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Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Klipsch Reference II 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System

Written by Jim Clements
Published on 05 July 2011
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Introduction

At last year's CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, Klipsch set up their demo in a room that was more than just a little bit off the beaten path. Undaunted, I was able to find my way there and boy was I glad that I took the extra time to seek them out! The Klipsch Group, Inc. owns a total of four speaker companies – Klipsch, Jamo, Mirage and Energy. Each company had some new products on display.

I was most impressed with a demo of the updated Klipsch Reference II speakers. The fine people from Klipsch had an A/B demo set up to compare the latest version of the Reference II's to last year's model. All I can say is that the demo really impressed me. The old speakers sounded good, but when the newer ones were toggled on, I heard a whole new level of detail, openness and a sound that was unrestrained by the cabinets.

So it was with great anticipation that I decided to review a Reference II 5.1 speaker system based on the RF-82 II floor standing speakers, and also including the RC-62 II Center, RS-52 II Surrounds, and SW-311 Subwoofer. Let's see how this system stacks up.

Specifications

  • RF-82 II Mains
  • Design: Floor-standing, Ported
  • Drivers: One 1" Titanium Diaphragm Compression Tweeter, Two 8" Ceramic/Metallic Woofers
  • MFR: 33 Hz - 24 kHz ± 3 dB
  • Crossover Frequency: 1.4 kHz
  • Power Handling: 150 Watts RMS / 600 Watts Peak
  • Sensitivity: 98 dB
  • Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
  • Dimensions: 43.9" H x 9.3" W x 16.3" D
  • Weight: 61.5 Pounds/each
  • Finishes: Black Ash and Cherry Woodgrain Vinyl
  • MSRP: $1,198/pair USA
  • RC-62 II Center
  • Design: Center Channel Speaker, Ported
  • Drivers: One 1" Titanium Diaphragm Compression Tweeters, Two 6.5" Ceramic/Metallic Woofers
  • MFR: 57 Hz - 24 kHz ± 3 dB
  • Crossover Frequency: 1.5 kHz
  • Power Handling: 150 Watts RMS, 600 Watts Peak
  • Sensitivity: 98 dB
  • Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
  • Dimensions: 8" H x 23.5" W x 12.8" D
  • Weight: 30.4 Pounds
  • Finishes: Black Ash and Cherry Woodgrain Vinyl
  • MSRP: $529
  • RS-52 II Surrounds
  • Design: Bookshelf, Ported
  • Drivers: Two 1" Titanium Diaphragm Compression Tweeters, Two 5.25 Ceramic/Metallic Woofers
  • MFR: 58 Hz - 24 kHz ± 3 dB
  • Crossover Frequency: 1.5 kHz
  • Power Handling: 100 Watts RMS / 400 Watts Peak
  • Sensitivity: 95 dB
  • Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
  • Dimensions: 13" H x 14.3" W x 8" D
  • Weight: 14.7 Pounds/each
  • Finishes: Black Ash and Cherry Woodgrain Vinyl
  • MSRP: $798.00/pr.
  • SW-311 Subwoofer
  • Design: Powered Subwoofer, Ported
  • Driver: One 10" Active, Two 10" Passive Radiators
  • Amplifier: 500 Watts RMS, 1,200 Watts Peak
  • MFR: 22 Hz - 120 Hz ± 3 dB
  • Maximum Acoustic Output: 118 dB @ 30 Hz 1/8 Space, 1M
  • Inputs: L/R Line-level RCA jacks, USB, 12V Trigger, MIC, WA port
  • Outputs: Line-level RCA
  • EQ Presets and Adaptive Room Correction with 12 EQ Bands
  • Dimensions: 13" H x 13" W x 14" D
  • Weight: 37 Pounds
  • Finishes: Black Satin
  • MSRP: $1,499 USA
  • Klipsch

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