Sony Core Series vs Klipsch Reference (Best Buy) Series

[felipe]

Hi all

I'm looking to find a replacement for my Polks. My brother REALLY likes the Polks I have and has been buggin g me about it for some time now. Since it's the holidays, I figured if can find a suitable replacement, then the Polks are his . I chose these two options b/c of the sales they have and will have, and I can audition them before purchasing ( granted if I can find a BB that has the Sonys on display to test ). I'd be getting Floorstanders/towers with matching center (if I purchase). Which of these would be the better overall deal from a bang/buck perspective? Thanks in advance

 

[tyhjaarpa]

By the brand I would say Klipsch is better pick. But you should really go and audition speakers and pick what you like most. There are also some great bookshelf speakers around that will compete well specially when you are using sub.

 

[felipe]

So far I've heard the Klipsch, and despite what others say I didn't find them bright or harsh at all. They were very clean, clear with lots of detail. Strong imaging and dynamics. Bass was tight and controlled. I believe there is another BB not too far from me that has the Sonys on display. Going to find out first before I do anything.
I would consider bookshelves, but I don't want to do the whole speaker stands thing, and when I listen to music I prefer in 2ch only..no sub..hence the towers . Thnaks for the advice tho tyhjaarpa .

 

[zieglj01]

Good luck, Best Buy is still a poor place to audition. I will be nice and not tell you
that overall, I still prefer the Sony's.

 

[Seth=L]

I believe Best Buy is doing some kind of 50% off sale on Klipsch come black Friday.

 

[felipe]

Thanks for not telling me zieglj01 .
Yeah Seth=L come black friday Klipschs will be 50% off. The Sonys are currently on sale as well, hence the appeal of both...the prices . I found a nearby BB at has the Sonys on display. I know that BB is a poor auditioning area, but I can get an A-B compare with the Klipschs. I'll "tune" out the surrounding noises and "focus" my hearing . Thx for the "good luck" message zeiglj01.

 

[lsiberian]

Not sure how much you plan to spend, but I'd bet you could find better options online. It certainly is worth your time to try IMO.

 

[felipe]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention my budget. My bad. Not looking to spend any more than 600-650 for the front soundstage ( mains and center ). No bookies, only floorstanders for mains. I know I'm picky ;p

 

[felipe]

I was able to give the Sonys a listen, as well as compare them to the Klipschs.
First off, the Sonys are smaller in size compared to the Klipschs. They were a bit smaller than I thought they would be. Just a bit of a surprise for me. Anyway, back to what really matters...the sound.

Similarities to the Klipschs..the imaging. Each placed intstruments and vocals where they needed to be. Both had a smooth characteristic with good to great amount of detail.

Differences? The most apparent was the low end. The klipschs had more extension,depth and punch ( but that was expected given the larger drivers and cabinet ). The Sonys had decent punch for its size, and had slighty better definition overall. Mids were clean and clear on both, but the Klipschs had more detail and resolution, while the Sonys had more warmth/intimacy. Highs had more of a "sparkle" with the Klipschs, while the Sonys had a slighty smoother presentation of the treble. Efficency? well we all know that Klipsch has this one ( kinda what they are known for ), but the Sonys weren't far behind.

Overall, both sounded really good in their own merit. The Klipschs had more of a "live", "front row" type sound...brings you to the performance. The Sonys have a more balanced sound... kinda like were the "performance comes to you" idea..more intimate.

Honestly, I liked them both. They are both good IMO...especially for the sale prices . It's going to be a tough one...

 

[nfafan]

They were looking good - until I seen the rear port a la Sony CS-5s. Why do mfgs assume we all have the room real-estate to position speakers out into the room away from walls(?).

 

[tyhjaarpa]

They were looking good - until I seen the rear port a la Sony CS-5s. Why do mfgs assume we all have the room real-estate to position speakers out into the room away from walls(?).

Rear ported speakers are quite common actually, so it is pretty much up to buyer to look for what they want.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I believe Best Buy is doing some kind of 50% off sale on Klipsch come black Friday.

