20 Best Front Speakers For Home Theater (Feb 2023 Update)

After seeing their specs and reviews, I was quite intrigued by these R1280DB speakers, advertising a 55Hz-20kHz frequency response at a great price point, and even being called "studio monitors" on Amazon. Upon hooking them up, I could immediately tell that there was an object in front of the tweeters causing ringing in the highs and attenuation in the mid-highs. They are boomy, yet lacking bass, but still having depth. They made me want to crank up both the bass and treble, yet having plenty of bass and treble at the same time. Delving in with a frequency sweep to figure out what was wrong, this is what I discovered: -The amplifier rolls off way too soon, causing poor bass response between 45-100Hz (-9dB) that the woofers could easily drive with a little boost. I did see several reviews where people complained that these lack bass; this is why. Larger capacitors in the signal path could improve this, and a tuned bass boost circuit could fix it altogether. The included bass control knob is unhelpful here because of the next issue. -There is a strong +9dB resonance around 140Hz that makes the speakers boomy. I believe this wouldn't be so bad if they filled the speaker enclosure with sound deadening material, but the housing is completely hollow inside like an echo chamber, and not even padded! -There are some interesting distortions that come and go (different in each speaker) as the frequency goes between 100-500Hz. After this, the distortion is unacceptably high all the rest of the way up. The lower distortions I believe are things rattling inside the speaker housing. The higher distortions are electronic. -The mid-treble is weak (about -3dB) around 3.5kHz, which will cause people with high-frequency hearing loss to perceive these speakers as having "no treble". Combined with the boominess, this could make the speakers sound muddy to these individuals. I believe the tweeter diffuser is partially responsible for this; however, the crossover circuit is probably also out of tune. Turning up the treble control does not help as it only raises the already crisp highs mentioned next. -As the frequency goes up further, there are weird ringing artifacts at certain frequencies due to the tweeter diffusers, although the overall level stays nice and crisp. I did not try removing them, so I cannot vouch for whether they are covering a greater fault or if removing them would help. My conclusion is that these speakers are a great idea that was poorly executed. All of these frequency response issues could have easily been addressed with some basic, passive filters in the amplifier electronics. -With such glaring frequency response issues, these are most definitely not "reference" speakers and CANNOT be used as monitors. If you think these make great monitors, you should not be mixing audio—they are nowhere close! -If you're expecting a great sound (like the advertised frequency response suggests), you will be disappointed by the above traits. No, it is not the fault of the 4" woofer, but of subpar amplifier electronics that lack adequate filter circuitry to let them realize their full potential. -Yes, these speakers much better than a pair of cheap satellite speakers with no subwoofer. -Yes, they can actually realize a decent 45Hz-30kHz, but there are huge peaks and valleys within that range, hence the deceptive appearance of fidelity. If you have a parametric equalizer, you can improve their response by setting: +9dB at 90Hz O2-LS, -9dB at 140Hz Q2.0, and +3dB at 3.5kHz Q0.6 (assuming the treble and bass controls are centered). -Despite being not great either, my old Logitech X-230 speakers have a flatter frequency response. Therefore, I cannot recommend these speakers and would suggest considering the higher model R2000DB speakers instead. The box indicates the same 55Hz-20KHz frequency response but with a ±3dB tolerance (important!), they have a larger woofer, the tweeters don't have a diffuser in front of them, and the bass ports exit in the back instead of the front. Indeed, the R1280T non-Bluetooth speakers (which use the same speaker elements as these R1280DB) are advertised with a much more honest 75Hz-18kHz ±9db frequency response, which is about what I'd say these are actually good for. (For those who don't know, ±9dB tolerance is really bad, with ±3dB being the industry standard.)Techie007L

I bought these for my daughter to use with her first turntable, an Audio Technica LP-60. Although I read many positive reviews, my expectations weren’t very high. I was pleasantly surprised. These don’t have the deep mud-free bass or crisp highs of higher priced speakers (thus, the 4 stars), but they do a very good job for her budget system. They seem to be solidly built, and they are attractive looking. Set up was simple and the remote control is nice. An added bonus that she can pair her phone with them too. Very happy with the purchase!AreBee1969

I bought these speakers to pair with a Audio Technica turntable, since these are what you'd call powered speakers. Initially, I thought I had hooked everything wrong (and admittedly, while I'm not that old, I'm not that great with technology and electronics — I'd say slightly below average). The sound was coming out low. I eventually figured things out, but not sure how. The instructions, imo, aren't written well enough to let you know the ins 'n outs of the speaker. (As Michael Scott in The Office once said, "Talk to me like I'm 5.") Anyway, enough of The Office education … The sound coming out of these speakers are amazing. I can hear the music yards away, and wonder if people outside my condo can hear it as well. Very pleased with the purchase. Only drawback were the instructions and the fact that the grills seem to stick out too much. I'm afraid to push them flush up against the speaker wood for fear that I might break it. (Maybe it's supposed to be like that?) *shrugs*nouseforaname

I was so dumbfounded by just how light these speakers were. The sound does not disappoint, however. Make sure you have a sufficient amp to drive these bad boys with a good EQ. I also have some Polk flush mount speakers in a different room. They sound great. Complete the ensemble with a Polk subwoofer. It packs a serious punch and will make its own speaker rattle before it will rattle the walls, just be careful when you have it upstairs because the people downstairs may not appreciate a sub that powerful. You can always change the volume and frequency though. I figured that the sub works best on a single line level input. In terms of the floor speakers, they work great and have adequate bass enough to not disappoint. Having the Sub makes them that much more awesome though. When you unbox the speakers lay them on the side unless youre like 7 tall. Be careful when you take them out of the box since there is plastic wrapping that comes right off the speakers and make sure you have the grill side up to protect it. I hope this review helps!jaybro1727

After I hooked up these speakers, a smile appeared on my face. Tonally, the highs, mids and lows are there and sound like things are balanced nicely and to spec. What struck me about the T50 is the clarity of sound. I'm hearing things inside familiar music that were not nearly as present on my previous 3-way speakers with 8" woofers. To be better than this, you'll have to shell out a LOT of cash. Not worth it. Glad I made the purchase.jojocookin

