Pistol Pete

If the RF-5s sound anything like the RF-3IIs then I would not recommend the RC-25 or even the RC-35 for center channel duty. I initially purchased the RC-35 to go with my RF3IIs and did not like the combo, I purchased the RC-3II thinking it may make a slight differenence and to my surprise it made a big difference, I am much happier with the RC-3II over the RC-35 with my RF-3II mains.

Home Theater System Sony KP-43T70 43" High Definition Rear Projection Television Denon AVR-3300 A/V Receiver used as Preamp/Processor DBX BX-1 Reference Configurable Power Amplifier '88 Klipschorn's (OO) (Mains), '78 La Scala (BR) (Center) DBX BX-3MkII Configurable Power Amplifier - '62 Vertical Cornwall II's (WO)(Rears) & '89 Heresy IIs (WO) (Rear Centers/Effects) DBX BX-3MkII Configurable Power Amplifier - Kicker S15L5 DVC Subwoofer Velodyne F1500R Servo Drive Subwoofer w/remote Nakamichi DVD-10 DVD/LCD/CD Player DBX DX-5 Audiophile CD Player w/DAIR Technics SL-DL5 DD Linear Tracking Turntable w/Shure Cartridge & Stylus JVC HR-S7500U S-VHS Hi-Fi Video Cassette Recorder RCA DRD-485RG Dolby Digital Satellite Receiver DBX 400XG Program Route Selector DBX 120X-DS Subharmonic Synthesizer/Electronic Crossover DBX 3BX-DS 3-Band Dynamic Range Controller (2) 1-L, 1-R DBX 14/10 14-Band Computerized Equalizer/Analyzer/RTA/SPL Meter Panamax 1000+ Surge Protector/Line Conditioner >>>>>>> ha ha ha ! What do you buy all your crap at Goodwill?

Ha ha, you are still using a 3300? That was the worst sounding receiver I ever owned, and not surprisingly it was the worst $1000 I ever spent.

The title was supposed to read: Yamaha lets Klipsch speakers do their thing and Denon does not. Lots of Yamaha bashing going on around and I figured it was time Denon got some. I have been in the HT side of things for 5 or so years , my very first "serious" HT receiver was a Denon AVR-3300. At the time I was using some Paradigm Monitor series speakers which were already enemic souding as it it. If you like Denon just buy a Yamaha and throw a thick comforter over your Klipsch speakers, you'll be all set.

---------------- On 12/17/2003 7:53:01 PM john4618 wrote: I forgot to ask: If I were to buy a different new receiver, what do you all recommend as the 'perfect match' with Klipsch ??? ---------------- You are already there, congrats! If anything try experimenting with speaker placement and room treatments.

Very nice set-up! What electronics are you using in that rack?

I think 15% off MSRP is about the max most authorized dealers like to take off...in other words demand at least 15%. So $1870 a pair for the RF-7s is pretty realistic and doable. I have heard of the Good Guys running a 25% off all speakers coupon before which would bring the RF-7s to $1650 +tx.

Upper end Yamaha decks sound great with Klipch speakers, you could not give me a Denon, they are overly warm almost veiled sounding to my ears. I like Yamaha then Sony then Onkyo, Denon and B&K are on the bottom of my list.

Well I can tell you that the ported RC-35 sounds WAY differnet than the sealed RC-3II center and the RC-3II matches perfectly with the RF-3IIs while the RC-35 is VERY different sounding. If anyone with RF-3IIs is picky about their front 3 channels matching sonically and likes the RF-3IIs sound then I highly reccommend the RC-3II center and not the RC-35. After spending more than a month with the RC-35 I learned to dislike it, it sounded less and less like my RF-3IIs and in the end I quit using it. I tested and tested and tested and could not get anything satisfying out of it. I have had my RC-3II for about 3 days now and I have run all sorts of material thru it and I love it, it has exceeded my expectations by quite abit since I have read alot of negative feedback on it. I am happy now.

