20 Best Wood For Speaker Cabinets (2023 Updated)

5 month into the astounding aural improvement that this EXCELLENT center speaker has brought to my already fine home theater set up. I waited to see if there were any negatives, & there are none. The center speaker it replaced was very nice, but dated (Advent).

This one elevates the experience to the point where it is hard to imagine it getter better. Also makes for a fine solely audio experience. Visitors have been surprised, as they thought the previous experience outstanding.

Other reviews correctly point out that the dialog in a movie is crystal clear and more understandable even when multiple conversations are going on. SPECIAL NOTE: measure the area you plan to put this to make certain it will fit.

This beast is also heavy! I’d be careful that any stand being used can take the weight. Well worth the $$$$! We are not talking loud, we are talking quality sound. The bass almost replaces a sub-woofer, in my case it augments the sub.

If you?re looking for an ?all in one box? solution for a 5. 1 speaker system for a second room or small living room then this kit will solve it for you. They sound good for what they are. These are not going to give you the ?theater? quality, room filling sound of a traditional floor standing speaker set, but they are more than adequate for a second room or smaller living space where said traditional speakers won?t work.

Everything you need is in the box, including a wireless transmitter for the sub so that you can place it anywhere in the room. Just know that this transmits on the 2. 4 GHz spectrum so it could cause interference with your Wi-Fi network.

I purchased two of these kits, one for the kids room and the other for a guest bedroom. They were perfect for these rooms. These are not the highest quality speakers by any stretch. The housing is plastic and the 1/4-20 thread mounts are easily broken.

Ask me how I know this?! But for a simple solution for what I needed they are fine.

Purchased first in may then a second unit in 08/22. The second one works of and on, reset many time to get it to work now northing. Tried calling QSC support and tried to work with their suggestions (even updated) both units had current and most recent updates.

QSC will repair under warranty but because of the delay in parts production (yes China) parts are hard to get and have faulty components(which complicates thing even more). You want to get this retailer to help ? GOOD LUCK ! all you will get is a condescending email from some dropout behind a desk.

For now I will fix these expensive(somewhat) boat anchors and attempt to dump them on some other fish. I don’t have much confidence with a retailer unwilling to take the punch from a manufacturer and allow the customer to have a bad experience.

So much for service after the sale.

Sound: I don’t know how they do it, but it sounds excellent. I think this is a great overall cab that can cover just about any style and it’s great for someone who plays covers and needs something that spans a lot of ground.

Features: Not much as far as features go, it’s a cab. I love the look though. Something about that Orange tolex and the psychedelic font that oozes ‘cool’ to me. Maybe I’m just old lol. If I had to give any negative remarks it would be that there’s a slight color difference in the Tolex between the offshore and UK made gear, but it’s minor.

Ease of Use: Plug it in and adjust your volume. Boom, great sound. Quality: It’s still early but this seems really well made. I’ve watched a few videos on how their UK cabs are made and it’s a solid build process.

One thing that surprised me was how light it is for a 2×12 plywood cab. It’s only about 43 pounds so it’s very portable. Value: It’s not cheap, but it is in line with other what Western world manufacturers charge for gear that’s not outsourced.

In other words, it’s worth the money to me! Manufacturer Support: I have had a few Orange products over the years but never had to deal with them directly. Seems they crowdsource quite a bit. There are several Facebook groups that have a lot of answers.

Their old forums are still up but are only there for reference. The Wow Factor: It’s an Orange, and it’s orange. You either love that or you hate it lol. I love the look, the sound, and the general cool factor their products give off.

I’m sure I’ll be buying more of their gear. Overall: For years I’ve heard people rave about Orange cabs and how great they sound. You can’t find an IR pack out there that doesn’t have at least one Orange cab in it.

I recently picked up the Super Crush 100 head and decided I needed an Orange cab to go with it. To be honest, mostly for aesthetic reasons! I was torn between the 212V, 212OB, and the Super Crush 412.

The 212V won out primarily because of size and weight and mostly stellar reviews around the internets. As soon as I plugged it in though, I got it. It just sounds great! The open back with the Neo Creamback’s is a great pairing for the music I play which is mostly classic and 90’s rock.

It pushes and projects without being overly punchy like my closed back 212 V30 cab. Just to see how it sounded I plugged my Carvin V3M into it (Mesa ish style amp) and it cranked out the high gain really well also.

I’m really happy with this cab!.

Some love Vintage 30’s. My preference is creambacks. I like to play smooth jazz as well as classic rock and some harder rock. Vintage 30s are built more for rock where as the creambacks In my opinion have that smoother rounder sound.

A little more versatile. For me when I want to go for jazz the blues to rock it just works better with a cream back maybe I’m spoiled because I’ve used a lot of cream bag versus vintage 30s maybe I need more break in.

