ottscay

I just ordered an ifi (from ebay) to use as a computer 2.1 setup. I'll post a report once I get it hooked up and broken in. I love my big Klipsch sound system, and in the past I enjoyed the Promedia Ultras (currently with my girlfriend), but I'm really looking forward to hooking these puppies up to see what they can do with computer sound... Scott

If indeed HD-DVD format players and media fail to get out early (as already announced) then I would gladly agree that the format war is more evenly balanced. Unless there are some insurmountable production problems, I would be _very_ surprised if HD-DVD fails to hit their announced target dates. Their main advantage at this point is greater studio appeal, and presumed market penetration during the 2-5 month head start they'd have. If they miss that, the field is wide open and Blu-Ray's superior technical features may yet win the day. Or...perhaps we would then see a united format, which would certainly be in the consumers' best intersts. Scott

You're right that an extra $100 isn't going to swing market share away from Blu-ray. What will make Blu-ray lose is the 3-5 month head start that HD-DVD will get on releasing titles. HD-DVD will have players and over 100 titles for sale before Christmas, while Blu-ray isn't going to have players available until end Q1 2006, and there have been no anouncements on content availability. I much prefer Blu-ray as a format, but I fear they lost the race and will not recover. Hopefully a united format will yet emerge, but with the first HD-DVD disks being released in the next 2 months, I doubt it. I think HD-DVD will be the emergent champion relatively quickly. Scott

I have about a foot and a half between them and the corners, although the diagonal measurement may be a tad closer. Should I give them more space?

Ok, I just finished setting up my theater in my new house, and now I'm a bit concerned. There are two windows behind my TV I wanted to cover up, so I strung large dark-red movie theater like curtains across much of the back wall. It looks nice and really adds to the "theater" ambience. But it occurred to me that since my RF-7s and RC-7 are rear ported, the curtains may be affecting bass. I've tried A/Bing it, but it takes a while to change the curtains, so I'm not sure if it's a real difference or not. It does seem that the base was getting lost, especially on the center channel, which is entirel in front of the curtain. Is this likely to be my imagination, or should I expect a curtain covered rear wall to interfere with the bass emanating from the rear ports? It's easy enough to movce the curtain ouf the corners to give the RF-7s more wall space (they're corner loaded as well), but I would basically have to completely rethink my decor if I have to move it from behind the RC-7. What do you guys think? Thanks! Scott

This is REALLY killing me. You are all evil. I know that each and everyone one of you are at fault for me not being able to make the pilgrimage. Yup, that's my story, and I'm sticking with it. Ok, I'll stop whining, but I desperatiely wish I knew what you all were talking about! Anyways, I'm glad everyone seems to have had a fun time. I'm off to become a homeowner now! Scott

The RW-12 is a really nice sub to compliment the -35 reference series. I had one with my system. The sub 12 may be as good or a little better, but don't put yourself out trying to find one if it isn't feasible, the RW-12 is a darn decent sub. I only parted with it when I got an rf-7 system, because it was getting overwhelmed. I do recommend getting a sub rather than upgrading your surrounds first. Good luck! Scott

As a person without faith in the supernatural, I still want to send well wishings to any forum member in need, or their friends and/or family. I was taken a bit off guard by Dean's request, but I took no offense. On the other hand, some of the more enthusiastic defender's of Dean's original post are not being fair. I'm sure Dean was sincere (hence no offense taken), but he could just as easiy have asked for best wishes from all. That would have been more inclusive to all well meaning forum members, and would obviously have included prayers from people of faith. We all care about other forum members, and I wouldn't doubt if some people felt excluded (even though it was inadvertent) from this most human of activities; I don't think it's appropriate for some non DeanG zealots to say those people are "arguing over whether to throw a life preserver to a drowning person". I, for one, don't want my tidings for those in need discredited due to my lack of belief any more than a Hindu or Muslim would want theirs discredited because of their differing faiths. Apologies to Dean: I hope for nothing but the best for you and yours. Scott

I demoed the rb-35s vs the rb-25s, and the difference was huge IMO. Sounded much better. The poor reviews for the RC-35 probably stem from timbre problems suffered in earlier models. When I had my rc-35 it sounded great. Also, it matches better with the rb-35s, so I would go that way for sure. Unless you can save up for the -7s... Good luck! Scott

Hmm...after owning a pair of Klipsch PromediaUltras, I knew I had to upgrade the HT setup. I got a Quintet 5.1 system HTIB with a Samsung dvd player/reciever. It went to pot, so I bought a Sony DVD player and a Yammy reciever. Then I got some spendin' cash, and I went out and got a Reference -35 5.1 system with an RW10. The bass was not up to snuff, so I returned it and upgraded to the RW12, which was worlds better. The Yammy was a bit harsh in HT mode, and wasn't good enough for music IMO, so I saved up some more moola and auditioned a hole bunch of AVRs, heard the Arcam AVR-300, saved up yet more cash, and finally got one. One of the strengths of the Arcam is its full-range surround processing for music and its phenominal DD PLIIx matrixing into 7.1 HT surround. So I sold the RS-35s and got four RB-35s for a 7.1 system. At this point my electronics were exceeding my speakers, so when I got a consulting paycheck at the same time as some graduation money, I sold the RX-35 system and got RF-7s and an RC-7. The poor RW12 really couldn't keep up, so I got an RSW-15. Then I got a pair of RB-75s for rears. I still need to save up enough to get a second set to be back to my 7.1 setup, but I'm in a smaller place for a month until I close on the house I'm purchasing, so I'm holding off until the end of summer to get the other pair. Oh, and while my Arcam AVR did an awesome job of driving the RF-7s, I got a stereo amp for extra bass and midrange detail, and upgraded my Sony 975 to a Denon 2910s for better redbook cd playback and DVD-A (in addition to SACD). I am really, really happy with this system, so I no longer have the overwhelming urge to upgrade, although there are a few things here and there that I'm sure will get replaced in the coming months/years. Probably Dean's corssover mods are on that list. So don't feel bad, you are taking the quicker route by upgrading to the top of the line imediately. Congrats! Scott

