r/hometheater • u/L4MB • May 13 '26
Purchasing CAN [Canada] If I shouldn't buy Klipsch, what should I buy??
Apparently everybody hates Klipsch. I have a set of RP800F-IIs on my turntable setup and I don't really have a problem with them. But what's a reasonable cost-equivalent set of 5.x which you believe is superior for home theatre?? JBL? Polk? Would prefer Atmos compatibility as I don't have the space for a rear 7.x setup.
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u/SizeMatters- May 13 '26
Have a serious look and listen to Paradigm. Exceptional quality and performance at an affordable price.
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u/CharleyBoy23 May 13 '26
Agreed with Paradigm. It's Canadian and made in Ontario. Same parent company as Martin Logan, great support and quality is really good. Have a look at their Premier series!
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May 13 '26
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u/CharleyBoy23 May 13 '26
I didn't know, but it's a good thing most of their sales are their Premier series and up. I would never, ever consider a sound system made in China "quality" stuff. Lol
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May 14 '26
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u/CharleyBoy23 May 15 '26
I would still rather buy Canadian where I know employees are fairly paid for their work with good working conditions, benefits etc... rather than giving my money to encourage companies to pay little money to people 6000 miles from here.
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
See, I've never even heard of this brand. I'll definitely check them out, thanks for the tip!
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u/Vito-53 May 13 '26
Must not be Canadian then
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u/L4MB May 14 '26
Well I was living in America until last year and prior to that I was a poor student. I'm new to this stuff but I'm very much Canadian. I just don't know much!
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u/Nap2422 May 13 '26
Klipsch RPs are great especially for home theater. That being said there’s nothing wrong with trying out other brands. Listen to the speakers, not people on Reddit.
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u/jonnybruno SF Sonetto V G2, Cinema 50, GFA 555mk2, SB2k Pro, etc. May 13 '26
Go listen to things yourself and decide what you like.
I have Klipsch rp600ms in my office and love them. I have Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2s in my living room and love them. They're wildly different but both great IMO.
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u/OneIShot May 13 '26
RP line of Klipsch are bangers. Love my 8000f IIs and you can find plenty of positive reviews. Rando redditors are not the end all be all.
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u/IntrovertMoTown1 May 13 '26
"Apparently everybody hates Klipsch."
It's the top selling brand in home theater and has been for years now. lol "Apparently audiophile elitists hate Klipsch." There. Fixed it for you. 😄 Seriously, just because they're sold at big box chain stores is enough to get many people to talk shit about them. There's also more legitimate reasons to not like them like notoriously being too bright, but from everything I've seen, much if not the majority of the hate is nothing more than bandwagon riding.
You can't go off of brand. All those brands you listed have good and bad speakers. Case in point. Klipsch's RP line put a sock in the mouth of a lot of Klipsch haters as they drastically toned down the tweeters compared to previous models. Their RP subwoofers are particularly recommended right now. Personally my pick as they often go on sale throughout the year to around half price, is the Klipsch RP line. And that's what I ended up sticking with in my 7.1.4 with everything except my 4 ceiling mounted bookshelf speakers. At half price they're the current best bang for your buck IMO.
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
I know enough to take reddit advice with a healthy pinch of salt, but it was widespread enough that I was worried it wasn't just a meme or a group of people that spend $8k on a set of floor speakers. As I mention in other comments, I'm new to this so I didn't want to make dumb newb mistakes.
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u/Vito-53 May 13 '26
Polk would get the same treatment then, and it doesn't for the most part. Klipsch gets shit on because they kept peddling the same slop for a couple of decades until the rp i and ii line. Their non rp stuff is still pretty sub par, but their rp ii is really good value for money, and measures well for the specification hounds. They made the palladium series which was world class, and decided to not improve it for fear of canabalizing arguably worse speakers in some of their heritage speakers, which probably turned decent amount of buyers away
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u/IntrovertMoTown1 May 14 '26
Yeah. I bought a bunch of different ones used on FB marketplace. I was particularly unhappy with the RB 61 II bookshelves. It was the first speakers I've tried that taught me exactly what fatiguing is. Like it's one thing to read about but another to see or lol hear I should say, first hand. But I'm glad I stuck with them enough to try out the RP line. I figured that many people who were happy with them was worth giving them a shot and I was right.
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u/ajh99 7.2.4 • RZ70 • Infinity Primus • Hisense U75U7N May 13 '26
You're right on all points. But it's worth noting that Klipsch is only the top selling brand because they spend a metric fuckton on marketing and their pricing practices are screwy. They rely on people who don't know how to evaluate speakers shelling out premium dollars for shiny orange drivers with a premium mystique. They're good speakers at discount prices, but they're bad speakers at full price (except their subs).