On the speaker not saying it’s bad sounding care of it all just that I prefer the creambacks. I’ll give the vintage 30s a little longer and then I may actually swap them out at some point which is why I did purchase the open back cab is part of my decision.

I would prefer to build in the US and I don’t know why they built this one in China and then for $200 more added another small piece of wood to make it a close back that I’m puzzled why Orange made that move.

I imagine they probably sell more open open back cabs if they built them on the US. However I am grateful for the lower price because I did not want to spend that much on an open back. This cat is extremely light matter fact it’s lighter than my head which is the rocker verb 100 but it matches perfectly.

What’s nice about this cab is it has that ternal character that only open backs can give you. That’s a matter of preference for most but if you’re used to a combo amp and you go to a close back chances are you’re not going to like the tone of a closed back.

If your looking for bloom and warm round sound this cab is incredible. I actually was surprised it does throw much more volume but does add more warmth. Overall a great cab. If you love the sound of vintage 30s a perfect cab.

These speakers are a sensational value when on sale–a “no-brainer”. At full price, they are still a highly worthy competitor, but at full price, I think it is worth doing a sound test with similarly priced speakers, such as the Klipsch RP-600M, Elac Uni-Fi UB52, Elac DBR62 to confirm which sounds best to one’s ears.

My only regret with these speakers is that I purchased these when they first came out, and there was no light oak color available then. I might still have to get some, though. Sound characteristics: Forward, “in-your-face” presentation with midrange emphasis, smooth treble, good bass response for a bookshelf speaker (subwoofer is a worthwhile addition).

Nice clarity, good imaging, solid soundstage. Sound quality: 8/10, with Kef LS50 at 8. 7/10, Canton Reference 9. 1 DC 9. 2/10, Dynaudio Special 40s 9. 5/10) The in-your-face midrange (especially good for female vocals) is definitely the major distinguishing characteristic of these speakers.

Overall, the value when on sale is exceptional, and the listening experience is enjoyable even with “cheaper” (~$500 or less) amplification, such as NAD 316BEEE v2, Onkyo A-9110, Cambridge CXA60, etc.

Higher end amplification is not really necessary, as these sound great with modest amplification, and I didn’t notice a huge improvement in sound when using $1000 and $3000 amplifiers. I think that for most people, the BR03s are THE speaker to get at ~$500–they’re just stupid good.

For budget audiophiles, you really must try the other speakers mentioned above. While I have a slight preference for the Klipsch RP-600Ms and Elac Uni-Fi series over the BR03s, the BR03s are the only speaker in the price category that can make me almost regret buying my B&W 606s and 607s.

To get a speaker with a clearly superior critical listening experience, you must pay much more. For just kickin’ back and enjoying the music without thinking much at all, these are fantastic.

I bought these on the back of the reviews. Having wanted to go down the route of floorstanders for the first time, it was between these and the Dali Oberon 5, however the lack of bass put me off the Dali’s and the Uniti Atom favours the more sensitive Triangles.

The speakers are still breaking in but already the sounds unveiled are giving me a new insight into well known tracks, details I’d never found before. The frequencies on offer are staggering, the bass is deep, rich but never overshadowing the mids and the highs, the tweeter throws out a really vibrant rounded top end, never harsh or brittle, just crisp, clear and with wide soundstage.

If I had to have a down side, I would say that the light oak I chose is not quite as natural looking as my monitor audio silver 100’s, and with grills removed they are quite busy to look at, HOWEVER, this is more to do with my very woody interiors then it is to do with anything particularly to do with the design.

I love them and 100% recommend, as ever Richer Sounds Exeter came up trumps and I’ve shopped with RS for 30 years now, there really is no other place to buy them. Do it!.

We bought these as an upgrade to our B&W P5 speakers because we wanted dolby atmos and a centre speaker that matched the set. We bought the Chora centre and this too is an excellent speaker. We were advised Geoff at Richer Sounds Sheffield that things sound much better if they are all matched and matched from the same series.

We followed his advice and bought the Focal Chora 826d speakers and the centre. Can’t fault Geoff’s advice at all. Once we had them installed Geoff said he would come out to our home and do a check on everything.

His expertise tweaked the setup and the sound to that it is perfect for our room. We can’t fault the speakers, Richer Sounds as a company and Geoff for his expert help and advice.

I purchased the Focal Chora 826 speakers from Moon Audio about a month ago. They arrived within a few days of the order. While the box was a little scuffed up, everything inside was fine. Focal does a great job packing the items.

It’s also nice that the box opens from the side. It makes it easier to unpack. One thing to note with the set-up of the speakers is the caps on the binding posts. If you’re going to use banana plugs, you must remove the caps.

It is not easy. Just be patient and don’t force it too much. I used a small screwdriver to remove the caps. I bought the dark wood speakers. While the light wood may have fit in with my furniture a little better, I couldn’t resist the gray front.

