Hello all. I'm a complete newbie to home audio, but have always been a big fan of good sound. Anyway, I'd like to start off with a stereo, and expand it to a 5.1 system when $ permits. I just got a used pioneer vsx-915 receiver, and have the possibility of getting Klipsch RF-35s or Canton LE 190s used as well. Unfortunately I can't demo them, since neither of them are currently sold in stores. I have heard the current Canton and Klipsch series in stores, but with a HK receiver. They both sounded good.
What do you guys think? I know the best would be to audition all possible combos, but in this case, it's not possible.
One concern I have for the Klipsch, is that they cut off below 38 Hz. I will be using the speakers mostly for music, and partially for HT. I've heard others complain that the 35s are lacking a bit in bass. Would the cantons be a better choice? The build quality seems real solid on the klipsch, and I like that.
I've never heard the Cantons before, but I've heard (and owned) Klipsch. In my opinion, modern Klipsch speakers are better suited to home theatre than music. If you're buying these speakers unheard, why limit yourself to these particular two? There's lots of good used stuff out there.
I'm living abroad for now, so the market is dominated by lots of companies I don't know anything about. I do know a bit about klipsch and canton, and so that's why I thought I go in these directions first. Also, I unfortunately live in an area without anything like a best buy or whatever, so auditioning is nearly impossible.
Living in an area without a Best Buy is not necessarily a bad thing.
For one thing, it's impossible to actually "audition" a speaker at Best Buy, and secondly (not too sound like an elitist snob) most of the stuff at Best Buy is low-fi fodder.
You could look at buying some used Paradigm, PSB or Monitor Audio speakers, or even buy new internet direct from something like Ascend.