Polk Monitor 70's or Klipsch WF-34

JTodd
JTodd Posts: 20
edited November 2011 in Speakers
Hey everyone! I am in the market for some new speakers and am seeking some advise. I have narrowed down my search to Polk Monitor 70's and Klipsch WF-34's. Do you guys have any good or bad experiences with either of these speakers? My current receiver is a Harman Kardon AVR 247 which leads to my next question. Will this receiver power these speakers aquatically? The current speakers I am using are the Klipsch Quintet III's with Klipsch SUB10. Any thoughs or advise is welcome! Thanks in advance!
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  • zippty2001
    zippty2001 Posts: 232
    edited November 2011
    i know this is not what you asked you asked comparing the 2. but what about a used set of better speakers?
    like a used set of rti10 klipsch RF-5 or somthing? for the price of the M70 or the wf34 you could get allot better in the used market. but i think if you had to get from the 2 sets your talking about i would go for the polks. i cant see the klipsch having much lowend
    and i am a klipsch fan i had some icons and did not like them at all.
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  • Oldfatdogs
    Oldfatdogs Posts: 1,874
    edited November 2011
    Hay JTodd, I have the 70s in my house setup they sound good to my ears.Not an expert but for the money great bang for the buck speakers.I have not heard the Klipsch,if you can get your ears on both let your ears be the judge. Your receiver should be fine but others here like an amp for more power.Hope this helps. Dan
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  • JTodd
    JTodd Posts: 20
    edited November 2011
    I am trying to stay with a light budget. The polk monitor 70's are $150 and the Kilpsch wf34 are 250. I believe these are good deals but am definitely open to other options. Thank you both for your input.

    @zippty Where is a good place to check out used speakers? I always through they degraded with age. Is this true?

    Thanks!
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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited November 2011
    Most people will recommend an external amp for the Monitor 70s. I suspect the Klipsch are less power hungry.
    MAIN: Polk Lsi9s; Polk PSW505; Lsic (in box); Onkyo SR-875; Parasound 2250; Cambridge Audio 740C; LG BD370
    OFFICE: Polk Lsi7; REL T3; HK 3490; CA 840W; Onkyo C-S5VL
    BENCHED: CS20; OWM3s
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited November 2011
    JTodd wrote: »
    I am trying to stay with a light budget. The polk monitor 70's are $150 and the Kilpsch wf34 are 250. I believe these are good deals but am definitely open to other options. Thank you both for your input.

    @zippty Where is a good place to check out used speakers? I always through they degraded with age. Is this true?

    Thanks!

    If your going to spend 500 for a pair of WF34's then why not go with Polk RTI A5's or RTI8? You can get them from Polk's ebay page. The are refurbished but most people say the speakers show up looking new. They dont have any RTI A5's on there right now but if you keep your eye open some will show up. Then you will be a step up from the monitor / TSI line up.

    http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct/Towers-Floorstanding-/_i.html?_fsub=160111119&_sid=686154689&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,014
    edited November 2011
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    Most people will recommend an external amp for the Monitor 70s. I suspect the Klipsch are less power hungry.

    Uh...not really. The monitor 70's are pretty darn easy to drive with any receiver. The OP's receiver can run them fine. What your talking about is 2 different sounding sets of speakers here. Since you already have the small Klipsch, you have a feeling for their sound already. Go get an ear on the M70's before making your decision.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited November 2011
    The other thing I dont get is why people buy a massive big speaker with woofers then set the xo to route the bass frequencys to the sub.
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,014
    edited November 2011
    jbooker82 wrote: »
    The other thing I dont get is why people buy a massive big speaker with woofers then set the xo to route the bass frequencys to the sub.

    One reason is to take the power requirements off the receiver and push it onto the amp in the sub. Gives a better spank in the mids. Of coarse adding a seperate amp would also work. Sometimes too if big floorstanders are set to large along with a sub, the 2 different speeds of bass response can sound funky. Not to mention standing wave issues on top of it all. I chose floorstanders that get down and dirty without a sub so no issues there for me. I do however agree that buying speakers and not using all of it is a waste. Some will no doubt argue that point, but thats just my observation/opinion is all.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited November 2011
    tonyb wrote: »
    I do however agree that buying speakers and not using all of it is a waste. Some will no doubt argue that point, but thats just my observation/opinion is all.

    That is all that I am saying. It just seems like a wast to me to when they could have boughten a better pair of smaller speakers.
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,757
    edited November 2011
    JTodd wrote: »
    Where is a good place to check out used speakers? I always through they degraded with age. Is this true?

    Thanks!

    www.audiogon.com

    There are too many variables to say one way or the other with any certainty. There are some very old speakers out there that are still making great music, better in fact than a lot of new speakers.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,093
    edited November 2011
    jbooker82 wrote: »
    The other thing I dont get is why people buy a massive big speaker with woofers then set the xo to route the bass frequencys to the sub.

    Laws of physics, room placement (I guarantee you that where you have your speakers is not the ideal spot for accurate bass reproduction). Lack of power (most cases) the XO mucks things up too much, just not being designed for true bass reproduction. Your mid range will thank you big time. The list goes on...do some reading on the subject.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • JTodd
    JTodd Posts: 20
    edited November 2011
    "If your going to spend 500 for a pair of WF34's then why not go with Polk RTI A5's or RTI8?"



    Thanks for the link JBooker! I found a pair of RTI8 that I am very interested in. What is the difference between the RTI A5 and the RTI8? Polk doesnt have the RTI8's on there website. Will the HK AVR 247 have any issues powering the RTI8's?