One thing about Klipsch at Best Buy... they're not the same Klipsch speakers as are sold elsewhere. For example, with the regular RF-62ii speaker the tweeters use a titanium dome in the horn, with the Best Buy version of the 2x6.5" tower the dome is aluminum. I'm not sure that the different tweeter driver makes an audible difference, but I wonder in what other ways they have cheapened up the product. Personally, I wouldn't get the Best Buy version.

 

[nfafan]

Rear ported speakers are quite common actually, so it is pretty much up to buyer to look for what they want.

True that. Have to pass on a lot of well-thought-of speakers for that very reason. I just can't spare the room space.

 

[slipperybidness]

True that. Have to pass on a lot of well-thought-of speakers for that very reason. I just can't spare the room space.

Personally, I would be going with the Elac Debuts if I were in a similar situation. A bit over budget when you add the center, and also rear ported. I heard these at RMAF and I would spend the $ for them without a 2nd thought.

http://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-Tower-Speakers-Each/dp/B014GSEPY8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448386364&sr=8-2&keywords=elac+debut

That front port requirement makes it tougher to find budget towers.

I did personally choose the Infinity Primus P363 a few years ago, still have them, and it has front ports.
http://frys.com/product/6878376?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

With your situation, I would also put HTD on my list:
http://www.htd.com/Products/tower-speakers/Level-TWO-Tower-Speakers
http://www.htd.com/Products/center-channel-speakers/Level-TWO-Center-Channel-Speaker

Just 1 more option, you could spend the entire budget on a better pair for the L/R speakers and not worry about the center. Especially if L/R speakers image well, then "phantom center" may be fine.
http://emptek.com/r55ti.php

 

[zieglj01]

Overall, both sounded really good in their own merit. The Klipschs had more of a "live", "front row" type sound...brings you to the performance. The Sonys have a more balanced sound... kinda like were the "performance comes to you" idea..more intimate.

Honestly, I liked them both. They are both good IMO...especially for the sale prices . It's going to be a tough one...

That is why home audition is the best - sometimes that live front row like presentation,
can bring on ear fatigue. Sometimes the extra treble, can hide the fact that the midrange
overall can be lacking some definition.

However, it all comes down to that which is good enough for you.

 

[felipe]

True that. Have to pass on a lot of well-thought-of speakers for that very reason. I just can't spare the room space.

+1 on that. Since I got to place my speakers close to the rear wall, rear ported designs are not my best choice.

One thing about Klipsch at Best Buy... they're not the same Klipsch speakers as are sold elsewhere. For example, with the regular RF-62ii speaker the tweeters use a titanium dome in the horn, with the Best Buy version of the 2x6.5" tower the dome is aluminum. I'm not sure that the different tweeter driver makes an audible difference, but I wonder in what other ways they have cheapened up the product. Personally, I wouldn't get the Best Buy version.

From what I understand, the klipsch that sell at BB are a revised version of the Icon series...or Klipschs entry-level. Honestly I wouldn't pay the full price for them as well.
That being said, I did pick up the Klipschs yesterday ( Black Friday sale..and the Sonys were out of stock ). As many have said here, home audition is best (which I agree ). Hooked them up and watched a movie ( Avengers 2) and some music material. Initial impressions...
1) Very clean sounding...mids a bit recessed compared to the Polks ( which are voiced to have more prominent mids ) but sound cleaner than the Polks
2) That "sparkle" in the highs was attenuated..which leaned toward a "sweet" sounding character. Not fatiguing at all..rather enjoyable. More definition than the Polks ( which were more splashy in comparison ).
3) Bass is more authorative ( was expected due to larger drivers and cabinet size ) but still tight and controlled.
So far, I'm liking these Klipsch. NOT worth the full price, but, so far, worth the Black Friday price.

 

[Seth=L]

+1 on that. Since I got to place my speakers close to the rear wall, rear ported designs are not my best choice.

