Customers frequently mention the excellent sound quality and powerful performance of the Next Gen Reference Series Quad 3-1/2" 400-Watt Passive 2-Way Center-Channel Speaker. Many also appreciate the speaker's ease of setup and attractive appearance. While some found the size to be larger or smaller than expected, the overall consensus points to a positive user experience.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 2 Showing 21-40 of 261 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great center speaker.
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Never knew a center speaker would make such a difference. Always had small single speaker units, but this speaker just blows them away. Sounds amazing.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Klipsch r-34 c2
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Good bang for the buck center channel!! Sounds great overall. Need to raise it up to approximately waist height for how im set up for best sound!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great sound!
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great sound! This replaced an older Onkyo unit that was no match for my Klipsch towers. Next up... a new Klipsch sub.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Klipsch center speaker
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Posted . Owned for 7 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent center speaker ! Can’t go wrong with Klipsch
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice center speaker. Looks and sounds great
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Nice center speaker. Compliments the Klipsch line very well.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and sound great
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Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I had a sound bar and upgraded to a home theater and this makes my sound bar sound like a child’s toy.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Very nice speaker
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great product and great price. Dialogue sounds fantastic when on a 5.1
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Center Speaker
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
A little bigger than I imagined. This speaker sounds great and looks good.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Size, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Sound in a Stylish and Unobtrusive Package
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Center Channel Speaker is the heart of any good home theater system and the Klipsch Reference Series 30C is easily one of the best center channel speakers I have ever owned. Dialogue comes through perfectly. I have paid admission to movie theaters with center channel set ups that weren’t as clear and accurate as the 30C.
Out of the box, I loved the presentation of this speaker. It’s compact and unobtrusive. The magnetic grill plate is a nice decorative touch.
I received the Klipsch Reference Series 30C Center Channel Speaker as a part of a Klipsch Reference package containing Series 50M Bookshelf Speakers, Series 101SW – 10’ Subwoofer, Series 600F Floor Standing Speakers, Series 40SA Surround Sound Speakers, and a Onkyo - TX – NR6100 7.2 Channel THX Certified Network A/V Receiver. The series was perfectly balanced and while the subwoofer and the bookshelf speakers produced plenty of sound, the center channel was never drowned out or compromised.
Over the last week, I set up a test station in the family bonus room and I put the system through the paces comparing it to the existing home theater set up. I laughed, I cried, I shook the neighbors and I’m pretty sure representatives from the USGS will be out in the morning. But the sound from this package is amazing. The family room is a larger room and the sound from the 30C definitely did a good job in that space.
In my tests, I played music, summer blockbusters, dialogue heavy classic black and white movies, everyday TV broadcasts. I thought all sources sounded excellent. I noticed no buzzing or notable distortions. Watching “Dune” (2021), I was amazed that I could hear the dialogue better than when I was in the movie theater last fall. Watching “The Batman” in Atmos on HBO Max, details were rich. Dialogue was perfect.
Setup is simple. The speaker connections are banana plug compatible. If you don’t have banana plugs, you insert the exposed cable and twist the connections to secure your speaker wire. In terms of dimensions, the speaker is 26" wide, 5" tall, and 6" deep.
I really liked this speaker. It’s easy to recommend. If you are purchasing this speaker separately, make sure your other speakers are powerful enough to adequately complement this speaker. Klipsch Reference Series 30C Center Channel Speaker is amazing.
