Klipsch KSB 2.1 Floorstanding Speakers Reviews

Price Paid:  $130.00 from Mail order

Summary:
I've had these things for about four years.. my original intent was to use them for monitors while mixing records. At the same time, I had also purchased the newer SB-1 for "mains" and had both pairs on stands with the two pairs driven by their very own amplifiers.. it was useful, compact and could get quite loud.. impressing the ladies, or at least my friend's mom for sure. So, to finish the history of my use of these speakers and begin the review, I sold the SB-1's at some point.. or took them to the pawn shop.. or the pawn shop took them from me.. doesn't matter. Until last year, I didn't use the 2.1's at all.. so I threw them up on some stands.. strung them to a Dynaco Stereo 400 with Audioquest's "type 6" garden hose, Rotel's cocaine and disco era RA-1210 dual mono, dual transformer aluminum block (quite beautiful) and a Rega Planet CD player, capable of actually adding value to the CD format while beating you up and taking your lunch money. So after I finished setting up, I played around for a bit and ended up with a toe-in to about 10 degrees from directly at my head. Then it was pretty so I went outside and stared at things. After I made sure things were perfect, I threw on a cd burned from a low bitrate MP3 encoded from a cassette tape of an already bad recording, and sure enough.. these speakers sound like crap. That CD always sounded so good in my JVC ghetto blaster that looks like a pipe bomb. Still determined, I tried other material from VAS and Dead Can Dance.. and, it turns out that female voices sound quite nice and (somewhat) articulate.. aside from the hollow resonance and that pesky upper-midrange ring was quite a bother. Take the grilles off. Still determined to be determined, I pulled the woofers out and found the wad of polyfill that someone at the factory must have dropped in the port by accident. I stuffed them with about 20 times that, enough to fill the box loose. To go overboard, I lined the inside of the woofer baskets and back of the tweeter with Dynomat (you know.. just cause) which should do something. Now the resonance is gone, the ringing is subdued and I conclude that Klipsch made speakers that sound good after someone finishes the job and puts in the extra 40 cents or whatever.

Strengths:
Cleaner than expected (not to be confused with bright, which they are as well), imaging exists, detail also exists on condition of the following: resolution is apparent when the signal is not extremely loud, at which point resonance sharply removes any distinction that instruments once had before a certain output.. stuffing the box with a bit of polyfill helps greatly (most of this speaker's problems are due to resonance).. look expensive with the grilles off, ++ for the material types.. and sound better off too.. I suppose that matters if you're into that kind of thing.

Weaknesses:
Ringing before corrected, hollow before corrected, guess I can't complain too much about that.. I mean, really.. that's about it.. they're not expensive speakers, but they sound like they could be after they grow up and stop taking drugs and get a job... they're built well for what they cost, and they sound good for how they're built.

Similar Products Used:
Volkswagens

Price Paid:  $130.00 from Mail order

Summary:
I've had these things for about four years.. my original intent was to use them for monitors while mixing records. At the same time, I had also purchased the newer SB-1 for "mains" and had both pairs on stands with the two pairs driven by their very own amplifiers.. it was useful, compact and could get quite loud.. impressing the ladies, or at least my friend's mom for sure. So, to finish the history of my use of these speakers and begin the review, I sold the SB-1's at some point.. or took them to the pawn shop.. or the pawn shop took them from me.. doesn't matter. Until last year, I didn't use the 2.1's at all.. so I threw them up on some stands.. strung them to a Dynaco Stereo 400 with Audioquest's "type 6" garden hose, Rotel's cocaine and disco era RA-1210 dual mono, dual transformer aluminum block (quite beautiful) and a Rega Planet CD player, capable of actually adding value to the CD format while beating you up and taking your lunch money. So after I finished setting up, I played around for a bit and ended up with a toe-in to about 10 degrees from directly at my head. Then it was pretty so I went outside and stared at things. After I made sure things were perfect, I threw on a cd burned from a low bitrate MP3 encoded from a cassette tape of an already bad recording, and sure enough.. these speakers sound like crap. That CD always sounded so good in my JVC ghetto blaster that looks like a pipe bomb. Still determined, I tried other material from VAS and Dead Can Dance.. and, it turns out that female voices sound quite nice and (somewhat) articulate.. aside from the hollow resonance and that pesky upper-midrange ring was quite a bother. Take the grilles off. Still determined to be determined, I pulled the woofers out and found the wad of polyfill that someone at the factory must have dropped in the port by accident. I stuffed them with about 20 times that, enough to fill the box loose. To go overboard, I lined the inside of the woofer baskets and back of the tweeter with Dynomat (you know.. just cause) which should do something. Now the resonance is gone, the ringing is subdued and I conclude that Klipsch made speakers that sound good after someone finishes the job and puts in the extra 40 cents or whatever.

Strengths:
Cleaner than expected (not to be confused with bright, which they are as well), imaging exists, detail also exists on condition of the following: resolution is apparent when the signal is not extremely loud, at which point resonance sharply removes any distinction that instruments once had before a certain output.. stuffing the box with a bit of polyfill helps greatly (most of this speaker's problems are due to resonance).. look expensive with the grilles off, ++ for the material types.. and sound better off too.. I suppose that matters if you're into that kind of thing.

Weaknesses:
Ringing before corrected, hollow before corrected, guess I can't complain too much about that.. I mean, really.. that's about it.. they're not expensive speakers, but they sound like they could be after they grow up and stop taking drugs and get a job... they're built well for what they cost, and they sound good for how they're built.

Similar Products Used:
Volkswagens

Price Paid:  $300.00

Summary:
I had purchased the Klipsch Quintets, but immediately discovered they couldnt fill my 25' by 25' listening space.. The KSB 2.1's in conjunction with 2 KSW-10 Subs made all the difference. --especially with home theater and HDTV applications. These speakers are bright, clear, but a little weak on the bottom end (subs take care of that). Best Monitors I've owned.

Strengths:
Clarity especially on high end

Weaknesses:
No low end to speak of, and limited directionality of sound

Similar Products Used:
Cambridge Soundworks setups

Price Paid:  $130.00

Summary:
I have had these speakers for about 7 months. I could not be more pleased. I use them for music as well as home theatre. For music re-creation, they are superb. They are very accurate and scream out the highs, which I really like. For home theatre, I use them with a Klipsch SC.5 center channel and an Atlantic Technology 62PBM sub. and they are fantastic. I would recommend these speakers to anyone wanting a high quality pair of mains at a great price. You might be able to still get a pair on e-bay.

Strengths:
Very bright, accurate, and clear.

Weaknesses:
Moderate bass, but that's why I have a sub.

Summary:
I have had these speaker for a few years and i love them. I have them in my room with two 10 inch subs (I love my bass!) that I added on myself. They are great and very loud. They are also very compliant and really move a lot of air when you turn them up. They are one of the best bookshelf speakers I've heard (and I have heard quite a few.) I definitely recommend them.

Strengths:
Very good sounding speaker with crips highs and a smooth transition from woofer to tweeter. Efficient.

Weaknesses:
needs a sub for the really low bass, but not needed for casual listening.