The pictures of the speakers on the website are accurate as far as the color. They look good with the grilles on or off , especially since the slate-colored drivers look pretty cool. I should also note that the speakers are not as big as the dimensions given.

I assume that they are using the measurements of the base when providing the length and width. My equipment is almost all new so I waited awhile before reviewing. Equipment includes – Amplifier – Rotel RA-1570 CD Player – Marantz CD6007 Music Streamer – Bluesound Node 2i Subwoofer – SVS SB-2000 Pro After unpacking the speakers and setting them up, I did not do an A/B test comparing them to my old speakers.

Right out of the box, the Focals sounded so much better. With a little sadness, I boxed up the old speakers and put them away. As far as the sound goes, the speakers have a balanced sound. The bass is strong, without being too strong or dominating.

Mid-range is very accurate and treble is crisp and clear. One note on the treble, though. My initial positioning of the speakers resulted in the highs, particularly cymbals, being way too forward or overemphasized.

Moving them about a foot closer together and outward from the wall solved this problem. The treble now seems much more balanced. I read other reviews that noted the forward sound of the treble, but I think this all depends on positioning.

I now have them toed-in and pointing directly at my seating area. Vocals sound as they should. Everyone knows what the human voice should sound like, so I consider vocals a good measurement of the accuracy of a speaker.

Acoustic music also sounds great. You can hear the sliding of fingers on a guitar and the buzz of the strings hitting a fret. The speakers sound good even at low volumes. You don’t need to crank these to get sound that fills the room and still provides a little punch at lower decibel levels.

I am very happy with the purchase. For the price, these are great speakers. I’m sure I’ll be enjoying these speakers for years to come.

After my last sub that I built got ruined in a flood, I decided to to look for a “store bought” sub. Here in Houston we have Modia, a “higher end” home entertainment center. After much discussion, the salesman convinced me to buy a Klipsch 112SW, noting it’s “high quality” and great sound.

Well, it did sound great, no question there, but for for quality…. I’ve had it about 3 years now and suddenly it goes silent. I researched issues with this particular model and low and behold there seems to a known issue with overheating and burning up of capacitors.

I took the plate off and saw for myself charred components exactly YouTube videos showed. A hard earned $600 or so dollars down the drain because of known issues. A really sad showing for a brand I thought was higher end.

Of course it’s out of warranty and I’m stuck with a nice looking SW box that doesn’t work. What am I to do now? Send the board back to Klipsch for a replacement? I think they’ll just laugh at me. I’m very disappointed with Klipsch products now and will discourage anyone I know from looking in Klipsch’s direction unless Klipsch owns up to their issues and rectifies my issue.

I added the R-120SW to my Klipsch 15-inch subwoofer and the result: Splendid! The 15-inch SW alone was placed in an area surrounded by three walls, a terrible placement in a room with a 12-foot ceiling and dimensions of 14X20 and open to the kitchen.

I moved the 15-inch SW to the right to the right of a right Klipsch premier tower speaker and placed the 12-inch SW in the three-wall placement to the left of the left Klipsch premier tower speaker in a setup of a 5.

2. 4 Dolby Atmos four Klipsch ceiling speakers, giving a magnificent subwoofer and overall sound. I made several adjustments off the Marantz Audessy setup. I don’t do a subwoofer crawl on the floor. I don’t go all technical with so many complex sound graphs.

Yet I know splendid music sound. I proficiently play 12 instruments. Give me a horn, a woodwind, drums, piano, an organ and I can play wonderful music.

4 stars for now; I am still getting it dialed in. I bought this sub to go with a pair of The Fives. It does a good job of filling in the bottom end of the music, and the built-in low pass filter in the speakers is helpful.

So is the ability to raise or lower sub level from the remote; different recordings have different levels of bass EQ. That said, it is easy to set the sub level just a bit too high, which changes the sound from coherent to just tubby, “too much” bass very easily.

My ears are very sensitive to bass quality, and boomy, one-note bass is the last thing I want. I find that if I can actually hear the sub separate from the speakers, then it is likely set too high. Set up correctly, that’s not a problem here.

I bought two of the on an open box sale. I literally paid half price, or got one speaker completely free. These 15 inch PRXs go great with my other JBL speakers. They lack a little bit of the super low end rumble that my EON 18inch subwoofers have.

The PRX 15 inch subs pair well with nice top speakers, they sound nice and punchy with plenty of low end in a small to medium sized indoor venue or enclosed patio. I also like them very much for my mobile PA system because they are fairly compact for how powerful they are.

I can fit them into smaller vehicles and their smaller profile is easy to decorate around. Overall great buy and a solid addition to my speaker business inventory.

As someone who is used to hearing flagship JBL touring systems in large multi-thousand person ballrooms, and still feeling the bass, I was skeptical when looking at this subwoofer for my first PA. It didn’t help that I could have easily afforded an SRX828SP, but did not have a vehicle to transport it.