5/5
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
CENTER-CHANNEL SPEAKER!!!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The 100W center channel speaker is designed so that the dialogue and the sound appear to be coming from the screen. Klipsch recommends placing the Center-Channel speaker as close to the screen as possible and also either above or below the screen. With my setup I was able to place the speaker right below the screen and it has been performing admirably. Aside from just looking amazing, this speaker has been living up to the Klipsch standard for audio. The dialogues and the music just comes right at you from the 4 drivers and 1 horn. The speakers and the horn tweeter are enclosed in a black ebony wood casing along with the Klipsch signature copper diaphragm finish. I have been using the center-channel speaker in my complete home theater system and every time I turn on the system It just blows me away. I cant get over the clarity, quality, how clear the audio is without any distortion all while looking sexy. This speaker when combined These speakers when combined with the Reference Series Floor, Surround and Center will enhance your listening pleasure and take your movies and gaming experience to another level. The music and the movies, everything sounds so much better, everything is just so much crisper and clearer and clean to give you a better immersive experience all around. You have to hear it to believe it. I would recommend you actually try out the speaker for yourself because I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent center channel in a soundbar form factor
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Klipsch Reference Series R-30C center channel is a great looking, great sounding, well designed center channel speaker that is a great counterpoint to the idea that only a sound bar can fit into modern decor. Klipsch accomplishes this through the use of four 3.5" "spun copper thermoformed crystalline polymer" drivers instead of two larger woofers which would increase the size of the cabinet. I've been holding off mounting my TV above our living room accent cabinet for some time as I look for my next TV, and the R-30C sits low enough that I was able to lift the TV only about 2 inches to get it to the right height above the speaker. Looks wise, with the (magnetic) grille off, the copper color of the drivers and new tweeter design are striking and really make for an attractive package. With the grille on, these are a not a statement piece and look like a typical non-descript speaker :). I also liked that the speaker is front ported so you don't have to worry about how close to the wall you are placing the speaker - once I wall mount my TV, I'll be able to put the speaker under it on the wall and reclaim space on the top of the cabinet.
Sound wise, I was a little worried that the 3.5" drivers would create too much of a difference in sound and not be "timber matched" to the R-800F towers or R-50M bookshelf speakers. I'm not sure how Klipsch accomplished what they've done with these tweeters - the sound stage from even a stereo pair in the front is so wide that it perfectly envelops the space a center channel is producing sound from. As a result, when listening to music in a surround mode, the center channel blends perfectly with the wide sound stage coming from the front mains. Switching from Stereo to All Channel Stereo, you can immediately hear how the center channel is blending in the midrange that's missing from the wide stage of the tweeters on the mains. Playing some dialogue heavy content like Downton Abbey has shown my concerns about timbre matching to be unfounded.
I think this center is a perfect match for the R-50M bookshelves in general and for the R-800F tower speakers if you are space constrained under the TV itself. I'm not sure you give up a ton going with this speaker instead of its more traditional cousin with two larger drivers, and the 4 smaller drivers definitely looks more modern for folks who are into the soundbar look.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great center speaker!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Klipsch Reference 30C center channel speaker is a good center for a mid-tear system.
The center channel is one of the most important components of a surround sound system, mostly because this is where most of the vocals will come from. The Klipsch Reference 30C is a good center channel speaker for most entry to mid-level sound systems. The speaker has a total of 4 woofers and 1 tweeter. The grill is magnetic, making it easy to detach so you can view the beautiful copper-colored woofers, as well as the indented tweeter. Everything about the speakers’ looks, screams classy. Located on the back of the speaker, there are 2 speaker terminals that are compatible with banana clips. The speaker can either be mounted on a wall or placed on a surface.
The 30C can produce some exceptional sound quality. The speaker does have a great range from highs to lows. The vocals are crystal clear and can be heard without any trouble and the 4 woofers can produce some decent lows for their size. I use the 30C with an Onkyo NR1600 receiver, in a 5.2.1 Dolby Atmos speaker configuration. Watching a movie in surround sound is a new experience, it literally feels like I’m right in the center of the movie. I have a hard time hearing vocals in movies, they either come out too muffled or too sharp. With the 30C this seemed to fix that problem completely, I am now able to hear every detail crystal clear.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the Klipsch Reference 30C center speaker. The speaker was engineered perfectly! It’s just the right size not taking up too much space on the shelf, yet it’s capable of producing exceptional sound. Not to mention, when the magnetic grill is easily removed, the speaker looks gorgeous. The EQ range is superb, vocals can be heard crystal clear giving me the ability to finally be able to hear what people are saying during a movie. I would highly recommend the 30C to anyone looking for a good center speaker.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great quality, clear dialogue and bass!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I'm super surprised with this center speaker. I never thought a center speaker, of high quality and power would change so much the way I hear dialog in movies, games, TV, etc. People usually skimp on their center speaker, but I have learned know, never do! The center channel speaker is one of the most important pieces of your home theater! This speaker is amazing, it has 4 small woofers and aluminum tweeters. It makes it so dialog is punchy, clear and also bassy! It does so, because it can handle a min of 78hz to 21khz freq response. I set my crossover at 80hz, and it delivers bass! Never thought a center speaker would do so, without muffling the dialog on movies, games etc which is super important. Of course you want your subwoofer to handle lower freqs, but this center speaker can do some and does great! I set mine directly bellow my TV on my little cabinet (I did see it has some holes on the back in case you want to wall mount it, however I recommend a good wall mount for center speakers, as its heavy, not that much, but bare that in mind). I highly recommend you invest on a center channel of this calibre, you won't regret it. Remember, the quality and power of the center channel you have is super important for clear dialog, and lots of sounds happen in the middle of the screen too, and this speaker will deliver!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Reference Series Center is Excellent
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Klipsch has been known for making high quality speakers for both Home Audio and even for PC with relatively few design changes. My previous Klipsch speaker setup was several years old, and were used in a home cinema I’d set up in dedicated movie room. They were small, but effective when paired with a good subwoofer and receiver.
