Upgraded from Klipsch to Volti - Was it worth it?


Short answer... YES!

I have two systems, one in a large living room that opens to the rest of the house and one in my office.  I was running Klipsch Corwalls in the L.R. and Klipsch Fortes in my office.  As I upgraded electronics and cables the limitations of the Klipsch, as good as they are for the money, began to become more apparent (see profile for electronics).

I did a ton of research and listened to several brands, but nothing I heard produced the warm and full sound as the Klipsch, especially the Cornwalls - they are good and get better with good electronics & definately fun, but they do have resonance, clarity, and bass issues.

One brand in particular that I auditioned uses DSP and powered subs - and this just didn't sound natural to me, was complex, and would have required large speakers, masses of cables, and in the end am glad I chose not to go that route.

I looked hard into what Greg, at Volti, was doing and it made tons of sense to me.  Super high quality cabinets finished beautifully, filled with the highest quality drivers available, and assembled with "do no harm" crossovers.

So I took the plunge and purchased a very handsome set of Burl Walnut Rivals for the living room and a beautiful set of Luceras for the office that matched the wood of my desk and trim.

Wow, is all I can say!  Superb balance, clarity, bass, it's all there - warm, full, refined and fun when you turn them up.  To my ears they sound far more like real music than non-horn speakers - and the high quality 15" woofer drivers really bring the bass and lower mid-range voice.

Working with Greg was easy - he even took my Klipsch speakers in on trade so he could make a video series comparing Klipsch to Volti.  Here's a link to the first one in the series: https://youtu.be/9BB-BTGaJxA?si=qSejdSk2-nSh_yME

I was super impressed with the fit and finish quality.  The magnetically attached grills fit perfectly into the CNC cabinets.

But what's best from my wife's perspective is how nice they integrate into the house [this is huge] - For their size they produce copious warm and full music while adding beautiful wood work.  No new cables or electronics required, they integrated perfectly in only few minutes to set up.  The tube front-end on both my McIntosh systems really makes them sing, could not be happier with the upgrade.

Of course when upgrading we know that diminishing returns begins to set in... to get X% increase you may need to spend 2x, 3x, or 4x to get noticably better.  In this case I'd say the Luceras are literally 100% better than the Fortes and are probably 25% better than the Cornwalls.  The Rivals are easily 50% better than the Cornwalls and took the system to whole different level - frankly I can't imagine better and know that my system is now at the point where it would take more money than I'm willing to spend as I know any improvements from here would be minor but expensive.

So I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Voltis - If you own Klipsch or another brand and are looking for better give Greg a call!

 

namrider1

Showing 1 response by trivema

@namrider1 Excellent review of the Volti’s! Congrats on acquiring not one, but two pair.  Funny, I watched the Volti vs Cornwall/Forte YouTube yesterday morning.  Guess I saw your Klipsch trade in’s!  

I’ve been a big Klipsch fan ever since I heard a pair of Khorns in 1977 at my local audio shop. Spooky how stereo image follows you around a room. I love the Klipsch horn sound, but they are somewhat mass produced and not as high end as Volti’s which do have a much more refined sound. Yes, everything matters, and makes a difference, cabinets, drivers, horns, crossovers, cables, etc. all of which is reflected in price differential. 

Currently Forte III’s are at the top of the food chain in my systems, along with a few other Klipsch models including a great recapped pair of Heresy II’s, Vienna Acoustics and Focals. Different systems, different sounds, all good for different rooms and different purposes.

My electronics and room are “price point appropriate” with the Forte III’s so no need to change anything right now.  However, I am planning on relocating next spring, and a dedicated listening room that I can get acoustics dialed in is one of my top requirements.  At which point I plan on upgrading electronics, e.g., Manley Labs, Carey Audio, or McIntosh mono blocks with a proper preamp vs an integrated, better sources, interconnects, etc.

When I get there, I’ll plan on test driving Volti’s vs the new Klipsch AK7 and Jubilee.  Damn, I can’t wait!!