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B&W vs Klipsch for rock music and movies (1 Viewer)

Mark Russ

Second Unit
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Jun 23, 2002
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341
Opinions for the subject title? Again, for rock music and movies, not symphony orchestra classical music.
 

Mark Russ

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 23, 2002
Messages
341
P.S.- Almost forgot, speakers in comparable price ranges of say $2000 to $3500 for a complete home theater set, including subwoofer(s), not the top of the line Nautilus.
 

John Royster

Screenwriter
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Oct 14, 2001
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1,088
You wanna jam? AC/DC and metallica and movies at incredible volumes so loud you wanna wear earplugs?

Klipsch. hands down. not even a contest.
 

TravisMc

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 23, 2002
Messages
51
From what little I have heard of B&W

And, from owning klipsch products

All I can say is, Klipsch simply makes the BEST rock and roll speakers, Period.

KLF-30 Amazing for rock/loud volume movies - Im not sure if they still make it (anyone know if they do?)

Other than that, the entire RF-7 Setup, minus the RSW Subs, Decent, but, go SVS : )(too bad I couldent, hehe, SVS = expensive in my book)
 

David Judah

Screenwriter
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Feb 11, 1999
Messages
1,479
They have two completely different sonic signatures. One size will not fit all, so do some comparisons as best you can with material you are familiar with.
I would pick B&W, since that is what I have chosen for my system(Fronts-CDM 9 NTs, Rears-602s, Center-CDMC SE), but I don't expect everyone to share my particular tastes.
One thing for sure is the Klipsch's sensitivity is much higher, so you won't need as much amp to drive them.
DJ
 

rodneyH

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 22, 2001
Messages
844
B&W all the way. Listening to my Metallica S&M DVD with B&W is great. No Comparison.

Klipsch give you the same feeling you get when you put your ear right next to the horn tweeter at a concert. Personally I want to keep my hearing, so I stay away. Every year or so, I listen to them (when people talk about how they are changed from the past), and I always have to turn it way down to bear it. I think it all comes down to personal preference, but IMO, B&W and Klipsch are in totally different leagues. If you want go to Audio Asylum and see how many members own Klipsch, that should be a bit of an answer for you.
 

Henry_W

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May 7, 2002
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137
A couple of things -

1. Symphony, rock and good mixed DVD all share the same wide range of rapidly changing frequencies. Therefore, good for one should be good for all.

2. I suggest any strongly worded recommendation against the two speaker lines mentioned be taken with a grain of salt. They are both obviously admired by many.

3. From a simple standpoint you have already seen here what you need to know before you let your ears do the shopping - The high efficiency in the Klipsch is (mostly)due to the horn design and you will get a strong performance from the tweeter and mid. This translates, to some, as harshness - to others, as distinct frequency segregation. On the B&W you may find a smoother sound that B&W folks likely refer to as seamless and Klipsch folks refer to as muddled.

4. Lastly, The Klipsch heritage stuff makes you spend more time matching equipment to the speakers - this is a hassle for some folks (understandable), but has good results in the end.

I have listened to both and came away smiling. I am a Klipsch owner out of preference of my ear. Suggest you make the same evaluation - you will most likely become enamored with any choice that matches you preference. Happy shopping...
 

Dennis Reno

Supporting Actor
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Jun 30, 1997
Messages
862
As you have probably read a million times, let your ears be the judge! Go to your local hifi shops with some of your favorite music CDs and movies (DVDs of course!) in hand. Take stuff you are familiar with, not the new release you bought yesterday. Also, you need to consider what your ratio of movies to music will be.
I had a similar decision to make last summer. My two final choices were the Klipsch RF-3 and B&W 603 S2. I went into the store fully expecting to purchase B&W speakers (based on friends recommendations.) I spent a couple hours listening to both speakers in stereo and surround setups. BTW, my personal movie/music ratio is approx. 80/20.
The B&Ws were great. Sitting in the "sweet spot" during two-channel playback was amazing. Classical music sounded wonderful, rock and blues were good. However, the sweet spot was rather small IMO. Move a foot or two to the left or right and most of the imaging was lost. Surround sound was good, but did not blow me away. The speakers were aesthetically pleasing with nice fit and finish.
The Klipsch, while not as nice looking as the B&W, were a real surprise. As I said earlier, I went in expecting to purchase B&W. I left with the Klipsch. Why? While I slightly preferred the B&W in stereo, my main use for speakers is with movies. The Klipsch are amazing with movies! From the softest sounds in a wooded setting to the bangs and booms of an action scene the Klipsch do it all, and they do it very well!
The sensitivity of the Klipsch allow you to push it to reference levels and beyond if your ears allow. Coupled with dual SVS 20-39CS (soon to be CS+) is complete movie watching bliss :)
As Henry said in his post above, "...you will most likely become enamored with any choice that matches your preference." Your preference matters the most, not ours, not your friends, not the salesman at the store!
Have fun!
 

