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So now that Klipsch is going to Best Buy........


shoe11

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Who among us has ever purchased or even considered purchasing home audio speakers from them? My guess is that the majority of this forum never has. Perhaps of interest for the marketing folks at Klipsch.

As for me the only thing Best Buy or Circuit City is good for is CD's, DVD's and video games.

Next....

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Remember that the move to Best Buy is part of a product and channel segmentation strategy that puts only the SYNERGY line in Best Buy. The REF line will stay in AV specialty stores.

This will allow products/prices/marketing/channel programs, etc. to be tuned for each segment.

I think it will grow the Synergy line and build upon the success of ProMedia for Klipsch in the mass consumer market. I'm just not sure what is going to happen next to fill the void of TWEETER in the northeast.

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I'm from Atlantic Canada and have not heard of the "Best Buy". Judging from the comments here, I assume that it is similar to K-mart or Walmart. I surtainly would not expect to a decent pair of speakers at one of these locations, what would be wrong with trying to reach some of the potential audiophile that may not shop at a/v centers. This may be an opertunity to introduce the Klispch line to a larger audiance. The Synergy line, although maybe not the same as the reference line, would certainly be a giant step from the speakers normaly in these stores. Why not try people the opertunity to sample quality. After being introduced to whats out there they may continue on the quest for excellence.

I do undestand the possibility of degrading the name, but we know the quality that is there and alwasy has been. I just hope that Klipsch don't start reducing the quality of the synergy line to place them in these stores at a more competitive price. I believe that that would be similar to a few other high quality names, i.e. H/K. Here's to Klipsch producing the quality and excellence that we haw all enjoyed long into the future.

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I haven't purchased speakers from Best Buy, but I will say one thing - BB will hit the jackpot with the Synergy line. I'll go out on a limb and also say that Synergys will be their most popular speakers. I envision the ultra efficient Klipsch flying off of the shelves (louder is better, remember 2.gif), especially alongside the current offerings.

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On 2/16/2003 7:19:23 AM swells wrote:

Here's to Klipsch producing the quality and excellence that we haw all enjoyed long into the future.

----------------

Regardless of where Klipsch are sold, our Canadian friend clearly summarized I think the sentiments of all of us who are concerned about Klipsch's business decisions.

All great replies, but still no one with a Best Buy purchase. Hasn't at least one person on this board purchased home speakers there?

~shoe

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I purchased my subwoofer from BEST BUY years ago. It is a CSW model PSW1 (12" woofer, 500w plate amp). $699 MSRP I recall. It was a close-out when Best Buy closed the CSW relationship. $200. I would assume others on the ProMedia board have purchased their ProMedia from Best Buy. The Klipsch Best Buy relationship seems to have been a success w/Promedia.

Granted I'm dreaming of buying an SVS to upgrade but the CSW sub cut at 60Hz adds some shake to my Cornwalls and it is a speaker purchased from Best Buy which I think is what you were asking.

It will be interesting to see what type of display Best Buy builds for the Synergy line. I wonder if they will have a dedicated Klipsch demo room? I don't think I've ever heard the Synergy line but now I'm pretty certain I'll spend some time at Best Buy familiarizing myself with them just for fun....that's the Best Buy way...they let you "play" with the toys. Plus I'm in Best Buy fairly frequently for movies, media, a camera case or other little items.

I don't expect I'll be buying any more speakers from Best Buy though as my interest in other lines. I just bought another pair of Klipsch Heresys this weekend off audiogon.com - $390 dlvd.

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Shoe,

I have NEVER even considered buying audio speakers at Best Buy. In fact, I do NOT even go into the display area as I consider anything they have in there to be pedestrian at best.

Joe Six-pack, enamored with $49 DVD players, MAY make purchases there. It remains to be seen whether such a market segmentation strategy makes Klipsch successful or destroys the reputation of the company. Certainly, their margins will shrink as they rely on greater quantities of sales.

