Speakers Reviews

These speakers are great for the price Ive been looking for speakers and these are the one for me and surely you too.

These are the best speakers ive seen for this price

There is only one word for these speakers. Awesome. They will blow you away. The sound great and I am really happy I baught them. Great Punch.

But -1 for a company representative writing an obviously planted review with the same text twice. Come on, be honest, and say you're an employee!

Meanwhile, yes, these speakers are wonderful. They look gorgeous (I have the wood not the acrylic), they take up a tiny amount of space, and the sound feels like it's coming out of nowhere and filling the room. A friend has Altec-Lansing flat panels (in the $100 range), and was quite jealous to see and hear these guys, which were judged to be much clearer.

I listen mainly to classical, instrumental music, but they also shine when plugged in the back of the DVD player. On a desk where space is a premium, these really fit the bill.

One downside is the ultraterse haiku-like user manual, but there's not too much to figure out. I think FPS is using these guys to get us hooked on their flat panels so we spring for the more expensive models when we're grownups -- in which case, good job!

The FPS 200 A's have by far the most lucid, uncolored, transparent and detailed sound I've encountered in under [$$$] PC/Walkman class speakers. They excel in midrange & clear upper register reproduction, with wonderful stereo separation, and are very well-suited to piano & other instrumental classical music. Very nice with traditional jazz genres as well. I am a bit less convinced that they would be a speaker of first choice for complex vocal music or thumpin' bass funk, rock or rap afficionados, but certainly still far superior to most cost comparable 2.1 speakers.

Overall, a stylish, clear and clean sounding speaker with outstanding performance in instrumental classical music and well-above average performance in other genres.

Highly recommended and an excellent value!

"Audiophile" and "high-end" are terms thrown around all-to-often. Contrary to say-anything marketing pitches by the usual suspects, true audiophile-approved desktop speaker systems are extremely rare. Audiophiles also know it is extremely rare for a system to possess extreme transparency and clarity, while at the same time remaining smooth and non-fatiguing. With the FPS-200, not only do you get solid stereo imaging without the use of tiresome sonic gimmicks, but you actually get a deep soundstage with palpable image and vocal placement. Can you imagine hearing soundstage ambiance from desktop speakers? The FPS-200 is the real deal.

These are not plastic toy speakers: these are extremely stylish, avant-garde, flat panel speakers with your choice of luxurious piano-gloss wood or clear acrylic for the panels. The panels are decorated with heavy brass inserts and even have knurled speaker binding posts. Based on a new breakthrough magnetic planar technology, the speakers are flat and compact. The subwoofer is heavy-duty: literally it is a massive brick of a box, constructed of vinyl-clad MDF with rounded edges and a classy, contrasting, recessed acrylic control panel. Even the control knobs have the silky motion found on expensive equipment. The FPS-200 exudes style and quality!

Features:
Tangible stereo imaging and a midrange to die for

Unmatched transparency, clarity and transient response

Exudes style and quality--knurled binding posts with your choice of a solid 1/2" thick transparent acrylic or piano gloss-lacquered mahogany wood panels, rather than the usual chintzy plastic box with spring clips

The subwoofer cabinet is constructed of rock-solid, heavyweight MDF with black acrylic accents, which houses a 5 inch acoustic suspension driver for tight, well-integrated bass

An integral amplifier produces 10 watts per channel for each panel and 20 watts for the subwoofer

Perfect for computer, MP3, and CD use on a desktop or even table top

Capable of extremely loud volume (sustained play of >90 decibels at 1 meter)

Frequency response 70 Hz-30 kHz

Panels are 5" W x 10" H x 1/2" D, and the subwoofer is 4" W x 9" H x 9 1/2" D

Hookup wiring included

The same technology raved about by respected audiophile journal The Stereo Times

But -1 for a company representative writing an obviously planted review with the same text twice. Come on, be honest, and say you're an employee!

Meanwhile, yes, these speakers are wonderful. They look gorgeous (I have the wood not the acrylic), they take up a tiny amount of space, and the sound feels like it's coming out of nowhere and filling the room. A friend has Altec-Lansing flat panels (in the $100 range), and was quite jealous to see and hear these guys, which were judged to be much clearer.

I listen mainly to classical, instrumental music, but they also shine when plugged in the back of the DVD player. On a desk where space is a premium, these really fit the bill.

