So how bad are the Klipsch Icon series?

I'm not sure what you have been reading about speaker construction and the materials they're made of. The Klipsch speakers you have listed are made the same way as most speakers are. They're made out of MDF and have a laminate veneer woodgrain finish. That's pretty normal for most speakers. Even if you spent $5,000 on a pair of speakers they would still be made of MDF and possibly have a real wood veneer. The outer finish on a speaker really means nothing when it comes to sound quality. The only thing a nicer exterior finish does is increase the price of the speaker a lot. Klipsch makes many nice speakers. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the speakers you have listed.

Have you checked out the Icon Ws from newegg? The finish on them is fantastic and have been compared against the reference series for music listening. This is my biased answer of course because I own a set, but for the sale price that they go on (270 for the towers, 170 for the center), I think they're a great deal. If you're set on Klipsch, the reference series is pretty much standard in this forum. I'd stay away from the best buy icons as they're typically very overpriced.

I know they are made of MDF and according to their specs sheet it says furniture wood grain veneer. I doubt they are real wood veneer. Don't get hell bent on having real wood veneer. The synthetic veneers these days are very good. You're just going to pay a lot more for real wood veneer.

It sounds as though you think some speakers cabinets are made 100% from real wood. They're isn't and real wood isn't desirable as a cabinet material due to inconsistent grain patterns in real wood. It would be impossible to get two speakers to sound the same. That's why MDF is used. It is very dense and is consistent. Even $100,000 speakers have an inner MDF cabinet.
Edited by Secret Squirrel - 1/18/13 at 4:21pm

The RF 7II use real wood veneers, but it doesn't mean anything as far as performance is concerned. I had some Polks with real wood veneer, and from a distance they looked no different than the current vinyl finish on my Klipsch Reference.

Regarding the Klipsch Icon, I would spend a little more and get the Reference speakers. I found them on sale for 20% off at Fry's, so that brings the price very close to the Icon prices at BB.

Imo, the RF-7IIs are quite a bit not as bad as the Icons.

I'm glad you put quite in that sentence so it makes sense

As you have been told, almost NO speakers of any brand are made of real wood. It is simply inferior to MDF for speaker cabinets. MDF is very dense, inert, easy to machine, and is stable, so it doesnt shift in strange ways with changes in temperature or humidity. Think about wooden floors and how the gaps change from summer to winter.
And he is saying the RF-7II's are much better than the Icons.
And veneer is a thin layer of real wood that is glued on the outside of the MDF and finished. It is how almost all quality speakers are made. Cheaper speakers cover the MDF with vinyl, which saves a lot of money, but does not affect the sound at all. A lot of fine furniture is wood veneer over an unattractive wood base.

This is a strange thread?

Some speakers are made from Birch plywood, which has similar properties to mdf, but is much lighter. I would focus more on quality drivers and crossover if staying closer to a klipsch icon budget. Finding some discounted klipsch reference speakers would be an awesome value.

YES!!!

A lot of those around these parts lately.

Doesn't anyone make an entire car out of all steel anymore?

 

Sounds like you're still hung up on the cabinet, which is only one aspect of the speaker. What's most important to most people is how the speaker sounds, since that's its job. The cabinet does contribute to the sound: how well braced is it, non-resonating, the correct size, damping or angled walls to reduce standing waves, sealed if it's supposed to be sealed, the correct size for the drivers used. 

 

Also involved are...

These are horn speakers. Does their directivity work for your needs? Do you need super wide horizontal pattern? Do people find those horns harsh? Is the frequency response even? Are the woofers capable enough to keep up with the tweeter, or will the bass be distorted when you turn it up? Does the placement of the drivers and the construction of the crossover give you even phase response? Etc. 

 

The towers extend pretty low in frequency. Which, if you're using a sub, you probably won't need. A consequence of that tuning is that the woofers are probably not that sensitive. 

 

What are the differences between the Icon and Reference lines? I've heard much better things about the upper-end Reference line. And even better about the Heritage line or the Cinema speakers.

 

Those are the questions, IMO, you should be asking yourself and learning about.

Yes...I don't understand it at all, but I try to be helpful
Edited by Zen Traveler - 1/18/13 at 9:10pm

I have some original large Advents. They are on the cutting edge of wood technology

Those must be at least 25 years old.

1969. An old lady gave them to me. I just refoamed them.

I bet you could sell them to metal dude and he would be quite happy.

ROFLMAO!

I'd be willing to do that. I think he should change his name to woodguy.

That's irony for you.

Point of fact, that is not why MDF is used. It is used because it's inexpensive, and because it takes minimal prep work to make it ready to take a veneer finish. It is not superior to high grade plywood. In terms of strength to weight ratio and damage resistance it's quite inferior to plywood, but as those concerns are not of much consequence for home use manufacturers don't opt for the higher cost plywood option. In pro-sound, where strength to weight and damage resistance does matter, MDF is only used in the very cheapest cabs, for the same reason why it's used throughout the stereo/HT genre, and that's because of price.

You make a good point about high grade plywood. It is real wood, but not what I was thinking. When the OP was asking about speakers being made of real wood I thought he meant 3/4 edge glued oak or cherry for instance. Speaker cabinets are not made out of wood like that for the reasons I mentioned. Wood like that has to many grain variations. It sure is nice to make furniture out of it though. I have worked with it many times making furniture.
Edited by Secret Squirrel - 1/19/13 at 6:19pm

Speakers aren't made of solid wood planking because of its expansion and contraction with changes in humidity, which would eventually lead to joint failure. Furniture gets around that via expansion joints and floating panels, but you can't employ those techniques with an airtight speaker. Even dovetail joints eventually loosen.