Torment Faktory

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Picked this pair of speakers up along with a Polkaudio 200W subwoofer and a nice Yamaha (can't remember the model #) reciever for (don't hate me!) $600.00!! All of it in mint condition. I'd been using a pair of 6.5" Alesis MK2 studio monitors for my home studio and decided to see how the KLF 20's would sound in their place. This was 3 months ago and the KLF 20's are still there and the Alesis's have long since been sold. These speakers sound utterly amazing! The frequency responce is about as flat as I've ever heard, rivaling even my bandmate's pair of $1500.00 M Audio DSM2's! About the only complaint I have is their weight. They seem like they weigh a freakin' TON! Almost as much as my Randall Warhead 4X12 speaker cabinets! Anyway, Can't say enough about these speakers! They REALLY rock!!

Price Paid:  $900.00 from Ebay

Summary:
These speakers are great overall speakers, I have been shopping around for years to find a pair of these in pristine condition. They are beautiful, and are way ahead of their time. You will not be able to find a pair of speakers within this price range that will even be able to touch these. These speakers pound on home theater, and are very accurate when listening to music.

Strengths:
Great amount of bass, no subwoofer needed, unless you are a true bass head. Very accurate speakers with a huge soundstage.

Weaknesses:
None so far, just a bit heavy.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch Reference Line Klipsch RF-7's

dcassat

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5, 12.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1350.00 from Local Retail Stereo

Summary:
Bottom line: This is one of the finest speakers you can buy. There are SO MANY SUBJECTIVE FACTORS that are reflected in many of the reviews posted here. Issues such as cable, bi-amping, model of receiver, capacitors used in the crossover circuitry, and phase of the moon are subtleties that you may or may not hear. My advice: Listen to this speaker, listen to a dozen others and then come back and listen again. Klipsch makes speakers with horns. Horns push the sound up front. You may not like this or you may love it just like the many ten's of others that have reported here. My opinion is that it is still the finest speaker for music in this price range. I really haven't listened to speakers costing thousands more so I can't make a fair comparison there. But, I have been listening to speakers for 30+ years and love this sound. The type of room you have and the placement of the speakers will make way more difference in the sound than your wire, receiver, capacitors, CD player brand, bi-amping and moon phase combined. Opposite surfaces should be different, ie: if the ceiling is reflective (smooth and hard) you need a soft floor surface (carpet). Some walls should have absorbing qualities. There needs to be sound absorbing material in your listening room (soft furniture, draperies) or your sound will be wacked, I promise! This review is as much of a testimony to the art and science of the Klipsch philosophy as it is to this particular speaker. And no, I don't work for them! Klipsch speakers have more 'presence' than any other speaker I have ever heard, period. So, if you can't find the KLF-20, listen to the other models - but only during a full moon (he,he).

Strengths:
Presence is the best. Wonderful speaker even after 5 years...

Weaknesses:
Manufacturing issue in this model year. Back of speaker was attached with poor quality glue. This is a known issue by the manufacturer. This can be fixed by them or the buyer if you wish to take the speaker apart and use good glue, I used liquid nails.

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm, Infinity.

