Klipsch RP-3 Floorstanding Speakers

Klipsch RP-3 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

powered tower

USER REVIEWS

Showing 11-20 of 28  
[May 07, 2002]
Brian
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

27hz-20khz frequency response highs: crystal clear mids: powerful/neutral bass: more than you will ever need for 2 channed music clarity detail imaging price: best 2 channel speakers i''ve heard under $1200

Weakness:

none whatsoever at this price

price: these speakers are simply incredible. if you are looking for the best deal under $1200, you''ve found it, especially considering the fact that you can find these on ebay or ubid.com for about $600-$700. the reason these speakers now sell for roughly 1/3 the original msrp is that, due to the popularity of dolby 5.1 systems, klipsch has discontinued these speakers and replaced them with the rf-5s and rf-7s, which do not have built in powerd subs. most people setting up theater surround systems these days are looking for independant subs, not built in powered subs in the main right/left channels like the rp3s have. so while these speaker may not be ideal for home theater 5.1, they are certainly ideal for good old 2 channel music as most people setting up budget 2 channel systems usually buy towers instead of dedicated left/right channel speakers which require the purchase of an independant sub and an amplifier to power it. but the fact that these speakers include 10 inch subs and an internal 440 watt amplifier means they will have everything you need for a two channel system. sound: the highs on this speaker are crystal clear, the mids are strong and neutral, and the bass is deep and tight. when i put on ''hunter'' by bjork, the subs rattled the picture frames in my hallway 30 feet from my room. if you live in an apartment the amazing bass response will result in police intervention. though perhaps the built in subs will not handle explosions or gunfire as well as independant 5.1 theater subs, the amazing range extension all the way down to 27hz will definately be more than you will ever need for 2 channel music. listening to these speakers is extremely addictive. i now spend a lot more time with my music. each instrument sounds clear and distinct, the loud passages are surprisingly powerful while every minute detail of the quiet passages is preserved. the imaging is also remarkable; these speakers project a distinct soundstage far to the right and left of each speaker, provided you set them up according to the directions in the manual. in short, my friend summarized the effect these speakers will have on you in one sentence: when you listen to them, you feel like you are "in the music."

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 03, 2002]
adamLJ
Casual Listener

Strength:

smooth transition between high/mid/bass. 10-inch subs provide all the bass i want for 2-channel music listening. the bass is tight and seems effortless coming from these towers.i dont think these are quite as bright as my rf-3''s dont get me wrong i love the way the rf-3 reproduced female vocals, but the midrange on these rp-3''s makes a noticeable difference. one of the biggest strengths to me is they are made in the USA!

Weakness:

same old same old. this is my second pair of klipsch towers and probably not the last, but the covers are still pathetic! very easy to break.

just got my rp-3''s today. WOW! i cant express what a steal these things are for 500-600 dollars! i havent done much tweaking or anything yet, and im already in love with them. cant wait to bi-wire them and mess around with the LFE inputs etc.... if you are in the market for speakers and are tyring to stay well under 1000 bucks check these out.

Similar Products Used:

klipsch rf-3

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 15, 2002]
woodthecrab
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

power, versatility. bi-wiring capable. adjustable subs.

Weakness:

heavier than marlon brando. (70lbs. EACH, actually)

These speakers kick ass. They are extremely versatile if you have eclectic music tastes as I do. When I hooked them up I started right up with a rap compilation (dmx- "up in here"). The bass response was dynamite. I''m really not at all concerned about getting a separate sub, and that may be something you want to consider if you are looking to upgrade your current system on a limited budget. I switch over to some synth pop (paul young-RIP-"every time you go away") was pleased with the richness of the mid range and clarity of the highs. Some people complain that klipches are too bright, but I think they sound great. From there I went to some hard rock sounds and back to some ambient music. I wasn''t dissappointed with any particular sound at all. I matched these up with a klipsch sc-1 center and ksb1.1''s as rears (check ebay for good values) and I think I have a really excellent sounding system for music and movies.

Similar Products Used:

bostons

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 14, 2000]
Kile Story
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Exceptional Bass from such a small woofer (10")

The woofer can develop extremely powerful bass for it's size (shook the counters upstairs!) while the mid/bass and tweeter don't skimp on Quality. If you are looking at the RF3's, but decide you need more bass these are for you (also not as harsh up top). You can get these for $999+SH from Uncle Stereo-- talk to my man Rich, tell him to throw in some speaker wire for ya. Best speakers for the $$ (I think)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 22, 2001]
Richard Huang
Casual Listener

Strength:

Efficient! Bright and clear highs but not overkill.
Bass match nicely with highs and midrange

Weakness:

As soon as I find one. I will let you know.

