Polk Audio vs. Klipsch syndrome.

[LamontSim]

Philharmonic Audio for the AA+ Monitors.

Ascend Acoustics for the CBM170s.

Both are American made. East Coast for Philharmonic Audio and West Coast for Ascend Acoustics. Both are very well respected companies and you can actually talk with the person who makes them for both companies. Dennis at Philharmonic Audio and Dave at Ascend Acoustics are both amazing engineers and fantastic people to talk with.

Russdawg, thank you for the feedback. You sound like you really know your audio.

 

[KenM10759]

I've owned Ascend Acoustics CBM170-SE. I would take the Affordable Accuracy+ Monitor over those all day and twice on Sunday.

OTOH, really good sound without the 6-1/2" driver can be had. If I didn't already own so many speakers, I would be all over a $550 pair of high quality speakers for $300. Available in satin black or satin white.

https://www.kefdirect.com/specials/specials/q150-bookshelf-speaker.html

Free shipping, no tax in NY, one day from NJ.

A review from a well-regarded source: SoundStageNetwork review

 

[LamontSim]

Russdawg, thank you for the feedback. You sound like you really know your audio.

Russdawg, one more thing if you don't mind. Just for argument sake, between the Polk that I listed and either one of the Klipsch, with the receiver I have, the music genre I specified and the specs like frequency rating and sensitivity rating, etc., which would you recommend?

 

[LamontSim]

I've owned Ascend Acoustics CBM170-SE. I would take the Affordable Accuracy+ Monitor over those all day and twice on Sunday.

OTOH, really good sound without the 6-1/2" driver can be had. If I didn't already own so many speakers, I would be all over a $550 pair of high quality speakers for $300. Available in satin black or satin white.

https://www.kefdirect.com/specials/specials/q150-bookshelf-speaker.html

Free shipping, no tax in NY, one day from NJ.

A review from a well-regarded source: SoundStageNetwork review

Have you had any prior experience with either the Polk or Klipsch?

 

[KenM10759]

Yes. Only the higher-end Polk RTi or Klipsch "classic" (the latter of which would be well above budget) would be in consideration for me, but that's my ears. The Klipsch RP160M is pretty good, but personally (and it's very specific to me) I do not like the look of the copper driver at all and think the finish looks cheap. They sound OK though.

 

[LamontSim]

Yes. Only the higher-end Polk RTi or Klipsch "classic" (the latter of which would be well above budget) would be in consideration for me, but that's my ears. The Klipsch RP160M is pretty good, but personally (and it's very specific to me) I do not like the look of the copper driver at all and think the finish looks cheap. They sound OK though.

These Polks that I have in mind are RTI and supposedly the best (with the exception of the LSI which cost $750 per speaker) of the bookshelfs. The new Signature Series is still relatively new.

 

[LamontSim]

These Polks that I have in mind are RTI and supposedly the best (with the exception of the LSI which cost $750 per speaker) of the bookshelfs. The new Signature Series is still relatively new.

Do you like the horn tweeter of the Klipsch?

 

[Joe B]

Just a thought:
If you spend another $200 you can put yourself into a really good place with a pair of Wharfedale Reva 2's. They are beautifully transparent. Though they won't get down in the bass as far as you might want, your receiver does have a sub out. A pair of these matched with a future sub purchase would put you in a great spot, making an incredible 2.1 set up.....just food for thought.

 

[LamontSim]

Just a thought:
If you spend another $200 you can put yourself into a really good place with a pair of Wharfedale Reva 2's. They are beautifully transparent. Though they won't get down in the bass as far as you might want, your receiver does have a sub out. A pair of these matched with a future sub purchase would put you in a great spot, making an incredible 2.1 set up.....just food for thought.

Thank you for the input. Have you had any experience with or heard either the Polk bookshelf or Klipsch bookshelf?

 

[Joe B]

I prefer the sound of Polk speakers over Klipsch. I think you'd be much happier with a pair of Polk's listening to your music (my 2 cents).

 

[LamontSim]

Thank you for the feedback Joe, greatly appreciated.

 

[Russdawg1]

Russdawg, one more thing if you don't mind. Just for argument sake, between the Polk that I listed and either one of the Klipsch, with the receiver I have, the music genre I specified and the specs like frequency rating and sensitivity rating, etc., which would you recommend?

