Klipsch RP6000F II Review

• MAXIMALLY SUITABLE FOR LIVING ROOMS
• SMOOTH AND VERSATILE
• MEASUREMENT LAB
• Specs
• CONCLUSION

Like hardly any other company, Klipsch has brought the fascination of its exciting history into the modern age. Only recently, we succumbed to the allure of the small compact speaker RP-500M II. Awarded with a clear “outstanding” for the price-performance ratio. That’s praise we don’t bestow lightly and only a few speakers receive.

Klipsch knows how to break the trend towards increasingly expensive high-end with the RP series. The two letters stand for “Reference Premiere”. The “II” tells us that an existing speaker hasn’t been revolutionized but finely revised. The chassis for bass and midrange have been newly designed, with an also new, astonishingly large voice coil in the background. The engineers have also extensively re-tuned and stiffened the cabinet more effectively. Unshakeable in Klipsch’s philosophy: a horn construction around the tweeter. At the center operates a titanium dome.

It sends its energy first into a curve made of rather hard plastic, then a massive copper ring buffers the transition to softer plastic, which, from the round shape with a flowing transition, creates a square. Klipsch calls it the Tractrix horn; that’s the core of the RP series. Any company leader, manager, or controller would now order that this construction goes into series production and is multiplied in many models at low costs. Not so at Klipsch. The engineers adapt the Tractrix architecture individually to each design. So the small RP-500M II doesn’t have the same tweeter setup as the RP-6000F II presented here.

MAXIMALLY SUITABLE FOR LIVING ROOMS

The RP-6000F II is exactly in the middle of the available floor-standing speakers of the series. There are smaller options, but also a step larger. What fascinates us about the 6000 is its suitability for living rooms. At 22 kilograms, the Americans are quite lightweight, yet mature with a meter in height. The favorable price is only achievable if some aspects are slimmed down. But these are never inherent to the sound. First is the surface finish – it’s a vinyl foil. The industry has made great progress in exactly this segment over the past ten years. The 6000F looks good in black ebony finish, enticing in reddish walnut.

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We have clarified the vertical construction. Below that, there are two identical 6.5-inch drivers, equivalent to 16.5 centimeters. They play in their own chambers and with their own bass reflex opening, which is not round but hints at the Tractrix shape of the front – here it comes out angular and optimized for airflow. The cones glow in a bright copper tone. Klipsch calls it “Cerametallic”. The name stands for a mix: The cone is constructed from a combination of different materials – including ceramic, polymer, and metal layers. Additionally, the final result is machined after everything has been shaped while warm. The two cones act in unison; this is a two-way design; the crossover is at 1770 Hertz.

Klipsch places the crossover at the bottom of the box, directly behind the terminal. That, in turn, can cause confusion. Six openings and knobs look at us. We puzzle. The solution is simple: Klipsch is a pioneer for Dolby Atmos presence in the living room. So here is a loop that I can tap at the top of the box for an upward-firing add-on speaker, the RP-500SA in the same finish, $800 a pair. Home cinema fans will love it – stereo enthusiasts, on the other hand, secure the chance for an upgrade; the trend is strong, and here Klipsch assures us the ticket for the present and future.

On Klipsch’s own website, fans are overflowing with five-star reviews for the 6000F. Including the practical tip when choosing the right amplifier. As present and effective as this speaker is – a tube amp is also an option, assuming stable impedance. Control is necessary, as confident as possible, not excessive; high volumes are possible but not mandatory. With this speaker, we could listen to the pop songs of the 1980s at maximum volume, watch all the Indiana Jones movies, but also enjoy a Beethoven string quartet.

SMOOTH AND VERSATILE

Which first speaks for the smoothness and versatility of the RP-6000F II. But we listened long, deeply, and more precisely. After just a few minutes, a new owner can be pleased with the right decision: The soundstage is significantly wider, more direct, more energetic than with many other speakers. That practically screams for the cult duo Yello. Fascinating how the two gentlemen have maintained their status as world-class musicians over so many years.

In every album, there are wicked phase tricks and ultra-deep bass. Many other speakers then fall into stress. They compress, they realize they should actually be disco monitors; the fun comes at the expense of sovereignty. The RP-6000F II, however, loved this music. Hey, show – I want to join in! The bass doesn’t go into the area where we could feel it with the soles of our feet, but at least there is a mighty pressure on the lungs.

Then these subtleties, this presence of colors, strings, and repeatedly high energy. The best recording of Beethoven’s “Great Fugue” for string quartet? In the 1970s, the Quartetto Italiano recorded a reference for Philips. The Klipsch places four musicians on the soundstage. More than that: the differently sized wooden instruments, the bows. In our test, that was an indulgence, truly great sound cinema – wide, rich, always precise, pure joy.

MEASUREMENT LAB

Two-way floor-standing speaker with two 6.5″ woofers, double bass reflex port, and horn tweeter (90×90 Hybrid Tractrix). Frequency response: overall balanced, narrow-band dip in the fundamental range (−4 dB at 200 Hz), clean summation of low-mid and tweeter at 1.8 kHz on axis (red), cancellation in the transition area at listening position slightly above (10 degrees, green). Wide, even horizontal sound radiation, slight dip at 10 kHz, significant bundling occurs measured 30 degrees laterally only above 12 kHz (blue). Lower cutoff frequency: 41/35 Hz (−3/−6 dB). Room frequency response and distortion: low-distortion performance at high levels, uncritical distortion increase towards deep bass. Time behavior: clean impulse response, quickly decaying waterfall measurement (not shown). Electrical properties: forgiving, impedance range 4.2 to 16 Ω. Medium-high efficiency 84 dB/2V, 1 m. Average power requirement for 100 dB_SPL: 40 W/4 Ω; power requirement to achieve maximum level of 103 dB_SPL: 75 W/4 Ω. Audio Score 6

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