ottscay

Wow, Amy has been the real constant since I first joined the Klipsch forums (some time the better part of a decade ago?). A well-deserved congrats!

Wow, as a HUGE fan of the 83's over the original 7s, I sure hope there's a solid reason to revert to a 7-II type of speakers

About 6-8 months ago I emailed the address in the iFi manual trying to get an adapter for my 80gb video ipod to work with my iFi. I didn't get a reply, and for a while I just played stuff straight from iTunes (I have the iFi hooked up to my computer as well) but my wife just got an ipod Nano (the last generation, not the newest ones) and now we need to be able to share it. Who do I need to contact to get the necessary adapter sleeves? Thanks! P.S. And I thought my RF-83s were cool...now I gotta save up for a pair of Palladiums...

Thanks for the input guys! Colter, I already have a 7.1 all-Klipsch system based on the RF-83s (and an old pair of RF-7s to boot) and he has a 3.1 system made up of Klipsch I sold him to help fund my new (Klipsch) purchases, so it's not any lack of satisfaction with Klipsch products. He just really loves woodworking and wanted to combine his interests. I'm sure he'll get his own account and join the forum sooner or later. I have to admit, I'm temped to try experiements, like putting current reference line hardware in a curved encolsure to see what effect resonance reduction has (not that I'm going to sacrifice my speakers, mind you). I'm too much of a wuss to ever butcher my own speakers of course. I showed him the Jubilee projects posted here, and he was pretty interested, so that may be what he goes for. Thanks to everyone!

I have a good friend who is an excellent woodworker and a uge music fan (more importantly, a Klipsch fan). He wants to get into DIY speaker making for personal fun (maybe someday I can scor apair off of him). Can anyone of you DIYers clue me in as to where to start looking for drivers, tweeters, etc that would be appropriate for a Klipsch-like sound? Does Klipsch sell them? Thanks!

Wait guys. You aren't even discussing all the relevant numbers here. 1080p at 24hz (or 48 or 72 or 96) is indeed superior to films shown at 1080i 60hz because it eliminates the judder created by 3:2 pulldown. Now of course there aren't that many displays that currently can accept and display such outputs, but if the OP wants to plan a HT for the future to put together, he is thinking in the right direction. For everyone else, whether or not 1080p 60hz is better than 1080i 60hz depends on whether or not the 3:2 pulldown performed by the player is better than that your display can perform (which in new displays should be minimal).

She does have a sister, but she's married. Also, here sister isn't a Klipsch girl...although her husband recently became a Klipsch fan when they watched The Incredibles at reference levels at our house (muh wah ha ha ha ha!). I used to live in Laramie, but now I'm managing the science at a museum in Thermopolis...hence the looooong drive to and from Denver. But if you WY/CO guys get together with some advanced warning (or want to come up and see our system) let me know and I'll see if the GF and I can get our schedules clear.

So, I just flew back from Canada to Denver (it's a 7 hour drive from there to my small town in no-where Wyoming) and so when my girlfriend and I passed through Fort Collins we stopped at the local Ultimate Electronics (birth place of my original -35 and -7 systems) and Ovation Audio. To clarify for you mid-westeners, this isn't the Ovation Audio chain, it's a locally owned audiophile store. As such, there's no Klipsch (that's a knock too snooty audio-fools, not to Klipsch!), but there are some awesome elexctronics (and tubes galore), and some ver interesting speakers. I was looking at an Omega speaker, which had a single "full-range" 4 inch driver on a rear-ported slightly over-sized box. I finally let curiosity get the better of me and asked the proprietor how a speaker like that could put out much bass. His response was "Just like the other ones, by moving air". I'm sure he thought this was funny, but having several semesters worth of phsics under my belt, I had to bite my tongue pretty hard. After telling us that some of his customers had proclaimed it the best sounding speaker they'd heard, he fire the speaker up; with orchestral music, you could indeed hear the advantage of not having a cross-over (there is klipsch-like upper end detail, and a perfectly smooth transition from the highs into the midrange). But it did, indeed, lack bass, and it was also coloring the sound, which was painfully obvious on the male vocal track he put on next, whcih sounded atrocious. My girlfriend was not impressed, and you could see it in her facial expression. She asked about the dual concentric drivers on a pair of Tannoy's, and after a short lecture from the proprietor about how famous and intricate and unparalleled they were, he played them for us. The did sound much better than the Omega did, although there was some strange sibilance present, and they lacked the authority (especially in the low end) of the RF-83s. After a minute or two of listening, my girlfriend got up and announced "I guess I'm a Klispch girl", and that was that. We left without purchasing anything. I've never been prouder. P.S. To be fair, the speakers we heard were probably not placed as well as mine, and some were less expensive. Still, considering the absolute snub given by a place like that to Klipsch products, I expected to at least hear something as good as m home system, if not substantially better. I love the -83s, almost as much as I love my Klipsch-girl!