One downside is the ultraterse haiku-like user manual, but there's not too much to figure out. I think FPS is using these guys to get us hooked on their flat panels so we spring for the more expensive models when we're grownups -- in which case, good job!

The FPS 200 A's have by far the most lucid, uncolored, transparent and detailed sound I've encountered in under [$$$] PC/Walkman class speakers. They excel in midrange & clear upper register reproduction, with wonderful stereo separation, and are very well-suited to piano & other instrumental classical music. Very nice with traditional jazz genres as well. I am a bit less convinced that they would be a speaker of first choice for complex vocal music or thumpin' bass funk, rock or rap afficionados, but certainly still far superior to most cost comparable 2.1 speakers.

Overall, a stylish, clear and clean sounding speaker with outstanding performance in instrumental classical music and well-above average performance in other genres.

Highly recommended and an excellent value!

"Audiophile" and "high-end" are terms thrown around all-to-often. Contrary to say-anything marketing pitches by the usual suspects, true audiophile-approved desktop speaker systems are extremely rare. Audiophiles also know it is extremely rare for a system to possess extreme transparency and clarity, while at the same time remaining smooth and non-fatiguing. With the FPS-200, not only do you get solid stereo imaging without the use of tiresome sonic gimmicks, but you actually get a deep soundstage with palpable image and vocal placement. Can you imagine hearing soundstage ambiance from desktop speakers? The FPS-200 is the real deal.

These are not plastic toy speakers: these are extremely stylish, avant-garde, flat panel speakers with your choice of luxurious piano-gloss wood or clear acrylic for the panels. The panels are decorated with heavy brass inserts and even have knurled speaker binding posts. Based on a new breakthrough magnetic planar technology, the speakers are flat and compact. The subwoofer is heavy-duty: literally it is a massive brick of a box, constructed of vinyl-clad MDF with rounded edges and a classy, contrasting, recessed acrylic control panel. Even the control knobs have the silky motion found on expensive equipment. The FPS-200 exudes style and quality!

Features:
Tangible stereo imaging and a midrange to die for

Unmatched transparency, clarity and transient response

Exudes style and quality--knurled binding posts with your choice of a solid 1/2" thick transparent acrylic or piano gloss-lacquered mahogany wood panels, rather than the usual chintzy plastic box with spring clips

The subwoofer cabinet is constructed of rock-solid, heavyweight MDF with black acrylic accents, which houses a 5 inch acoustic suspension driver for tight, well-integrated bass

An integral amplifier produces 10 watts per channel for each panel and 20 watts for the subwoofer

Perfect for computer, MP3, and CD use on a desktop or even table top

Capable of extremely loud volume (sustained play of >90 decibels at 1 meter)

Frequency response 70 Hz-30 kHz

Panels are 5" W x 10" H x 1/2" D, and the subwoofer is 4" W x 9" H x 9 1/2" D

Hookup wiring included

The same technology raved about by respected audiophile journal The Stereo Times

These speakers give much better sound than my old pair of speakers. They also look much better than just about any multimedia speaker out there. Of course, they cost more too. If you are looking for a good sounding, sharp designed set of speakers and can afford the $150-$200 price, get these. If these cost too much, but you still want something unique looking, try the JBL Creature II speaker set. It ranges $60 - $100.

A few things you cannot tell from the product description:
> These speakers (Soundstick II) are compatible with PCs. The original Soundsticks were only for Apples.
> The casing, though plastic, is very solid. I can't tell how scratch resistant it is though. I have not tried to scratch them yet...
> The subwoofer has a bass adjust knob.
> One of the satellite speakers has a touch volume control.
> The system does not have an on/off button. It designed to stay on all the time.

Although not exactly inexpensive, these are definitely worth the cost - nice design and great sound.

Many of the opinions of the original Soundsticks apply to these Soundsticks 2--incredible design, good sound, and so on, but these second generation speakers are better in several respects:

Harman/Kardon abandoned the awkward, limiting USB interface of the original model. The Soundsticks 2 use an almost universal connector, the stereo mini-plug, used in almost all computers and portable stereo equipment--CD players and the like. I use mine with my iPod and it's a dynamite combination.

The volume control consists of two touch-sensitive pads on one of the sticks. Touch both simultaneously, and it mutes. Very cool. They kept the blue LED in the subwoofer which glows beautifully in a darkened room.

Bass from the subwoofer is more than adequate, in my opinion, and overall sound is quite good. Setup is incredibly simple.

