I've had these speakers (KSF8.5)acouple of months now and they have done an exceptional job at filling my living area (45x35)with vualted ceilings.very cleansound even at high volume levels. Of couse these are my rear speakers the Klipsh (KLF20) are my front main speakers. velodyn 12" sub, kilpsh center.Powered by a denon AVR3600,yamaha C900 dvd, The 5channel stero is awesome .definitly give these speakers a listen.

Klipsch KSF 8.5 Towers:
I would love to put myself down as an "Audiophile", but my requirement for great sound is hampered by a need to keep things cheap, the corner of a studio/loft flat as a sole site for placement, and a need to have speakers that fit in with their surroundings, rather than dominate.

so there you have it - this is a review from a casual listener, not an audiophile.

I heard these speakers at Tweeter Etc in Auburn, MA, after playing a rugby game, so my hearing may have been a bit off. I auditioned them vs Mission 773's and some Mirage speakers. Being a Brit I was hoping that the Missions would clearly win out - the Klipsch reminded me of 1970's speakers where everything was about massive woofers, massive bass, and a girlfriend called Tracy in a Ford Capri (had to be there).

I was wrong - in the listening rooms at Tweeter, the 8.5's sounding much fuller throughout than the Missions. I'm presuming this is partly because the Klipsch had a larger woofer and lower response. The detail was also slightly better with the Klipsch at higher frequencies, which I hadn't at all expected. I was under the impression that British speakers concentrated on better mid to high range performance, whereas the US had a lower end to them. Damn. I hate it when the Yanks win.

Money: The Klipsch speakers turned out to be $300 for the pair from Tweeter - an end of line special. So I bought them yesterday in Burlington, MA.
The best price I could get for the Missions was $340 for a pair, plus freight from the internet.

"The Kicker" - So you think that by auditioning these speakers, you're doing the right thing, right? Immediately at the shop, I saw that the amp can make all the difference - the first time I heard the speakers, they were connected through a Denon receiver. The sound was cluttered. I think GHASTLY would be an ample description. In the next room, we used a Yamaha receiver. Much clearer. Streets ahead.

There is one more shocker though. Hearing the Klipsch at the shop in a made to measure auditioning room, brought out the best in them. They sounded full rather than overly bassey. And at $300 bucks, I snapped them up. Last night I got them home. What a difference putting these in a corner makes. All I can hear is BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM. The bass is excrutiating. Yours truly is taking them back soon.

The Klipsch are great speakers, but by God do they change character with positioning. My best guess is that these would be best for Surround sound set ups in a long rectangular room, along a wall, rather than in a corner.

overall, I think these are a 4 star, especially when at $300 for a pair. Great for a full sound in the right room. I don't know why, but right now, I think a pair of old Celestion 3's bookshelves and a old NAD receiver I listened to in the UK would easily slaughter the AVR25 mk2 and Klipsch set up I have now. I remember them as being so smooth and musical, you could listen to them for hours... and want to.

the search for speakers goes on.

Rich

All I can say is wow. I auditioned these in the store and was really impressed. Bought them, took them home, and they sounded even better. I've had many friends that don't beleive that there are only two speakers in the cabinet. The highs and mids are very are crisp and clear as well as thunderous lows. I'm pushing them with an Onkyo TX-DS575 (Awesome receiver!!) which puts out 70 watts per channel. I thought this might not be enough for them but the Onkyo proved me wrong. Paired with the sonically matched KSF C5 movies sound incredible. I got the pair for $400 and I must say they are worth their weight in gold. I think Klipsch discontinued these so snag'em up if you can find a pair. For the money you can't beat their sound. 5 speakers all the way!!

Well, I got a invitation to a special unadvertised, listed sale at Ovation Audio/Video about 2 months ago, at that time I was in the market for a new pair of speakers. I had my eye on Polk Audio speakers, because when I was younger, I really loved the sound of Polks, and I said when the day came I would buy Polk. Well, I shopped every store, tried EVERY brand of speaker (at least within the $600 and less/ea. speakers), I decided I would ride over to Ovation since they had a pair of Polk's on sale, similar to the pair I was looking at purchasing from another store. I walked in, said hi to the guys, and told them to pop in a DVD movie, with a Yamaha Head unit (I have the RXV-793), and the Polk speakers they had for sale, then just for comparison sake, I wanted to hear the Klipsch KSF 8.5s that they had on sale for the same price. Well to my surprise and dismay the Klipsch KSF 8.5's stomped those puny Polk's right into the ground, and if that is not enough they spit on the Polk's just to get their point across. Well I gathered my dough to buy these speakers ($325.00/pair), and took the home. I have a large room 20'x40' or so, I seperated the speakers about 9' apart. I plugged everything in, and these things ROCKED the house, rattled the windows, and everything else that was not nailed down, I have been VERY pleased with these speakers. The amazing thing is how much base the 8.5" woofer delivers, I would never have imagened so much base from such a small speaker. The Tectrix horns are CRYSTAL CLEAR, they are very nice, not too bright either, which was also the my dismay. I also found the KSF 8.5's to be VERY efficent, you do not need a huge amp to run these dudes. They are rated at 75watts/ch, My Yamaha RXV793 will do 85watts/ch (I think), and all I would have to say is lord help you if you really pushed it up to that 75 watt level, I am sure you would be near deaf, I have pushed MAYBE 40watts/ch through them, and walk away with ringing ears. Well, I was so impressed with this set of Klipsch speakers, I have finished out my entire home theatre with Klipsch, Have the C5 center, 12" Sub (400w/ch), and the reflecting rear speakers. If you are looking to get into a good home theatre speaker package, I would recommend giving Klipsch a good hard look, BTW: They are closing this model out so HURRY and get your pair!!!

