Klipsch Synergy III

josh_parsons626

Hey guys, I was walking around at Best Buy today and come upon these Klipsch Synergy III speakers with dual 6.5 woofers. I listened to them and man they sounded pretty good. It made me think about the RTi series with they're 2 and 3 7" woofers. Ya know I've been so in love with the LSi and so engulfed with them I never took the time to sit down and consider the other options out there. I've been thinking about maybe looking at either the 10's or 12's. But even with the 8's dont they sound good for 2-channel music?

And another thing. Up at Circuit City they have in stock the KEF home theater 3000 series. And I listened to it and I was wondering if they have to be hooked up to an amp to sound good, because they just didn't do it for me like Polk does. But I'm not complaning because it got my ears out there to something new and I love that even though I think the speakers to sound all that great.

Sherardp

Awesome experience, I have the 12s and to me they sound very good. I havent auditioned the LSi line up but with so much praise I can only imagine. 8's or 10s should sound very good in a 2ch setup.

ohskigod

I've listenned to the klipsch Synergy, and was quite pleased with it. it didnt knock my socks off, but I liked what I heard.

RTi is perfectly fine for 2 channel, but I wouldnt take any of these lines over the LSi. It just has an overall smoother sound, more refined, from top to the bottom. the difference in sound is MORE apparent for me in music than even for home theater.

hey, everyone has got a budget to follow, and if the LSi dont fit, then thats cool. I got most of my LSi used, not new (the LSi9's being the exception.),

audiobliss

Great experience. It's good that you value experience, actually hearing equipment with your ears. So many people 'window shop' by specs; you just can't do that.

Mind you I haven't listened to the Synergy series since Klipsch redid them, but I remember listening to the previous series before I bought my RF-35. I really wasn't much impressed with them. The midbass was too bloated and warm (perhaps muddy?) compared to the reference series.

Like ohskigod said, everyone has a budget they have to work with. The RF, LSi, RTi, or Synergy series would do you well. Just listen and be sure before you buy anything.

josh_parsons626

Well what got me about the RTi is when I heard those Klipsch and how they got 2 midsize woofers instead of one big woofer like back in the day. It got me thinking "man, maybe those 12's are better than the LSi cause they got the 3 7" woofers and the 15's (which I think I'll end up getting) have one 8" woofer. I'm just trying to wonder how the 15's are any punchier or tighter than the RTi line up.

Holydoc

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Well what got me about the RTi is when I heard those Klipsch and how they got 2 midsize woofers instead of one big woofer like back in the day. It got me thinking "man, maybe those 12's are better than the LSi cause they got the 3 7" woofers and the 15's (which I think I'll end up getting) have one 8" woofer. I'm just trying to wonder how the 15's are any punchier or tighter than the RTi line up.

Josh,

What you have to remember is that though the number of speakers and how they are cross-overed will affect the sound, one of the biggest players is how the speakers and the cabinet are constructed and the synergy that exists between them and your room and equipment. You can purchase the most expensive speakers on the planet, and there is a possibility that they will not sound as good as what you currently have if the synergy is not there.

So how do you know if that certain speaker is going to sound better in your house than what you currently have? I am afraid the only way you can do that is to bring it home and test it. There are just so many factors in your room environment that contribute to the molding of the sound wave before it hits your ears that you just cannot be certain if something is better until you get it in the environment.

This is why you have to take what people state as a "better sounding speaker" with a grain of salt. What they mean to say is that their brain interprets the sound as more pleasing in their environment at that given point. This does not mean that it will sound better to you.

Back on subject, I love my RTi12's. Am I satisfied with them? NO! This is a hobby and like everyone else, I have upgraditis. Do I know what I want to upgrade to in order to have better sound. No. I take notes of what people say, I read articles so I understand the differences in the construction of the speakers, and then I will purchase a few to hear if I like those differences. I will send them back or keep them if I think there is a significant difference in quality. That is what I recommend to you.