In the box you’ll find the Klipsch Speaker, a setup guide, and warranty information. I was surprised to see there were cork style padding on the bottom to help keep the speaker from shifting around on your media stand or console. The speaker was double the size of the Soundbar I was replacing this full system with, and has screw in style speaker ports with support for banana plugs.
I paired this with a newer Onkyo receiver, and other Klipsch Reference Series speakers. I was happy to see the speaker grill was magnetically attached, making it easy to remove the grill for future dust removal and cleaning.
Ultimately, the speaker provided much clearer sound than my previous Klipsch set, and even better than the sound bar it was replacing. When paired with other Reference Series speakers, it really elevates the home theater experience. The speaker is painted black, with a wood exterior, and is about the length of a standard soundbar, while double the height.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A Wide Soundscape That Sounds Bigger Than It Is
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
OVERVIEW
The Klipsch 30C is a great sounding center channel that also looks great. Given proper calibration and EQ tweaking, it has the ability to glue your entire home theater system together whether you primarily listen to music or watch movies.
DESIGN
The 30C, like the rest of Klipsch's refreshed Reference line has a classy, understated look. It has a black wood grained vinyl finish that fits in well with nearly any home theater aesthetic. With the grille on, the only color accent you see is the signature golden/bronze Klipsch logo. With the grille off, you'll see the golden inner Klipsch logo, along with the speaker cones and a central area in the tweeter. The golden color may not be for everyone, but it's a rich and classy looking color scheme that looks great to my eyes. On the topic of the speaker grille, on the 30C, it affixes to the speaker via hidden magnets, which makes the speaker look sleek and slim-lined. Additionally, it has two cork pads on the bottom to help with sound resonance isolation as well as to provide a solid, non-slip surface for the speaker to rest on. I find this preferable to the usual rubber feet you'd see on speakers, as it seems to help isolate rogue resonance much better.
SOUND QUALITY
Simply put, the 30C sounds phenomenal. It features 4 mid-drivers with a central tweeter and two bass reflex ports on either side. Having 5 drivers allows the 30C to have a wide soundscape that makes it sound bigger than it is. Dialog during TV and movies is crystal clear and incredibly forward, making it effortless to watch shows. In tandem with Klipsch's new R800F floorstanding front speakers, the 30C never feels under powered, adequately projecting sound that makes the front of my theater feel like a continuous speaker. As great as the 30C is for TV and movies, it's also very good for music listening. Across genres ranging from electronic to rap to metal, the 30C sounded well balanced and never underpowered; again, it's apparent how good the 30C is and how present and wide its soundscape is.
SUMMARY
Overall, this is a very solid center channel speaker. It has a presence and forwardness that lends itself to not only TV and movies, but also all kinds of music. The classy aesthetic nearly guarantees it will fit in with any home theater setup, and because of its power, it will fit in with nearly any front speakers too. Highly recommended.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Crystal clear sounding center channel
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Having been a long time Klipsch speaker owner and knowing their craftsmanship and experience in the speaker business, I was excited to try something new for our center channel with the Klipsch Reference Series 30C. We went from a Klipsch Reference center channel that had two 8” drivers and one horn tweeter to the new 30C that has four copper drivers and one horn tweeter with two open ports on the front of the speaker. After having the larger driver center channel for a few years, I found that the 8” drivers were a little too overpowering and deep sounding for dialog but did sound great when I was using it for multi-channel stereo. Switching to the new 30C, I noticed immediately that I was getting more clear, true to sound, dialog that wasn’t being overpowered by the four smaller drivers which paired well with the horn tweeter in the middle of the speaker. They still sound good with music at loud level, just not as punchy as my older center channel which wasn’t a bad thing for our set up. I did consider using the 30C as my rear center channel and keeping the older center channel up front however I decided just to replace it as my older one was somewhat overkill in our room. I would recommend the Klipsch Reference Series line to anyone in the market for surround sound or stereo speakers, especially the 30C model. Speaking from experience and as an audiophile, you won’t be disappointed with this investment and any Klipsch should last you years, if not decades as in my case from the Klipsch speakers I have owned since the late 90s.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous Design and Fantastic Clarity
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
For the last two weeks I've been test driving the Klipsch Reference Series 30C center channel speaker. This version is new for 2022 and there isn't much information about it online yet. However, I think it replaces the 34C center channel. Overall I think It looks fantastic and I love everything about it.
