Kain Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 Well? There are people who don't like the Klipsch sound. My question is HOW can you NOT like the Klipsch sound?? ------------------ Home Theater: Display: Sony VPL-VW11HT 16:9 LCD Projector Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (European version of Denon AVR-4802) DVD Player: Sony DVP-NS900 (European version) Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7s Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7s Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColaBear Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 I think many people feel that horn loaded speakers are too "Bright", as some call it. Yet several of my friends who don't own Klipsch love listening to my system. Two are horn players, they feel that klipsch reproduces horns very "Accurately" compared to many of the other systems they have heard. They mentioned that they sounded much like the Altec Lansing (I think) Voice of the Theatre speakers that are used as PAs in large halls. Also, cymbal crashed sound very "Accurate", not like someone striking a juice can lid. Xylephones sound incredible also. I love to demo my system using "Jazz at the Pawnshop" CDs. These are live recording done with very few mics and in a small jazz club. If you can find them, try one out, I highly recommend them. I love my Klipsch and prefer them to that "Warm" or as I call it "Muffled" sound of many other speakers. Bottom line though ... to each his own. ------------------ KLF-30 mains RSW-15 subwoofer KLF-C7 center KLF-30 side surrounds KSW-200 subwoofer KG-3.5 rear surrounds Denon AVR5800 Pioneer Elite DV09 Pioneer Elite PDF19 RCA DTC100 DSS/HDTV Sony Playstation 2 Denon MD1000 Vidikron Epoch D600 Vutec 100" 4:3 1.5 gain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 Last night I listened to a couple of tracks on the Stereophile Test CD #2 - a drum solo and a guitar solo. With eyes closed, you would totally believe that drum set was right in front of you. I'm an ex-drummer, and it sounded incredible. Ditto for the guitar. But, a lot of people don't like live music, so I guess they wouldn't love this sound. So, I'll wish them well (as they eat their oatmeal and their Wonderbread sandwiches...). Doug ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 Ummm, Because they are freaking deaf, maybe? Or because they don't know what MUSIC is supposed to sound like? ------------------ Klipsch Fortes, Oiled Oak McCormack DNA-1 Power Amp McCormack TLC Pre-Amp Adcom GCD-700 CD Player NHT SA3 Subwoofer Amp Hsu TN1220 Subwoofer Old Akai cassette Deck Akai AAR22 used as tuner Nordost Solar Wind interconnects Kimber 4TC Speaker Cable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 It hurt day ear Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 It may hurt is ear, but T-T-K keeps stuffin' it in! I think all the replies so far have merit. In our electronic society, not that many folks get out and do live music like they did when Paul Klipsch patented his first folded horn. Funny thing an audio salesman said to me the other day... he said if you bought Klipsch KLF-30's you gotta be a rocker, man... just turn it up and let your ears bleed! Not exactly Bose-o! Hopefully, Klipsch will hold the "natural sound" course in spite of the pressure from audiophile style sophisticated cover-up sound can do to a Klipsch bottom line. When someone likes something they heard on one muffle-box or another (e.g., something that doesn't measure up to being a quality recording) and then it is exposed to Klipsch Honesty... they tend to blame the messenger (Klipsch) and not the source of the sub-par performance. I certainly get nothing but compliments and requests to come back from those who are exposed to my out-of-date herd of Legends. Keeping up the education of newbies is one way we can all help. Stay focused and check out the T-man challenge thread in the Home Theater section. Oh, yeah, got to pop some, company's coming. And they are not even masochists! HornEd ------------------ "Where Klipsch Legends Cavort Discretely Six Ways!" FOREGROUND SOUND STAGE: KLF 30's: Left Main, Center Main, Right Main SB-2's: L & R Front Effects on 5' sand filled columns BACKGROUND SOUND STAGE: KLF 30's: Left Surround, Rear Effects, Right Surround LARGE MOUTH BASS: Twin SVS CS-Ultra subs, Samson Megawatt Amp KLIPSCH SPEAKER SUPPORT SYSTEMS: Mitsubishi RPHD1080i 65", Yamaha RX-V3000 Receiver Toshiba Pro Scan 6200, Toshiba Pro 6-head SVHS W808 and such... Tweakin' On! Music Respite System: vintage Cornwall with SVS16-46CS+ Klipsched Class "A" Motorhome: On the road testing... This message has been edited by HornEd on 02-01-2002 at 09:01 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 Maybe they just heard them in a bad set-up or environment. Shoot, I've even heard klipschorns sound bad if the room was too small or too bright. But beyond that explanation, well, klipsch can be a quite revealing of nasties in recordings or equipment. And then of course, no two people hear the same or have the same "taste" in sound. It's like trying to rationalize why some people prefer blue to red, or vice-versa. ------------------ JDMcCall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpgwagon Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 They probably have never really listened to them. I don't like Polk, but I've never heard them. Everyone who listens to my Klipsch wants some. ------------------ http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/mpgwagon/MYSTUFF.JPG This message has been edited by mpgwagon on 02-02-2002 at 06:59 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Phare Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 Klipsch done right sounds great. Klipsch done wrong can sound very bad. It really all comes down to enviroment and what gear is driving the speakers ( and quality of recording ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 Even with wonderful cone