LSi Vs. Dalhquist Vs. Rockets Vs. Klipsch (1 Viewer)

[AhsanR]

Well, I know everyone wants to know how each compares to each other.

I have had officially had the chance to listen to the Klipsch and the Polks Lsi 15s, and am having to say I am VERY impressed with Polks LSi's. The Klipsch RF7's, however, are just TOO Fatiguing for me, they sound like someone cutting up my ear drum, but hey, some people love Speakers which are brutally honest and if you like it, then go get em!!
I am no way dissing Klipsch, but I just am not a "Bright" fan.

The LSi 15s however just weren't bassy enough for me, but I could have as well listened to the LSi25s, or listened with a subwoofer, but I wanted to hear what these babies offered with no assistance. And the end results left a good taste with me. All I have to do is add a subwoofer, and KABOOOOOOOOOM!

Now for the Topic, many people have been asking around, which is better, which sounds like what, and so on with Dahlquist vs. Rockets vs. Polk Lsi vs. Klipsch. I decided to make a big thread where people can put their input and duke it out, I'm sure theirs got to be some interesting ranting going on.

I am really really interested on this Dahlquist line. They sound alot like Polk LSi and Rockets, I wonder if anyone on here has done any A/B comparisons.

Well, I'm just gonna leave you guys up to some input.

 

[AhsanR]

COME ON NO ONE?!?!

 

[MatthewK]

I too am VERY, VERY eager to see what people have to say here. Hopefully some comparisions of the Rockets and Dahlquist. I have been looking all over, unsuccessfully, for them.

How bout it? Someone?

Matthew

 

[Bob Goodrich]

Bump, cause I'd like to know.

 

[AhsanR]

NO ONE ??? MAN..........

 

[Paul_Fisher]

Well, I will be of absolutely no help and say that I love my Dahlquist QX6's.

 

[Cam S]

In my mind the Klipsch RF-7's are WAY ahead of the other speakers you mentioned. I have Klipsch Reference speakers and I don't find them harsh or bright in any way. The reference speakers have been known to be overly harsh with certain recievers, ESPECIALLY Yamaha recievers. I have a Yamaha amp upstairs and can confirm these findings as they really do sound harsh and fatiguing, but my Klipsch's sound superb on my Technics DA-10 amp in the theater system.

 

[Paul Seyfarth]

I wish I could coment on all of them, but I have the Polk LSi, My brother has Def Tech BP10 and one of the Klipsch RF series. he really likes the bright sound of the Klipsch. I can't stand it, and can't listen to it for very long. I really love my LSi and don't think you could go wrong with it.

 

[AhsanR]

True, true.

Klipsch are probably the best speakers out there if you are looking for Brightness.

Cam S, lol, to say Klipsch isn't bright, wouldn't be very agreeable.

 

[David Harris]

What Dahlquist are you referring to, i haven't heard any models other than the DQ-10 and the DQ-20. I have been able to compare these units with the klipschorn, heresy and the RF-3... Althought the DQ-20 was a nice speaker I feel
that it didn't hold a candle to its power hungry predacessor
the Dq-10....Comparing the Dalquist line to klipsch is like comparing a ss454 Chevelle to a Honda Accord, both will get you from point a to point b but speed and efficiency becomes a factor, as with the Dalquist vs Klipsch.

The dq-10 is one of the finest speaker that i have ever had the chance to audition,its sound reproduction and imaging are hard to beat to this day. The down fall of the DQ-10
is that it really requires a 500 wpc power amp to drive them, (Well the i like it...)

Ahhh the Klipsch, I think i am a little partial to the klipsch, every since i listened to the heresy for the first time i was sold on klipsch products, The thing i like about the heritage and referance lines is that when i listen, i hear things that i have never noticed before, from subtle imperfections to symbol extensions and background noise, i attribute this to the effeiciency and build quality of their speakers.....ok let the bashing begin

 

[AhsanR]

500 WPC?!?1?!?!?!? OH MAN........ geeze, I see where the low price difference makes up for....

 

[Cam S]

Comparing the Dalquist line to klipsch is like comparing a ss454 Chevelle to a Honda Accord, both will get you from point a to point b but speed and efficiency becomes a factor, as with the Dalquist vs Klipsch.

I'm assuming the SS454 chevelle would be the Klipsch speakers?? I don't know of any other speaker in the Klipsch Reference price range that has such a high efficiency. It's amazing what 8 watts rms of power will do to the RF-7's

 

[James R. Geib]

This thread will define the word "subjective"! One manufacturer which should be added to the mix is Paradigm! They offer speakers right in line with the other manufacturers mentioned, and in my opinion, they sound better than any Klipsch I've extensively listened to, save the ageless Klipsch Horn!

