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Who's compared Klipsch KL650-THX with M&K S150's?

post #1 of 15
1/25/08 at 3:12pm
Thread Starter 
Considering that these are two popular dedicated HT speaker systems, I'm curious to see if anyone has first hand experience with these as LCRs. I've had the Klipsch THX Ultra for a while and will be setting up the S150s this weekend. I'm feeling a bit lonely without the Ultras. Will the M&Ks make me or ?
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post #2 of 15
1/25/08 at 3:43pm
I have friends who own these systems. They both sound fantastic. You won't be sorry. The M&K won't be "better" than then Klipsch. They'll be just as good, but a little "different". Is your room treated?

Craig
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post #3 of 15
1/25/08 at 4:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by craig john View Post

I have friends who own these systems. They both sound fantastic. You won't be sorry. The M&K won't be "better" than then Klipsch. They'll be just as good, but a little "different". Is your room treated?

Craig


My room is not optimally treated. However, I have acoustic paneling at the reflection points, padded wool rug, heavy curtains, etc. Overall, I find it to perform better than my previous acoustically treated dedicated space.

What I liked about the Klipsch were their ability to be placed in a not-so-optimal position and still perform well. They were also very neutral if not a bit warm compared to anything I've owned or demoed. They also had quite a bit of "punch". Although, I had always thought they were possibly a bit of overkill for my use.

I'm definitely not expecting the M&K to perform better than the Klipsch. If anything, I'm preparing for a little less kick and probably a bit more transparency. The fact that mixing studios often use them has grabbed my attention. Why is it that Klipsch (KL525 or KL650) are not ever used?
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post #4 of 15
1/25/08 at 4:12pm
I demo'd both the M&K S150 THX and the Klipsch THX Ultra II 7.1 systems about 3 years ago. I liked them both, you can't go wrong with either. I chose the M&K's and have been very happy with them. I thought the Klipsch had a slight amount of emphasis in the upper frequencies, whereas M&k's seemed flatter. It could have been the amp (Bryston's)/speaker combination and my room, which is fully treated. As alluded to in the above post, the M&K's are very sensitive to alignment for best results, although the newer one's do have a wide/narrow dispersion switch. I used a laser level to align mine and keep them set to 'narrow', but be prepared to spend some time getting them alighned correctly. I could have lived with the Klipsch's though and been happy.
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post #5 of 15
1/25/08 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monty Williams View Post

I demo'd both the M&K S150 THX and the Klipsch THX Ultra II 7.1 systems about 3 years ago. I liked them both, you can't go wrong with either. I chose the M&K's and have been very happy with them. I thought the Klipsch had a slight amount of emphasis in the upper frequencies, whereas M&k's seemed flatter. It could have been the amp (Bryston's)/speaker combination and my room, which is fully treated. As alluded to in the above post, the M&K's are very sensitive to alignment for best results, although the newer one's do have a wide/narrow dispersion switch. I used a laser level to align mine and keep them set to 'narrow', but be prepared to spend some time getting them alighned correctly. I could have lived with the Klipsch's though and been happy.


Thanks for the input. Did you feel that the Klipsch were more dynamic or "powerful" than the M&K? The Klipsch have a strong midbase unlike so many other smaller speakers. The driver size and design of the S150 seems like it would not have the same "in the chest" punch that is present with the klipsch.
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post #6 of 15
1/26/08 at 8:01am
Hey Rob..

I have owned M&K 150 for about 5 years. I have a room kind of like yours in that it is a family room with a kitchen in rear. Also my ceiling is 20ft high.

I originally had the M&K in a smaller enclosed room and they sound unbelievable. Once I moved to this larger room, they seemed to get swallowed up and I just couldn't get the same sound. I add room treatments but still didn't do the trick.

I actually went to M&K 5000 and LOVED them. It seemed to my that the M&K 150 to me are maybe harder to setup in a larger space. Like others have said I think the 150's are picky about placement and your room. I also ran the 150 with Anthem AVM 20 and Anthem amps, Denon, Pioneer and Yamaha recievers.

Where something like the M&K 5000 which is a larger speaker seems to handle my room better. I have never heard Klipsch 650 but the 650 has a larger woofer like the 5000.

If I ever do need to upgrade or because the 5000 die, I may give the 650 a try.

You probably will get more experienced people with opinions but for me the 150 in a larger open space just were missing something.
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post #7 of 15
1/26/08 at 2:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobZ View Post

Thanks for the input. Did you feel that the Klipsch were more dynamic or "powerful" than the M&K? The Klipsch have a strong midbase unlike so many other smaller speakers. The driver size and design of the S150 seems like it would not have the same "in the chest" punch that is present with the klipsch.


