Clarity of high-end frequencies, imaging, wide dispersion characteristics.

Bass, tinny midrange when compared to more conventional bookshelf speakers.

This is an update review of the original LX-5''''s. I''''ve had these for about 4 years, then when the LX-8''''s were discontinued and started drastically dropping in price, I got a pair of them and have been listening to them ever since. I hadn''''t listened to the LX-5''''s as mains for a long time, so recently becoming a little fatigued with the sound of the LX-8''''s, I decided to hook the 5''''s back up, especially since I got a Denon DCM-370 last year, which had not been played through the 5''''s. I was curious to compare the differences in sound between the LX-5''''s and 8''''s. First of all, after getting the LX-8''''s a couple years ago, I was convinced I had a better overall speaker. Now, since hooking back up the LX-5''''s and listening carefully, I''''ve decided the LX-5''''s are closer to audiophile sound than are the LX-8''''s. Other owners of the LX-8''''s reading this may think I''''m crazy making that statement but I can hear why the original LX-5''''s were so highly regarded by Stereophile and several other publications a few years ago and the LX-8''''s wound up discontinued. To get to the point, while the LX-5''''s have no real low-end on their own, and the midrange is somewhat smallish-sounding or on the tinny side, the areas where these speakers do excel at: the high-end clarity and wide dispersion and awesome imaging, allow me to hear things in the music I don''''t hear with the LX-8''''s. They just provide a more transparent window to what''''s on the recording than do the LX-8''''s. Somehow, the Linaeum tweeter doesn''''t sound the same on the much larger LX-8''''s. I think if Radio Shack had come up with a model that was a hybrid of these two models, a speaker that was in between the LX-5''''s and LX-8''''s, a speaker that combined the lower end of the LX-8''''s (with a much better midrange than either model) and all the clarity of the LX-5''''s they could have had a really great-sounding speaker, true competitors to other well-known hi-fi brands. So, while the Linaeum tweeter is remarkable, Radio Shack/RCA has not yet produced a speaker that reveals it''''s potential. I was hoping the newest version, the LX-550 is that ideal Linaeum speaker, but according to the only review I''''ve seen of those (the review before this one), they still haven''''t got have it right.

Similar Products Used:

LX-8''''s, Polk 5bjr

Great price when they're on sale. High quality build. Tweeter is a good conversation piece.

They sound like crap.

I thought I stumbled across one of the all-time great secrets when I found the PRO LX5 II's for $75 each. At one Radio Shack, the employee's actually figured out how to get them turned on, and after waiting 10 minutes, I thought they sounded good enough to buy.

After doing MUCH research and reading endless reviews, I decided to check out Klipsch products. I figured if I could find a better speaker for the money, I'll return the RS speakers. When I brought the Klipsch 2.1's home, I hooked one up on the right first, and left the Optimus on the Left. I couldn't believe the difference! The first thing I noticed was how much louder the Klipsch was. The second thing I noticed was that the only thing I could hear out of the LX5 was the voice! There was almost no "music" with the voice! All the instruments were loud and clear on the Klipsch! All I can say is WOW!

Now I feel like I got ripped off! Luckily, I can take them back. If you have these speakers hooked up, and you actually like the sound, it's because you have not heard them next to a quality speaker. I don't know why this speaker gets good reviews. I guess like myself, if you didn't compare it side by side to another brand, it sounds fine. Do yourself a favor, and check out the Klipsch speakers. You won't believe the difference. (No I don't work for them, I'm just really impressed with what I have discovered!)

BTW, I picked up 2 of the Klipsch 2.1's from uBid for $67 each!

3 Stars for value because of the price when they're on sale, 2 stars overall because you get what you pay for.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch 2.1's, Klipsch KSF-S5, and I've store tested: Bose 201, Yamaha, Sony, JBL, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, Polk, KLH, NHT, Acoustic Research.

I recently bought a pair from Radio Shack. (Yes, Radio Shack, you can stop laughing now). I've read great reviews from critics who normally woulnd't give anything Radio Shack markets the time of day. These speakers have excellent tweeters for very good high sounds. The woofer works well, although with a 5 inch woofer, the bass will fall short fairly quickly, but they perfrom well for a bookshelf speaker. They recently had a sale for $150 per pair which make these a good bargain. They're great for the entry level listener, and they're very good for surround speakers for the more advanced home theater. If they are your main speakers, you might want to consider adding a subwoofer, but these do a good job. Critics say you can get other speakers for a few dollars more which perform better. These include NHT SuperZeros, and Paradigm Titans or Atoms I believe. Listen for yourself and you be the judge. Overall, a great speaker at a great price, which is a change for Radio Shack.

The Linaeum RT5 tweeters are quite pleasant to listen to, especially for jazz and r&b. I also purchased the Optimus SW-14 non-powered sub and wired the LX5 out of phase. The sub cuts off at 200 Hz, and the LX5 takes it from 200Hz to 25kHz. If anyone has the guts to follow the advice at www.blackdahlia.com/do_tip.htm and also pack some fiberglass fill in the sub, the pay-off seems to be better at a total price of USD $289. I thinks at that price (both items on-sale); it's quite a steal.

quality construction, faithful sound reproduction throughout, and of course - the price

The newer LX-5 IIs have improved what weaknesses I could find in the older models.

