Klipsch's nifty ProMedia 2.1 does bona fide stereo, and its subwoofer belts out more and better bass than single-box iPod speaker systems.
(Credit: Klipsch)I don't know why, but it seems like almost every iPod speaker I hear here at CNET is a wretched-sounding thing. Most have screechy treble, lumpy bass, and vocals never sound remotely human.
As always, you get what you pay for, and the cheapest ones tend to be the worst offenders, but hey, they're cheap.
Some, going for upward of $300 are somewhat less horrible, but for three hundred bucks, you could actually buy a nice set of hi-fi speakers.
The A2 speakers
(Credit: Audioengine)And since most iPod speakers are one-piece systems, they don't do stereo all that well. Sure, many incorporate some sort of processing to simulate stereo separation, but that usually messes up their already pitiful sound quality even more. With separate speakers, you can place them far enough apart to make stereo sound like stereo. Which stereo speakers, you ask?
I like Klipsch's little 2.1-channel iPod solution, the ProMedia 2.1 iPod/Computer Speaker system that goes for $150. It features a pair of two-way satellite speakers and a 6.5-inch powered subwoofer. Separate speakers means it does bona fide stereo, and the sub is big enough to generate real bass.
The larger A5 speakers
(Credit: Audioengine)For $199 you could buy a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers and hook them up directly to your iPod. In my opinion, the A2 sounds at least as good as any single-box $400 iPod speaker I've heard. Granted, the $600 high-end iPod speakers make a lot more bass, but it's still on the thick, boomy, and bloated side of natural. And they're $600! For that kind of dough, you could buy a small stereo receiver and actual hi-fi speakers.
You can read my complete A2 review here.
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One speaker can do it all
(Credit: Klipsch)Mono was the one and only way to listen to music and movies for decades.
But it's not ancient history. Mono's on something of a comeback, and the upcoming remastered Beatles catalog will be offered in an all-mono box in September. You can listen to mono over just one speaker, or with two or more speakers. But mono at its purest is a single-speaker deal.
A fringe segment of the audiophile community still buys mono phono cartridges to get the best sound out of mono LPs. Over at BuyMeGetMe they're listening to an all out single speaker mono system with a mighty 175-pound, all-American Klipschorn speaker ($3,999).
Yes, you could use any speaker, but since you're paying half the price of a pair of speakers, you might as well get a nice one. The Klipschorn was originally introduced some 60 years ago. It's still an amazing speaker.
As a reviewer I get to hear lots of speakers, and I immediately forget most of them.
It's not that they're bad, just unexceptional. Here's a Top 10 list and photo gallery of the very best-sounding speakers I've heard for less than $3,500 per pair. The brands may be unfamiliar, but each speaker is a stand-out winner. I will at some point do a Top 10 without price constraints. For now I want to highlight more affordable speakers that you can buy new.
Let's face it, setting up a home theater with five speakers and a subwoofer is a hassle.
Home-theater-in-a-box systems ease the pain somewhat, but you still have to run wires to five speakers and a subwoofer. Single-speaker sound bar systems? Sure, they eliminate the tangle of wires, but they're just glorified stereo bars and never really sound all that good. You can get much better sound from a decent set of stereo speakers.
You could put together a much better sounding system with Integra's DSR-4.8 DVD/AV receiver ($600) and a nice pair of speakers and possibly a subwoofer. It's a stereo receiver with 50 watts per channel with a built-in DVD/DVD-Audio/SACD player; video connectivity includes a 1080p HDMI output, one HDMI input, and two composite inputs. (You can multiply the usefulness of that single HDMI input by adding an inexpensive HDMI switcher that multiplies the number of available outputs.)
(Credit:
Integra)
Let's compare and contrast an Integra DSR-4.8 based system with Yamaha's YSP-4000 single-speaker surround system ($1,800). The Yamaha is self-powered so it doesn't need an AV receiver, but it doesn't make much bass. So, you'll need to add a subwoofer, like Yamaha's YST-FSW150 ($280) and a DVD or Blu-ray player.