Did a lot of reasearch on intenernet, especially this website. I know I need to replace my 10 years old budget speaker and thinking about replace my Onkyo 525 also. I acutal like my old speaker until I listen to RP3:-) Orginally, I was interested in RF3 because a lot of positive reviews in this website. I went to Tweeter to check out RF3 and they did not have any. Salesman pointed me to RP3 which is on sale for $999 a pair ($500 off). I asked salesman to use Denon 3801 which I consider to purchase.

My expectation before listening
- On sales? Something must be wrong for this model
- Klipsch may be too bright for my taste

My experience after listening.
- What a great speaker!
- Highs is bright and crytal clear but not harsh.
- Those two 10 inch subwoofer really match nicely with highs and midrange. The full range sound really amaze me.

One of my friend recommends Boston Acoustic VR 960, so we compared both VR960 & RP3 side by side for a while. For some reason, we both found the VR960 were a little bit too bright. I think that CR960 is pretty close to RP3.

As much as I was impressed with RP3. I did not stop there. I still wanted to listen to RF3. I went to another shop (Hillcrest High Fidelity)in town. The show room with RF3 was full of people so I went to another show room to check out Marantz SR8000 receiver(another model I consider to buy). This room has RP3 and B&W 604. I used the Marantz SR8000 to compare B&W and RP3. Since there was nobody in the room beside my friend and I , we were able to listen to both speakers for a while. Here's my impression

RP3 is more efficent than B&W 604. I had to turn the volume up every time when I switched to B&W 604. To me, B&W and Klipsche are totally different speaker. Klipsche presented itslef loud and clear and it got my attention every single time. B&W probably focus more on mid or higher mid range. It did not give me the "wow!" effect right away but was nice and soft. I probably can listen to B&W all day without problem. But for my taste, Kplisch is the one. I know this is not review about receiver. Just FYI. I really like Marantz SR8000. Compare to Denon 3801, I think SR8000 match better with RP3.

At this time, you probably think "what happen to RF3?". Sorry for the long review. I just feel like that I get a lot of information from this website and want to contribute my two cents.

I went to the room with RF3 and B&W 602. Don't need to refresh my memory. I know I alreay compared B&W and Klipsch.
Basically, after switched both speakers back and forth, same impression.

Anyway, I listened to RF3 without subwoofer (may not be a fair comparison). Right away, I was disappointed. RF3 sounded so thin. It was still cystal clear but highs were a little bit too harsh for my taste. At thin point, I was really confused. I even switched a few other receivers to make sure it wasn't receiver problem. After tried a few CDs and different receivers, I felt exactly the same way. RP3 is better, at least to me.

I went back to Tweeter next day and bought RP3, RC3 and RS3.
After a few position adjustment, RP3 sounds even better at home. I tried numberious CDs and DVD to find any problem for this whole package.

I am wondering if I should upgrade my Onkyo 525 or Marantz or not. I believe the sound would be even better with Marantz. If you have any experince with the following combination, please post your review here. Thanks a lot:-)

Marantz SR8000 or maybe SR 19 EX
Klipsch RP3, RC3 and RS3.

Similar Products Used:

Don't own the following spearkers but listen all in shop. RF3, Boston Acoustic VR 960, B&W 602 and 604.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 26, 2001]
Patrick
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

solid, tight, deep base, clear mid and treble

Weakness:

very large, cabinet finish a bit cheap

Have had the speakers for a couple of months and have really enjoyed them for both music and home theatre. Really pump out the volume with no distortion. Can play loud enough to make your ears hurt.

Love the base but not quite enough for me for home theatre. I also have a klipsch sub which I only use for home theatre. The built in subs provide plenty of base for music listening. Extremely clear at the top end and am having to adapt to that compared to my previous speakers which had a silk dome tweeter. I am hearing a lot of detail in the music that I never hear before. The mid range is also much fuller than my previous speakers.

All in all very happy with the speakers.

