Yesterday, I visited ATLAudio. My main interest was to check out the PSA XS15se which is currently on sale for $700. However, the RF62-II are on sale all over the internet (including Amazon) for $300 ea. (used to go for $500, but being replaced by new model). I was impressed enough with this as a great value to present this review.
Setup:
His system consists of:
Denon AVR X-4000
Klipsch RF-62 II (crossed at 80Hz)
Klipsch RC-52 II
Klipsch RS-42 II
Power Sound Audio XS15se
Pro-Ject Genie 1.3
He had Audyssey engaged, so please consider that when considering my comments below. I have no idea how much difference Audyssey may have made. I only know what I heard was very nice. Since many people would use Audyssey anyway, I feel the review is relevant.
The speakers were "aimed" about 5 degrees behind me.
The room measured 18'X17' with listening position 5' from back wall (along 17' dimension).
Home Theater:
ATLAudio has done a great job of properly setting up his system! He played a ~10 to 15 minute segment of Avatar for me and I was thoroughly impressed! It was a thrilling and immersive experience and I could not find flaw with it. I know, intellectually, that the XS15se does not have the deepest extension, but with it corner loaded, the room was definitely well pressurized and I felt like a good theater had absolutely nothing to offer beyond this! (I checked to verify - it falls in the Audioholic's Bassaholic Large Room category).
Music:
Micro-dynamics is the term that best sets these speakers apart from competition in their price range. I was amazed at how well they presented small details. It reminded me of listening to electrostatics. When I tested for directionality, I found some of that magic detail was lost as I moved out of the sweetspot, but the sound was still well balanced. There was no collapsing of the sound field as electrostatics are prone to. These speakers present details to your ear that remind me of listening to my Monsoon planar computer speakers in near-field.
Dynamics. This is definitely a forte of the Klipsches (and I guess I should give some credit to the sub for not getting in the way in the lower frequencies). I did not have my own Focal Solo6Be speakers in the room to compare, but I felt like the attacks were of the same caliber, maybe better (which is an extraordinary compliment)! This ranges from the immediate impactfulness (if that is a word) of rim-shots on the drums to the edginess of an aggressively played trombone.
Harshness. I am happy to report that the harshness I associate with horns (mostly from the late 70's and early 80's when I was listening to everything I could in audio shops - and they had audio shops to hear about everything) is no longer an issue. The Klipsch are not laid-back, they are forward sounding speakers, but I did not hear the harshness I was expecting. I think I would get some fatigue from listening to treble heavy content on these at volume for several hours, but I get fatigue from listening to treble heavy live music, or on any speaker with a solid top end, so that is not really a valid complaint. My point is that if you want muted treble, look elsewhere. If you are sensitive to forward speakers, look elsewhere. For me, these had a great presence that I loved, but I would probably switch from "Audyssey flat" to plain "Audyssey" to rest my ears if I was listening loud for hours! Or, more likely, just turn them down. With their dynamic immediacy and Audyssey's Dynamic EQ, these speakers offer a very fulfilling experience at reduced volume levels.
Cons. Without reference speakers in the room for comparison, I have a hard time finding flaw with these.
Directionality. The directionality of the horns was not bad, but it certainly was not as good as standard dome tweeters. I suspect it is this horn directionality that affords the micro-dynamics and detail, so am reluctant to make too much noise about it. If you have your Lazy-boy or sofa as pretty much where you are when listening, it is a no-brainer - you will get the wonderfully detailed micro-dynamics without having to pay the kind of coin usually required for it. As for the size of the sweet spot, I feel confident three people abreast on a standard sofa at 12 feet back would solidly be in it. The sound is still good outside the sweet spot, but the exceptional micro-dynamics/detail is compromised.
High frequency extension. This is hardly a knock against a speaker in this price range, but when I listened to chimes, I recognized it did not have the upper harmonics of the beryllium tweeters that I normally listen to. Trumpets and trombones upper harmonics sounded better than I was used to (when listening to soft domes). This kind of makes sense once I found out these are metal (titanium) domes. Usually metal domes have extension like the Be tweeters, but add some distortion to get it. I think Klipsch may have done something to EQ out the breakup/distortion frequencies (which would likely be horrendous with the horns ability to present micro details), but I am treading way too far into BS wild-assed guessing at this point.
Best applications:
Home theater. Between the excellent dynamics and the fact that you will probably be sitting still (in the sweet spot) when watching, these are excellent speakers for HT!
Music-style. With the dynamics, details, and tightness, this system is exceptional for tight/rhythmic music. Content such as superfast detailed guitar/banjo picking, and impactful music such as Billy Cobham is ideally suited to show off these speakers. Steely Dan is a more mainstream artist that would be well suited for them. I don't mean to infer that they have weaknesses with other styles of music at all; but this music would allow them to stand out as exceptional.
Efficiency. It is no secret that horns are very efficient speakers. If you have a large room, or want to use a low power amp, these are a good option.
I was hoping to find measurements of the RF62-II, particularly the off-axis frequency response. I could not, but came across this review which is reassuring to know others heard about the same things that I did:
http://www.soundvisionreview.com/hi-fi-home-theater/speakers/klipsch-rf-62-ii-review/
I went there to listen to the sub. I was delighted to find speakers that were as tight, impactful, and articulate as these. I never heard the sub, which I see as a good thing. Bass was solid, and I know the sub did that, but the sub maintained these qualities (tight, impactful, and articulate) without ever being it's own voice. That is perfectly what a good sub should do with music (and what the Rythmik E15HP's I normally listen to do, and what the JL Audio E112's fail to do)!
