BruinsFan Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 seems to be one of the area reviewers harp on at times is that Klipsch can be too bright or "harsh". A lot of folks in these forums attribute it a break in periods. Others have mention the dynamics of the particular room. There in lies my question. I have a poor room that I'm trying to make sound good. A few of the issues are potential a lot standing waves and a hardwood floor. My thoughts are this has the potential of making let's say a set of RF5s sound harsh. Wondering if anyone has thoughts or opinions on this. The wife is planning on putting down some sort of area rug at some point - but hard to tell how that may or may not absorb sound. yeah - I'm new at this so be kind.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSoundBroker Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 As a new Klipsch dealer who just recieved a complete Reference 7 system and a complete Reference 35 system a few days ago and with a THX Ultra 2 system on order we had the same concerns about harshness. The Klipsch speakers definitely do have a break in period...about 40-50 hours according to the rep. More so with the bigger compression drivers (Heritage, THX Ultra 2, and RF/RC/RB-7) and a bit less with the smaller ones. This is NOT unusual, most speakers do...but with the sensitivity of the horns, you'll find that any harshness inherent in most unbroken in drivers is a bit amplified with a horn...but not to fear, it will smooth out and already has started in ours. We also find that the larger compression drivers are a bit smoother overall than the smaller ones. Less distortion and power compression is a possible reason, but then again we have more hours on the bigger units (wouldn't you!). One thing that is important is that you use good electronics with them and adequate power. Because the Klipsch are so efficient, people have a tendency to think they can use lesser electronics and this is definitely NOT the case. Because they are so efficient and revealing, they actually need better electonics. Power wise, the smaller speakers can get away with less horsepower, but we are finding the bigger Referece 7 system to want some juice. We are driving the Reference 7 system with an all Bryston amp setup (4BSST on the RF-7's, Powerpac 300 on the Center and a 9BSST for the rears with a Bryston SP1.7 or a Theta Casablanca III/Xtreme Dac processor on the front side. As for the room... Acoustics are vitally important. Consider doing some basic room acoustics treatment...it will pay huge dividends not only with the Klipsch, but with practically every speaker system you can imagine. Basic treatment with a foam based system will run you under $500 but it will be like doubling your speaker budget. It IS possible to do it without making the room look like a recording studio...we've had several of our clients do a foam treatment system with a fabric stretch system, this is cheap and very effective. If room acoustic treatments are a no-go, then do what you can (the area rug is a good idea to help tame the primary reflection zone off the floor) and know that what will work best is a speaker with controlled dispersion (Klipsch) driven by *good* electronics without any edge to them and good copper cables...preferably bi-wired. Placement will be vitally important to help minimize standing waves. You may want to consider going to an RF-7 because it is going to be a bit smoother with the bigger compression driver and the fact it has more bass output may actually help to smooth the low end in the room (sounds counterintuitive!). Another combo would be an RB-7 bookshelf speaker on some stands (same larger compression driver as the RF-7) and a RBW-12 sub. The sub will only incite one set of standing waves, will be easier to tune with positioning and can be adjusted electronically (we suggest using a Rane PE-17 single band parametric EQ which has solved many a bass problem for our clients). Kevin The Sound Broker Oxnard CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I agree with SoundBroker on the need for using better electronics with Klipsch. Even though I've been having hum problems I can certainly say my new Cary amp has tamed the brightness I was getting from my RF-7's when I was using Yamaha. I was shocked today when I pulled out my SPL meter and found I was listening at over 90 decibels. It just didn't sound as loud as 90dbl did with the old Yamaha. I would have been ready to climb the walls with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Nice post Kevin -- all true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.