1.0 out of 5 stars NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR

2025-12-25    -G. Irwin

What a disappointment. Klipsch speakers always seemed a little bright to me with a very slight level of distortion in the high frequencies that was actually a little annoying, and low frequencies were always not that great. This was the main reason I never purchased any of their products. I recently decided to purchased the Klipsch Detroit Bluetooth speaker, as I could return it if I did not like it and it was a great price. It still has the signature high frequency issues, but they do not occur that often, and overall that speaker, at the right volume, with the right source material, can sound exceptional for what it is. This led me to give a Klipsch sound bar a chance. This product does not sound very good, especially for $1200. Low frequencies are absent, and if you push its output, it is just harsh and annoying. Only a sub-woofer can save it, maybe, but the sub-woofers that are intended to be paired with this are so underpowered I have no confidence that they will be worthwhile, so I will not even give it a chance. I cannot get the Flexus Core 300 it to link with my phone with the app. The Detroit linked easily to the app, but the CORE 300, nope. Not after several tries. I was going to use it to replace my Fluance AB40 Soundbase, which was only $149, but I like the Fluance Soundbase more. It may not play as loud, but it captures so much more of the frequency range. It does have the spec of 30Hz-20Khz, but its only 90 Watts. The Klipsch is 43Hz-20Khz, but they sheepishly hide the amp power. The Klipsch Core 200 has 185 watts, so we can assume the Core 300 has more power as the total acoustic output from the Flexus 200 to the Flexus 300 increased from 99.8 db to 106 db. I will try this with my Velodyne SPL-8 to see if it can save it. The SPL-8 has 1000 watts with 2000 watts of dynamic power and a frequency range of 28Hx to 120Hz and is currently used to extend the bass response for a pair of Magnepan 1.6QRs. But for now, the Klipsch is a NO GO for me. Two days ago the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max was offered to my from Amazon for $1700. I should of grabbed it. Its now back to $2999 and I will never pay that for a soundbar. It does go to 30Hz on the low end and has somewhere between 250 watts of power. I did a little research about why you can see sudden price drops for specific items on Amazon and I found out, based on your search habits, and your purchases, they can sometime Taylor a purchase to you and only you for a short period of time. Also, sometimes they just want to get rid of specific items for different reasons like overstock and lack of purchases. I believe this is how I got the Detroit for $172.04, when it is now back to $229 on Amazon and $324.99 from Klipsch directly. The low frequencies from the Detroit are much better than the Flexus 300, and the Detroit has a claimed frequency response of 55Hz -20Khz and only 60 watts of total power. That just makes no sense, but I listened to them side by side, and the Detroit puts out better cleaner sound, just not as loud. So I think I am done with Klipsch products. I really wanted to try the Klipsch "The Nines", but after this experience, I do not think so. I have read about "app" issues with those also, in addition to outright failure to operate after not too much time. The best thing to do is to listen to the product before buying. I listened to the KEF LS50 Wireless which has claimed frequency response of 40Hz to 47Khz [-6db which is a critical deviation form the standard -3db for that measurement] and 760 watts of power, with a max SPL of 108 db, and the guy who played them for me did not push them anywhere near those output levels, and I heard the speakers start to crackle in the bass at about 85 db. Not acceptable for $2999, and right now KEF is offering them for $1999, still not worth it. I hope any readers find this helpful and don't make the wrong purchase like I did. Good luck to aLL in you quest for the best sound possible for the best price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!

2026-01-31    -Hollywood

I wanted to get 2 soundbars to replace a 5.1 system in my family room and a 3.1 my home office. I was able to afford what was presented some of the best out there. Every product get some bad reviews so I did my best to pick the right product. I thought the Sennheiser Ambeo Max got OK reviews, but nothing negative about the sound. The product that shipped from the Amazon 3rd party seller was delivered used in a beat up box, poorly repacked, and obviously returned by the previous purchaser as defective. I returned it.For my larger family room I ordered the Nakamechi Dragon. A full system with 2 subs and 2 rears. Movies were impressive, but music lacked a full low end and male vocals did not sound good. I returned it. If it meets your needs for movie sound, the product quality and customer service are the best I've ever come across!At this point I still wanted 2 soundbars, but this is starting to be a hassle. Next I ordered the KEF XIO. It was also a quality product but I think it was defective. The low end and dialogue sounded great, especially with my Klipsch 10 inch entry level sub. The problem was that on action scenes the bullets firing, shell casings dropping, car crash impact, and glass breaking sound did not come across. This is otherwise a nice soundbar. I liked that you can set the start volume for each input. The app was a mess, but it worked.I then ordered this Klispch Core 300. At well less then half the price, it's build quality is as good as the others if not better. I only tried it with my low end Klispch sub, but WOW!!! Without tuning with Dirac, it blows those others away. I put on Die Hard 5 to be sure it wasn't me or my content that made the others sound bad. It wasn't. The action scenes sounded as expected with lots of audio excitement. Either the KEF was partially bad or whatever the reason it was missing those sounds, but I immediately put in a return request and ordered a second Core 300.Music is OK and acceptable for low and medium levels, and actually better then those 2 others (I didn't have a chance to listen to the Sennheiser as it was defective when delivered), but the Core 300 sounded better then the other 2 I did try for music. Although "acceptable", it is not a replacement for a proper stereo for a great listening experience. I was also put off by the 3 user agreements to use the apps. They were EXTREMELY lengthily. There is no reason to make them so long unless they are trying to sneak some verbiage in. As this is a really nice soundbar, I agreed, but was not happy about that part.I did notice that some of the movie action sounds did not seem to kick in until the volume was past 1/3rd. I hope Klipsch reads this and adjusts the linearity. Also, I like that it allows you to use any powered sub. Bottom line, even at less the half the price of the best soundbars I tried, this not only beats them out, but I actually like it.:)

