Klipsch - Reference Premiere Quad 4" Passive 3-Way Center-Channel Speaker - Ebony

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Stop struggling to hear dialog in your movies

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 25 Contributor

  Pros Piano black gives elegant appearance Copper driver and ring create a sophisticated look Grill cover holds on with magnets instead of pegs Retaining magnets have felt to protect finish Wide range from 59Hz to 25kHz MDF enclosure snubs any hint of vibration or distortion High sensitivity doesn’t require much power Warm, slightly bright tone without Dialog is no longer drowned out in movies Includes cleaning cloth Cons Finish shows scratches, dust, and fingerprints easily Included rubberized feet are easy to lose in package Large size can be a challenge for placement Klipsch has long been known as a company that produces great sound for good price while keeping an emphasis on appearance, so you are proud to have these in your room. The Klipsch RP-404C is the latest iteration of the Reference Series which has already proven in previous reviews to be a great line of speakers. If you are looking to improve your movie experience with a solid center channel the RP-404C can fit the bill. Previous generations included the copper driver which create a look of sophistication when the grill is removed but the latest generation includes an extra thin copper accent line. It might not sound like much, but it really improves the overall appearance. More notable is the change from the old black vinyl appearance to the new Piano Black finish. In pictures you might think it cheapens the appearance, but you really must see them in person to appreciate. The best way to think of the look is to imagine when you have seen a gloss black grand piano or any other musical instrument with that deep, dark, highly polished finish. In person you see a quality finish that adds a bit of elegance to your setup. Just keep in mind there is one downside to having that very glossy finish. Scratches, dust, or fingerprints show up easily but with proper care the look can make the difference between your room looking like it’s filled with plastic boxes or high-quality enthusiast equipment. For enthusiasts they can become a piece of furniture you will love to look at. If for some reason you need to cover up the drivers, you can always opt to leave on the included grills which hold on with magnets. With magnets there is no need to worry about damage fragile pegs and when removed it leaves a completely clean finish on the front of the speaker. Appearance means nothing if it isn’t backed up with great sound. Audiophiles might have their favorites but it’s hard to deny that Klipsch speakers create great sound. Of course you can use this to enhance your music but where it really shines is in movies. As the central focal point of your home theater setup it means you can hear dialog much clearer. No need to turn the volume up to uncomfortable levels to hear what is said when someone is whispering. Even better is when there are background sounds or loud music you can still hear the small nuances such as small waves breaking at a shoreline or people speaking in a loud room. After switching to this speaker you will realize how much you have been missing in movies as well as how unnecessarily loud you had it turned up just to understand what was going on. It even gives more depth to actors because you can hear more detail in their voices making it feel more realistic. Stop turning up the volume up and starting hearing. If you are looking for a more immersive experience with your movies the Klipsch RP-404C warrants serious consideration.

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  This review is from Klipsch - Reference Premiere Quad 4" Passive 3-Way Center-Channel Speaker - Piano Black

  Posted 7 years ago by CraigB

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Stunning Klipsch Center Clarity