Fifty watts may not seem like much, but Integra components sound pretty good; pair the DSR-4.8 with efficient speakers you'd get a big sound. Klipsch's RB-61 bookshelf speakers ($499/pair) would be ideal and make better and more powerful bass than the YSP-4000, so some of you won't have to get a sub. But if you're thinking about going whole hog, I like Klipsch's Sub-12 subwoofer ($500). That's all together a $1,600 MSRP system, so it's at least $500 less expensive than the Yamaha system.
The Integra/Klipsch system would be way, way more dynamic, with vastly greater clarity for movies and music (single-speaker systems never quite sound right for music). To be fair, the Yamaha big claim to fame is its ability to produce a facsimile of surround sound from the single speaker, and it's the best of its type (I've reviewed a ton of single-speaker surround systems for CNET--both units with built-in video connectivity and those without--so I should know). The Integra/Klipsch is strictly stereo, but it'll be really good stereo. Big and wide, with a great sense of depth and spatiality.
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CNET)
I'm a middle-aged guy, so sure, I read the CNET review of the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 just to get vicarious kicks imagining what it's like to drive a 425-horsepower muscle car. It sounds like a real thrill ride, and sure it's a serious gas guzzler: "The EPA rates the Challenger SRT8 at 14 city mpg and 22 highway mpg. However during our leadfooted testing, we only managed 13.7 mpg over a mixed city and highway cycle."
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Klipsch)
Even so, I suppose the Challenger's tested price of $43,730 will place it in the affordable range for a lot of folks, or let's be honest, guys. It's a car to get noticed in, but no one's fooling themselves into believing the SRT8 is merely reliable transportation. It's a toy, and if you can swallow the fuel bill, it's a heck of a ride.
Same can be said about high-end audio. It's not practical and it can be expensive to run, but once you get used to what it can do when it's playing your favorite tunes, a $500 HTIB won't cut it anymore. High-end audio isn't an appliance, it's supposed to get your heart pounding and blood flowing, not so different than the SRT8.
(Credit:
Parasound)
Thrill seekers lusting after a muscular audio system equivalent of the SRT8 should check out the following system.
Muscle cars are as American as apple pie, so I went for American made hi-fi where I could. I reviewed Klipsch's mighty RF-83 tower speaker ($2798/pair) for Home Theater magazine last October, but it's still a current model. With three 8-inch woofers and a 1.25-inch horn-loaded titanium diaphragm compression tweeter, the RF-83 mos' definitely will rock your world. Add the 12-inch Klipsch RT-12d subwoofer ($2,199) to ensure the deepest and tightest low bass.
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Klipsch may be one of the oldest American speaker companies, but that doesn't stop it from manufacturing iPod, computer, stereo and home theater speakers, along with a full line of professional cinema and music speakers.
Paul W. Klipsch founded the company that bears his name in Hope, Ark. in 1946. And incredibly enough, the Arkansas plant is still building the company's higher-end speakers.
I reviewed Klipsch's new flagship speaker, the Palladium P-39F ($20,000/pair), for Home Entertainment magazine, and I had a blast. The new speaker forgoes Klipsch's traditional, square-edged aesthetic; for the Palladium project the company enlisted the talents of BMW DesignworksUSA in Los Angeles, Calif. They did a great job.
The Audiophiliac and the P-39F
I found the new boldly curved speaker's "boat tail" shape distinctive as all get out and it's not just for show, the rounded cabinet's interior quells resonance that would muddy the sound. Those curved sides are made from seven ply, constrained layer, composite laminate wood panels, and the front baffle is reinforced with steel.
It's a large speaker, 56 inches tall and 24.75 deep, but it doesn't seem as imposing as some statement designs. The Palladium's zebra grain veneers come in your choice of three finishes, natural, merlot, and espresso (the wood is sourced from protected forests).
The 165-pound speaker rests on an aluminum and steel plinth/base; which reminds me, the P-39F's speaker cable connectors are stealthily concealed within its bottom panel.
It's a serious rock and roll animal, built to handle dynamics and power like ultra high-end speakers that retail for many times the price of the P-39F. Bass is meaty and solid, yet as clear and concise as the mid-range and treble. Oh, and before you get the impression these bad boys have to be played at lease breaking volume to sound their best, I found them exceedingly accomplished at hushed, late night volume as well.
