Klipsch Icon V Speaker System Review

[admin]

Too often I find myself reviewing and recommending speakers that you can only find at a specialty shop or online. Klipsch worked with Best Buy to create the Icon V series of speakers which means that these speakers will be available to nearly everybody. For movies, TV, and games the Klipsch Icon V's are a sure ticket to a great experience. Responsive and dynamic, the group as a whole performs well.


Discuss "Klipsch Icon V Speaker System Review" here. Read the article.

[mudrummer99]

I'm glad to see these got reviewed. I liked them pretty well from the moment my store received them. I'd like to second what Tom said about these in reference to music vs. movies/games. I would never like these for listening to music for extended periods of time but for movies and games they seem to have all the oomph you could want. For the price point, however, I am a bit disappointed in their performance compared to the Reference series at nearly the exact same retail. Overall I like these speakers well enough, and for BB, they are a decent improvement over the synergy series that they are replacing.

Mike

[Matt34]

For the price point, however, I am a bit disappointed in their performance compared to the Reference series at nearly the exact same retail. Overall I like these speakers well enough, and for BB, they are a decent improvement over the synergy series that they are replacing.

Mike

That's what I don't understand, are they going to be reference replacements? Because you can get RF-82 for just about the same price and even less if you shop ebay.

I would have no qualms about having a set of Ref in my HT setup.

[irishtom]

I don't understand the notion expressed by the reviewer that a speaker not good enough for music is good enough for movies. The scores of movies like Ben-Hur, South Pacific, El Cid, West Side Story and Lawrence of Arabia is certainly worth being reproduced in the best manner possible.

Now maybe a mediocre speaker is adequate for reproducing the car crashes and bombastic surround sound of the latest "hero outrunning an explosion" movie but not for reproducing the sublime work of Rozsa, North, Elmer Bernstein, Tiomkin, Newman, Rogers & Hammerstein and others.

The reviewer also thought that the speakers in question would need a subwoofer with "all" movies. All? Do we need subwoofers for "Gone With the Wind" and "Sunset Blvd"?

[abjonesiii]

That's what I don't understand, are they going to be reference replacements? Because you can get RF-82 for just about the same price and even less if you shop ebay.

It is peculiar to say the least. You can't blame Klipsch as a company though for pairing with best buy to put out a speaker line. In fact its quit genius. Companies like Paradigm, B&W, and other require a visit to the specialty shop where as Klipsch is positioning themselves to be in the face of anyone shopping for electronics because lets face I say "electronics" most people think "Best Buy".

My only hunch would be that in the push to capture huge market share that BB can deliver Klipsch does not want to put its own Reference line out to be smeared. Most audiophiles will likely dismiss any speakers available in a big box store as high profit low quality knock offs for the mass public. IMHO the RF series can hold its own (I own RF-82's) The possible poor rap the company's premier line could get for just being perceived as cheap just for being on the big chains shelf is worth making a whole new line to prevent.

Just my thoughts.

[bandphan]

IMO creating private labled lines to drive profits lowers qc and creates a mariage that is broken between the factory and the retailer and very rarley works out in the long run. This model may work for say the furniture industry but not for higher end audio.

[mudrummer99]

That's what I don't understand, are they going to be reference replacements? Because you can get RF-82 for just about the same price and even less if you shop ebay.

I would have no qualms about having a set of Ref in my HT setup.

They are not the replacements for the Ref series, those are the Icon W's, which perform far better than the V. I just find it interesting that they are at the same price point and there is such a very pointed difference between two in quality. For my money, I'd be all over the Ref.

[derrickdj1]

I ,have a Klipsch Icon V home theater and think these speaker are amazing. They are crisp and clear. Good tonal balance from the highs to the lows. My Pioneer SC 35 does a fantastic job on room correction to adjust the highs so the horns are not to bright. I demo these as well as the reference and Synergy line and felt this was a better value. I have a 9.1 setup using all Icon V speakers a love it. I read reviews on this speaker and they appear like movie reviews, frequently off the mark.

SC 35 avr
VF 36 mains
VS 14 front height
VS14 surrounds
VF 35 surround back
VC 25 center
AA RW 15in sub