[BL44]


So I have somewhat of a weird question, but honestly, I'm a total noob.. How would you describe the typical Klipsch "sound"? Is there even a typical sound?

 

I have a specific reason for asking;

 

Back in the 90s when I was in college and Napster was still a thing, I spent what was a large sum of money for me at the time on a Klipsch GMX 2.1 speaker set for my computer. Even then they were considered just sort of "Ok", but I loved them. In fact.. I *still* love them. The only other thing that's ever sounded that good to me are my Grado SR-80 headphones.. in fact, I'd say they kind of sound similar to me.

 

So here's the thing- I've never been able to replicate that "sound" in my living room. I can't figure out what it is that I like about it! It's something, but since I can't put my finger on it, I can't figure out what I need to do to replicate it. 

 

Here's what I think I hear in there. They have a really, really defined soundstage. I wouldn't call the treble harsh, but it's definitely prominent, and there is a lot of detail in it. It feels.. "deep"? Resolution might be the word? Everything is sort of "airy" and seems pretty well balanced. The bass is tight. There's no "foof foof foof" port noise like I've heard in my other subwoofers/speakers. 

 

Anyway, I've spent a ton of money since then trying to replicate whatever the "it" is I hear in there, but it isn't working. I've tried some other Klipsch gear, but it wasn't there. At the moment I've got some Polk Monitor 70s that I like, but they still don't have the "it". 

 

I can't figure it out, is it the tweeter? are they EQ'd in some weird way?

 

So I'm curious, does anyone remember those and does anyone know if they have the "Klipsch sound", whatever that might be? Or am I just a complete weirdo for liking what might be a completely terrible pair of speakers?

 

I told you it was a weird question. I thought maybe if someone could tell me what they thought they typically sound like I could figure out if these are an example or if chasing down more Klipsch stuff is just going to leave me disappointed. I realize it sounds like I'm asking for market research.. I promise I"m not, I'm asking because Amazon reviews often just say "they sound great!".. well, okay, buy why? how? And I know you folks probably care/know enough to be able to tell me if there is a "character" to the sound.

 

Thanks 

 

[shadyJ]

It's no wonder you enjoy the Grado headphones along with Klipsch, Klipsch owns Grado so maybe they are voiced similarly. If you want to get into Klipsch, some of their current lines are not bad, the Reference series are pretty good, but the heart of Klipsch will always be the Heritage series . Punchy bass, crisp highs, and endless dynamic range. If you want to get serious about Klipsch speakers, I would be looking for a pair of used La Scalas, unless you can afford new ones ($7k per pair). Used ones can go for around 2 to 3k a pair.

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ  /t/1524536/how-would-you-describe-the-klipsch-sound-is-this-it#post_24537476


It's no wonder you enjoy the Grado headphones along with Klipsch, Klipsch owns Grado so maybe they are voiced similarly. If you want to get into Klipsch, some of their current lines are not bad, the Reference series are pretty good, but the heart of Klipsch will always be the Heritage series . Punchy bass, crisp highs, and endless dynamic range. If you want to get serious about Klipsch speakers, I would be looking for a pair of used La Scalas, unless you can afford new ones ($7k per pair). Used ones can go for around 2 to 3k a pair.

Are you sure about that? I've never heard that before. My understanding is that Grado is a small American company based out of Brooklyn New York.


What I like about the Grado SR80i and the SR255i is the excellent transient response and detail resolution. So not exactly the same sound, but I've loved the transient response and neutrality of my Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SEs.

 

[Class A]

+1 Grado is privately owned. It has no affiliation w/Klipsch.

 

[shadyJ]

You are right, I stand corrected. I don't know how I came tho think Klipsch owned Grado.

 

[bears t2]


It's the horns that make them sound the way they do. Almost everything else uses a dome twitter and a few use a ribbon twitter. But Klipsch uses a horn tweeter. To me it's an in your face sound, very up front. Like shadyj said "the Reference series are pretty good, but the heart of Klipsch will always be the Heritage series. Punch bass, crisp highs, and endless dynamic range".

























 

 

[BL44]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145  /t/1524536/how-would-you-describe-the-klipsch-sound-is-this-it#post_24539213


What I like about the Grado SR80i and the SR255i is the excellent transient response and detail resolution. So not exactly the same sound, but I've loved the transient response and neutrality of my Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SEs.

 

As I said, I'm a noob, so I had no idea what "transient response" meant. I just did some reading and yes, I think that's partially it! The best I'd come up with was "impactful". 

 

I think it's the horn tweeters that I like, which would make sense, because every speaker I've tried out at home had regular dome tweeters. That's great to learn, because it gives me some direction for things to try out.

 

Funny you should mention Ascend, because I've been tempted to try out their "little brother" Wavecrest HV-1s.. but now I'm somewhat conflicted and considering buying some Klipsch bookshelfs for an "in-home audition" just to see if it's the sound of horn tweeters I'm after.

 

[Transmaniacon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bears t2  /t/1524536/how-would-you-describe-the-klipsch-sound-is-this-it#post_24539712


It's the horns that make them sound the way they do. Almost everything else uses a dome twitter and a few use a ribbon twitter. But Klipsch uses a horn tweeter. To me it's an in your face sound, very up front. Like shadyj said "the Reference series are pretty good, but the heart of Klipsch will always be the Heritage series. Punch bass, crisp highs, and endless dynamic range".

Klipsch are horn-loaded speakers yes, but they use a compression driver which leads to the brighter sound. BIC is a good example of this, they have horn-loaded speakers, but they don't use compression drivers like Klipsch, they use aluminum dome tweeters instead.

 

[zieglj01]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BL44  /t/1524536/how-would-you-describe-the-klipsch-sound-is-this-it#post_24540007


As I said, I'm a noob, so I had no idea what "transient response" meant. I just did some reading and yes, I think that's partially it! The best I'd come up with was "impactful". 


I think it's the horn tweeters that I like, which would make sense, because every speaker I've tried out at home had regular dome tweeters. That's great to learn, because it gives me some direction for things to try out.


Funny you should mention Ascend, because I've been tempted to try out their "little brother" Wavecrest HV-1s.. but now I'm somewhat conflicted and considering buying some Klipsch bookshelfs for an "in-home audition" just to see if it's the sound of horn tweeters I'm after.

Also check the JBL Studio 530 out - I prefer and do like their sound signature over the Klipsch Reference speakers.

The Studio 530 is good - and they do have some good deep bass - the bi-radial horn is smooth and detailed.
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-530-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B00622STI0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396020054&sr=8-2&keywords=jbl+530