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 100 Contributor

  One of the most critical pieces when creating any home theater configuration is the center channel, though often times it is overlooked. If your center channel speaker is not up to par with the rest of your speakers, it effectively renders the rest useless as crucial dialog will not be heard. With the all new reference premiere series from Klipsch, the brand new RP-404C clocks in as the second tier model, just slightly under the new RP-504C. With an all new tweeter design, and an elegant glossy piano black finish, the RP-404C is positioned to provide audiophile level sound to any home theater system. Thus, I was quite excited to test the RP-404C to see how it performs. Upon receiving the RP-404C, the first thing you will notice is that the RP-404C is quite heavy. The packaging was also of worthy praise and seemingly protected the RP-404C quite well. The RP-404C was wrapped twice, first with a soft cloth cover and then an additional plastic cover over that. After removal, the RP-404C treats you to an absolute gorgeous high quality glossy finish. The craftsmanship is of the utmost highest quality, with a deep dark black color and a reflective coating that just captivates you. The corners transition perfectly with all sides of the speaker and are smooth to the touch. No picture will not be able to capture just how good the RP-404C looks in person. It is simply jaw dropping. If you are on the fence on which variant to pick (Ebony, Walnut, Piano Black), I would strongly suggest the piano black variant, if of course your budget allows for the extra cost. Moving on, located on the back, you will notice one set of speaker terminals. Physically, the RP-404C is quite massive in size. With a width of 26 inches and a depth of 13 inches, there might be some issues fitting the RP-404C on some entertainment centers. Weight wise, the RP-404C clocks in at roughly 28 pounds, yet is of good sturdy quality. Lastly, the front grill cover does not snap in place but rather magnetically clips on and aligns with the front. Overall, I do believe the RP-404C has set a standard here. The RP-404C displays impeccable craftsmanship, combined with an absolute elegant piano black finish that just begs for more attention. I think most people will not complain here. For my audio test, I wanted to see how the RP-404C performs in a multichannel environment. For a standard 5.1 configuration, I used two RP-8000 as the front channels. For my surround sound speakers, I used a pair of RP-600M and for my subwoofer I used the R-115SW. To power the speakers, I used a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX303 receiver, tied together using Audioquest 14 AWG X2 speaker wire that was manually cut from a 100ft spool. The VSX-LX303 receiver was also plugged up to the wall using an Audioquest NRG-Y3 AC cable. Additionally, my R-115SW subwoofer was connected via an Audioquest Irish Red subwoofer cable. For movie playback, I used my Sony Ultra Bluray UBP-X800 player, focusing specifically on lossless playback. Lastly, I would like to note that depending on your receiver, speakers, and your personal settings, the perceived audio quality will more than likely differ than what I have described here. You may have to configure more or less to get the speaker to sound to your liking. I also would like to note that for my surround speakers (RP-600M), I had to manually add +4.0dB (+0.5 dB increments) in the Pioneer VSX-LX303 setup to bring them slightly up with my front speakers. Every other speaker was left at default with no changes made. I also tried to keep my receiver volume between -40.0 dB and -30.0dB (once again 0.5 dB increments). Beginning with a couple of robust soundtracks, the first movie that I tried was The Patriot (2000) to see how the RP-404C handled the dialog with respects to large scale battle scenes. The result was quite exciting! Dialog was pushed forcefully to the center with absolute stunning clarity. During battle sequences, the RP-404C was still able to reproduce some of the explosions of musket fire as well as cannon blasts, though it still maintain strong separation of the main dialog. The surround channels did a fabulous job of complimenting the main dialog of the RP-404C by providing echoing dialog between the movie extras during combat. While my two main front channels focused mainly on the soundtrack and background sounds, the RP-404C clearly provided the missing piece between them. During more dialog heavy scenes, the sound was punctual and clear just as the battle sequences were. On my next movie, I switched to Gladiator (2000) to see how consistent the RP-404C would perform. Overall, dialog was clear and crisp as was before. Once again battle scenes were quite clear and loud, especially sword strikes between soldiers. Middle and high frequencies were seemingly reproduced with fabulous results. In some of the heavier dialog sequences, there were some periods where I had to turn it up just a bit, but overall the RP-404C did a fabulous job. During the arena fights, as the subwoofer rumbled, the RP-404C managed to keep the dialog loud and crystal clear over the subwoofer. The immersion was an absolute blast! Simultaneously, the surround channels rattled with the crashes of chariots as well as the whistling of arrows! Lastly, the front channels provided the last missing element to the setup with an absolute killer soundstage! Overall, I could not find any complaints. While The Patriot (2000) was encoded with uncompressed 5.1 Channel PCM 48 KHz/16 Bit and Gladiator (2000) used a 5.1 Channel DTS-MA 48 KHz/24 Bit encode, both soundtracks responded similar as the RP-404C handled the dialog for each movie effectively. Switching to more dialog driven movies, in particular the court room drama, Primal Fear (1996), the RP-404C was crisp and clear as before though I had to turn up the volume quite a bit on this movie as opposed to the others. Naturally, some movies are not going to be as loud as others. The varying dynamics on this movie really shined on the RP-404C, such as when people raised their voices in the court room. In addition, there was never any muddiness in the dialog. Switching to another favorite, Let Me In (2010), I noticed similar results as I had in Primal Fear, where I had to turn up the volume a bit to match the dynamics of the movie. Once done, the RP-404C handled everything with ease, showcasing both crisp and clear dialog isolated perfectly center in my room. Additionally, I did notice that both of these movies were encoded in Dolby TrueHD, which might be of coincidence, though it does seem that the mastering for them was slightly lower in volume than other lossless codecs. Nonetheless, this is merely an observation and is in no way a fault of the RP-404C. Overall, I am quite pleased with the performance of the RP-404C, which performed exceptionally well across a wide variety of movie genres. The RP-404C demonstrated why a high quality center channel speaker is an absolute necessity. In conclusion, the RP-404C is a fabulous center channel speaker choice for any existing or new home theater system, providing excellent dialog reproduction. Middle and high frequencies were punchy and exciting, all the while the RP-404C was able to isolate dialog with razor sharp precision over the rest of my speakers. Physically, the piano black finish is exquisite and is an absolute sight to behold. The craftsmanship is impeccable! As audiophiles demand nothing but the best, you can be rest assured that the RP-404C checks every desirable feature. With that said, the RP-404C comes highly recommended!

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  This review is from Klipsch - Reference Premiere Quad 4" Passive 3-Way Center-Channel Speaker - Piano Black

  Posted 6 years ago by Dragonhunter281

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Monster center speaker

  • Incentivized
  • My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member
  • Verified Purchaser
  • Owned for less than 1 week

  I debated between this one and rp504c. I contacted Klipsch told them I'm building 5.2.2 system and said I should get rp404c. It's made for medium size rooms to large size rooms. Don't let 4 inch drivers fool you it hits perfectly. The clarity is unreal and spot on. I have these paired with rp6000f towers and connected Marantz SR 6013 $899.00 (2018) receiver. I looked at SR 6014 $1500.00(2019) receiver to push center channel but it literally identical to all specs except hdcp 2.2 to 2.3. No reason to purchase current model if last year model was on closeout sale from Best Buy and other retailers. I digress there for a moment. Anyways buy this center channel you will not be disappointed. Skip Reference line speakers and shop Reference Premiere. Last thing make sure to take advantage of Best Buy price match before buying.

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  Posted 6 years ago by mhayes01