When I reviewed the P-39F tower speaker it was the only Palladium available, but in New York last week Klipsch showed the P-17B bookshelf speaker ($4,000/pair), P-27C center channel ($3,500), P-27S surround speaker ($4,000/pr) and P-312W subwoofer ($4,000). Complete Palladium 5.1 channel systems start around $16,000.
A happy Opal owner.
(Credit: Lenard Audio)Americans love big cars, mammoth trucks, huge houses, but for some reason they go ga ga over tiny speakers. Sure, the little guys are good enough for computers, but real music lovers should consider investing in something that can move some air, something along the lines of Klipsch's RB-81 ($698/pair) hefty bookshelf speakers. They'll blow away any lifestyle poser speakers with 3 -inch woofers. Don't kid yourself into believing that any of those puny speakers can be any better than good enough.
But true connoisseurs of big sound who need something bigger should take a peek at Lenard Audio's Opal speakers. I'm sure they'll do the job! How big are they? Big enough to house four 27-inch woofers (!!!) in its pair of eight foot high cabinets. Each system is individually commissioned and built. Most Opals are assembled with modern high quality speaker components, but some use original 1970s classic JBL drivers, "...made when engineering craftsmanship was at its height."
Lenard Audio is based in Australia, where they offer a wide range of very large speakers.
The iFi rocked my world.
(Credit: Klipsch)Klipsch has just made a limited number of these available on its website, for just $249! This blog originally ran on November 29.
I have fond memories of Klipsch's three-piece iPod speaker. Back in 2005 it stood out in a field of itsy bitsy iPod speakers--the iFi came with a bona-fide 8-inch, 200 watt subwoofer and a pair of two-way satellite speakers. Wow, what a concept, speakers you could actually place far enough apart to create stereo imaging. Most of today's iPod speakers, including high-end contenders like Bowers & Wilkins' Zeppelin sound small because they are small. Yes, the "form factor" is great, the Zep's industrial design is gorgeous, but it's just a glorified table radio. Unfortunately, Klipsch abandoned the three-piece satellite/subwoofer iPod model and now offers one-piece speakers, just like everybody else. To be fair I haven't heard their new iGroove SXT iPod speaker, so I can't comment on it, but I haven't loved Klipsch's post iFi models.
Read my CNET review of the iFi; I gave it an 8 rating and the average user rating was even better, the readers gave it an 8.6. Back in June, 2005 the iFi retailed for $399; I'm sure you can find used ones on eBay for a fraction of that price.
Playing music and movies really loud is a lot of fun, too bad most of you are missing out on that part of the experience. Obviously, the speakers built into TVs aren't up to the job, and that's the way 80% of you experience TV. HTIB owners are likewise out of luck. Yeah, they may boast of having "1,000" watts on tap, but if you believe that, well, puhleeze! That 8 pound amplifier may, on a good day, squeeze out a few hundred watts.
Big speakers make big sounds.
(Credit: Klipsch)If you really want to feel something when you're watching a flick, listening to Nine Inch Nails, or playing a game, you need big speakers. Something along the lines of Klipsch's Reference RF-83 I reviewed in Home Theater magazine, and a healthy A/V receiver like a Denon AVR-4308CI. If your budget allows, forget the receiver and go for a bona-fide surround processor/separate power amplifier combo, say a Sunfire Theater Grand TGP-5 and TGA-5400, four hundred watt-per-channel amplifier (also reviewed in Home Theater magazine). Sure a hulking subwoofer, a Klipsch RT-12d subwoofer with three 12-inch drivers and an 800-watt amplifier, would come in handy. Pump up that system and you'll feel something. I bring this up because I see the market moving towards ever smaller speakers that just don't have the muscle to rock my world.
Sunfire's pre/pros and amps sound swell.
(Credit: Sunfire)We Americans love super-size everything else--Hummers, TVs, houses, Big Gulps--so why do we turn sensible when it comes to sound? Hi-def pictures look pretty, but sound conveys emotion. Pint-size speakers with 3-inch "woofers" ain't gonna cut it.
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