I've seen multiple people hinting that these are just Icons with copper colored woofers rebadged with the "Reference" name. As someone who owns the KB-15s, I did a little A/B testing with them.
Both are similar in size and shape, (icon is a few centimeters shorter), have the same frequency response rating, both use a 1" aluminum compression tweeter coupled to a tractrix horn, and both use a 5.25" injection molded graphite woofer. The main difference in the woofer is klipsch claims the R-15m uses a "copper spun" IMG woofer. I'm assuming they have somehow either combined the copper with the molded graphite material or spun it on as a layer, I have not the faintest idea how any of that works.
Immediately switching between the two I could tell a difference in the midrange and lows. They both had the same amount of bass, but the reference series sounded extremely tight and controlled, where the icons sound loose and muddied. In the midrange it was the same. The icons sounded veiled and smeared, whereas the reference series sounded much more accurate, focused, and clear, capable of resolving a massive amount of detail that instantly collapsed into a congested mess in the icons.
There is definitely a good amount of breakup going on in the icons that is entirely absent in the reference. I can safely say that despite being more affordable than reference II series or the reference premier series, these are definitely not Icon or Synergy "grade" speakers, and are worthy of the reference title.
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