Todd C Blake
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2024
I purchased these excellent Klipsh Reference speakers to build a new home theater with. I also purchased the matching Klipsch R-120SW subwoofer that pairs very nicely with these speakers. These Klipsch speakers sound great when connected to a Denon AVR-S760H AV receiver, which I also own. If these Klipsch speakers were purchased individually (not on sale) they would cost nearly twice as much as this 5 piece set, so this is indeed a great deal at this price level.These Klipsh speakers came very well packed, and UPS delivered all 4 boxes on the same day (5 day shipping time). These speakers also arrived in perfect condition without a single blemish. Just be prepared to have to dispose of lots of cardboard and Styrofoam after unboxing these speakers. However, the very thick Styrofoam surrounds protect these speakers very well during shipping.These Klipsch speakers definitely do have their own very distinct "Klipsch" sound. The one inch aluminum tweeters, matched with the Tractrix horns, make the treble very bright (the treble can be EQed down if desired). This sound is excellent for things like glass breaking and swords clanking in movies, but it can be kind of harsh for some ears when listening to a lot of music (which I do), if very bright highs are not desired. However, I personally like the clear, bright sound, and I do not find it harsh or fatiguing at all, but that is just my individual taste. The midrange is also very pronounced, especially in the center channel speaker, which is great for dialogue in movies. There is not much lower bass frequencies to speak of in the bookshelf or center channel speakers, but the front tower speakers will produce surprisingly good bass down to about 45hz. However, to really shine, these speakers really need to be matched with a good subwwoofer, like the Klipsch R-120SW, as it matches this Klipsch speaker set in both sound and asthetics. Be forewarned though, the front towers are very tall and heavy, at around 40 inches, and 50 pounds each. The tower speakers are also around 16 inches deep, so make sure there is plenty of room for them.These speakers are very sensitive, and it does not take much amplifier power at all to drive them loudly. All of the speakers have a sensitivity between 90db and 96db at 8 ohms. This is a huge sensitivity boost from the 5 (86db at 6 ohm) Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers that these 5 Klipsch speakers replaced. The Pioneer speakers sound great also, in a much mellower way, but it takes a lot of power to drive them.These Klipsh speakers are all very solidly built, and they sound great. They also look really cool with the grills removed. The copper looking woofers and mounting screws look really good on the dark gray speaker fronts with the black woofer surrounds. The Tractrix tweeter horns are also very unique looking. These speakers also have very nice looking, deep wood-grained, black vinyl coverings. The speaker grills are easy to take on and off, as they are held firmly in their cabinet recesses with strong magnets. However, the matching Klipsch R-120SW subwoofer has (copper looking) metal grill retaining studs on the speaker front instead of magnets. This is probably so that the grill does not vibrate off during very loud and low bass notes.The separate Dolby Atmos speakers on top of the 2 towers give a whole new dimension to movie and music sound. They bounce the sound off of the ceiling and into your ears to create a 3D sound effect (like helicopters flying overhead). The Dolby Atmos speakers work with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X encoded video, but they also work with the "multi-channel stereo" setting in most amps to expand music sound. Either way the Dolby Atmos speakers work great and add a whole new dimension to movies and music. The Dolby Atmos speakers are their own separate connection on the back of the tower speakers, so 2 separate speaker cables have to be run to each tower speaker from the amplifier. This means that an amplifier will have to have 7 separate speaker channels in order for this Klipsch speaker set to run properly (not counting a subwoofer pre-out connection). However, the tower speakers will still work fine if the Dolby Atmos speakers are not connected, but what's the point of having them then? The screw-down wiring terminals for all of the speakers are easy to use. However, it is much easier and more secure to use banana plugs. The banana plug holes also come with little plastic covers pre-installed, if they are not used.As mentioned in other reviews, the 4 screws that hold the 2 plastic legs on the bottom of the tower speakers are worthless. I did not even attempt to use them, and I used my own course-threaded, self tapping, black wood screws instead. Problem solved. However, the ol' candle wax or bar soap on the screw threads might help the original screws go into the cabinet's MDF easier, without breaking off.Overall, this is a great Klipsch speaker set, especially at this price point. I highly recommend these speakers. I personally like the unique, crisp (trebely?) sound of Klipsch speakers, but others may not. Potential buyers may want to find a retailer to give some Klipsch speakers a good listen before purchasing these (or any other) Klipsh speakers. Also, while these Klipsch speakers do sound amazing on their own, they really need to be paired with a good subwoofer (or two) in order to fill in the low bass that is mostly lacking in these otherwise great speakers. Have fun!
gf973
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2024
Great sound loving them
proton
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2024
I decided to remove my prior post as it was related to a now agreeably resolved dispute.It has been a while since receiving the system, and for me an older retired dementia patient, this is a dream. I never owned such a nice sounding system. The front towers are bold, the surrounds are great and the center has surprising punch. This is paired with twin 12" Subs (not included in this purchase} and two cieling atmos speakers making a fantastic home theater. I have tried it with both a Denon and Pioneer receiver and the pioneer has the edge in sound while the Denon is easier to use. I must shoutout to ChatGPT for helping me assemble this review from perceptions burried among the ruins dementia has left of my brain,Finally I'd like to say thank you to the manager at Adorama who made my experience superb.
timothy
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2024
Highly recommend this system to anyone. Great sound quality. Looks nice. Well built. The only thing was the screws for the floor speaker stands are cheap and break easily. This system Paired with 2 R-12sw is killer.
Mbelkm
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2023
All speakers showed up at the same time, boxes where in one piece, and no visible damage upon removal. People .entioning screws are an issue are impatient, you will need to work them back and forth to get the wood threaded for the screw before tightening. . Otherwise great. Center channel is a little weak but levels above a certain volume bring it in line, overall great buy. Raptors in jurassic Park are freaky sounding and tactile again, just like in the theater.
Darrius Lewis
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022
The sound quality with these speakers is absolutely amazing! I paired them with two Klipsch subwoofers and it sounds like I'm in the theater watching a movie. A great purchase to enhance my home theater experience.
Josue
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2022
Everything was easy to setup, I am satisfied with performance, though my living room may be too large, so will upgrade eventually. Only negative, is that rear legs on both towers have insufficiently deep pre-drilled holes, so I broke the first screw trying to get it tight. The remaining 3 holes for rear legs were all the same. Screws will not reach point where they secure the rear legs, so ended up leaving them loose while I figure out how to secure them. Will be contacting the seller and or Klipsch about this.
aero10844
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2021
I got this set for my home theater set up with Marantz 9ch unit and Vava Ultra Short throw Projector with a 120inch super ultra Ambient light screen and everything sound and looks beautiful best speakers for the price. I did add a 2nd Subwoofer for balance bass sound just perfect performance sound overall