My job is electronics, but I will spare you the jargon and pretend I'm talking to my wife.
When my stereo gave up, and my speakers had litterally rotted, I bought into surround sound. The first thing I noticed while shopping was that if you like music, no way the Bose sattelite system's speakers could reproduce anything except movie sounds or an already bad RAP song. I thought I would need bigger forwards (like Bose 301) and that rears were not too important. To make a long story shorter, I was wrong and I found a coupon at the Shack's website and the LX-5 IIs only cost $59 (valid as of Jan 2000)so I started to seriously study up and bought them with the intention of taking them back after trying them out. I bought 4 and hitched them up with a Radio Shack Optimus center speaker (I would also recommend) and a Yamaha YST SW45 (which I would not necessarily recommend by itself, but 2 of them would probably be great). I will not take these speakers back, and I'm very glad I bought them for rears too. This is the next best thing to having the band in my house. My best advice would be to read all these reviews and realize that if they were bad reviews, the speakers probably did not match up with their system or they did not know how to properly set them up. Then buy 4 of these speakers first (and make sure they are the new (LX-5 IIs with improved bass and mids), then carefully plan the rest of your surround sound/audio system around these speakers - or maybe you like RAP, and if you don't mind paying twice the price then go get ripped off by Bose and the others.

Price, Linaeum tweeter, but...

Overall design

I auditioned the ProLX5IIs and the Pro88AVs at home and in my opinion the 88s are superior the 5s. In the 88s the Linaeum tweeter really shines through - highs are clear, crisp and clean. The highs of the 5s are just too soft and the overall sound is not as focused and coherent. I guess they are specifically designed that way. Perhaps one is made purposely for surround sound applications, but I just couldn't keep the 5s but was more than happy to purchase the 88s at only $50 each. I think the 88s are outstanding speakers - smooth, crisp, clear and clean. I assume they are being discontinued. I eagerly await the replacement for these, if any. Never thought I'd be buying speakers from Radio Shack!

Similar Products Used:

Polk, Klipsch, Energy

GREAT HIGHS

SO-SO MIDS,NO BASS BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A SMALL CABINET WITH A 5" WOOFER?

PICKED UP 5 OF THESE AT RS DURING A HALF PRICE SALE,AND WITH A 60% OFF COUPON FROM VALUEPASS.COM PAID $30 BUCKS EACH FOR THEM!!! ARE THE PERFECT? NO,ARE THEY GOOD? YOU BET!
THESE ARE THE NEW PRO5 2'S,SOUND PRETTY GOOD FOR THE BUCKS,I'M WAITING FOR A TEN INCH 100 WATT AUDIOSOURCE SUB
THAT I PAID $140.00 WITH SHIPPING SO I'M EXPECTING EVEN BETTER RESULTS,IF YOU'RE JUST GETTING INTO HOME THEATER,AND LOOKING TO DO IT ON THE CHEAP THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!BUY THESE AND A SUB,ADD A DECENT HT RECIEVER AND ENJOY YOUR MOVIES!

Low Cost, excellent imaging

Bass

You can't beat it's low cost especially when it is on sale. Very neutral, natural sound. Most people laugh at Radio Shack products but they have a winner here. It's magnetically shielded so you can put it right next to the television and small enough to put on invdividual stands.

Similar Products Used:

Spica TC-50

BIG Bang for the buck - if you can find them! Highs are ultra crisp and clear. Mid, bottom good for small room. build quality excellent.

Being discontinued. Present availabilty(3/29/00): Getting tough to find.

Most of the reviews here are from people who truly live for their setup. I enjoy good sound, but being frugal, like to have stuff that lasts. My old setup with the Realistic's had people looking in disbelief that those were the only speakers in the 16 x 16 room. They were driven by a $99.00 Sony receiver (it too, from '87). Audiophile, no. Room filling sound, yes. I Play everything from CD's to Laserdiscs.

Which brings me to the LX5II. The imaging and clarity in the listening field 'sweet spot' is wonderful. Steely Dan's latest, '2 Against Nature' tests the bass response limits, but the sax, horns and top-end perc. are heaven. And I'm laying them on their sides(!), due to shelf unit size limits. The shelf's box enclosure may be assisting the bass. The aluminum enclosure was a top reason I chose Radio Shack back in '87. The only wood speaker cabinet I'd consider is way out of my budget guidelines.

Bought my first pair last week for $79 each. I plan to keep them forever! Thanks to everyone who has posted here - your feedback was instrumental in my decision. Viva LX5II !

Similar Products Used:

None. Previous speakers were a pair of 1987 Realistic Minimus 7's. One speaker finally developed a buzz!

Wide, deep soundstage. Good imaging. Decent frequency response in the midrange. Can't see anything touching these at this price point.

Lots of treble rolloff. Midbass peak. No bass but hey, they're under $200 for a pair.

These speakers are a very good bargain but I don't know that they deserve the raves below. I'm using one pair for surrounds and one pair in the bedroom with a small sub. They sound "wide" with a nice rreverb effect which shouldn't be confused with "air" that comes from clean treble over about 12-15khz, which these speakers do not have. I love them as a second system but the limited freq response and limited dynamics make it tough to recommend these as L/R's in a main system, sub or no sub.
Two stars for sound and the solid cabinet and an extra star for the unusually low price.

Similar Products Used:

Boston 9000