But most of all, the cool-ness factor of these speakers, especially the subwoofer, is worth the price of admission. You won't want to hide this one under a desk. Everyone stops in their tracks when they see this speaker system. Highly recommended.

These guys sound great for the price and their size, but one month after I bought them the touch button volume stopped working. When you change volume (when my still worked) it makes an annoying clicking sound through the speakers.
I took off a star for the volume problem, but the sound alone is worth the purchase. They far outperform any other 3-piece in this price range.

It's amazing that such small spekers can make such a big sound. I just got them today and WOW!!!

The JBL Creature II Speakers are jsut about the best spekers you can get for $100.
I just got them and set them up and wow i am lisin to audioslave like never before!!!

The quality of this home theater system is excellent and the price you are paying for is a steal.
Take advantage of this deal before is gone.

I picked these up for a 20 year-old JVC stereo/amp with a CD player hooked up to it for under $100. I wasn't expecting the greatest sound, but for Radio Shack clear-out speakers and a 20 year-old amp I got a crystal clear sound that sounds just as good as the Sony home-theater-in-a-box that I paid $400 for. The sub-woofer has a seperate volume control on the back, so you can decide how much bass you want. Excellent speakers for the price.

This Jensen powered subwoofer and 5 suround-sound speakers make for one amazing set. When plugged into your receiver and TV, this speaker set makes you feel like you are INSIDE your favorite movie or TV show.

I was a little concerned that these speakers might not put out enough sound, but my fears were quickly put to rest when I turned the speakers on. My family room has been flooded with premium-quality sound.

I used to have a set of KLH surround sound speakers and they were HORRIBLE in comparrison. The KLH speakers (which were rated with higher wattage) put out weak, static-filled sound. These Jensen speakers were the best purchase I ever made. I got mine on sale at Circuit City for just $50 (plus $12 for a 5-year in-store warranty). One of my friends has a $400 speaker set in his house that doesn't sound as good as this. You really have to hear it to believe it. Jensen has made this customer VERY happy.

This is my first pair of KLH Speakers. I'm very excited they sound great! To be such little speakers they really kick. Rich sound and not too much bass. I like the high gloss black finsih as well, it's a change. Next I'm going to order a KLH Subwoofer and another pair of bigger KLH speakers to go with that. Highly recommended. Take a chance, you won't be sorry. Snapping my fingers in New York.

These speakers are the best audio buy I have ever made!! If you like your music vibrant and detailed then try a pair of KLH 18BHG and you will be blown away, I know I was!! Thanka to Amazon and KLH true high quality and low price is reality!!

This is a copy of my review for this speaker's twin - the 18T with a maple finish:

Let me begin by admitting that I cannot be considered an expert in the field of evaluating speakers. However, I have been a pretty avid stereophile for almost 20 years, and am something of an equipment snob. My tastes, however, run to what some of my friends would disdainfully call "mid-fi." In lieu of esoterica such as 20 watt monoblock tube amps, I believe in solid, no-frills equipment from companies such as NAD, Denon, Harman Kardon, and Nakamichi: equipment that gives solid performance at a fair price, eschewing silly frills for quality construction, design, and materials. When it comes to speakers, I believe the decision as to what to buy is very subjective, and a function of some basic cost trade-offs. That said, I have always been a firm believer in a well-designed two-way speaker - all of my main speakers, from EPI T/E 100s, to the Energy ESM-2s I just replaced, have been two-way speakers with 8-inch woofers. The KLH Model 18T is, I believe, the best of the bunch.

I just recently had to replace my faithful Energy speakers when the foam woofer surrounds completely disintegrated after 15 years. I have had my heart set on purchasing a pair of Magnepans (perhaps the MMGs) for some time, but with two small and very curious children, this seemed quite foolish. I don't think those nice flat panels would last a day without having multiple holes punched in them. Another concern: it's Christmastime and I have two small children, so spending what I once thought of as a reasonable sum to satisfy my stereo-lust seemed rather Scroogelike. So I needed something solid, inexpensive, and relatively impervious to children. And they had to sound wonderful. Unable to do a decent job of speaker auditioning, I took the plunge and did a little web-research, settling on a pair of KLH Model 18Ts. And I was well rewarded.

