klipsch- love/hate relationship?

After my divorce approx. 1 yr. ago (hooray!), I got back into stereo stuff. I purchased a used pr. of Klipsch Chorus's. They are good rock and roll speakers, but that is about it. The only decent sound I've heard from any Klipsch speaker is one that uses the big K-horn midrange; it is much mellower. Otherwise, the Klipsch midrange and esp. tweeters just don't have the detail and really sizzle, i.e., listening for more than 20-30 minutes at a time will fr your brains. I heard a pr. of old ADS L1530 studio monitors at the same store I bought my Chorus's from about 4-5 months after buying the Chorus's. At first, the sound was so different that I didn't like the ADS's, but the reality of the situation was that, because I was used to the glare and sizzle of the Chorus's, the neutrality of the ADS's didn't sound exciting initially. After another 1-2 hours of listening to the ADS's, I was convinced the Chorus's had to go. Now, don't get me wrong; the L1530's are not God's gift either. In fact, I'm selling them to have a pr. of custom speak's made with all Focal drivers. BUT, the moral of the story is, go listen to as many diferent models of speakers as possible. If you want something that you will want to listen to for extended sessions and not grow bored with r/t lack of detail (and because your ears are fried), go with a more neutral sounding, detailed speaker. This is esp. true if your musical tastes are wide ranging. If you listen to jazz or classical, avoid the Klispch stuff; they just don't make it. If you want a volume rock and roll set-up, then maybe the Klipsch are OK. If you do go with the Klipsch, skip the 20's and make a big step up to the KLF 30's. You will need to match your electronics with the Klipsch (as with any system) to try to neutralize some overly harsh, strident sound made b the horns. I've never heard tubes on Klipsch speakers, but this might be worth a listen. Actually, for awhile, I was running an ARC SP6C1 tube preamp and D52B solid state amp on the Chorus's; this was a MUCH better match than the NAD power envelope equip. I initially had on them. Good luck.

I owned a pair of Klipsch Epic 4 loudspeakers. I used a 600 watt MAC amp and those speakers were extreme loud. They handled brutal power. My room sounded like a night club. At high listening volumes, they sounded harsh on your ears and the bass was boomy. It got me into trouble with the police. They are fun only for those seeking concert force sound and music in your face. Perfect for entertaining friends at your house parties!!!Not bad for movie soundtracks. . I do miss those Epic 4 loudspks for their rock n roll sound levels!!!!

after cornwalls with correct power.....the big horns set up just right with clean tube like amps....my new B&W 802s make me want to chop up the k-horns for fire wood.....the sound is magic

you could buy cerwin vegas for much less money and achive the same results. I have corner horns and I hate them now but they make great "loud speakers" loud -yes they are. But Quality reproduction is what I prefer today. for a rock and roll speaker their great but other wise continue your search.

To fully understand what Klipsch speakers are all about, one must drive Klipschorns or La Scalas with low-powered, tube amplifiers. The second part of the equation is to prefer concert force sound levels. Thirdly, it helps to appreciate quality construction and science. When done properly they have superb sound that's hard to duplicate with cones and domes. What I'm talking about is superior dynamic range and crisp transient response, and very unstrained at high sound pressure levels. And the prettiest wood in the business - what else would you expect a Klipsch nut to say?

Klipsch are for home theatre - they're very efficient, blaringly loud speakers. Not very good with details. To me, speakers that use horns always sound like someone cupping their hands around their mouth while they speak - it's just not natural! For a true audiophile, I would suggest looking (and listening!) elsewhere. As a happy customer, I recommend Legacy Audio highly (www.legacy-audio.com). Their Studio model ($950) is the best speaker under $1,500. Since 1983, Legacy has sold direct to the public. Because there are no dealers to pay, you get about twice the speaker for the price.

I had owned a pair of 5.5 and I sold them and upgraded to KLF30 I feel Klipsch offers a great value for the money.I f you can afford it buy the KLF30 over the KLF20 much more bass and a wider soundstage with high end speaker cable and innerconnects aka; audioquest midnight -audiotruth emerald contrary to what another member said these speakers are very detailed you really wouldn't need a subwoofer.GO for it...

Great speakers, if all you listen to is national anthems!

I have enjoyed my klipsh herseys for many years and would definitely recommend any of the heritage series. However, I find these kinds of horn speakers more for home theater than two channel listening. If you are expecting imaging and depth, you will be seriously mistaken.

I recently auditioned both the KLF20's and 10's. I made the fatal mistake of listening to the 20's first, and believe me, there IS a difference !! 10's were good...20's sounded great (under very poor listening conditions). The Forte's mentioned above are also very good, but don't seem as readily available. I think they require more space than the 10/20's do, too.

I have a pair of Klipsch Forte II and I have been endlessly amazed at how well they compare to other speakers, especially in the spine tingling factor. The only real problem is that they are a bear to set up, I bet it took me 10 months to get them perfect and now I enjoy them very much. I would also like to say that these are the only Klipsch speakers I have liked, others that I have auditioned have sounded very unbalenced. I suggest you find a pair of old Forte's or Forte II's.