THIS IS THE REVIEW YOU WANT TO READ FOR THIS SOUNDBAR...
IF YOU ARE A MINIMALIST, THIS IS YOUR SOUNDBAR! READ ON.
4k passthrough - For those who don't know, this is what you want if you are going to buy a soundbar in 2018. However, this term is a misnomer. All soundbars with an HDMI input will pass 4k video. BUT, only the soundbars with and HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 compliant inputs will pass it at 60fps! Those with an HDMI 1.4 input (legacy HDMI) will pass 4k, but at 30 fps. True UHD 4k is 60fps.
I wanted 4k @ 60fps
I wanted a well rounded quality sound that would make me smile
I wanted a clean look
I wanted all of this for under $300
I thought this was impossible to obtain as of March 2018
One of the reviews I read in my search, and this is very important, is that everyone's audio/video taste is unique so go to Best Buy and LISTEN to their demos with YOUR EARS, preferable with your eyes closed so you can really focus on that one sense. HEARING. What do YOU like. What anyone else says really doesn't matter. So that is what I did. I took about 2 hours on my day off from work gave my wife and kid a big kiss and headed to Best Buy with the purpose of completing my home theater home theater. Got the TV, the 4k Player and last and most difficult has been the search for quality, yet cost effective audio (under $300). I knew it could be done, and I was out to prove it.
I had 4 bars on my radar in the $300-$430 range that all had 4k 60fps passthroughs. I DIDN'T want to spend more than $300 though, but whichever of the four met all of my aforementioned criteria would be the winner even if it were slightly over budget.
1) The LG SJ8 - I liked the look, sound was ok, but apparently the LCD display is always on from what I read and confirmed by a Best Buy employee. Price matched at $349 it was reasonable, but the always on LCD made it a DEAL BREAKER. I like to dim my display.
2) Sony HTC-CT800 - I had the CT790. It had major issues with HDMI audio delay. I had to turn it on and off several times before the audio finally came through the ARC. So I was afraid to get the CT800. In store it sounded really good, but would I have the same HDMI audio connectivity issues? It has mostly great reviews. The DEAL BREAKERS were it looks goofy, and previous "please wait" experience the the CT790 which is the slightly lower model. There was an open box in my neck of the woods for $320. New was on sale for $399. Meh.
3) JBL 3.1 - Great full, complete sound with a sub vibration you can not only hear but feel through your body. Mids could've been a little better. It has a 10" downward firing sub and a 3.1 bar with a nice digital display, but the deal breaker is that the subwoofer IS HUGE. It's like the size of a small coffee table. I couldn't think where I would put it in my living room that it wouldn't completely stick out. Plus, at $429 on sale, it was the most out of my ideal price range.
4) Klipsch RSB-6 - I closed my eyes, turned up the volume and let it eat. On sale for $299.99 and price matched to $299.00 + I had a $10 gift card, I could walk out of there with everything I wanted including the price. Out of the 4 in my price range this one met all of my criteria. It sounded and looked great. I love the 6.5" downward firing sub! It looks super clean (see pics). My wife mounted the bar to the front edge of our TV table (it's not really a stand). The sub is not as impressive as the JBL, but don't sleep on it. IT SHOWS UP FOR WORK. I LOVE IT! You don't get the crazy vibration of the JBL 10", but I can actually fit this one not only in my door, but under the tv table. I love that the display is not digital. I love the tiny remote. This thing gets it done. It has a subwoofer level control on the remote. I like it because there is a lot of feel to using it. I honestly think it's made for smart people, because I've read some of the reviews of people not understanding the user manual and it not being intuitive, but everything is clean and minimal down to and including the user manual. It is actually everything you need once you figure it out, and once you got it, you realize how right klipsch got this thing. There is a firmware update available which is easily installed via USB thumbdrive.
My ONE issue with this soundbar which I had to figure out on my own was the 4k passthrough. Everything worked great, but when I tried to watch 4k video through my 4k blu-ray player, the video flickered and was unstable. I'd get a purple screen and audio/video that would cut in and out. VERY FRUSTRATING! The HDMI input is specced at being 2/2 HDCP compliant! I gave up and called Klipsch Tech Support. The tech said that that shouldn't be happening and that the HDMI card in the bar was defective and to go exchange it and I shouldn't have a problem. I was irritated, but willing to give it another shot since this is the bar I liked the best. If it didn't work again, I'd just go with the JBL.
Soooo, I went to Best Buy and exchanged it explaining that I spoke to Klipsch who said it had a defective HDMI card. Brought the replacement home and FLICKER, FLICKER, FLICKER! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
So why the five stars?
As a last ditch effort, I went into my TV settings and changed the HDMI input from 2.0 to 1.4 fully expecting this to play the 4k video at 30fps like a couple of previous lower end soundbars I tried in my quest for 4k 60fps through the bar HDMI input. I went back to the player and played the disc. When I checked the spec it was passing video at 4k 60fps! I was completely baffled b/c the input was set to HDMI 1.4 which has a max resolution of 4k 30fps. I called Klipsch to ask how this was possible. They said they couldn't explain why. I said well you can use my experience to help others.
Not only does it pass 4k at 60fps, the RSB-6 starts up quickly and moves seamlessly from input to input. I'm stoked. It was a rough journey, but persistence and a little serendipity came though.
LONG STORY SHORT, IF YOU'RE GETTING TV FLICKERING WHEN USING A 4K PLAYER THROUGH THE HDMI INPUT ON THE RSB-6 BAR (OR PERHAPS THE RSB-11 AS WELL) CHANGE THE HDMI INPUT ON THE TV TO 1.4 INSTEAD OF 2.0. IT WILL WORK. YOU WILL GET 4K AT 60FPS which is only possible through HDMI 2.0. I know it's an oxymoron, but the 1.4 is just a compatibility spec. You are basically getting 2.0 connectivity in this case through the 1.4. Which is fine for me. I'll take it. 4k 60fps through the bar. clean. minimal. tight. efficient. seamless. Everything I wanted for the price I wanted. More headache than I wanted, but it was worth it.
* I have the LG UP875 4k player (4k HDR, HI-RES Audio) and a 55" TCL P-series TV (with HDR 10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Audio) all connected with two Rocketfish 4' 4k UHD HDMI cables with gold plated connectors.
The Bobs would approve. They may actually put 4 people directly underneath me b/c of my setup. It's a straight shooter with upper management written all over it. Lol