system, there is still no comparison to the practical solution of horns and tubes. The sound of acoustic instruments, such as pianos, drums, horns and especially cymbals on inexpensive big old horns, particularly when powered by glowing tubes, is one of immediacy and clarity. It is hard to believe that big old horns, virtually discarded by the uniformed public due to their barely luggable size and embarrassingly reveling nature, can even compete with the modern technological advances and superb craftmanship exhibited in top systems. But indeed they do. The older style horn speakers of yesterday, like Klipsch and JBL, need to be placed quite differently from modern style of speakers. There are two obvious differences. Generally, they use the walls to form the best image area. The seat at the sweet spot should still be away from the side and the back walls. Unlike traditional speakers, start them in the corners and inch them away from the walls, until the illusory soundstage reaches its widest and deepest proportions. The sweet spot is better and seems to be more critical with horns. Perhaps it is simply because they are so much better at creating the illusion of a 3D sonic holograph, but how they are pointed is a matter of inches and degrees. Whether you point them, as some say, at the back of your head, or directly at your ears, horns should be pointed in your direction. This is not so with other speakers. The ultimate expression in line driver arrays, for example, the Nearfield Pipedreams, seems to allow quite a bit of movement along the front horizontal plane. No matter where I moved in front of their towering majesties, Diana Krall's voice was nailed to the center of the stage. (The piano, however, was a different story.) Big old horns like big rooms. The horns should be as wide apart as possible, from 6 to 12 feet, and possibly more. The long wall of the room is often a better location for horns than the shorter front wall. The resulting triangle pattern forms a triangle that is wide along the front wall. Ideally, however, the primary listening seat should be at least 50% further away than the speakers are from each other. This means that if the big old horns are 12 feet apart from each other, your listening spot should be 18 feet further back. If your speakers are properly positioned 3 feet from the front and side walls, and you are 18 feet in front of them, you are then talking about a room which is 18 feet wide and 21 feet long, or 378 square feet! Big old horns have been described as "forward." I can't say that - I am not sure what "forward" in this context means. The worst thing I can say about them is that they sometimes sound like a PA system - but that is not fair to Klipsch, or to the PA system. Instead, it would be fairer to say that they sound more like amplified music or reference speakers. ------------------ Colin's Music System Cornwall 1s & Klipsch subs; lights out & tubes glowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 Well said, Colin. I believe we are in the midst of a "Full-Range Discrete Multi-Channel Revolution" that even us old multiple horn owners can not only enjoy... but go beyond far more expensive rigs. On that note, check out the results of T-man's challenge on the Home Theater section (Hey HornEd, need Phantom feedback... ). I sure would appreciate your comments. BTW, does your avatar signify that your HT is in the basement and is subject to flooding? HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 I think the biggest problem with Klipsch Heritages is that damn midrange horn, the thing is very directional and can sound fierce on axis IME. Combine running the mid driver up to 6500hz with the mid horn's collapsing directivity and you have a classic recipe for earwire. Horns don't sound bright, Klipsches may but that's Klipsch and not general to all horns. Certainly one wouldn't describe an Altec or JBL 2-way as bright, far from it. Now a JBL 3-way horn with a 075 bullet tweeter can be bright if you consider a dentist's drill bright. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted February 3, 2002 Share Posted February 3, 2002 The "Full-Range Discrete Multi-Channel Revolution" does not seem to be bringing better sound, at least not to the dealer demos I've heard, the snorkel avatar is because we are four feet above sea level here, people's houses do get flooded and I love to snorkel ... ------------------ Colin's Music System Cornwall 1s & Klipsch subs; lights out & tubes glowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted February 3, 2002 Share Posted February 3, 2002 I believe there are a couple of reasons (this mirrors some previous comments): 1. If Klipsch speakers are not mated with quality components (not necessarily expensive), they won't sound their best and can sound marginal (or even bad). Put good equipment upstream, listen to a quality recording, and the sound can be amazing -- just like live music. I have never felt my speakers to sound "Bright", "harsh", or "ear-bleeding". Several years ago I considered selling my Cornwalls to "upgrade" to better speakers. Fortunately, I ended up upgrading my electronics first and my Cornwalls came alive. The deficiencies I heard were not the Cornwalls, they were the electronics. Those deficiencies went away when I introduced better electronics. I have since done a limited amount of experimenting, and have found that to my ears, tubes sound best overall on my Heritage speakers. I am now convinced that you don't have to spend outrageous amounts of money to get great sound. You just have to select wisely (and take everything you hear from audio store salesmen with a grain of salt). 