Worked great for a couple months…… Quit working and won’t reconnect. Literally tried everything it’s just a POS and I will probably never buy Polk again. First time using and I’ll go back to literally anything cause this is bad. It’s a brand new Vizio tv (2021) and works with everything but the Polk soundbar that I spend an arm and leg for.Austin Coleman

Extremely happy with these speakers. Got them to use at work in a private office and they sound amazing. They are on my desk a few feet away from me. A few key points: – Sounds great at low and high volumes – Soundscape is well done – Balanced sound with a slight weight to the low to low-mids (which I like). Will say that the lowest frequency response is a little weak but for this price and the speaker size, the frequency arrange is excellent. Using bluetooth connect from my computer, could work to improve sound with DAC, wires, etc. but this is convenient with a satisfying sound.vbyte

I didn’t have high expectations for these speakers, mostly because of their small size. I figured they would be lacking in bass but I didn’t want to crowd up my work desk with computer speakers that were too large. What a pleasant surprise! With songs I’ve listen to hundreds of times sounds like new, as I’m hearing subtleties for the first time. And the bass is plenty thumpy. I actually bought a pair of the A5 to compare with these side-by-side. After a couple of weeks of trying to hear the difference, I returned a A5s. That’s how good these are.Gadget Fan

Review for Polk Monitor XT60-Floor Speakers. After playing every genre of music at a normal volume (loud), jazz, classic rock, classical in High Res, and with my subwoofer turned OFF, sound quality is exceptional from these 2 XT60 speakers. Bass is deep, highs are clear, crisp and definitive. Streaming music in Lossless, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Dolby Surround from Apple Music, it’s a treat to the ears. Even with the subwoofer turned OFF, Lossless, Dolby Atmos and Dolby 5.1 Music, bass is deep, and with a good punch. Audio from movies and TV are just as clean and concise regardless of audio formats. It’s all good from these Polk Towers. My new XT60s are replacing a pair of hard working Polk T50s. For now, and until I move to another apartment, the T50s are getting a well deserved rest in my closet. After which, I’ll use them for rear surround. I strongly recommend the Polk Monitor XT60s. And by the way, the XT60s are without a doubt… High Res.RICKP

Bought as a gift to upgrade the sound of a TV. After around 6 hours of break in, the sound is excellent for front stage use. The radiators emit enough bass to use without a subwoofer. If you require a lot of rumble from music or movies, then a subwoofer will add a generous amount of low end. The XT70 will most likely give you more presence in a large room with the extra midrange, but for an average sized home theater or living room, these are sufficient. They are well worth the cost, and if you can catch them on sale, do not hesitate to pick up a pair.Stevie

They sound amazing and have become a great addition to to the rest of my surround system. I've invited friends over to check them out and have had nothing but outstanding reviews from all of them. They have excellent clarity which is a serious must for me. Im also running them with a polk psw10 sub and together there's no distortion in the bass at all. I would definitely recommend them.Matt B

Write your review here. It must be at least 10 characters long. ConsiderWhen I first found these here on the Monoprice website they were out of stock so I clicked on "remind me when they are in stock" tab and waited. Truthfully I forgot about doing that until I received the email a couple of months later that they were back in stock. I ordered them on the spot as you can't find dolby atmos-enabled speakers for anywhere near this price anywhere else. I didn't know what to expect but assumed they would at least be as good as what I was currently using. They showed up yesterday and after about 20 minutes of running cables I had the speakers up and running. I am very impressed with both their sound profile and what they add to my surround sound setup. The standard speakers are great and the up-firing Dolby speakers add an entirely new dimension to my sound. They definitely create more of a 3D "in space" effect to the sound. You really have to hear it to believe it. Build quality is very good and they are a little larger than I expected but not excessively so. I am very happy with my purchase and would certainly recommend them to anyone considering them. They don't have a deep bass response but then I wasn't really looking for that as my subwoofers take care of it. Two thumbs up! whether you would recommend this product and what you like or dislike about it.Frank

Just got an Atmos receiver and wanted to try out the upward firing TML/TMR fields in Atmos. Wired the bottom portion of the speaker as surrounds, and the upward firing top portion of the speakers to the TML/TMR outputs. Sounds amazing! The top/middle channel bouncing off the ceiling to add the overhead effects is next level. Was used to 5.1 and now I wish I would've gone 5.1.2 earlier. Hard to beat these for the price.Steven

They sound ok, they are comparable to a budget stereo/theater system (?$250) you would get at Walmart or target. Advertising was incorrect and I found out luckily before I hooked them up to my receiver. These are only rated at [email protected] so I was not even able to test them with my older Denon AVR ([email protected]) to listen to the atmos sound before returning. I wanted these for some budget atmos speakers in my bonus room for the kids, not the main TV watching area. I did listen to them with a small two channel receiver and they sounded as to be expected in this price range. Not exceptionally clear but they filled the room nicely with sound and would serve the purpose I just don't want to risk my AVR/amp on these. The mounting holes are complete junk as others have already mentioned. Don't plan on getting mounts and wall mounting these.Galen L

Extremely happy with this purchase. Am I very particular on what I spend my money on, and usually spend days if not weeks researching products before I buy them. I don't like having gizmos and gadgets that are smarter than they need to be, so having voice assistant features, extra connectivity options, etc, was not a priority for me. I wanted a no-frills 5.1 sound system that was geared towards a wide range of music and movies, not just thundering bass. These speakers have a wonderfully neutral sound, but can still really make the living room shake if you want them to. A lot of easy to access sound options to fine tune, the UX is well thought out, the remote looks high end, and I find myself using the dialogue enchantment more than I thought I would. Very well implemented feature. I would consider this a consumer entry level sound bar that would give anything in the prosumer category a run for its money. With what this setup offers, I would stop looking here. Not worth it to spend any more money, unless your jumping right up to the high end stuff.Felipe

