pathighgate

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $137.00 from eBay

Summary:
This is a great center channel which has exceeded my expectations. I picked it up from eBay for $137 and I feel I got an incredible deal; other auctions for the same unit have been in the $200 range. I’ve had a pair of KSF-10.5s for over 8 years that I’ve been using primarily as a music only system in the bedroom, but I’ve recently been upgrading that setup into a second home theatre. According to the manual for the older floor-standing KSF speakers, Klipsch recommends the C-5 center channel, claiming it has been engineered to work well with the 10.5s. And work well it does. I was blown away the first time I popped into a DVD with a good soundtrack. For music, the center doesn’t add a whole heck of a lot, but for digitally encoded movies, the difference is like night and day. I can’t recall ever having such a dramatic jump in overall system performance from one speaker. In overall system ratings, on a scale from 1 to 100, (with 1 being an old clock radio that emits high volume static whenever you touch a knob, 5 being your average stereo setup, and 100 being the ultimate perfection in audio), the introduction of the C5 jumped my overall ratings of the bedroom system from 60 to 75. It’s that dramatic. Voice matching with the 10.5s is superb. After I hooked it up and balanced it with the rest of the system, I ran the ‘360 sweep’ test from my diagnostics DVD that plays white noise in a circling pattern, blending the sound with the next speaker as it travels around the room. I could easily tell the difference from my rear speakers (the S5 surrounds are going to be my next purchase), but as it faded in and out from its neighbors, the 10.5s, you could close your eyes and not distinguish the difference between the speakers up front I’m also very pleased with how the system handles weaker power. My receiver, an old Yamaha RXV-592 which—ever since I purchased a separate digital processor that I use as a pre-amp--now acts as a standalone amplifier, provides 75 watts for all the front channels. Just like the 10.5s, the C5 handles that power masterfully. These things can get LOUD without noticeable distortion. With the inclusion of the C5, my bedroom home theatre now rivals the sound in most modern movie theatres. Granted, the small sound stage helps a lot; my bedroom is only 11’x13’. Nonetheless this is a fantastic center channel speaker, and I’m beginning to like it more then the Paradigm Studio CC-470 I have in the other room (but, as much as I love those KSF 10.5 speakers, they still can’t compete with the Reference Studio 80s in the main home theatre. I only have one complaint with the C5s: They’re really big. I can’t really fault Klipsch, since this was probably the smallest size they could make it without compromising fidelity. Currently it sits atop my widescreen Phillips 30” CRT, almost dwarfing it. The one center speaker is only a few inches shorter then a widescreen TV, and it looks almost comically disproportionate. If you have the KSF 10.5 or the KSF 8.5s, I doubt you’ll be able to find another center that will compliment the sound of your loudspeakers as well as the C5. There seems to be an auction for the C5 on ebay every few weeks, so it’d be worth checking it out.

Strengths:
High quality sound Great voice matching with other KSFs Efficent

Weaknesses:
Difficult to find one for sale. Size

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm Reference Studio CC-470

ickybod

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I just bought a RC-35 to replace this older non reference center. I did not like the 35 as soon as I heard it. I then spent a few hours breaking it in but got no better. I did a lot of comparing switching back and forth. The KSF c-5 sounds better! More open, bright airy, clearer. I just put the 35 on ebay for $100 less than I paid for it. I want to hear a RC-3 side by side but this matches my RF-3s very well, the RC-35 did not.

Strengths:
clear open sound, plays loud, no problems after 4 years and a lot of use at high levels, durable.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Pardigm reference 350 Klipsch RC-35

Summary:
Well, after a few months use I have decided, because of the perfect timbre match with my front KSP300's,this is one good center speaker.Good clarity.Good bass.My previous favorite,although a fine center,has been relegated to storage.The KSF-C5 is a very good center speaker.Get one.

Similar Products Used:
KV's,C7

Price Paid:  $198.00

Summary:
Just bought this speaker recently to use with 5 KSP300's.I bought this speaker because it is optimized for the KSPs and
they are getting scarce.Lifted the monster KLFC7 from the top of my tv and tested the KSFC5.I could tell immediately the high end matched the 300's well but also that the C5 is
a much different sounding speaker as opposed to the C7.The C7 will easily overplay every speaker in the house and must be calibrated with the other speakers.The C7 plays much lower than the C5 and is probably the best center speaker Klipsch has built in recent history.The C5 seemed to leave a
hole in the bass and the overall character of the sound was affected.Anyway the C5 is a great speaker and I will probably make room in the closet for it and continue using the undisputed champ of Klipsch center speakers,the KLFC7.

Strengths:
CLARITY,STYLING

Weaknesses:
VINYL FINISH

Similar Products Used:
KSP300,KSPS6,KLFC7,SW12II,KG5.5,probably some more

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Sound Advise

Summary:
If you read my reveiw on the Klipsch 8.5's you know I love the klipsch stuff. Again with the C-5 center, it took a short burn in time to soften up. But they sound pretty good now. Recently I've purchased three Carver Amps from E-bay. I'm running the C-5 with a Carver tfm-15 bridged. That's about 280 watts right to the center. And this little speaker never skips a beat. It'll take anything you throw its way. It sounds good even while being stressed.
Now I see the older Klipsch stuff like mine on E-bay for less than half what I paid. If you're reading this and thinking of getting this center, do it! You won't be dissapointed. Just get similar fronts to make sure the whole front will blend together.
There may be better stuff to be had. But these speakers are a great value.

Strengths:
Good looking, indistructable and sound good too.

Weaknesses:
A little brassy.

Similar Products Used:
Polk, Boston, Carver.