Do not buy Klipch I made my first mistake.

[bigzee]

So yes I made my first mistake as an audiophile I bought a Klipch rc52 centre without auditioning it properly from one of those big box stores for half the price of it's original price. I thought it was a good deal until I brought it home and hooked it up to my Pioneer Elite receiver. The sound came out boxy it sounded like the people in the movie were trapped inside my speaker talking lol even with it paired with Klipch right and left bookshelf speakers. So I'm selling it to my buddy a Klipch fanboy lol for 250 the price I got it for so I'm breaking even. I was even more angry when I saw Klipch is actually made in China lol wtf!!! I thought they were German?

I have a very sensitive ear I think it comes from my family history in music and working at a projectionist for 3 years a while ago. I have sensitivity to detail and wide range sounds. I am looking for a centre channel that has a wide range of sound that can cover a medium size living room with clear dialogue and good for playing music my budget is up to $1000 for my centre. So I'm gonna have to audition some centres here in Toronto.

 

[Seth=L]

Klipsch is an American brand name. Their headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Like most companies wanting to engage into the mass market frenzy, their products are built in some other country (often China).

Thank Bill Clinton and NAFTA. "THEY TOOK UR JERBS!"

 

[highfigh]

So yes I made my first mistake as an audiophile I bought a Klipch rc52 centre without auditioning it properly from one of those big box stores for half the price of it's original price. I thought it was a good deal until I brought it home and hooked it up to my Pioneer Elite receiver. The sound came out boxy it sounded like the people in the movie were trapped inside my speaker talking lol even with it paired with Klipch right and left bookshelf speakers. So I'm selling it to my buddy a Klipch fanboy lol for 250 the price I got it for so I'm breaking even. I was even more angry when I saw Klipch is actually made in China lol wtf!!! I thought they were German?

I have a very sensitive ear I think it comes from my family history in music and working at a projectionist for 3 years a while ago. I have sensitivity to detail and wide range sounds. I am looking for a centre channel that has a wide range of sound that can cover a medium size living room with clear dialogue and good for playing music my budget is up to $1000 for my centre. So I'm gonna have to audition some centres here in Toronto.

Angry? Why, and with whom? A little research ahead of time would have saved a lot of frustration and you would have found that Paul Klipsch started building speakers in the 40s in Hope, Arkansas. Also, if you had turned that speaker around, you could have seen that they're made in China by reading the label.

Not many big box stores have a good demo area and I'm not sure why anyone would go to one if they really want to hear speakers the way they're intended.

 

[bigzee]

Angry? Why, and with whom? A little research ahead of time would have saved a lot of frustration and you would have found that Paul Klipsch started building speakers in the 40s in Hope, Arkansas. Also, if you had turned that speaker around, you could have seen that they're made in China by reading the label.

Not many big box stores have a good demo area and I'm not sure why anyone would go to one if they really want to hear speakers the way they're intended.

I'm angry at myself I should have known better but the good thing is I'm breaking even on my Klipch speaker the two book shelf speakers I gave back to my buddy who let me borrow them and they have the same boxed in effect. Yeah I should go to a demo room there are lots of stores in Toronto that can demo speakers, I'm not an expert but I know the sound I want when I hear and Klipch just doesn't do it for me.

 

[Seth=L]

I have to agree with highfigh here, the thread title implies you're angry with Klipsch, not yourself.

 

[sholling]

I'm not a big Klipsch fan but that sounds like a placement issue. You get that effect when the sound from the center is reflecting off of other surfaces. Is the center sticking out slightly from the cabinet and TV or is it pushed back a bit? You want the front of the speaker to be sticking out a little bit. Do you have bare floors that could be causing a reflection? Did you rerun your receiver's room correction?

If you still need to replace the center then I'd either buy the the timbre matched center intended for your mains or replace all three.

 

[bigzee]

I'm not a big Klipsch fan but that sounds like a placement issue. You get that effect when the sound from the center is reflecting off of other surfaces. Is the center sticking out slightly from the cabinet and TV or is it pushed back a bit? You want the front of the speaker to be sticking out a little bit. Do you ave bare floors that could be causing a reflection? Did you rerun your receiver's room correction?

Yeah I got hard wood floors and the speaker was in front of my TV on the tv stand.

 

[Chitown2477]

I have the RC52 with two RF52s. You may have to tweak some settings and placement. Mine sound really good and nothing like what you mentioned. I am actually surprised you were able to buy them at a big box store. I have not seen the reference line is those types of stores; just the synergy and IKON. Could be different in Canada.

Plus the new RC52II only runs $350 USD per the Klipsch site so the $250 you paid for the old line was too high (IMO).

 

[bigzee]

I have the RC52 with two RF52s. You may have to tweak some settings and placement. Mine sound really good and nothing like what you mentioned. I am actually surprised you were able to buy them at a big box store. I have not seen the reference line is those types of stores; just the synergy and IKON. Could be different in Canada.

Plus the new RC52II only runs $350 USD per the Klipsch site so the $250 you paid for the old line was too high (IMO).

Maybe it was just my ears I dunno but I just didn't like the speakers I guess different people like different sounds. I'm no audio expert I just go on three things 1) Can I hear clear dialogue 2) Does it sound crisp without sounding boxed in and 3) Can I get full range sound not just in certain areas. For me Klipch failed these tests. Also my ears felt stressed after listening to the speakers. I also look for if the speaker can project sound evenly and clearly at lower volumes and not just high #4 I guess.

 

[sholling]

Yeah I got hard wood floors and the speaker was in front of my TV on the tv stand.

I'd throw a big thick rub on the floor in front of that center then re-run your receiver's setup and give another listen.

 

[zieglj01]

Take a look at the Klipsch RC64 center channel.