This surround sound setup, while not super impressive and lacking Atmos support, is really quite incredible for its price, especially when on sale. The sound bar alone is better than most in its price bracket, offering a center channel for better voice clarity. The best part, though, are the rear channel speakers and subwoofer, offering a true 5.1 surround sound experience. Whether you're getting into home theater audio for the first time or just want an affordable movie theater experience, you really can't beat the price of this kit. It's easy to set up, the wireless subwoofer and connected rear speakers pair with no hassle, and I haven't had an issue with them disconnecting at all. Rear channels can be mounted on the wall with the included brackets. The remote has plenty of features and is easy to adjust with, thank to its illuminated LCD screen. While a lack of native Atmos support (your TV will downmix Atmos to 5.1 automatically) and imperfect sound quality may be a turnoff to more experienced home audio enthusiasts, this kit is perfect in price and quality for beginners and casuals to get a nice 5.1 system.Josh

I had the older model (VIZIO – SmartCast 5.1 Channel Sound) and sadly the bar broke so i decided to get a newer one. I would love to say how awesome the upgrade is but then i would be lying. This V-Series has been nothing but a pain in the butt. From getting it setup to wall-mounting and just down right disappointing sound. Out of the box the default sound is almost as bad as my Tv audio. After hours of tweaking and changing settings I finally got it to a half decent sound but by no means Good. The wall-mount setup is like 2 steps back from the older model. Once mounted you can not easily remove it. This is a big problem when needing to add cables. The so called Virtual:X that they even place in the title is completely useless. The Virtual:X does nothing but muddy the sound and make things less clear. The Vizio Mobile app no longer works and there is no way that after hours and hours of looking you can connect the bar to wifi. This should not cost more money and have less features. Having the old soundbar connected to Wifi made things simple and easy. Like changing setting on my phone or updating the firmware with 1 click. I know this seems like a good buy for the money but please save your money and find a better system.Kyla666

I have 4 of these speakers in my ceiling for the Dolby Atmos channels. They work great. Nice full sound, not thin or bright. I like how the tweeter is adjustable according to your seating arrangement. The grill can be painted and is attached with magnets. Overall, it is a great option for a Home Theater setup, especially if you need to have the in-wall experience and don't have much room. Very happy and pleased with these speakers for almost 2 years now.AZhomeTheater

Awesome sound from these. Haven't had in-walls before, but not regretting it at all. This may be obvious to some, but don't judge the sound quality until they're mounted the wall!drewwats

I've been a Klipsch fan for a long long time…. Being an audiophile, I've never been a big fan of in wall/in ceiling speakers until now… The Klipsch R-5650-S II is a very well designed speaker, especially if you're using them as side or rear surround speakers as I am. With their dual 1" opposing tweeters and 6 1/2" woofer they are perfect for bringing the front and rear soundstage together filling everything in between with authority! Especially being a very efficient speaker at 92dbls, which is very rare for an in wall speaker. They play mid bass frequencies down to 45hz with ease. So if you wanted to, you could set them as "large" in your receivers speaker set up menu. I still prefer the THX standard crossover setting at 80hz, but I love the option that I could set them to 45hz if I wanted to. Very efficient design and incredible power for an in wall speaker! They're easily worth their suggested retail price at $399 each, but at this price for the pair it's a no brainer.nathometheatre

I purchased this energy take classic 5.1 simply because I saw the great reviews such as on CNET. I was always hoping the system would be good, but thought for the price it is too good to be true. For this reason I didn't get my hopes up too high. Boy have I been rewarded! This system can't possibly be delivering this clear, detailed and room evacuating sound, but it is! I am running these speaker off a decent Yamaha RX-V781 so I can give the speakers what they are built for so I guess I am hearing what they can do. I still have plenty of break in time,optimisation and adjustment to get the best. If that can even be possible. I would recommended this Energy Take Classic to everyone reading this review. You will be laughing when you first crank it:) Thats how impressive it is. My family pretty much ran away frightened:)chrisandnina370

I love this system. I spent DAYS crawling through "various sites" trying to piece together a system filled names like bose, klipsch, pioneer, etc. I had no plan on going with an all-in-one system. I had shopping sites in one browser window and product reviews in another window. As usual, i found that with every technological advance, created was another potential problem or recall or new series such as the 1516 is now the great 1517 only to be outdated 3 months later by the new and improved 1518! After the headache that was worse that the one i got looking for mortgage rates, this one popped up in my search. I couldnt find anything wrong with it and believe me, I was looking. It was brand new and better than the system i was going to piece together myself. It is incredibly easy to install and mount. Subwoofer will rattle your ribs if you want it too and the speakers are flawless. Ive got it hooked to a Yamaha Receiver (no hdmi) and I could not be more pleased. If you want sound and ease of hookup, this is exactly what you are looking for.chasecar!

These are exactly what I was looking for. Very happy. Perfect size, was able to use the old wall mounts. spent months looking for these. Just didn't know the correct name. Hard to find that way. so this was a HIT Aand miss kinda thing. Price was good not great but reasonable for their quality.wachi9196

Bought these to replace an old set of JBL MR26 that died. The sound quality is excellent for my home theatre, equally good for movies, sports and gaming. Most of my family noticed a huge improvement, especially in tv/movie dialog. I was considering the ES15 as well which are Polk’s higher end signature line, but I went with these due to higher wattage and lower price. Glad I did, no doubt the other set would’ve sounded great s well, but these offer better value for the price IMO.Toaster

The speakers were of nice quality in sound and style. The sales person, Jacob was great as well. He approached me, instead of me having to chase down an associate. Jacob spent time with me explaining the wattage requirements and pricing.Bob2022

Very good value for the price point. Can be used at about 75% volume on ONKYO 300W receiver without any distortion. I use as the back/top peakers in a 5 speaker set up. Front, Top/back, and Sub. Good for the price and fine for almost everyone. They are not high end, so don't expect that. They do exactly what they state they will do. POLK is a solid audio company.Polk

