Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A little background...I'm a music fanatic and I have music playing all around my house (we have acreage) as well as inside. I have bought many different outdoor speakers over the years. I have some el-cheapos, I have a set of the old style Bose 151 Environmentals that are not bad for small speakers, I have a set of Polk Atrium 45's that are excellent small outdoor speakers. I also had a set of Polk Patio speakers for my pool and patio area. They blew last weekend, so I needed some new ones, and I wanted some really great ones. After doing some research, I was torn between these, the larger Polk Atriums, and the Definitives. I think they would all be fine speakers, but I am a Klipsch fan and I liked the look of these, so I placed my order. I received them today and have been playing them for about 4 hours. At first, they sounded a bit hollow. But after about 30 minutes of play time, they started smoothing out. Wow, these sound great. The base response is the best I have heard from outdoor speakers. I have weatherproof subs that I built, but I turned them off to see how these sounded without them, and the bass is pretty impressive. But where these really shine is where all Klipsch speakers shine...the clarity of the mids and highs. They are crystal clear and sounds like guitar and horns project from the horn tweeters far better than you will get from most speakers. They are bright, but not too bright. Some extra brightness is usually needed outside anyway, because it's a wide open area. And these fill the bill perfectly. On my last speakers, I had to run the treble at +6 and the bass at +3. I have the bass at 0 and the treble at +1 on these, and they sound much better than the Polk Patios did. I can sit all the way on the other side of the pool and hear every little nuance of the music I'm playing. No kidding...this system sounds far better than most indoor systems! I will update after I've played these for a month or so, but so far I am loving them. I suspect they will only get better. Can't wait for the next pool party where I'm sure to impress my guests with the sound. Good listening! Update- They are probably fully broken in now, and they sound better than ever. The clarity of these, they way they bring out the highs and mids is nothing short of breathtaking As mentioned above; I have two outdoor subs I custom built to withstand the weather, and together with these speakers I have an outdoor system that will shame 95% of indoor stereo systems. I've had people over a couple of times since installing these, and they are absolutely amazed at the quality of sound in my back yard. Good thing I have some acreage or my neighbors would hate me. As long as these hold up, and I think they will given who makes them; they are premier outdoor speakers. If you want the best, buy these. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Update- It's the end of October now and I'm setting out on my deck enjoying the mild weather and listening to my sound system. The accuracy and clarity of these speakers is nothing short of stunning! It's such a pleasure to be able to sit outdoors and still enjoy audiophile grade sound. These speakers are worth every penny of what I paid for them. I'm enjoying them very much and I still highly recommend them to anyone willing to pay a little more for true quality. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Update - Six years later, these are playing as beautifully as the day I bought them. Still amazingly well balanced and accurate, and that horn loaded tweeter is still cutting through the great outdoors. Our guests still comment on how great the system sounds. These are not cheap, but they are the best. They sound amazing and they last. You can either buy these once or buy cheaper speakers several times. I just wanted to circle back almost seven years later and proclaim that I still love these speakers! They have been outside for the entire time, even survived my wife pressure washing them (she meant well), and they still sound as amazing as when new. Though the bass response is respectable, I run them with two outdoor subs I built, and the sound quality is spectacular! And being outside, that is a strong statement! Everyone who comes over (we entertain a lot in the back yard) is amazed at the sound quality! No, they aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for. Just buy them, and you'll love them for many years same as I have.