Backgrounder

Background Check

If you have never heard of Klipsch, then you have definitely not heard any Klipsch products. OK, I think Adcom came up with a similar slogan, but it's a really catchy slogan. Klipsch is a name that will be familiar to those who have been in the market for high-end speakers, and traditionally, Klipsch speakers have cost quite a bit. The company has been around for quite a while and is most famous for its horn loaded speakers. Just about every single Klipsch speaker has a horn tweeter. The sound that is produced from this design is distinctive and one that has found many fans.

The use of a horn loaded design calls for a speaker driver that sits in the throat of a horn, which acts as a wave guide. This improves the efficiency of the driver, usually a tweeter, by acting like a megaphone, although the curve "wave guide" doesn't create the echoes of a mega phone. Improvements in efficiency are good because they let you play louder, while also reducing distortion because less power is needed. The horn can also control the dispersion of the sound. This last aspect of horns, control over sound dispersion is why you will find horns being almost exclusively used in movie theaters and concert halls.

The connections on the back of the sub

Some have criticized the horn loaded design because it creates speakers that sound too bright. I believe that any brightness from horned speakers is a result of the entire speaker design and cannot be blamed on the drivers configuration. Just to get ahead of myself here, the Klipsch ProMedias weren't excessively bright, or shrill.