Having heard the 18 PRX sub and always feeling disappointed by it’s output for the price, I had very low hopes for this little thing. All of that vanished the very second I turned it on and opened it up.

I took it along with my two PRX812Ws to my office gym, which is notorious for having particularly awful acoustics, and the system as a whole managed to fill the entire gym with sound. I was stunned how loud this little monster got.

The amount of bass coming from this little 15 sub is insane, made even more so considering it’s price, weight, etc. The fact is this little thing hits hard, and can get plenty deep for 90% of the lowest notes in EDM and HipHop music.

Now while it certainly filled the gym with bass, it was not enough to be felt in the chest from the other side of the room. But then this was never supposed to. You’ll need multiple dual 18s for that.

If I had a criticism, it would be the app used for the PRX line. It’s not very good. But, the good news is you can set your system up with the app once, and then never use it again if you don’t want.

The boxes simply remember their settings. So there is a way around it. Overall, this is a little beast of a subwoofer. I will be buying a second one very soon, which is what I recommend doing for having more than enough headroom for medium sized venues, since it can get boomy right before the limiter kicks in.

Otherwise, the bass is snare drum tight. Final word, if you’re limited on transportation abilities, as in you only have a ’19 VW Jetta to haul your PA around, then this is a fantastic option. I can fit two in the back seat of mine, no problem.

Pair them with my PRX812Ws, and they make one crazy good PA.

I was looking for a pair of moderate to small sized speakers to give the right sound, whilst not taking over my small lounge. Ones which would complement my aging Linn Axis turntable and put the Cambridge Audio AXR85 receiver I bought from Richer a few months ago to good use in rebirthing my vinyl collection.

I had a word with the friendly staff to explain my needs and Mandy was extremely knowledgeable and very patient in talking it through with me. I listened to the options she suggested and said I would go away to deliberate.

On checking the Focal Arias online, I quickly discovered that Richer Sounds had the best price, in some cases by some considerable amount! Next day, I went back and was served by Luke, since it was Mandy’s day off.

I booked a demo and was immediately happy with what I heard and so signed up for the speakers using Klarna, which was simplicity itself and meant I could pay over three easy installments. I am so happy that not only are my LPs now promoted from ornaments to media again, but the sound is absolutely better than ever before.

My son remarked upon hearing one piece that if he turned away it sounded as though the musician was playing guitar in the room. This made me very happy indeed and I remain delighted! Just a short addendum to say thanks so much to the guys in Cheltenham store, in particular, thanks to Mandy for her expertise and patience and for Luke and the other guys for fitting banana plugs to the cables I chose.

Superb service and highly recommended!.

I was looking for something to give me a noticeable improvement over my Rega R3s. The Focals are quite large for a stand-mount but they sound lovely. Good bass, that may even need some taming, and lovely clarity that really lets you hear all the different instrumental layers without over separating them.

A big plus for me is the front port that allows closer positioning to a wall. The walnut finish version is maybe not as classy as the piano black one, but I don’t think it looks cheap is really excellent value for money.

The glass top and leather face look very smart. Early days yet but I’d agree they deserve their 5 star reviews. So far very pleased with my change.

I bought a pair of Focal 906 speakers from Dan at the Cardiff store. Dan and the team were extremely welcoming and helpful. The speakers arrived early the next morning. I must confess that I have owned the 906 before and regretted selling them.

From the box, they are warm, rich and super smooth. After about 30 hours of use, they project a fast, clean and bright sound, but still have a lovely bass and mid warmth/ tonality, with an extended, super detailed treble.

A bargain. I am running with Naim amps.

Presented in a choice of four neutral colours with an elegant modern silver stand. Contemporary shoppers often avoid darker wood but the walnut veneer are truly classy. On inspection, after removing the covers, the cones appear scratched or disfigured but realisation soon sets in, these are blemished by the hand of nature.

The natural approach to the build flows through to the sound. Complimentary to B & W’s neutral soundscape, yet with the added panache. The speakers are dynamic, exhilarating and always exciting. They’re draw you into any genre, music, tv or film, exposing the detail, while surprising you with the intensity of the bass.

You’ll want to rediscover your music / film collection and uncover the layers of new information that underscore its deeps. Listen to “Hey Now”, London Grammar for its unexpected power; or “No Surprises”, Radiohead to beholden it’s finer musical intellect.

For the price range, there is no competitor as close. Expressive, distinct but never uncompromising, whatever the genre. These are a joy to own and will bring back your youth. On the retail side, Richer Sounds telesales staff we’re phenomenal, independent though never passive.

Always mindful of context, price and set up. Long may the company thrive.

Having upgrading my hifi over the past 2 years with Arcam’s SA20 Amp & the CDS50 CD / network player (both purchased from Richer Sounds), i was keen to upgrade my tired old Wharfedale Emerald 93 speakers.

