Zen Traveler

I know it pisses me off! [:@] I only have 2 RSW series subs in my small Home Theater and evidently not enough speakers. [6]

Oops. I guess you weren't responding to me.[:$] The Yamaha RXV-4600 is THX Select 2 and retails for $1900.

Wow THX Ultra 2 for under a $1,000. Things must really be coming down in price.

Which Yammi under $1000 is Ultra 2 certified? [:^)] BTW, I prefer Denon AVR's after having both Yamaha and Pioneer's in my home.

Nice Home Theater setup. [] I am not familiar with your DVD player and the resolution of your SD TV. If your DVD player isn't progressive scan then that would be my first upgrade. If it is, I don't know what the difference would be between an HD set or your SD tv. On my display (listed below) DVD's played on Progressive scan are PHENOMINAL and only slightly below High Definition material I get off my satellite.

FWIW, I have a 7.1 setup (Klf 20's/C-7/RS-3's and Synergy Ksb 3.1's for rears w/ksw-15) being run by a Denon AVR-3803 and have NEVER had it shut off. The room is 1600 sq ft that is sparsely furnished and we play that system LOUD! [] I bet his problem is a short. []

Me too.[] Welcome to the forum ram2500. We would also like to hear your impressions of your very nice Home Theater. [H] I am also a fan of using towers for surrounds. [Y]

I couldn't agree with you more! I gave that DVD away I was so disappointed. [:|] Off the top of my head and always on my rotation are: Sarah Mclachlan--Afterglow Live depeche mode--One night in Paris INXS--Live Baby Live To name a few...[Y]

FWIW, I would lean towards going for it then. [Y] I don't regret purchasing the RB-75's for rear surrounds and moving my RS-7's to "B" surrounds (ala my Denon). I prefer my RF-3 towers ("A" surround) to both the RB-75's or the RS-75's for multi channel music and concerts. If additional towers wouldn't work in your setup then I feel the RB-75's would do the job nicely especially if they are mounted on bookshelves on the side. Keep us posted.

I switched from RS-7's to RB-75's for my rears in a 7.1 configuration and have to admit it was my least cost effective purchase. They both sound good, but in a rear surround situation (for most things) it was a lateral move. The largest benefit would be on well recorded multichannel music (although I gather some people like to listen to 2 Channel on AVR's multichannel settings) or if your surrounds were directly to the sides of your listening position. IMO, for concerts and movies the advantage would depend on your ears and your room. [H]

I would like to thank Art for inviting this multi channel fellow to my first 2 channel event. I remembering listening to "Stereo" as a younger guy but it was nothing like what I was privileged to listen to yesterday. We listened to DVD-A, Sacd, and redbook cd's on Art's Dunlavy speakers and Seadog's Cornwalls which he was nice enough to lug over. It was the first time I had ever heard tube amps (see Arthurs profile) and it sounded sweet. My initial impressions were different than what I thought since returning home and listening to my system. At first I compared apples to apples speaker-wise. I played my RF-7's in two channel mode with some of the material I heard at Art's. It sounded good, but nowhere near as dynamic as either the Cornwalls or the Dunlavys ( I am sure my room and electronics also had something to do with it). I then included my subwoofers with my mains and then the smile returned to my face. I couldn't help myself. I put everything back in multi channel mode and let 'er rip. [] I now understand the passion of 2 channel aficionados, although with my listening habits I won't be getting rid of any speakers. I also see why Fish misses DFW. Not only was Arthurs a gracious host, the other participants were fun to be with and brought some great (along with a few interesting) listening material. My only regret was that the neighbor didn't come over and enjoy the music.[] Have a good week fellows.

Thanks for the invite Art. [] I will be driving in from Denton and can help load speakers if anyone needs a hand. I also have a couple of portable 2 wheelers (130 lb limit). I wasn't planning on bringing any audio equipment, but can bring a pair of Klipsch RB-75 bookshelf speakers if someone wants to hear them. Let me know if any of these things are needed. I look forward to seeing everyone.

Good morning rmlowz, If the RF-83's sound more like the THX ultra II system (with a bigger sound stage) than the upper end Reference system I own then I definitely want to hear the complete new Reference HT. I was ready to purchase the Klipsch THX Home Theater but after hearing them on 4 occasions (including at Klipsch HQ last year) I didn't like them as much as my HT even if they were comparable in price, much less 3 times more expensive (as what I paid for my "9.2" system listed below). Thanks for sharing your opinion. []

It sounds like the audiophiles are uniting. [] I have owned my RF-7's for over 2 years and will listen to the RF-83's. I don't doubt they are a quality speaker. The comment, "If you are an audiophile you will without a doubt upgrade and rid yourself of -RF-7's," needed at least a response from someone who has enjoyed the hobby for 20+ years and own RF-7's. IMO, if the RF-7's sounded harsh with an Aragon 2007 and Parasound equipment, I wouldn't even consider a horn (tweeter) speaker.

