Klipsch - "either you love it or you hate it", thay say. What makes Klipsch such a divider?

[solitaire]

Seriously looking into buying a Klipsch, but I just don't get what some people may have against Klipsch. Could somebody please enlighten me what's the thing that can make people develope either a gripe or a devotion for this brand?

[Edgar]

It's the same thing that makes people love Chevy over Ford, the Packers over the Bears, or Harley Davidson over other motorcycles: fanaticism.

[Ironsave]

I think it had been JBL versus Klipsch for many years.

(Much like Bears versus Packers).

I am glad I came over to the Dark Side......

(My dad loved his JBL L100s).....

I will take my Heresey Is...... []

[CECAA850]

This is the subwoofer section, so I'll assume you're not talking about Klipsch speakers, but that you are referencing subwoofers with your question. As far as subwoofers go, I can only imagine that they're not the most revered product that Klipsch sells because of their lack of performance versus the money spent, as well as the bad taste that the SUB-10 and SUB-12's amps have left in consumers mouths. This is not based on any facts or scientific studies, but just a personal observation. As far as me personally, I'd never buy any other speaker brand than Klipsch but I wouldn't buy one of their subs. I had one at one time and it was the first piece of my HT that I upgraded.

[mustang guy]

I have never had a Klipsch speaker that was less than outstanding. I have never owned a Klipsch subwoofer.

[Ironsave]

This is the subwoofer section, so I'll assume you're not talking about Klipsch speakers, but that you are referencing subwoofers with your question. As far as subwoofers go, I can only imagine that they're not the most revered product that Klipsch sells because of their lack of performance versus the money spent, as well as the bad taste that the SUB-10 and SUB-12's amps have left in consumers mouths. This is not based on any facts or scientific studies, but just a personal observation. As far as me personally, I'd never buy any other speaker brand than Klipsch but I wouldn't buy one of their subs. I had one at one time and it was the first piece of my HT that I upgraded.

I did not even realize this was in the subwoofer section..... (Saw this from the "Active" list).

I agree with you about Klipsch subs; but I definitely would have a listen to their next creations.....

[Crown1]

Seriously looking into buying a Klipsch, but I just don't get what some people may have against Klipsch. Could somebody please enlighten me what's the thing that can make people develope either a gripe or a devotion for this brand?

To the unseasoned audiophile,in the past Klipsch speakers have exuded several undesirable qualities, some of which are "brightness" or exaggerated treble, "honkiness" or nasality in the midrange and sometimes "thin" sounding bass.These qualities are usually not the fault of the speaker, and instead are due to improper matching of amp/receiver and/or improper sizing for the room as well as improper setup. Klipsch speakers are generally engineered to be flat in frequency response, efficient in use of power .They can be extremely articulate (revealing) and dynamic.However ,despite their efficiency they should not be underpowered, and should be paired with good,clean,high current receivers and amplifiers for best performance.Not everyone understands this and this is why some people have a bad taste for Klipsch speakers.

Most of the Synergy and Reference series utilize a Bi-radial horn which helps to load the compression driver for proper efficiency,dispersion and throw (yes throw - translated as projection over a said distance). In my experience, the tower speakers are ideally meant for larger rooms and not your average 12 x 12, you should using the RB51 or RB41 bookshelf speakers for those spaces. In slightly larger 15x15 use the RB61 or RB81, for rooms beyond that start with the RF42 or RF52 towers and go from there. The larger the speaker, the further you must sit from them in order to get the best result. also you must aim and space them properly, ideally 1ft less apart than the distance to the listening position.

I would say that you should most definitely buy Klipsch if indeed you desire the positive qualities of POWER, DETAIL, and the EMOTIONs which these qualities bring to your music. But don't just take what I'm telling you ,go compare them for yourself ,on a good high curent receiver or amp.

[cornfedksboy]

Seriously looking into buying a Klipsch, but I just don't get what some people may have against Klipsch. Could somebody please enlighten me what's the thing that can make people develope either a gripe or a devotion for this brand?

To the unseasoned audiophile,in the past Klipsch speakers have exuded several undesirable qualities, some of which are "brightness" or exaggerated treble, "honkiness" or nasality in the midrange and sometimes "thin" sounding bass.These qualities are usually not the fault of the speaker, and instead are due to improper matching of amp/receiver and/or improper sizing for the room as well as improper setup. Klipsch speakers are generally engineered to be flat in frequency response, efficient in use of power .They can be extremely articulate (revealing) and dynamic.However ,despite their efficiency they should not be underpowered, and should be paired with good,clean,high current receivers and amplifiers for best performance.Not everyone understands this and this is why some people have a bad taste for Klipsch speakers.

Most of the Synergy and Reference series utilize a Bi-radial horn which helps to load the compression driver for proper efficiency,dispersion and throw (yes throw - translated as projection over a said distance). In my experience, the tower speakers are ideally meant for larger rooms and not your average 12 x 12, you should using the RB51 or RB41 bookshelf speakers for those spaces. In slightly larger 15x15 use the RB61 or RB81, for rooms beyond that start with the RF42 or RF52 towers and go from there. The larger the speaker, the further you must sit from them in order to get the best result. also you must aim and space them properly, ideally 1ft less apart than the distance to the listening position.