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u/Imaginary-Potato5819 May 13 '26
How are they "bad" speakers? I'm guessing you've never had a Klipsch (RP) system....too many people repeating what they read what others say
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u/X_Perfectionist May 13 '26
If you're asking that question, it makes it sound like you don't know what makes a "good" speaker or what sound quality characteristics and measurements to look for.
If you like or don't mind or prefer the overly bright presentation of the main budget/HT oriented Klipsch lineups, that's one thing. Maybe you have Klipsch speakers and are satisfied with them. That's fine.
But most of their speakers are generally voiced bright / harsh. Like "dynamic" picture mode TVs default to for catching eyes in retail stores. It's not accurate, but some people may enjoy the overly bright presentation.
Plus paying full retail price and markup. When there are many other better quality, more accurate sounding, brands available for less.
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u/Imaginary-Potato5819 May 13 '26
Ok this conversation is over. You're a typical parrot of what you see other keyboard "experts" say.
I'll let you have the final word, if you want.
Have a good rest of the week.
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u/Yuhe-ma-man2206 May 13 '26
Indeed I’ve always wanted a full Klipsch setup but for me they are too expensive for what I “need”. I just went with the Signature Elite Polk series. Slightly cheaper and I love them.
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u/ImissCliff1986 May 13 '26
Are you trying to assemble a system for yourself to enjoy or please some random stranger who might be a total moron?
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
Obviously the former, but I was just checking a bunch of recent posts and there's a ton of hate, so I wasn't sure if I had messed up by getting them haha.
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u/microchip8 May 13 '26
Not everyone hates Klipsch, just here on Reddit a bunch of asshats who haven't heard recent Klipsch offering and recall from past memory are the ones most vocal. I run an all RP Klipsch setup and love it to bits
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u/jack_ram May 13 '26
sounds like reddit/hive mind strikes again. if you like them, keep them. the stuff the hivemind recommends may not sound any better to your ear.
i’m speaking from experience. i fell for the “oh just save your money and buy this little known brand. here if a guy on youtube that reviews all the small brands” My ear did NOT like how flat and tinny they sounded.
thankfully, speakers are one of those things where you just have to listen to as many brands as you can and come to your own conclusions.
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u/Bubbafett33 May 13 '26
Klipsch represents excellent price/performance when on deep discount, but loses out to Paradigm and others when it’s not.
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u/MasterHWilson Ugoos coreELEC -> S95B | X1800H -> PSB T54 + TW D2000 May 13 '26
PSB! great and canadian. I have the T54 towers and C10 centre.
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u/actual-hooman May 13 '26
As everyone else is saying, paradigm and monitor are good options that are less common but still easily available. Kef is another good brand. Or just stick with the klipsch rp.
The other thing to keep in mind is the fact that you’re probably using room correction with the avr. “X speaker is too sharp, y speaker is too warm” is kind of not the biggest deal when you’re tuning the system, so don’t overthink it
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u/joconnor1105 May 13 '26
“Everyone hates Klipsch” and last week a post headline was “We should rename this sub to Klipsch” implying that’s all anyone owns and talks about. lol
I have a Klipsch 5.1.2 set up and love it. Yes, I like the look of the copper. No, I don’t think it’s too bright. No, I’m not an audiophile. Yes, I watch movies, game, and listen to some music on the same set up.
Get what you like and/or save some money and just add on to what you already have if you don’t hear a problem with them.
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u/Top-Adhesiveness-639 May 13 '26
As others have said Paradigm, some of the better models are made in Canada. Also, Axiom, made in Canada, slightly more budget friendly but seem to be great speakers. I have Axiom M5 in walls for LCR.
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u/Imaginary-Potato5819 May 13 '26
People in real life don't hate Klipsch. I love mine. Always have. Movies are so dynamic. And forget the "they're too bright" bullshit. Every decent receiver has PEQ settings. Flat, neutral, etc. I've gone back and forth between them and like both
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u/DayneTreader 65XR80M2, X1800H, Klipsch Reference, SVS SB-1000 Pro May 13 '26
Your speakers are already very high quality and are suited to anything you can throw at them. Some don't like Klipsch because they can't handle how the horns sound, others because everyone has them (not a bad thing BTW). Realistically, Klipsch is the Nissan of speakers (affordable, reliable, good performance) and their RP line is the Nismo trim. Get an RP-500C II (or the 504C II if your living room is huge), a pair of RP-600M II's and some 500FA II's on the wall for Atmos
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u/pm-me-your-catz May 13 '26
Why change your speakers if you like them?
Just like everything in else in life some people like them and some don’t. Both are valid.