Thanks Wheelman! I know there are lots of good highend AVRs out there, but I'm really sweet on the Arcam, especially for music listening (2 channel or NEO:6 surround). Also, if you want to go 6.1 or 7.1, the Dolby PLIIx implimentation is fantastic. Very little loss of directionality with far greater sound immersion. I've heard really good things about the B&K AVRs too. I read suprisingly little about the Pioneer Elites (good or bad), although I know some people on the forum are delighted with theirs. I want to get an Arcam dvd player to go with it, but I think I'll wait until one of the high-def formats wins out before investing that much in a player.

Arcam AVR-300. Lots of power, and far and away the most musical reciever you can buy, IMO. Power-wise it even drove my RF-7s admirably for two weeks before I got my stereo amp to take the heat off. As for Yamaha; I didn't listen to the pundits, I had my own (last years model) and it was indeed much too bright for my tastes. I had a less than ideal room, and it was an entry level ($400-500) reciever, so I'm not saying their new highend stuff is bad, but I can attest that Yammys being bright is not just an old cliche. Good luck with whatever you choose! Scott

My Yammy 5760 was way too harsh with my original RF-35s. I upgraded to an Arcam AVR-300, and it sounded fantastic. I still use it, although I use seperate amps for the RF-7s now. Ditch the Yammy unless (mabe) you have to new top of the line model, which I've read good things about. Scott

65% of statistics are made up one the spot. Or is that 75%....? Scott

Lying evil b@st@rd!!! Ok, naw, I don't really care. If you don't like the sound of the 7s, that's cool. I like 'em better than the heritage I've heard. That's why it's important to listen to speakers before you decide. Scott

So...if you have a HT setup, how would you go about integrating a VRD Ilike a Peach) into your setup for excellent 2-channel listening without getting in the way of HT? Thanks!

The RF-7s are better. Oh, did you want a reason? Sheesh! Actually, I've never had the pleasure of listening to Khorns. But I can say that with the right setup the RF-7s sound fantastic for music. They are probably more sensitive to equipment vagaries, but from the stories I've read they are waaaaaaaayyyy less sensitive to room architecture/placement than Khorns are. Scott

From what I've read, for HT the Ultra 2 is the way to go. Although I can asure you that the Ref 7 series is no slouch for home theater. Scott

Oh man...if that had been a cherry finish I'd have snapped it up. It looks to be in excellent condition; good luck, I hope someone takes advantage of this offer. Scott

From what I've red the Ultra II series is noticeably better for HT than the RF-7 series. That said, I can attest that the -7 series is still awesome for HT, and doesn't sacrifice anything when it comes to music. Scott

Ok, I got back and had a chance to hook up my Carver Pro ZR1000 stereo amp up between my Arcam AVR-300 and my RF-7s. I should point out that to my ears, the AVR-300 is the best sounding reciever I have heard (yet!). All other observations were also done with my ears, and I cannot promise similar results for all other listeners... Impressions: My honest first impression was suprise at how similar the sound was; this has to be props for the amp Arcam is putting in their flagship reciever. Of course, for the price they ought to put a darn good amp in there. On longer listening in stereo mode, a few differences became more clear. Mostly, there is a bit more detail in the bass, which is probably to be expected. A much bigger change than musical quality, however, was the soundstage. I had already been marveling at how much more open the soundstage is in the RF-7s compared to my previous RF-35s (which themselves are excellent speakers). Upon hooking up the Carver amp, the soundstage expanded a lot. I was floored. At one point I popped in a new SACD, and it took me 5 songs to notice that it was a stereo recording...I'd assumed it was multi-track because of how expansive the sound was. THAT is a worthwhile upgrade! The Carver sounds very detailed, but to my ears not harsh at all. In part I'm sure this is because the rf-7s are themselves extremely smooth compared to the smaller-horned -35s I was used to. I have already spent many, many hours listening to them (many of them sequential) without any listening fatigue. I hope this brief review is of interest to some! Scott

Edwin, the rb-75s sound fantastic for bookshelf speakers. They would make a superb interm solution until your dedicated corners are ready for new Khorns. Scott

Any thoughts? It'll likely be a while before I can go for a 5 or 7 channel amp, but I want to start thinking about it. What are the pros/cons of the Cinema Grand series vs. the B&K Reference series? Probably looking at 200wpc versions of either of them. I assume either could drive RF-7s without breaking much of a sweat? Thanks! Scott

Ok, I've gotten a lot of interest in these, but no comittments yet. In another 24 hours I'll be posting them on ebay, but there's still time if anyone wants to get them first. Scott

I'm in Laramie, but I could drop them off in Casper also. Scott