KLF-30 vs Quartet - comparison thoughts

[t-man]

I took 40 minutes or so to sample a few of my favorite songs that I know well and that sound great to me. I went back and forth a few times in a very unscientific way to try and figure out the difference to my ears between both of these fine speakers. I did not crank it up very loud (kids were sleeping), but I test at mostly modest volumes with a few cranks up here and there. Normal typical listening, really....

Started with the KLF (Quartets out of the room). Played some Steely Dan and James Taylor classic goodies. Sounded great. Quickly set up the Quartets and listened to the same 2-3 songs. Sounded great! I think the Quartets are a bit more laid back - not as dynamic in the treble regions. I can make out the background singers more with the Quartets. A bit more sparkle to the KLF. Obviously more bass on the KLF, but not by as much as I would think. The Quartets seem a bit more "compressed" and the KLF more "dynamic" if I were to try and put it into terms.

Then, I listened for a while with the Quartets again before putting the KLFs back in action. Again, the KLFs seem more dynamic, especially in the highs. I like both of these speakers. I finished by listening again to the Quartets immediately after with the same song(s). Both speakers are equally enjoyable. The Quartets are a great value and really do a nice job. The differences go away after 2 minutes of listening and you just simply sit back and enjoy both sets of speakers. I had all the fancy settings from the receiver "off" - just listening in Direct mode this time around. I know that Audyssey makes the Quartets sound a bit more dynamic and sparkly in the treble region, so the differences may even be less in normal listening.

In the end, the KLFs are more "Hey, look at me.....I'm huge and I better be huge in sound or this is a great waste of space." The Quartets are more, "I'm smart and get the job done without getting in the way. I can play with the big boys, and still fit in the trunk of your car." Kind of like a small block Ford 289 High Performance G.T. 350 Shelby (Quartet) vs a big block 428 G.T. 500 (KLF-30). Both are awesome, but go about being awesome in a slightly different manner..

[davis419b]

I am crazy about Quartets ! To me they are the best bang for the buck. I think if yours were placed differently you would hear more.

[oldtimer]

Quartets stack up pretty good against klf 30's you say. Pretty impressive really, and both sets at a good price are always a good purchase.

[moray james]

if you get the chance try a pair of KLF20 as they have a less complex crossover with smaller crossover values. I think that they have great potential from an upgrade point of view. you are right on about the Quartet great speaker nice size. good mini review but when it comes to level and if you have the power the klf30 is going to eat the Quartet but at all but LOUD levels for most folk the Quartet is the true Heresy of the high end Klipsch line up. best regards Moray James.

[Rivernuggets]

Thanks for writing your thoughts about these. Haven't heard the KLF-30 or Quartet. Great pictures too.

The differences go away after 2 minutes of listening and you just simply sit back and enjoy both sets of speakers.

Amazing how our ears and brain adjusts to it. Had a similar experience when A/B'ing RF-3s and Forte IIs. Very different sound delivery, but after a couple songs either pair was enjoyable. In the end I enjoyed the Forte IIs a little more [].

...like a small block Ford 289 High Performance G.T. 350 Shelby (Quartet) vs a big block 428 G.T. 500 (KLF-30).

Understood the context, but definately not the details. [^o)]

[Tobi]

I started 7 years ago with a pair of KG 2 and thought they where
great but after a while I thought I was missing to much with the 2 way
speaker.

Two month ago I got a pair of Quartets and I realy liked them even though I thought the woofers where a bit harsch.

Last weekend I got a pair of KLF 30 and they can fill the room much better, and I don't mean taken up space.

Like t-man says they seem more dynamic

Last night I got to A/B test them for a few minutes. With cars I would
allways go and take the smal, high perfomance car over the the big one
but with speakers the KLF 30 are defenetly the winner.

Farewell Quartets

[Ski Bum]

Gotta say I like the look of the Quartets on stands.

I've experimented with my forte's similarly. I found better imaging and midrange while on stands, but the bass really suffers without floor coupling.

[moray james]

you could try either getting them (the speakers) closer to the corners or to the front wall while they are on stands. For me the benefits of stand mounting outweigh any bass loss. Different stands will also impact the bass response. I am using Noel Nolan`s Skylan Stands four post stands with his new interface disks. The stand makes a huge difference. Best regards Moray James.

[oldtimer]

Really heavy stands which will couple to the floor should not affect bass with proper placement. Well that's my theory anyway.

[t-man]

I found little difference in bass response with my stands pictured here (spiked to the floor) and with the factory risers on the floor. When I have been running them, they were in the position that the KLF towers are seen in these pictures, so at least the left speaker is pretty much corner loaded, but still room to breathe. I always thought the bass was very impressive for such a small speaker.

[t-man]

Farewell Quartets

Even though I'm enjoying the KLF30s right now, I don't know if I could ever bring myself to sell my minty Quartets. I imagine I would always regret selling. I think mine will be with me for a long long time.

[moray james]

The Quartet`s I had I gave to my brother and we did some serious brace and stiffening work on them along with new Ti mid and tweeter diaphragms and a few tweaks to the crossover, we also installed a pair of KLF20 nwoofers for fun and they have stayed as the Quartet`s pretty much now equal my Forte ll in a smaller cabinet and look great up on the four post stands. If any are interested you can have a look at the inside of the modified Quartet`s and also inside of some KLF20 I rebuilt for my daughter at the following link. Perhaps this will inspire some new ideas and further improvements. Best regards Moray James.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=372783

[Tobi]

Farewell Quartets

Even though I'm enjoying the KLF30s right now, I don't know if I could ever bring myself to sell my minty Quartets. I imagine I would always regret selling. I think mine will be with me for a long long time.

Well, I wish I could afford that because I still think the Quartets are great speakers but I also have 3 vehicles and a mortgage. The Spider will need a motor redo soon and some bigger wheels would be nice too.