This move does carry with it the very high risk that psuedo-audiophiles will immediately associate Klipsch with low-quality, mass-marketed commodities rather than high-end audio. IF it allows Klipsch to produce their best speakers - Heritage - for those of us for whom 2-channel is king while reducing the price premiums on those products, good; but it is just as likely, Klipsch will use those lines to increase their margin rather than provide benefits to us.

It does diminish the legacy of PWK in my opinion regardless of outcome.

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The last time I checked, so called "psuedo-audiophiles" refuse to even consider any type of Klipsch speaker as "audiophile" anyway. As usual, they don't know what they're missing. If putting the Synergy line into Best Buy exposes more average "joe six-pack" listeners to Klipsch quality and gets them away from crap like Bose I'm all for it. Once they hear the dynamics they've been missing they'll realize what a POS "cubes" and the like are. Hopefully, this will work to Klipsch's and Best Buy's mutual benefit and Klipsch will become more profitable so perhaps they can hire a few more craftsman to speed up the production of the Heritage series. The audio market just doesn't work the way it did in the 70's and 80's, times have changed. I don't dislike Best Buy, they're great for CD's, DVD's, and computer stuff but most of the electronics they carry barely scratches mid-fi, much less anything hi-fi. Companies like Yamaha sell "consumer level" products there and reserve their better offerings for salon type dealers so what Klipsch is doing is not that unusual. However, the first time I walk into a Best Buy and spot a Khorn or an Aragon component on the floor there will definitely be projectile vomiting involved.

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Curmudgeon,

You are correct, 'audiophiles', frequently have a prejudice. These people frequently buy for prestige - it costs more therefore sounds better - while the other group buy the 'best sound' regardless of brand. I used 'pseudo-audiophiles' as a reference to those who aspire to be audiophiles belonging to that prestige group. Klipsch's road is no different, as you said, than Yamaha selling 'consumer' versions of their high-end products. The problem is the 'consumer' isn't educated enough to know the difference.

Unfortunately, Joe Six-pack generally couldn't tell you if something sounded better or not. They certainly could not elaborate on what was missing or enhanced or unbalanced. Depending on material and set-up, many of these people will prefer Bose to Klipsch and the Best Buy store won't help things or perception. Hell, I have introduced friends to 'good' sound and these people are just as content to run back home and listen to boom-boxes. We are talking people who aren't trying to capture 'live', they are pushing the limits of distortion and bass so that they can wake up the neighborhood.

Different strokes for different folks. Let's just hope the company whose products we tend to love succeeds with this strategy and rewards those of us whom have slightly more discerning palates than Joe Six-pack (uh, Klipsch we are suggesting lower retail prices on the Heritage stuff and the re-introduction of say - the Cornwall!)

I sound pretty uppity but hell some people find the new Pontiac SUV's attractive despite all evidence which suggests it may be the ugliest vehicle ever made. The "thing" was a work of art compared to this monstrosity. 11.gif On another audio note, how do you like the Linn? How does it compare to your VPI?

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I think some of those "audiophiles" that don't like Klipsch perceive the speaker ads coloration and they are striving for a flat response. Many on this board don't like neutral speakers and thus the difference in tastes.

Others find the Klipsch sound to be too bright and they prefer a warmer sound. Now few would have hard them with a good source and tubes to manage those issues but many do hear the RF7 on the Elite 49TXi (at Ultimate for example) and don't find the sound to there preference.

I think these comments by a few may scare or plant bias into those that haven't heard for themselves, so I would encourage potential buyers to try a blind test and some sustained listening to see what they do like.

To each their own. Speakers are subjective and we can't expect everyone to have the same tastes.

For those that like the Klipsch sound there probably isn't a substitute in our price range. Combine that with the lower power/price requirements and Klipsch seem to have a strong value...I especially think my Cornwall/Heresy system is a good value compared to more expensive alternatives including new RF7's and the internet direct Rockets at AV123.

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I haven't, personally, but my brother's first system was a sony set they were selling there. To be honest, they weren't horrible speakers, pretty darn good considering the price. However, when I handed down my Synergy system (SB-3s and a SC-1), it was a major improvement.