I've heard both, and they are both sweet speakers (IMO the best Reference speakers ever made), but the 83 has more midbass and lower extension. It's worth every penny (assuming you have enough of them!).

I doubt anything could be exponentially better than the RC-7, but having owned it and the RC-64, I can say that I think the RC-64 is substantially better. Off-axis performance is better, and it sounds more natural ("effortless" is the only word to describe it). I also think the RF-83s are a substantial improvement over the RF-7s (still own both), although to a lesser degree than with the center channel speakers. My girlfriend thinks the new Ref IVs are an even bigger improvement than I do, and she's a musician, so take that how you will.

I bought the RF-83s and am using the RF-7s are surrounds. They blend fine, although you may want to think about getting the RC-64 to go with your Ref IV mains if you go this route (it will fill a room better than the RC-7, and match the horns of the RF-83s perfectly). IMO the RF-83s are decidely better speakers than the RF-7s...and I really like the RF-7. Not only is the midrange response improved, but the bass output is noticeably better (volume and control, to my ears). The top end is also smoother. There isn't much more to a speaker, so as far as I'm concerned, they're better in every way than the fantastic RF-7s. You should demo them yourself, of course, but I'd encourage you to go this route.

Thanks for the feedback guys; Don't get me wrong, the RF-7s are awesome speakers. And I certainly could listen to them all day without listening fatigue, just not with some types of music at some volumes. And I doubt my Arcam could be considered anything but warm, so it's not what's driving them. The RF-83s just have a smoother highend. Whether you like that or not is personal taste, although I suspect it's more accurate, and in my case at least it invites longer listening at higher volumes for treble-heavy music.

And once again I'm thankful for my girlfriend. We have none of the issues discussed in either list...she actually pushed for me to get the latest upgrade. She's a keeper!

I just posted my review on the RF-83s in the Home Theater forum (I replaced a pair of RF-7s). Having listened to them side by side in my house on the same electronics, I think the RF-83s are better in nearly every way. The highend is smoother, and the midbass is far better. They even extend a bit further down. Both are excellent speakers, however, so I hope you enjoy your purchase!

Glad you liked it Jay; your story helped convince me to do it, and hopefully I can help others make a good decision in the same way. As for direct radiators (RB-75s), I normally listen to a lot of multichannel music, and bookshelfs are better in that capacity. Also, my 7.1 setup wraps around the back (as opposed to having two in back and two on the sides), so I find that more localization helps the illustion of panning across behind me. It's not necessarily true for other setups (my theater is narrrow and long), and I've heard very good things about the new Ref IV surrounds (very similar to the THX Ultra II series), and I imagine they are very good for home theater.