I didn't and don't get the feeling the S150's are lacking in midbass punch at all. I'm powering the 3 S150's with a Bryston 6BSST (along with 4 SS150's powered by a 2 Bryston 4BSST's and 2 M&K MX350 subs) which delivers in excess of 500 watts into 4 ohms per channel, and they have a nice punch when I raise the volume to 'fun' and/or reference levels. The Klipsch do have larger mid-bass drivers than the pair in the S150's but I never noticed a lack of punch. The Klipsch's also have noticeably higher sensitivity than the M&k's. I believe the KL-650's are rated at 97 dB/watt, whereas the S150's are 89dB/watt if I remember correctly, so the M&K's do need quality power to sound their best.

In both systems, the frequency response of the satallites and the subs overlap, so you should be able to dial in the response you desire if you have adequate EQ capabilities. I use a Velodyne SMS-1 to control my subs and I have very flat response, within 1-2dB from 15hz to 200 hz.

Obviously, the biggest drawback against M&K right now is the whole ownership transition. I'm not sure if the new owners have actually started shipping new product to their dealers yet, so unless you can find a dealer with new, old stock, you'll probably have to buy either used or surplus from the bankruptcy auction on eBay, whereas the Klipsch's can be bought new from any authorized dealer.
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post #8 of 15
1/27/08 at 7:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by logain2000 View Post

Hey Rob..

I have owned M&K 150 for about 5 years. I have a room kind of like yours in that it is a family room with a kitchen in rear. Also my ceiling is 20ft high.

I originally had the M&K in a smaller enclosed room and they sound unbelievable. Once I moved to this larger room, they seemed to get swallowed up and I just couldn't get the same sound. I add room treatments but still didn't do the trick.

I actually went to M&K 5000 and LOVED them. It seemed to my that the M&K 150 to me are maybe harder to setup in a larger space. Like others have said I think the 150's are picky about placement and your room. I also ran the 150 with Anthem AVM 20 and Anthem amps, Denon, Pioneer and Yamaha recievers.

Where something like the M&K 5000 which is a larger speaker seems to handle my room better. I have never heard Klipsch 650 but the 650 has a larger woofer like the 5000.

If I ever do need to upgrade or because the 5000 die, I may give the 650 a try.

You probably will get more experienced people with opinions but for me the 150 in a larger open space just were missing something.


I thought the 650's were a bit much for what I need. I really never get to enjoy anything near reference levels because of the lack of dedicated space. My wife doesn't care what I buy or sell but she always complains when things shake! For this reason, I felt like the S150s may serve me well. I sit approximately 10-12' from the LCR so the nearfield design may work better.
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post #9 of 15
1/27/08 at 8:00am
I have owned the S-150's, the s-5000's, and the klipsch ultra 2's. All are fantastic. I liked the klipsch better than the s-150's because they were more dynamic and had a much bigger sound(cinema) to me. I preferred the highs of the M&K's better but I could not get over that big cinema sound. Everytime I went back to the s-150's they would sound like a small bookshelf in comparison.(I have a big screen so the big presence of voices needed to match the screen. Then I tried the 5000's and they just about matched the big cinematic but had better highs so I switched to the 5000's. If it was me and I wanted big theatrical sound this is what I would rate
1. JTR triple 8's
2. M&K S-5000thx
2. Klipsch THX ultra 2
3. M&K S-150's
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post #10 of 15
12/8/08 at 12:33pm
I'm very late to the party, but thought I'd throw in my 10 cents. I have the S-150 system and a the Klipsch RB-75 system. They are both great for cinema. Above poster is correct that the M&K's are used in studio's. Usually the self powered versions. On the other hand Klipsch Professional line are often found in movie theaters.

The klipsch are extraordinary efficient speakers where and the MK's are not. You don't need a powerful amp to drive the Klipsch, but I suggest you have beefy one to drive the MK's. I personally find both systems are fantastic for movies. The klipsch definitely have a more in your face or big sound whereas the MK's are much more transparent. I agree with the above poster who mentioned the MK being a bit more difficult to get right in a room. It certainly takes some time to get it right whereas the klipsch are much more flexible.

Currently I have a Onkyo Pro 885 with D-Sonic IcePower amp pushing the MK's and it sounds amazing. The Klipsch are being powered by the Outlaw 990 and Adcom 7707 amp and also so amazing. When I powered the MK's with a B&K Reference Receiver, it didn't have nearly the sound or depth they have now. I think the B&K just didn't have enough power or that it just wasn't a good match.

I've had a few people listen to both systems without complaint. However one thing with the MK is that people tend to say it's easier to listen to at high volume because the sounds is so clean. The highs on the klipsch are a bit too ear piercing at higher volumes. This could be the combination of pre & amp etc. My girlfriend clearly prefers the MK system with blu-ray content over the klipsch. I will be getting a new pre/amp setup for the Klipsch system which will probably consist of another d-sonic and the new outlaw 997.

