Klipsch vs Quad..?

[RunOutGroove]

I had a pair of Quad 12L bookshelf speakers that I was using as remotes in a bedroom office. Though these things sounded pretty good to me and really felt like an upgrade from these Whafedale Diamond 10 speakers (which were nice and punchy, had pretty good bass, but had less detailed treble that I wasn't crazy about), over time they began to seem a little bit flat sounding to me and I was looking for something that was a bit livelier and more spacious sounding, but for cheap. I found a really good deal on a pair of Klipsch RP 600 II speakers and after reading lots of good things about these speakers, I was curious to see if they might be just the thing I'm looking for... so I had to buy them

After hooking up the Klipschs, these are my thoughts...
First of all, I'm using a vintage Marantz 2270 for power and I played two albums that I like to use to demo gear, John Abercrombie / Dave Holland / Jack DeJohnette -Gateway and Candelario "Cachiato" López - Cachaíto (great, really big bass sounds). I found the Klipsch to be far more lively than the Quads, for sure. They have more energy in the treble and more transparency. They have an all around deeper, larger sound stage than the Quads and are more dynamic so that more percussive sounds really jump out at you, in a way that the Quads really don't. The Quads might have a bit more low end, but they didn't seem carry as much texture in that region as the Klipschs which showed off more of the woody twang that a string bass has. Compared to the Qauds though the Klipsch speakers seem to have a thinner sounding midrange so that things like guitar and trombone didn't sound as satisfying full as they did on the older speakers. One thing is that the Klipsch speakers were a bit louder, but I would have expected that they would have been a lot louder than they were at the same volume setting as the Quads becuase they have a super high efficiency rating. Not that this is a problem as I think that my amp is likely more than adequate to power them.

I would say that the Klipsch are the overall winner and a far more exiting listen than the Quads. I think that particularly for the low volume listening that I do in the room where I have these speakers that the Klipsch will be even better still. Still, I'm not sure that I would rate the Klipsch speakers as quite ideal as they sound a bit thin in the mid-range, even if they are better in most other ways. As much as I appreciate the extra energy in the treble, I feel that it might be on the verge of being a bit too much of a good thing and I can totally see how some folks feel that these speakers can be a fatiguing listen... I'll have to see what I think after some more hours of listening to these things.

For now, The RP 600 mkII speakers are keepers, though I might wait a bit before I put my Quad 12L speakers up for sale (I don't stockpile audio gear so I own almost nothing which isn't being actively used). I'll also say that the Jamo 103c speakers that I have attached to the same amp in my living room easily beat both the Klipsch and the Quad speakers, but then again the Jamos are a far more expensive speaker than either so I guess that's to be expected...

 

[A23gt]

Thanks for the write up. I like hearing about other’s impressions about different speakers.

Sounds like a good match for your home office.

 

[RunOutGroove]

It really is amazing how these two different speakers sound from each other. The Klipsch are a bit lacking in bass to my ears as well as midrange presence, but they are so much more detailed and dimentional sounding that it seems that it was worth the swap with the Quads. I could see that maybe the Quads might sound better with smoother, non percussive music, like string quartets than the Klipsch, but I don't listen to much of that...

 

[A23gt]

I have a pair of Quartets and Heresy I’s on the way for use with my Sherwood tube amps. I will be trying those in my home office too.
Really impatient for them to get here, so I can hear how they sound compared to my current office speakers. (KLH model 5)

 

[RunOutGroove]

I have a pair of Quartets and Heresy I’s on the way for use with my Sherwood tube amps. I will be trying those in my home office too.
Really impatient for them to get here, so I can hear how they sound compared to my current office speakers. (KLH model 5)

I have some really old KLH speakers, though I forget the model. They were probably way overdue for getting caps and such replaced so I can't really say what the sound signature is when they're really working 100%. I'll bet though if those higher end Klipsch speakers that you have sound anything like my RP600m IIs that they will sound radically different than the KLH. The Klipsch sound very different than any other speaker that I've had (though I haven't owned a ton of them). I've never owned horn type speakers though...

 

[fredgarvin]

I recall that the Quad 12L was available in a powered version that was considered better sounding.

 

[A23gt]

I have some really old KLH speakers, though I forget the model. They were probably way overdue for getting caps and such replaced so I can't really say what the sound signature is when they're really working 100%. I'll bet though if those higher end Klipsch speakers that you have sound anything like my RP600m IIs that they will sound radically different than the KLH. The Klipsch sound very different than any other speaker that I've had (though I haven't owned a ton of them). I've never owned horn type speakers though...

Listening to the Heresy’s today. The KLH model 5’s sound surprisingly like them in imaging, midrange, with a little less brightness, but with much more bass. (I haven’t done anything with the Klipsch yet, but the KLH has been recapped and sealed.) Power requirements are hugely different with the Klipsch being very sensitive.

I think the Heresy’s will clean up with the recap, and maybe I’ll throw in a Crites diaphram or throw in an SMAHL in place of the tweeter.

 

[Gigantic]

Nice! A buddy of mine has a pair of Klipsch Reference Premiere, I have a pair of modded Heresy and LaScala clones. Detail and dimensionality are hallmarks of the brand, as is the lack of bass, owing to the brand's penchant for increased sensitivity, which often results in trading decreased low end response for the better detail and dynamics that highly efficient speakers provide.

 

[RunOutGroove]

Nice! A buddy of mine has a pair of Klipsch Reference Premiere, I have a pair of modded Heresy and LaScala clones. Detail and dimensionality are hallmarks of the brand, as is the lack of bass, owing to the brand's penchant for increased sensitivity, which often results in trading decreased low end response for the better detail and dynamics that highly efficient speakers provide.

I get that... I don't exactly have buyer's remorse about getting the RP-600m II speakers as there are some things that I like about them and I got them for a great price. I was ready for a change from the Quads and honestly I wanted to see what these kind of speakers are all about. Still, that being said I could see in the future, trading these Klipsch speakers for something that's a bit fatter sounding, but that hopefully has a bit of the same liveliness that Klipsch has. My Jamo C103 speakers that I have in my main room have some of the liveliness (but not as much) as the Klipsch but still have a much more full sounding bass and midrange. Maybe someday, I'll have a bit bigger budget and replace those Jamos with something really special, then I can replace the Klipsch with the Jamos in the extra room...