I was sure disappointed in his promotion of some Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers. Bought a set off of eBay, unfortunately they're not able to be returned. So take things here with a grain of salt. Or two.
I just bought a pair for $200- thanks to Black Friday sales. Paired it with my Skunkie modded Reisong A10. Songs with nice vocals sound so rich and satisfying. Believe it or not, the midrange on the Reisong sounds much better (more rich and lush) than my Hegel Rost/H120 with these speakers. Great speakers! Thanks for the accurate review!
You are my favorite reviewer. Objective, a great sense and extremely detailed in analysis. I look at all posts even if I do not care about the gears. Zero fidelity, Thomas and Steve Guttenberg, this is the first ligue! Congratulations!
@@steve4321able Well for 1, price lol. I also have them on some bookshelves which is not the ideal location and while the RP500ii were more accurate, they didn't sound as good overall. The R50M seemed to dig deeper than the RP500ii albeit not as clean, but again deeper. The narrower soundstage wasn't ideal for my listening area as well. The RP may be a more accurate, and detailed speaker with a narrower focus, better for a 2 channel listening environment when sitting in the sweet spot. I am very impressed with the bang for the buck with the R50M.
It looks like there are two things I forgot to mention in this video: 1) Klipsch has been routinely selling these speakers for $279/pair. At this price, I think they represent a good value and are worth picking up. At $399 a pair however, I think they are just an average value. If you're in the US and find that the speakers aren't on sale at this moment, be patient and wait for the price to drop again. As much as I dislike it when companies artificially bump the MSRP of a product so it looks like you're always getting a 'deal', I can't hate on Klipsch because the strategy works. It's kind of the same thing with RU-vid and sensationalized titles (blinks innocently). As the adage goes, don't hate the player... hate the game. 2) Put some time on these speakers before casting final judgement on them. I'd recommend a solid 24 hours of actual play/use time.
My dude is back on the Iron Throne !! Hell Yeah ! !!! Lets Go ! I love horns !! Dynamic/Detailed Centered sound stage 😃 Great Job Sean thanks for the video
Thanks Sean! Glad you are feeling better! You are one of the top reviewers for audio on RU-vid and a whole lot of us appreciate you! Peace and prayers!
I am only commenting because I'm happy to see you back! I'm sure the speakers are fine for their price. That's what they say about me: "he looks great for his age"
Good to see you back, and it's REALLY good to see you with a pair of Klipsch speakers! When I started to "upgrade" my little home theater system, I purchased a pair of the Klipsch R-51M's, and a Klipsch R-52C center channel. I really enjoyed the sound of those speakers, and was VERY impressed at how well they dealt with brass instruments and piano. I was amazed at the realism of trumpets and saxophones especially. Yet they were fantastic with piano as well. The R-52C center channel is amazingly good for it's price and size, giving outstanding clarity to movies and TV shows. After a year with them, I upgraded to the Klipsch Reference Premier RP-400M's, the smallest speakers in the Reference Premier line, and I upgraded the center channel to the Reference Premier R-500C. Even though the RP-400M's only have a 4" woofer, they easily outperformed the R-51M's in terms of bass extension and mid-bass punch, but they don't have quite the sparkle with brass instruments like the R-51M did. The R-500C is just a little smaller than the R-52C, but the bass and mid-bass were, once again, far more in abundance. The R-500C may be one of the most neutral speakers I've ever heard. I can easily use my 5.1 setup for music listening, and the center channel does a great job. No matter what kind or type of music I throw at the Klipsch, they handle it with ease. Same with movies, TV shows, and even RU-vid. They may be the best budget home theater bookshelf speakers on the market. My surround speakers are a pair of Klipsch RP-402S, with twin horns and twin 4" woofers in each speaker....and they do an amazing job in a very tiny package. Mine are placed right next to a wall, and they sound amazing despite a placement that would harm