Rock789

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:  $30.00 from Radio Shack

Summary:
I got these many years ago and have used them as my surrounds in my prologic system. I recently purchased a Denon AVR 2805, and am continuing to use these as my surrounds untill my 5 focal jmlab speakers come in... In DTS, these speakers are awsome!, when using 5ch sterio they are very crisp and clear (much more so than my technics 15" 3ways I had for fronts in my prologic system) I paid $30 for the pair back in '98 I think, and for $30, these are totally awsome!

Strengths:
Cheap, very clear and crisp sound

Weaknesses:
I have not seen these in radioshack in many years...

Similar Products Used:
RCA, Sony, Onkyo, home built speakers

Price Paid:  $50.00 from Radio Shack

Summary:
The XTS-10 became the XTS-20 and now has the RCA moniker.
The new RCA speakers are just as good and continue to amaze me with their overall sonic quality. I have added another home theatre in my home, hooked up to my PC, an purchased more of these fine speakers. We can purchase anything, but my wife wanted a living room, now that we are mature adults, instead of a kick-ass media center.

A few weeks ago I visited the Bose showroom in downtown Portland and auditioned their various swivel speakers along with their sub.

Overall I felt the sound was distorted. I asked the salesperson to turn down the sound to a conversational level, instead of loud, and the sound was harsh on the Bose.

I don't mean to demean Bose, I love their 901 series speakers, but their cubes are overpriced garbage.

You must couple the twisties with a decent sub. I have a Tannoy sub, placed dead center under my TV monitor. We have placed the 5 twisties at about 4.5 feet high, around our living room. Please note that the twisties are not as magnetically shielded as claimed. I have made a plate of galvenized steel to place my center speaker on, other wise my monitor would have color distortion.

In the computer room, my PC monitor does not have the problem with the center on top of the monitor.

If you are not in the habit of really cranking up the tunes with the Greatful Dead, these are great musical and home theatre speakers.

Strengths:
Price, Sound, Size

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Bose

Price Paid:  $50.00 from Radio Shack

Summary:
In the fall of 1999 I replaced my entire system to go DTS and Dolby Digital. My wife wanted the "Klipsch horns" out of the living room.

We purchased six of the Optimus 10 twisties. Orginally I used 4 up front, (2 center speakers one on either side of my monitor), two in the rear. The 4 up front are on book shelves and the rears mounted with speaker supports on the wall.

I now use only 1 center, placed on top of my monitor.

These are all connected with Monster cable. You must take care not to break the connection posts...they are a bit weak.

My receiver is a Yamaha, with a Tannoy sub-woofer underneath my monitor, dead center.

Guests can't believe just how good this system is. My brother has Magnapans and other than "imaging" he confirms that they sound like $500 speakers. My benchmark for bookshelf speakers is the Tannoy Mercury series, but for 10% of the price I have the same sonic performance.

The Bose system was auditioned, but it sounded flat and lifeless. The trick with my system is good cables and the high end Tannoy subwoofer, handling the bass at the Optimus roll off at 150 hz.

So got out and by a really great sub and with the remainder of your budget, fill your room with the Optimus, now RCA twisties!

C.E. Rory Rorabaugh
former Program Director and Chief Engineer
KIRO-FM Seattle
KEZX-FM Seattle
KBRD-FM Tacoma/Seattle
KMUZ-FM Vancouver/Portland

Strengths:
Price, sound, and looks.

Weaknesses:
Weak speaker terminals

Similar Products Used:
none

Summary:
Great little-speakers if you have or are planning to buy sub. my only big complaint is bad distortion coming from the speaker termimals on the back of the speakers espically at loud volumes, but im plaing to seal the speaker termimals to get rid of it. their really good value because I bought them at raidoshack for 50 bucks a pair.

Strengths:
Bright highs, verv inexpensive

Weaknesses:
Chuffing from the terminals

Similar Products Used:
Bose

Summary:
I have had the klipsch quintets for over a year now. I really enjoyed them but was ready to try something new. I thought about bose but just to expensive. Tried the new xts-20v from radio shack and couldn't beleive the sound.They have better highs,cleaner voice,and better all around than the klipsch.Some people may say I am crazy that 49 dollar speakers can sound better than 400 dollar speakers. I tried them this morning with my denon rec.A-B switch and all I can say is the little dual cubes out did my Klipsch.The 20's are replacing the xts-10,and they are also rated at 100 watts max.

Strengths:
highs natural voice

Weaknesses:
none yet

Similar Products Used:
quintets