Klipsch HD Theater 500

Few speaker manufacturers know as much about true movie theater sound as Klipsch. The Indianapolis-based company started making speakers for movie theaters decades before the words "home" and "theater" were ever uttered together in the same sentence. But for better or worse, the company's home products had a reputation for being expensive. Klipsch is hoping to change that perception with its new HD home theater system series. The HD Theater 500, the middle package in the product line, is available for about $600. That makes it one of the most affordable satellite/subwoofer combination packages ever to be offered by the company. Paired with the system's 8-inch 100-watt powered subwoofer, the HD Theater 500 is a fine performer overall, though we were happier with its movie performance than its musical capabilities. It can't quite trump the similarly priced and sized Energy Take Classic, which remains the 5.1 system to beat in this category.

Design and features
The HD Theater 500 is a six-piece (5.1) system consisting of four satellite speakers, a center channel speaker, and a subwoofer. The curvy cabinets are finished in a combination of satin and high-gloss black with removable black cloth grilles.

The satellites measure 6 inches tall and the center speaker stretches 9 inches wide. The satellites and center speaker each feature a horn-loaded 0.75-inch aluminum tweeter and a 2.5-inch woofer. Reminiscent of the company's massive movie theater speakers, those horn-loaded tweeters resemble an inverted cone. They help the tweeter project a focused treble frequency range with less room interaction from floor and ceiling reflections than conventional box speakers. This composition makes for a better and more precise imaging performance.

The center speaker uses two 2.5-inch woofers that flank the tweeter. All of the speakers are molded with ABS plastic--which is solid enough--though nowhere near as impressive as the Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 injection-molded mineral-filled polymer cabinets.

The satellites come with plastic adjustable wall-mount brackets that allow for up to 40 degrees of lateral movement. This lets you aim the speakers toward the listening position for the best possible performance. The center channel speaker can be wall mounted or placed in the supplied rubber cradle. Additionally, Klipsch offers optional floor stands for use with all of the speakers in the system.

The speakers' plastic spring-clip connectors won't accept banana plugs, so you'll have to use bare wire or wires terminated with pins. We really don't think spring clips belong on a $600 speaker package, as they don't produce as secure and reliable of a connection as screw-on or banana connectors.

We would have liked to have seen something better than spring clips for the connection interface.

The black "Pica" vinyl-covered, medium-density fiberboard subwoofer is fashioned with a rear-mounted port. An 8-inch fiber-composite woofer is mounted on the bottom panel, and a 100-watt amplifier resides inside the cabinet. It's a rather plain-looking box, though the curved corners are a nice design touch. The subwoofer's connectivity allows for stereo speaker and line level (RCA) inputs. Altogether, the woofer measures in at 13.9 inches tall by 12.5 inches wide by 12.5 inches deep.

Setting up the HD Theater 500 went off without a hitch. The owner's manual recommends a 150 Hertz subwoofer-to-satellite crossover setting, and that's exactly what we used with our Denon AVR-3808CI receiver. We should note that a 120 Hertz crossover setting is also acceptable. However, not all receivers have adjustable bass management or crossover frequency options, so if you're considering buying the HD Theater 500, check and see if your receiver supports such functionality. A quick word on the subwoofer's volume control knob: we noticed that it's quite sensitive, so even tiny movements made big changes in volume.

If you place the satellites on a shelf, make sure to apply stick-on rubber pads to the bottoms of the speakers. We neglected to do that at first and noticed that loud movies put out so much sound that the speakers actually moved out of position. With the pads installed, the speakers stayed put.

Those new to the world of home theater might want to check out a Klipsch produced video that takes the guesswork out of setup.

The HD Theater 500 stands as the middle model of the HD Theater line. The HD Theater 300 ($400) uses identical satellite speakers as the HD Theater 500, but features a smaller 6.5-inch subwoofer. The HD Theater 1000 ($900) comes with larger satellites and subwoofer.

Performance
We used the "Body of Lies" Blu-ray to sort out the HD Theater 500's sonic skill set. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a CIA agent who must hunt down the mastermind behind a wave of terrorist attacks. Dialogue remained clear even as bombs exploded and heavy gunfire ricocheted off the surround speaker channels. The complete HD Theater 500 system conjured an excellent sense of ambiance as DiCaprio tracks bad guys through busy street scenes.

Satellite to subwoofer matching was very good, a difficult feat to achieve with the tiny satellites found in the HD Theater 500. Bass performance was punchy and potent, but never flirted with a bloaty or boomy sound.

Jazz guitarist Mike Stern's new DVD, "New Morning: The Paris Concert" demonstrated the HD Theater 500's musical side. Stern's hard-hitting rhythm section packed a wallop, making it hard to believe that all of the sound was coming from such a lifestyle-friendly system. The clarity of the sound was above par while Stern's fleet fingered fretwork dazzled at every turn.

Cat Power's "Jukebox" CD--while in stereo--produced a wide, yet detailed soundstage. The main limitation in stereo mode was volume capability as we detected some strain and distortion when we turned up the system. The orchestral strings on the "Birth" soundtrack CD were also a bit harsh, even when we listened at a moderate volume.

If there's one system that tops the HD Theater 500 in its price range, it's the Energy Take Classic. The Take Classic's gloss black finish and crisp styling looks nicer, and while we didn't have it on hand for a direct comparison, we think it sounded better than the HD Theater 500. Our main reasoning for this conclusion is how the Take Classic handled full throttle home theater action flicks with greater ease. Also, the Energy subwoofer also produced a more impactful bass while the satellites' sound was more refined, specifically excelling during our testing with classical music.

See pricing