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Why are klipsch speakers snubbed by audiophile press?


Morton

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Just curious..........

I went to buy Polks or Boston Acoustics back in the 80's and walked home with Klipsch Kg's. Never really tire of them. Is it true that Klipsch speakers are not that accurate( the audiophile press snubs them) or don't I know what I am listening to.

Or is there a conspiracy going on?

Is the truth out there??

Bob

6.gif

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many people say they are "bright" or "change the sound" due to the use of horns vs. traditional tweeters. they argue that klipsch horns do not reproduce music as it was intended...like when you go to a live concert. my argument would be:

1. what do you think stage monitors/speakers use at concerts? HORNS.

2. who cares what a computer graph or frequency analysis shows if YOU like how it sounds vs. other speaker types.

.02

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I agree with b-man1 on this one. I would also add that Klipsch is an extreme value in the audio world. Who else has so much sound for a relatively low price? I think that some of these so called "Audiophiles" feel threatened that Klipsch owners have a quality product that can compete with speakers costing four to five times as much money. This makes all of their multi-thousand dollar speaker systems seem less valuble for lack of a better word.

I have heard some speakers that I thought were really accurate and detailed, but they cost five times what my Klipsch do... I think I will stick to what I have, thank you.

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B man and JG are on the right track.I have read though a few very good reviews on Klipsch,Sound &Vision did an indepth review of the rf series.Tom N. "The Klipsch towers made inner elements more immediate,more clear edged,its hard to articulate but its something I have noticed from excellent horn speakers,like 50k monitors in big recording studios,big time performance in a big way."

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good point about the perception of cost vs. quality. i am not a fanboy of klipsch...i realize there are better things out there, but at what cost?

some people (unfortunately) perceive quality directly with cost. one word for them: BOSE. 14.gif enough said on that topic! haha

the land of audiophiles is kind of strange to me. i am not that knowledgable in the art of sound yet, but i have seen three distinct classes of people so far:

1. fanboys of particular brands (mine is better no matter what!!)

2. cost vs. performance (this sounds good enough for the $$$)

3. snobbish "if it doesn't register on a computer graph perfectly and is under $5000, it's junk"

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Bman

I think a lot of us here are #2's. We are not millionares who can afford the extreme, but enjoy music and audio to the point that we are not happy with the real low end speakers.

Personally, I think Klipsh is the best value speaker out there. Especially if you go used Heritage.

JM

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

On 5/30/2003 9:50:07 AM b-man1 wrote:

the land of audiophiles is kind of strange to me. i am not that knowledgable in the art of sound yet, but i have seen three distinct classes of people so far:

1. fanboys of particular brands (mine is better no matter what!!)

2. cost vs. performance (this sounds good enough for the $$$)

3. snobbish "if it doesn't register on a computer graph perfectly and is under $5000, it's junk"

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

Good description of "audiophiles"... 10.gif and then there is the mass market that represent a large volume of sales who will buy what the sales guy at Cicuit City is pimping. This actually has a repercussion: another rule:

4. if the brand sells mass market, it can't be good... and has probably contaminated the entire line-up

I'm not a brand boy either but I'm very pleased with the sound from my setup, esp for what i have invested in it ! 1.gif The traffic at this web site is proof that i'm not alone... and a great bunch of members!

Rob

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Thanks for all the responses guys............sometimes these things, such as "Sound", are hard to figure. It's a variable that we all hear so differently.........

I have kg3's and 2's. They sound fine right now but am trying to get into the Heritage zone, if I don't buy another set of 3's for the surrounds. I too have heard a lot of high end speakers.........and I would swear the Klipsch's are more detailed than many.

Certainly as someone said " a lot of sound for the money".

I have heard Heresy's and Forte's. Two completly different sounds. The Heresys' seem to jump out at you.....and the Fortes' knock you over. I think I liked the Forte's better. So dynamic.

Oh well...............something to think about.

Thanks, Bob

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The audiophile press is primarily composed of "club members" that basically need to scratch each other's back in order to stay in business at the expense of compulsive neurotic individuals who have a strong need to belong to 'the equipment of the month club" thinking that the latest is the greatest, and are quick to part with their money.

Audio is a mature industry & there has been nothing fundamentally new developed in decades (even CD is decades old now!). The laws of physics haven't changed. The laws of acoustics haven't changed. The human hearing apparatus hasn't changed in the last 70 years either.

There are few things in this world that are so fundamentally correct & desirable that they remain in continuous production for more than 50 years, selling better than it ever did, even though most of their dealers don't display it. And STILL get compared to "the best" (lol) currently available.

