The sensitivity on the speaker is 96dB. It is easy to drive. A 10w amp would be more than enough to drive those to deafening levels.

It has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and although I can’t find an impedance curve or minimum impedance, I would be shocked if it is below 4 ohms.

I was looking at a first watt amp and the only speaker from Klipsch that had a weird impedance issue and would be slightly harder to drive was the Paladium bookshelf. Otherwise they are a breeze.

The only thing I will say is that Klipsch speakers tend to be bright so pairing them tubes or a very warm solid state like Pass Labs is usually more pleasing than a typical Class AB solid state.

There are MANY speakers that sound MUCH better for the same price!

You will not find many reports on lousy speakers, because magazines don't like to publish highly negative reviews, and that's the kind of review they would get.

liquidsun wrote:

I would like to know how hard are these speakers to drive. Does anyone know where can i find a lab report for this model. I google it but no luck.

The Monitor Audio Bronze 2 are a MUCH better speaker, and they go for $499/pair.

For the money they are a wonderful speaker. I listened to them the other day at Best Buy and was very pleasantly surprised. I like them better than the MA Bronze’s. I think they are a bit more neutral.

They are warmer than the Monitor Audio Bronze but more neutral than the Wharfedale’s. I just listened to the Elac’s a couple weeks ago. Impressive speaker for the money. The wharfedale’s will be warmer.

With every new generation of Klipsch speakers, they supposedly have dealt with the treble.

IMO, they never have.

It’s nice that the reviewer could overlook the tonal imbalance, but personally, I can’t. I have some typical age related high frequency hearing loss, and I still find them grating.

If you prefer a warmer sound, I’m not sure why you’re thinking of Klipsch. I strongly suggest you try them in a long listening session before purchasing.

liquidsun wrote:

For what is worth, CNET's Steve Guttenberg picked the 600M as "The Audiophiliac Speaker of the Year".

"The treble can be a tad bright at times, and that will bother some listeners more than others. "

"The RP 600M lacks some bottom end punch, so I added my trusty old PSB Alpha SubZero i subwoofer....."

"Stereo imaging isn't as precise or 3D holographic as the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 speakers, the RP 600M sound is more diffuse...."

Well, it is efficient. :-)

Klipsch RP-600M is the successor to RP-160M which got very good review in the past.

https://www.audioreputation.com/klipsch-rp-160m/

A pair of RP-160M will deliver an incredible listening experience. The sound is rich, detailed, and powerful. Klipsch even managed to make the upper midrange and high frequencies softer and more neutral by enhancing the design of the Tractrix horn (customers complained about the previous Reference line of speakers because the treble was too harsh). They will still be a bit too intense, especially in a small room but if your room is large enough, the speakers will show their full potential and you will notice that they really managed to make more neutral (and even wider) frequency response compared to the previous Reference series.

When it comes to sound quality and listening experience, we can’t really ask for more. Every type of music we have tried sounded authentic and vigorous. It doesn’t matter if you are listening to some classical piece performed by a symphony orchestra, power metal song, or a bass-heavy EDM, Klipsch RP-160M will deliver an authentic and powerful sound with an incredible amount of detail. The bass is deeper than you could possibly expect from an average bookshelf speaker but it’s also rich and perfectly clean without any distortion at high volumes. Treble was the biggest issue with the previous line of Klipsch Reference speakers but they managed to solve this issue by enhancing the design of the Tractrix horn and by enhancing the tweeter construction. RP-160M delivers much cleaner and less intense highs than the bookshelf speakers from the previous Reference series but they really need some space to shine. The highs will still sound too harsh in a small room, when your listening position is too close to the speaker and when the walls are too close. Midrange and vocals sound perfectly clear and dynamic. You will be able to hear the smallest detail – it’s almost like you are listening to a live event.

https://www.tharbamar.com/single-post/2016/12/22/Klipsch-RP-160M-Speaker-Review

Highs are very good, tonally accurate, cymbals and high hats are very accurate true to source instruments. I can feel the impact of lead guitar middle string notes like I felt in front row seat of live concert.

I listen to many different kind of music and steel guitar sound was as real as it can be, I don’t think highs are bright at all because sound is so real, close to hearing real instruments and doing great job by reproducing at personal listening space. I admit my ears starting to get tired after a few albums but don’t get me wrong by saying that because if you know how live concert feels like, you’ll know what I mean.

Midrange is very good but lower mid range is less pronounce than as I am use to with my reference KEF LS50 speakers, still musical to listen to, female and male vocals performance is very good, closed mic vocals sounded remarkably good and close to real live performance. Kick drum, side drum rolls and snare drum strikes are so real, only down side is it can get a bit edgy with some music.

Bass is deep,define and well pronounce but I would like to hear a little tighter bass from size of the drivers and cabinets but still very much enjoyable, I think it produces more of deeper register than upper mid bass area, with some music it may sound like V shape but more like shallow V.

http://www.soundvisionreview.com/hi-fi-home-theater/speakers/klipsch-rp-160m-review/

Klipsch have always made it a point to make their speakers as efficient as possible and are therefore suitable for use with amplifiers that doesn´t have massive amounts of power. For example, the RP-160M would go very well with the warm and natural sound of today's popular tube amplifiers.

