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Entered CNET Catalog: 02/27/2004
SKU: CNETKlipschCinema8SystemBlack
Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc.
Manufacturer description
In its fifty-six year history, Klipsch Audio Technologies has always remained true to its founder's vision of producing no-compromise, premium-quality audio products. As one of the first U.S. loudspeaker companies, Klipsch continues to be the high-performance brand of choice for audiophiles and home theater aficionados around the world.Product summary
The good: High-performance, decorator-friendly satellite package; four two-way satellites mated with a dedicated center speaker; integral table/wall brackets.
The bad: Treble is ever so slightly bright.
The bottom line: Klipsch's most affordable Reference speaker set combines small stylish looks with great big home-theater sound.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/02/2004
The horizontally oriented RCX-4 center channel speaker carries over the RSX-4's styling cues and pedestal/wall bracket. It's an unusually compact center speaker, just 7.5 inches high, 14.5 inches wide, and 8.25 inches deep. It weighs 8 pounds. The Cinema 8 ensemble is available in a black or silver finish. The RSX-4 packs a 1-inch titanium-dome tweeter driver and a 4-inch copper-colored Cerametallic woofer. The RCX-4 center speaker uses identical drive units but features twin woofers. Like every Klipsch speaker we've ever tested, the RSX-4 and RCX-4 offer unusually high efficiency. That means they'll sound fine even with low-powered, 50-watt-or-less-per-channel receivers. And sure, they can handle powerful 100-watt-per-channel amps as well.
The speakers' high-quality crossover networks feature heavy-duty internal wiring, courtesy of Monster Cable. The RSX-4 and RCX-4's sturdy binding posts accept banana jacks, pins, or bare-wire leads. For all of our listening tests, we mated the Cinema 8 speakers with a Klipsch RW-10 subwoofer, but you could also use the less expensive RW-8 sub in smaller rooms (300 square feet or less) with great success.
The RSX-4's sound is very live and immediate--the system strutted its stuff on the Concert for George DVD, the tribute concert for the late Beatle George Harrison. Eric Clapton's peak moment comes on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which also features an all-star band with Paul McCartney on piano and Ringo Starr on drums. The small speakers never came close to cramping the band's emotionally charged performances and hard-hitting dynamics.
With the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD, the Cinema 8 put us in the midst of the action. The clink and clang of dueling swords, the creaking wooden ships, the pounding surf, and the lushly orchestrated score were all vividly presented. The RCX-4 center speaker never betrayed its wee stature; male and female voices sounded naturally balanced and clear. The speakers' ability to disappear and portray a vast soundstage goes beyond the call of duty for everyday lifestyle speakers. Few small speakers sound this big.
We must scale back our raves ever so slightly when it comes to CDs. The little speakers' warm midrange sounds great on big, booming male voices, and that's a rare talent among pipsqueak satellites. But we were concerned about the Cinema 8s' highly detailed but slightly aggressive treble, which might ring harsh on bright-sounding receivers. Our Duke Ellington CDs sounded a tad coarse--even mated with Harman Kardon's superb AVR 330 receiver. Naturally the effect varies with different recordings; our treble reservations melted away when we cranked up Nirvana's Nevermind CD. Wow, the little speakers belted out grunge with a vengeance that belied their size.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 User Rating: 
10/10
Excellent Klipsch ( Compact Size ) Speaker Sets
Pros: Clear detail and very Dynamic sounds ( Execellent Home Theater Speakers )
Very compact for its size
Very Sporty and Stylish look
Cons: no, so far
User Rating: 
8/10
Not Buying
Pros: Sound and size
Cons: Made in China
If the user modified the speakers in anyway no manufacture will stand behind their product after they have been reversed engineered.
User Rating: 
5/10
Klipsch what they used to be
Pros: Great sound at first.
Cons: I had an internal amp inside my sub go out. i know of 2 other people who had the same problem. Klipsch would not stand behind their product even after admitting it was a manufacturing defect. Obviously, this was my last Klipsch product.
User Rating: 
9/10
Klipsch has the best sound reproduction on the market for the money
Pros: The sound reproduction is positively amazing when used with a quality sound card/player program. These speakers will rival their big brother counrerparts in quality, clarity and tone. The richness is unbelievable. A must for any audiophile.
Cons: Needs more length in the wire out of the box. Not enough to adequately feed through the moulding, etc.. when installing the satellites.
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