Guys I finally got my RC-3II...I paid abit too much for it considering the Good Guys had them for $175 over the Thanksgiving weekend...however because of this Ebay is flooded with them so they can be had for $210-$230. Wow, IMO Klipsch downgraded when making the RC-35, I really prefer the sound of the RC-3II.. these two centers sound alot different. Unlike the RC-35 , the RC-3IIs match very well to my RF-3IIs. I wish I had gotten and RC-3II to begin with now because I will take a good loss selling my RC-35. IMO the RC-35 colors the sound, I tried to like it but every time I compared dialogue coming from it compared to my RF-3IIs the coloring became obvious. The RC-3II does not color voice tones at all, its completely natural sounding like the RF-3IIs. I could live with the RC-35 if I had RF-35 mains but I am glad I dont have to. My prior research that led me to buy the RC-35 made me believe that the RC-35 and RC-3II sound somewhat similar. IMO the difference between these 2 center channels is night and day.

There is an Academy at my local Pawn Shop for $250 or $260..its not mint or anything and one of the drivers has a crack in the cone but it sounds perfect. Anyone here need it?

ARE ALL WATTS EQUAL Technically, yes.

If you ever build a dedicated HT then you will be glad you have black speakers.

If I were going with a surround set-up based on the RB-25s and my reciever was 6.1 then I would get 3 pairs of RB-25s and call it a day. The RB-25s do everything very well.

Just over a month ago I found a pair of Klipsch RF-3IIs at my local Good Guys for $500 a pair on clearance...after a quick listen I bought them and then began upgrading the rest of my speakers. I bought the RF-3IIs for mains, an RC-35 as a center and RB-25s for surround duty. I just love all of them except the RC-35..which I am selling and I just purchased an RC-3II to replace it. The RC-35 is a great sounding center its just not a perfect match for my RF-3IIs, I most certainly would keep it if I had the RF-35s. The RF-3IIs are self exclamatory, everyone already knows they sound incredible so I wont talk about them. I am here to tell you that the RB-25s are the surprise performers of my recent speaker purchases. With 2 channel music they had jaw dropping mids and highs , they are sweet and very satisfying to listen to alone or with a subwoofer. With speakers set to small they pretty much go as loud as my RF-3IIs and boy do they sound good when fed alot of juice! I feel guilty using them as surrounds, I almost want to get something else for the surrounds and use the RB-25s in a dedicated 2 channel rig. I paid $360 for mine from an authorized dealer which is alot more than the internet prices are and I dont feel a tad bit ripped off, in fact I would feel just fine if I had paid $500 for the pair. IMO the RB-25s outperform the RB-15s, RB-35s , older RB-3IIs and the older RB-5IIs. The RB-25s and a decent sounding sealed subwoofer , a decent integrated amp and a nice CD player would make a fine 2 channel rig! Hypethetically speaking, if it came down to it I would almost rather that them than the RF-3IIs and that is saying alot. IMO the RB-25s are a perfect surround speaker, in size and sound, I just love them.

I would expect a drastic improvment between the RF-3IIs and RF-7s especially since I bought my RF-3IIs for $500 NIB from an authorized dealer. As far as I know the best that same dealer can do on the RF-7s is about $1850 + tx so $2000 or about 4X the cost of my RF-3IIs! I like the RF-3IIs and being that I have been in this hobby a long time already and have filtered thru too many speakers to list over the course of many years I already know that no speaker is perfect and no speaker will ever be the "last pair". That being said , since I have only had the RF-3IIs for a short time , it will be at least a few years before I upgrade again unless I found a killer deal on some RF-7s. If I did happen to find such a deal I would move the RF-3IIs and RC-3II to the rear 3 channels and have the RF-7s and RC-7 up front.

My RX-V3300 has been a workhorse since I bought it a few months ago. If you like the unit then try another, sounds like they might have had a bad batch in that store or something. I bet you are glad you bought it from an authorized dealer now eh? Anyone who owns a current Yamaha know that the brightness that Yamaha has been known for in the past is gone, IMO Denon's sound too dark and muddy and ruin the sweet upper end that Klipsch speakers produce. The Denon is a nice piece as well and if you like the sound then go for it..its really up to you since you are the one who has to listen to it every day. My RX-V3300 is my 3th HT receiver that I have owned since I got into the HT end of the audio hobby 6 years ago. The first was a Denon , then a Sony ES finally the Yamaha. The Yamaha is my favorite by far for various reasons.