And with almost any kind of music, from symphony orchestras to dirty garage rock and electronica, it comes across as authentic and exciting, with a force and vigour that makes me feel as if I was there witnessing a live event. And while having fun and being temperamental, it still reveals the finest details of the wide sound stage that seems to be acoustically illuminated down to the last inch. In short, a lively and thoroughly enjoyable experience. One that provides a lot of pleasure and is immediately intoxicating while at the same time manages to sound professional. If you like listening to rock and metal, you will love the Klipsch RP-160M!

Moving on to more moderate and laid-back music, such as singer-songwriter music with focus on vocal performances, and I´m taken aback by the lifelike reproduction of voices accompanied by creaky guitar strings. Small but important details that substantially contribute to the character of a piece and gets under your skin - provided that it is reproduced in all its entire width - was near perfection here. That's not all, because in addition to the good resolution of high frequency details, which makes even the smallest nuances audible, the RP-160M also has a rich, clean and powerful bass and manages to play deeper than I would normally expect from a bookshelf speaker of this size. In summary, Klipsch ​​offer an exceptionally musical experience, and I do not intend to return these - I´m keeping them.

Another comment on current Klipsch speakers

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/help-picking-strong-fronts-for-folks.95853/#post-1093971

A couple of caveats:
1) Klipsch has, in the past, made speakers that were somewhat harsh. I experienced none of that with these horn tweeters. They sounded well balanced; however, they do have a horn sound (which is what you encounter every time you go to the theater). If your parents have a (somewhat justifiable) bias against Klipsch due to their past sins, they might not warm up to these.
2) Klipsch are undoubtedly forward speakers. I find this is exciting for HT and music - a sharp drum hit gets your attention! If your parents would want a more sedate sound, this is not the one for them.

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/klipsch-rf62-ii.95251/#post-1088658

Music:
Micro-dynamics is the term that best sets these speakers apart from competition in their price range. I was amazed at how well they presented small details. It reminded me of listening to electrostatics. When I tested for directionality, I found some of that magic detail was lost as I moved out of the sweetspot, but the sound was still well balanced. There was no collapsing of the sound field as electrostatics are prone to. These speakers present details to your ear that remind me of listening to my Monsoon planar computer speakers in near-field.
Dynamics. This is definitely a forte of the Klipsches (and I guess I should give some credit to the sub for not getting in the way in the lower frequencies). I did not have my own Focal Solo6Be speakers in the room to compare, but I felt like the attacks were of the same caliber, maybe better (which is an extraordinary compliment)! This ranges from the immediate impactfulness (if that is a word) of rim-shots on the drums to the edginess of an aggressively played trombone.
Harshness. I am happy to report that the harshness I associate with horns (mostly from the late 70's and early 80's when I was listening to everything I could in audio shops - and they had audio shops to hear about everything) is no longer an issue. The Klipsch are not laid-back, they are forward sounding speakers, but I did not hear the harshness I was expecting. I think I would get some fatigue from listening to treble heavy content on these at volume for several hours, but I get fatigue from listening to treble heavy live music, or on any speaker with a solid top end, so that is not really a valid complaint. My point is that if you want muted treble, look elsewhere. If you are sensitive to forward speakers, look elsewhere. For me, these had a great presence that I loved, but I would probably switch from "Audyssey flat" to plain "Audyssey" to rest my ears if I was listening loud for hours! Or, more likely, just turn them down. With their dynamic immediacy and Audyssey's Dynamic EQ, these speakers offer a very fulfilling experience at reduced volume levels.

I hope that someone can post their review on Klipsch RP-600M soon.

liquidsun wrote:

I bought mine RP600s week ago, although they are not full broke they already sound awesome. Incredible clarity and details especially with vocals. They sound twice bigger then they are and have huge sound stage. Bright or Harsh .. not in a moment, very good balanced highs. Seems like Klipsch made a winner speaker at this price range. I auditioned them alongside B&W 606. For me Klipsch's were better in every aspect. Deeper bass, better overall balance through whole frequency range. For those who love live music this is a must have speaker. God, those cymbals are so realistic. I strongly recommend to demo them if anyone ever have a chance!

Which amplifier did you use to pair with Klipsch RP-600M? Many people says warm or neutral sounding amplifiers like NAD, Rega, Marantz, Parasound, Musical Fidelity, NAIM are preferred. Also, those who bought RP-600M said me that the speaker needs space to sound best. Small rooms 10m2 (107 sq ft) may not the space for Klipsch

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/polk-audio-vs-klipsch-syndrome.113192/post-

My subjective take is Klipsch (of the category you are talking about) have made improvements in their horns over time.

However, the newer Klipsch RP-160m (and that series) is the first Klipsch that I can point directly at me and not feel assaulted. I would characterize this series as forward, but not harsh. They sound pretty good for music, and still offer a lot as a HT speaker. I felt like Klipsch had finally got it right with their Reference Premier series!
More recently I tried out the newest RP-600m to see how that series sounded. I was disappointed, I like a speaker to either be neutral or somewhat forward sounding (I think that also depends on the dispersion - neutral with good dispersion or more forward with less dispersion/reflections),and the newer Klipsch struck me as borderline laid-back!

It looks like Klipsch R series are bright. Klipsch RP-160M RP-150M are much less bright and musical. Klipsch RP-600M which replaces Klipsch RP-160M are not bright at all with laid-back sound

Not laid back, forward sounding, my ears tired, still too harsh in a small room, etc., while claiming they’re neutral or warm. Sounds like the CNET review all over again. Or a review for any of the prior generations.

In any case, there are many people happily listening to Klipsch speakers. Enjoy.