With a budget of £1k I arranged for a listening session at the Fulham Rd store. Carl (store mgr) recommended i check out the DALI OBERON 7’s that i hadn’t previously considered, thinking i would probably go for one of the new range of Wharfedale’s.

On listening to a variety of styles; rock, hip hop, jazz, electronic i was really sold on the Oberon’s so decided to get a pair in the walnut finish. They arrived the following day with no issue & well packaged.

So after 100 hours or so of running in, i am pleased to report how much i am enjoying these speakers. Being a vinyl enthusiast I was particularly happy with the analogue sound stage, warm & not too upfront with amazing dynamics that keep improving with further playing.

these speakers seem to love everything I’ve been throwing at them; dub reggae, electronica, classic/alternative rock, hip hop, jazz, folk, pop; these speakers have delivered superbly across CD, SACD, Streaming & Vinyl at every sound level I’ve tested.

I’d particularly like to thank Carl for providing the listening session along with Aiden for their brilliant service & expertise (with an extra thanks for providing speaker cable & fitting a set of banana plugs whilst i was in store).

Very happy with.

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.

Having just replaced all my components in the last year I needed speakers. I’ve been researching and listening to everything in the $2k-5k range and these kept coming upon the short list. My Primaluna EVO 400 hp has been a joy since it was turned on and I knew there was more goodness available than my 20 year old Polks were putting out.

I was right. The Focal Arias sounded bright, fast and precise. I have the stereo on 10 to 14 hours a day and they took a good 3 weeks to break in. After that and figuring out speaker placement the sound is pure joy.

I had hoped that the 6 base drivers would be enough to get rid of the subwoofer but some tracks still need the extra help. These speakers did however fill the bill for my other requirement, that they sound good at low volumes.

This is one of the hardest things for modern speakers to do. They all sound great at moderate to high volume but turn them down and it sounds as if half the drivers turn off. The Focals still sound like high quality gear at very low volume.

Of course if you give them the horsepower the will blow the windows out while sounding clean the whole time. My room, my gear, my music, you may of course have a different result. I could not be happier, even with them going on sale a month after I got mine.

These will keep me happy for a looong time. Build quality is off the charts, the black lacquer is beyond belief, the glass top and overall fit and finish show that someone really cared. List price was fine for what you get, getting them on sale is a no-brainer.

These are very satisfying speakers with great imaging and detail. Their primary use is for music listening in my bedroom stereo system. As usual, bass extension will depend on the room and positioning.

In my case they sound great without a subwoofer and I do not plan to add one. Very moderate room corrections were needed. A bit of mid-bass reduction can be applied to flatten the response. The TV is also connected to them and I find the performance very adequate for movies given that it is a pure 2-channel output.

I wanted to have a relatively compact system and went with a NAD M10 integrated stereo amplifier. It drives the Arias with ease and I am very satisfied with the pairing. I did a lot of research and listened to quite a few speakers in this price category and above.

There are a number of great choices to satisfy individual tastes. For this application, the Aria 936’s won with their big, rich, and clear sound. They have character different from my main system and enjoy them even more that way.

Highly recommended!.

This is the second set of Klipsch Reference Series Dolby Atmos surround sound speakers we have invested in. The previous model we still own I had set up in our family room and, after using them for a couple years, wanted to add Atmos speakers to our theatre room where we have a 120” 4K projector set up.

This only seemed natural as an audiophile who constantly is looking to upgrade the sound in our house. First off, the new Reference Series 40SA Atmos speakers look and sound very similar to the previous models.

This new model was designed for and pairs perfectly with Klipsch’s new 800F dual 8” floor standing speakers as they were designed to go together in harmony. The 40SA speakers are the same length and width as Klipsch’s 800F model so they fit perfectly on top of them and, as expected, they are also the same color and material as the 800F cabinets accented by Klipsch’s well known copper driver and horn tweeter.

As an added bonus, the Atmos speakers come with exact length speaker wire that can be connected to the output speaker port located on the backside near the tops of the 800F floor stands. If you intend on going with this set up, you would run your speaker wire from your receiver/amplifier to the bottom designated inputs of the 800Fs.

There is hidden internal wiring from that input to the Atmos speaker output where you would plug the 40SA speakers in. This makes the set up and wiring much cleaner instead of running additional wiring to other areas.

I do want to say that for those of you who have not used Atmos speakers in your set up, don’t expect much sound from them as they were intended to fill in the audio height gaps. That is the one main complaint I have heard from those that have invested in Atmos.

The other issue may be that what you are trying to play on your system might not have been recorded in Dolby Atmos so you would have to look for that from your media. At this price point I really don’t think there is much other competition in the speaker market to consider going with a different brand.

Klipsch is one of the most well-known and respected companies in the industry and they can be trusted to always produce a quality product.

