MaxL
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- May 26, 2006
- Messages
- 503
- Real Name
- Max Levine
klipsch subs are crap IMO. they sound about as good as taking $300 worth of change and dropping it from your roof onto a big plywood box - plenty of thump, zero sound quality.
klipsch speakers are not crap. they do have a specific sound, that you either like or don't. go listen to them, decide if you like them. do not buy a klipsch sub. when you hear a decent sub, you'll immediately realize a klipsch sub is a waste of $$ (until they actually make a decent one for the $$). unless you want that overdone bass from the trunk of a car in your very own home sound... the klipsch sub can simulate that.
there have been a few things the allstar has mentioned that have made me question his advice. this ices it.
i don't know much about studio monitors. that's why i didn't say anything sooner. i read the links above and found them very informative. it seems the only conclusion one might draw is that passive monitors tend to do a little better being pushed to extreme volumes for extended loud listening. but that's still a maybe depending on your listening habits and room. but the response isn't inherently flatter nor the the sensitivity more efficient.
while i don't disregard completely speaker power recommendations, they are only slightly more useful than knowing the finish color when it comes to sound. anything at or above 90db sensitivity is a very efficient speaker. klipsch may be more efficient than most, but don't think for a second that a speaker rated at 87db can't blow your eardrums with proper amplification. my main 2 channel setup uses a receiver rated @ 40Wpc rms and relatively inefficient speakers in a large room over 5,000 cubic feet. i have never come close to not having enough power to play music louder than i can stand it.
the point is, don't buy speakers by the numbers, and don't trust anyone who tells you that you should. the numbers are not all meaningless, but they can't tell you how a speaker sounds and they can be very misleading. over time, to remain competitive, companies that are looking for big market share have to make their products look good on paper. inevitably, the numbers go up for the appearance of quality and value... "look those yamasonic speakers say 500 watts and they half the price of those diptech ones that are only 400 watts... what a bargain!?" those numbers aren't pulled out of thin air, but unless you know what the THD is at a specified output or you know it to be a very reputable speaker manufacturer, take any numbers with a few tbs of salt.
as for receiver/amp numbers, they're worth a little more. again watch for THD ratings, just make sure they're under 1%. anything rated to 75W rms should drive most speakers to the limits of what you can safely listen to in a typical home room. the difference between 100W and 110W is negligible in terms of real world sound. it takes double the amps to get a 3bd rise in spl - so if a speaker plays 103db at 64W, it's going to take 128W to make the jump to 106db. 10W just doesn't get you much at the high end.
sorry for the rant, but i feel the advice was becoming misleading at best or dead wrong at worst.
nothing wrong with klipsch speakers though. also worth a listen are the athena audition series (AS) speakers. there are a number of great deals on them at audioadvisor. if you can't swing the svs, the athena p-6000 isn't a bad budget sub either. then there are some very good deals on psb and monitor audio's bronze series from saturday audio. monitor audio is on the warm side but does loud well. psb is more neutral and maybe not for the most extreme volumes. athena is probably closer to the klipsch in sound and does loud very well too. the svs speakers and aperion should be fine too. it's really a matter of personal preference.
but what ever, go out and listen to some different speakers before you do anything. that way you know what sound you like.
klipsch speakers are not crap. they do have a specific sound, that you either like or don't. go listen to them, decide if you like them. do not buy a klipsch sub. when you hear a decent sub, you'll immediately realize a klipsch sub is a waste of $$ (until they actually make a decent one for the $$). unless you want that overdone bass from the trunk of a car in your very own home sound... the klipsch sub can simulate that.
there have been a few things the allstar has mentioned that have made me question his advice. this ices it.
i don't know much about studio monitors. that's why i didn't say anything sooner. i read the links above and found them very informative. it seems the only conclusion one might draw is that passive monitors tend to do a little better being pushed to extreme volumes for extended loud listening. but that's still a maybe depending on your listening habits and room. but the response isn't inherently flatter nor the the sensitivity more efficient.
while i don't disregard completely speaker power recommendations, they are only slightly more useful than knowing the finish color when it comes to sound. anything at or above 90db sensitivity is a very efficient speaker. klipsch may be more efficient than most, but don't think for a second that a speaker rated at 87db can't blow your eardrums with proper amplification. my main 2 channel setup uses a receiver rated @ 40Wpc rms and relatively inefficient speakers in a large room over 5,000 cubic feet. i have never come close to not having enough power to play music louder than i can stand it.
the point is, don't buy speakers by the numbers, and don't trust anyone who tells you that you should. the numbers are not all meaningless, but they can't tell you how a speaker sounds and they can be very misleading. over time, to remain competitive, companies that are looking for big market share have to make their products look good on paper. inevitably, the numbers go up for the appearance of quality and value... "look those yamasonic speakers say 500 watts and they half the price of those diptech ones that are only 400 watts... what a bargain!?" those numbers aren't pulled out of thin air, but unless you know what the THD is at a specified output or you know it to be a very reputable speaker manufacturer, take any numbers with a few tbs of salt.
as for receiver/amp numbers, they're worth a little more. again watch for THD ratings, just make sure they're under 1%. anything rated to 75W rms should drive most speakers to the limits of what you can safely listen to in a typical home room. the difference between 100W and 110W is negligible in terms of real world sound. it takes double the amps to get a 3bd rise in spl - so if a speaker plays 103db at 64W, it's going to take 128W to make the jump to 106db. 10W just doesn't get you much at the high end.
sorry for the rant, but i feel the advice was becoming misleading at best or dead wrong at worst.
nothing wrong with klipsch speakers though. also worth a listen are the athena audition series (AS) speakers. there are a number of great deals on them at audioadvisor. if you can't swing the svs, the athena p-6000 isn't a bad budget sub either. then there are some very good deals on psb and monitor audio's bronze series from saturday audio. monitor audio is on the warm side but does loud well. psb is more neutral and maybe not for the most extreme volumes. athena is probably closer to the klipsch in sound and does loud very well too. the svs speakers and aperion should be fine too. it's really a matter of personal preference.
but what ever, go out and listen to some different speakers before you do anything. that way you know what sound you like.