CLARITY!

NONE

Tried these speakers out recently. They are unbelievable. Thought my Vegas were the thing for the past 15 years. They're on the block now! Wish I'd discovered Klipsch then. They have unbelievable clarity in mids and highs. Bass is pretty good for a bookshelf this size. Vocals jump out of these. They sound excellent with everything I've put through them. Can't get enough of their sound. Very nice stereo imaging and sound dispersion. Who needs "direct/reflecting"? Listened to a CD that I've had for 10 years and found myself looking around the room and even outside for subtle sounds that I'd never heard before on the CD. No joke. Second playback revealed my stupidity. I'll stick with Klipsch horns from now on. Matched these with SB-1s in the rear and an additional SB-1 in the center because it blew away my 'dedicated' Infinity center channel speaker. Wholeheartedly recommend. Can't fathom anyone being disappointed with these babies. If you want more bass, get a sub and you'll still get the great mid/highs. Doubtful you can't beat these in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 301 (briefly owned), Bose Acoustimass 3, Cerwin Vega, JBL control rooms, Infinity

Output level, bass, highs (you should know that already if you have seen the pair)

You may find a better sounding bookshelf, but expect to pay 2-3x as much for the clarity. Your eardrums will suffer, and your neighbors will complain, under high volume

I reviewed these the afternoon of getting the speakers... When i was shopping for speakers i told my self i would not pay more than 350 for bookshelf, i didnt want to risk some ass poking and prodding at the woofer while im throwing a party, or worse yet i wouldnt want them stolen. I was dissapointed with almost every bookshelf unit i heard, save B&W, M&K and a Paradigm. Those brands demand alot more money, and that means less beer for me... I came across the SB3's which caught my attention because the presence of an 8 inch graphite woofer... (i have a rule... no paper) I asked for a demo, (carlos santana was played) and one by one the SB3 took out all others in clarity, bass, and overall efficiency. Save the Klipsch Towers (even more awesome) every bookshelf in tweeter's store was drowned out with the mighty little klipsch's horn and 8inch woofer. I had to buy... and 6 months later i couldnt be happier. I have bought the matching SC1 center channel (a must buy) and my poor yamaha (dual 8 inch) sub cant even be heard after 1/3 volume... I am serious i cannot hear the sub clip that is how loud this combo is... people wont prod your woofers either because its too damn loud to even get close too, they will take everything a sony 100 watt reciever can muster up.. so now i am in serious need of a sub,im not sure whether to buy a 12 or 15 incher, but the 2 8"s will not cut it. Ive heard the Acoustic Research ARS300 is the way to go... (300 watts RMS/sunfire amp) well see...

Similar Products Used:

JBL,B&O (couldnt risk bringing to school), Infinity 2000.6 (RS5's)

Crystal clear highs, full all-around soundstage; you won't find a better-sounding bookshelf for the price (or even for a little more)

Cheap-looking grille, highs overpowering if you don't tweak your receiver

These bad boys will play your socks off. I'm using them in about a 15x15 room primarily as music speakers but for some h/t as well. I've had them almost a month, and they sound better and better every time I sit down to listen to them.

Since this was my first venture into the world of home theater, my goal was to put together an impressive home theater system on a limited budget, with the potential to updgrade in the future. Since I was also looking for a pair of speakers with some kahunas for parties, I was initially convinced that I wanted passive floorstanding speakers for the mains, so I listened to a whole array of floorstanding models from all the brands listed above (as well as the Klipsch RF-3 and the older-generation KLF-10 at Tweeter before they got rid of them). I played everything from Chicago to Aerosmith to STP, with some random instrumental pieces thrown in, and was surprised to find that the Klipsch consistently sounded better to me than any of the others. Boston and Mission were musical and had a good pure sound, but they were almost muffled by comparison and were a little more expensive. The Polk Audio speakers had a good tonal balance and a pleasing sound, but the RT-55i's sounded better than their floorstanding big brother, the RT-800i. And the fact that Circuit City was going to charge a 15% restocking fee if they didn't sound as good in my living room as I hoped convinced me that I wanted to buy elsewhere. The creme a la creme at BestBuy, JBL, sounded like garbage - the music had no dynamics whatsoever and just sounded lethargic. Bose was impressive given the size of the speakers but they were overpriced and sounded harsh when turned up; in my opinion and for my purposes, a much better system could be had for much less.

I had decided on the Klipsch RF-3 (I thought the KLF-10 sounded better but Tweeter had already phased them out), but in the ninth hour, just out of curiosity, I looked around on the internet for speakers and came across these Klipsch bookshelf speakers at Brandnamez for a fraction of the price of the floorstanding models. I hadn't listened to them at Tweeter, but given my track record with Klipsch products and my experience with the Polk RT-55i vs the RT-800i, I figured I'd go out on a limb, give them a try, and perhaps save the extra money for other purposes - probably one of the best decisions I've made in recent memory. The speakers sound phenominal, and they were delivered to my door for $330.

My biggest concern was that courtesy of a single woofer and the fact that they are bookshelf speakers - by nature less bassy than the floorstanding models - they would lack a solid bass foundation. Upon initial hookup my fears were realized, but after a quick tweak to the output from the receiver and a couple weeks of moderate playing, I am now a believer.