2. Some people don't like live music (live doesn't necessarily mean loud. Even if the Klipsches are mated with good upsstream components, and a quality recording is being played, some people may still not find that sound to their tastes. Some people just don't like live music and prefer a more mellow sound. Live music is not mellow. It is in your face. I have heard the topic of Pardigm speakers on this board lately, and to me (at least the Paradigm's I heard), they just don't sound very good. They seem to be the opposite of the Klipsch sound. In comparison to the Klipsch and B&W speakers, the Paradigms were easily the least of them. They were very subdued in comparison. But some people do like these speakers. I even know some people that don't like live music. That's why there are so many different products out there -- because people have different tastes. I LOVE live music! That's why I love Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 3, 2002 Share Posted February 3, 2002 JMON, in good form as ever, well said reply. I too love live music and that's why my houses are all Klipsch stuffed. Colin, IMHO, the "Full-Range Discrete Multi-Channel Revolution" that I spoke of is something that the speaker manufacturers haven't optimized and most local audio store types don't seem to have a clue. My rig is non-standard by their notions... but, man, does it engulf you in great sound. Sound that I have never heard the equal of in ANY in-store demo room... even with equipment costing several times what I have spent. My point was that we are on the threshold of much improved sound, particularly for HT, if manufacturers would just optimize the potential of 6.1 sound. I believe in "3MAINs" with identical characteristics but no centers are manufactured to that criteria. It makes a whale of a difference. For years I snorkeled the warm waters of the Mediterranean, colder waters in the Pacific and even used to shoot Northwestern U.S. whitewater rapids with snorkel and fins when I wore a much younger man's Speedo ...lots of bumps, bruises, and a few near death experiences... but what a rush! Those of us who don't do drugs in order to think clearly, sometimes engage in practices that indicate we are not thinking all that clearly. Thanks for the reply and keep the good times rolling ... a time squared HornEd This message has been edited by HornEd on 02-03-2002 at 07:45 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Palm Posted February 3, 2002 Share Posted February 3, 2002 One would be surprized at the number of people who have never heard of Klipsch. They are drawn by flashy full page ads touting the loudest,bestest speakers in the universe. Uneducated ears like the Thumping of a huge woofer with a 4" cone movement. They like cute little cubes that swivel to reflect bad sound off their walls. I caan't understand why. Nothing beats the sound and excitement of REAL music coming from HUGE HORNS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Bodean Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 I agree about the equipment compatibility. I helped a friend with LaScallas hook up his new, better, ( more power & features ) receiver. These were speakers that I had listened to for a lot of hrs. I liked them. We hooked up the new receiver, changed nothing else. The klipsch suddenly became these " harsh, bright, earbleeding monsters." If this had been my first exposure to klipsch, you would have had a hard time even giving me a pair and no way would I have spent money on that brand. The Klipsch sound sucked! Except I knew better. Some people only get to listen once, so if they happen to hear a bad setup, they move on. It has been too many years ago for me to remember the brands of the two receivers, ( yammie, sony, jvc, kenwood, etc. ??? ) but I guess it really doesn't matter. Btw after several hrs of break in, the new receiver & Klipsch still sucked. Jethro....... ------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M6 Driver Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 Folks of today maybe one blinded the fact that how can it sound good if it's got horns for the mid/highs or both must be some old fashioned get up hence not giving them a chance next would be that folks haven't heard of them I'll rattle of my rig and folks are like "huh" what's Klipsch never heard of them So I must go into detail about them. Since most folks in my neck of the woods shop at Best Buy and Circut City all they know are Cerwin Vega,JBL,Polk,Bose,Infinity,KLM thus its a shame that they never ventured one more block to a Sound Advice to really get a grasp on whats offered I guess they figured that they carry expensive gear true but anybody can build up Synergy based system for next to nothin might be what todays consumer grew up on while at home how many parents of your friends have Klipsch? It gives me great pleasure to have friends over and sit and hear what they're missing satisfaction of them no longer bragging of how there rig sounded (sorry I had to mention that) just folks get poorly educated by some Big Pant Kid and the local Blue and Yellow chain it's simply personal taste I've had B&W's,JBL, NHT's(Hated them), as well Bose but Hey I was young and needed the money! I think I strayed off topic Sorry! ------------------ "FULLY LOADED" J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dome Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 I cant imagine. They must be used to listen to crappy speakers is all I can say! Bright schmight, I think the correct terms would be, crisp, clean, clear, realistic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Horn ED Wheres your avitar? The answer all in all is the sqwaker, the mid horn is the only piece of the Klipsch speaker that most people complain about! Its the voice, and guitar in the face syndrome! I can only take so much volume myself, ive had my ears buzzing, ticklng here! But also its 4 cornwalls in your face 15X15 foot room! People say it also makes the vioce sound like a head cold! But i dont think there is a truer set of speakers made, im investing into the reference line soon, rear center and rears! I no longer abuse the volume here, im taking care of my 20 year old treasures! Regards Jim 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.