I took the plunge. I drove two hours to my nearest Klipsch dealer after work Thursday to pick up my new speakers (a week earlier than expected...thanks Klipsch!), came back and set them up with the help of my beautiful, kind, and patient girlfriend Jen that night (or, more accurately, very early Friday morning). I've now had several days to listen to them, with both a variety of music and several movies. Here are my impressions: My setup: You can read my signature for source information; I had an RF & RC-7 home theater with four RB-75s as surrounds. I switched my pair of RF-7's to take over for one set of rear RB-75s, and put the RF-83s and RC-64 eagerly into duty. I point out the switch of the RF-7s to side surround because I have some thoughts on using floorstanders as surrounds I'll share at the end. Appearances and first impresions: I got the new speakers in cherry, to match my existing setup (it's lucky I wasn't able to get my original speakers in maple like I'd wanted, I wouldn't have been able to match them with the Reference IVs!) . The wood veneer is very nice, in line with what we've come to expect with the RF-7s. The "knife-edge" back does look fancier, but since it's on the side I don't normally see, it doesn't matter so much to me (it may help with WAF, but luckily my significant other cares more about sound reproduction). More important to me, the binding posts are much nicer than the Ref IIIs. The RC-64 looks stunning and, frankly, like the monster it is. It's very heavy for a center channel (I have it on the floor in front of my TV until I can get a new support shelf that will safely hold it). I also like the looks of the RF-83, but I was less sure when I took them out of their boxes. The 83s are more stately than the RF-7s, and the inverted dust caps reinforce this elegance. While I know that thin is in, the taller, deeper cabinet just didn't "look" like what I was used to. After a day or two, however, that initial feeling of "different" has faded, in no small part due to their performance. By the way, I really liked the photos of the 83s I'd seen, so it's a tad strange that I had this initial reaction. As the old saw goes: There's no accounting for taste. A note on the inverted dust caps; I like them a lot (I actually kind of missed them when I upgraded from my RF-35 series speakers to the RF-7 series), so I'm already biased in their favor. Ditto for the magnetic grills, which I find much more elegant than the old peg grills of the -7 series. Your miliage may vary depending on taste. Finally....the plastic feet on the RF-83s are in my opinion much improved. I know many will still wish that they were powder coated metal (I wouldn't mind myself), but they are much sturdier now, and they don't look flimsy either. The carpet nails work well and make the speaker stable, which is good since they are taller and narrower than the RF-7s! Music performance: I recently took my Denon universal player out of my setup so I could play with the HD-DVD Toshiba HD-A1, which is not as good at playing redbook CDs, and can't play SACDs or DVD-A. Hence my comparison will only be to the last few weeks of playing CDs on my current player on the RF-7s. First, the new horns; much was made on these forums about how the new horns are smaller than the monsters on the RF/RC-7. Some apparently felt this was going to be a step down. I am far from an expert in speaker design, but I can tell you that however the Klipsc engineers managed it, the highs are much better on the RF-83s. Less coloration, less forward presentation, no listening fatigue. Don't get me wrong, I loved m RF-7s, and have always loved the "live" Klipsch sound, but I don't like having listening fatigue after 30 minutes of a piano concerto (or 10 minutes of Count Basie). The new horns are an absolute pleasure to listen to. Perhaps the best way I can sum it up is that previiously I never turned up the volume past 55 (and normally had it around 50 for treble-heavy music). When we popped in big Band music, I had it up to 62 before I knew it. It was simply a more inviting listening experience, where I wanted to pay more attention to the music that was playing. And it sounded plenty "alive". I, of course, had long noted on the spec sheets that the RF-83s can reach 3 Hz lower than the RF-7s (to 29 Hz). The spec differences are audible, but what can't be conveyed through the spec sheet is how much fuller the mid-bass is. In this sense orchestral music is much improved (and obviously rap and alternative also recieve a benefit). We listen with a subwoofer, but you really don't need one for music, as there are gobs of mid bass that don't run out. I was playing most of my music with surround matrix processing (NEO6 mostly), as I haven't had time to play with positioning much yet (outside of basic dropping them into the corners and toeing the mains in towards the main seating area). I therefore have no opinion on the stereo imaging of the new speakers relative to the RF-7s, although there is an improvment in imaging in surround matrix modes (this becomes important below). Home Theater: I love my movie sound, and these speakers really, really come through in this department. In Revenge of the Sith you could hear the separation of the fighters long after they'd flown forward and were only being played on the front speakers. The extra bass extension is important (when the glass ball breaks in the THX storm demo, I literally felt the impact). But even more important here is agin the mid-bass; since there is more bass coming from each speaker, you get much, much better localization with surround effects (not that the REF IIIs were slackers). In my theater room the RC-64 gets rid of the issue of "off-axis" dialogue intelligability. It also brings new details to life. In The Incredibles, when Mrs. Incredible picks rubble off of hubby and drops it before chewing him out, you hear the rock fall onto the floor distinctly, but without slapping you in the face. The best way I can sum up the improvement with the new center channel is there is an ease with which it does it's job (I assume this is why others have described it as "natural" sounding). It was almost disconcerting initially as I realized (for the first time) that the RC-7 does color dialogue somewhat. But I found it instantly drawing me into movies, as the speaker disappears and the dialogue simply comes from the actors on screen. And remember, at the moment my RC-64 is sitting on the floor, much further from the screen than it will be in a week. I had a friend come over and demo the opening space battle of RotS, after which we watched the new directors cut of Kingdom of Heaven. He's not an audiophile, but plays music and has a good ear, and he noticed similar improvements without any prodding. Final thoughts: I have been studiously trying to avoid other improvements to surround sound (the rear array), because moving the RF-7 back there has also dramatically improved rear surround. I am now a huge fan of using floorstanders for surrounds (I know there are others, far wiser than I, who have been championing this idea on these very forums for some time, but this is the first I've gotten to hear it for myself). As a result, I am seriously considering moving to RF-63s for rear surrounds as money permitts. In the mean time, I must give two enthusiastic thumbs up to the RF-83s and RC-64. IMHO, anyone looking to upgrade, or who want to extract a little bit more from their home theater, owes it to themselves to go listen to the new REF IVs. Jen, who cares less about movies than music, is just as impressed with the new speakers, so my emphasis on home theater improvements is simply my bias. In the next few months some professional reviewers will likely get to help write up these speakers, but in the mean time I hope you've enjoed the opinion of one avid non-professional and his (did I mention wonderful?) girlfriend. Hope you all enjoy! Dvorak is over, and I'm going to go watch a movie!

