Excellent sound and it won't hurt your checkbook
Written: Dec 15 '02
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Pros: Efficient, clear, and very reasonably priced.
Cons: Minor... Speaker grilles and limited mounting capabilities
The Bottom Line: Listen to the Klipsch horn sound and you will probably never accept anything less
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| drdiaboloco's Full Review: Klipsch Synergy SC-1 Center Speaker |
Not one but TWO of these speakers have found their way into my system, and really, I couldn't be more pleased. I have an SC-1 as my center channel speaker and my REAR center channel speaker in my six-channel plus subwoofer setup.
The entire line of Klipsch speakers is well-known for their sound, which is quite different from what most are used to. The horn-loaded tweeter has a very bright and "in your face" sound, which will actually be startling to those who are used to dome tweeters and "normal" tweeters... But after the shock wears off, you will find that they are actually more accurate and more capable speakers than equivalent "conventional" speakers.
The SC-1 is no exception to the Klipsch Rule. The sound is outstanding and the price is right. The next step up in the Klipsch line is from their Reference series, which costs twice as much... It sounds better, but only marginally, and it is much larger at that. In the under-$200 bracket, these are unmatched by any other center channel speaker.
The overall sound is a perfect match for my other Synergy series speakers, and the all-important "timbre matching" that home theater enthusiasts strive for is more easily achieved by matching the SC-1 with other Klipschs of the same line. These may not match up particularly well with other speakers since they are so "forward", so consider either buying other Klipsch Synergy Series for your main speakers or buying from a vendor that will allow you to return them for something more appropriate to your system.
Of course, after hearing these you may decide to dump whatever mains you currently use and buy more Klipsch. It's a disease, it really is. :)
A few things to consider, though:
1- The speaker grille mounting pins are fragile and should not be abused. Leave the grilles on (recommended) or leave them off (aesthetically unpleasing), and leave them that way. Repeated on-off-on-off antics may permanently damage the pins.
2- The back of the cabinet is angled on one "side", but the face is perpendicular to four faces that are connected to the front panel. What this means is that the speaker can be angled straight ahead or UP but not DOWN without some sort of other fiddling. If your speaker is on TOP of your television, you will not be able to angle it towards your seating position, which MAY be a problem if you have a high mounting position for the speaker (such as on top of a large floorstanding television). You will have to find some other way to angle it down if this is your situation.
3- Last but not least, do not confuse this speaker with the KSC-C1. These are dimensionally similar and sound almost identical, but they are not the same speaker. The KSC model was replaced by the SC-1 in 1999 (?), and has different aesthetics. The grille is metal as opposed to the fabric/plastic on the SC-1, which may or may not be preferable to you. The KSC-C1 is also cheaper by a noticeable amount, being a discontinued model, so this may in fact be a bonus for you if you like the SC-1. Check eBay if you are interested, they periodically pop up for about $80 and are a fine substitute for the model reviewed here if you want to save some money.
Overall, highly recommended but make sure you listen to one before you buy online.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 130
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Epinions.com ID:
drdiaboloco
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Location: Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 2 members
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