Now, KLH is a brand that I have never considered before. If you're going to go esoteric, speakers are the place to start. And KLHs are about as plainjane and lowbrow as they come. But as I read in various testimonials, these top of the line KLHs should not be lumped with their more humble siblings. The materials and construction appear generally to be of high quality, from the gold plated binding posts to the yellow woven fiberglass woofers. And added bonus, they look good, at least to me. They are about 40" tall, just about right for listening in your favorite easy chair. The finish on my speakers is a nice high gloss maple (they are also available in black and various other finishes), although the gloss looks perhaps a bit too plasticky. You can see the gold colored polycarbonate tweeters and yellow woofers through the metal screens, for a nice high-tech touch. The plastic grill casing, however, seem a little flimsy, and the veneer is a little warped along some of the edges. I would not notice this, I think, in a less glossy finish, and it is a relatively minor quibble.

Now, let's get to the meat. How do they sound? They sound good. Very good, indeed. And they seem much more efficient than the sensitivity rating of 86 dB @ 1W - 1M would suggest. My Energy speakers were rated the same and required a lot more of my Harmon Kardon amplifier. The soundstage and accuracy of these speakers is every bit as good as my old speakers, which cost $100 more in 1985 dollars. And they seem to have what I consider great "presence." My Steely Dan CD, which I consider a great test of a speaker's abilities, sounded fresh and alive. I could hear things on "Deacon Blues" I never noticed bedfore. And the bass is tight and deep. The drums on the CD had that quality of "attack" and immediacy that my other speakers could never match: It seems as if the drums are live, as opposed to a muffled recording. These KLHs certainly add back the punch to percussion that I had not even know I was missing. I don't believe in subwoofers in general, although I accept their justification with satellite speakers. A subwoofer is certainly not needed with these speakers. Their (unqualified) rating of 30-20,000Hz seems reasonable. They also did a fine job with (modern) classical music. The low, rumbling menace of Gorecki's Third Symphony was given new life by these speakers. They did just as well with Dawn Upshaw's haunting voice.

It is really hard to do a true evaluation of a speaker without being able to compare it head to head with another model. I would not be surprised if once could find similarly priced speakers that were more accurate, or more smooth. I would not be surprised if one could find better, tighter bass, if that's what you are into (personally, I prefer a good tight mini-speaker with no bass to a sloppy one with a 15" woofer). Pick any particular aspect of a speaker that you might be interested in and no doubt you could find something in the same price range that would beat this speaker. But I have not auditioned any speaker that for the money performs so well in so many ways as these KLHs. They are incredibly versatile, and at their price, you cannot really go wrong.

If price were no object, I would give these 4 stars over all. But given all that these speakers deliver for their price they deserve 5 stars. If you're desperate like I was, order them online, and if you don't think they are worth every penny, send them back and eat the postage.

All in all very nice. I would have liked to have seen binding posts on the speakers rather than clips but no matter. A very good system for the amount of money spent. My setup is a Panasonic CP72 DVD player and Sony STRDE885 amplifier and now Plat 6 system. First off let me say that the 80Hz-20kHz is kind of optimistic. Both the center and sats are probably at -3 at 80Hz. I can buy 20kHz though. After listening to Queensryche's Empire DVD-A in high-rez 5.1, I could hear some really detailed symbol work and subtle nuances, very nice! The sub is DEFINITELY capable of producing frequencies in the 40Hz range. My guess is 40Hz at 0, 35Hz at -3. It can get quite loud as well. The room my system is in is about 20'x15' and getting 108db isn't difficult. I set the sub for 80Hz and this seems to work well. Anyway like I said for music it is suprisingly good. Fantastic center channel! For movies it is equally as good (which is a first for me to have both with one system for this kind of money). Titanic, Terminator, Lord-of-the-Rings etc, absolutely wonderful bass and good clarity, especially in the vocal range. These are a bit taller than your standard "shelf" system due to the additional woofer in each sat but there is no fee lunch after all. The center channel is also fairly wide for the same reason. 4 woofers and a central tweeter. The curvature of the sats require that they sit a bit lower so that the tweeter is head level to gain the optimal amount of treble. If the bottom woofer sits at head level it could sound a bit tinny. They are aesthetically pleasing with the covers off or on. Great bang for the buck!

So what are the cons? The annoying very bright blue LED on the front of the sub could be a con or pro depending on the person. Clips rather than binding posts, a slightly optimistic frequency range on the center/sats, so-so wiring that comes with it...thats it! I enthusiastically recommend this product!