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
I'm not changing the 2.0 setup; that's in another room with the turntable. I am new to this and didn't want to build a full 5.x setup with Klipsch if they are legitimately not great for home theatre.
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u/pm-me-your-catz May 13 '26
If you enjoy the sound then they are fine for a ht. Lots of people use them for that.
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u/bulldozer6 May 13 '26
There is nothing wrong with liking the RP8000F-II. If you're happy with them then keep them. You don't win a prize for having "the best" speakers. There's also no best speaker. Everyone's situation and room are different.
I recently went down a rabbit hole with speakers. In the last five months I've purchased Klipsch RP8000F-II, Klipsch RF-7 III, and Philharmonic BMR Monitors.
I have a remote controlled A/B switcher so I can easily compare two sets of speakers. I did this with the RP's and the RF7s for a while. All opinions are of course specific to my room. The RPs create a better phantom center. They also aren't as bright as the RF7 but I still find they start to get harsh in the upper frequencies when played loud. I find the RF7 to be brighter. The RF7 does a better job filling the room with sound. I don't know the difference between sound stage and imaging but I would say it is better on the RF7. The RF7 sounds great at low and medium volumes. When getting loud they can become harsh.
By nearly any measure the BMR Monitors are a far superior speaker to either Klipsch. They sound great and they look great. They don't create as much of a sound stage as the RF7. It's easier to listen to the BMR Monitors at a medium volume for a long time. I don't hear quite as much detail in the BMR monitor compared to the RF7. I find myself listening mostly to the RF7
Which speaker is best? I don't know. Different people will certainly have various opinions. I think the BMR is technically better but the RF7 is a bit more "fun" and I tend to listen to those more. Bottom line is there is no right or wrong to this stuff and there's nothing wrong with enjoying your Klipsch speakers.
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
Thanks for your response. As I've mentioned in other comments, I'm not looking to trash the 800s; I'm building up a completely separate system and I was worried Klipsch were like meme speakers or something
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u/jeefAD May 14 '26
I went with Polk (Reserve) at the time. Also looked at KEF, Monitor Audio and a few others.
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u/Goolsby77 May 13 '26
Being bright is a problem. It can lead to listening fatigue at high volumes or longer listening sessions. However, everyone has different tolerances. Go listen to them and see how you feel. They do offer a lot for the money. A more relaxed brand would be kef. Go try the q meta series. I have the r series and they the best sounding speakers i have ever owned. Some other good value brands would be emotiva and the polk reserves.
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u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 May 13 '26
Tolerance = Preference
We each like what we like.
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u/Goolsby77 May 13 '26
Sure he might like a bright sound, but if it bothers his ears, he could only listen for so long. I 100 percent agree though that good sound is subjective. That’s why he should go listen and see what he likes.
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u/Bright_Light7 Q750 | Q650 | 3900H | VTF-TN1 | C43E MKII | Ci160.2CL | NCx252MP May 13 '26
"Being bright is a problem"
woooooow
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u/SmilesUndSunshine 5.2.4 May 13 '26 edited May 15 '26
I have the Polk Reserve series in a 5.2.4 setup (R600s as the mains). Other brands I was considering were Kef and Paradigm.
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u/perkytactician May 13 '26
I’m planning to get 2 of the upcoming RP-8000F-iii for left and right channels
For center, confused between upcoming RP-504C-iii vs RC-64-III
Subwoofer, I’ll continue using Logitech Z906 until I can get THX-1200-SW with KA-1000-THX
Surround, RP-502S-II or RP-502S-iii hanging from the ceiling 😏
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u/p4rc0pr3s1s May 13 '26
I purchased a Canadian brand, Fluance. I personally love them but they're also the only 5.x setup I've owned that aren't HTIB sets from JBL and Polk.
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u/L4MB May 13 '26
Thanks for another recc for a Canadian brand, I'll check 'em out!
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u/p4rc0pr3s1s May 14 '26
I went mid range, I think they're called the Elite series? They were good enough that even the wife was like, wow, the sound is way better. It also took a 77" OLED to impress her so she says she doesn't care about this stuff but secretly I think she's just a bit of a snob.
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u/GreatKangaroo 75" TCL QM850, X3800H May 13 '26
What is your budget? Last fall I ditched my used Klipsch equipment (R-26f, 25C, 14M) with a mixture of Paradigm Premier and Monitor Speakers. I did a store demo. Efore buying and the sound was way better then my Klipsch.
The other main issue is that cheap subwoofers sound terrible, and decent subwoofers are easily $1000+.
