Why don’t people like me… I mean Klipsch.

[zumbo]

I mean no personal offense to anyone when I state my feelings about Klipsch.

I am not a follower. I don't jump on a wagon with other members here to make myself feel like I am part of the crowd. I don't do this in my personal life either.

I stick firmly to what I believe, and have pretty much had battles with most of the long term members here.

Speakers are the most personal purchase in this field. One needs to be certain they like what they purchase.

Choosing between two or three brands at one store may work. Depends on what the store has. If the store has JBL, Bose, and Klipsch, there is a very good chance you will come home with Klipsch.

At that point, I would state to find another store. Where I live, I have one high-end dealer within a 300 mile area. They have B&W, Monitor Audio, Polk Audio(high-end), and Klipsch. Klipsch is their "1 seller. I like them the least.

 

[billy p]

My dislike for Klipsch comes from their dismantling of API(Energy & Mirage parent company) and since that acquisition they've slowly pointed the Energy brand in the direction of that signiture Klipsch sound with the newer designs, which seemingly are fazing out the Veritas and Rc's from production.

Just my 2 cents and other than that, I have no issue with Klipsch, Bill

 

[markw]

Pretty muchthe same reason some people don't like Brussel Sprouts.

It all boils down to personal taste. And, from my dealings over the years I'd say that a great many other people don't like 'em either.

But, there's not too many Brussel Sprouts fanboys crying over that and claiming the whole world is against them. (not directed at the OP)

It's not that they are "bad" speakers, but for many, many years they did have a distinctive sound. Many people do like them and, God bless 'em, there's nothing wrong with that. There are enough different sounding speakers to please (and displease) almost everyone. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

And, their dismantling of the API brands (Athena/Sound Dynamics, Energy and Mirage) doesn't sit too well with me, either. To my ears, API produced better sounding speakers

 

[cerwinmad]

ha ha

im in the same boat as the owner of a full cerwin vega! (yep i added the exclamaition point) setup, alot of guys say hey they are cheap, etc etc but hey they rock for movies and ive had quite a few friends who said they were low end change their tune after a movie session. 'loud and clear', 'the bass made me feel sick' is the usual response, but thats what im after. everyone has a different taste and as long as your setup makes ya smile, thats all ya have to prove. id hate to buy another system because its "better" and then be disapointed.

 

[cfrizz]

Now ADTG, you & I both know that volume has nothing to do with the brightness of the components! It will just ensure that if it's loud enough I will get a headache in a half hour rather than an hour!

I can listen to my Polks all day long at nice high levels & not get a headache! Plus not have to hear exagerated S's, or horns sticking needles into my head!

What are you talking about, woman?

You have 405WPC amps!!!

 

[irishtom]

Well Klipsch speakers are made in several ranges and qualities. Many of their speakers are aimed at the mass market and average in quality. However some of the old school speakers that were designed by ole PWK are excellent speakers and taken very seriously by experienced audiophiles. I'm talking KHorns and Cornwalls and such.

I know a fella with a set of Klipsch Jubilees (PWK's last project before he died) and those are most excellent speakers, after almost 40 years in this hobby I've heard few speakers as good. The compression driver and horn of the Jubilee are from Klipsch pro's motion picture theater line which leads me to think Klipsch theater speakers would work well in the home just as "real" Altec and JBL theater speakers do.

 

[Nemo128]

I like Klipsch.

*puts on flame-resistant body suit*

 

[itschris]

I don't know that it's even the sound of the horns themselves. I certainly think they're fine sounding speakers, but I've found myself unable to listen to music for long periods of time... say 45 minutes or more. I find myself getting "fatigued" sorda like I've just had enough... especially so if I listen at a decent volume. I will say that I think the horns are bright, but not necessarily harsh in my opinion, but in the times I've had the chance to really hear them, I just feel a bit beat up after lengthy sittings.

 

[irishtom]

I don't know that it's even the sound of the horns themselves. I certainly think they're fine sounding speakers, but I've found myself unable to listen to music for long periods of time........

Klipsch models vary a great deal in tonal balance, dispersion and distortion. I can listen to KHorns, Cornwalls or Fortes for hours but a short time with Hereseys or LaScalas is VERY unpleasant for me. So it's difficult to make general statements about Klipsch.

Some of the old Klipsches, those that were fully horn loaded or horn loaded in the mids and highs with large direct radiating woofers, play very loud with very low distortion and compression, thus people often find themselves unknowingly listening to these speakers at considerably higher volumes than they listen to normal direct radiator speakers. This can be tiring.

 

[EYEdROP0]

I owned a pair of Klipsch RB-5 for awhile. I admired the sensitivity, power, voice, build quality, and look. Though they were exceptionally detailed, they were somewhat colored sounding to my ears. I was listening to them in a square room, which was very harsh. I grew tired of them and upgraded.

 

[emorphien]

I recently heard the new high end Klipsch line and while I'm not generally a fan they did are definitely in a different class compared to the cheaper Klipsch speakers you see everywhere. They only became available locally in the past 6 or 12 or so months so they were totally new to me. I didn't even know Klipsch got that expensive

I do think Klipsch could make for a reasonable home theater but I wouldn't chose them for music listening personally.

