jstoli

I recently purchased the Arcam AVR300 ($2,000) and for me it works great with my RF7's. It has a hefty torroidal transformer, providing a true 120WPC in stereo, and 100x7 in surround. Unless you listen as insane volumes or have a big room, that kind of power should be more than sufficient. The Arcam has a very nice sound, which complements the sometimes bright RF7's quite nicely. The only drawback is lack of HDMI inputs; would need to step up to the AVR350 for that ($2,500), but it's not important to me. Other than that, I'm very happy with the Arcam and would highly recommend it.

I bought the RF7's back in January, and even with my 10 year old Pioneer receiver, they sounded great, although they got a bit harsh above 100 dB, presumably due to the low quality amp in the reciever. But it was time to step up something better. Since I live in an apartment right now, mega-power separates would be just plain overkill, so I decided on a good quality AV receiver. I was originally looking at the NAD T763 when I happened to read about Arcam and their AVR300 AV receiver ($2,000). The Arcam got lots of rave reviews from pros and consumers alike for both two-channel and home theater, so I decided to give one a try and bring it home for a listen. Even though I have only listened at very moderate levels (70-80 dB), I immediately noticed a major sound improvement over my old Pioneer. To my ears, it was almost as dramatic as the switch from my previous PSB's to the RF7's. Quite a bit more detail, and a much warmer sound, which helps dampen the brightness of the horns. Deeper, tighter bass too. The unit has a hefty amp, with a big torroidal transformer to provide lots of current and reserve power. It's rated at a true 120 WPC in stereo, and 100 x 7 in surround mode. So it should have no problem driving my RF7's to the volumes I will typically listen at. One really nice feature for audiophile types is the true "direct" mode for two-channel listening. The direct mode actually completely shuts off the digital processing in addition to bypassing that loop. Haven't listened to any surround modes yet, but I'm sure that will sound spectacular too. One last thing about the Arcam is that it's a very nice looking piece of equipment: classy and elegant, yet simple and understated, especially in black. Anyways, I would highly recommed the AVR300, and Arcam in general, to anyone seeking an upgrade; it's well worth the money. I think I'm gonna go listen to some Frank Zappa right now....

I purchased mine brand new just in the nick of time, on Jan. 23. I really didn't want to get them just yet, but with the new Reference Series looming I decided to go for it. I paid a bit more than most posters recommended ($1750 in Daytona, FL), but I wasn't going to risk not getting these babies by haggling over a couple hundred bucks. I suspect more RF7's will become available as some owners upgrade to the new RF83's. I'm sure the RF83's will sound great too. Looks like I'll have to get to Daytona for a listen... Jason

400 watt Mac sure sounds sweet (pun intended). Now I'm really curious about the Rotels. Never knew much about them until I looked at their website today. Very impressive. Any idea what kind of peak output the RB-1080 has for its 200 WPC? The RB-1090 puts out 380 WPC, with 1,000 watt peaks. Geez, on the 102 dB RF-7's, that translates into an ear-splitting 132 dB!! I really need to get a portable SPL meter to see for myself just how loud is "loud". Even at 10 W continuous with my 100 W receiver, that's still over 110 dB on the RF7's. I definitely want to get some higher quality amplification at some point though to really unleash those RF7's. Jason

For what it's worth, I bought a pair of RF7's a few weeks ago, and I haven't noticed any midrange deficiencies at all. And I have played all different kinds of music on them (rock, jazz, classical, etc.). As others have said on various posts, the RF7's can be very "in your face" with midrange and high frequencies, so you might want to listen to the RF5, RF7, and the new Reference Series before making a decision. I have not heard the RF5 or the new Ref Ser, but i'm sure they sound great too. Let your ears be the judge and buy what sounds best to you. Jason

Thanks to all for the congrats and advice. My space constraints are limited right now, so I have them against the wall pretty close. The bass is still excellent, so it's not a problem. I usually keep the grilles on to make them look more elegant, so if it helps with the brightness, all the better. However, it's cool to take off the grilles occasionally and watch those big 10" woofers pump out the sound [] KlipsDude, interesting similarity with the Polk Rti 12's. They did sound very balanced and look great, but they were totally eclipsed by the RF-7's in terms of bass, dynamics, and clarity. The RF-7's really do produce a "live" sound. I have the Rush Chronicles CD, and the live songs "What You're Doing", "Passage to Bangkok", and "Mystic Rhythms" make me sound like I'm front row! What a way to go deaf! If I had really had my way, I would have gotten my high school dream speakers, the Polk SDA-SRS. They are by far the most incredible speakers I have ever heard. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no space for the six foot, 180 lb. behemoths. Oh well, not like I'm really wanting for anything with the RF-7's... Jason

Here's the PSB 500's that the RF-7's replaced. My brother will be getting these, along with the Pioneer receiver and probably the Sony CD changer too. Great starter system.

AV Receiver: Pioneer VSX-504S, 110 WPC CD Player: Sony CDP-C325 Carousel EQ/Analyzer: Yamaha EQ-550 Even with the Pioneer receiver, the RF-7's sound awesome, and play just about as loud as I can tolerate with no distortion or clipping.

They're crammed in my bedroom right now. Eventually will be part of a home theather in the family room.

Let's see if I can get it to work this time...

Okay, I'm still figuring out how to add some pics, so just bear with me []

Greetings Fellow Klipsch Fanatics! As a belated Xmas present for myself, I just purchased a brand new pair of black RF-7's. Originally I was looking at Polk Rti 12's and listened to them several times, but I had seen a thread on the Polk forum comparing the two, so I had to give the Klipsch's a look, since I really wasn't familiar with the brand. I was very impressed and decided to give them an audition. Wow, I was simply blown away!! So I bought them yesterday and brought them home. Had to make two trips since my Bimmer would fit only one of the monsters at a time! (hehe) Now that they are hooked up, they sound even better than at the dealer. I have attached some pics of my setup, which is very modest and about 10 years old. I will eventually upgrade the Pioneer receiver to probably an Outlaw amp & pre/pro, and the Sony Carousel to one that can play SACD. The Yamaha EQ will get used as needed for deficient recordings, but I haven't found the need to use it so far since the RF-7's sound great with the tones set flat. The PSB 500 speakers did the job admirably for a long time, and produce an amazing amount of bass for their size. However, the RF-7's are in a whole different league! Here are my observations so far after one day: 1. They look awesome, especially in black. Makes for a very nice contrast with the copper woofers. 2. They play very LOUD! I barely turn the volume to about "2", and already the RF-7's are louder than the PSB's at "4". I dare not turn it up past "4" just yet as they are still getting broken in. I can only imagine what they will sound like with a real heavy duty amp! 3. They have a very wide dynamic range. 4. The highs are very crisp and clear, even at lower volumes, and reveal a lot of detail. I am hearing background noises in recordings that I never even knew existed, like pages turning or breaths being taken. Makes for a very "live" sounding performance, which I love. 5. They do sound a shade bright, but nothing I will complain about. Besides, the brightness should subside over time as the tweets get broken in. The dealer said that it can take 100 hours for the tweeters/horns to fully soften. 6. Unless you're a total bass freak or have a very large room, I see no need for a separate subwoofer with the RF-7's. Those four 10" woofers are already shaking the walls pretty good! As you can tell, I am extremely happy with my purchase, and in my opinion the RF-7's are worth every penny. For those of you on the fence in making a decision, just go for it! You will not be disappointed! Jason