The Center Channel Speaker is the heart of any good home theater system and the Klipsch Reference Series 30C is easily one of the best center channel speakers I have ever owned. Dialogue comes through perfectly.

I have paid admission to movie theaters with center channel set ups that weren’t as clear and accurate as the 30C. Out of the box, I loved the presentation of this speaker. It’s compact and unobtrusive.

The magnetic grill plate is a nice decorative touch. I received the Klipsch Reference Series 30C Center Channel Speaker as a part of a Klipsch Reference package containing Series 50M Bookshelf Speakers, Series 101SW – 10’ Subwoofer, Series 600F Floor Standing Speakers, Series 40SA Surround Sound Speakers, and a Onkyo – TX – NR6100 7.

2 Channel THX Certified Network A/V Receiver. The series was perfectly balanced and while the subwoofer and the bookshelf speakers produced plenty of sound, the center channel was never drowned out or compromised.

Over the last week, I set up a test station in the family bonus room and I put the system through the paces comparing it to the existing home theater set up. I laughed, I cried, I shook the neighbors and I’m pretty sure representatives from the USGS will be out in the morning.

But the sound from this package is amazing. The family room is a larger room and the sound from the 30C definitely did a good job in that space. In my tests, I played music, summer blockbusters, dialogue heavy classic black and white movies, everyday TV broadcasts.

I thought all sources sounded excellent. I noticed no buzzing or notable distortions. Watching “Dune” (2021), I was amazed that I could hear the dialogue better than when I was in the movie theater last fall.

Watching “The Batman” in Atmos on HBO Max, details were rich. Dialogue was perfect. Setup is simple. The speaker connections are banana plug compatible. If you don’t have banana plugs, you insert the exposed cable and twist the connections to secure your speaker wire.

In terms of dimensions, the speaker is 26″ wide, 5″ tall, and 6″ deep. I really liked this speaker. It’s easy to recommend. If you are purchasing this speaker separately, make sure your other speakers are powerful enough to adequately complement this speaker.

Klipsch Reference Series 30C Center Channel Speaker is amazing. 5/5.

Klipsch has been known for making high quality speakers for both Home Audio and even for PC with relatively few design changes. My previous Klipsch speaker setup was several years old, and were used in a home cinema I’d set up in dedicated movie room.

They were small, but effective when paired with a good subwoofer and receiver. In the box you’ll find two Klipsch Bookshelf Speakers, a setup guide, and warranty information. As I received this with other Reference Series Speakers, I was happy to see these had the same cork style padding on the bottom to help keep the speaker from shifting around on your shelf.

The speakers allow for the use of Banana plugs or you can screw the cables into place. I paired this with a newer Onkyo receiver, and other Klipsch Reference Series speakers. I was happy to see the speaker grills are magnetically attached, making it easy to remove the grill for future dust removal and cleaning.

I used these bookshelf speakers as my rear surround sounds, and have been happy with the sound quality so far. They compliment the rest of the Reference Series speakers well. Ultimately, the bookshelf have provided much clearer sound than my previous Klipsch set.

When paired with other Reference Series speakers, it really elevates the home theater experience. The speakers are painted black, with a wood exterior, and is a bit on the larger size for bookshelf speakers, but should fit most applications well.

Given the size of the speakers, I imagine these would be great as stereo speakers for a small amp with a phono player, and definitely work well as surround sounds.

I have a 9. 6. 4 setup. My friends listened to it and they are blown away. I have 6 REL Predator subs in two stacks of 3. Simply amazing. I do have the front 3 powered by an emotiva DR3 amp. I believe that’s over 450watts per channel, but I’m not positive.

But I would highly recommend a dedicated amp to get the most out of these. The headroom will blow up your room and ears with distortion free musical bliss. I’m not sure if I like the rf7 ii or iii’s better.

I have both. But supposedly the iii’s are a little less bright. But I like the iii’s sound also, so not sure.

Been thru many equipment changes over the years. Solid state (Adcom GFA 555) then went to tubes (Cary 300Bs) then back to solid state (Adcom GFA 555-II driving an old set of KEF C50s). Then switched that up and got a Chinese 300B amp driving an old set of Klipsch RF-5s and said this is detailed and took the leap to the current RF-7s Mark III.

Loved em but I wondered why the horns were above level. Asked my fellow bestie who has a set of Corner Horns and he thought it was people who don’t know and understand the clarity and dynamics of horns interpret them as harsh.

So what did I do? I turned the plinths around 180 degrees so instead of horns pointing above level they are slightly pointing BELOW level, right at my ears. Perfection !!!.

I really love movies and for years I’ve have only purchased surround systems in a box. I never was really into audio. more into picture quality HD, Full HD, UHD etc. I had never heard of Klipsch before but as I was scrolling through slick deals one day I stumbled across a Klipsch home theater sale.

