Speakers recommendations compared to Klipsch Ref. series?

[CoOlSlY]

I am in the market for a "new" home theather... I currently own Electro Voice Cinema series speaker wich are way too powerful for what i'm doing and I think I could find better sounding speakers for more than half the price.

To give a idea of the budget, I am currently looking for Klipsch reference series.

Front RF-7 (~1750$)
Center RC-7 (~600$)
Surrounds RF-7 (~1750$)
Surrounds back RS-7 (~700$)
http://www.klipsch.com/product/product_list.aspx?line=reference

I will be using a Denon 3800 for this setup compared to all separate amps and processor for my actual setup.

I'm wondering what exact alternative there is to Klipsch? (Don't say "Give a look to Paradigm" for example... Tell me "Take a close look to the Paradigm Monitor 100" or whatever)... Not that I want something else but if there's something that I could listen to both and make my decision, that would be way better than saying "OK, i'm going with the Klipsch").

I have owned some Klipsch in the past but I am not attached to them so if you have any suggestions, go ahead, anything is appreciated as long as it's similar cost and similar power. I do about 90% HT, 10% music and usually listen to a movie quite loud.

Thank you,

Sylvain

[SteveH]

Speakers are purely a personal preference. Klipsch is an excellent speaker to use for H/T in my opinion. Some do not like the Klipsch sound for music because of the horn loaded tweeters. I like them for music also. Since your settup is used for mostly H/T, I see Klipsch as a good choice.

Speakers are the most important part of your sound system. You can get some ideas here on where to start looking, but in the end, it is going to require work on your part. You are going to have to go and listen and make a judgement. Since accoustics and the room your system is in is also a very vital part of the end result, try to find a dealer that will let you take demos home and audition them.This is better than buying speakers, then finding they are different in your home surroundings than what you heard in the soundroom at the dealer. Returning them and paying restocking fees is never a good thing.

[Geoffcin]

I am in the market for a "new" home theather... I currently own Electro Voice Cinema series speaker wich are way too powerful for what i'm doing and I think I could find better sounding speakers for more than half the price.

To give a idea of the budget, I am currently looking for Klipsch reference series.

Front RF-7 (~1750$)
Center RC-7 (~600$)
Surrounds RF-7 (~1750$)
Surrounds back RS-7 (~700$)
http://www.klipsch.com/product/product_list.aspx?line=reference

I will be using a Denon 3800 for this setup compared to all separate amps and processor for my actual setup.

I'm wondering what exact alternative there is to Klipsch? (Don't say "Give a look to Paradigm" for example... Tell me "Take a close look to the Paradigm Monitor 100" or whatever)... Not that I want something else but if there's something that I could listen to both and make my decision, that would be way better than saying "OK, i'm going with the Klipsch").

I have owned some Klipsch in the past but I am not attached to them so if you have any suggestions, go ahead, anything is appreciated as long as it's similar cost and similar power. I do about 90% HT, 10% music and usually listen to a movie quite loud.

Thank you,

Sylvain

Hi,

I think you would not go wrong with that system but;

There's a problem with HT and many manufacturers don't recognize it. With HT your often subjected to a lot of high frequency over a long time (2-3hrs or more) If the speakers are "hot" like I've found Klipsh to be, then after an HR or so you'll find that your not enjoying the movie as much, or even turning down the volume!

Here's how I know;

I've been into HT for a few years now. Back in the 80's My first big HT setup consisted of EPI A2400's (with dual driven 12" woofers), and a pair of EPI Monitor 1's for the rears. These speakers had excellent horn loaded tweeters, and an extended high frequency response. (I still have the monitor 1's) They were pretty efficient too. I was able to get SPL's of alarming levels with that system. The problem was that after an HR or so you would get listening fatigue. I've since come to the realization that for HT you DO NOT want "audiophile" grade speakers that give you extreme extended highs. I don't think this is so much a problem with the speakers, as it with the mixing of the soundtracks. I think that the problem lies more in that the engineers are giving you the same soundtrack that they would feed into a movie theater that has a very damped sonic signature, as opposed to most of us with more "live" rooms. Yes, of course you can turn the treble down, but it's not the same as having a speaker that not as "hot" as a horn loaded tweeter.

Another thing that I've found is that while highly efficient speakers are very good for producing SPL, they have a tendency to be under-damped for my tastes. I like a clean controlled and damped bass, and while I think that these Klipsh are good, I think that they would be more "loose" that I would like. Just my taste of course.

Again I want to say that I am NOT knocking Klipsh! They have, in my view, the BEST consumer grade speakers that I've heard at Best Buy, and of course one of the longest, and most storied histories in all of modern audio. La Scala anyone?

OK, for my tastes, I happen to like both the responce, and dispertion of a soft dome, perferably silk, tweeter for HT. The lack of sibilance, and smooth dispertion of a silk dome is, in my view, perferable for HT.

Oh, my friend uses horn loaded Electro Voice pro speakers in his band's setup. Those speakers can play all night long @ concert levels without even breathing hard. Sound great too!

[CoOlSlY]

I will audition them for sure before buying but I wanted to know what are the other direct competitor models to the Klipsch reference series. If anybody have direct competitors, I would appreciate it!

Thank's again,

Sylvain

[hotroady]

Try KEF. I still think bi-wired Reference series Klipsch the better deal.

[nightflier]

I've been auditioning a pair of Triangle Altea speakers and comparing them to everything I have, including a pair of Klipsch RB5-IIs. The Klipsch are my "garage speakers" but they are also revealing and can play very loud, so it's fun to compare them. What is unique with Klipsch's Reference series is that although they can be driven by just about the lowest power amps, they can also handle loads of watts.

The Triangles can't really handle that kind of power, although they do seem to be able to still play quite loud. Since they also have horn loaded tweeters, they are also very sensitive and while I don't have anything less than 20 watts, I'm sure even 5 watts would be enough. But what I like most about them is that they don't get irritating (like the Klipsch) after a couple of hours of listening (the Klipsch have to compete with my power tools, so they are right at home in the garage). The Triangles have many of the same characteristics but w/o the edge. To me they also sound like they are a few grades up from the Klipsch, perhaps not in heft, but certainly in refinement.

Long story short, I really love these speakers and if I didn't have to return them (I don't have the room), I'd probably keep them. Think of Klipsch as the Ford Mustang Cobra of speakers and Triangle as the Jaguar (still Ford, but a whole lot more classy). Actually I've contemplated replacing my Quad 22Ls to keep the Triangles.

Anyhow, if you like Klipsch, but you want something a little more classy, the Triangles are a good place to start.