Klipsch RB-5 ii Review

deronb1

RB -5 ii arrived Wed with no damage. Have had some time with these and I gotta say, these are plain ol fun speakers. Having never owned any Klipsch before, i wasnt sure what to expect. They had plenty of good reviews and the dudes over on the Klipsch forum spoke highly of them, but ya never really know till ya hear em.

Good size, 17 x 9 x 10 and 22 lbs ea, they are stout. Knock test revealed a solid thud. 8" woof and 6" horn. Big rear port, so i had to move forward a couple of inches. These have the best bass i have ever heard from a bookie. Also a nice mid bass kick that is fast and accurate.

I expected the horn to sound shrill, but its actually rather laid back, almost too much so.. Comparing with the B&W CDM 1nt, they held their own. Much better bass, but lacked the sweet mids and airy highs that the B&Ws possess. That said, its a fine sounding speaker on its own. They have a seductive quality that is enjoyable, with zero fatigue.

Also, these speakers image like crazy. Most vocals are dead center and sound like center channel in playing. Love that. Overall solid presentation and well worth the 265.00 delivered from Colorado.

I know klipsch doesnt get a lot of love here, for obvious reasons, but these are a blast. A LOT of energy in these things. 8 ohm, super easy to drive and a palpable bass at low volume. These would be a solid choice if you need a near full range sound from a bookie.

I did a lot of listening through the Marantz NA 7004 both CD and FLAC files, into the Onkyo TX SR 705, in "Pure A" mode, bypassing all calibration and no subs. Just a well blended sound that could do a smidge better with the mids, especially vocals, and could have a tad more air and bloom from the highs. Overall though a solid well rounded speaker for not a lot of cash. Im keepin em!

TennMan

I read the whole review expecting a comparison to a similar priced vintage Polk. Disappointed.

deronb1

Well, i havent owned Polk bookshelf speakers. RTA 8Ts, SDA 2Bs, RTi 12. These are from 2001-03 , so a comperable Polk would be LS or LSi maybe. Never heard either.

leftwinger57

I have Klipsch smalls so no comparison there. Me I still want a set of Forte, KG4s. Quartets, or even the bigger KLF 10s. Never had horns before and here they are not really looked upon w/ any enthusiasm. In fact most around here say horns are very harsh and fatiguing.

deronb1

leftwinger57 wrote: »

I have Klipsch smalls so no comparison there. Me I still want a set of Forte, KG4s. Quartets, or even the bigger KLF 10s. Never had horns before and here they are not really looked upon w/ any enthusiasm. In fact most around here say horns are very harsh and fatiguing.

I was expecting the same thing, but its quite the opposite. They are almost dark sounding. Its not a bad thing. The overall presentation of this speaker is nice. Very easy to listen to. From what im told "over there" is that the RB-75s are even better, but they cost quite a bit more, 500-700 a pair.

If you are curious, the RB-5 is a great place to start. Can be had for between 200-300 bucks. You may like em, you may not, but not a lot of cash to get started.

deronb1

As i learn more, i think these would technically be considered more of a waveguide driver than a horn.

Mystery

I've had quite a few Klipsch speakers.
KLF10 was great and so was the Forte but probably the most likeable were the KSP400's. Those suckers were over a 100lbs each.
Heresy I, not that great but later ones are much better.
Still have a nice pair.
Also had SB, KV, KG and Tangent series, didn't like them as much.
Reference lines are better than those.

Polkaguy58

I just talked on the phone with a gentleman from Pittsfield MA. , who asked me if I knew anyone who wanted a pair of Klipshorns that he made many years ago.
I was inquiring on his ad for a Yamaha receiver at the time.
Two room apartments and Klipshorns are a tough accomodation unfortunately.