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible sound in a simple, yet powerful package!

2026-01-07    -Fenster209

This thing absolutely rocks! I've been an audio enthusiast my whole life. When it comes to my living room entertainment system I need a simple setup that doesn't compromise, and boy does this deliver!The sound is incredible. Powerful, yet clean. A really nice soundstage, spacial immersion that is so much more impressive than I could have ever expected (even without the wireless rear speakers, which I'm very excited to add at some point).It performs equally well for music and movies/tv. I love to use this for music while I'm cooking using Spotify on my phone over Bluetooth. Vocals are clear, but not overpowering, and the music just sounds crystal clear. Bass is powerful but not overwhelming. I've got it paired with a Flexus 100 sub, which is a nice pair. The Flexus 200 sub would have been more powerful, but then my wife would have probably complained about it being too much.One of my favorite things about this for watching TV and movies is the Dialog mode, which has 3 levels (and off). So many movies and shows have the dialogue way too low, where you have to turn the volume up too high just to hear what they're saying, and this 3-level Dialog Mode completely fixes that. I also really like the Night mode. This doesn't just lower the volume, it tapers off the bass and the overall dynamic range just enough to quiet the loud parts enough not to wake up others who are sleeping, while not compromising the audio. That's really important for me because there is a bedroom on the other side of the wall where the TV and sound bar are set up.I really love this thing! I would so highly recommend it to anyone who wants great sound with a simple setup.

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR

2026-02-25    -G. Irwin

What a disappointment. Klipsch speakers always seemed a little bright to me with a very slight level of distortion in the high frequencies that was actually a little annoying, and low frequencies were always not that great. This was the main reason I never purchased any of their products. I recently decided to purchased the Klipsch Detroit Bluetooth speaker, as I could return it if I did not like it and it was a great price. It still has the signature high frequency issues, but they do not occur that often, and overall that speaker, at the right volume, with the right source material, can sound exceptional for what it is. This led me to give a Klipsch sound bar a chance. This product does not sound very good, especially for $1200. Low frequencies are absent, and if you push its output, it is just harsh and annoying. Only a sub-woofer can save it, maybe, but the sub-woofers that are intended to be paired with this are so underpowered I have no confidence that they will be worthwhile, so I will not even give it a chance. I cannot get the Flexus Core 300 it to link with my phone with the app. The Detroit linked easily to the app, but the CORE 300, nope. Not after several tries. I was going to use it to replace my Fluance AB40 Soundbase, which was only $149, but I like the Fluance Soundbase more. It may not play as loud, but it captures so much more of the frequency range. It does have the spec of 30Hz-20Khz, but its only 90 Watts. The Klipsch is 43Hz-20Khz, but they sheepishly hide the amp power. The Klipsch Core 200 has 185 watts, so we can assume the Core 300 has more power as the total acoustic output from the Flexus 200 to the Flexus 300 increased from 99.8 db to 106 db. I will try this with my Velodyne SPL-8 to see if it can save it. The SPL-8 has 1000 watts with 2000 watts of dynamic power and a frequency range of 28Hx to 120Hz and is currently used to extend the bass response for a pair of Magnepan 1.6QRs. But for now, the Klipsch is a NO GO for me. Two days ago the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max was offered to my from Amazon for $1700. I should of grabbed it. Its now back to $2999 and I will never pay that for a soundbar. It does go to 30Hz on the low end and has somewhere between 250 watts of power. I did a little research about why you can see sudden price drops for specific items on Amazon and I found out, based on your search habits, and your purchases, they can sometime Taylor a purchase to you and only you for a short period of time. Also, sometimes they just want to get rid of specific items for different reasons like overstock and lack of purchases. I believe this is how I got the Detroit for $172.04, when it is now back to $229 on Amazon and $324.99 from Klipsch directly. The low frequencies from the Detroit are much better than the Flexus 300, and the Detroit has a claimed frequency response of 55Hz -20Khz and only 60 watts of total power. That just makes no sense, but I listened to them side by side, and the Detroit puts out better cleaner sound, just not as loud. So I think I am done with Klipsch products. I really wanted to try the Klipsch "The Nines", but after this experience, I do not think so. I have read about "app" issues with those also, in addition to outright failure to operate after not too much time. The best thing to do is to listen to the product before buying. I listened to the KEF LS50 Wireless which has claimed frequency response of 40Hz to 47Khz [-6db which is a critical deviation form the standard -3db for that measurement] and 760 watts of power, with a max SPL of 108 db, and the guy who played them for me did not push them anywhere near those output levels, and I heard the speakers start to crackle in the bass at about 85 db. Not acceptable for $2999, and right now KEF is offering them for $1999, still not worth it. I hope any readers find this helpful and don't make the wrong purchase like I did. Good luck to aLL in you quest for the best sound possible for the best price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!