[] Now there's an opinion for us wannabe audiophiles. [H]

I too love the Netherlands. Over the last 20 years I have gone an average of once a year. Most of the time I fly into Schiphol, take a train to Centraal Station and then the train to Gasperplaas and walk to the campground. Amsterdam is one of the most incredible cities I have ever been to. The art and architecture is second to none. The Dutch are very hospitable people. That being said, I will leave my observations of how the people that I came in contact with feel towards Americans, post Iraqi invasion as opposed to pre war. Getting back to the topic at hand, let me share and experience I had 10 years ago: When you leave the beautiful city of Amsterdam and go towards the outskirts by train, you run into neighborhoods of extremely high tenement buildings that house generations of immigrants. The last several visits I did not notice the Africans loitering on the train as they had in the past. Back then as I rode with them to my campsite and looked at the massive run down buildings, I wondered what these people did to survive. On one particular trip I was the only white guy in train car full of black youth that evidently spent a lot of time riding the trains with nowhere to go. Pretty much everyone in the car was expressionless until the next stop when 3 police officers boarded the train to check for tickets. I was curious how many of the people I was riding with had purchased tickets. When the police boarded, I noticed that everyone was appearing to look at me. [:^)] To my surprise everyone had tickets. I showed my ticket and as the police left the train, and in a moment I will never forget, all of the people staring at me as well as myself, started to grin uncontrollably. [] It wasn't until I relayed my experience to a Dutch friend that I learned 2 things. One: Evidently Americans are notorious for riding public transportation in Amsterdam without paying because it is based on the honor system; and two:The Dutch government subsidizes transportation to the poor. They also subsidize housing, but it appears to me the people in those houses aren't as privy to the educational system as they are in the United States (my impression). I heard on National Public Radio the other day that the Dutch Government has a video that is geared to the Middle Eastern and African population that is considering immigrating to the Netherlands. It depicts how liberal they are by showing women bathing topless, 2 men kissing, while expressing how populated (read, crowded) the Netherlands are. The story on NPR was highlighting the fact that conservative folks from those regions may not want to not move there. Regardless, I can see why the Dutch are proud of their society and aren't eager to move. Insofar as art is concerned I can't believe timmikid left out Vincent Van Gogh! His genious is exhibited en masse at the museum with his name in Amsterdam and on the German/Holland border in Otterlo's Kroller Muller museum. I highly recommend both. I also want to say those of you that like cheese need to check out their "Old Amsterdam" cheese (Black label) which is incredible. This week I found some in Kroger and was ecstatic. []

For those of you that don't like concert DVD's I can highly recommend Peter Gabriel's "Play--The Videos." It has a 5.1 DTS 96/24 mix that is phenomenal! I agree that some older concerts don't transfer well to the DVD 5.1 format, and of course a live performance is not going to be as polished as a studio recording. I agree with Def Leper about Rush not sounding good on DVD but I disagree with the video footage on Queen being outdated. Out of the four Queen DVD concerts I own, the "We will Rock you" is at the top of my list for both audio and video. Insofar as another DVD that I like--REM's "Perfect Square," is a good concert performance. That being said and to agree that studio mixes are sonically better than a concert, after watching this DVD I seem to always put in the DVD-Audio of REM's greatest hits (i.e. "The Best of REM") and am floored with the quality in sound. E-Bow the letter REALLY makes the ole RSWs cook! [H]

Concert DVD's rock! The Eagles "Farewell tour" took the place of "HFO," as my favorite Eagles DVD. If you liked either one of these I can recommend Don Henley's " Live-Inside Job." It sounds and looks good. Both Peter Gabriel's concerts are excellent on DVD. My current fave is "Live in Paris-The Exciter Tour," by depeche Mode. It's recorded better than the earlier "devotional," DVD. My favorite female artist by far is Sarah McLachlan. Her "Afterglow Live" DVD will bring a tear to your eye (songs are sped up and sang at a faster pace than her CD's). I appreciate this being a 2 channel thread, but as others have said-- multi-channel DVD's took the place of my CD collection. My only complaint is that on some concerts the crowd noise is overwhelming (especially between songs). Welcome to the world of live perfomances in your home with all of their visual and sonic glory. [<)]

I believe you purchased the wrong surround speakers and if you love your RF-35's but don't listen to your system THAT is easily the problem. You didn't mention what you were using as your center, but if it's part of the quintet series you should be ecstatic by upgrading to the Reference series. The RC-35 and RS-35's have just been discontinued and you should be able to find a closeout price in retail stores. They should also give you a time limit that you can return them and get your money back if you are not satisfied.

I own 2 pairs of RB-75's. One set is used as mains in the Bedroom and the other are these that I use as rears in a 7.1 configuration (or 9.2 depending how you look at it [H]). I am EXTREMELY happy with both, but I have to admit they are overkill in each situation. IMO, for rear surrounds the RB-81's would more than suffice. That being said I feel the RB-75's would keep their resale value more. Good luck on your decision. []

I don't think you could go wrong with the RB-81's but the RB-75's grill sits flush with the front of the speaker as the RB-81, not like the RF-7 or RC-7.[:^)]

Hey Scooterdog, I am sorry I got to this thread late--They evidently deleted the AVS thread. I don't know anything about the group mentioned but if it was a Klipsch bash I was ready to get into the fray and offer some slack. []

Congratulations and welcome to the forum buckeye nut. We look forward to your impressions. []

In the DFW area the Magnolia stores are in Bestbuy and are relatively small. I have been on several occasions but soundwise nothing really was going on. Those 1080p monitors are a different story [] The last time I was in, the sales person was going through 3 different systems (in the one sound room) for another customer and I have to admit I was intrigued by the Vienna Acoustic speakers. They looked nice and I liked the sound of that "Lone woman and the guitar" (that IS what they were playing []) compared to the other 2 setups. I was thinking about taking in my own music to audition.

You mentioned in your original post about RS-3's that I thought you also had. If not, they have been discontinued for quite some time and can be found used, cheap. If you are on a budget, I would forgo the second set of surrounds, find some RS-3's (and maybe even some recently discontinued RS-7's in stores or the internet) and get the RSW-15.