I have been involved hi-fi audio since I was a teenager… I am now 74 years old and have designed and constructed dozens of "audiophile" systems. A short time ago a friend asked me to specify a near audiophile system at the lowest possible cost. After a great deal of research I came up with a system, and then eventually purchased it for my own purposes. It is designed as a near-field desktop system. The amplifier that I have mated with it is a fossae audio BT 300 – 2 and a passive subwoofer of my own design was used for the low end. Although I have heard audiophile systems costing five times more I have to say that the performance of the Sony course speakers is excellent! This is due to the response of the speakers particularly in the mid-to high range. The nuances that are brought out from streaming applications such as spotify are excellent! Even at very low volumes the music is nuanced and contains information that is not usually heard on playback. Imaging and soundstage are more than acceptable. However, if you wish to play at louder volumes you may do so. The volume is adequate for small to midsize rooms… Truly an amazing system that can be purchased for less than $400.Champion

1st and foremost is the price…can't beat it for what these little babies put out. I think they sound great BUT I have them crossed over at 80hz thru my Denon receiver. I never have even tried them in "full range" mode because I already know a speaker like this isn't going to have any low end (Bass) response. So if you want to get the best out of these speakers I encourage you to add a subwoofer to your system. I find the mids and highs of these speakers give great clarity and image. With the bass cut off by my receiver and the added subwoofer, these suckers rock out. I got these for like 85 bucks pre tax during the holidays, which is absolutely ridiculous for how they sound..an easy recommendation for an under $200 speaker pair. I feel that they really shine at high volumes. Audessey calibration will have them sounding superb. Decent crossover components inside the speaker enclosure, better bracing or even no-rez would have brought this speaker up another notch, but what more could we expect from a speaker at this price point??Music

I am definitely in love with these speakers. I use them in a 2.0 setup for movies and music. They do a great job in a near field setup. Prior to this, I was using a pair of mackie mr5mkii powered monitors. Those were about the same size but weighed a lot more and they occupied a separate outlet for each speaker. These sonys are great for a fraction of the price. I am powering them through a 15 year old harman kardon receiver and they sound great. Again for my near field setup, they have enough bass to fill a room without rattling and shaking it. They sound great for music and movies. I was really surprised by this entry level speaker and its abilities. The value of these are extremely high considering its entry level price.Pnesluvr

BOOM! THERE GOES MY ROOF!!! These speakers will blow your roof off! Awesome quality sound and made with good quality, solid wood. AudioSavings and Rockville rock!!! That's all they know how to do…. make good quality products that their customers will love! I do! Thanks, AudioSavings and Rockville, for GREAT PRODUCTS and GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!markthespark13

Speakers sound decent. Makes sure the room is small if you want them in the corners. the company only has that size interconnect cable about 8-10 feet the bass isn't as deep as i like it for the subwoofers but there's a audio output if you want to add one.MrSmithJR

These speakers are awesome and well built for loud music and awesome sound. They are also a little heavy because of the quality built in these speakers. Very worth the money i spent.willard

We bought the 9020's from Best Buy Magnolia. I bought specifically for music although they are rated higher as home theater speakers. The bass is more than adequate for our small living room without the need for a subwoofer. I paired these with a Marantz SR 5012 receiver. Honestly, these needed a pair of Martin Logan bookshelf speakers (Motion 4i) to bring to full life.

I enjoy high end sound but cannot afford audiophile price tags. This system I put together sounds as good as my friend's $30,000 McIntosh sound system. I'm extremely pleased and I try to find a reason to upgrade to a higher end speaker, but cannot find a need to.Eric Moen

Do not buy definitive technology active speakers. I had to learn the hard way. They use low end parts in their amplifiers for their subwoofers in their active speakers like the BP9060. One of my subs stopped working at 10 months use. Luckily their customer service helped me trouble shoot the problem and they are sending me a new subwoofer amp for free. However, after it broke yesterday, I found many articles on reddit and other sites about this being a common problem with Def Tech active speakers. I also have a pair of Paradigm Monitors for 15 years and they are still sounding good. I had a velodyne minivee that lasted 12 years. I expect to get at least 10 years from a subwoofer amp not 10 months. I recommend to NOT purchase tower speakers with an active subwoofer.UpsetAudiophile

Sounds great as long as the amp doesn't fail. After a month of ownership I am currently dealing with the manufacturer over warranty issues. I purchased two towers for my home theater and one day i noticed that one of the speakers was not working. After unplugging it and plugging it back in my tweeter was blown and it worked periodically. Def Tech has been very quick to diagnose a failed amp and are sending replacement parts. Best buy refused to help with this process even though it had only been 30 days since the purchase. I feel as though i have been left out to dry by best buy and I will not be buying anything else from def tech or shop at best buy for anymore audio equipment. I am officially a crutchfield customer.Mlilstix

Wow! I was concerned that i was sacrificing quality for the price of these; i most certainly did not! After removing an old 7.1 system that was nice these babies brought a tear to my eye when i pumped Louis Armstrong through them. And movies oooooh baby!Duval

Audio sounds great, especially for the price I paid on sale, which was $250 or so only, but in itunes I could already hear my left speaker making a scratching noise or some kind of feedback noise that was very annoying. And it just got worse, and volume wasn't even loud. I'll be exchanging for another set, and if that one works fine I'll be changing my score. Great sound otherwise, and pairs perfectly with my klipsch R-100SW subwoofer.Thwompthing

Very disappointing sound for me. I hooked these up to a 10 year old Sony 7.1 receiver, set the receiver up for 5.1 and was very disappointed in the audio quality of these speakers, in particular the center channel speaker. The sound was very muddy with no high end. I tried every setting on the receiver and the voices out of the middle sounded terrible, switching to 2 channel helped a bit as it avoided the center channel, but what’s the point of a 5.1 system if you can only use it in 2 channels. I returned them and will spend a bit more to get a better system.AnnieGL7