With that said, the Klipsch 30C now features a clean design with hidden fasteners and magnetic grill cover that matches the rest of the 2022 reference series speakers. On the front of the cabinet there are four 3 inch drivers, a newly designed horn and two front firing exhaust ports. On the back the cabinet is completely flat with the exception of the protruding banana jack binding posts.
As for sound quality, this center channel is one of the best I have ever heard. It has excellent projection and sounds larger than it really is. The clarity and balance of dialogue is fantastic and there is a sharpness and accuracy to the voice range that I just love. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their surround sound experience.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Quality build, w Beautiful accents. Sounds good
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Klipsch R-34-C is a beautiful speaker with a great build quality, this speaker feels very well built and has some heft to it.
I have this set up with:
Onkyo TX-NR6100 7.2 Channel THX Certified Network A/V Receiver
Klipsch Reference Series 600F Floor Standing Speaker (2)
Klipsch Reference Series 50M Bookshelf Speakers (2)
Klipsch Reference Series 40SA Surround Sound Speakers
Klipsch Reference Series 101SW – 10’ Subwoofer
The whole setup pairs wonderfully, this four 3.5" speaker has a nice low profile which sits under my TV only slightly higher than a sound bar but with the audio quality to match the build. Between movies, games to music this speaker in my setup sounds amazing.
I haven't tried isolating this speaker so I can't really speak of the details, plus I love music, but not an audiophile where I could give you any specifics to the speakers capabilities. However, I can say that I am looking forward to getting a ton of use out of this speaker, for my space this fits well and does not disappoint regardless of the media I consume!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Center Channel Speaker
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I replaced my Sony center channel with this Klipsch and I don't know what I was thinking when I 1st bought it. The Sony isn't bad by any means, but the Klipsch blows it out of the water in sound quality.
In the box is the speaker and paperwork. No wires or nonsense at all. Just the straight up Keepers of Sound advert and they aren't lying. The speaker itself looks beautiful alone. Love the color scheme or you can cover the speakers with the included magnetic grille. Your choice.
Sound is booming and crisp. No distortions at all at ANY sound level I put it at. Paired this with my Onkyo receiver and can easily take anything I throw at it. Mids, Uppers even lows all sound amazing. Gaming is perfect as is movies and streaming.
If you need some dimensions, I did measure it as I know some people prefer wall mounting it vs placing it on an entertainment center like me. According to my measuring tape, it's 5 inches high, 26 inches long and 7 inches deep (this is including the wiring screws that stick out the back).
The Klipsch is well worth it. Performance is 2nd to none and sound quality is above and beyond anything else I've used.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Dialogue is more alive!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I hear every word with this center channel. The dialogue is more apparent. To start, the look and style of this speaker are great, just like the rest of the reference series, with black on black and magnetic grilles, copper woofers and that famous Klipsch horn tweeter. I like the act that the speaker itself is somewhat low profile and does not sit to high up. The width of the speaker is about average compared to the center channel this replaced. I like the mounting holes on the back, which opens up more options for mounting to a wall, which is great for saving space on my entertainment stand. The highs and mid range are detailed and clear thanks to that horn tweeter. The four woofers provide excellent mid-bass and low end. Combined, these drivers provide a depth to the sound that really brings the dialogue to life. The sound blends well with the rest of the speakers, that are also the same series by Klipsch. The connections are simple, yet effective, banana plug binding posts. I like this cause it makes it easy to connect and disconnect when using banana plugs instead of bare wire. Overall, I am very pleased with this center channel.