Sorry about the rambling... :rolleyes:

josh_parsons626

Like I said before about the Synergy's. Now, I've been looking at their Reference series. Does anybody know about them? I know they're THX rated and everything, which doesn't do a damn thing for me. But where I'm so psyched about the LSi, I just wanna know if anybody's heard in real life both of them. The only Polk's I've heard are the ones I have which are is the Monitor series. And the only Klipsch I've heard are the Synergy III. Just wanna know how people feel about them.

organ

josh_parsons626 wrote:

Like I said before about the Synergy's. Now, I've been looking at their Reference series. Does anybody know about them? I know they're THX rated and everything, which doesn't do a damn thing for me. But where I'm so psyched about the LSi, I just wanna know if anybody's heard in real life both of them. The only Polk's I've heard are the ones I have which are is the Monitor series. And the only Klipsch I've heard are the Synergy III. Just wanna know how people feel about them.

Hi Josh,
I have both the Klipsch RF-35 and Polk LSi9. Make sure you're certain as to which type of sound you enjoy more. These speakers are worlds apart when it comes to their aural presentation.

LSi sound: More laid back. Much, much warmer. Better at soundstaging and very realistic mid-range. The LSi reaches your soul by its realistic mids and smooth, more relaxed sound.

RF sound: Very aggressive like live music, a lot more dynamics/slam. More forward presentation vs LSi's laid back performance. Images are larger but doesn't place them in the soundstage as good as the LSi9. I find the RF to be a lot more engaging and have more boogie factor than the LSi9. The RF reaches your soul by making the presentation more physical.

As much as I love my LSi, I still prefer the Klipsch because of the sound characteristics I described above is more to my liking.

Amplification is VERY important for both. The LSi are power hungry and the Klipsch are super efficient. The LSi need a lot of good clean power to make them sing. The Klipsch needs little power but due to their high sensitivity, they will reveal any weakness in the audio chain. If you're planning to use tube amplification in the future, the Klipsch is a match made in heaven for those flea powered amps. I currently have 20w/ch of tube power feeding them and they can shake the foundation.

What kind of music do you listen to? At what volume? This should help make your decision easier.

audiobliss

Good info there! ^^

I, too, have the RF-35 and really like them. I'm bi-amping mine with about 30 watts per speaker, and it's amazing how they'll rock out! They'll shake the floor and can be heard very clearly thoughout the house; however, having said that, during (rare) extreme listening, I have maxed out the amps and so really wouldn't mind having a bit more power.

The key here is to listen to them as much as you can before you make a final decision.

josh_parsons626

Organ, I listen to METAL! nothing but. I like my metal loud. I mean 36 Crazyfists, Atreyu, Lamb Of God, Bleeding Through, As I Lay Dying any of these bands sound familiar? But I also love watching my movies as much as I like listening to my music. I'm still not too sure if I wanna use my sub for my 2-channel or not that's why I want good "stereo" fronts with a couple 7" or 8" woofers in them. My next move in my HT will be my gear. What I'd like to have is a full Rotel system: RSP-1098 pre/pro, RMB-1095 5-channel amp (for center channel, front & rear surrounds), 2 RB-1092 (fronts bi-amped), and a RDV-1092 1080p DVD Player as my source. But I think what I'll probably be ending up with is an Outlaw audio system: 990 pre/pro, 7700 7-channel amp, 2 2200 mono amps (fronts bi-amped) with my LG DVD player I've got right now. Now, based on all that do you think the Polk's are better, or the Klipsch?

organ

Hi Josh,
That's all the info I need. I'm a huge fan of metal as well. I've heard about a few of the bands you listen to. I listen to Cradle of Filth, Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, Dimmu Borgir, etc.

If metal is your thing and you like it loud, get the Klipsch and don't look back! I don't see why the Rotel equipment won't work. I had a Rotel pre and NAD amp connected to my Klipsch at one time and it sounded wonderful. I've yet to come across any other speakers that can do metal like Klipsch.

The RF-35 (now replaced by RF-82) have plenty of low frequency energy. If you go without a sub, you will miss out on some bass where the speakers cut off. I believe they reach the mid-30's frequencies. I use a Polk sub and dialed the x-over to around 40-50Hz so I could get that last little bit of bass the RF's can't produce.

See if you can get an in-home audition. If the speakers are connected to so so equipment and aren't set up properly at the dealer, it won't sound good. Due to their high efficiency, any weakness in the audio chain will really stand out. This is why Klipsch usually have a bad rep among many people. They hear it powered with half **** gear and conclude that the speakers are bad.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Loud & Clear

Much of Polk's vintage lineup possess a great deal of boogie as well.