Klipsch Outdoor Speaker Review (Model KHO-7)
Last Spring, we installed two Klipsch KHO-7 Outdoor Speakers on our deck. Kim picked these up from Best Buy as a birthday gift for me, but that link is to Amazon where they retail for $10 less and ship free. Here’s the official site for the Klipsch KHO-7 if you want to get all the specs, some of which I’ll highlight below.
I’ll start by saying none of the writers on this blog are audiophiles. I have a cursory knowledge of what’s important in a speaker, but honestly, when push comes to shove I don’t really understand how all of the specifications should affect the sound. I know that range is important for hearing high and low pitches, and wattage ratings will roughly correlate to the amount of loudness a speaker will generate before it blows. I know that you shouldn’t operate the speaker outside of the standard operating temperature range. That’s about it.
Fortunately, the reality is that it really doesn’t matter that I (and probably you) don’t know much about speaker specifications. After all, all the specs in the world won’t really tell you how it sounds. That’s experiential.
So in some ways this review won’t be all that useful, since you really have to hear and compare speakers to appreciate their qualities. But, if you need to pick up speakers in a pinch, or want to avoid going through the comparison shopping, here’s our take to help you out.
Klipsh KHO-7 Review
The Highs: crystal clear sound at low and high volumes across a wide range; enough dB from two speakers to thoroughly aggravate the neighbors; lasted through a very cold Winter unscathed, sleek design.
The Lows: Bass is adequate, but not as strong as some might prefer.
The Verdict: An excellent outdoor speaker solution for 95% of all installations at a reasonable price.
Klipsch Speaker Setup
Before I get started on the details, here’s how we’re set up:
We’re powering the Klipsch KHO-7s with a simple 100 watt x 2 stereo receiver located in the closet of our master bedroom. The stereo uses a local Apple Airport Express as an input. The Airport Express receives a wireless signal from Kim’s laptop, which houses our music collection in iTunes.
The iTunes installation is controlled by Apple’s free Remote App on both Kim’s and my iPhone devices. This allows us to control the music selection and volume from our phones while sitting on the deck. (and yes, since it is on both phones, we can have control duels).
If you’re interested in setting this up, check out our article on multi-room audio for your home that describes how you can achieve the same setup at a pretty low cost (especially if you already have an iPhone or iPod Touch).
Features Review
Range and Power: The Klipsch KHO-7 sports a 65Hz – 20kHz range that creates crystal clear audio reproduction. The speakers are rated for 75 watts continuous (300 peak), which produces ample volume to easily overpower a noisy crowd, and will very easily annoy your neighbors within 150 feet if used at max volume.
Dimensions and Mounting: The KHO-7 is 12.25″ wide x 6.25″ high x 8.25″ deep. Weight is about 6 lbs. The KHO-7s mounts with a C-style bracket anchored by two screws into the masonry or wood exterior of the house (note: it can’t be mounted into siding alone, as this isn’t strong enough – you must find a stud or header behind the siding).
Performance Review
We’ve listened to a wide variety of talk and music programming on the KHO-7s all last Summer and are just getting ready to fire them back up this year. Overall, the sound quality is fantastic at low and high volumes; we’re very happy with the purchase.
As I said in the introduction, for some people the bass reproduction will be less than desired, but is very adequate for most music types. (For instance, if you want heart-thumping R&B or rap music, you’ll need to add a sub-woofer to the setup).
Given that we like to entertain on our deck and want the music to complement (and not detract from) conversations, the KHO-7s have been perfect for this purpose, and easily cast sound down into the back yard. In fact, we keep the volume on the receiver set to 25% to ensure we never blow out the neighborhood.
Price & Where to Buy
You can find the Klipsch speakers at a number of retailers for between $299 $ $349. Amazon sells them at this link for $299 with free shipping.
What do you think? Do you own the Klipsch KHO-7s or another outdoor speaker? Have a question about our setup? Add your thoughts below!
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3 Responses to Klipsch Outdoor Speaker Review (Model KHO-7)
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March 26th, 2010 1:50 am
We got some from Outdoor Speaker Depot, they were less than $100. They sound good for the volume we listen at. I like the sound of your iphone/itunes setup. We have a volume switch just inside the door, but you can’t control what’s playing…
March 31st, 2010 3:30 pm
The real test of an outdoor speaker, besides the obvious “how it sounds”, comes in it’s longevity. If left outdoors through the winter the effects of moisture usually will have a detrimental effect, even though they are supposedly meant to withstand this most electronics do not fair well when subjected to the elements. The best plan would be to bring them in when not in use and you will probably extend their lifespan considerably. As to the sound quality, this is very subjective. Due to the fact that most outdoor speakers employ higher levels of plastic than indoor speakers do they tend to have a harder time reproducing all of the frequencies, I.E. they don’t sound as good! But the bottom line is as always, if they sound good to you that’s all that matters!
April 1st, 2010 12:11 am
Hi Brian,
No doubt what you say here rings true… but I can say that the Klipsch speakers sounds as good as my middle-of-the-road home theater speakers on our interior system.
Your tip on taking them in during the Winter definitely doesn’t fall on deaf ears. We certainly *should have* done that, but procrastination got the best of us–all the way until Spring. We’ll definitely bring them in at the end of next Season.