I would say that you should most definitely buy Klipsch if indeed you desire the positive qualities of POWER, DETAIL, and the EMOTIONs which these qualities bring to your music. But don't just take what I'm telling you ,go compare them for yourself ,on a good high curent receiver or amp.

Totally agree with your first paragraph. Your message holds weight throughout, however, paragraph 2, I disagree to an extent. a 15 X 15 X 8 room is 1800 cubic foot, or roughly medium to large sized. For this size room I think you would want RF-62 at a minimum and I wouldn't have any issue recommending RF-7s. Even a 12 X 12 X 7 room is considered medium in size by THX standards (which is what the recommended sizes are based on). Anything smaller than 1000 cubic foot is where you want your bookshelves. It's interesting, however, that you used the room dimensions that were square. Generally speaking, those are horrible for sound dispersion and will exagerate any leanings that a Klipsch speaker might have toward brightness or honkiness.

[cornfedksboy]

I own dual RW-12ds in my HT system, and I have been nothing but impressed. My friend has a slightly larger AV room than I, and he is running a $1500.00 Velodyne 15" Sub. Now, maybe he doesn't have it set-up ideally, but my dual 12s blow the doors off of that Velodyne for music and movies. The point above about Klipsch subs not being good bang-for-your-buck is correct. My subs reatailed around $900.00 a piece, but I bought them new for 65% off. At $350.00 per they were a steal! Probelm is that Klipsch doesn't make REALLY great subs like Velodyne and Paradigm, and there are so many internet based subs that are comporable to Klipsch that retail around $400.00. It just really dilutes out the value in a Klipsch sub. Find the right price however, and they do sing!

[willland]

At $350.00 per they were a steal! Probelm is that Klipsch doesn't make REALLY great subs like Velodyne and Paradigm, and there are so many internet based subs that are comporable to Klipsch that retail around $400.00. It just really dilutes out the value in a Klipsch sub. Find the right price however, and they do sing!

You are so right.

I have a Klipsch RSW-10d($1300.00 msrp) that I got brand new, shipped, no tax, for $499.99 from Vanns. It was an absolute steal. So far, it is the most musical sub I have ever heard. Tight and fast and with a very linear response from 24Hz to 70Hz. Not the best sub for HT but super musical it is.

Now if it was sold near msrp, I would not even consider it but for the crazy price I paid, the performance/$$$ ratio is on par with or better than $700.00 to $1000.00(msrp) subs, IMO. Now I have a Paradigm Servo 15a to handle the low lows for HT and boy does it sound good.

Bill

[Groomlakearea51]

Like Edgar said, it's a fan based loyalty. That sometimes however, borders upon, if not well into the realm of irrational fanatacism... LOL!!!

[H]

[tragusa3]

Cornfed, wanted to point out that your Klipsch aren't blowing the doors off the Velodyne because of the brand or even type. The room and how it reacts with the subs at the particular listening position is the heaviest influence on percieved performance. I've had rooms that sounded weak with monster subs and rooms that could make a small dinky sub sound like a monster! Also, running a pair (as you are) offers distinct advantages over your buddies single. Two lesser subs will outperform one greater sub (within reason) in most cases.

It's impossible to evaluate subs unless they are in the same exact placement of the same room. There is an awful lot of misinformation regarding subs for this reason.

On topic, I do feel that my LaScalas have been the most demanding of proper placement, room treatment and EQ. Other, softer, speakers I've owned were more forgiving. After carefully dialing the room in, I have zero concern for honkiness, brightness or any other common objection to Klipsch.

[cornfedksboy]

Cornfed, wanted to point out that your Klipsch aren't blowing the doors off the Velodyne because of the brand or even type. The room and how it reacts with the subs at the particular listening position is the heaviest influence on percieved performance. I've had rooms that sounded weak with monster subs and rooms that could make a small dinky sub sound like a monster! Also, running a pair (as you are) offers distinct advantages over your buddies single. Two lesser subs will outperform one greater sub (within reason) in most cases.

It's impossible to evaluate subs unless they are in the same exact placement of the same room. There is an awful lot of misinformation regarding subs for this reason.

Agreed. His room is not ideal nor is his placement and we haven't done any direct comparison, so maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. What I was trying to get at (as you pointed out above) is that I have better performance with two Klipsch subs that cost a combined $700.00 than he has from a single 15" that cost $1200.00 (what he actually paid vs the $1500.00 MSRP). Now, there are likely other great subs that can be had for $700.00 that would equal/better my subs in my room, but probably not a ton.

If you want a GREAT sub, don't get a Klipsch home sub because they don't make them. If you want a really good home sub, you can buy one from Klipsch, but it will be comparatively expensive based on MSRP. If you want to match your front soundstage (as I did), wait till they go on sale!