    Thanks guys!!!
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  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited November 2011
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Laws of physics, room placement (I guarantee you that where you have your speakers is not the ideal spot for accurate bass reproduction). Lack of power (most cases) the XO mucks things up too much, just not being designed for true bass reproduction. Your mid range will thank you big time. The list goes on...do some reading on the subject.

    Ditto, well said!
    It?s not about making one speaker do everything, it?s about figuring out the best range that your different components are the best at, that would result in collectively producing top notch sound. M70s have 6 inch woofers, which is small to begin with for a tower that size, and pales in comparison to a 12inch in my sub. So why would I force the 6in woofer to do work that it is not particularly good at, when I have this big 12 inch sitting right next to it?! Once I offset the heavy load of low frequencies to the sub, I found that the m70s are actually a pretty exceptional speaker! m70s bring out so much more detail when kept in a range that actually makes sense for a speaker with 6 inch woofers. Believe it or not, for movies I like the m70s better than my lsi9s, go figure...
    JTodd wrote: »
    "If your going to spend 500 for a pair of WF34's then why not go with Polk RTI A5's or RTI8?"


    Thanks for the link JBooker! I found a pair of RTI8 that I am very interested in. What is the difference between the RTI A5 and the RTI8? Polk doesnt have the RTI8's on there website. Will the HK AVR 247 have any issues powering the RTI8's?

    Thanks guys!!!

    You will be totally fine with that.
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,014
    edited November 2011
    The M70's were never meant to produce low bass to begin with. Multiple smaller cones will deliver faster more accurate bass generaly speaking, speaker design has alot to do with it too. Alot of this is knowing what your speaker is capable of reproducing, not what you wish it could, then adding a sub to fill in the last bit of low end without leaving a freq. gap.
    The whole subject of large or small settings for big speakers is not a one size fits all answer. Thats why you have to play around a bit to find what works in your room and with your ears.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited November 2011
    tonyb wrote: »
    Alot of this is knowing what your speaker is capable of reproducing, not what you wish it could, then adding a sub to fill in the last bit of low end without leaving a freq. gap.
    Exactly, and I think this is something that too many newbs do not fully understand when first setting up a system from multiple components. I know I certainly didn't at first, and only through lots of testing and playing around with different settings I learned how this is suppose to work. Good discussion.
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
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  • zippty2001
    zippty2001 Posts: 232
    edited November 2011
    right here in the Polk forums is a good place most the people here give good prices on there speakers. klipsch forums.
    goodwill i have found some crazy stuff at the goodwill's around me. from Polk rta15 just got a set of kg5.5 at good will 2 days ago.
    i mostly stay with used stuff but that's me audiogon is a good place. cant say nothing bad but your going to pay more for most stuff but its going to be the best of the best used most of the time.
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited November 2011
    JTodd wrote: »
    "If your going to spend 500 for a pair of WF34's then why not go with Polk RTI A5's or RTI8?"



    Thanks for the link JBooker! I found a pair of RTI8 that I am very interested in. What is the difference between the RTI A5 and the RTI8? Polk doesnt have the RTI8's on there website. Will the HK AVR 247 have any issues powering the RTI8's?

    Thanks guys!!!
    The AVR will run the RTI8's or RTI A5's pretty easly. The RTI A5's are just the newer version of the RTI8's. Some people say the drivers are the same. I dont have any personal experiance with them. The RTI A5's have a much better looking cabnet and the shape is supose to cancel out any noise or sounds that are produced inside the cabnet. The RTI A5's arent much more than the RTI8's. If they are with in 50 to 75 bucks I would spring for the newer RTI A5's.
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • ravaneli
    ravaneli Posts: 530
    edited November 2011
    I can't testify to the sound quality of either speaker, and realize that this may be the wrong forum for this,

    BUT,

    the Klipsch WF-34 Icon-W Series Espresso is the MOST BEAUTIFUL SPEAKER MADE BY MAN, and by long shot too. I am thinking of buying them just for the looks they will bring to my living room and make all my friends jealous.
    BlueFox wrote: »
    I have found that tube based computers provide the best sound quality. ENIAC and MANIAC I offer a smooth, well defined and articulated sound unmatched by the current silicon based CPUs. :wink:
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    But as in all things your perception is your reality.
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  • JTodd
    JTodd Posts: 20
    edited November 2011
    "The RTI A5's arent much more than the RTI8's. If they are with in 50 to 75 bucks I would spring for the newer RTI A5's."



    I would definitely prefer the RTI A5's but unforchantly there aren't any on polk's eBay page. The RTi8 are currently on sale for 399.99 a pair so I will probably end up ordering those. Does anyone know if we should be expecting the RTI A5's any time soon? Thanks!
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited November 2011
    There should be some in a week or two.
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • iskandam
    iskandam Posts: 704
    edited November 2011
    I've owned both RTi (RTi8, CSi5, FXi3) and WF Icon series (WF-34, WC-24). I ran the RTi's off a HK 247 and that was a killer bang-for-the-buck combo. But the Klipsch WF series is a couple of steps above the RTi in terms of clarity and resolution, plus they're much easier to drive due to the high sensitivity. One thing to keep in mind is that the WF series is not as bright as the Reference series. They still have that clarity that Klipsch horns are known for, but much more balanced here.

    They were some of the most beautiful speakers to ever land in my living room, and they sound even better than they look. I'd pick the WF series over the RTi any day of the week.
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