Yeah, didn't you have like for like a week ?

I bought an RC-3II to match with my RF-3IIs and I was going to use the RC-35 for a rear surround but its abit too big. I bought it just over a month ago from an authorized dealer, The Good Guys. $280 shipped or I would consider trading it for a Denon DVD-1600 , Panasonic RP-82 , XP30 or XP50 DVD player.

Actually it is a form of price control but its not a selfish reason by Klipsch its for the protection of their dealers probably enforced moreso by the dealers. Klipsch needs big dealers like the Good Guys to stay in business, if the Good Guys sees Klipsch speakers selling for 50% off what they sell them for and they find Klipsch backs them up as well then the Good Guys could drop their product line like a hot potatoe if they wanted to. Dont be confused...Klipsch needs the dealers , the dealers dont need Klipsch. Only so many vendors can get into a store, the list of vendors that are trying to get their products into store like The Good Guys is very long, it takes years. And Best Buy? ...ha ha good luck getting your product in their store.

I think I will go ahead and buy an RC-3II and keep the RC-35 as well , then I will put whichever I like the least to the rear center since my receiver is 6.1 anyways. RF-3IIs Mains RC-3II center RB-25 Surrounds RC-35 center I think it should work out good either way, thanks for the replys everyone.

I should also add that my Yamaha RX-V3300 has a center channel EQ that is for matching your center more closely to your mains...I have experimented with this and I can get the RC-35 to match women's voices identically to the RF-3IIs but mens voices are still different. The closer your front 3 speakers sound the smoother left to right and right to left panning will sound..(or as I have read anyways..the panning does sound smooth with the RC-35s and RF-3IIs but who knows ..perhaps something magical happens when the front three are the exact same.) Ideally I should have another RF-3II as a center but this is not possible. To be totally honest the more I critically compare the RC-35 to the RF-3IIs the more different they sound. I almost wish I had not done any extensive testing but now its too late, I am in a perfection rut that will never end.

cjgeraci thanks alot that info is helpful, I would really rather not have to spend the money on an RC-3II if it is not what I expect it to be. Here is what I did to compare the RC-35 against the RF-3IIs. I ran some heavy dialogue material , Fight Club is perfect for this as Edward Norton does alot of talking. I hooked up only one left main RF-3II and the RC-35 then I switched from DD to Stereo on my reciever remote, this would switch between both speakers pretty quickly so I could compare the sounds. IMO the RC-35 is quite different sounding than the RF-3II. I guess I expect the RC-3II to sound the same as the RF-3IIs , is this not so? Can you give a brief description of the RC-3II to me based on the knowledge that I have an RC-35 and RF-3IIs in my possession. Specifically how the dialogue in womens and mens voices sound. Also I should add that to me the RC-35 and RF-3IIs do women's voices more closely and mens voices are quite abit different. I have a feeling that I would be expecting too much for the RC-3II to sound like the RF-3IIs. If anyone in the Western Washington area has an RC3II to bring over to my place for an audition I would be glad to suppy some beer and snacks.

easylistener, in your opinion would you say that the RC-35 is alot or a little bit different than the RC-3II and how so? Thanks A bunch by the way, this thread could save me alot of time!

cjgeraci, thanks for the reply...all I know is the RC-35 seems to have a deeper quality it ads to voices while the RF-3IIs seem to sound lighter and almost clearer to my ears. I am not saying the RF-3IIs sound better for voices but just different...both are enjoyable. Just how close did you examine the RC-3II vs the RC-35? Perhaps Klipsch gave these center channels a certain sound on purpopse. Does the RC-3II sound a huskyer for voices than the RC-35s as well? I would sure feel foolish if I sold my RC-35 and then regreted it later on when I got an RC-3II to find that they sound the same but the latter does not sound as clean up high.