Chris: Hi, I'm Chris.
Steve: And I'm Steve.
Chris: And we're down in the Crutchfield video studio today to talk you a little bit about
Klipsch Reference Series speakers.
Now most of what we'll talk about will apply to most of these speakers, but if you want
specific information about any of the models, just go to Crutchfield.com/Klispsch.
Steve: Klipsch is an American company.
They've been building speakers for over 50 years, and they're one of the most respected
names in the industry.
They actually started out building really high-end models, that only a few audiophiles
could afford, but over the years, they've applied their expertise to models like these.
Chris: And they also build professional loud speakers for about half the movie theaters
out there, so, chances are, you may have already heard and enjoyed Klipsch sound and not even
realized it.
Steve: Yeah, we actually got to listen to these speakers over at my house.
These are the RB-61s, and we did hear sound that was really clear and detailed, particularly
the high frequencies came through.
There was a jazz cut that we listened to and the cymbals just came through really cleanly.
Chris: It was outstanding.
I remember too, the song that you played that had the Glockenspiel and each of those high-end
notes just came through crystal clear.
And even when it was fading away, you could hear each on distinctly, which was great.
Steve: We also noticed that these speakers played louder than mine at the same volume
settings, so they're really efficient.
Chris: Right, efficiency's a big deal for Klipsch, but another thing that's very important,
probably their number one priority, is dynamic range.
And that just refers to the speakers ability to go from louder sounds to softer sounds
without losing any detail.
So, for instance, if you're watching a movie in surround sound and there's a huge thunder
storm scene and then they cut away to whispered dialogue, you're going to pick it up equally
well.
Steve: That's really important.
Chris: I remember too, when Klipsch came to give us training, and they played that song
by a female singer and you could hear, in between the phrases that she sang, you could
hear her taking breaths, which I thought was so impressive.
Steve: That's part of the performance.
So now let's look at what gives these speakers their characteristic sound.
Part of it is the cabinets.
They're really well braced, of course, and that cuts down on vibration and resonance
and really keeps the cabinet from interfering with the sound of the speaker.
And also, there are a lot of ported speakers today, because that helps improve the bass
response.
A lot of other speaker makers put the port in the back of the speaker.
Klipsch puts it in the front here, which is cool because it lets you put the speaker in
a cabinet or up against a wall and it still works the way it's supposed to.
Chris: Exactly, it's so neat.
Another cool difference you'll see in Klispch speakers is they use horn-loaded tweeters.
Where most speakers you'll see the tweeters are just flush against the cabinet, Klipsch
actually puts them in a recessed area with a flared opening.
What that does is it directs the sound more precisely toward your sweet spot.
I know we definitely heard this yesterday at your house.
Steve: That way you had less sound just bouncing around the room and reflecting off the walls
where you don't want it.
Chris: Exactly, so it's more detailed and that's where those crisp, clear highs really
come from.
It's kind of like if I'm going to call to you from across the room or call to my kids,
I put my hands around my mouth and cup like this so that my voice goes straight to your
ears.
Steve: Another interesting thing about these speakers is Klispch has a really stiff and
light-weight material that they use for the woofer cones.
That lets the woofer cone stop and start really quickly and precisely, so that you get bass
and mid-bass frequencies that are really tight and clean and low distortion.
Chris: Exactly.
Those are some of the main features that we wanted to call out to you about the Klipsch
Reference Series.
Of course, from speaker to speaker, you will see differences.
For instance, most of Klipsch's surround speakers have two sets of drivers that are angled to
more evenly disperse the sound throughout your room.
So for ambient sounds like birds chirping or rain in the distance, it sounds like it's
all around your room and not just coming from that speaker or that speaker, which is what
you want.
Steve: Yes, it really makes it sound more real.
Now, most of the Reference tower and bookshelf models also offer dual binding posts.
Chris: That's a pretty unusual feature.
Steve: Yeah, it lets you do biamping, and what you can do is, if you have a compatible
7.1 channel home theater receiver, you can actually send twice the power to your front,
left and right speakers.
Separate power to the tweeter and mid-range in each speaker for much clearer and more
dynamic sound.
And biamping is really cool and there's a lot of receivers that let you do that.
We've got a great blog post about it at our website at crutchfield.com/biamping.
Chris: We really think that these Klipsch Reference Series speakers are great if you
really, really care about your sound quality.
If you like to sit and listen to music actively, or if you like to watch movies and really
care about the sound as much as you do the picture, this is a great way to get that detail
and accuracy.
Steve: And there are several ways you can get Reference accuracy.
There are prepackaged systems, you can build your own from speakers like these, and there
are also matching Reference subwoofers for great bass from any system.
Chris: Learn more about these speakers and Klipsch at crutchfield.com/Klipsch.
Steve: And you can always call us at 1-800-555-9408.