Got new speakers and I'm.....underwhelmed...

If your amplifier is overspecced, too high power, and sounds nasty, Klipsch will reveal it for what it is. If your room acoustics are not up to par, Klipsch reveals that, if your recordings are not up to par, Klipsch also reveals that, and if your Klipsch speakers are placed poorly and any source is not up to the task, then consider other speakers. Klipsch tell the truth about what they're fed, the sources, and how they're placed. Get a quality, clean, 50 watt or under amplifier and place them in corners. Klipsch Chorus and Cornwall sound just fine for me in a good room, and placed in corners.

 

As to the volume comparison, specs mean nothing unless the driving voltage is equal. And then only as a rough comparison. What does stand out in this thread is that the OP tried to upgrade, bought a new pair of speakers and found no improvement from his purchase. As mentioned by others the solution to this is to return the purchase and perhaps start saving for a pair of truly better speakers. A pair of previously owned may be the way to go on a limited budget. Speakers 1-5 years old rarely have lost anything in their performance unless abused. If there are size and location restraints perhaps the OP can tell us what they are and the community can toss out recommendations that fit his situation. Any chance a floor standing pair can be used? What is the budget? Last it might make sense to used the favored Polks and increase the funds saved for a bit to get a real world upgrade.

 

I would send them back and upgrade to a higher level of Polk ... since you're used to them. I hope you sort this out.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment! Some of the crappiest and most overrated loudspeakers I've ever heard joining the ranks of affordable JBLs. Pure mass market.

 

Return them, save the money and enjoy what you already enjoyed! Or adjust your subwoofer......

 

Don't sugar coat it - tell us how you really feel.

Note to self - discredit all future posts from this person - paints too broad/general a stoke.

 

There is an unresolved issue: namely the apparent insensitivity of the Klipsch vs the Polk in contrast to the specs. It is certainly possible that the speakers are defective. I assume the OP has verified that both speakers have been correctly wired and aren't out of phase. Also if you are using the subwoofer check the phase setting if any on it. If correct then I would suggest listening very closely to some treble heavy albums to check whether you can hear distortion.

 

Without running the program you cannot judge the sound of the speakers, period.

 

The sensitivity issue may be no issue at all. [email protected] compared to the Polk 89Db at some unknown input voltage. There is no way to compare any gear on the basis of specs unless the specs are the same measure. Who knows maybe the Polk are [email protected] or whatever? The point is the spec parameters are not positively equal, so any comparison is likely to be inaccurate. Many manufacturers have adopted sensitivity measured at the 2.83v and 1m on axis. Polk does in their better performing lines. The OP's speakers seem to be part of a 7.1 package and when I looked they did not have complete specs listed.

 

This would be my advice too.

I have a pair of Polk RTIA1s hooked up to a 3.5 watt APPJ tube amp now and am shocked at how loud, detailed and sweet they are. I never got the Polk hate, especially in their RTI and LSM lines. Great values and I wouldn't ever assume a similarly priced speaker beats them easily.

 

As someone who has been more speakers and equipment than most, I'm now of the considered opinion that everything is beautiful (in its own way) and that comparing speakers one after another is folly. Every speaker has its own sound and one needs to give them time to show their strengths by an extended listening period and dozens of your favorite recordings. If you love your Polks, making an instant judgement against the Klipsch may be a mistake because your reacting to something MISSING from your comfort zone with the Polks. If you play those Klipsch for a week and you start noticing new details or the way they handle certain songs and, well, start singing to you, THEN try going back to the Polks -- I bet the Polks will suddenly be the ones sounding bad. I only discovered this because I've gone into these "side-by-side" evaluations and quickly labeled the competing speakers as "good" "better" "best." But later I realizedL "Wait a minute, didn't that "good" pair sound absolutely spectacular to me last month? Why am I now dissing it?"

To quote the good doctor (Lecter) "Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature?" This is what you have to consider. Do you love the Polk's warm bass? Can you fault the Klipsch for not having the same, when as a result the midrange might be cleaner? If you like the fuller, warmer midrange of the Polks, does that make the more clinical, detailed, and revealing midrange of the Klipsch a bad thing? I think we form prejudices based on what we are comfortable and used to, and that something alien to that aesthetic at first seems wrong.

That old Marcus goes on:

What is it in itself, and by itself, according to its proper constitution? What is the substance of it? What is the matter, or proper use? What is the form, or efficient cause? What is it for in this world, and how long will it abide? Thus must thou examine all things that present themselves unto thee. .... As every fancy and imagination presents itself to unto thee, consider (if it be possible) the true nature, and the proper qualities of it, and reason with thyself about it.

It so apropo to this situation. One is meant to be warm and enveloping; one is meant to be razor clear and revealing. Don't let your "fancy and imagination" or pre-conceived notions of "what you like" in a speaker make you turn a blind eye to another iteration of what a speaker can do.

I'll never snap judge speakers again in a "battle of the bands" elimination fashion. I think now it's wrong to try and do that. Better to spend time with each one and weigh its strengths and then make the VERY HARD decision.