The Klipsch R-50M bookshelf is a pretty impressive speaker considering the small footprint – while it is a little taller than other 5 1/4" bookshelf speakers (thanks to the massive horn tweeter), the depth and width of the speaker are quite a bit more compact than other bookshelves I've seen. Practically, this means that you might be able to fit them next to a TV more easily, or on a shorter shelf than other models. Lookswise – I found the grille off look to be a bit unbalanced thanks to the large tweeter design. That's personal preference, of course, but I think this is the only speaker in the lineup that I prefer the grilles on vs off. I found the sound of the R-50M speakers to carry over many of the qualities I loved about the R-800F towers, while being a little less impressive overall. Efficiency isn't as good as the towers, although that's to be expected, of course. Compared to 2 other sets of bookshelf speakers in my house, I found the tweeter design contributes favorably to a simliar "wall of sound" up front just like the R-800F, but the other bookshelf speakers I compared to were a little better in the mid-range and low end. I tried various distances from the wall, given they are rear ported, but I could not get any improvement to the sound using that method. That's not to say these sound bad – far from it. I just was a little overwhelmed after auditioning their big brothers, and was expecting to be delighted with the same clarity at low volume. Instead, I found I had to get a bit louder to get the same dynamics out of the R-50M. In practice, as rear speakers in my surround setup, the sound characteristics of the R-50M are well suited to the other speakers in the Reference series and they handle movies, SACD, and DVD-A surround audio formats with aplomb. I have not had a chance to wall mount them yet, instead using stands for the time being, but my plan is to use the integrated wall mount threaded hole to seamlessly get these on my wall soon. That's a great perk that's an improvement over the keyhole mount you often see on speakers like this.Abhaxus

This review is for the following 7.1 setup: Onkyo TX-NR6100 receiver Klipsch R-101SW subwoofer Klipsch R-30C – center Klipsch R-40SA – height surround Klipsch R-50M – back surround Klipsch R-600F – front speakers It was time to upgrade my 20 year old 5.1 system that didn't really have much bass to the latest technology. Let me just tell you, huge difference. The R-50M sounds almost as good as the R-600F. Just a little less bass. Speech comes through nice and clear in the center channel. This has got to be the best 10" subwoofer I have ever heard. It completely fills the whole room with bass. No weird distortions from the speaker or box, Just awesome bass. You can control the bass with the gain and low pass knobs on the back to get the perfect punch that you want. You can also put it on standby mode so that it will shut off if it doesn't detect any sound. Speakers arrived on a palette. The boxes made them seem larger but it was just good packaging. The grill came with some packing behind them for protection. The grill is also magnetic except on the subwoofer, so they are really easy to remove and put back on. On the back of the R-600F it has two connections at the bottom. The main and the height. You can connect your R-40SA with supplied cables to the Dolby Atmos connection in one of the pictures as long as you have wires running to the height connection at the bottom. I have included pictures that show the vinyl up close and they look great with the copper colored speakers. The tweeters on these speakers let you stand anywhere in the room and still get about the same awesome sound. The copper colored speakers provide a nice mid-range. Each speaker on its own doesn't do much but when you combine them all it is audio bliss. Sounds just come from every where while watching a movie and the explosions make you feel like you are in the scene. I can actually hear things in songs I didn't hear before. Even at high levels they still sound great. You will not regret this purchase. Really happy to own this setup.Tekie

Wow, just wow! The sound that comes from these bookshelf speakers is so detailed. I use these as my surrounds in my 5.1.2 setup. I have them set at a level of 0.00 and a distance of 8.0 feet from my theater chair. They blend in so well with the overall sound. The horn tweeter is excellent. It produces a crystal clear accuracy of the highs and midrange. The woofer is very tight and produces a nice mid-bass to low end. Combined, these drivers produce a very well rounded and clear sound that doesn't lack in detail. Every bullet that flew by or car crash that happened off screen was heard in great detail. The voices of people talking and background chatter was noticeable and made the movies and TV shows I watched very realistic. I have owned other speakers at the same price point and they did not compare to these at all. The style is very simple yet modern. It holds up nice in my living room and doesn't seem to be an eye soar. The magnetic grilles are fantastic and make removing the grilles so easy compared to traditional plastic pegs. The look of the drivers are nice and that copper color Klipsch is known for always makes me smile. Overall, this pair of speakers really delivers and is definitely a best bang for your buck. Great job Klipsch!Shayn

I own these in piano black. They are a beautiful work of art. Stunning to look at. I personally like wide open, detail and precision in my music. Im not a neutral kind of person. I like to hear each note on an acoustic guitar. I like cymbals and crisp vocals. Punchy bass and clear synth, piano and crunchy distorted guitars. These deliver. I run a 2.1 system with a 10" Klipsch sub, so bass is no problem. A great U shaped speaker. I've always loved Klipsch so Im definitely partial. Their sound is not for everyone, but for someone that listens to 60's through early 90's rock, metal, disco, techno, folk and funk these will not disappoint.Jsg1469

I have been in A/V for many years and have listened to more speakers over the years than I could count. B&W, Thiel, Martin Logan, Kef etc. Are these the best sounding bookshelf speakers ever? The answer to that is no, best sounding speakers for less than a couple grand? probably! These absolutely beautifully constructed speakers play way above their price.with a presence that can run with the big dogs all day long. Highly efficient, precise and open soundstage,and a incredible amount of bass (yes, you’ll still want a sub) that leave me wondering how Klipsch accomplishes such musicality at this price. They definitely need a good amp / AVR to get the most out of them… I’m partial to Denon, and my DRA-800 ($550) 2 channel amp delivers a perfect pairing with these speakers. Any high quality source (flac, Apple lossless etc.) and these just open up that put a smile on my face every time I listen to them. The numerous reviews online praising them (I did a lot of research) are spot on. I find myself listening to these more than my B&W Nautilus 800’s and that’s really saying something, as they are 3-4 times the price. Everyone’s ears are different but if you’re looking for an amazing speaker that won’t break the bank, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better speaker. Amazing out of the box, broken in they really are silly good, really! I could not be happier with this purchase as they put a smile on my face every time I listen to them! Klipsch are truly the keepers of sound.NVtechguy

I was a Klipsch guy years ago. Had Kg2s, kg4s, and a couple others. Time went by and I mistakenly bought into the old “ audio snob scene” and went through a lot of speakers in different rooms for different purposes. They were all pretty good but something was not quite there. My new house has a smaller den that I use for listening. All the speakers I tried in there fell short for some reason or another. Paradigm mini monitors. KEF Q300s. Boston VRM 60s. Wharfdale. Advent. They all lacked the the depth of highs and lows like these beauties. I am totally blown away and thrilled with their performance. Hats off.Glenn Sinatra

