Dissapointed with my new speakers

"I think what I was running into was that I tend to listen at lower volumes and unlike the Klipsches we have, these really don't perform well at those volumes."

I suspect those are two very different sounding speakers.

My experience with B&Ws in general is that they are not great low volume speakers. Klipschs I have heard in general are better, probably due largely to their high efficiency.

Your ears may still be used to the Klipsch sound resulting in disappointment with the B&Ws

If you think that is not the case, then you have two choices

1) try to tweak the system to the speaks and speaks to the room better to suit your tastes. Go back and listen to the same speaks again in the dealers setup if that is where you heard and liked them. if you still like what you hear there, then figure out where the differences may be between that system including listening room and yours and tweak yours accordingly.

2) If you no longer like the B&Ws as much as originally, punt on the B&Ws and try something else, perhaps more Klipsch like in overall efficiency and sound, maybe even another pair of Klipschs as an upgrade.

By the way I've owned B&W floorstanders and also heard and liked very much the RB 25s. They sound very different. YOu have to determine what kind of sound it is exactly you are going after. Chances are one will fit the bill much better than the other.

I really think you have experience with two quite different speakers. If you were happy with the Klipschs and think you should have stayed in the companies line. I cannot imagine my ever being happy with B&Ws and everytime I hear the Klipschs, especially corner horns, I think I errored badly 40 years ago with selling them.

Mb9061,

Just curious, what were you using to drive the Monitor Audios? The Silver RS6 is a pretty balanced speaker - I auditioned several times with large Denon receivers which are not the last word in amplification. Sounded pretty good overall even with that driving them - don't recall them being overly bright... but definitely not dark either.

To a large degree, the real culprit may be being ignored. These speakers have neither a good lower extension nor are very tight in the bass. Personally, (having owned the 602 S3) speakers (and other B&Ws), this is somewhat the sound you will get with the speakers (until you get much, much higher in their line-up). You are comparing them to your Klipsch speakers which have a typically deeper/lower bottom end extension - though not very tight and somewhat loose.

It sounds like you have become accustomed to the Klipsch bottom end (while not very accurate, it is more noticeable) and are comparing too very different sounding speakers. I would work on room placement if you are trying to get a bass sound more in-line with the Klipsch (more than anything else). For $250 for a sub you are pretty restricted and may be better off saving a bit. I would avoid the B&W subs (not very good, had one), but think that with these speakers you would be well served by one of the REL Quake subs (starting with the Q106? and going up from there based on available budget).

The REL's are much better subs than most others in this price category (at least in terms of real bass control vs. just boom, they have good speed and decent extension). If you want the sub to boom (more like the Klipsch), this will be controlled based on locating the sub and the general set-up.

I wouldn't exactly say I love the Klipsch house sound. I haven't heard any of their real horn speakers like the Heresys etc, but the newer line using the cerametallic woofers and Tractix horns have real problems with properly voicing the mid-range.

The mid-range on both the Klipschs we own are hollow, recessed, and just overall pretty lifeless. It didn't bother me much with the RB25s as they are pretty well balanced for the price however, it is quite noticeable on the RF82s so thats why I avoided moving up the Klipsch product line.

The B&Ws on the other hand, are the complete opposite of the Klipschs, however they take it too far. To me, the mids on the B&W seem overemphasized, pushed forward, and at times vocals don't sound realistic. What I'm looking for is that same mid-range emphasis but a more full, lush sound.

What I did like about the Klipschs was the clarity from the Tractix horns. They didn't resolve as much detail as the B&Ws but they didn't make me cringe from the brightness either. To me they seemed like a good half way point. One thing I noted though was that the B&Ws are amazing for movies. I queued up the Quantom of Solace Blu-ray and the detail and impact with the cheap sub I have now is amazing at high volumes. This is the only area in which I really love these speakers however.

As far as new speakers go, I think I might go audition those Totems however I was also looking at a used pair of Von Schweikert VR-2s. The reviews seem to point to what I'm looking for but they sure are expensive for my budget! Do you think these speakers would match what I'm looking for?