Center speaker sounds boxy

[JesseV]

Hi everyone,
New to the community and first post and hoping you guys can help. I recently purchased some Klipsch speakers from another person which included a RC-25 center which has two 5 1/4" woofers with a tweeter in between. I got it all hooked up to a Sony STR-DH790 and did the built in calibration. However the center speaker sounds a bit boxy.. I had some Klipsch quintet iii's before and the center sounded crisper/cleaner on that one. I do notice that one of the woofers (the left one) does sound louder while the right one sounds more muffled is that normal? Shouldn't they both sound the same? Also can't tell if the tweeter in the middle is working or not. Any suggestions on what I can try to help improve the sound? Could this speaker be damaged?

 

[lovinthehd]

Looks like the two mid-woofers should be outputting the same sound, so that's not a good sign. A 2-way center isn't ideal (horizontal center speakers are inherently flawed), a 3-way is usually advised (if not just a third speaker same as your L/R speakers, and what are those?). How do you have the speaker positioned can have an effect, too (got a pic?).

I don't know what you mean by boxy particularly, tho. Sony's DCAC I've not used but it doesn't get very good comments. Might try just doing setup manually....

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi everyone,
New to the community and first post and hoping you guys can help. I recently purchased some Klipsch speakers from another person which included a RC-25 center which has two 5 1/4" woofers with a tweeter in between. I got it all hooked up to a Sony STR-DH790 and did the built in calibration. However the center speaker sounds a bit boxy.. I had some Klipsch quintet iii's before and the center sounded crisper/cleaner on that one. I do notice that one of the woofers (the left one) does sound louder while the right one sounds more muffled is that normal? Shouldn't they both sound the same? Also can't tell if the tweeter in the middle is working or not. Any suggestions on what I can try to help improve the sound? Could this speaker be damaged?

That speaker is blown. It is a two way, and the two woofers should sound identical. If you are not sure the tweeter is working, it isn't. Klipsch tweeters give you a real ear full.

So you likely need one new bass woofer and a tweeter and you might need crossover parts. So the speakers needs taking apart and thoroughly analyzing. So what are your facilities and capabilities?

If you don't know how to go about trouble shooting this speaker, then bin it. It will be far cheaper to buy a new one, than pay someone else to fix it, even if you can find someone.

That speaker has been overdriven. The quiet woofer almost certainly has a partially burnt out voice coil, and has shorted turns due to overheated VC wire.
The VC of the tweeter is burnt out. I would say that you can not be certain the other woofer is OK, since they will both have received the same abuse.

 

[JesseV]

That's what I was afraid of.. I don't have the tools or knowledge to replace the parts and from what you say it probably going to be better just buying a new one. I appreciate your help guys. Any recommendations on a good center under $200?

 

[TLS Guy]

That's what I was afraid of.. I don't have the tools or knowledge to replace the parts and from what you say it probably going to be better just buying a new one. I appreciate your help guys. Any recommendations on a good center under $200?

Since Klipsch tend to have a unique sonic signature, you should probably stay with Klipsch.

Replacing that center will cost you $119.00. I checked the price before giving you that advice I gave you. You will not get in the door of a repair shop for less than the cost of replacing it. Make sure you responsibly recycle the blown unit, and do not throw it in the trash.

 

[JesseV]

Looks like the two mid-woofers should be outputting the same sound, so that's not a good sign. A 2-way center isn't ideal (horizontal center speakers are inherently flawed), a 3-way is usually advised (if not just a third speaker same as your L/R speakers, and what are those?). How do you have the speaker positioned can have an effect, too (got a pic?).

I don't know what you mean by boxy particularly, tho. Sony's DCAC I've not used but it doesn't get very good comments. Might try just doing setup manually....

My L/R speakers are Klipsch RF-15 towers.. and the center is positioned under tv in a built in shelf and above the sub which is a polk DSW pro 660wi.. I had previous center there as well and didnt have this issue. P.s. it looks off center but I have a projector screen that comes down for movies etc. and the speakers are centered to that.

 

[JesseV]

My L/R speakers are Klipsch RF-15 towers.. and the center is positioned under tv in a built in shelf and above the sub which is a polk DSW pro 660wi.. I had previous center there as well and didnt have this issue. P.s. it looks off center but I have a projector screen that comes down for movies etc. and the speakers are centered to that.

 

[lovinthehd]

My L/R speakers are Klipsch RF-15 towers.. and the center is positioned under tv in a built in shelf and above the sub which is a polk DSW pro 660wi.. I had previous center there as well and didnt have this issue. P.s. it looks off center but I have a projector screen that comes down for movies etc. and the speakers are centered to that.

