Klipsch, high end?

Ez I was waiting to see if you have anything more to add before I jump back in :-)
Dynamat on SIDEwalls is something I'm going to ask you about; that sounds interesting (most people just put it on the horns). However even the good old Klipsch can be harsh-sounding if you don't have them set up well, which can be difficult. You simply must have good cabling & equipment matches for the application in order to achieve good sonic results, while realizing the efficiency & dynamics of horns. It is no easy feat to pull off the right balance, so if one is not willing to work at it then you will be probably dissapointed as-above.

Here's my story:

When I was looking for speakers I read that "Higher Life" by Steve Windwood was a good cd with which to audition speakers. Yes, the sould was LOUD and strong and in your face specially at the start of that song with all the percussion. However, the commanding "beat" is what made the impact. When I tried the same cd on a comparable player/preamp/amp combo BUT with a pair of psb stratus golds the "main" beat was not as strong or present as with the Klipschs'; however, on the psb's I could hear every single downbeat between the louder main "whacks" which were so lacking through the klipschs that I felt like I was hearing a very different piece of music. From that moment on I knew I would never spend my money on Klipschs.
I guess it's like Bose systems' everyone has heard of them and thinks they're great until they hear a decent pair of speakers where you can actually tell if the low chords are being played by a cello of a bassoon.
Don't fall for the hype, keep looking for a set of speakers that will reproduce your music more faithfully.

P.S. Metalheads seem to swear by Klipschs!, no surprise!!

I recently auditioned speakers and found Klipsch particularly harsh. I listened to RB3 and SF2. I don't know, those horn tweeters were just too much for me, especially on very brassy passages. My ears were ringing. No doubt they had great bass response and presence, but the treble/midrange was just too much. I ended up going with PSB Stratus Bronze, at a lower cost than the RB3 here in Canada.

Viking there is absolutely NO metal at our house, nor any rap-crap for that matter either. And don't even SAY that B-word! These classics are so revealing that you won't like 'em unless the setup is just right (which is not easily done) so your experiences don't surprise. That's MY story and I'm stickin' to it!

It Ez again. Firstly, Mborner, PSB might be a really good choice to audition in that price range. Another option, and I don't know what your budget is, but I'm perfectly happy with my Biro L/1's. Its a very nice minimonitor at $1600 pr. and I'm satisfied with the sound of my system, i.e. no plans to upgrade whatsoever.
Bob, as far as my Klipsch I did put dynamat on the horns too (and the leftover on the front baffle). I also changed the internal wiring to the same synergistic research alpha I was using for the main runs. I tried every position imaginable. I put them close to the corner and experimented with their drivers axis crossing in front of my face, behind my head, directly at my ears. I.e. the toe in was up to 45 degrees sometimes like the BIG Khorns. I ultimately settled on the conventional position of the speaker firing straight down the room with no toe in whatsoever. Even after all the toeing in and moving to and from rear and sidewalls I was never happy with the sound. Believe me, I wanted to make my $1000 work. The associated equipment was a Jolida sj202a early handwired version (no printed circuit boards) with a California Audio Labs DX-1 and synergistic research a/c master coupler, alpha sterling interconnect, and alpha speaker cable. I was just never happy with it. The thiel CS.5 were so much nicer, much smaller cuter looking. A bit less bass but everything sounded nicer.