Dali Oberon 5 vs Q Acoustics 3030i vs Q Acoustics 3050i First off a bit of back story. I have had the Q acoustics 3030i for around 2 years now (plus the centre channel 3090ci), which I STILL think are excellent value for money @ approx £250/pair. They have good image, good clarity, reasonable dynamics though they run out of puff when driven hard and remarkably punchy bass for a small standmount speaker. However, I wanted more. Having heard friends tower speakers before, I knew the sheer presence, scale and weight they offered cannot be matched by standmount speakers. So, having been pleased with the 3030is, I tried out the 3050is @ approx £500/pair. This was really quite a disappointing move as it turns out; yes they have more weight and scale and improved dynamics but the bottom end is foggy and bloated, and if i'm being perfectly honest the top end/ vocals sounded noticably muffled, almost as if the speaker/singer were reading a large newspaper at the time of recording. I couldnt quite believe my ears and thought this must be a defect, so I ordered another pair – but alas, the same traits were true once again. Things improved when pulling these out a fair way from the rear wall – probably around 60cm – but not to the point of being "good enough", nor was that aesthetically acceptable in my listening room. After much more research, here enter the Dali Oberon 5's @ approx £750/pair. Now then, at first glance you'd not think much of them – small and stylish, an unassuming guest would assume they were built for form over function. But fear not dear listener, the Dali's are a remarkable set of speakers. Lets start with highs & vocals; INCREDIBLE clarity which FAR surpasses even the the Q acoustics 3030is. Very impressive. Rather forward, but not harsh. Very much in balance. Moving onto mids, there is a little more weight here than in the 3030is but not as much as the 3050is. What you'd expect for a speaker of this size. Again very much in balance. Now onto bass; they certainly go down to around 40hz, though they felt less punchy even than the 3030is. However I have a feeling this was due to the 3030is weaker midrange by comparison, thus making them feel very strong down low. The Dalis bottom end is very smooth, and very detailed, never blooming or otherwise getting out of check. Once again, very much in balance. In summary of the frequency range, you guessed it: – Balanced – Articulate – Precise Other audiophile notes: Imaging; Good. Better than the 3050is, and almost as good as the 3030is (with toe in). Best results were found following manufacturer recommendations of no toe in. Dynamics; Very good. Not quite as good as the 3050is, but close. Totally worth the trade off for the sound quality. Clarity and balance does not decline when pushed hard. Soundstage; Very broad, reasonably high. Offers the most forgiveness for listening position out of the 3 speakers. Scale; Good. Dead in the middle between the 3030is and the 3050is. It feels like it is "almost" what I was looking for! I suppose what you would expect from a large bookshelf/small tower speaker. Conclusion Very happy with these speakers for all of the reasons listed above. Perhaps more importantly however, what I don't like about them is: – I feel that they have "almost" enough scale/weight (which perhaps the larger Dali Oberon 7s would handle better). I would love a bit more, but I am not willing to sacrifice the clarity and balance that these offer, nor am I willing to accomodate the Oberon 7s with their recommended distance to rear wall. – They could be a little taller (or come with a small stand). As I mentioned it is a forgiving soundstage, but there is no denying they sound best with the tweeter at ear level. The difference is small, so not something you should be worried about, and even if you are – buy or build a small stand. – I feel that they could go lower. It is likely that this will improve when they are fully run in, but I do feel that for something 70% larger (by cubic volume) than the 3030is, that they should be able to dig a little deeper. Not a problem for me because I use a subwoofer anyway. MISCELLANEOUS INFO Listening room approx 3.5x5m, listening across the narrow side. Amplifier is a Denon AVC-X3700H (tested with and without audyssey XT32). Tested with budget and midrange speaker cable. Usage approx 70% movies and 30% music. Placement approx 22cm from rear wall. Also tested with the Dali Oberon Vokal centre speaker; all of the same observations apply versus the Q acoustics 3090ci centre speaker.ScottTheAVGuy

I purchased these speakers 2 weeks ago, along with the Rotel A11 Tribute amplifier from Richer Sounds in Holborn. I didn't set out to purchase new speakers at first (I just wanted to replace my amp), but after spending some time playing some of my own vinyl selections in the sound room at 'RS' with (the very patient/most helpful) chap who helped me to make my decision by listening to what I was trying to achieve (sound-wise) without being at all pushy. The soundscape witnessed from the Dali's was a game changer. The overall sound performance is clear and bright, but the bass is quick, punchy and easily deep enough for a medium sized living room. Both the A11 and speakers have 'warmed' noticeably over the last week, which was a nice bonus. Having bored everyone senseless about not being able to improve on the warmth of my 40 year old JVC amp and Mission speakers, I rigged it all back up yesterday and, yes, it does still sound warm, but the definition and clarity of the Dali's (using both old and new amps) really made my mind up – the Dali's are staying put! I have been playing a lot of Calexico (good range of high and low peaks/varied instrumentation) alongside some older reggae albums ('Two Sevens Clash' by Culture sounds really great) and I am very pleased with the sound in the room. These are really nice speakers and great value for money.They look pretty nice, too!Stanno67

I finally had to ditch my battered, old, floor-standing speakers from the 70s (or was it 80s). I've Sonos in other rooms but it just couldn't match my old speakers in the main room. The Dali Ob 5s aren't great big, clomping things that dominate the landscape yet they look great in a modern setting. And the sound quality is excellent. In store I tried them out on a track from Gregory Porter (frankly not impressed but not sure what I was expecting) but then I tested with Hair of the dog (Nazareth), La Donna il mobile (Giuseppe Verdi) and Angie (Rolling Stones). Now at home they continue to impress. Why not 5 stars? Well, come on, they are a tad pricy. Nevertheless, I'm glad I did it. Now to dust off those LPsMickey Module

