New Klipsch vs old klipsch vs...

Dees06

Dees06

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I'm looking at upgrading my current speakers (Infinity RS325i) and have come across a few that are of interest, but with very little direct experience with higher quality speakers I wanted to get some feedback from the forum. I have 3 receivers I can use to drive the new speakers (Pioneer QX949, Realistic STA-111 and STA-78). Inputs are Chromecast audio and a Teac turntable. Mostly listening to classic rock and heavy metal. I would prefer vintage, but only if it makes sense for the overall system and is not going to be a money pit. These are the candidates I have in consideration so far:

Klipsch KG4 - available locally in good shape for $375. Cabinets have been painted, but they did a good job. Not sure what if any upgrades have been done.

Klipsch RP150M/160M - available for a good price online. Get good online reviews. No way to audition though.

Bose 901 w/EQ - not sure what series, but they are early. Priced at $350. Never heard these but they caught my wife's eye the other day. Not sure if they are even worth investigating.

There's a number of others I would like to find, but unless they pop up within a reasonable distance from NW Florida, shipping is prohibitive. That limits me to new speakers that are shipped at lower costs. Budget is roughly $500. Are either of the Klipsch worth my time? The Bose?
 
I'm a klipsch and Bose 901 fan (maybe the only one?:)) so I like all your possibilities. The 901's have a totally different presentation than the klipsch though, and you may or may not care for it. Think of it as row 20 instead of row 5. Plus, the 901's may be more difficult to place for best performance, but that's totally dependent on your room and furnishings. Also, if the 901's are pre Series III, they will like lots of power. The smaller klipsch speakers may need a sub, but I think the kg4's are fairly bassy. They would all be easy to drive and don't require too much power. Good luck!
 
Yeah, I have an odd shaped room, so I don't know that the 901's will work out. Plus they don't come with the stands...that's a minus as well.
 
I have a pair of KG4, and I love them, but I think that price is way too high.Should be under $200 a pair. The best thing about these speakers is the bass, the mids lack clarity, and the highs lack detail. They're my favorite rock speakers out of my collection.
 
Upgrading the KG4 with Crites Titanium diaphragms is easy and makes a big difference in clarity. Not expensive, around 60 bucks.
bigx5murf said:
I have a pair of KG4, and I love them, but I think that price is way too high.Should be under $200 a pair. The best thing about these speakers is the bass, the mids lack clarity, and the highs lack detail. They're my favorite rock speakers out of my collection.
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absolve2525 said:
Upgrading the KG4 with Crites Titanium diaphragms is easy and makes a big difference in clarity. Not expensive, around 60 bucks.
Click to expand...
Frites Titanium tweeter diaphragms help tremendously with treble, however they do very little to fix the gaping hole in the midrange and the bass is still a problem.
 
I would really lean towards the 160s. They have the new horn configuration and the 6" inch Klipsch driver is very good and quite accurate. You will most likely want a sub and WILL require stands. The difference in sound between them and your Infinity will be stark and immediate.
The KGs are OK but not as accurate in the mids. As well you will most likely have to recap them (an extra cost). The old Bose as mentioned previously can be difficult to place and you may find their presentation lacking/too different.
Used Klipsch pop up fairly frequently, if you are not in a rush keep your eyes peeled for the RB-75 (stand mount) - they were and are incredibly popular and for good reason. If a floor stander is more to your tastes hang in there for either a Heresy or Forte (Heritage models). If you want newer the RF-7 II all day long.
 
I found the 4.2's very impressive after the diaphragm upgrade and others have too, with some very nice amps driving them. No complaints about resolution. Admittedly I have not heard the 4's at all, upgraded or not.
 
I've seen KG4 with original finish in excellent condition go for that. My experience with the newer Klipsch bookshelf drivers is opposite that of Yk Thom's. Poor resolution to my ear, really expected female voice to be much, much better than what I heard, which is not a criticism of the AK member, but simply underscores the importance of how they will sound to you. You might agree with him, or with me, or somewhere in between.

I suggest widening the scope a bit, brand-wise, and listing some other speakers available in your area, for comment here. ADS, Paradigm, PSB, KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaco, and many others made some fine models you might love.
 
I wouldn't really describe it as a "hole", meaning it's not a reduced output level. More a "lack of clarity", meaning vocals have a less than natural reverb. You don't notice it unless to compare to something else head to head.
 
musichal said:
I've seen KG4 with original finish in excellent condition go for that. My experience with the newer Klipsch bookshelf drivers is opposite that of Yk Thom's. Poor resolution to my ear, really expected female voice to be much, much better than what I heard, which is not a criticism of the AK member, but simply underscores the importance of how they will sound to you. You might agree with him, or with me, or somewhere in between.

