Polk Audio Vs. Klipsch speakers, which is better?

[VR3]

Funny how the same line up RTi :4, 6,8,10,12 have the same tweets yet some say the one is brighter than the others. Wouldn't that be like saying the Pontiac Vibe goes faster then the Matrix?

The RTi70 had a similar "problem" for me... and I have heard alot of the other speakers in that line, and they were not that bright.

I narrowed it down to three things...

1) The midbasses right next to each other crossed over at the same exact frequency. They were very forward on their approach.

2) The crossover or crossover point.

3) Design goals, perhaps due to where the price range sits with these speakers, they make the speaker brighter/design it brighter to make it stand out from all the other speakers in the room. Very old trick that is still alive today. The RT800, RT800i, RTi70, RTi8 may be designed around getting your attention... and thus have a slightly brighter top end with a bit more forward midrange section.

Just because speakers all use the same drivers will not make them THE SAME. Crossover points, tuning, tweeter height - its all different and it all effects the sound.

[Toxis]

You wouldn't say Bose and say Martin Logan? I'd say their even more opposite sounding.

[Joey_V]

You wouldn't say Bose and say Martin Logan? I'd say their even more opposite sounding.

I swear... this is the first time I have ever seen those two brands in the same sentence.

:)

[Willow]

Right I get it I forgot about the darn crossovers.

Coupled up with a decent or good sub, clears up all of this. my mids are great and my highs are not harsh what so ever.

[audiobliss]

tdogroeder - Any update on your quest for speakers?

[tdogroeder]

tdogroeder - Any update on your quest for speakers?

I've decided to go with Polk Audio.

[audiobliss]

Awesome. Hope you like it. What in particular are you looking at?


EDIT - nevermind, I could just pay attention and see your thread about the R15

[Wizard2001]

I own a pair of klpsch kg4 when i bought them i auditioned few other speakers including an smaller polks that i dont remember the model. Both sounded great. In that occation i prefered the klipsch, but being honest, i cant say the polks where no good. For me i have to stablish something klipsch is a diferent sound. Not every body likes them but a lot of people love them. Is like that klipsch have a bit of urban flavor. You can play a classic concerto but a hip hop song to. Like the first few post that i read, you have to hear them both to deside. Speaker sound is very subjective. But keeping the comparison. I love mi klipsch but woul like to set up another room with polks, because a two diferent sounds, in few words, Polk is kind of mellow and klpsch is kind of heavy or bright. Bot are great speakers and good price on affordable high end. And Polk still better price. Polk is a speaker that give you more bang for your bucks. And truly my next set of speakers might be polk in priorities. Hear them both not in price but more in type range. And you will notice what i tell you.

[ZLTFUL]

I am suspecting that the OP figured out the answer to their conundrum oh...I would say nearly 7 years ago when the thread was started and last responded to...just sayin'.

[seabeerob213]

Bose are better than Polk and Klipsch.. you knucklehead.

only when paired with the best cables you can buy, Monster

[ravaneli]

Well, this being a Polk forum and all....I'm willing to bet the concensus here would be Polk. Go to the Klipsch forum and they will probably say Klipsch.

Go listen to them both and pick the ones YOU like.

BDT

nice :)

[ravaneli]

I don't think a better speaker is a matter of opinion though. At least when it comes to sound. I can grant you that appearance is subjective and arbitrary, but not sound. Speakers have a clear goal of true reproduction of the source. One of them will sound closer to the real thing, and that objectively is the better speaker, even if you like the other one more.

That said, it is hard to make a cardinal ruling on what brand is better. They are very competitive at all price points. My RtiA line is definitely brighter than my Klipsch Icon line. The frequency response curves are like a perfect mirror. One is domed up (klipsch) and one is domed down (rtia). After more than a year with both i still don't know which i prefer. But I am sure the staffs of one of these magazines like the Audio critic can compare them in detail and say which has a truer reproduction.

[tonyb]

I don't think a better speaker is a matter of opinion though. At least when it comes to sound. I can grant you that appearance is subjective and arbitrary, but not sound..

Really Rav ? You just said sound isn't subjective....really ?

[mantis]

I don't think a better speaker is a matter of opinion though. At least when it comes to sound. I can grant you that appearance is subjective and arbitrary, but not sound. Speakers have a clear goal of true reproduction of the source. One of them will sound closer to the real thing, and that objectively is the better speaker, even if you like the other one more.

That said, it is hard to make a cardinal ruling on what brand is better. They are very competitive at all price points. My RtiA line is definitely brighter than my Klipsch Icon line. The frequency response curves are like a perfect mirror. One is domed up (klipsch) and one is domed down (rtia). After more than a year with both i still don't know which i prefer. But I am sure the staffs of one of these magazines like the Audio critic can compare them in detail and say which has a truer reproduction.

Re read this.

[ZLTFUL]

I think that if everyone that makes a "sound isn't subjective" post added the words "to my ears" to literally everything they posted, they would begin to realize that sound is *wait for it*...SUBJECTIVE

;)

[tonyb]

Re read this.

I did Dan. He claims the freq response curves are mirrored images of each other yet one is brighter than the other. So either graphs and technicals don't mean squat as far as sound quality goes, or it's obviously subjective.....or both. Measurements can be a useful tool, but it is ones own ears....subjective ears, that picks out the differences.

