Was wandering around Walmart yesterday and they had ProMedia 2.1s for $89 as well as a pallet full of Klipsch RSB-6 soundbars. Not usually a good sign when a high end vendor starts selling at Walmart especially at discounted prices. I remember paying $150-$200 for my first set of ProMedia speakers in 2000. I also know that inflation is a thing and that components for speakers and amps are more expensive not less expensive.

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C(-)ris
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Klipsch, like JBL and Harmon Kardon are just generic "brands," often owned by one conglomerate. But some have professional lines that are separated and some with actual engineers that still work in the US. This sort of consolidation began in the 1980s when brands like KLH and Advent were big names but sold out to conglomerates.

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Hurts like a bastid...

they have been $100-90 at Costco for several months. Cheaper labor, or moving to a different facility could lower prices. Or a dozen other things.

Walmart often sells apple items at a discount... not sure how its a sign...

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Well they are owned by Audiovox, unless they've been bought again.

I'll never let go of my 80's Cornwalls.

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Grateful11

Premium Klipsch models are still made in Arkansas, the rest of the product lines are mass-market stuff made in China.

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The ProMedia set for sale at Costco today has a subwoofer that is much smaller than the one included with the set I purchased twenty years aho.

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It is what it is.

Quote
Grateful11
Well they are owned by Audiovox, unless they've been bought again.

I'll never let go of my 80's Cornwalls.

Grateful11-

Wise move.

The Cornwalls are classics.

I’ve had several Klipsch speakers.

I love the sound.

For the past near 10 years, I’ve been listening to thr Forte.

Enjoy.

Stay well.

Rob

I think the question really should be "Are brand names now meaningless?" It used to be that if you bought a Klipsch speaker, you could be assured of buying from a group of people who lived and breathed audio equipment. Nowadays, corporations buy "brands" and then outsource manufacturing to Chinese companies that might make nearly the exact same product to be sold under a wide range of brand names. Brands have now become worthless.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

It’s called “monetizing the brand” and it ain’t going away, sadly...

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Quote
davester
I think the question really should be "Are brand names now meaningless?" It used to be that if you bought a Klipsch speaker, you could be assured of buying from a group of people who lived and breathed audio equipment. Nowadays, corporations buy "brands" and then outsource manufacturing to Chinese companies that might make nearly the exact same product to be sold under a wide range of brand names. Brands have now become worthless.

This. Fortunately, there are still some brands that do things the old-fashioned way (although they tend to be on more costly side).

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It is what it is.

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
Premium Klipsch models are still made in Arkansas, the rest of the product lines are mass-market stuff made in China.

Like Polk, there are two lines. One is US made & the other 'off-shore'.
You'll see it in power tools. There's US made Milwaulkee and DeWalt tools,
and there's the mass market models mostly made by TTI in China.

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39°36'17"N 75°44'43"W

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Taxman by Joe & Nancy's Rich Ice Cream Band
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Back In the USSR by Bernie's Red Square Trio

I think there was a Klipsch engineer who sometimes checked in at the old DM forum. Don't remember his name or handle. Years ago, and I may have that wrong. Anyone else remember?

BTW, anyone interested in getting a pair of Klipsch Heresy III speakers may want to move quick, they’ve been replaced by the Heresy IV and early reports suggest it’s a step back from the III. I know Upscale Audio in CA still has some in stock. Add a Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier and you’d have an amazing combo, all made in America and superb quality (for around $4600 or so).

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This turn of events is to be expected in a capitalist society.

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“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it."

I know we're getting some pretty substantial rebates that we get to pass on right now for year end. I think this is part of their normal flow. Their products definitely not going downhill imho,

[eshop.macsales.com]

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OWC Larry
Other World Computing
[www.macsales.com]

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
BTW, anyone interested in getting a pair of Klipsch Heresy III speakers may want to move quick, they’ve been replaced by the Heresy IV and early reports suggest it’s a step back from the III. I know Upscale Audio in CA still has some in stock. Add a Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier and you’d have an amazing combo, all made in America and superb quality (for around $4600 or so).

Tubes...LOL

I know some people love them, but inexpensive they're not.

I've been thinking about picking up a Sprout100.

Quote
RE:up
I think there was a Klipsch engineer who sometimes checked in at the old DM forum. Don't remember his name or handle. Years ago, and I may have that wrong. Anyone else remember?

It may have been Dick Moore.

Quote
robfilms

Quote
Grateful11
Well they are owned by Audiovox, unless they've been bought again.

I'll never let go of my 80's Cornwalls.

Grateful11-

Wise move.

The Cornwalls are classics.

I’ve had several Klipsch speakers.

I love the sound.