 

speakers do take time to break in- especially in the bass department- i have had speakers where the bass response kept increasing up to 18 months of using them.
you also need to optimize the room correction settings on your AVR or turn it off and run them in pure direct.
last but not least put them in the best position to succeed- the klipsch are very directional so you need to listen on axis and on good stands at least 2-feet from the wall. it takes effort to maximize the sound quality of your system and speakers.
however i did audition these speakers and while they sounded loud and clear in the vocals they ultimately reminded me of a PA speaker and not a musical speaker. the polks are more musical.

 

I think a handy lesson to learn here is........

Don't buy ANY set of speakers on the assumption that they will be better without properly listening to them first!!!!
Regardless of any "rave" reviews.......

Even if that means bringing YOUR amp to the Store............so be it.

Hope things work out for the OP.
Filling in your equipment profile could also help expedite a solution.

 

Isn't that what this forum is all about-so I've been told??

 

I would tend to think the same. I went from 92 to 95.5 db speakers and they were WAY louder.

I recall the OP wasn't happy with the way his Polk sounded and wanted louder and more revealing. Any Klipsch speaker should provide both things, in spades. Something is wrong.

 

Good to hear. I am running a pair of RTi a3s as my mains and supplement them with subs. They are sounding very good to me. I think I hear their limitations, but thankfully they are scratching the itch until I can afford to upgrade much further down the road.

 

I tend to agree too. I just exchange out 86 to 92 db speakers (well broken in) and it is certainly much louder. My Pioneer Receiver auto calibration tool is matching it's volume to the volume of my surround by lowering the db of the 92 db speakers by 7 db.

However, when I still had my McIntosh, using the meters of McIntosh, I noticed that even the db rating of my LS50 and my Paradigm Studio is about the same, the McIntosh was sending different watts to each of them. When it was sending 30 watts max to LS50, it only sent 10 watts max to Paradigm Studio to get to the same volume. So, it is hard to know for sure how much power is required based of db rating alone.

 

The OP's A/V receiver is prolly doing the same thing ?

 

You went from budget speakers to budget speakers. IME, the budget models from almost any manufacturer, especially the big brands, do not sound very balanced. They often give the illusion of increased detail due to their tipped up treble. Once you've heard some truly detailed speakers, you'll understand why the budget Klipsch models are nothing special. If $350 is your budget, you should audition some less popular brands like Wharfedale, Epos, PSB, and Dali.

 

I would also add ELAC (Andrew Jones models, Debut and Uni-fi series).

 

I've done some comparisons-- I personally don't think a similarly priced Wharfedale, PSB, etc. is an upgrade over Polk's speakers, nor the Klipsch's at the same price, but I was pretty blown away by the ELACs when I heard them, They really are a step up, though I think they need a fair amount of power to drive?

 

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has given their time to help someone in need of assistance (and little knowledge). This is what I love about this site - I'm asking questions about low level audio equipment and people here are so generous with their time...I sincerely appreciate your advice/input.
Here's where I'm at - the Klipsch speakers are growing on me but I still want to compare them to something else. I want to try the Wharfedale 10.2s. My concern is that they are 6 ohm speakers and my modest Yamaha is an 8 ohm receiver (70 watts over 2 chanels) - will I have a hard time generating decent volume with this combination?
With all the searching I've done I found the Klipsch speakers on a list of best bookshelf speakers (Wharfedale 220s were on there as well but I've read spotty reviews on those). Anyway, each recommended speaker had a suggested receiver spec and the Klipsch said 150+ watts per channel - can that be true (none of the other speakers on the list were close to this)? I've read the Wharfedale's work best with 30w-100w which is right where my Yamaha is.
I'm just worried about the 6 ohm/8 ohm question and whether or not I'll be able to get enough volume (the Wharfedale's are rated at an 86 sensitivity).

Would certainly appreciate further opinions......I think I'm going to like these Wharfedales if I can get them loud enough to fill my great room!

Thanks, sincerely, again,
Drew

 

No you won't. Are the Klipschs still quieter than the Polks ? Are you sure your receiver is set to 2.0 ?

 

Yes, somewhat. What I was puzzled by was their need for power initially, however, after a fair amount of break-in (approx 200hrs) they seem to require a lot less and play louder and without strain on the amplifier.
I currently have a Rega Brio (2017) @ 50 wpc powering B6s to great effect.
The Wharfdale Diamonds (10.2) are great I thought upon a short audition.

 

No, you don't.

How it works is speaker specifications (sensitivity, frequency response, distortion, power handling) are 99% useless cow poop.
I say that not in cynicism, but as a professional loudspeaker design engineer. In particular, unless you measure the sensitivity ("95 dB" or whatever) in the same setup by the same system, you just can't compare numbers. Every manufacturer uses different physical spaces, different equipment, sometimes they "smooth" the results &/or take different reference points, sometimes they add "room gain" or some kind of assumed effect of the loudness of a stereo pair. Klipsch I love, but simply DO NOT believe their sensitivity specs for ANY of their models, based on physics.

It would be interesting to set the highpass crossover inside the Yamaha as high as possible, disconnect the sub entirely, and A/B between the Polk and the Klipsch with like pink noise or something, and an SPL meter or app.

By the way, your comparison is also unfair as others noted because you cut a lot of bass out of the sub by lowering the crossover. Even if you "heard" the Klipsch were better for bass...well, irrelevant. Their cones are not huge, so there is just a limit how much low bass they can put out.