Similar Products Used:

wharfedale modus 90, near 50m

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 03, 1999]
Tim
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Full range of sound without being too bright, makes you want to close your eyes and listen

Weakness:

My floor that allows my poor neighbors to listen to my speakers too, I think they're mad because they only can hear the bass

RP-5's??? I have the RP-5's and they are the most beautiful speakers I've ever heard. These are not LOUD and BRIGHT speakers, they just have a full and dynamic sound that makes listening a real joy. Instead of your ears ringing from a sound that is too bright, you get consumed by a sound that radiates around you. I'm sorry but these speakers leave me warm and fuzzy inside. Of course my neighbors aren't so fond of them :) I need a house in the country. You have to listen to these at least once to see how bad you've been swindled by other speaker companies. Best for the $$$ no question.

Similar Products Used:

RC-3 and RS-3

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 17, 2001]
carlc
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

see my previous post

Weakness:

see my previous post

I just wanted to add to my previous post how nicely these speakers had seasoned.

My previous impression was that they were a little too bass-y. Let me explain: When I first bought them, I experimented with a few different placements. Key was the placement of the A&B versions of this speaker. You see, the bass diver is mounted on the side of the unit. The "A" speaker has the driver mounted on the right side as you are looking at the face of the speaker, the "B" unit is opposite. The manual from Klipsch has no guidance about which channel (left or right) each unit should be located on, so experimentation is key. When the speakers were new, I found that the bass of the unit, though nealy overpowering and somewhat finicky about placement, was best with the speakers placed so that the "A" speaker was to my left and the "B" speaker was to my right (bass drivers facing each other..if you remove the entertainment center between them). After several months though, I have found that the BASS had become more forceful and somewhat resonant at all the wrong frequencies. Finding that this was only true within a few feet of the sweet spot where my chair was located, I decided it was time to experiment some more with placement. To make a long story short, I finally ended up with the "A" and "B" units switched so that their bass drivers were facing away from each other. WOW, the BASS smoothed waaay out and that boominess that I thought was bass loudness was gone. Yeah, I still think the bass wll shake the place apart, but I no longer grow tired or become worried that the tight and controlled bass is "too loud" The deepness is still there, the dynamic of it is improved ("subtile" is now a part of this speaker's bass vocabulary too). Plus I now don't have to be near the sweet spot, or sitting in another room to appreciate the bass.

The speaker's seasoning and their subsequent relocation have forced me to revise my earlier ratings to FIVES.

Its great to appreciate a piece of equipment more and more, instead of finding little problems that make you want to look for something else.

Still happy.

Similar Products Used:

see my previous post

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 11, 2001]
Tom Samiec
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Powerful, but very clean sound throughout the dynamic range. Very effecient without sacrificing accuracy.

Weakness:

None. This speaker does it all very, very well.

I am not one to buy stereo equipment often, I buy for the long term. With that in mind, it was time to replace my (circa 1979) Yamaha CA-2010 amplifier and Cerwin-Vega H-15s. I listened to many brands of speakers, but once I heard the RP-3s my mind was made up. They are paired with a Yamaha RX-V995 reciever. You will be hard pressed to find a speaker for less than $1500.00 that can out-perform the RP3s. Klipsch has done a remarkable job of toning down the brightness in this model. The KLF-30s I listened to in the store were brutal, fatigue set in quickly. The RP3s are a completely different animal. They are very powerful, but neutral. I got these with the intention of getting the matching Reference Series center and rears for home theater, with the RP3s for the mains and stereo music listening. Perfect choice. No separate sub needed. Highs and mids are clean in the Klipsch tradition, without the brightness. Bass response is superb, tons of punch, but not boomy. Very nice soundstage. Efficiency yields a nice, full sound at low volumes. I live in an apartment, and have yet to turn these things loose. A neighbor asked to "turn the radio down"...the reciever volume knob was at 9:00!!!!! I have nothing negative to say about these speakers, if they are in your budget, do yourself a favor and give them a listen.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 06, 2001]
Greg Deshong
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Clear mids and highs,Tight bass from subs.Great for music and home theater

Weakness:

none in my case

These speakers are great for music of all sorts.Very clean,crisp highs and mids.Nice bass,thunderous for movies.Stereo imaging of instruments is awesome.I had Infinity IL 50's and for movies they were great,but they were horrible for music,especially in comparison with these.I have these in a very large room and they do a great job,they don't get lost.So I sent the Infinitys back,got these and saved 500 dollars,can't complain!

Similar Products Used:

Infinity IL50's

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 11-20 of 28  

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