Klipsch RB-81 II (Black) Bookshelf Speakers
Klipsch RB-81 II (Black) Bookshelf Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Jul 23, 2024]
Kyzer1816
Strength:
This is great, it's worth the buy for this speaker. Germantown Fence Company Near Me Weakness:
None so far. |
[Mar 26, 2024]
joedavidson
Strength:
A lot of my friends at https://www.ok438 shared positive reviews about RB-81 II. Personally, i like it. Weakness:
Nothing so far. Purchased: Used
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[Dec 21, 2023]
davidson02
Strength:
Wow. It's perfectly fitted in my finished room. Trumpets and other horns are also much better and the bass is much tighter and rounder. Weakness:
Nothing so far. Purchased: Used
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[Aug 10, 2022]
ampva301
Strength:
Right up to the roll-off, the bass is quite nicely articulated. With the speaker grille removed, you can look sexy. Threaded inserts for installing the stand are a wonderful touch—unforgiving of poor quality source material, ideal for home film. | who is the best drywall company Weakness:
none for now Purchased: New
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[Jul 11, 2022]
highfalutin
Strength:
Bass is very well articulated right up to the roll off. Look sexy with the speaker grille off. Threaded inserts for stand mounting are a nice touch. Unforgiving of poorly recorded source material, perfect for videography. Weakness:
obviously none . . Purchased: New
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[Sep 04, 2021]
Rick Price
Strength:
The best speaker in this category BY FAR and I've owned a BUNCH of 'em. The power handling versatility is the BIGGEST undersung advantage. I'm running them with a McIntosh MC2155 on the top and an MC2250 on the bottom and they can use MOST of the power effectively-which is to say I can't turn it up any farther and stay in the same room and there is NO break-up or distortion and that's a LOT of power handling capability for a speaker that can also be used with 8 watt triodes. I'm seriously impressed. The newer designs are better at suppressing the infamous "horn squawk" that has afflicted the classic Klipsch designs from the past. I badly wanted to own K-Horns when I was a kid, but I just couldn't handle the woofer bottoming and that upper-mid honk in spite of how gorgeous everything else was. So...what's NOT to love in this iteration? Nothing much. Weakness:
Nothing much. Real Wood Veneer, maybe... Price Paid: 868.00
Purchased: New
Model Year: 2016
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[Sep 22, 2011]
Dave
Audio Enthusiast
I've owned quite a few Klipsch speakers and have always liked their sonic immediacy, dynamics and presence. From my first set of Heresy I’s from 1978 theirs have been among my favorites. The RB-81II's are no exception and are in my opinion among the best stand-mounted/bookshelf model you can find out there. I admit my fondness for the large JBL L100’s or the first Polk 7’s is a sentimental attachment from days long gone.
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[May 15, 2011]
Shake777
Audio Enthusiast
This is a very good speaker which can you can display with confidence that it is among the better bookshelf speakers. I have many of the fine Klipsch reference speakers in an 11.2 system where they serve well as surround speakers. I'm sure in a smaller room these would stand alone and make fine speakers in a stereo set up with a good amp. They are that good. I have auditioned many of the better bookshelf speakers that are worth thousands of dollars and I think the RB81 speakers hold their own just fine among them. They are even that good. I'm not saying these are as good as three thousand dollar speakers but I am saying that if you spend three thousand dollars you are going to get a small amount of improvement for all your money. |
[Jan 18, 2011]
Matt
Audio Enthusiast
These speakers sound fantastic for rock music, funk rock, country, hip hop, and most other genres. I love their seperation and detail. They do provide adequate bass, but for large rooms a powered sub might be in order. I have used them both ways and think they perform well in either scenario. If you like your music lively, detailed, and airy, I highly recommend these. Also, they play exactly what is recorded, so bad recordings will be noticed vs. a well recorded album. I think the horn tweeter's airiness is one reason why I think they stand out from the other brands that I have heard. These are more of a forward sounding speaker as well. Allow these speakers some break in time of at least 100-200 hours before judging them. I am a picky person when it comes the sound and detail of my music, and these speakers are staying with me for quite awhile. I love them. |
[May 26, 2010]
emak212
Audio Enthusiast
Well what can I say, these speakers were the ones that let me fall in love with music. I auditioned other speakers in this price range including Polk, Infinity, Mirage, Paradigm, and others, but these were the ones I kept coming back to. Granted, there are much better speakers out there, but if you're on a budget look no further. I have yet to hear another speaker under $1000 that can produce such an open treble, wide soundstage, or bass extension as the RB-81s. Speaking of bass, these RB-81s are some of the best you can get for a bookshelf speaker. I had these bad boys hooked up to a Jolida-1501 (100wpc) Tube Hybrid amp. This is a match made in heaven. The 8" woofers can really kick hard for a bookshelf speaker. On top of that, the detail these speakers are capable of achieving is incredible (especially through a tube amp). I listen to many types of music including Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, Techno, Electronic, Rock & Alternative. There is not one type of music the RB-81's can't excel at. The only thing you should be concerned with is listening to music through a good source. I used my laptop's USB to a Perpetual Technologies P-3a & P-1a DAC/DSP setup. This combo blew me away; there was so much to take in from every song I played. If you're going to use the headphone jack and a "Y" cable, you really should look into a cheaper speaker because that method will not give these speakers the justice they deserve. Another thing I will caution you on is that these speakers require a considerably long break-in time. I didn't get the sonic balance and wide sound stage that I was looking for until I had used these for well over 100 hours. Therefore, they may sound a little dull or harsh out of the box. Other than that, you really won't be disappointed. |