wdrazek

I would have spent about $3-400 if that was the best price available. Above that price I would move up to a Slim Devices Squeezebox and separate amp and speakers. That is my current migration path from the iFi. IMO, the iFi kills the competition and is much better than the iGroove (I own both).

Agreed. The ref satellites are nice, but the RB75 must totally outclass them. With so much information directed to the center channel, I have to believe the best move is to upgrade it first and then worry about the surrounds.

I picked up my RSX5's for $170 shipped at www.audiogon.com It's the best place for used gear and people there generally take great care of their stuff. Mine arrived in perfect condition in their original boxes.

Late to this thread, but I love my iFi too. It's great bang for the buck.

I recommend going with a 60" if you can. My 50" is great at 9 feet. At 11 feet I think it would be a little small for long term use. The 2:1 rule is about right - you want to sit roughly twice the size of the screen away. Of course, it also depends on what you are used to. If you had a 27" before a 50" will look big. One other thing to remember is that for a given screen size a widescreen TV has a lot less viewing area than a standard 4:3. I think a 32" old style is roughly a 42" wide screen in terms of viewing area.

You can try Rob Lubas at Barrett's in Algonquin. He did well for me on my HT setup and gave very good service after the sale. 847-551-1008. Tell him Wayne Drazek sent you.

I second the nod to the RVX42's in front. In my den with a 50" plasma they rock as LCR's. In the rear I've moved from RSX4's to RSX5's and in that application there is a small improvement but if I were to pick between the 4's and 5's I'd go for the 5's. This is based on their larger size and bigger bass driver. And the recommendation of many others I've heard around here.

I find 192 in AAC to be OK but like 320 a bit better. If my Ipod could hold it, I'd have ripped everything in lossless. Higher resolution is something a lot of us would pay for if it was available. I'm surprised it hasn't been offered as a higher cost option.

The specs clearly indicate that they have high output, if not quite the maximum range of a K-horn. The speed I can't answer as I'm using the RVX series. The smallest one ioutputs up to 107db at one meter and the True signature does 117db 'very conservatively' according to their website.

I am interested, too. Never been to one of these but it sounds like fun. My habitat is in downtown Chicago.

I'm not surprised to hear that these subs should be crossed over fairly low, but below 80 surprises me a little. That's where I have them and they sound OK to me. It could be because crossing them even lower causes a hole with the RVX42's which don't reach down very far. They do mate much better than my old Energy Take 5's did years back. I wonder if the Junior gives a little more latitude with a higher crossover point since it's a pair of 7's instead of 9's. Just thinking...

Thanks for the insight. I'm running an original Sunfire True that I've had for several years. It's never let me down and has matched a number of speakers quite well. I noticed that with very small speakers - the NHT Zero's they had that hole in the upper bass. It's the only match that didn't work. For the little system I'm thinking about getting a Junior. How did you like it?

In my HT I run Klipsch ref (RVX42's, RSX5's) with a Sunfire True subwoofer. Love it. No hole in the upper bass, great impact and extention to 16 hz. Fine. Has anyone tried a Sunfire with the smaller ref's - namely the RVX 5's or the RVX 4's? I'd be interested to know for a compact second room music system. As in the HT room, the Klipsch subs are way too big for my needs.

I think so. The reason I tried the RSX4 was because I felt there was a 'hooded' quality to the sound of the RSX3's. In hindsight, that may have been partly due to placement - the 3's and 4's both have pretty narrow dispersion so if you're not listening straight on they can sound hallow. In any case, the 4's sound more open and extended to me. Not sure what the specs are, but the quality of sound is definitely better to my ears and I have no interest in going back. .

I second the Pioneer Elite suggestion. Great build, great sound and features and they were the first with automatic room correction. Mates very well with Klipsch Ref in my HT.

The Bose isn't bad for what it is, but it isn't even close to the iFi.

The RF7 is the ideal match, but the RF83 should be close. If you want dead on, and are starting from scratch stick with the RC64 and RS 62 for the RF83.

It sounds like you have a lemon, provided the sub level is set up correctly and the wires are all tight.

I haven't played my CD changer more than twice in the last 2 years. If you haven't either digitize the collection. That way you might actually listen to your music instead of letting it sit idle. My CD's are getting ripped at 320kbp AAC and played through an Ipod and Ifi with RSX4's. It's great for what it is, and I think a lot of people would be happy with it. It stomps on Bose and other lower end alternatives, including the IGroove. 2 full weekends of ripping and my 400+ CD's will be done. Sending them to a professional is about $1 - 1.50 per disk. My plan long term is to do lossless compression (FLAC or Apple) and the Slim Devices Squeezebox www.slimdevices.com, storing the music on an external drive. At $300 the Squeezebox is more expensive than the Linksys but it has high grade parts, great user support and lots of tweaks if you're into that. With lossless conversion it then becomes worth it to invest in good quality audio components. I don't know if I'd invest in good audio at 320kbp and I would definitely not at 128 kbp.

Also be sure to check to make sure your speakers are wired in phase. The manual should cover this. If the leads are switched it can make it sound wrong - thin and without punch, although maybe not to the degree you seem to be experiencing.

oh and in two weeks I get a pair of Klipsch RF-83 but there low-fi so nothing to worry about ??

Sorry, the 3's were designed before the Ifi ever saw the light of day so they were not designed to go with the sub and amp combination. On the other hand, I don't doubt that the sub/amplifier was EQ'd to match the 3's. But what I hear is better sound quality from the 4's - they are more open and transparent than the 3's. Period. And, with the positioning options for the sub and volume control over its output it sounds pretty flat to my ears. It also most definitely does not have that hole in the upper bass sub/sats are known for. Room acoustics strongly affect FR in real life situations. Since they are from the same lineup I would expect the FR differences between the 3 and 4 to be rather small. I understand the synergy of building things as a system, but I trust what my ears are telling me. And I will say this - while not high end, properly set up the Ifi with RSX4's is a real hi-fi system. Particularly with 320kbp AAC encoding. YMMV.

If it has a headphone out, yes. But you'll have to buy a cord for it.

Actually, I just bought a used pair of RSX5's on Audiogon yesterday. I'm tempted to try them out too but I may just use them as rears in my HT and keep happy with the 4's and the Ifi sub. It's nice to be able to move upward in the Klipsch line with the Ifi and improve an already good sounding setup.

Cool. I just ordered a pair of RSX 5's and will see what they sound like with the IFI amp and sub. If it's better than the RSX4 with Ifi that will be (almost) heaven. The RSX4 is a big step above the 3 .