Great Bass, clear highs

NOTHING

I actually had an ubid bid on the 3.1 and lost it then saw an add in Tweeter for these and had them home within 1/2 hour. All I can say is that they are amazing. Powerful bass and great highs. I have them hooked up to an old pioneer receiver. I listened to most of my CDs last night and everything sounded great. We then watched The Rock on video. They are great as home theater too. Now I need a DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Replaced a pair of 12 year old Bose 201.

Amazingly tight and strong bass response. The musical and vocal reproduction is second to none.

If you dont use the right equipment, the horns can be a little harsh

I had to retire my old reliable JBL LX44's due to speaker rot. Being on a budget at that time forced me to under a $1000. I auditioned several speakers and was going to settle with KEF q65. Couldnt afford the PSB line. I found the KSF 8.5 for $300 at Tweeter a year ago. They were a little more harsh than the KEF or PSB, but I noticed nothing reproduces instruments or even vocals better than Klipsch. The low end response is simply amazing from 8 inch woofers. I dont need a sub in a quite large room they are in. I settled for the 8.5 but was skeptical. Well, I have upgraded my A/V receiver from an old JVC. I bought Denon 3300(second room) & Nak AV-10 for the main room. For comparison, the Nak which is much warmer than the Denon makes the Klipsch sound incredible. The addition of optical cables only increased the grin. The prior reviews speak to the importance of using a "warm sounding amp" It couldnt be more true. Taming the horns is inportant, but once done, there is not a more dynamic or lively sound on the market. I couldnt be more happier. I am sold on Klipsch. Oh yeah, Klipsch if you are reading, It would be nice to biwire. Heh heh


Main System
Nakamichi AV-10
Yamaha CD 905
Klipsch KSF 8.5
Klipsch center SC-.5 (Everything else is too damn big)
JBL rears (freebies)
Monster cable connects and optical connnects.

Second system
Denon avr-3300
PSB Image 2B
Sony CD player CDP 305 (10 yrs old ha ha)
I think i need a sub, please email with suggestions
Monster cable connects.

Since I was a teenager, I've always wanted to own a pair of Klipsch speakers.I recently have started building a home theater and was anxious to try a pair
out and decided on the 8.5's. I could go on and on about how wonderful these
things are, but I'll relay the following story just so you can get an idea of
how efficient they are.

On a budget, I was buying my system in pieces rather than all at once. I
already had a 10 year old Mitsubishi 40" and and just bought a DVD player.
My next step was the Klipsch speakers which I just hooked directly into the
speaker outs on the set until I bought the next piece, the receiver. I
wasn't expecting much in the way of sound.... I was wrong...

Even going through the TELEVISION amp, these things rattle the neighborhood.
I cannot even imagine how good they are going to sound hooked into real
amplifier.

I was looking to upgrade my old bookshelf speakers (Optimus STS100s)to something that would deliver great bass and clear and clean mids and highs. I found this in the KSF 8.5s. I auditioned these speakers with various types of music and found the horns to be pleasantly subtle, not harsh as I have heard others say. The bass response is terrific when listening various jazz recordings. In hometheater modes, I was again very pleased with the bass response and the clarity of higher frequency sounds. As my listening area is somewhat small, space is an issue. However, the footprint of KSF8.5s is no larger than the stands my old Optimus were on. And due to the excellent bass, I will not be needing a sub-woofer.
I purchased these speakers on sale for $300/pair. For the money, overall sound and build quality, these speakers are 5 star.

clear&crisp

none

Bought for $300. Best speaker for price that I have heard. I also own KLF 10s,and find that the sound quality between the two is close,too close for price difference. The KLF 10s are excellent,yet no more impressive in any sonic area than the much less expensive 8.5s.

Similar Products Used:

klipsch legend 10

Clarity! Clarity! Clarity! The power is also amazing for only having 8 inch woofers. The sound is crisp and overwhelming.

Absolutely nothing.

As a college student, I know how important it is to have loud and room shaking music for parties. I always get compliments from my neighbors and partiers alike about how clear and powerful the speakers sound. I always have blasting away and the sound still amazes me. The variety of music tests the extreme ranges of sound, yet it all sounds perfectly clear. These speakers paired with my Yamaha dual 8 inch subwoofer can make any room in my apartment shake. Excellent speakers for the price, usually sub $500/pair speakers. It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to find more clarity and power for the price. Good for loud music. Bad for neighbors, especially during mid-terms and finals. It's college life, they will get used to it.