Klipsch RP-500SA Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Speakers (Walnut)

With these speakers you get the traditional Klipsch "detailed" sound out of a very small package. The piano finish is beautiful and the overall craftsmanship is very good at this price point. My only issue is that these are very overpriced for what they are. There are many traditional bookshelf speakers that are much better performers for less money. The only reason they're getting away with the current pricing is very few manufacturers are making high quality Atmos add-ons or elevation type speakers. I guarantee if JBL was to ever get around to doing a similar speaker with their Stage series it would be equal in performance for half the price. The JBL Stage A190 towers already give the RP 8000F's a run for their money at only $600 a pair.Ultimately, I do like these for side or rear surrounds, or even front high speakers. For just a little more money, the Klipsch RP 250s are going to be a much better value especially for surround speaker locations. I just think at this price point they should do more than just produce sound effects (which is all any surround speaker is really doing, especially when the switch on the back of these is set to Atmos which fixes the crossover at 150hz ). I would never even think of considering playing music out of these even at the Surround crossover setting (80 hz). The fact they are sealed (not ported) drastically limits bass output. With that said, that's why I'm knocking the value rating on this speaker because they are ultimately way overpriced for what their actual purpose is designed for.Design rating: 5Value rating: 3Sound quality for surrounds/front highs: 5Sound quality for music: 3If you can make it work in your room, I'd go for a good bookshelf speaker over these as long as you don't have mounting issues (if the bookshelf speaker is ported on the rear.) The Klipsch R15M or the R51M can do more for less money, especially having the option to use them for music down the road. Only issue is, bookshelf speakers are not aesthetically conducive as "tower top" Atmos add on's.

So far I have these on top of my mains (RP8000Fs). Definitely a much better separation of sound coming from above when these are mounted higher on the wall. That's going to be a project for me mainly due to wire management, I don't want the wires dangling on the wall & would need to hire an electrician to drill holes & snake the wires through. Too lazy to do all that now but sound is sound, and the extra sound coming from these is more immersive than not having them. My ceilings are 8', supposedly the upfiring design makes sound bounce off the ceiling if 8', very subtle though & still not the same as mounting them on the wall. If you have taller ceiling or cathedral ceilings, there is likely zero "upfiring" benefit you could hear. But hey, they look cool sitting on the towers lol. In my setup it's easier having these then two extra rears for 7.1, so I am going with 5.1.2Another advantage is the option of a Dialogue lift with my AVR, meaning the center dialogue can get added & spread out to the Atmos speakers in addition to the center channel. For that purpose it's better having these on top of the tower speakers so the sound is coming from the TV. Mounted up high, that feature may sound odd.I cross these over to the sub at 100 hz, I hear most people use that or 120. Atmos speakers are not designed to handle any significant bass, not even effectively down to 80 hz.My overall system these are playing with: AVR - Yamaha Aventage A2A. Two Outlaw Monoblock Amps 2220 powering the fronts (RP8000Fs). This frees up the AVR power more for the other surround speakers including these, making them all come to life a bit more. Center is RP500C & rears are RP500M. Sub is SVS SB3000.Very happy with these as part of a very enjoyable upgrade I have made to my sound system over the past month. Also, especially with Atmos, a total waste of money going with the Gen 2 substantially more $. Gen 2 is the same speaker big picture, just with tweaks to very subtly change the midrange. The subtle difference is for critical music listening, totally not worth it & at times depending on the song I actually preferred how the Gen 1 sounded. But when going to surrounds, especially Atmos, not going to hear any difference so my recommendation is don't spend about twice as much for the Gen 2. If I was willing to spend twice as much, I'd save up a bit to add a bit more and make a real upgrade - to the next tier of speakers. Like the RF7iii or Heritage Forte iv. Maybe down the road I do. Until then I'll keep thoroughly enjoying the current upgrades I made to an entry level Polk set up I had the last 11 years.

Great atmosphere speakers. I have them mounted at the top of my walls in 6 places creating a very realistic sounding above ground level.

Great sounding speaker. You will not be disappointed