Crisp, bright highs, neutral mids, and deep bass that doesn't demand high power.

None at this price.

I had a pair of KG5.5s back in ’97 (the Quartets sound even better). I was always impressed with the sound, but listened to audiophile friends of mine who finally convinced me that Klipsch are not accurate speakers. I would like to share a well known fact. Ears are like eyes. My ears hear things different than your ears. After selling my Klipsh I owned speakers manufactured by B&W, KEF, POLK, Definitive Technology, and Paradigm. Every set of speakers could not match the sound and clarity of the Klipsch. The Quartets pick up chairs scooting and people breathing in the studio. The reason I rate them above the 5.5s is because of the midrange. When I first purchased the Quartets I was powering them with an Adcom 535, Adcom 555 pre, Adcom line enhancer and a Carver C-9 Sonic Hologram Generator. I’ve since bumped my power with a Bryston 3B. These speakers will move some air! The most impressive feature is the clarity at low volume levels. It’s nice to know you can rearrange your neighbor’s wall hangings without distortion while still enjoying great sounding music at low levels. If you can find these speakers for under $550.00 grab them. If not, go spend $10,000 on a pair of Thiels.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Polk Audio Paradigm KEF Def Tech

Very fine build quality. Driven w/as little or as much power as you like. Professional tweet and mid. They let you see the source material for exactly what it is.

I'n not sure where to find parts in the awful event that these honies break down on me. Not magnetically shielded. Klipsch seems to make relatively flimsy speakers in comparison now. These won't let you bi-amp.

Not as cool as the Chorus, but I absolutely love thses speakers. I have no intention of replacing them unless there are destroyed or stolen. I got them used during my first foray into stereo equipment in 1997 and have never had to think about it since. I wish I were this lucky w/the rest of my equipment. I have them connected to a NAD c160 pre-amp NAD 270 amp. These speakers have the ability to blow out my neighbors. The sound doesn't deteriorate at high levels.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing worth mentioning.

Sensivity, durability, build quality and sound of course

A little on the harsh sides when it comes to mids and highs for some people.

I bought these speaker back in 93 or 94. They're a great speaker. High sensitivity, tight hard hitting bass and transparent highs. Many complain about the mids and highs being to harsh. They are brighter than many other speakers, but if you listen to your music flat, this shouldn't be a problem. The build quality is top notch, to bad they still don't make the Klipch speaker with the same build quality. Some of the prices that people have paid for these speakers on ebay is an absolute steal. They listed for $1,100, but I paid $700, due to mis match wood grain matching. They have a beautiful walnut veneer that requires oiling approx one a year. Again, awsome speaker.

These speakers are great!! I bought them used on ebay and have never heard any other speakers that play and sound like these do. They bring you music to life and really shake the house when you put some good clean power to them. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a big sound from a smaller package speaker to look into getting these.

An incredible speaker from an incredible company. Dollar for dollar, pound for pound you can't beat any Klipsch speaker. The overall warmth and response of these speakers rivals any others out there.

I bought these speakers brand new back in 1989 and have had them ever since. They will be with me for alot longer too, they will never be for sale.

Excellent bass, Incredible detail and sharpness

They just don't make them like this anymore! :-)~~~

I recently bought back my original pair of Quartets (1989) that I had sold my cousin a few years ago. I had originally figured that I'd use them in the bedroom, until I hooked them up and remembered how good they sound - Now they're going into the rec room (secondary listening room in my house)where they've got enough room and listening time to do them justice! I still find it hard to believe that bass this tight and deep can come from a box with a little over a 1 square foot stance...Wow these speakers can fill a room! Nostalgia aside, I give these a solid 5 stars for sound quality and construction, and provided you can locate a pair, a 5 for value (especially with used prices hovering around $500). If I could award an extra star for incredible bass, these would end up a 5.5, you owe it to yourself to listen to a pair before spending $1000 or more on a pair of modern boxes!

Similar Products Used:

Heresy, KG4.2, JBL (Not to mention the newer speakers)

The Klipsch Quartet is a 3 way speaker with horn loaded midrange and tweeter. There is a 10" woofer and a 12" passive radiator which replaces a port and creates sound from the air movement of the woofer.
This speaker does not require a subwoofer with music. I have test tones and it reproduces the 40 Hz with no problem and is rolled off somewhat at 31.5 Hz, but has some usable bass here. The bass on kick drums is powerful enough without a subwoofer. I have recently added a subwoofer to my system to enhance the impact from movies. Because of the rolled off bass at 31.5 Hz and no usable bass at 25 Hz, a subwoofer is mandatory for movies. It has also improved the weight and impact of kickdrums.

The midrange is the real strength of this speaker. One of the reviewers of the Klipsch Forte said it was seductive and that applies to the Quartet also. Voices are natural and full sounding just like the performer was in the room singing. Accoustic guitar is sweet and detailed and horns have bite and impact as they would in a live performance.

The biggest negative of this speaker is the relative lack of detail in the top end of the frequency spectrum. Cymbals do not have the shimmer as they should. Some reviewers talk about "high frequency air" and that is what is lacking here.

Other positive attributes are the high sensitivity and the dynamics which horn speakers are well known for. I am using a Denon AVR-3200 receiver and the music will be clean sounding at a volume much louder than what I can stand. I have yet to reach a clipping point on the receivers amplifiers (rated at 85 watts per channel). Some movies with Dolby Digital are very dynamic, yet it never sounds compressed over these speakers.

When I bought these speakers, I compared them with Polks, Phase Technology, and Definitive Technology. I narrowed my choice down to the Quartets and the Definitive Technology BP10 which were about the same price. I chose the Quarters based on its strengths in the midrange and bass although the Def Tech had more detail. In head to head A->B comparisons, the Quartets blew the Def Tech speakers away. They were much more fuller and natural sounding. In comparison, the Def Tech sounded like much smaller speakers.

If it were not for the relative lack of high frequency detail, I would give these speakers a five, but I wish I could give it a 4.4. Since I can not, I will have to round it to 4. I am thinking about upgrading to the KLF 20's in the hopes that the high frequency details have been improved. Has anyone done comparisons between these? How about comparing the Fortes?

Sensitivity, Bass, Build Quality

Horns can be a little harsh

Had my quartets since early nineties ('91/'92), think of them as "Forte Jr." Not going to say that these are audiophile speakers, but for butt kicking music they rock. Used them many times hooked up to Adcom GFA 555 as dance system for big parties--always blow the fuses on the Adcom before the Quartets ever start sweating.

Also, these are old enough that they still had the "real" Klipsch quality and components.

midrange, bass response, build quality, and overall looks

none

I recently bought these as an "upgrade" from my Klipsch KG-4 speakers that I had since 1991. All I can say is that there is a definite improvement in speakers going from the 2-way KG-4 to the 3-way Quartet. These speakers rock, they have tight solid bass and crisp mids and tweets. I am using a Adcom GFA-555 to power them and they are incredible. I have more of my wife's stuff falling off of the walls now then I ever did before....and that is not a good thing :-)). I bought these Quartets used and they are in excellent shape, just like they were taken out of the boxes new when I got them. They were made in 1990, have the walnut stain, and sequential serial numbers. This is the type of speaker that you will never get rid of, they are just too great to ever think of parting with.

When it comes to the older Klipsch speakers.....you can honestly say "They don't make 'em like this anymore!!"

Similar Products Used:

nothing equals a Klipsch speaker except another Klipsch