[mantis]

I did Dan. He claims the freq response curves are mirrored images of each other yet one is brighter than the other. So either graphs and technicals don't mean squat as far as sound quality goes, or it's obviously subjective.....or both. Measurements can be a useful tool, but it is ones own ears....subjective ears, that picks out the differences.

Tony , I fully agree with you but the one piece of this puzzle your missing is how the actual speaker performs in ones room.

[mantis]

I think that if everyone that makes a "sound isn't subjective" post added the words "to my ears" to literally everything they posted, they would begin to realize that sound is *wait for it*...SUBJECTIVE

;)

Sound is but the ability to replay a signal is not.

[gudnoyez]

As far as Polk and klipsch go I own both brands and like both brands, one thing I can say is I prefer the Polk forum over the klipsch forum.

[tonyb]

Sound is but the ability to replay a signal is not.

Yes it is, but to what degree that replay gear does it, is in itself, subjective.

Also, how a speaker performs in a room is also subjective. Whats good to you may not be to me. Everything in audio is subjective, everyone perceives sound to different degrees.

[Toxis]

7 year old thread...

[KellyMic]

My bother has Klipsch and I have Polk's, we both debate which is best but for my subjective ears I feel my Polk's sound better. Neither of us is wrong, and neither is right, we like what we like.

[Monster Jam]

Auditioning speakers is a big waste of time. As is comparing "specs" which are likely falsified anyhow.

The correct way to purchase a speaker is BASED SOLELY ON EVERYONE ELSE'S OPINIONS.

[Polka_sound]

No one can tell you which speakers are 'best'. You'd have to look at the spec sheet and compare their power handling, construction materials, frequency response, impedance levels, efficiency, etc. to determine which are 'best'. However, audio is a subjective thing, and it doesn't really matter how a speaker looks on paper but how it sounds to you. The only way to get an accurate answer to your question is to find a store that sells Polk and Klipsch (or two stores, each carrying one), and audition them.


Having said that, Polk and Klipsch, I would say, are two very very different speakers. Polk typically, I believe, has silk dome tweeters that are 'smoother', 'softer', and 'mellower'. Klipsch uses aluminum (or titanium...I forgot which) compression dome tweeters with horns that make for 'hard', 'detailed', 'crisp', and some would say 'harsh' sound. It really depends on what strikes your fancy.

As you can tell from looking at my signature, I'm a fan of Klipsch speakers. I don't find them harsh at all with my Yamaha receiver, and I'm in love with their sound. However, you may think they're the brightest things you've ever heard. I haven't critcally listened to (well, anything, lol) Polk speakers, so I can't say much about them, but again, it comes down to what you and your ears like.

Go out and listen and decide for yourself.

+1 klipsch is a very good manufacturer of horn loaded speakers. Really well built

[ZLTFUL]

Sound is but the ability to replay a signal is not.

I agree 100%. The signal itself is a measurable quantity. You can put numbers to distortion, output level, etc.
But "it sounds good" is hard to put a number to.
I say that in the sense that to one person's ears, I set of speakers may sound like sex with Megan Fox but then the next person may find the sound muddied or harsh. These same opinions from 2 distinctly different people listen to the exact same gear/song/volume level/seating position/any other verifiable part of the equation.

Not disagreeing with you at all mantis...just expanding on my original thought that was rushed by my getting out the door to obtain my new speakers. LOL

[Energene]

I agree. I have to support 5 home theaters that means like 18 pairs of speakers. I like some of the older Klipsch speakers but Polks destroy the newer ones. Now Polk vs. Paradigm or B & W Nautilus would be a much tougher call.
My Polk Rti 150's with an A7 center beat out a mid range matched B & W set up but it took me almost three days to figure it out.

[Energene]

I liked the Bose 901 series, the rest of their stuff is just not that good at all.
I never heard Martin Logans. I have read they are awesome.

[canadianicon25]

to each his own...

[ddsski]

There is a way to determine which is better. Which speakers can you listen to on a quality amp for hours with no listener fatigue??? My answer would be certainly not the Klipsch speakers. They have always been frat house rockers, organ enhancerrs and speakers that could make an orchestra sound like a brassy marching band... BTW those Rti's aren't that great either. Only decent Polks are the LSi series due to the vastly superior tweeters IMHO.

[ZLTFUL]

There is a way to determine which is better. Which speakers can you listen to on a quality amp for hours with no listener fatigue??? My answer would be certainly not the Klipsch speakers. They have always been frat house rockers, organ enhancerrs and speakers that could make an orchestra sound like a brassy marching band... BTW those Rti's aren't that great either. Only decent Polks are the LSi series due to the vastly superior tweeters IMHO.

Again, you are talking about something that is completely subjective.
You are stating *your* opinion. Not that it is a bad thing but it is just that, your opinion.
I am absolutely in love with Klipsch Palladiums.
Listening to a pair of their bookshelf speakers vs LSi9s back to back, I am hard pressed to decide which I like better.
I prefer some music on the Palladiums and other music on the LSis. But then that too is *my* opinion.

Everyone's ears are similar...in that they work the same general way.
But what you might find harsh or fatiguing, someone else may find it just right. This is why there are so many speaker options and so many different manufacturers out there. There can be because everyone has a different preference.

As Dan stated...sound is subjective while the ability to replay a signal is not.
If sound wasn't subjective, my gangbanger neighbor would think his "boomin" system in his Civic sounds like **** just like I do.