most other speakers on the market. Can't say enough good things about these little dedicated surround speakers. And the subwoofer? A Klipsch R-100SW 10". It's more than good enough for my needs. Lately, I've been playing around with 5.1 channel SACD's, thanks to a Sony UBP-X700/M DVD player purchase, and they sound AMAZING through my little Klipsch system! The 5.1 SACD to get is Pink Floyd's classic "Dark Side of the Moon", which makes excellent use of all six speakers. That album has never sounded so good, and is great fun to listen to! The Door's "LA Woman" 5.1 SACD is also incredibly good, and a lot of fun. Budget Klipsch and JBL bookshelf speakers are perfect for someone who wants a great sounding home theater system without spending a fortune. Those horn tweeters are incredibly versatile, and there's a reason why almost all real movie theaters use them....they make films come alive. But even if you just want to listen to two-channel stereo, they really punch way above their weight. So, for your next review, how about Klipsch RP-400M"s? For some odd reason, it doesn't seem that Klipsch is going to make a Mk. 2 version of these, and yet they would be fun to compare to the R50M's....I have no doubt the RP-400M"s little 4" woofer will still blow away the R50M's bigger 5.25" woofer, even though they can't play quite as loud. Both the RP-400M's and R50M's are priced exactly the same. Another speaker to take a closer look at would be the new Klipsch RP-500M Mk. 2's that came out this year. They are nearly twice the price of the R50M's, but are the exact same size. Once again, the woofer will make a big difference. Many reviewers think the RP-500M's are better speakers than their more famous RP-600M big brothers. Thanks again for your amazing reviews!
Are you saying that your reference premiers did not do as good of a job with the higher notes as the regular reference series? I've heard that Klipsch is known for their ability to reproduce the high notes very vell and they play pretty loud.
Try the Rp500 if you like the 400s and havent tried them. The Jump in soundquality from 400 to 500 is bigger than 500 to 600. Had them all and can recommend them, doesnt matter if mk1 or 2 if you compare 400 to 500, ill take the 500. 400 are very good for the size though, like you said.
@Zero Fidelity I really enjoy watching your reviews. You do it so casually like you're talking and connecting to the viewers. It's good to see you back.
Sean I respect your ears for sure . It is amazing how the naysayers are always talking about horns negatively. But especially since Klipsh put out the new 4 heritage series that reviewers and lots of audiophile folks are voicing positive reviews. I realize speaker sound is a personal preference but I have been to over100 live concerts in my life some acoustic and some amplified and for my 5k budget I have not heard better live music reproduction than my Forte 4s and a Deckware 20 watt tube amp and I have been thru a lot of speakers since 1985 . I wish all a Merry Christmas!!!
Hi, Sean 👋😊. Thanks for the review, very informative. I ordered a pair of these and I'm sure, they are really awesome. I am a big fan of Klipsch speakers and will taste them in the new version. Keep on doing your work, I love your channel and trusting your experienced advices. Thanks a lot. 🔊🎼👍
Honestly, these speakers are simply darn good for the price despite being mass-manufactured etcetera. I've had them for 6 months, and am very happy with them so far. It would take much more expensive and higher-performing speakers to convince me to upgrade. At the moment I have them running off an old Harman Kardon amp (HK 3270 RDS) and paired with a studio monitor sub (KRK 10s) and they are great fun to listen to with literally any type of music. At one stage I'd like to upgrade to a modern hybrid amp (tube preamp combined with a solid state amp) such as what Magnat offers. I'm also looking forward to some simple modding/upgrades to get a little more out of them as I'm an audio engineer/technician who likes a bit of DIY and the cheap crossover components are absolutely begging to be swapped out. Anyway, this really straight-talking Zero Fidelity dude basically confirmed everything I think about the speakers and I back up what he says 100%. It's a happy coincidence that he recommends pairing the speakers with a hybrid amp so I'm looking even more forward to that upgrade!
