Klipsch love them or hate them.

You know If Klipsch made a speaker that was as uncolored and refined soundding(or at least close for the money) as the AVANTGARDE HORN speakers, I'd be a DEFINITE FAN!!! COME ON KLIPSCH!!!!..I'M ROOTING FOR YA!!!!
For over 10 years now I've been selling Klipsch speakers on a retail level. I've had people bring their older Heritage series speakers into my shops, and/or telling me how great their LaScalas or K Horns sound and such. But I have yet to hear one pair that I thought sounded "all that"!!! I sure wish I could JUST ONE TIME hear a pair(or whatever) of Klipsch speakers(or combo of equipemt) that sounded transparant, uncolored, and refined!!! I SOOOOOO MUCH want to hear a pair of K's that sound really really good...and I'll tell you why....
I REALLY love the dynamics and pressence that you get from a lot of these Klipsch passive speakers potentially, and the advantages that offers for movies and dynamic music/sound, and that they are easy to drive with any amp!(also tubes) My complaint thus far with the Klipsch's, at least ALL THE ONES I'VE HEARD, is that they are just too colored, and not so extended sounding sometimes(although horns can be very detailed). Or they just don't seem to be transparant and dissapear well enough for my tastes. While they can be detailed and involving, and the dynamics and pressence are fantastic with the right set up and equipment, I can never get past the limitations. I mean I hear a pair of uncolored or refined(although not nearly as dynamic and effortless sounding) Thiels, or Maggies, or Wilson's(better dynamically than a lot however), even stuff from modest 'ol NHT's line, and I wonder why Klipsch's can't produce that kind of transparancy and lack of coloration!?!
Still, from years of dealing with the Klipsch's, I keep hoping someone will enlighten me on some "modification"(like I've heard about crossover upgrades for Klilpsch's, but don't know if it makes a difference) or "obscure" model of Klipsch's that I'm not aware of, which will make me get excited about trying a K speaker! I really really want the K's to sound better than they do! I love the benefit a high sensitivity speaker offers for HT and rock music, and the pressence that's available with even low wattage amps. I know you're going to get steap roll-off off axis and all, but I can work with that(although you sure get better off-axis sound from COMMERCIAL MOVIE THEATER SPEAKERS!!!...anyone know why theater horns have so much better dispersion?).
Build me an affordable Klipsch speaker that sounds even remotely "hi-end" sounding and "uncolored", and I'll buy one right now!!!!!!
I've certainly come to the realization of the limitiations of passive speakers in general dynamically, and horns certainly do better in efficiency and sensitivity(and thus dynamic ease). So I like what "potential" the horn has to offer in the right design.
I keep hearing tons of very clear and uncolored sounding speakers over the years, but most of these passive designs are very flawed dynamically(but then we're talking "passive crossover network designs"). Avantegard has the whole "uncolored" and very refined and high end thing down, but they're BIG BUCKS! I want BUDGET MID-FI PRICED SPEAKERS that sound as clear as a pair of old NHT 1.5's or better, with ultra high sensitivity like what Horn speakers offer! Otherwise, I will continue to crave "powered speakers" from higher end manufactures(still rare), or active speakers(also rare) with "higher refinement"!
If anyone has some input there I'd love to hear it.

Well I must say I have to amend my previous post here. After all that I said previously regarding the Klipsch Line, and my experiences with them, I now have a new reference for which I'll be using for budget HT rigs from now on!...the little Klipsch SB-2's/1's!!! Wow! I stubled across these speakers by chance some time back, and I picked up a pair (SB1's...soon to be SB2's). Tubes tubes tubes!...is what these speakers shine with!
I am soooooo thrilled by the sound I'm getting with these little buggers! Dynamics, detail, and clarity a-plenty! I have yet to find a more effective and refined sounding HT/music speaker for the money, that will blow your socks off for just about anything you play through it!!!..very nice. I've owned LOTS of very expensive speakers over the years, from Thiels, to Sonus Fabers's, to Merlins, to some higher end Dedicated rather superb high end HT speakers like Infinity Prelude MTS'S! And as of now, I can't think of anything I'd rather use for a modest HT/music speaker in my rigs!..the sound is that good!
Again, the key to making these sound right is tubes!
I used to be a Klipsch "nay-sayer", and was rather dissinterested. Then I played around abit and came up "pay-dirt"! too bad these are discontinued...they got's lot's of potential!!! I've rewired mine with some higher end Audioquest 6/9's copper wiring from some CV6 I had, and it's improved even more!. I might tinker more later I think. I'm having fun anyway...

The trick with the Klipsch's I'm referencing (SB2's) is TUBE GEAR!!!...yes, unforgiving solid state makes them too foreward and in your face for comfort if not careful. Balance is the key, and a properly mated tube amp does the trick!
Keep in mind, when considering HT speaker applications, MORE PRESSENCE is better than laid back standard audiophile speaker sound for involvment!
I used to have Thiel 1.5's, which were superb little music speakers. Even as a speaker that was a bit foreward in the mid-trebble, they were too laid back for "thrilling" HT dubties, and just sounded a bit uninvolving, if pretty sounding. That is one of my complaints with most high end speaker designs being SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to sound laid back through out the midrange! This complaint has been made by more than a few Stereophile reviewers over the years, including J. Gordon Holt. If you do chose a speaker like this for HT dubties, besides other factors in design, the results isn't often as good as whata dedicated HT or a good horn speaker can do for a movie soundtrack, done properly.
I think this is part of the reason a lot of guy's use separate rigs for their 2 channel vs. 5 channel set up's. They often want their music pressented differently than their movies!