The test of time speaks for itself.........

"here today, here tomorrow"

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I think there is yet another class of people here that ride just below the surface.

The Questor.

They are the ones who are just searching for the "right" sound and can't be swayed by a name or any of the propaganda "they" sling at ya.

Unfortunately, the "quest" can be terminal in some cases.9.gif

John.

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I think there are a lot of issues.

The last review of the K-Horn was by Richard Heyser in Audio, several decades ago. He like it, overall.

The Audiophile magazines are mostly in the business of selling their magazines. People buying them want to read about what is new. So the merits of the Klipsch Heritage series gets no ink. But the same can be said of any of the old horn loaded systems from JBL, Tannoy, EV, etc.

Some reviewers are technical ignorants. I'll have to look it up. There was a review of a horn loaded speaker (Impulse?) in a British publication. The author went to some length about how the designers had improprerly used circuit boards with wide traces, obviously deficent (sniff). But he complained a bit more and tinkered with it, shorting out some resistive components of the cross over. Then, pronounced it the best speaker he's ever heard.

Mr. Klipsch was brilliant, degreed, and had integrety. He also made the best darn speakers ever made; based on those factors. It must have lead to an antagonistic relation with the press.

Overall, I'm a fan of PWK for two reasons. (1) His creations sound accurate. (2) He described why this should be so in his technical publications.

These sort of things are not what sells magazines.

Gil

Gil

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2. cost vs. performance (this sounds good enough for the $$$)

That's it.

I will not tell you that Klipsch is the best speaker bar none.......but I will tell you that Klipsch is the best speaker available for the money - especially used Heritage. Used Heritage puts a whoopin' on any other comparably valued speaker available anywhere, by any method of purchase.

If cost were no object here, I would look VERY seriously at vintage JBL stuff (and I have investigated this).....but cost IS an object. Timbre matching my HT with all identical full range mains (as I have done with Cornwalls in my HT) in vintage JBL would cost a MINT. Also of note with the old JBL is the frequency of refoaming surrounds and such. It is rare to see old JBL that doesn't need a refoam......especially if the original owner never replaced them. Necessity of such service on Klipsch is RARE.

So yes, cost to obtain and cost to own make Heritage Klipsch the undisputed heavyweight champion in speakers. What other product can you buy that's 25 years old, that you can expect to last another 25? Like Artto says, "here today, here tomorrow". Case closed.

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..................well, thanks, I feel Klipsch educated. I really never needed to be convinced that my kg3's sounded good to me, it's just that I am getting ready to get into a little more expensive speaker, I was wondering if the older Klipsch's were worth it. Sounds like I will seek them out. Of course it won't be easy to find some to listen to.

A friend of mine came up here to Connecticut and went to Tweeters with me about a year or so ago (he lives in the boondocks of Pennsylvania). We sat down and listened to RF-7's....................within a month he found a pair on Ebay and bought them. I like them but they sound a little tight..........not quite the same kind of sound I heard coming out of the older Klipsch's that I have heard. Hopefully, one of these days I'll bump into some Quartets or Cornwalls for a listen. Later. bob

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"many people say they are "bright" or "change the sound" due to the use of horns vs. traditional tweeters."

A horn could be considered a traditional tweeter.

A question that would have been fun to ask Mr. Edison.

Somehow i think Tom and PWK would have gotten along OK.

No BS kind of guys.

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If you read reviews of the new Avant Garde Unos (Stereophile Class A), the press sings their praises.

At $10,000 and up, they are quite expensive. They seem to use the same horn technology as 'our favorite' heritage series Klipsch.

Has anyone been able to compare the Avant Garde Speakers with Klipschorns?

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If you read reviews of the new Avant Garde Unos (Stereophile Class A), the press sings their praises.

At $10,000 and up, they are quite expensive. They seem to use the same horn technology as 'our favorite' heritage series Klipsch.

Has anyone been able to compare the Avant Garde Speakers with Klipschorns?

=============================================================

IMO.. I have heard the Uno and the Duo and even the Trio..

All sound great. I do not, however, like any of the AvantGarde lower bass ends.. they are muddy seem unimpressive to a fantastic mid and High end. I would have to say the closest thing to My klipschorns in the wow factor.

As a side note... AvantGarde would never fly with the wife approval factor, VERY big very ugly and need to be placed out from a wall considerably too..Into the room. They also take special amps..pre amps interconnects and speaker wire.. Something not as critical with k horns.

And 20K on up... a little pricey.. Klipsch Rocks.

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