So nice to see a new review from you Sean! Was not expecting you to make a comeback with a cheap-ish Klipsch speaker, yet I watched all the way and enjoyed your detailed take on it as usual! Looking forward to the next one! Take care, PS: pleazzze leave your live stream sessions on RU-vid for a few days next time! You give the best live sessions and they just disappear as quickly as you decide to put one on! Cheers!
Thanks for the support Raphael! Think of my Live streams like a real conversation between people. It exists only in the moment. That's what makes them special! Each one has a different vibe. Keeping them up diminishes that unique experience. That said, I do love it when you join, as you often have something unique to say or ask. I look forward to seeing you in a Live sometime down the road!
Welcome back Sean! Another great review as always 👍. When you said the R50M is a small/bookshelf version of KLH 5, I have decided to order 1 pair for myself. BTW, if your Accuphase Amps. have arrived, I can't wait for your opinions on them. I have been in love with Accuphase products since the 90s. Thanks again for your review and have a good night Sir!
Awesome video as always. Thank you. And yes, air purifiers rule! They're indescribably good for allergies and asthma, my son and I suffer from. Good for you recommending Levoit!
Great review Sean, welcome back. The Klipsch really look classy for the price. I have the Klipsch RB81ii's last of their bookshelves with an 8 inch woofer, enjoying them. I'm not so young so guess I don't hear so much of the forwarded of the horn. Thanks, peace.
Hey Sean! I really enjoyed the video, think covered all the bases. I watched the video all the way to the end. Thank You for including the info on le Voit. Have seasonal allergies, will check out the product. Have a great one Man!
I got these speakers to replace some svs prime speakers and they are phenomenal. At half the price of the svs the klipsch sounded so much more pleasing to the ear.
A bit late to the game here, but SO pleasantly surprised by these in my 14x16 room… with a non-clicking OG Aiyima T9 and some NOS tubes at that… thanks Sean! 🙏👍
The good - Sean got a haircut and showered, the bad - the dingy misshapen ball cap with visible sweat stains - love the media cabinet, where’s it from ?
Thanks for confirming that I made a good choice selecting these speakers! They replaced a set of decades-old Infinity RS-2's, and just sound 'better." (I can't really describe it.) I would love to get your take on pairing these with the Klipsch R-12SWi sub. For me, they seem like the perfect combination. Thanks, too, for mentioning the T9 amplifier. That looks like a nice, affordable choice to drive a secondary, system like in a bedroom. (Better than the Denon receiver I currently have hiding under the bed.) :) P. S. This is the first review of yours I've seen, but won't be the last. Welcome back!
Great vid, nice seeing you back. I bought the old R51's shortly after your review and although you didn't recommend it for desktop use that's where it went. I paired it with the reisung A10 integrated and a topping 30D dac. Yup, low budget but actually sounds pretty good. I play it low volume, but have placed it in my home system and yeah it's best at lower volume. I'd love to hear the new model. Would you say it's worth changing?
Sean, I bought these on the strength of your review. It is my first pair of Klipsch speakers. I cannot find much too much to fault them except for the fact that they do not "disappear" in my system - the higher register sounds coming from the speakers are heard as coming directly from the speaker and so there is not much soundstage. But they actually compare quite favorably to my Polk R200 when used with a subwoofer and don't sound anemic when used without a sub. Klipsch fatigue? What?
Congrats! Yeah, most speakers in this class don't really "disappear". Then again, I've never heard a speaker pull off that trick at any price. Either way, I hope you have fun with em'!
I wake up almost everyday and have to wait for my sinuses to normalize, lol. I suspect that I may be mildly asthmatic and have been so for decades. I know I have allergies and my house is a huge dust bowl that is difficult to control. This purifier may be an important addition to our bedroom. May give it a try. What do I have to lose except a half hour of clearing my throat every morning. Everything gets worse once we close the windows when the cold weather appears. Things are actually somewhat more bearable when window fans are blowing summer air into the room 24/7.
You may want to get some general allergy testing done to see if you can better identify the source of the congestion. I know I get my butt kicked by dust mites. Either way, if you try out the Levoit, I hope it provides some form of relief. Advice: It works best when it's out into the room and elevated a couple feet in the air. You don't have to do that, but it's where the machine is the most efficient.
