Klipsch Reference Premiere Reviews
The Klipsch Reference Premiere series is the latest product released by Klipsch at the 2015 CES exhibition. From the name, appearance, technology, and design, it can be seen that the Reference Premiere series is an evolutionary version of the Reference series. However, the Reference Premiere series The launch is not to replace Reference but to increase the richness of the product line and give consumers more choices.
Klipsch officially defines it with four keywords: “Beyond the specs, Reimagined, Redesigned, and Revolutionary”. The official promotional video also emphasized that the newly launched Reference Premiere series has clear sound quality and low distortion and reproduces the music energy in the recording.
High-level Brand in the Audio Industry: Klipsch
As one of the largest audio manufacturers in the United States, Klipsch was founded in the United States in 1946 by the legendary audio engineer Paul W. Klipsch. For 70 years, Klipsch audio products have maintained excellent quality and irreplaceable status. Klipsch is highly respected by audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts worldwide. Among them, the flagship product KlipschHorn, which has been in production for nearly 70 years, is recognized as a milestone in the audio industry.
Mr. Richard Heyster, the contributor of “Audio” magazine, once said: “Klipschorn and designer Paul w. Klipsch can be said to be legends in the high-fidelity audio world. Paul Klipsch also loves music very much, and especially He likes to listen to the symphony at home. That affects Paul Klipsch’s design style and even leads to the revolution of great audio equipment. He does it for art and true love.”
Due to Klipsch’s technological excellence, its products are distributed in more than 80 countries worldwide. Since 2001, approximately 55% of high-end cinemas in the United States have adopted Klipsch professional cinema products. At the same time, Klipsch also applies this professional experience to more consumer products. At present, Klipsch can be seen everywhere in home audio systems, electronics, cinemas, and business equipment.
The Klipsch Reference Premiere Vs. The Klipsch Reference
As Klipsch has always done, the RP series has a variety of models, including three floor speakers, three center channels, two bookshelf speakers, and two surround speakers. A total of 10 models are sufficient to meet various needs.
What are the changes in the newly released Klipsch Reference Premiere series? The most significant innovation is the high-pitched horn, not only the shape of the opening but also the horn surface’s material. The horn of the Reference series uses a 90° horizontal opening and 60° vertical opening design. The material is ABS plastic, which looks a little different from the general traditional horn.
The New Generation of Hybrid Cross-Section Tractrix Horn
The new horn is called the Hybrid Cross-Section Tractrix horn. The inner section is a 360-degree horn with a small opening. However, the outside opening is suddenly enlarged and presents a unique 90°×90° horn opening. According to Klipsch, the new horn is conducive to high-frequency extension, allowing the RP series to reach 25kHz treble. The downward extension is still It can reach about 1.5kHz, so the specifications are better than before.
High-Quality Mid-bass Units
The Linear Travel Suspension (LTS) titanium tweeter, known as one of the core components of the best speakers in the world, can be said to be the famous symbol of the Klipsch reference series and the flagship Palladium series. Using this tweeter can effectively reduce distortion and enhance detailed performance.
In the mid-bass part, the Reference Premiere series continues the Reference series, and still uses the copper-colored Cerametallic diaphragm. The metal diaphragm is ceramic coated so that the diaphragm retains the characteristics of lightweight, strong rigidity, and fast response. Both have appropriate damping characteristics.
In traditional designs, it is common to use aluminum as the diaphragm material. This kind of diaphragm has the advantages of lightweight and high rigidity. It is refreshing and compelling in hearing, but it also has the shortcomings of easy to produce resonance peaks and split vibration. Klipsch adds ceramic components to aluminum to overcome the shortcomings mentioned above. The real sense of hearing also shows that Klipsch’s innovation is undoubtedly a success. The sound of the RP series has the speed and strength of the traditional metal diaphragm unit. When matched with the Tractrix horn-loaded LTS tweeter, the speaker’s most efficient performance can be achieved.
New Tractrix Port Design
Another innovative design of the Klipsch Reference Premiere series is the Tractrix Port, which means the bass reflex hole opening in the shape of a Tractrix horn. The reflex hole of most speakers is a round tube with a circular opening port. The edge of the port is round. The length of the round tube and the diameter are different, depending on the cabinet’s volume and the desired low-frequency performance. However, the reflection hole opening of the RP series is in the shape of a rectangular horn, and there is no bass reflex tube inside.
High Efficiency
Floor speakers, bookshelf speakers, and center channels are all designed with Tractrix Port, which is said to maximize efficiency and increase the speed of low-frequency transmission. Low-frequency response is more sensitive.
From the specification point of view, the most apparent advantage of the RP series is efficiency. The floor-to-ceiling model RP-280F has an efficiency of 98dB, and the mid-mounted RP-450C also has a fantastic 97dB. Even the surround speakers RP-250S have 95dB. It has a full affinity. In addition to the use of horns, the high efficiency is also related to the more significant driver, the excellent driver unit performance, and the simpler crossover circuit.
Sound Performance
The Klipsch Reference Premiere series also has a strong point. That is, it will never be over-stimulated when it is loud, and the intense sound is not sharp and harsh. That should prove the innovative design of the new Hybrid Cross-Section Tractrix horn of the RP series. The silicone horn is not only noisy, but the high frequency is smooth, gentle, soft, and the thickness is also perfect. For example, the 2013 DTS test film included the clip of the speed chase in the movie “Safe House,” which impressed me the most What is profound is the crash of cars. The sound of metal cracking and the extremely fierce strength and substantial and rapid impact shocked people’s hearts. But if the thickness of the high frequency is not enough, I am afraid that only the metal cracking sound will be highlighted.
First, play the song “Hotel California” from the Eagles’ Melbourne concert. The trumpet that sounded at the beginning was penetrating, but also musical and not harsh at all. The saxophone that sounded afterward was warm and charming. If you blindfolded your eyes, you might not believe that a metal diaphragm makes this sound.
The speaker’s strengths are even more powerful as for the performance of three electro-acoustic guitars and one acoustic guitar. The overall plucking speed is breakneck, and the lines of the strings are bright, showing an American style of boldness.
Let’s come to the section of “Fast and Furious 6”. There are many sound effects here, such as car crashes, brakes, engine sounds, air currents and explosions when shells are launched, the impact of tanks when they land on a truck, etc. The sound pressure of this clip is quite severe for the speakers. Many speakers have hoarse, stiff, or even cracked sound when playing this clip. It is just that the audience’s attention at this time is mainly on the image, and it is not noticed. The sound quality problem is nothing more.
The method of inspection is straightforward, as long as you turn off the display device and just listen to the sound, you will find the problem immediately. At this time, I also turned off the TV and concentrated on testing the performance of this set of RP series speakers. The result was satisfactory: under intense pressure, the sound was smooth and full, without the stiff feeling familiar to ordinary multi-channel speakers. It feels like listening to a CD with the soundtrack of a movie.
Conclusion
As Mark Casavant, senior vice president of global product development at Klipsch, once said: “The Klipsch speakers want you to hear or see the power, details, and touches beyond music and movies for the first time. The latest Klipsch Reference Premiere series Not only does it create this listening experience, but it also inspires the enthusiasm of the listener.”
The Klipsch RP series’ excellent sound performance is shocking, and this characteristic is rare among many speakers. It can not only make the sound in the movie vivid, bright, and audible, even when playing classical concerts or live concerts, you can still experience its extraordinary sound charm!