Nick L

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 14, 2001
Messages
283
In your search for the right speakers you may want to check out Jamo speakers. They have a sound guide that helps you choose which set of speakers they think is right for you. May be sort of an in betweener.
Nick L
 

JohnThompson

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Oct 30, 2001
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Location
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John Thompson
I had the same dilemma about a month ago and wound up going with B&W CDM 1NT's (I have an SVS sub). The Klipsh's horns were a little harsh for my taste, even with heavy metal. (Not that the B&W's aren't harsh until they have been played for about 120 hours). The mid-range is no contest.

Depending on your budget, you may care to go with the 602 s3's, but the soundstage can't compare with the CDM's.

This is just my 2 cents.

JT
 

Michael Lomker

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 17, 2002
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164
As the others say, you really need to listen to speakers and decide for yourself. I don't like the less expensive B&W speakers at all.

You should take a listen to the PSB Stratus series, if you have a local dealer. I went with the PSB Silveri's and an SVS sub (Internet pricing will get down into your range on a 5 channel setup).
 

Matt Jesty

Second Unit
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
390
I ACTUALLY FIND THE "CHEAPER" b&W'S to be fatiguing more than the Klipsch...and ,while some buy KLIPSCH so that they can get volume from cheap amps, many find that it is the revealing nature of Klipsch that exposes "bright" amps and creates the "edginess" that many like to moan-on about...
HARD ROCK CAFES use Klipsch, so do the new Regal cinemas..
you get the B&w fans to get their friends together for a double-blind side-by-side and I think they'd be suprised at the results
 

Phil Mays

Second Unit
Joined
May 20, 2002
Messages
361
Mark,

I too had this problem. I love the Nautilus series of B & W. To get their full potential you would need to go seperates. I would do it in a minute if I could afford such an expense.

My wife & I listen to lots of hard rock at loud volumes and for us Klipsch won out. while they are sensitive and revealing I find them to be very articulate as well. We also listen to Yanni (don't kill me) & James Taylor.

I found the B & W CDM series to be lacking in bass but very responsive in their highs.

I cannot speak to the "cheap receiver" being to revealing and bright as I do not know what these people consider to be cheap. However we push our Klipsch's with an Onkyo TX DS 797 at 100WPC and have not noticed any faults. I am turning the 797 into a pre/pro and adding an amp for more/better juice.

Again get what you like!

Phil
 

rodneyH

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 22, 2001
Messages
844
don't use Hard Rock cafe and Regal theaters as a reference, I would think that 99% of the members on this board have far surpassed those examples. I would bet that every Klipsch owner on this site has a better system than those 2 (maybe not as loud, but better sound).
 

Joseph_W

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 23, 2001
Messages
111
Mark,
You have picked two ends of the spectrum. It should be easy for you to pick. Listen to both in the same price range side by side, then pick for yourself. Ignore your friend's, your neighbor's, and everyone here's opinion. Decide for yourself. It will be easy.

I narrowed down to between the two in the beginning of my search for speakers. I evaluated others later on, but no decision was easier for me than B&W and Klipsh.

BTW, I think both speakers are excellent, just different.

Joe
 

Mike Strassburg

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 4, 2001
Messages
421
Mark,

I love to crank movies, metal, and even some dance stuff. I couldn't be happier with the Klipsch Legends. I LOVE having friends come over and cranking up my AC/DC "Stiff Upper Lip" DVD at near full volume...easily 125-130dB. Reminds me of the front row seats I had several years back.

You can get the Legends on ebay & ubid, but obviously you need to audition them first to make sure YOUR ears like the loud/clean sound of the horns. Good luck...Mike

P.S. If you're anywhere near Chicago I'd be glad to demo mine for you.
 

Justin Doring

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 9, 1999
Messages
1,467
"You wanna jam? AC/DC and metallica and movies at incredible volumes so loud you wanna wear earplugs?
Klipsch. hands down. not even a contest."
Yes, I always wear earplugs when listening to Klipsch speakers! :D
 

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