I suggest widening the scope a bit, brand-wise, and listing some other speakers available in your area, for comment here. ADS, Paradigm, PSB, KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaco, and many others made some fine models you might love.
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Which model did you have? I found the RP-160m to be very resolving and I'm using them as surrounds. Of course, Klipsch has several models and production tiers of bookshelves so they may not all be as nice. The current version of the RP 160 is speaker of the year=

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-klips...600m-is-the-audiophiliac-speaker-of-the-year/
 
I'm open to any brand, just that's all I've seen available locally in quite a while. It's a bit of a Wasteland down here when it comes to hifi.
 
I don't think KG4 lack clarity in the midrange, with high quality amplification. No, they don't have the dedicated horn midrange of the the higher-end Klipsch like the Chorus or Forte, but that doesn't make them crap. I do think the pair mentioned in the OP is priced a little high for a painted pair with no mods.
 
absolve2525 said:
I don't think KG4 lack clarity in the midrange, with high quality amplification. No, they don't have the dedicated horn midrange of the the higher-end Klipsch like the Chorus or Forte, but that doesn't make them crap. I do think the pair mentioned in the OP is priced a little high for a painted pair with no mods.
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I'm powering my pair with a 200wpc Anthem power amp. Like I said, you don't notice the lack of mid range clarity unless you compare it to something else. I had the following speakers hooked up to the same hardware as my KG4, using a speaker selector to switch between them. Polk SDA-2B, Thiel 04a, ADS L710, MA Silver 5i, EPI 100v. The EPI were the only ones with less vocal clarity than the Klipsch. The Klipsch were more efficient than the others by far. Most of them needed -20db to -25db for the volume I use, the Thiels needed -15db. The KG4 was around -30db for the same volume. I'm thinking the reason for the difference in vocal clarity is in the crossovers, of my collection only the EPI have a simpler crossover than the KG4, all the others have significantly more complex crossovers. Yes my KG4 have been recapped, all of my speakers have been recapped except for the Polk sda-2b.
 
I did not mean to insinuate that the KG series had no mid. To clarify I mean that it can sound congested in those frequencies. Treble and bass all day long. I have found through years of ownership that the modern Klipsch 6inch mid/bass driver is superb, in both its Reference edition and now in its Reference Premier version. Very fast, accurate and punches well above its price point.
The original post seemed to be about speakers at a used or near budget cost. With that in mind, we are not talking about brand new out of the box KGs, but rather those that will require modernization. All about financial balance in the end, hense my recommendation. If the floor is wide open at all price points then that is a different conversation altogether.
Dees06 will have to first determine if it is a stand mount or floorstanders that he seeks.
 
Dees06 said:
Yeah, I have an odd shaped room, so I don't know that the 901's will work out. Plus they don't come with the stands...that's a minus as well.
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Put the 901's on a shelf in an L pattern opposite corners X at about 5 foot off the floor for ambient music even at loud levels you will find it nice to be working around the house while listening to them in this configuration
 
Yk Thom said:
If the floor is wide open at all price points then that is a different conversation altogether.
Dees06 will have to first determine if it is a stand mount or floorstanders that he seeks.
Click to expand...

Yk Thom, I appreciate the rationale behind your recommendation. I am indeed trying to stay within budget and avoid biting off a project that could end up way over budget. With the Crites mod crossovers and new tweeters, the KG will end up around $525. With stands included, the RP160Ms would end up around $400-425. The Bose would also need stands (don’t have anything tall enough to put them on), so around $450. I’m going to check out the KG4s this afternoon. Maybe I can get the price down to something more reasonable.

I’ve no bias towards the RP160Ms, but they make the most sense at the moment. I also have to have my QX949 serviced/recapped before putting it back in service, and I would like to reserve as much money as I can for miscellaneous gear (cables) and the most important addition, more music.
 
Dees06 said:
I'm open to any brand, just that's all I've seen available locally in quite a while. It's a bit of a Wasteland down here when it comes to hifi.
Click to expand...

If you can audition the KG 4s, then go do it. $375 is too much for painted cabs though, I bought a pair about 4 years ago that sat on CL at $250 forever, got them for $200 and they are near perfect. They work in any space, and they sound great with anything other than strings. If you’re a string quartet kind of guy then seek something else. Good luck.
 
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