It was a reference set with floor standing speakers so I thought I’d bite and buy it as my Christmas gift to myself. While reading through the comments, someone suggested the reference premiere brand being superior to the reference brand and for a few more dollars you could have a amazing HT setup and posted the link the these babies.

How grateful am I to this person for connecting me to RP-280FA. What an amazing sound. Along with RP-280FA, I ended up getting the RP-440C, 2 R-112SW, and 2 RP-600M for a 5. 2. 2 setup and WOW what a totally different experience.

I changes the entire dynamics of a movie and keeps you engaged and immersed throughout. It even makes mediocre movies (So I thought) good when they have a great sound mix. Nothing against my HT in box.

They serves their purpose, but this is the way to go. My highest recommendation!.

Don’t get me wrong, I love these speakers. The presentation of the veneer, the color contrast without the covers, just beautiful. I guess I just expected more in the sound department – They are very very good speakers, and I’ve listened to all different music on them, but I just feel like I’m not getting the wow feeling I thought I would.

Being a musician maybe I’m being too critical for the price range, and I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is. Maybe I need to break them in more and get more accustomed. As with all reviews take mine with a grain of salt and form your own opinion.

Maybe they’ll grow on me and I can come back and give the full five stars.

Big thanks to Joe from Tunbridge Wells branch for recommending these speakers to me in combination with Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. These are truly spectacular speakers, they need recommended 100 – 200 hours of breaking in to get them to sound their best.

Vocals, instruments, EDM, techno, jazz, rock, everything sounds beautiful. Fantastic all rounders with warm sound, beautiful & powerful. Just feed them lots of good music and enjoy! Very limited reviews on these out there, which is a real shame because more people should give these speakers a try.

Thanks again Joe, you set me on my audiophile journey.

In my journey to these speakers I tried: Dynaudio Special 40 B&W 707 KEF LS50 meta To my ears these Silver 100s are easily the equal, and in some cases the better, of all of the above. I mainly listen to trance, techno and house; but in my auditioning I had some London Grammar, ACDC, Kate Bush and others thrown in.

I was mainly looking for ‘punch and sparkle’ and in that respect the Silver 100s really deliver. It will come down to personal preference, but these should be on any audition list for a two channel system in a small-medium room (I got them as part of an upgrade of my office sound system).

If they did the Gold series with the 50khz tweeter with the 8″ drivers in a bookshelf design, I think that would be even more brilliant. Note also that they are large (which I guess is a key part of how they produce such an impressive sound) and so you need to measure carefully to make sure they will fit your space before purchasing.

Conclusion: Really really really good.

I bought one of these speakers here at MF about 4 years ago and with this sale price, it is even less expensive now! This powered monitor is a true workhorse and it has enormous headroom. I have used this speaker in many musical applications and it has performed flawlessly.

I bought a Harbinger 4112, last year and played a Yamaha P-515 directly straight into the back of each speaker, rather than into a mixing console/board. I did a mono, one speaker comparison. The Harbinger did have better frequency response, yet was much more harsh sounding.

This Alto sounds smooth and warm and I have never needed to turn it past unity gain. This monitor is on sale right now and I can not recommend buying it, enough. The listed 1000 watts RMS are real, and the drivers can handle the power with ease.

The only point of contention is that they do scratch very easily and so I would find a good generic extra sized tote for each monitor and wrap each one with a thin blanket before placing them inside for transporting.

Highly recommend this product, especially at this very reduced sale price.

I had read a lot of reviews about the new TS series and after a LOT of research I decided to try them out. I play acoustic guitar with a looper and sing in pubs and at weddings and used to use a column PA.

This was great for ease of use and portability but I was often finding it’s limit with its volume. Instead of spending £1200 on two new columns I went with the TS310. I’m so pleased I did! They are light, no problem getting them up on stands and fit in the boot of the car.

The sound is great and I had a lot of compliments. I was worried about the bottom end but there was more than enough bass when I was playing and when playing recorded music through them. I was seriously impressed with the sound and I only had them at about 9 o’clock on the volume knob.

With a sub added I’m sure they’d be good for a small band sand bigger venues. Overall very happy with my choice.

We were looking for a small high powered monitor for our band. At present we use 6 monitors on stage and wanted to reduce the footprint. Our guitarist is using a Headrush and the sound quality is excellent and loud.

we looked at the TS308 as it is the same unit but EQed to suit multirange use ie: vocals. The unit is well made sturdy and nice to look at. We plugged a mic into our Xair aux output but instead of the 2000 watts it boasts it barely matched our Behringer FD1320 floor monitors rated at 300watts.

I would have expected a ferocious beast with more volume than I could handle, but at 3/4 volume on the unit it didn’t come close to getting me worried. Very sad as this should have been a great little unit, but instead it just cried with a whimper !!.

If you are a Dj who wants better overall sound control than offered by the numerous trendy compact line array systems currently being pushed, but with a similar visual footprint when needed, and more flexibility at decent price, then the QSC CP8 s may be the answer.