Sonos bills the Ray Sounder as a great choice for people who want big sound in a small space, but I have to tell you, it is great for big rooms as well. We have a 60" TV mounted above our fireplace in our main living room/kitchen area (open concept). We have found that some sounds and especially dialogue can seem a bit muffled or 'lost' in all that open room. We don't tend to watch movies and such in there, we have a multi-media room for that, but we do watch lots of news and my wife watches her reality TV shows in there, so lots of dialogue. The Ray product description talks about how it is tuned to help with voices and dialogue, and I have to say, Sonos and the Ray delivered in spectacular fashion. Everything sounds crisp and precise no matter where you are in the room or what you are doing. For that reason alone, the Ray is completely worth it for me. The Ray is also incredibly easy to set up. I was able to plug it in to the power plug behind the TV and slot the digital audio cable (fiber optic) without even having to move the TV on my mount. I had already downloaded the App to my iPhone right before opening the box and within a couple minutes I had the Ray up and running and was ready to 'tune' it for the room. Sonos has you hold your phone so the mic is up and then has you walk around the room sweeping it from high to low as it pings our a tone so that the software can figure out the acoustics of your room. It took me three tries to get it done (first I went too slow because I was trying to minimize the noise I made, on the second try I made too much noise because I was going faster, but on the third try I managed to do everything right). It is completely worth it to go through the tuning because I could tell the difference almost immediately. It really felt like the sound was being beamed right to my ears. I was as happy as could be with the set up and sound of the Ray and my wife was even impressed with the sound and she hardly notices that stuff. Unfortunately, the next day we started running into a problem. While I was able to get my Samsung and the Ray to talk that first day and was able to control the volume with my TV remote, it stopped working the next day and I had to go through the troubleshooting process. Got it to work again and my wife was happy. The next day, same exact thing. While I appreciate the the fiber optic connection for it's sound quality, and lack of delay, I'm really wishing that Sonos has put in an HDMI connection, because I have YET to have a problem controlling a sound bar through that way (though I HAVE had problems with sound synching through HDMI). The Ray is new and so is my Samsung TV so I'm hoping that maybe we might get this worked out with a firmware update to one or the other or both. It also wouldn't be a problem if all shows and commercials were required to be leveled to the same volume, so that you didn't need to crank down/up the volume all the time and could instead, just find the precise volume that works for you and let it be. Finally, I really hope that Sonos also makes a TV undermount for the Ray. It has one available to mount it directly to the wall, but I don't want to have to do that. Right now it is sitting on the mantle, which is fine in the short term but I would really like it slung underneath the TV so we don't have to see the cords. It is such a diminutive soundbar that it shouldn't need anything fancy or too bulky. I'm sure I could find something from a 3rd party but I would prefer to have one made especially for the Ray. All-in-all, I am VERY happy with the Ray. I eventually got my wife to put the Sonos App on her phone and she can adjust the volume there for the time being, but I would really like for Sonos to come up with a solution to utilize the remote we already have a bit better. For the price, the Ray is an outstanding addition to any TV setup and will vastly improve the sound quality of your shows regardless of the size of your room.Wraith

Giving a boost to a TV with a soundbar seems to me to be a bit of a complex decision if we consider that there are many options on the market, Sonos has done a good job with this wifi soundbar as the sound quality is great despite being a relatively small device, however there are a couple of things that can be improved. I will start with the unboxing which is very simple, you have to cut the side seals, lift the lid, in view is the soundbar covered with a protection and along with a box with the power cable and an optical cable plus quick start guide and documentation. The connection to TV is super easy with the optical cable, an app is needed but it is not only installing an app but also creating an account, which for a sound bar seems a little unnecessary and it seems to me that this is where the experience changes a bit because the app has many options but few of them are directly related to the performance and use of the sound bar, which again sounds pretty good but the app does not provide much. Another feature that I find a little frustrating, that seems to be no way to disable, is that when used via Ariplay with a mobile device, when I skip to the next song and the volume is at 100% is automatically lowered to 60% and you have to up the volume again (I did not find a way to disable this). I get the impression that the app is focused more on multimedia consumption than on improving the performance of the soundbar, some improvements are needed in the app. The soundbar has a good performance regarding the sound either playing music or multimedia content from different platforms, the clarity in the voice is something that I liked a lot, there are soundbars that make the voice is lost between effects or highs and lows but with this soundbar is not so, even at maximum volume the voices are very clear, I cant say the same about the bass, it is good but not outstanding however considering that it is a soundbar and that it is not a big size, it does a good job. As a consumer we will tend to compare the price of the product against its performance, i.e. is it really worth the price? I will answer with a simple Yes because soundbars of this price with the same features are not easy to find, so despite being a very popular product and with many alternatives, I can say that this Sonos sound bar is a very good option, it is clear that there are things that can be improved, mainly the app, but I consider this product worth what it costs … recommended!Serv

I really was hoping to like this soundbar better than I did but too many things hold it back. First is the no HDMI. In the last 6 years of buying soundbars I haven't had a single one that didn't have an HDMI connection. Coming from a higher end vendor you really wouldn't expect them to not add support and go with a lower bandwidth input. Sure it's only stereo and that extra bandwidth would go to waste, but CEC controls wouldn't and the need of another remote. Forget about using an app to control sound, that's way more cumbersome than feeling buttons on a remote. Another is the need for an account to set up the device. I'm really getting tired of every device requiring you reveal who, what, where you are any time you want to do simple tasks. Higher end shouldn't have rely on data mining since they're already charging premium on the device itself. As for sound, it's a bit bassy and boxy at default settings. Lowering the bass and pushing treble up a bit balances out to a more natural sound. The downside is that you lose the bass – a sub would be able to pick up the slack. At this setting it's very pleasing, though. I don't like that there's no fine tuning the sound any further than simple bass/treble sliders. There's also no bluetooth. If you want to play music through these speakers it's wifi only. It's not a bad thing but not having to allow it network or internet access would be a big plus since it's just a speaker that has no need at all to connect to my network and especially not outside of my local network. It's a decent soundbar, but nothing I would ever buy for my main set up. It's good enough for my daughter's room or maybe as a standalone music speaker. Too many limitations make it not really shine like I had hoped it would.MadSquabbles