So the center is positioned in part of a box? What was the previous center? Is it pulled out to the edge of the shelf at least?

You're gonna get some of the ocd folk trippin'....

 

[JesseV]

Since Klipsch tend to have a unique sonic signature, you should probably stay with Klipsch.

Replacing that center will cost you $119.00. I checked the price before giving you that advice I gave you. You will not get in the door of a repair shop for less than the cost of replacing it. Make sure you responsibly recycle the blown unit, and do not throw it in the trash.

Would spending $30 more for the R-52C be worth it? Or should I just do the R-25C?

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-R-52C-Powerful-Detailed-Channel/dp/B07FK41FGL/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=DIZ62SVJ0JJ&keywords=klipsch+rc+52&qid=1673812843&sprefix=klipsch+rc+52%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

[JesseV]

So the center is positioned in part of a box? What was the previous center? Is it pulled out to the edge of the shelf at least?

You're gonna get some of the ocd folk trippin'....

Lol yeah i know its not ideal but its what i have to work with unfortunately.. Previous center was a Klipsch quintet iii center and yes it is pulled out to the edge..

 

[lovinthehd]

Lol yeah i know its not ideal but its what i have to work with unfortunately.. Previous center was a Klipsch quintet iii center and yes it is pulled out to the edge..

In any case seems to be a speaker issue with the difference in mid-woofer output....do you still have the Quintet to use?

 

[JesseV]

In any case seems to be a speaker issue with the difference in mid-woofer output....do you still have the Quintet to use?

Yeah I'll put that one in until I get a new one.. looking at either the Klipsch R-25c or R-52c since other speakers are all Klipsch except the sub.. trying to see which one of the two would be better

 

[TLS Guy]

Would spending $30 more for the R-52C be worth it? Or should I just do the R-25C?

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-R-52C-Powerful-Detailed-Channel/dp/B07FK41FGL/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=DIZ62SVJ0JJ&keywords=klipsch+rc+52&qid=1673812843&sprefix=klipsch+rc+52%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

Since the R-52C has substantially more power handling, it is likely worth the extra dollars, given the one you have was blown up.

 

[Kingnoob]

Since Klipsch tend to have a unique sonic signature, you should probably stay with Klipsch.

Replacing that center will cost you $119.00. I checked the price before giving you that advice I gave you. You will not get in the door of a repair shop for less than the cost of replacing it. Make sure you responsibly recycle the blown unit, and do not throw it in the trash.

What’s the purpose of repair shops , for flagship gear only worth fixing? Stuff cost less new then to repair .::
My $400 laptop power port died wish i could fix it myself, not worth the repair cost . 10 years old by now, broke 4 years ago I went through two of the same model gateway had defective ports. No a speaker but ouch
I have some rtr ex9 speakers not sure if they are bad or not but if so not worth fixing.

 

[lovinthehd]

What’s the purpose of repair shops , for flagship gear only worth fixing? Stuff cost less new then to repair .::
My $400 laptop power port died wish i could fix it myself, not worth the repair cost . 10 years old by now, broke 4 years ago I went through two of the same model gateway had defective ports. No a speaker but ouch
I have some rtr ex9 speakers not sure if they are bad or not but if so not worth fixing.

It's possible the speaker could be repaired, most simply by buying a driver from Klipsch, repairing the driver I suspect isn't worth the labor cost. Consumer electronics are what they are....

 

[head_unit]

Would spending $30 more for the R-52C be worth it? Or should I just do the R-25C?

Klipsch changes models a lot seems to me, those aren't even on their website now. Which may mean nothing. Anyway I'd get this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VLNV8XD
because it seems a newer model, plus looks more cool, and the non rectangular housing a bit better for acoustics.

I agree with @TLS Guy that speaker is damaged. To double check, put a "pink noise" track on from YouTube, there should be a LOT of "hissssssss" coming out of the tweeter. Put books in front of the woofers to block off most of their sound if you have doubt.

 

[head_unit]

What’s the purpose of repair shops

Well, back in the day many products were hand-made, so hand repair made sense. Then things became somewhat machine made, maybe you could still hand swap a part (a gear, a switch, a transistor). Manufacturing is now even cheaper and many parts impossible to replace due to advanced manufacturing techniques. Humans cannot make a living fixing many things any more.

Now "right to repair" that's another thing, though related in a way.