Polk vs Klipsch

[audioism]

Hey,
I'm new to the Audiopholics but in need of help.

I have an opportunity to get Polk and Klipsch speakers for very very cheap through work. So price not being a concern who should I go with? I know both are very respectable brands... I will use them mostly for music, and want/prefer warmer and fuller sounds. Ill get a sub in the future. The speakers I have in mind are the..

Polk Rti A5

and

Klipsch Vf-36


Opinions any help would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks!

 

[KASR]

Have you had a chance to live audition either speaker? If not, then you really can't go wrong either way - in order to tell what you will "really" like, you would need to listen to them with a wide range of music to really determine which one YOU will like.
Both speakers will have a distinctive sound, so with your post, you're gonna get votes for people who prefer Polks and people who prefer the Klipsch.

I can say, that my Polks have proven to be very versatile with movies and music and I've been very satisfied with their performance. I've heard Klipsch, just not that line - what i did hear, I didn't necessarily care for. So if given those choices, I'd go with Polk.

 

[jinjuku]

Hey,
I'm new to the Audiopholics but in need of help.

I have an opportunity to get Polk and Klipsch speakers for very very cheap through work. So price not being a concern who should I go with? I know both are very respectable brands... I will use them mostly for music, and want/prefer warmer and fuller sounds. Ill get a sub in the future. The speakers I have in mind are the..

Polk Rti A5

and

Klipsch Vf-36


Opinions any help would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks!

The Polks may do better for Music. Unfortunately my personal preferences don't let me throw in for the Klipsch. I just don't care for the horn tweeters. Others love them. YMMV.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Like KASR said, the final choice is yours on whatever sound you'd like, if specs/reviews are your only tool for selection, and audition isn't possible (or optionally product return) I'd recommend paying closer attention to materials speaker's woofers/tweeter made from - typically some sort of metallic woofers (aluminum) tend to sound more reference, but poly paper/Kevlar/silk materials usually sound "warmer".

Kliptch is only of very few companies who figured out right way to use horns and as a result all Kliptch speakers with horns have very unique sound, which I personally auditioned and liked a lot, but not on exactly the speaker you are looking at.

Regarding Polk, again, I heard many Polk LSi bookshelf's (not towers) in stereo shop and found to really like only the top-end offering - LSi/9 speakers...

 

[radridd]

I auditioned both brands (different models) before my purchase. I wouldn't describe either as warm. Both are bright but the Klipsch were too bright for my taste although many people love them. What matters is what you like. In the end what someone else likes doesn't matter.

 

[justhangloose]

I envy your opportunity to get either of those speakers on the cheap. I own the Klipsch RF-3 towers. They are certainly NOT warm or laid back. Like some Grado headphones; the RF-3s are a smack-you-in-the-face, brutal, rocking speaker. Klipsch is not everybody's cup of tea. I absolutely love them. My 5.1 set up is all Klipsch - RF-3, RC-35(center), RS-35(rear), and a KSW-12 sub. IMO horns are a beautiful animal. Audition them if you can.

 

[adwilk]

I'm a HUGE Klipsch fan, but would have a hard time recommending them in this case. Unless you get into the reference line (or Palladium) I don't like them. I would tend to recommend the Polk's in your case. Welcome to the world of Audiopholics...

 

[mike29892]

Always been a Klipsch fan.

 

[ljaggers]

I took a special trip to Best Buy just for you Audioism to audition bookshelf speakers from both of these brands. I am certainly no audio wizard but I did have a few observations: (Oh and these speakers were both hooked up to Onkyo receivers)

The first thing I noticed about the Polks was the clarity of the soundtrack, especially at high frequency levels. I didn't seem to pick up as much ambient, high-frequency detail with the Klipsch bookshelves as the Polks. For example, with the Polk's I was able to distinguish the sound of the denim of an actor's jeans rubbing together as he walked down a hallway, while the Klipsch speakers seemed to mute out some of these more miniscule details. One of the best things about HD audio codecs is small details like this.

On the other hand, the Klipsch's had a warmer and more natural overall sound than the Polks. Comparatively speaking, music from the Klipsch speakers was silky smooth and heavenly to my ears, while the Polks (not bad by any means) sounded more "tinny."

I hope you find this somewhat useful. I enjoyed the research

 

[ematthews]

I have both and prefer the Klipsch. They have better highs...which I like. You may not. They are completly different in my opinion.

Skip both and get some Focals.

 

[KASR]

I took a special trip to Best Buy just for you Audioism to audition bookshelf speakers from both of these brands. I am certainly no audio wizard but I did have a few observations: (Oh and these speakers were both hooked up to Onkyo receivers)

The first thing I noticed about the Polks was the clarity of the soundtrack, especially at high frequency levels. I didn't seem to pick up as much ambient, high-frequency detail with the Klipsch bookshelves as the Polks. For example, with the Polk's I was able to distinguish the sound of the denim of an actor's jeans rubbing together as he walked down a hallway, while the Klipsch speakers seemed to mute out some of these more miniscule details. One of the best things about HD audio codecs is small details like this.

On the other hand, the Klipsch's had a warmer and more natural overall sound than the Polks. Comparatively speaking, music from the Klipsch speakers was silky smooth and heavenly to my ears, while the Polks (not bad by any means) sounded more "tinny."

I hope you find this somewhat useful. I enjoyed the research

That's good stuff right there!

 

[adwilk]

The first thing I noticed about the Polks was the clarity of the soundtrack, especially at high frequency levels. I didn't seem to pick up as much ambient, high-frequency detail with the Klipsch bookshelves as the Polks. For example, with the Polk's I was able to distinguish the sound of the denim of an actor's jeans rubbing together as he walked down a hallway, while the Klipsch speakers seemed to mute out some of these more miniscule details. One of the best things about HD audio codecs is small details like this.

Good review, and exactly why I only recommend the reference series in the klipsch. The tweeters in the reference line are about the most revealing I've ever heard. Much more so than even the polks. Some even say too harsh. Thats why its so important to listen for yourself. Again, thanks for the review.

 

[Assaf09]

Polk or Klipsch

You really have to audition them. Klipsch because of the horn tweeters will not give you a warm sound but i find them very good for music, especially if you have a nice sub to pair. for you're choice though, the Polk are much better.

 

[1kwik72]

I cant tell you the exact model # of the other speakers I auditioned (it was 5+yrs ago) when I set up my home theater but my wife and I did listen to Polk, B&W and Klipsch (Reference series) hooked up to 2 different recievers I ended up with a complete Klipsch Referance series setup (RF-62, RS-10 RB-61, RS-10) My wife and I both prefered the clearness of the Klipsch's horn tweeter The Polk was a close second and the B&W by comparison was very "mellow" sounding. While some may like a less "bright" speaker, after 20+ years in the auto repair business listening to air hammers, compressors and the like my hearing isn't what it used to be. Some of the subtle nuances on the various media we tried out were lost with the warmer sounding speakers. Not to say by any means the other 2 speakers didn't sound good, just that I preferred the way the Klipsch sounds. As the others have said audition them if possible spend some time with different source media, have someone else audition them with you to see if they hear what you hear. In the end it comes down to personal preferance you may like what others don't and vice-versa.

Craig