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

Will Pomeroy

Stunt Coordinator
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Feb 9, 2002
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144
I have the B&W 603s2 and i'm very happy with them... i've only had them for about 3 days, so i'm still breaking them in...
I listen to mostly accustic music, so they suit me perfectly.

Happy hunting!
 

DanaA

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
Messages
1,843
It's all in the ears. Different people like different speakers. I love my Klipsch Reference speakers and did listen to the B&W's, as well as a lot of other brands. I found Klipsch to be the best sound for the money and felt they bested many speakers costing much more - again for my ears. I do really appreciate their sensitivity, but have plenty of power in my system. I like their sound on music as well as home theater.
 

Dave Herkert

Agent
Joined
Mar 4, 2002
Messages
25
It's all preference. Listen to both, and let your ears decide.

As a Klipsch owner (2 Cornwall II's, 2 Chorus, and Academy center in my HT) I'll tell you the electronics hooked up to them are critical to getting the most out of them. The bad points of gear will show, and so will the bad recordings! Some are turned off by Klipsch - but I'll bet that many got turned off because the wrong electronics were hooked up to them. In the "warm" vs. "bright" discussion, you'll want the "warm" side of things - Denon receivers seem to match the Klipsch pretty well, in my experience. If you select the Klipsch, spend time finding amplification and electronics that make them work best.
 

rodneyH

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 22, 2001
Messages
844
Justin,

Dude that was harsh, but the way that some do feel, at least you used a direct quote to prove your point, well done.

I agree with the theory that you should listen for yourself and decide, I just wonder what has happened to some peoples ears to NOT hear the harshness that I do??? (this is a serious question, not a rip on the speakers (btw, some, and I think Justin is one of them, feel that B&Ws sound "bright", but they arent close to Klipsch).

btw, why in the hell would someone want to listen to 125-130 dbs??? other that the blow your ears. I am finding that the better the system and clearity the lower I like to listen to music, because you get all the detail without having to turn it up.
 

Mark Russ

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 23, 2002
Messages
341
Thanks for the opinions everybody. After 2 months of auditioning several brands including Boston, M&K, B&W, Klipsch, Polk, Infinity, Def. Tech, Atlantic Tech, JBL, Energy, Monitor, NHT, PSB, etc. (more than I can even remember), I thought that just about all of them sounded pretty good. You really just about can't possibly go wrong in today's market no matter what you get.
The 2 that stood out most in my mind a little more so than the others were B&W and Klipsch however. Since no local dealer of mine carries both brands, I can't do direct a/b comparisions. The one a/b test that stood out in my mind though was Klipsch vs. Def. Tech. Def Tech had better bass (as it should have had since it has built in self powered subs), but the highs on the Klipschs I felt were better. Electric guitars absolutely sizzled on Klipsch.
I listen about 50/50 to movies and music. I like AC/DC, KISS, Ted Nugent, Ozzy/Black Sabbath, etc.
My old/present system is a Yamaha 2092 receiver with 5 M&K s85 speakers which are about 5 years old now (I was surprised to find out they still make them unchanged since then, that's the sign of a good product) and a M&K sub for movies and a 10 or 12 year old pair of Boston Acoustics t930 3 way towers hooked up to the receivers B main speaker terminals that I use for music. This system will now be sent to the bedroom, except for the Boston's which will be retired after many years of faithful service.
I plan on getting a Denon 3802 receiver as it has 7 channels of amplification and you can hook up 2 seperate pairs of back surround speakers and switch between them for movies and music, which really appeals to me. I plan on getting a pair of bipole/dipoles for the side walls, another pair of bipole/dopoles for the rear, PLUS a pair of direct radiators to put in the rear corners at ear level for 5.1 music sources. I still like basic 2 channel stereo for music, but SACD and or DVD audio loom on the horizon.
Thanks again everybody.
 

Manuel Delaflor

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 25, 2001
Messages
657
Sorry to be late :D
Klipsch All the Way!!!
There is not other speaker in its price range that will offer you the kind of dynamics needed to feel the instruments as if they were right next to you, playing live!
 

matthew_rm

Second Unit
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Dec 24, 2001
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379
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Yes, Manuel it right. Klipsch I feel is the way to go unless you have a lot of money. I do not understand why anyone would say klipsch makes bad speakers.
*They do sound better then the rest. That does not mean you will like them more. You can say, "Klipsch are very good, but I don't like them." Not, "There crap, and you will need ear plugs."
It's personal tast. Hey, mabey he will like the bose 901's more
:D
 

Joseph_W

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 23, 2001
Messages
111
Mark,
Sorry for the arrogant statement "easy to tell the difference between these two speakers". I wrongly assumed you could listen to them at the same time. I agree, it's difficult to distinguish between good speakers that are across town from each other.

My son, 17, and I listened to the ref 30 vs. the 602. I had a Sheffield Lab CD and he had Moby and Dave Mathews band. The A/B was tough since we had to turn the ref 30 volume down each time (they are really efficient!). He liked the ref 30 better, it was more forgiving to his music (Moby sounded pretty noisy on the 602). There were some pretty intricate sounds (a small bell, particularly) on the Sheffield CD that the ref 30 just didn't duplicate well, to my ears. However, I think the bell on "Hells Bells" will rock on the Klipsch.

I ended up with B&W (CDM 7NT, I was spending my money, not my son's) but I think Klipsch may be better for you. Spend a little time listening to the middle speakers of both, specifically dialog.