 

[WmAx]

However some of the old school speakers that were designed by ole PWK are excellent speakers and taken very seriously by experienced audiophiles. I'm talking KHorns and Cornwalls and such.

I would say said 'serious' audiophiles have turned their backs to the reality if they would maintain they are serious contenders for 'realistic sound reproduction' in today's market - because these old Klipsche designs have poor SQ compared to any number of modern designs that have superseded. These classic Klipsche designs offer mediocre at best measured behavior as correlated with the known critical parameters that relate to human hearing preference(s). But if loud/clear are the primary 'qualities' that some one cares about, then they are fine performers....

I am not familiar with the measured behavior of the new very high end high dollar Klipsche line that goes by that fancy name that I can't recollect at the moment. As far as I know, no sufficient credible 3rd party measurement data is available.

-Chris

 

[irishtom]

I would say said 'serious' audiophiles have turned their backs to the reality if they would maintain they are serious contenders for 'realistic sound reproduction' in today's market

Well Bubba there are serious audiophiles who prefer them whether you approve or not. Since speaker engineers can't even agree on what a perfect speaker should do, much less make one, one man's preference is as good as another's.

 

[WmAx]

Well Bubba there are serious audiophiles who prefer them whether you approve or not. Since speaker engineers can't even agree on what a perfect speaker should do, much less make one, one man's preference is as good as another's.

Irrelevant, is what a speaker engineer says in regards to human perception when they have no credible data to back themselves up. Most of them just make stuff up based on low value personal speculation(s) and/or bias, to be frank. Relevant, is what the credible perceptual research indicates; data that is gathered through thorough controlled/randomized/blinded experiments. And with that last bit, there is little question as to what properties are preferred by the overwhelming majority of trained/experienced listeners.

-Chris

 

[irishtom]

Irrelevant, is what a speaker engineer says in regards to human perception when they have no credible data to back themselves up. Most of them just make stuff up based on low value personal speculation(s) and/or bias, to be frank. Relevant, is what the credible perceptual research indicates; data that is gathered through thorough controlled/randomized/blinded experiments. And with that last bit, there is little question as to what properties are preferred by the overwhelming majority of trained/experienced listeners.

-Chris

Who cares what most people prefer? It's still a matter of taste. More people prefer frozen french fries from MacDonalds than fresh cut ones, I'll still take fresh cut, thank you.

Of course if I were out to SELL, rather than use, I'd be very interested in what most people prefer. But I'm using, not selling.

 

[markwriter]

Who cares what most people prefer? It's still a matter of taste.

That's exactly the opposite of what the NRC research has shown: when testing is done properly (double blind, level matched, positionally matched), people have remarkably consistent tastes in speakers.

 

[irishtom]

That's exactly the opposite of what the NRC research has shown: when testing is done properly (double blind, level matched, positionally matched), people have remarkably consistent tastes in speakers.

You used the same word I did---taste. That most people have a consistent taste in speakers means little to me, my taste or anyone's else's is as valid as that of the majority.

 

[jwenthold99]

I have a Klipsch system - RP-3 Right and Left, RC-3II center, and two RB-35's for surrounds. I think they sound great, the RP-3's have built in 10" subs with 400 watt amps, and for an apartment, they put out some impressive low end. They are also spectacular for home theater. I have heard better systems, but my grand total for all the speakers was under $1,000. I found some deals on some display models

I am sure that I will move on to something different at some point. I love classical music, and some recordings can sound harsh, but overall, I am happy with the system. Especially at the price that I paid for it.

 

[ppontiac]

emorpien,
Go to the Klipsch forums and read the history. The Klipschorn has been in production for 60 years. What else is there to say? The only bad Klipsch speakers I've heard are the ones that need a crossover rebuild, which is awesome considering if you need any speaker repaird that's 20 years old, you are out of luck. My KG 4.2's don't sound horny, shrill, or anything close to that. A PA megaphone sounds horny. No one has ever told me my Heresy II's sound like a PA horn. The snobs with the $5,000 pair of speakers with 6" woofers and cone, dome, or ribbon tweeters complain the loudest. If you can listen to a pair of Jubilees. Live music needs live speakers. Klipsch

60th Anniversary Klipschorn Floorstanding Speaker

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

emorpien,
Go to the Klipsch forums and read the history. The Klipschorn has been in production for 60 years. What else is there to say? The only bad Klipsch speakers I've heard are the ones that need a crossover rebuild, which is awesome considering if you need any speaker repaird that's 20 years old, you are out of luck. My KG 4.2's don't sound horny, shrill, or anything close to that. A PA megaphone sounds horny. No one has ever told me my Heresy II's sound like a PA horn. The snobs with the $5,000 pair of speakers with 6" woofers and cone, dome, or ribbon tweeters complain the loudest. If you can listen to a pair of Jubilees. Live music needs live speakers. Klipsch

60th Anniversary Klipschorn Floorstanding Speaker

Grave-digging much?