DVDs with digital audio soundtracks didn't arrive in the US until the Summer of 1997. Until then all surround sound receivers used Dolby Prologic to extract surround effects from stereo analog sources like video tape and televison. Forgotten is that old-school rear surround channels only produced thin, ambiant effects, very different from today. As a result, surround receivers of the period were designed to supply a miniscule 25 watts max out of the rear channels. Even the Yamaha RX-V0170 which was the flagship surround receiver of the era at $1300 msrp only supplied 30 watts per rear channel. As a result the surround sound speakers sold by companies tended to be small, poor quality and with low 87-89db/watt sensitivity. Typically they were just small bookshelf speakers that companies craftily renamed to take advantage of the surround sound bandwagon. So when Dolby Digital appeared with 5 dynamic full-range channels it made the old-school, lightweight surround speakers obsolete overnight.

Klipsch came to the rescue and in 1999 released the RS3 which used a two 1" Tractrix horn tweeters and a single 6.5" woofer. Response was listed as 49-20khz with a sensitivity of 95db/ 1 watt.

In 2001 Klipsch upgraded the speaker to the RS3 II which is said to have been one of the best selling surrounds in the US. The sensitivity (95db), woofer and tweeter sizes were the same as the RS3 but the response was narrower at 60-20khz. Klipsch likely fiddled with the crossover to tighten up the bass response. The cabinet dimensions were the same as before and at nearly 19 inches wide and 12 pounds were very large for the period.

In 2003 the RS35 appeared. Advertised features were "Very high sensitivity and power handling" and "180° dispersion". Peak power had increased to 500w and response was a tighter 81-20khz with 97b efficiency.The tweeters and woofer were the same dimensions as before but the horns were smaller in diameter. The cabinets were smaller at 15.75 inches wide while the weight reduced to 9.6 pounds. The smaller size and weight made it easier to mount on the wall or put on rear stands.

 

 

 

BELOW: behind each grill on either end are tuned bass ports that help boost output.

 

BELOW: Typical for Klipsch was a heavy duty crossover compared to the simple ones used by other brands of the period. The cap on the top is a 28uf 100V 5% metalized polyester cap which is paired with the iron core inductor beneath it.

 

 

BELOW: the tweeters have an air coil inductor and 1.8uf and 6uf 100V 5% metallized polyester with a 10W 3 ohm resistor. This speaker appears to have a 12db slope on the tweeters and a 6db on the woofer.

 

CONCLUSION
An interesting factoid is for every three decibel increase of volume the power in watts needs to be doubled. This means if you start with an 87db speaker it takes 128 watts to reach 108 decibels. A 97db speaker only needs 8 watts to reach the same volume. Common sense is that each speaker in a home theater should be matched to the same sensitivity, especially when using Dolby Digital and DTS that produce full range signals.

A decade ago Klipsch sold the matched "RF62" line. Every speaker: Front, Center, and Rears were rated at 97db. Today, Klipsch appears to be de-evolving the performance of their consumer surround lineup. As of 2024 they only sell one standard surround (502SII) which is a low 94db. The other are not rated (Atmos). The other popular brands on the market are even more inefficient at 86-89db, no different from the surrounds of the 1990s.

Klipsch is losing an opportunity here. Why continue to sell highly sensitive front and centers (97db+) and only sell low sensitivity surrounds? If they reissued the RS35 or RS62 with an output of 97-98db/1 watt it would re-dominate the consumer market. It would also create a product for the Heritage speaker owners who seem completely forgotten when it comes to matched home theater speakers.

Datsunzgarage.us © 1997-2024
All mods are illustrative only, perform at your own risk.
Datsun is a registered trademark of Nissan ®