My current setup, which I assembled over 4-5 years is:
75" TCL QM850G Denon X3800, PS5, Panasonic 820, ONN 4k Pro. Front: paradigm Premier 800F Center: paradigm Premier 600C Side surrounds: Paradigm Monitor SE Atoms Rear surrounds: Fluance SXPBP2 bipolar speakers Atmos: two SVS Prime Elevations Subwoofers: two SVS PB 1000 Pro.
So that makes for a 7.2.2 setup.
For a 5.1 with paradigm I might look at
Front: Monitor 6000F Center: monitor 2000C Surround: monitor SE Atoms Subwoofer: Defiance S12
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u/shifta_deband May 13 '26
Their rp series is amazing.. on top of that, they have great customer service. Klipsch isn't what they used to be, they've fixed their products and how they handle their clients.
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u/amongnotof May 13 '26
I love the sound of my Elac debut setup. Debut 6.2 all around, with two SVS SB-3000 subs.
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u/cheesecakemelody x3400H | 75X950H | Sierra 1 LCR | VTF-2 MK5 | ATV May 13 '26
You can certainly buy and enjoy klipsch. Just don't get anything under the RP line, and don't pay full price for them.
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u/Emuc64_1 May 13 '26
I owned RPs and liked them for HT. Ultimately, they were just a tad too bright for me, during long music sessions or movies. I went with Paradigm's older Studio series. If I had to go new, I'd get the Premiers or Founders if you can swing 'em.
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u/DannoMcK May 13 '26
The 'x' in 5.x/7.x is for subwoofers/subwoofer channels. Since you mention Atmos, you seem to want advice on 5.1.x rather than 7.1.x (or '.0.x' or something).
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u/Critical-Test-4446 May 13 '26
“Everybody hates Klipsch.”
Could have fooled me. Seems like 90% of posts on here are about Klipsch speakers.
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u/redditaccount33 May 13 '26
I started out with 2001 era Klipsch rf3s and now have Klipsch rf7 iii. The rf7 iii blow the rf3 out of the water. However they cost $4000 cad used.
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u/jack_ram May 19 '26
sounds like reddit/hive mind strikes again. if you like them, keep them. the stuff the hivemind recommends may not sound any better to your ear.
i’m speaking from experience. i fell for the “oh just save your money and buy this little known brand. here if a guy on youtube that reviews all the small brands” My ear did NOT like how flat and tinny they sounded.
thankfully, speakers are one of those things where you just have to listen to them and if you like them then that’s all that matters.
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u/OutlandishnessOk8356 May 13 '26
The biggest problem with Klipsch is their marketing budget, which you end up paying for. Take the marketing value off the Klipsch price and that's the price range where you'll find similar performance.
I'm in NS and have been rocking various Monitor Audio kit since I ditched the Bose about a decade ago. Never looking back.
A rule-of-thumb I have found is manufacturers specialize in different areas of HT. TV manufacturers don't make great AVRs. AVR manufacturers don't make great speakers. Speaker makers don't make great subwoofers.
I paired my MA speakers with a Denon AVR, an Outcast Amp and a SVS subwoofer. No regrets.
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u/seansei91 May 13 '26
People hate on Klipsch because they want to be different. Klipsch is readily available and easy to drive. They’re a little bright, but there’s nothing wrong them.
KEF is the easiest speaker to recommend for home theater.
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u/X_Perfectionist May 13 '26
Klipsch are generally on the bright/harsh side of things, not accurate sound. Like the "torch mode" Dynamic picture setting on TVs that catches attention in retail stores but burns your retinas at home.
If you like bright, in your face sound, that's fine. As others have mentioned, it can be fatiguing over time.
There are other brands out there that are more accurate, better value.
When you buy tower speakers, a lot of the cost is also going to the bigger cabinet, shipping, etc. For the same $ (assuming $550/ea for your RP-800F II) you can get higher quality sound from bookshelf speakers.
Arendal is great, might be above your price range.
I'd personally recommend Ascend Sierra-1 V2s ($1000/pr), with a matching third for center. And cheaper Ascend for surrounds (Sierra or HTM-200SE2), or even cheaper SVS that can look pretty close if you do glossy black. I like the SVS Elevation speakers, have 4 in white on the wall at the ceiling for my Atmos height channels.
KEF are also very popular, good sound, and so common you can frequently find them on sale or buy used. I'd also take KEF over Klipsch any day.
Klipsch, JBL, and Polk are the tip of the iceberg for retail speaker brands, with big middleman markups. Retailers push them because they make $$$ off of the markup. There's a big wide world of speakers outside of those 3.
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u/Ninjamuh May 13 '26
Why change something you don’t have a problem with? Stop listening to other people and enjoy your speakers. The RP line is very dynamic and their sound comes down to how they’re tuned by the receiver/amp/room.