Joe
 

Jeff Leeds

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 10, 1999
Messages
131
So Mark what did you buy??? One thing I can say for the Klipsch is they last, I have a pair of KG-3's from 1989 that still sound and look fantastic. They are now part of my bedroom system, but my friend that sold them to me in 1994 still insists on going up to my bedroom and cranking them to see that they can still cut it, and they can.

Certainly people will say one is better than another, but one thing you can count on is if you buy the Klipsch speakers you'll have them for a long time.
 

Chu Gai

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2001
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7,270
There've been many excellent choices given above, no doubt there are others at your price point. The only person you need to please is yourself and there's no better way than to listen, say thank you very much, may I have your card, and repeat the process. As your listening remember, that if you think you're going to plop them down in your room and its gonna sound just like they did in the store, you'll be mistaken. But nonetheless, I'd narrow it down to 2 or 3 and see about arranging for an in-house listening session.
 

Matt_Briol

Agent
Joined
Jun 27, 2002
Messages
41
People that said stuff about the earplugs are crazy. I bet they havent even heard a klipsch speaker before! Klipsch are by far the best sounding speakers for their price. For rock and roll the KLF-30 is the best and the heritage line sounds great (the klipschorn will beat the crap out of any B&W)
 

Jeremy Hegna

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 28, 2000
Messages
812
"(the klipschorn will beat the crap out of any B&W)"

That's a pretty brave statement, peppered with ignorance I might add.

There are VERY good sounding horns on the market today, and Klipsch isn't bad...but to make the statement that the Klipsch horn is going to beat the crap out of the Nautilus tweeter is a bit over the top, IMO.

I am very fond of rock...classic to heavy metal. I have B&W speakers in one room and Klipsch in the other. B&W would be my vote if it was for my main system.


Jeremy
 

Saurav

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Feb 15, 2001
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I have B&W speakers in one room and Klipsch in the other.
What amps are you driving the two with? And which Klipsch horns do you have? I think when Matt used the term 'Klipschorn', he meant the actual speaker with that name, not any and every Klipsch horn speaker. Here's what the K-horn looks like:

As you can see, it's pretty different from KLF-anything.
Also, to really compare apples to apples, you need to power the Klipsch with an amp that's designed to sound good when outputting low power. All amps have a 'sweet spot' in the operating region where they sound good, and a high powered SS amp's sweet spot is usually at a higher power output than a low powered tube amp's. When paired with a high efficiency horn speaker, the SS amp ends up operating in a more distorted region (generating a couple of watts or less), which affects the sound.
So, a high efficiency speaker should be judged when fed by an amp designed for a high efficiency speaker, whether tube or SS. An amp designed for delivering high power isn't usually the best performer at low power operating regions. It's somewhat like expecting a semi to be able to corner like a Porsche 911 - not gonna happen. There are things a semi can do that a 911 cannot, and vice versa.
 

rodneyH

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 22, 2001
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844
"the Klipschorn will beat the crap out of any B&W"

REALLY???

are you really serious????

I guess I am in the wrong place
 

Phil Mays

Second Unit
Joined
May 20, 2002
Messages
361
Ut Oh......hmmmmmmmmm.......Klipschorn beat the crap out of any B & W.................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Being a Klipsch fan I would really like to defend them at this time. However as previously stated, if I had the money I would go with the B & W Nautilus series ummmmmm 803's.
Funny, I was just at my hi-fi shop today and that topic came up. It was suggested that a blind test be performed between the RF-7 and the Nautilus 803. Properly amped I think the 803's would win...but what would you expect...retail $8,000 per pair verses $2,200 per pair. All-in-all and for the most part you get what you pay for.
Don't get me wrong....I love my Klipsch and they ROCK. Certainly a speaker I am not ashamed of and one that could take down many challangers.
Phil
:)
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
Like I said before, I don't think he was talking about the RF-7 or any current production Klipsch speaker, I think he was talking about the specific speaker called the Klipschorn. They are two very different animals.
How would you define "beat the crap out of"? Since we're talking specifically about a speaker's ability to rock, let's say we compare the two on maximum SPL ability. Sounds reasonable? I think so.
The Klipschorn has a stated maximum SPL output of 121dB:
http://www.klipsch.com/products/productspecs.asp?id=15
Let's compare this with the B&W Nautilus 803, since that speaker was mentioned. I couldn't find any direct statement of the speaker's maximum SPL capability on the B&W website:
http://www.bwspeakers.com/products/g...1E0000E20E7DA6
So, we need to calculate it. The speaker's sensitivity is 90dB/2.83V, and it can handle a maximum of 250W on unclipped material (from the website). Let's be generous and say the 803 can handle 256W - that's 2^8, or represents 8 "doublings" of power. Since the speaker can produce 90dB with one watt, and each doubling gives you 3dB increase, that means the maximum this speaker can do is 90 + 3*8 = 114dB.
That's 6dB less, which means it can play at 25% of the level the K-horn can play at. In other words, if you really crank it up in a large room, the 803 will start compressing dynamics well before the K-horn does.
Of course, that has nothing to do with whether you'll like the sound of the speaker or not. So, you could still prefer the 803. Maybe I would too. Like I said, it depends on what you mean when you say "beat the crap out of". If you're comparing them on the basis of some specs, especially specs related to their "ability to rock" or their ability to play at very loud volumes without compression and distortion, the K-horn does seem to be better than the B&W 803.
 

matthew_rm

Second Unit
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
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379
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If someone gave me RF7's, and a pair of higher end B&W's, and gave me a choice: I would probibly pick the B&W's. They cost more, that is the reason I would say they are better. Know what's funny? Never heard B&W before. This summer I will. Mabey Dynaudio to. ML? SF?
I still love my Klipsch;)
 

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