For the past near 10 years, I’ve been listening to thr Forte.

Enjoy.

Stay well.

Rob

Thanks Rob!

I actually bought them from a guy that had moved I think from SF to our part of NC and was moving back to SF, smart move going back IMO. He had a yard sale and said there was no way he was taking the speakers back across country again. I got them in Mint condition for $350. Walnut veneer, the original boxes and all paperwork. Sadly right now they're in storage up on a HD plastic pallet wrapped in moving quilts and the humidity is controlled in our basement and it never gets real cold or hot. One day they'll come back out of storage, I miss them very much, just no place to put them right now. If I ever get my 14'x28' workshop/mancave like I want it they may in up in there. I'm still kicking my butt for selling my Sansui 9090DB receiver. The Cornwalls sound better than any other speaker I've ever had and I've had quite a few, Omega's, JBL's and Bose and they need very little power to push them.

It's hard to believe a new pair of Cornwalls are $6000. I think mine are 1983 models.

Rumor has it that they're building some Jubilee's. I can't imagine having something that large in my home.

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Grateful11




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2020 11:31AM by Grateful11.

On a side note I bought the Cornwalls to resell. I took photos of them and made sure all photos represented them as they were. I listed them on eBay and the messages started flooding in about photos of the back of the drivers and the crossovers and if I had confirmed that all drivers worked. So I sat my Sansui 9090DB up to them and tested them as I had never listened to them. When my wife heard them she said, "those speakers aren't going anywhere." I pulled the listing then the hate messages started coming in. Many wanted to know who I sold them to early before the auction ended. I explained to them what I did and they understood. There's actually a set of custom built shipping containers floating around in the Klipsch circles made just for shipping these speakers so them they're not damaged in shipping. They will ship the containers to you and then they are shipped back to somewhere else once the speakers get to their destination, not sure what happens if the customer decides not to ship them back.

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Grateful11

Quote
freeradical

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
BTW, anyone interested in getting a pair of Klipsch Heresy III speakers may want to move quick, they’ve been replaced by the Heresy IV and early reports suggest it’s a step back from the III. I know Upscale Audio in CA still has some in stock. Add a Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier and you’d have an amazing combo, all made in America and superb quality (for around $4600 or so).

Tubes...LOL

I know some people love them, but inexpensive they're not.

I've been thinking about picking up a Sprout100.

FR-

i am SO into the Sprout!

PS Audio is a great company.

They have a pretty active YT channel where Paul talks audio.

His son does the Sprout YT vid.

I think well worth the money.

Thumbs up.

Stay well.

Rob

I know there are a lot of audiophiles on MRF. But I think we are in a Golden Age for mid level audio tech. You can get amazing sound compared to stock equipment for $200 to $300 in many cases. Not Atmos etc but still MUCH better than even 3 years ago.

Quote
August West
This turn of events is to be expected in a capitalist society.

The same capitalist society that led to the creation of the original companies in the first place?

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It is what it is.

Quote
N-OS X-tasy!

Quote
August West
This turn of events is to be expected in a capitalist society.

The same capitalist society that led to the creation of the original companies in the first place?

Yes, but the "capitalistic society" changes over time. Views of the classical and Keynesian economists have been replaced by those of the Chicago school, and that affects public policy. It will most likely shift again in the future.

As I was taught in classes 40 or so years ago, there is a tendency towards monopoly or oligopoly under unregulated capitalism, public policy and regulation was seen as the means to limit that tendency. The Chicago school would leave that to nebulous market forces.

So basically, the economic and business environment is different between then and now.

Quote
Dennis S

Quote
RE:up
I think there was a Klipsch engineer who sometimes checked in at the old DM forum. Don't remember his name or handle. Years ago, and I may have that wrong. Anyone else remember?

It may have been Dick Moore.

Yes! that does ring a bell. Thanks for confirming my recollections, which in my advancing Geezerhood are becoming less reliable.

The Sprout100 is amazing (I have one), but don’t overlook the Rega io integrated amp ($595) paired with something like a Schiit Modi+ DAC ($99), another great value-for-money option.

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Quote
sekker
I know there are a lot of audiophiles on MRF. But I think we are in a Golden Age for mid level audio tech. You can get amazing sound compared to stock equipment for $200 to $300 in many cases. Not Atmos etc but still MUCH better than even 3 years ago.

I bought one of these for like $30 to use around my hot tub and for as small as it is the sound is really good. 30-40 years ago I don't think there was anything out there that was this small that sounded this good. I was shocked when I first turned it on. It appears they no longer make it. It even went for a fully to the bottom swim in the hot tub once. I disassembled it as far as I could and let it dry out and guess what it still works fine.