I recently acquired one of the new Polk MagniFi Max AX high-performance home theater sound bar systems and am very satisfied with the overall immersive audio experience. My family room HDTV has to be in a corner due to a number of reasons, so rear speaker surrounds were not really a viable option because of placement limitations. Or so I thought. Anyway, after working with Polk support, I acquired a pair of the SR2 surround speakers. Connection to the ManiFi AX system was very quick and easy if you follow the included quick instruction guide. Each speaker only requires the supplied power adapter; they do not require to be hardwired to a subwoofer similar to most other surrounds. Each speaker has its own amplifier incorporated in the housing. And each speaker will “wirelessly” connect to the ManiFi AX. After installation, the ManiFi AX (it is connected to internet) displayed it was updating the surround speakers and not to disconnect power. I did have one self induced problem that was quickly resolved. There is a LEFT and RIGHT speaker and I had them reversed. They will work reversed, but the surround audio experience will not be optimal. Took less than a minute to switch their locations. Once setup I began to test out the overall effect by streaming both Dolby 5.1 along with Dolby Atmos movies. As mentioned before, my room setup is not optimal (see pictures) but sufficient to have the rear channels provide their surround effects versus not having them at all. These get me into the surround sound ballpark, just not front row seats depending on where I am sitting. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the completed system. Adding the SR2’s basically transforms my Polk MagniFi Max AX into the MagniFi Max AX SR. And in hindsight, it would have been more cost effective to just purchase the latter vs. adding the surrounds to the former.Buddy_Raleigh_NC

There is a lot to love about this sound bar and subwoofer in addition to the price. Having just recently set it up, that is the part that I still find most amazing. There was virtually no setup other than unpacking it and plugging it in. I plugged the HDMI cable into the eARC/ARC port of the sound bar and TV and then plugged it in. Turned on the TV and the sound bar simply worked. It turned off and on with the TV and the TV remote controlled the volume with no additional setup at all. Next, I plugged in the wireless subwoofer and within seconds it had automatically paired with the sound bar. There is a sync button on the back of both to pair them. However since they automatically pair, I assume this is only for connection issues. In literally less than 10 minutes both units were out of the box and working. Setup really was totally automatic. The next thing I did was setup AirPlay. This was as complicated as holding the power button for 7 seconds and then connecting to the WiFi setup in the settings of my iPhone. This process was less than five minutes and worked flawlessly. My setup was fairly simple as I only wanted to use it with my TV and AirPlay. However there are three additional non-ARC HDMI ports to attach other devices to the speaker should you have a more complicated setup. It also has optical digital input. The controls on the speaker are very simple and straightforward. They are pretty much the same on the speaker or the (rather bland and unimpressive looking) remote. I do wish that the controls on the speaker were in the front rather than in the back (center on top), so they were more accessible since I had to put my sound bar on the floor as there was no way to fit it on my TV stand between the TV legs. (The bar is not compact by any means, likely enhancing the sound) However, there is an elevation adjustment on the sound bar (haven’t been able to find anything that explains what it does exactly) that I adjusted all the way up and the sound actually sounds like it is at the TV level. I assume that is what this adjustment is for, to adjust the sound relative to where the bar is located. Regardless, this speaker system sounds amazing for the price. The sound is clear and crisp, and the subwoofer, while not house shaking, provides more than adequate bass. The system maintains a superior sound to a very high volume, much higher than I would ever listen to it at for any period of time. The system has several more bells and whistles for real audiophiles. It supports Dolby Atmos which sounds great. It has a few modes such as TV, Music, Movie, etc. However, so far I have been content with the auto mode which appears to select the most appropriate mode for what you are listening to. AirPlay sounds just as good as the wired sound. There is also a VoiceAdjust feature which I expected to be just a gimmick, but the adjustable feature really does make a significant difference in how dialogue is heard. Finally, I have to address how this speaker looks. While not as glossy or edgy as more pricey speakers, the sound bar looks very good. It has a cloth like exterior that would fit into any décor. The bar has a (very) small LCD screen that displays such things as the source, mode, and volume. While small, it actually is quite functional and looks good. The subwoofer is larger than I would have liked, but looks good and is basically a black box like most subwoofers. All lights and controls are on the back leaving a clean look to the cube. My only major complaint is that there is no app to control the system from my phone. I kept waiting to find this in the quick start guide, but it doesn’t appear it is possible without third party hardware. I searched the App Store and found nothing. This was very disappointing. Other negatives are that it only has built in support for Alexa. No HomeKit/Siri compatibility. Also only has Spotify built in unlike other systems I have with multiple streaming services built in. For the money, this is a solid, great sounding speaker system, lacking only in Smart Home technology.fllbbfan

I was looking to upgrade from an entry level sound bar to something better, and wow this has really impressed me. The packaging is done well. It is heavy because of the sub woofer, but can easily be carried using the handles cut out on the box. This sound bar has so many features, but the stand outs for my use are the VoiceAdjust and bass levels. The VoiceAdjust feature works, using the center channel speaker, to elevate voices over other sounds. This is incredibly natural and much welcomed when so much content is music and sound effects heavy. The bass is also something unreal. I've not had a higher end sub woofer before, but this one is amazing. The bass is deep and booming, adding a real sense of immersion rather. It is hard to describe, but once you experience this type of bass you won't want to be without it. Both of the voice and bass features can be adjusted with the remote, to find the setting that work best for you. The atmos feature is another thing done really well. I tested using a scene from The Tomorrow War, and the effect is amazing – with just the sound bard and sub woofer alone. You can also adjust the "height" of atmos effects using the remote, to find setting that work for the room you are in. There is an OLED screen on the front of the sound bar, hidden behind the fabric. I love being able to see the volume level and other settings with the screen facing me (not having to look down on the sound bar). I've also used it for music streaming over AirPlay, and it works really well. You can also connect over Chromecast, Spotify Connect or Bluetooth. After using the sound bar and sub woofer alone for a couple of days, I added the SR2 surround speakers. They are sold separately, but are a nice addition if you want them. They easily connect to the sound bar wirelessly and only require to be plugged in. This happened to work perfectly in my setup and I'm loving the surround effects. Overall, this is an amazing system and I highly recommend that you try it out.HappyPhantom