My issue was that I already have numerous pairs of EV SX300 s which remain the best sounding and most robust speakers I have ever owned. but the EV s for weddings are ugly, and I needed something that would have reduced eye impact but hit a similar quality of sound.

Having a number of existing subs, I was looking at teaming the Cp8 s up with one or more of them and surprisingly found that the best match was actually a couple of Alto TS212S s that I had been using for pub work.

The Alto subs needed a minor mod to fit a more rigid screw mounting pole system, (a simple matter 16 per cab outlay, and swapping the factory pole mount) but the end result is a stable small footprint system that can support the CP8 s up over head height which is great for clarity with packed dance floors.

Other than that the 12″ Altos are great small-footprint subs that are tight and punchy. a great match for the CP8’s in looks and performance. The CP8 s are quoted at 1000w of output. the good news is that this is specified in the detail as 800+200W suggesting two amps, but the wattage is peak, so in real life I would say they are more like 400+100W RMS.

When run up on their own, for my ears the Default setting was about the best overall sound, with the dance setting only really being suitable at low bedroom monitor levels. There is no deep bass on these, and when pushed, the dance setting tends to make the speakers sound boxy.

The Speech setting sounded fine for microphone work, and a nice touch is that when running speech that input A and the audio jack remain at default for full range backing music. great for ceremony and presentation work.

The CP8 s with a sub give a great sound, but form my money I preferred using the 100Hz crossover on the subs rather than the 80Hz on the CP8 s to stay clean at higher sound levels. Most older PA speakers have a sound dispersion of around 60degrees, and the new compact line arrays are usually around 120degrees.

To my ears, line arrays are Ok in an open room but can loose penetration on a busy dancefloor, so here the dispersion of 90degrees on the CP8 s is ideal, and they also give better distribution than older cabs for close range pub work (CP8 s on poles with only one sub).

So to my ears, as compact main PA that looks great the CP8 s will go very loud and clean when linked to a sub(s), and if anything the issue can be that you don t realise how loud they are till you try to talk over them.

which means it is easy to keep pushing up the volume if you don t keep an eye on your meters. Form my money you also have better sound control and penetration than a sub 1000pc line array. Summary. Thumbs up for main PA with sub(s), great for speech/music ceremony and presentation, fine for smaller live acoustic gigs and vocal only band PA.

not good on their own for main disco/karaoke speakers.

After listening to the B &W 603 s2 Anniversaries for over a year, I decided to upgrade. Now tore clear, the 603 s2 Anniversaries are a veritable bargain, but the lack of a de-coupled mid-range ultimately spells why they are only about 2,300 per pair.

The 703 S2s on the other hand, have a larger sound stage, are more spatial than the 603 s2s, have expensive veneer cabinets, a better twitter, the de-coupled continuum mid-range and the higher end aerofoil drivers.

The fact that they are more than twice the price is easily understood when you listen to these side by side with the 702 s2s and the 603 Anniversaries. The main differential between the 702 s2s and the 703 s2s is a slightly flatter bass and boosted high end which I thought was too bright.

No, the 703 S2s are like the Three Bears porridge: Just Right. The 47htz tweeter break up and the 30 htz low end, invigorate the sound. The 702 S2s with the top mounted tweeter and extra passive driver do not improve the sound per se, and the extra $1,000 was better spent buying a matching REL sub-woofer (T/9x) which spatially sounded perfect with the 703 S2s.

The real surprise of these speakers is the fact that their 89db efficiency and their 8ohm handling of up to 200 watts (30 watts nominally) makes them a versatile speaker. Comparing them to high end Focal, Martin Logan and others in this price range revealed, at least to my ears, a most satisfying and complete sound.

I use Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ as a reference album because it has the deep bass rifts, the high end operatic notes and a solid mid-range of guitars and lower scale piano rifts are a great test of a speaker.

I am currently running a Technics SU-G700 (also purchased from World Wide–see my review of that union this site) that is an excellent match for these speakers. With an ability to go to 140 watts into 4 ohms, the amplifier handles these easily with no distortion even at high volume.

In fact, B & W advises that these can dip down to 3. 1 ohms in the low end and the REL with the toslink (direct) connection provides a wonderful, full bass with proper synchronization and bass decay.

Obviously, many of the potential buyers out there will run these without sub-woofer augmentation, but after listening to the 702 S2s with and without the REL, the soundstage really is more precise, What is amazing about these speakers are that at $5,000 they are a relative bargain.

Amazingly well made and finished in Rosenut Oak. The wood grain is matched and precisely laid, the 55 pound cabinet provides a non-vibratory chamber for the 3-way, 4 speaker array to push out music seamlessly.

While I realize that sound is subjective and everyone has a proclivity to a certain sound signature, if you are looking in the 5 to 10K price point, these have to be heard and seen. Highly Recommended !!.