One thing I cherish about my girlfriend is she is a trained musician, and has a really good ear. So she has taken a strong interest in the hobby, and even partcipated in evaluating speakers for my last upgrade. We both "hear" the same thing, in the sense that we both notice differences, but she is usually far more adept at identifying what that difference is.

Yeah Jay, you can take credit for pushing me over the edge on the decision. I tried everything I could to hear them up front (my dealer gave me a good deal, but two -83s and an rc-64 are not inexpensive, no matter how you cut it), but my location in BFE prevented me from hearing anything but the rf-63s (which also helped sell me, since they share the tweater), so your positive review gave me the confidence to try them (of course I could have returned them if they ahdn't met expectations, but that's another 4 hours of driving, plus I'd feel bad since they guy is a pretty small dealer). I have them playing big band music on repeat while I'm at work today...I'll go home and play some Linkin Park or Eminem or whatnot to give the bass a real workout...although Count Bassie relies to a suprising degree on midbass presence.

Yay!!!! Mine came in Wednesday (a week or two earlier than predicted) so I drove the four hour round trip to Casper last night to pick them up. So far my first impresions are very favorable; the highs are more open and there is no listening fatigue, the midbass is more prominent, which actually is more important (to me) than the slightly lower extensions, although that's also nice. Lovin 'em so far...I'll give a more complete review in a few days in the HT forum.

Oh...my...gawd! <-- Runs away sobbing.

Bump...no comments from any of the employees?

I suppose it depends on how you want to define "existence". The emotional experiences people have when they encounter ghosts (or angels) are unquestionably real, but I don't believe either exists in some ontologically independent way outside of our heads. Or put another way: A tree that falls in the forest with no one around still makes a sound, but ghosts (and angels) only exist when human minds are present to "observe" them.

I had decided to use my bonus to go for the new rf-83/rc-64 combo, but my dealer just told me the cherry towers are sold out and won't be available for 2-3 weeks [:'(]. I assume I don't have to wax on about the importance of instant gratification in this hobby... So, what's the deal Klipsch employees? Are the towers selling that well? I want you to sell a ton of them, but not when it gets in the way of my purchase. []

I also want to hear your impressions. I will demo the speakers later this week, and if I like what I hear I am seriously considering getting the rf-83 rc-64 combo. Also, it occurred to me that rf-63s would make awesome surrounds (when I can afford it) since my rb-75s won't be timbre matched to my front end any more (although I doubt it will be too objectionable, but for surround music, how could you go wrong with rf-63 rears?).

Hey...where can one get an RF-7 replacement grill? One of my friends broke the peg (and dribbled some paint on it) during repainting. The speaker is otherwise in immaculate shape, and I don't want it spoiled by a damaged grill.