Willnorn SoundPlus Bluetooth Speaker
[www.igeeksblog.com]

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Grateful11

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The Sprout100 is amazing (I have one), but don’t overlook the Rega io integrated amp ($595) paired with something like a Schiit Modi+ DAC ($99), another great value-for-money option.

y-

love that set-up.

lusting.

and what would you suggest for a cd player?

(perhaps something quality/value/affordable)

enjoy the music.

stay well.

rob

Quote
JoeH

Quote
N-OS X-tasy!

Quote
August West
This turn of events is to be expected in a capitalist society.

The same capitalist society that led to the creation of the original companies in the first place?

Yes, but the "capitalistic society" changes over time. Views of the classical and Keynesian economists have been replaced by those of the Chicago school, and that affects public policy. It will most likely shift again in the future.

As I was taught in classes 40 or so years ago, there is a tendency towards monopoly or oligopoly under unregulated capitalism, public policy and regulation was seen as the means to limit that tendency. The Chicago school would leave that to nebulous market forces.

So basically, the economic and business environment is different between then and now.

Now that's a position we can discuss. The first one that was offered was not.

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It is what it is.

I had a pair of black walnut Force's for about 20 years. I sold them a few years ago for more than I bought them for. They were fantastic, but large, and with the kids I never got to listen to them...

Quote
robfilms

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The Sprout100 is amazing (I have one), but don’t overlook the Rega io integrated amp ($595) paired with something like a Schiit Modi+ DAC ($99), another great value-for-money option.

y-

love that set-up.

lusting.

and what would you suggest for a cd player?

(perhaps something quality/value/affordable)

enjoy the music.

stay well.

rob

I suggest skipping a CD player altogether and just ripping your CDs to your Mac via an Apple SuperDrive. Then use a USB cable to connect the Mac to your DAC and you’re golden. I use Audirvana to play the ripped CDs on my iMac (which boots off a 1TB external SSD), but iTunes or Apple Music are quite good (and free).

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Waaaay off topic from Klipsch, I'll just say that the JBL Paragon speaker that I came across at a cafe in Tokyo about a year ago, when compared to their current offerings, indicates that yes, at the very least cabinet quality has gone down.

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks

Quote
robfilms

Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The Sprout100 is amazing (I have one), but don’t overlook the Rega io integrated amp ($595) paired with something like a Schiit Modi+ DAC ($99), another great value-for-money option.

y-

love that set-up.

lusting.

and what would you suggest for a cd player?

(perhaps something quality/value/affordable)

enjoy the music.

stay well.

rob

I suggest skipping a CD player altogether and just ripping your CDs to your Mac via an Apple SuperDrive. Then use a USB cable to connect the Mac to your DAC and you’re golden. I use Audirvana to play the ripped CDs on my iMac (which boots off a 1TB external SSD), but iTunes or Apple Music are quite good (and free).

A lossless rip, of course.

This is how I roll. I use XLD for my rips.

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It is what it is.

JBL is owned by Samsung now, since they bought Harmon. There's still good stuff, it's just not the stuff that used to be good. I actually think "where" something is made has never been less important than it is now.

Quote

Now that's a position we can discuss. The first one that was offered was not.

Absolute Bull@#$%&.

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“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it."

I have that Klipsch Promedia 2.1 set in my home office. I'm 95% sure I learned of it here, about 15 years ago. Pushes amazing sound for the footprint. I need to get a BT dongle for it. I bet I could use one of my old Airport Expressesssss, but that would mean AirTunes which at last recollection sucked with tons o' dropouts. Hmm.

Have a couple of Polk towers I need to get rolling again with my old '77ish Marantz receiver that needs a little revival - works but some of the tuner lights are out, and the volume makes that scckkkkkkratchy sound when you turn the knob up or down, or power the unit on or off.

My '04 Denon receiver bit the dust after relatively light use for no apparent reason. What a pos that was. And what an unpleasant surprise. The sound from the old Marantz is so much warmer anyway. The Denon was not a big loss but for $450 or so you'd have thought it would have been at least been a faithful, quality component. I think mine was the last year before they added BT.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2020 10:42PM by SteveO.

Hrmm. I still have my subwoofer. What went bad was one of the smaller speakers. I'm using a klipsch soundbar and it's nice but it's not the best fit for my desk. I wonder if I can mix and match.

I still have my 1990 Forte II's I bought shortly after college graduation. I still have them, they still sound great, and they aren't going anywhere. I even use them in my 4.0 home theater (don't really need a subwoofer with these guys) with a pair of KG1.2 as surrounds. As I am getting up there I can hear the voices of movies so much better with those tractrix horn's than any other of my TV sound setups.