"Uh-Oh, here come the rebuttals!" I have owned Klipsch in the past (Forte II's), and I really liked them. When the RF-7's came out I was ready to upgrade to them for home theater. Then I began shopping, researching and listening, and I fell in love with the Paradigm Studio 100's over the RF-7's and many others brands.

To each his own! As I've said before, the way one hears music is a very personal thing, and the way in which a speaker reproduces one's own ideal version of the perfect sound is also personal. That is why there are so many heated debates among speaker owners as to which speaker sounds the best. There is no right or wrong when it comes to personal preference, and that is just what it boils down to when discussing the differences among various speakers.

 

[Cam S]

The thing with the Paradigm Studio's is that they require a large amount of power to drive them. I loved their sound too, but I wasn't able to power them with a monster Rotel amp or anything. The Reference Klipsch on the other hand can get to insane levels with my Technics DA-10 amp. The was one of the major selling points for me.

The Reference line of Klipsch are the only ones they make right now that i would consider owning. The lower end Synergy ones just aren't that great. Paradigm on the other hand has some wonderful lower priced speakers!

 

[James R. Geib]

Klipschs are amazingly effecient speakers. That was one thing I loved about my Forte's. I drove them with 70 watts and they bloomed!

 

[ernie.bin]

On the idea that studios need a lot of power to drive them, a friend auditioned studio40s with only a denon 1602, which at the time was their bottom of the line AVR, but they still were able to sound very very nice.

So while they might really come into their own with a good amount of power, they still can sound great powered by weaker gear.

 

[Dan_Whip]

David H.:

I think the Dahlquist he was referring to is the new QX series. Yes, the old DQ-10's are some of the best speakers ever made, but since then the company has changed hands. The new owners are trying to get the company back to the quality and prestige of the DQ days.



Ahsan:

The new QX10's recommended power range is 10-250W. Basically any receiver or amp that can handle a 4ohm load will have no problem with them.


Cam:

I believe there is an error in your logic. When comparing the Dahlquist DQ-10 to Klipsch RF, the Klipsch would be the Accord. As you said, the Klipsch have such high efficiency. Last time I checked, a ss454 was not very efficient at all.


Also, in all fairness, I think that the only Klipsch speakers that should be compared to the Dahlquist are the synergy series. The reference line is in a different price bracket all together. I can get an entire 5 speaker Dahlquist package for the same price or less than a pair of Klipsch RF. The same goes for the Paradigm. The Dahlquist pricing would compare most to the performance series, and maybe the monitor series if you got a good deal. But the reference line is again in another price bracket.


Ok, last thing before I go back in hiding. I want to thank everyone that gives opinions on these forums. When I started saving for a home theater system, I was going to get a Polk RM6200 (I knew enough to stay away from Bose), but since reading all the comments, I have enough confidence to buy my entire system by mail. I'm going to go with Dahlquist speakers, an SVS sub, and an Outlaw receiver. All on blind faith with never hearing any of them. I guess growing up in Nevada made me more of a gambler than I thought.

 

[ErichH]

For me, Klipsch speakers are harsh. Some love them, but I always think I'm hearing something through a megaphone(horn).
They may indeed be very accurate, but the horns are not my favorite way to hear the upper freqs.
I've owned Paradigm Studio, and now I'm getting ready to test Rockets. Their 3 way center will be my first test.

Eric

 

[Terry St]

The Paradigm Studio 100's (reputed to be big power hogs) are actually about 10dB more sensitive than Rocket RS750's. I have level matched Studio 100's and RS750's in the same room so I can confirm this. If you're considering rockets, don't rule out the Paradigms because you don't think you have enough power available.

Klipsch do have a very distinctive sound, and their incrediable sensitivity allows you to mess around with all sorts of low-power tube amps, valves, SET's etc. with flavorful euphonic distortion that is music to many audiophile's ears. There are high-power tube amps out there too, but they tend to be rarer and more expensive.

If you have more powerful amplification available to you, such as a good SS amp, then you have more options. If you have 200 watts of power available, you simply don't need speakers with a 105dB @ 1W/1M sensitivity. A speaker doesn't need to be sensitive or bright in order to be detailed either.

The best thing you can do is make a short list of speakers to demo, and then go listen to them. If you can somehow manage to listen to them in the same room at matched levels you're going to be able to make a far better decision than you could by reading every single byte of text ever posted to the web about these brands of speakers.

For the record, I have Rocket RS750's running on a SS Bryston amp.

 

[Juan M]

quick question related to this topic: Is the "Ring Radiator" tweeter in the LSi's the same as used in the Rockets?