If I had to choose between one system, it would be the MK system, but I might miss the klipsch. It's just that dialogue with the MK is so real and natural sounding and when effects happen in scenes I find it easier to visually place them on the screen than with the Klipsch. However, the klipsch are brighter and excel a bit more when it comes to action scenes.

MK Setup.. The room has all new furniture, lighting, screen and projector.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pgwalsh/...35143571395858
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post #11 of 15
12/8/08 at 8:50pm
Those are some beautiful M&K 150!! I had the original black but those are really cool looking!!
'

Quote:
Originally Posted by pgwalsh View Post

I'm very late to the party, but thought I'd throw in my 10 cents. I have the S-150 system and a the Klipsch RB-75 system. They are both great for cinema. Above poster is correct that the M&K's are used in studio's. Usually the self powered versions. On the other hand Klipsch Professional line are often found in movie theaters.

The klipsch are extraordinary efficient speakers where and the MK's are not. You don't need a powerful amp to drive the Klipsch, but I suggest you have beefy one to drive the MK's. I personally find both systems are fantastic for movies. The klipsch definitely have a more in your face or big sound whereas the MK's are much more transparent. I agree with the above poster who mentioned the MK being a bit more difficult to get right in a room. It certainly takes some time to get it right whereas the klipsch are much more flexible.

Currently I have a Onkyo Pro 885 with D-Sonic IcePower amp pushing the MK's and it sounds amazing. The Klipsch are being powered by the Outlaw 990 and Adcom 7707 amp and also so amazing. When I powered the MK's with a B&K Reference Receiver, it didn't have nearly the sound or depth they have now. I think the B&K just didn't have enough power or that it just wasn't a good match.

I've had a few people listen to both systems without complaint. However one thing with the MK is that people tend to say it's easier to listen to at high volume because the sounds is so clean. The highs on the klipsch are a bit too ear piercing at higher volumes. This could be the combination of pre & amp etc. My girlfriend clearly prefers the MK system with blu-ray content over the klipsch. I will be getting a new pre/amp setup for the Klipsch system which will probably consist of another d-sonic and the new outlaw 997.

If I had to choose between one system, it would be the MK system, but I might miss the klipsch. It's just that dialogue with the MK is so real and natural sounding and when effects happen in scenes I find it easier to visually place them on the screen than with the Klipsch. However, the klipsch are brighter and excel a bit more when it comes to action scenes.

MK Setup.. The room has all new furniture, lighting, screen and projector.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pgwalsh/...35143571395858
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post #12 of 15
12/8/08 at 9:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by logain2000 View Post

Those are some beautiful M&K 150!! I had the original black but those are really cool looking!!
'

Thanks.. They were custom made by M&K. They're real wood. They made them for a few years on request for an increase in price. Obviously they matched the room really well, so it was a no brainer. The sub is the same color, but the surrounds were black. I'm still have the ss-150's, but they're not being used at the moment.
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post #13 of 15
12/9/08 at 7:53am
I've owned both systems - and currently have the Klipsch THX Ultra 2 with their dual subs. As many have stated above, both are fantastic systems for home theater. If I were to choose, however, I would stick with the Klipsch THX Ultra 2. Much more dynamic for movies (although the M&K's were great here also) and just more "punch" overall. Also, with the M&K's, there was a very definite "sweet spot" to get the best sound. With the Klipsch, the sound is more spread out and every seat in my theater sounds great - vs. one or two with the M&K's.

Either way, both great systems. When I was running my M&K S-150's, I was also using M&K's dedicated tilt speaker stands, which helped greatly in aligning the speakers.

Also, not sure what subs you will be using, but the dual Klipsch subs (with amp) totally kill the M&K MX-150 subs I was using.
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post #14 of 15
12/9/08 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bambam View Post

I've owned both systems - and currently have the Klipsch THX Ultra 2 with their dual subs..

I haven't heard the THX Ultra 2's as my system was the generation before. Hopefully some day I will. They're certainly a different beast than the RB-75's.

I'm using the MX-350 and Klipsch RSW-15. I think the klipsch puts out more bass for sure.
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post #15 of 15
12/11/08 at 8:00pm
Add this one to your list for Audiophile meets dynamic HT speaker. The port and the ribbon tweeter can be swapped for center channel apps. I have 3 in right now that I am about ready to install in a custom HT and they sound awesome!
Let me know if you you are interested and I'll give you the inside engineering scoop on these and how they came about.
http://www.episodespeakers.com/HT-650LCR.htm
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