From what I understand, the klipsch that sell at BB are a revised version of the Icon series...or Klipschs entry-level. Honestly I wouldn't pay the full price for them as well.
That being said, I did pick up the Klipschs yesterday ( Black Friday sale..and the Sonys were out of stock ). As many have said here, home audition is best (which I agree ). Hooked them up and watched a movie ( Avengers 2) and some music material. Initial impressions...
1) Very clean sounding...mids a bit recessed compared to the Polks ( which are voiced to have more prominent mids ) but sound cleaner than the Polks
2) That "sparkle" in the highs was attenuated..which leaned toward a "sweet" sounding character. Not fatiguing at all..rather enjoyable. More definition than the Polks ( which were more splashy in comparison ).
3) Bass is more authorative ( was expected due to larger drivers and cabinet size ) but still tight and controlled.
So far, I'm liking these Klipsch. NOT worth the full price, but, so far, worth the Black Friday price.

Same thing happened to me. After being told over and over again how "harsh" and "fatiguing" Klipsch speakers are and finally having a pair in my home to listen to the impressions were all but harsh and fatiguing. That's not to say that it isn't harsh and fatiguing to some people, but I think some like to blow things out of proportion, or base the commentary on what overs have said. Although my personal favorite is when people heard a pair of Klipsch Heresys or Cornwalls and base their impressions of the entire brand off of 40 year old designs. In what universe does it make sense to compare modern speakers to 40 year old designs? Do they figure it's fair game just because they both use horns? Nonsense.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Same thing happened to me. After being told over and over again how "harsh" and "fatiguing" Klipsch speakers are and finally having a pair in my home to listen to the impressions were all but harsh and fatiguing. That's not to say that it isn't harsh and fatiguing to some people, but I think some like to blow things out of proportion, or base the commentary on what overs have said. Although my personal favorite is when people heard a pair of Klipsch Heresys or Cornwalls and base their impressions of the entire brand off of 40 year old designs. In what universe does it make sense to compare modern speakers to 40 year old designs? Do they figure it's fair game just because they both use horns? Nonsense.

I heard the "Klipsch is harsh" stuff over and over again, so much so I never gave them a serious listen. A local dealer happened to have a demo HT room set up with Klipsch speakers when I was shopping for a TV, and I was very surprised by what I heard. When Kurt (KEW) wrote up his review I dropped my notion of ordering a pair of Philharmonic Slim Towers, and cheaped-out on a pair of RF62ii for $600 shipped. (Sorry, Dennis, maybe next time.) As I've said in other posts, the RF62iis are too colored for my stringent tastes in a music-only system, but for TV and movies they are awesome. After two months they still surprise me by how good they are in absolute terms, and not just at the price I paid, and they are not fatiguing even after several hours of binge-watching. (And I'm pretty sensitive to listening fatigue.) I figured there was a one-in-three chance I'd hate the RF62s when I got them set up, give them away and then order the Phils, but every so often I get lucky.

 

[KEW]

When Kurt (KEW) wrote up his review I dropped my notion of ordering a pair of Philharmonic Slim Towers, and cheaped-out on a pair of RF62ii for $600 shipped. (Sorry, Dennis, maybe next time.)

Darn, I would have loved to get your observations of Slims vs Salons. Dennis does an amazing job of getting top performance/synergy out of the components he uses!
The Slims would certainly have been much better than Klipsch at accommodating your stringent tastes for music.

I have had one guy over who just did not like the character of the horns (even for HT) - he agreed that they were not at all harsh. As well distributed as Klipsch is, I would certainly recommend anyone listen before buying!

 

[Irvrobinson]

Darn, I would have loved to get your observations of Slims vs Salons. Dennis does an amazing job of getting top performance/synergy out of the components he uses!
The Slims would certainly have been much better than Klipsch at accommodating your stringent tastes for music.

I have had one guy over who just did not like the character of the horns (even for HT) - he agreed that they were not at all harsh. As well distributed as Klipsch is, I would certainly recommend anyone listen before buying!

I have no doubt that for music I would like the Phils better. For HT use, I'm not so sure! It's like the Klipsch engineers voiced them specifically to make TV and movie sound super-intelligible and exciting, without harshness or sounding contrived. I think I like the RF62s better than I would the Salon2s in that little HT system. I haven't tried it (too inconvenient), but I'd make a small wager on it. And the fact that the Klipsch's (claimed) 97db/2.83v/m sensitivity fixed my Outlaw 975's output problems doesn't hurt either.