The Rti series I haven’t had that much time with. But I’m almost sure it’s somewhere near the Monitor series which I have owned. I would say that the Polk’s are more enjoyable for music listening because they aren’t as harsh as Klipsch are. HOWEVER, the RP series by Klipsch has somewhat tamed the harshness by using a different tweeter and a softer horn. I haven’t spent that much time with the RPs either, but I have had experience with the Reference series. Anything is better than the Reference series. As long as you don’t get the Reference series, you will be fine.

Between the two? I’d probably pick the Polk’s because I’m still traumatized by Klipsch.

Sensitivity isn’t a huge factor tbh, a few decibels here and there never hurt anyone. Klipsch is obviously the higher sensitivity speaker and will play louder because so, but it won’t necessarily play better than the Polk’s.

As for frequency response, they should be pretty similar. It won’t matter too much on paper but their acoustic signatures will obviously sound much different because it’s a horn vs dome tweeter.

At the end of the day it’s what your ears like. We can only help you out so much.

 

[KenM10759]

The older Klipsch Reference series was replaced/upgraded to Reference Premier (anything with "RP" in the prefix) and they are quite a bit less bright. Now they've replaced/upgraded the Reference Premier to a newer version with different numbers but still "RP" in the prefix. I believe RP-600M replaces RP-160M.

What I notice about those in particular is a wider soundstage than many others, with less depth to it. Compared to something like the KEF Q150, they are more sensitive (can go louder with the same power), but the KEF will have a better-defined, deeper soundstage with the listener's luxury of moving away from the "sweet spot" with little penalty. For $300 OTD right now, it's an attractive option. I believe the Polk RTi would lie somewhere in the middle.

 

[zieglj01]

Do you think I would get a better overall sound quality from the Klipsch than the
Polk? Some people refer to the sound of the Klipsch as "garsh" and claim to get tired of it. Is this true?

The RP series seems to be one of the better Klipsch series -- they are not receiving overall complaints about being harsh and having a blaring sound as in the past -- you seem to have your mind set for Polk or Klipsch, so my advice to you is to take a coin and flip it -- heads Klipsch and tails Polk. .... Enjoy your audio adventure

 

[Russdawg1]

The RP series seems to be one of the better Klipsch series -- they are not receiving overall complaints about being harsh and having a blaring sound as in the past -- you seem to have your mind set for Polk or Klipsch, so my advice to you is to take a coin and flip it -- heads Klipsch and tails Polk. .... Enjoy your audio adventure

^^^

 

[LamontSim]

The Rti series I haven’t had that much time with. But I’m almost sure it’s somewhere near the Monitor series which I have owned. I would say that the Polk’s are more enjoyable for music listening because they aren’t as harsh as Klipsch are. HOWEVER, the RP series by Klipsch has somewhat tamed the harshness by using a different tweeter and a softer horn. I haven’t spent that much time with the RPs either, but I have had experience with the Reference series. Anything is better than the Reference series. As long as you don’t get the Reference series, you will be fine.

Between the two? I’d probably pick the Polk’s because I’m still traumatized by Klipsch.

Sensitivity isn’t a huge factor tbh, a few decibels here and there never hurt anyone. Klipsch is obviously the higher sensitivity speaker and will play louder because so, but it won’t necessarily play better than the Polk’s.

As for frequency response, they should be pretty similar. It won’t matter too much on paper but their acoustic signatures will obviously sound much different because it’s a horn vs dome tweeter.

At the end of the day it’s what your ears like. We can only help you out so much.

That says a lot and I thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[LamontSim]

^^^

Thanks. Doing all I can to narrow the choice down.

 

[shadyJ]

If you are not going to be using a subwoofer, get a bookshelf speaker that has as much extension as possible. These Monolith K-BAS do quite good in that respect, and they have a nice discount on them at the moment which puts them at $360 a pair.

 

[kini]

Thanks. Doing all I can to narrow the choice down.

Since both the S20 and RtiA3 are on sale a crutchfield buy both and keep the one you like best or send both back if you don't think either are worthy. You have 60 days to decide. Both seem to be good deals at under $250 for the pair.

 

[LamontSim]

If you are not going to be using a subwoofer, get a bookshelf speaker that has as much extension as possible. These Monolith K-BAS do quite good in that respect, and they have a nice discount on them at the moment which puts them at $360 a pair.

I was hoping to avoid a sub for now. Wanted to first narrow it down to a choice. Will consider a sub after that.