Powered Subwofer has nice strong kick to it. All the speakers are nice looking and sound great. The speakers are silver.

These things are great. They sound just as good as the higher end stuff and the silver cases look great.

This system is great for the money. It provides a stong sense of bass despite the sub woofer being in line with the front speakers. One thing I didnt like was the weak center channel. But overall, its great for a bedroom.

For my purposes, (ie: home use without attracting the cops); this speaker system works just fine. I could complain about the way the subwoofer doesn't take a direct subwoofer line -but who cares? This is a decent product for a fraction of the competetor's prices.

This system is unbelievable! The sound emmitted from the 4 sats just totally threw me for a loop when I first hooked them up. I expected to get what I paid for (which was not very much) but instead, I feel like I got a $500 set of speakers. The sub was even adequate. I've owned Jensen, Sony, and Yamaha, but from now on, KLH is the way I'll go. Great job, KLH!

Sorry for the pun. Naturally you can't rate this product as 4 stars next to a sub like Velodyne makes but overall it is a good product. Standby mode works very well, fast and without any popping. The volume is pretty decent as well. Probably can produce right around 100db peaks without overdriving the speaker with a 40Hz sine wave.
Listening to music at high volumes, one can sometimes pick up the 10% THD once the volume reaches a certain level with certain frequency ranges, HOWEVER, this is to be expected and honestly isn't a big deal at all unless you are an audiophile (which wouldn't own a cheaper sub like this one anyway) or you really like to listen to music with lots of bass at 105db (pretty loud).
The advertised frequency range is 30Hz to 180Hz, but realistically this isn't going to be a flat curve in the response. I would suggest that at 40Hz it is at 0db (which is where you want it) and at 35Hz the sub is at -3db (somewhat lower volume) and at 30Hz probably more like -5db or -8db (much lower volume than at 40Hz). This is pretty reasonable for the price of the sub though. It really takes a lot of power to move around frequencies under 40Hz with any type of volume and a 100 watt amp definitely wouldn't cut it. So if you have realistic expectations its quite a decent little sub. At this price you could afford to pick up two of them which would really flatten the reponse out a lot. I got mine when I purchased the Plat-6 system (which is on par with the sub, especially the center channel) and havent' regretted the $250 I paid out for it.

I received the subwoofer with a broken support. I was able to repair it with some glue. The subwoofer sounds great. It is worth the $$ if you are considering one. If you purchase the KLH, you may want to use 18 gauge or higher speaker wire. The ports on the back are very small.

What a difference a GOOD Sub makes, I bought a cheap Home Theatre in a box system, it was a well recognized brand, and looked good, but boy was I disappointed with the sound, anyway back to the Sub. I am slowly replacing the El-Cheap-O System that had a passive sub, (It did get the job done, barley) with better speakers. With the Passive Sub that came with the System, we were never able to adjust the bass, and it was always too Bassy, or not Bassy enough, all you could do was turn down the volume. I am happy to say that the KLH Powered Sub (The Silver also matches the Sony Silver Exactly)
allows you to turn JUST the Bass Up, or down, and man can you turn it up if you want to. I am not a big bass freak, but if you crank it all the way up in certain movies with explosions, or crashes, you can feel the bass, and if you close your eyes, you would swear whatever was going on in the movie you were part of, and right there.(I am afraid if I turn it up all the way for too long it will tear down my home, the bass response in some movies is so awesome with this sub at full volume that it is un-comfortable to be in the room, but you can always turn down the Bass. For me most of the time we have the sub volume set at about 25% of it's full potential, and it is awesome, so you can imagine what 100% is like, it shut down on me one time, Honestly, I am surprised it didn't melt down and burst into flames, but after calling Koss they told me that I either overloaded/overdrove the Sub, or it got too hot, after a few minutes it came back on, they told me to check the fuse if it still didn't come on, but the fuse was fine.) The Sub also made my satellites sound better, but I still need to replace them, I am so pleased with the KLH Sub, that I am going to purchase a center channel from them next, it is the most important part of your system, and 80-90% of what you hear, all of the speaking, comes from the center channel, the B00006ANWH KLH 525 II Platinum-II 125-Watt Deluxe Center Channel Speaker should match the sub perfectly, and it looks great too, when I get the cash, and have it hooked up, I will let you know how it is, I am sure I will not be disappointed, if my experience with the sub is any indication.