Price Paid:  $800.00

Summary:
These might be the speakers that I keep for the rest of my life. They aproximate a real concert better than many, many speakers out there that have ridiculous prices. I'm not just talking about dynamics, or sheer impact, but also truth of timbre (which I value "HIGHLY"), and unbelievable clarity. They also image and soundstage like "champs", if you take the time to position them well. They need a fairly large room to be at their best. My room is 26x14x17 (l,w,h). The inside corner of the speaker is 56 inches away from the back wall while the outside corner is 57 3/4 inches away. The distance between the tweeters is 7 feet 7 inches, I found this to be the perfect blend between tonality and imaging. I sit 11 feet away from the plane of the speakers. At this point, using a laser pen to check for accuracy, I find the inside of the speakers form an imaginary plane towards me that is 24 inches away from my shoulders. DO NOT aim these gems directly at the listener or they will drive you, and all of your friends out of the room. These are unlike regular box speakers in that they don't have to be severely toed in to work their magic. I really hope this info helps other Klipsh owners in optimizing their sound. I listen to Duke, L.Armstrong, M.Davis, B.Goodman, E.Fitzgerld, Patti Page,the Count, B.B. King, J.L.Hooker, C.C.R., Zeppelin, Stones Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, string quartets, symphonic works from Bruno Walter, and Leonard Bernstein, Mexican music, you name it, I probably dig it. I've auditioned many high end speakers in my system, that is the only true way to determine if they are right for you. Tried the Audio Phisic Virgo's, WAY TOO finicky. Spendor SP 100's, I loved these but I couldn't get rid of a bad bass peak that I'm sure was caused by my room. Incidently, the Spendors produce the human voice better than anything I ever heard, even better than the quad 988's. But the Klipsh's are right there with them. Overall this speaker does too many things really , really well and in the long run I find these to be extremely smooth, engaging, and emotional. I just can't say enough about these. Good luck in your pursuit of music nirvana. It took me almost three years to write this review, I couldn't pry myself away from my listening chair. I woke up very early today, so I finally got a chance to sit and write. My system: Rega Planar 9 Sony SCD1 (Shunyata King Cobra pwr cord) BAT VK5i BAT VKP5 BAT VK60's (monos, don't need this much power, but you can tell the sound open up) Nordost SPM REF (cd to pre and pre to amp) Cardas Golden Cross (phono) Cardas Neut. Ref. (biwire speaker wire) PS Audio 300 (Lab cables and mini Labs for all components)

Strengths:
Integration of lower midrange up to 20khz. A gentlemen before me mentioned that once you change crossover components the sound really opens up. While I don't doubt him, and I'm sure his speakers performance went up another level, I can stiil hear all the little squeaks from Diana Krall's chair, and her lips closing and opening just as I hear them on my Senheiser 600 Maxed Out Home Headroom amp. I still wish I had his soldering techniques and know how to perform the same changes he did.

Weaknesses:
Ultimate coherence across the band....that's all that MY ears wish for.

Similar Products Used:
Dozens of speakers, I don't have time to name them, the kids are awake. I must go listen now.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from second-hand

Summary:
These are truly excellent speakers IF they are properly setup, which isn't the case in many homes : by properly setup, I mean : bi-cabled, spiked, and the outside of the horns must be damped with pounds of plastiline or some other heavy damping (very easy : unscrew the horns and damp them, with loads of plasticine, don't damp the cabinet ! only the outside of the horns). In fact, in this configuration, they are a real bargain and they can easily compete with speakers that are 3 times more expensive. In fact, in France, they were sold at around 3.000 US$ (no kidding) ! So I've lived happily with these speakers in this configuration for almost 3 years, until I decided to have a look at the crossover, which is just behind the cable. A quick look at it shows that the parts are ALL VERY LOW GRADE ! Which means that there is a lot of room for improvement. So if you can solder, here is a quick-and-dirty recipe (please, if you don't know, don't take the risk, and don't blame me): - replace the yellow caps in the middle (2 are 2.86 uF 200V 15% in series, 1 is 1.25 uF 250V 15%) with high grade polyprop like Audyn Caps, Hovland Musicaps or Auricaps. - replace the long ferrite self (1.75 mH) with a very large self of the same value from Jantzen audio for ex. (1.7 mH www.jantzen.com), and the smaller self of 0.175mH with a larger one of a close value (0.17 mH). Replace the resistors from T+ (tweeter) by two Philips PR 02 or PR 03 of the same value. Replace the caps in the black box by Elna Silmic II (same or smaller tolerance) for example. You will probably need to rebuild the whole crossover outside the cabinet from scratch, as these components are much bigger than the original ones. The whole thing may cost around 100$ per speaker. Anyway, the improvement for me was huge. You are in a totally different league. Transparency makes a quantum leap, the highs are easier and the bass is much tighter than before. My 8W 300B drive them like toys. For ex., on Diana Krall "Blvd of broken dreams", I can clearly hear all the crackings of her chair from the start of the track, which was only possible before with quality headsets. In a word, if you can, try it. My system: Sources: Sony SACD SCD-XB770 + modified ART DI/O DAC (another unbelievable product) --> YBA Preamp 1 --> custom 300B amp --> modded Klipsch KLF20

Strengths:
- dynamics - incredible transparency (when modified) - liveliness - almost unbeatable price/perf ratio (in the US, but not in France :-[)

Weaknesses:
Linearity and coherence can be perfected. Highs could be better (but not for this price). Best used in a large room.

Similar Products Used:
Martin Logan SL3 Proac Response 2.5 several other audiophile products