Klipsch has a winner with this one. Rugged, good-looking next to a TV (grilles notwithstanding), and providing sound that boasts excellent clarity and power across the sound spectrum, this speaker could hold its own in any company.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned Boston, Polk, JBL, Mission, Bose, et al

good bass, nice vocals, excellent in Home theatre applications

cant place too close to a call

I wanted to buy a pair of speakers for under $1000 AUD.
I looked at a few and finally settled on the Klipsch because the i liked the sound of the horn..
you have to be careful with how you place the speaker.
if it is too close to the wall (under a foot) it becomes very boomy.
other than that it does r&b, blues and female voices very well.
not much more to say except that I am happy with its performance..

1. Good Efficiency = great for "flea power" tube amps.
2. Natural warm sound.

1. Break-in time is long.
2. Too big to be considered bookshelves.

The Klipsch SB-3 is a GREAT sounding speaker. The sound is natural and warm. I am currenty driving them with a Zen amp from Decware. I think they are a good match.
The build quality on the SB-3 is so-so. As with any low priced speakers you will expect to find. I think they are a little too big to be considered bookshelves. They are also too big and ugly sitting on top of tables. My best suggestion is to put them on stands.
Regarding the sound quality, the SB-3 isn't bad. The sound is warm and natural. They are actually a little laid back and the sound is not overly bright. For all you bass lovers, the SB-3 plays pretty deep. It should be good with both music and movies.

Detail, soundstage, punch

None so far

I have been using these speakers for about 2 weeks and am very impressed so far. I use a Harmon Kardon 3470 receiver, these Klipsch SB-3's as the main speakers, a JBL PSW-15 subwoofer, JBL HLS410 rear speakers, and a second JBL sub.

I use my system solely for music (particularly bassy stuff--house, r&b, and some pop stuff). The Klipsch's lend a warm, punchy sound to my setup, and combined with the subs, the sound is full and blended. I was using smaller JBL's as my main speakers before the Klipsch's and there was a definite hole in the sound (particularly the mid-range bass) that is no longer there.

The high's are clean, detailed, and clear--even at high levels. I suspect the sound will get even better as I break them in.

I have used similarly sized Advent, Bose, and JBL speakers in the past--and auditioned many other pairs of similar speakers (Polk, Bose, JBL, etc.) at the store--but these definitely stood out. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a higher-end bookshelf speaker.

sounds clear at high volumes, great size for a book-shelf good bass also for it's size.

none as of yet!

I have read that a few people wish it had banana plugs,
which if you twist out the binding post all the way it is the same size as a banana plug, mine is hooked up that was, just put it in where the wire would go!! The SB-3 sounds good for music but much better for movies in dolby digital.
it's a good buy throught mail order, about $350. a pair. All in all these are great speakers for all around use, sounds better than bose to me but everyone has his/her own ear for listening, awesome buy for me, thanhs klipsch!!!

Similar Products Used:

bose a/r

Smallish, well made, amazing bass for its size, excellent clarity and balance.

None that I've found so far...

I listened to these speakers side by side with JBLs, Mirages, B&W's, M&Ks and a host of others. Felt that the SB3's had the balance of bass to mid's to highs in their price range and size. Had I not lucked into a pair of Ohm Walsh2s these speakers would easily have been my choice for mains, as it is they're my rear/sides in the HT hookup. I did however, run them for a week as my mains in a 2 channel stereo set up and they were masterful. Clear, concise, well made and affordable... what more could you ask for?

Similar Products Used:

Old JVC's from back in the day, and some no name speakers.

price, soundstage, dynamics

I " ll make this short and sweet. I"ve owned alot of different brands of speakers. Dollar for dollar I dont think they can be beat. I am very impressed with the soundstage and the dynamics of the speakers. Bass articulation seem to be very impressive also. Went to local Bryn Marr Stereo to audition the speakers, came out of the store not being to impressed with any of the products because of an inexperenced saleman and the poor conditions in the listening room. They wanted $450 a pair too. Going on instinct i ordered them anyway. $320 delivered. I couldn't be more please. Never pay retail. I have read quite a few reviews talking about blowing speakers. I have a 220w/ch power amp and have never blown any speaker except a bose. distortion kills

Similar Products Used:

ksb 1.1

Bass, power

Boring looks, boring sound. Too laid back.

While shopping for some bookself speakers, I came across Klipsch. I'd heard them mentioned here before, so I read up on some of the reviews. When I went to hear them in the store, although they sounded quite powerful and full, I found they lacked liveliness - they were quite boring to listen to. I found myself thinking that I wouldn't want to spend my hard-earned money on something that didn't "wow" me. Sure, the highs were there and there was a decent amount of low end, but I found myself getting anxious to listen to something else...

The B&Ws were much more interesting in their sound. They have an incredible uppper end and seem to jump out at you more. The Paradigms were another story alltogether. They had an immense amount of bass and a very lively top end. In the end I decided on the Paradigms for a couple hundred dollars less.

Similar Products Used:

B&W602s2, Paradigm Ref Studio 20