2026-01-26    -Hollywood

I wanted to get 2 soundbars to replace a 5.1 system in my family room and a 3.1 my home office. I was able to afford what was presented some of the best out there. Every product get some bad reviews so I did my best to pick the right product. I thought the Sennheiser Ambeo Max got OK reviews, but nothing negative about the sound. The product that shipped from the Amazon 3rd party seller was delivered used in a beat up box, poorly repacked, and obviously returned by the previous purchaser as defective. I returned it.For my larger family room I ordered the Nakamechi Dragon. A full system with 2 subs and 2 rears. Movies were impressive, but music lacked a full low end and male vocals did not sound good. I returned it. If it meets your needs for movie sound, the product quality and customer service are the best I've ever come across!At this point I still wanted 2 soundbars, but this is starting to be a hassle. Next I ordered the KEF XIO. It was also a quality product but I think it was defective. The low end and dialogue sounded great, especially with my Klipsch 10 inch entry level sub. The problem was that on action scenes the bullets firing, shell casings dropping, car crash impact, and glass breaking sound did not come across. This is otherwise a nice soundbar. I liked that you can set the start volume for each input. The app was a mess, but it worked.I then ordered this Klispch Core 300. At well less then half the price, it's build quality is as good as the others if not better. I only tried it with my low end Klispch sub, but WOW!!! Without tuning with Dirac, it blows those others away. I put on Die Hard 5 to be sure it wasn't me or my content that made the others sound bad. It wasn't. The action scenes sounded as expected with lots of audio excitement. Either the KEF was partially bad or whatever the reason it was missing those sounds, but I immediately put in a return request and ordered a second Core 300.Music is OK and acceptable for low and medium levels, and actually better then those 2 others (I didn't have a chance to listen to the Sennheiser as it was defective when delivered), but the Core 300 sounded better then the other 2 I did try for music. Although "acceptable", it is not a replacement for a proper stereo for a great listening experience. I was also put off by the 3 user agreements to use the apps. They were EXTREMELY lengthily. There is no reason to make them so long unless they are trying to sneak some verbiage in. As this is a really nice soundbar, I agreed, but was not happy about that part.I did notice that some of the movie action sounds did not seem to kick in until the volume was past 1/3rd. I hope Klipsch reads this and adjusts the linearity. Also, I like that it allows you to use any powered sub. Bottom line, even at less the half the price of the best soundbars I tried, this not only beats them out, but I actually like it.:)

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible sound in a simple, yet powerful package!

2026-02-13    -Fenster209

This thing absolutely rocks! I've been an audio enthusiast my whole life. When it comes to my living room entertainment system I need a simple setup that doesn't compromise, and boy does this deliver!The sound is incredible. Powerful, yet clean. A really nice soundstage, spacial immersion that is so much more impressive than I could have ever expected (even without the wireless rear speakers, which I'm very excited to add at some point).It performs equally well for music and movies/tv. I love to use this for music while I'm cooking using Spotify on my phone over Bluetooth. Vocals are clear, but not overpowering, and the music just sounds crystal clear. Bass is powerful but not overwhelming. I've got it paired with a Flexus 100 sub, which is a nice pair. The Flexus 200 sub would have been more powerful, but then my wife would have probably complained about it being too much.One of my favorite things about this for watching TV and movies is the Dialog mode, which has 3 levels (and off). So many movies and shows have the dialogue way too low, where you have to turn the volume up too high just to hear what they're saying, and this 3-level Dialog Mode completely fixes that. I also really like the Night mode. This doesn't just lower the volume, it tapers off the bass and the overall dynamic range just enough to quiet the loud parts enough not to wake up others who are sleeping, while not compromising the audio. That's really important for me because there is a bedroom on the other side of the wall where the TV and sound bar are set up.I really love this thing! I would so highly recommend it to anyone who wants great sound with a simple setup.