, details, and crisp sound that the horns make compared to other brands. I'll be a klipsch die hard for a long time unless some other company just comes out with something that outshines them.

[dtel]

Everyone hears differently, and if your stuck on only the really high price must be "special" brands to impress others you can't give a good evaluation anyway because you ears don't work well with you head stuck up your @ss. [Y]

[Coytee]

if your stuck on only the really high price must be "special" brands to impress others

I'm sitting here, wondering if Oak MWM cabinets would be considered "special"?

Have you recently found your head stuck inside your 402??

[:|]

[russ69]

My Heresys and RFs are not smooth sounding like some dome drivers can be but they are not harsh either. In fact the Heresys are very neutral sounding. However with the wrong set-up they can sound as irritating as any good speaker can, they do not hide or smooth over anything. In some ways they remind me of more expensive systems, if you feed them crap, you'll get crap right back at you.