I can't decide which sound I like best. I went from Klipsch to 2 different B&W systems, and they're good, but as I got back into the stores, listening to Klipsch once more, it was like falling in love all over again. I'm no audiophile, I hope to god I never am, but I listen to lots of different music and generally, it all sounds better on Klipsch speakers. The audiophiles that sneer at Klipsch are often the ones who can't even buy the music they like because the recording is too flawed for their systems, these guys call Klipsch harsh? When I listen to music, I listen to the music. Some of these people simply listen for what's behind the music. Great, you've got a $76,000 2 channel system, simply so you can hear the guy in the bathroom down the hall from the recording studio flushing the toilet? Sheesh.

If I had lots (and I mean LOTS) more money, I don't know if I'd be getting klipsch right now, I'd probably be getting some Monitor Audio gold's and the brutal powersource they need to sound right. I love their sound, it seems to be in the middle of normal laid back speakers and Klipsch's more aggressive, upfront sound. But, as it stands, I'm going to be totally happy listening to my RF-5s and RC-7 (haven't chosen surrounds yet). I can't wait to get them hooked up so I can both relax to some wagner, and when I want, I can totally rock out to some Hammerfall. The B&Ws don't rock out. I miss that so much.

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----------------

On 2/16/2003 8:03:27 PM crash827 wrote:

Curmudgeon,

I sound pretty uppity but hell some people find the new Pontiac SUV's attractive despite all evidence which suggests it may be the ugliest vehicle ever made. The "thing" was a work of art compared to this monstrosity.
11.gif
On another audio note, how do you like the Linn? How does it compare to your VPI?----------------

Crash827,

As for the people that find the Pontiac SUV attractive - they should kick their seeing-eye dogs! 3.gif And the VW Thing looked good once you mounted a 50 caliber on it! 9.gif

On the turntables: the VPI is an excellent deck with lots of good qualities but the Linn stills sounds just a bit better to me. I like both of them, each has it's own characteristic sound and the VPI is much simpler to set up and maintain compared to the Linn. When I've got them hooked up into the same preamp (which is rare) and compared them with the same LP, volume settings, etc. the Linn usually has an edge over the VPI in bass extension and slightly more natural voicing. At this point the cartridges are different brands and types (one MC, one MM) so the comparison isn't exactly fair. I have several cartridges but no two are the same brand and model. To do a meaningful comparison the decks should have identical tonearms and cartridges but that isn't likely to happen around my house anytime soon. The LP12 has been around since the early 70's and has garnered a lot of respect, it still holds up well against newer designed and more expensive decks - not too bad for a Scotsman just tinkering around almost 30 years ago! The VPI Scout is a new design, a great performer in it's price class and very good performer even out of it's price class - if you buy one you won't be disappointed. To get into a Linn setup the best thing to do is find one used, a new full-spec LP12 is around $5000.00 or more now. One nice aspect of the LP12 is you can start with a basic model or mid-spec one and upgrade it as you get the money, plus there's usually several on Ebay and Audiogon most of the time. The LP12 I have came from it's original owner in England with original receipts and box, I bought the Lingo PS off of Ebay (got a great deal on it, too). Both decks are mechanically simple and fairly easy to work on if you read the directions and lay off the Vise-Grips!

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Well, my problem with Best Buy occurred when I went in to look for some mini-speakers for a friend. The sales-guy demonstrated the speakers and it was readily apparent one set of speakers had much more low end than any of the others - in fact, much more low end than the laws of physics would indicate as possible. As I wandered around the room, trying to get a handle on dispersion characteristics, I noticed the bass got stronger as I went over to the right wall. Then I noticed the bass got stronger as I got near a JBL subwoofer. The sales guy denied the sub was on until I pulled off the grill and pointed out the driver merrily bouncing along with the music. It could have been an honest mistake, but I wouldn't bet on it - especially since I went back a few weeks later and found the sub back in business.

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