JBL 530's have a slightly bigger sense of scale and will play a tad louder. The Klipsch is a lot less forward, more tonally rich in the midrange, and easier to accommodate.
Thanks for the review. I am not an audiophile, but I prefer to listen to my CD music on dedicated equipment rather than through my computer. Regarding equipment pairing, I am wondering if you have experience with a bookshelf stereo system to pair with these bookshelf speakers. I currently have a Denon RCDM41DAB with the matching bookshelf speakers and a Klipsch R-10SW Subwoofer. At the beginning everything was fine. I recall listening to a CD and was really amazed at the clarity and quality of my music. I had forgotten how good CDs can sound on dedicated equipment as opposed to through my PC. However, lately the Denon CD player starts getting janky after some time with CD skips and discs being unreadable. I care for my CDs so I know it is not the CDs. Its a shame the CD player on my Denon has started to misbehave, and otherwise the system has suited my needs; but apparently, this is a common problem with Denon. So I am considering a new setup and see what I can do to incrementally upgrade my music listening experience. I am looking at the Marantz CR-612 but maybe it does not have enough power to get the most of the Klipsch speakers. I have a smallish space and I use my bookshelf system for everything, from listening to CDs, the radio, to providing output from my PC/ACM and video game consoles. The Denon and Marantz have the connectivity I need for this setup. Any advice would be appreciated.
Now that the RP600M's can be had for around $375.00, does that make a difference in recommending them ( R50M's ) over the 600's ? How do you place these against the Triangle BR03's for the same money ?? Thanks in advance if you choose to reply to me. --dennis
RP600M gives you a bigger sound, more bass, and is more forward in nature. R50 is more relaxed and tonally rich by comparison. If it were my vote between the two, I'd save the $100 and go with the R50m. However, now that you can pick up Borea 3's for $399, that complicates things. My personal bias leans towards the Borea 3, but that's only with the right (warm sounding) gear. The r50m will be easier to accommodate for most people.
Welcome back! I still very much enjoy my OG Klipsch RP600Ms. They are a music lover’s speaker! I like Klipsch in general as a hi-fi brand. I see a difference between a “hi-fi” product and an “audiophile” product and I mostly daily drive the former and enjoy pulling out the latter when duty calls. The balance Klipsch is striking with their Reference and Heritage series speakers is very smart. They literally have you covered at any taste and any budget all ensuring that the products across lines share some DNA even if doing so subtly. You can arrive at the Reference line and be totally happy there but if you want to take things further, you can go Heritage which IMO provides a significant step up across the board while remaining unapologetically a “live performance” experience speaker albeit with more realized attributes. I’m looking to add a Decware Zen Triode next to pair with the 600s and frankly couldn’t be happier. It’s a great time to enjoy music, and gear as the choices are abundant!
I would have preferred the rubber pads on the corners of the speaker that were provided with my Klipsch RP-600M speakers, rather than nasty looking cork that’s not even been coloured to match the speaker.
Do you find sounds of Playstation 5 menu, especially opening and closing tabs, to sound harsh and sandy on Klipsch speakers? On headphones it is not as bad but on Klipsch R-50M it sounds compressed and definitely not clear. I wonder if this is a problem with my setup or this sounds are truly harsh.
I had my cats sneak in a storage room. They took their claws to 8 6.5 inch drivers on two pairs of my vintage Polk speakers…..8 damaged drivers…. Ugh….. So I’m looking for something to listen to in the meantime.. Hopefully I can get around to replacing the drivers in these other speakers. They even destroyed the Polk tweeters on the towers…. The rubber surrounds on the drivers have multiple slices and dices. One cone is punched in.
Looking into getting these. I listen to mostly straight forward acoustic jazz and classical at medium volumes. Not sure if a sub woofer would be needed. Your thoughts ? Awesome video and review. Thank you.
