Are Klipsch speakers really that bright?

Having owned several Klipsch speakers including KG 4.2, Heresy, Cornwall, La Scala & Klipschorns for over 17 years I will offer the Klipsch are bright with the wrong gear feeding them. That being said, all of the Klipsch I owned had the horn coloration going on. The coloration adds an ambiance to the recording during playback. I really didn't understand the gripe people had with Klipsch until I started dabbling with other speakers such as Acoustic Research. It was a such a revelation to hear the AR (neutral) vs Klipsch (colored) sound side by side. I spent about 9 months switching from AR to Klipsch every other day. Over time I really started to loathe the coloration from the Klipsch and I didn't even want to listen to them or own them. I ended up selling all my Klipsch. Been Klipsch-Free for over a year now. There's a lot better speaker out there. Sure, if you're curious try them out. They might be nice in a 2nd system. They just shouldn't be considered for the daily listener.

 

I see. But, having a beefier amp with a high damping factor controls the woofer better.

 

Exactly.

 

The key with getting Klipsch to sound right is to take extra care with matching them to the right source and amp. Your personal taste will still dictate what this is but get this right and you'll have a mighty fine playback system. They are definately more sensitive to component matching than a lot of other speakers are which is why a lot of people dismiss them without ever hearing what they are capable of. There is a reason that Khorn's have been in continuous production since 1946 - because they are damm fine speakers!

 

I could never stand that "horn" type sound of the Klispsh speakers. They sound okay alone until you compare them to a neutral sounding speaker.

Its not nearly as bad as some are saying...but it doesnt sound "HI-FI" to me but more along the lines of a "Cerwin Vega" high output boom speaker.

 

Not trying to be rude, at all, but I think the high sensitivity is the main appeal, not the sound quality. Ive listened to most all of them over the years and output level is great, but most have some serious low bass lacking or that upper midrange horn sound, or a combo of both. I like them in a way, dont get me wrong, but just arent serious for detailed listening.

 

I love klipsch horns. They have a tendency to be bright. If you know about that tendency when you consider what equipment you drive them with you can get a sound that I prefer over most other speakers I have heard. They may not image or give a depth of sound stage like some speakers triple their price but the sound is more engaging and realistic. I can not find a better sound for the price. I would also recommend some relatively inexpensive modifications from Bob Crites (http://www.critesspeakers.com/) and ALK Engineering (http://www.alkeng.com/). These modifications raise the playing field significantly. I can listen all day long without fatigue and feel like I am in the room with the musicians. The efficiency of the speaker really reveals all the music. The efficiency can also reveal the limitations of other components in the system. In my limited experience the horns seem to deal with difficult room acoustics better than other most other speakers I have tried. My opinions only.

 

Yes, but this is the appeal...

 

Klipsch

I have had a pair of Cornwalls for 30 years - had some upgrading done to the crossovers about 2 years ago - now I have added a pair of Heresys as rear channels - wouldn't have it any other way - use Denon 3806 with Audyssey microphone set-up. Also a Klipsch center channel - sound good enough to listen to all day - no listener fatique to me ! YMMV

 

The Cornwall II is my favorite Klipsch speaker. It's a K-horn in a reasonable sized box and that gets decent bass output in relation to the highs. It is only slightly less efficient than the K-horn. The last generation of the Cornwall II was their high point IMO. The crossovers in those were good enough to leave alone. They were still too big for my room. Our Brio amp would have been right at home with them though. Overall, I am a Tannoy fan though, when it comes to large, dynamic speakers.
-Bill

 

Have you heard the Cornwall III?

 

Yes. The construction is not nearly as good as the Cornwall II. The actual compression drivers are slightly improved for more extended highs. The horns themselves and the cabinets are not as heavy or stout though. The crossover is cheaper too.

The C2 really had sonic upgrades over the C1 with both driver improvements and later in the production cycle, crossover improvements. I had a set of them here not too long ago (about a year) andwas able to do some research on the history and evolution of the model. I have had many Klipsch speakers traded-in here including those from the Heritage series.
-Bill

 

i own a pair of rf7's for rock or pop these speakers shine nothing plays louder or cleaner ...also part of my home theatre setup....these speakers shake the foundation...no distortion

 

I've got the same-- very, very happy with them. The RF5's... which I had before these... did get shrill at times. The 7s don't have issues with strident sound and I love the detail I hear. But that's me!

 

and they look good too!!!!!....grills on or off!

 

That's Me, Too. Love my RF-7s and the RC-7.

Miss my Chorus IIs, though.

 

theres a lot of good speakers out there...but a lot of them have severe issues playing rock or pop at loud volumes....my RF7's handle everything i feed them with ease....

 

replacing the capacitors and adding a sub to my Heresys made quite a ++ difference sound wise. I'm currently using an old Yamaha integrated amp in class A as the power source. I've been thinking about moving to tubes...any thoughts from those who use this configuration?

 

My favoriate models are the Cornwall II and III, the Forte I and II, the KLF-20 which I own two pairs of and the Chorus II. The La Scalas IIs are really nice too but they're bass shy, the midrange though is classic Klipsch. I think I'll always own a pair of Klipsch. Certain music just sounds so good on these speakers.

 

I like the cornwall too.

 

That looks almost like a shops listening room.





-Bill

 

Back when I was in my 20's I head some Klipsch bookshelf speakers at Alma's Hi Fi and they were real ear bleeders. Now that I'm pushing 50 my Khorns don't sound bright at all.

 

cool...thats where i bought my RF7's...

 

I've heard the RF7s sound good but I've never heard them. I have some RF 25s and the high frequency unit sounds really nice but the mid bass hump sounded boxy as heck. I stuffed some towels in the ports and that did the trick.

I was in Almas a year ago or so and the place was gutted. They were playing some music on an MF7 with a tube amp and some panel speakers and it sounded like audiophile heaven.

 

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