decibel man

All of the above are valid opinions and good insight. I think I may still have to go check out a couple of these babies to see if we can get to the bottom of this debate. I have been to the parts express warehouse a few times to pick up the occasional parts for my shop speakers and other projects. If there is nothing wrong with these speakers the only gripe I would have with Klipsch is the price on their replacement parts. If I paid $70 a driver for my RF-3 drivers and those are only $700 speakers. What the heck would the price be on the RF-7 drivers? I can't seem to find the parts listing on this site anymore. My problem is that we bought the speakers from Klipsch and had a problem that required replacement parts (in my case a careless mover). Then to reward the consumer for purchasing a Klipsch product Klipsch sticks it to them if they need replacement parts. I get it if the parts are not in production because you then have warehousing and inventory cost to cover, but that is a small amount on current parts. I also work for a manufacturer (we do food and pharma ingredients) and I have had problems where the customer ruins a load of product at no fault to our company. In a case of this nature I will sell them replacement product at cut price if it is available. I help them out when I can for being loyal to our organization. I am getting tired and I am starting to babble (sp?) so I will end it here. If I can get down there in the next week or two I will follow up with a post. Good night all! JT

Just another quick point. The stated power for the 620 does not say anything about all channels being driven at the same time. Also, it looks like you would have to manually switch between 8 and 4 ohms. This always brings attention, because of the implication that there could be damage to the amp or speakers if you try to run 4ohm speakers in 8 ohm mode. The only way damage can happen when this is done is through lack of power or current (the level of abuse won't have to be as high to damage the equipment). By switching the receiver over to 4 ohm mode it must have some sort of power boost. I am not sure what it does, but maybe it pulls more of its power from lower class amplification. Yammy does not list the current amp's on the manual spec sheet. Have you guys checked out the lower end Denon's? They have some nice gear for the buck.

This should help you out: http://www.dolby.com/ht/Guide.HomeTheater.0110.html#chapter3

LH is right, the RS's are made to be rear side surrounds. They should be flanking the listening position with the woofers aimed at the listening position at ear level. JT

Just a little FYI, www.ubid.com has quite a few KLFC-7's up for auction. JT

Just a couple of quick additions to the post: Have you listened to a yammy with your speakers or at least with Klipsch yet? Although I have not either, their have been posts in the past about the yammy's being a little too bright with our already accurate speakers. Also, current is a major influence in sound quality, it is as important as wattage. Power is kind of like water going through a hose. Our Klipsch speakers don't require a whole lot, but having the extra current available when needed is a must have. High current is like having a fire hose and low current is like having a garden hose. Which one do you think will have more water available when needed? The SPL on one Cornwall speaker at one meter would be 116.5 dbs when the Outlaw (or similar high current amp source) runs out of juice. That is pretty damn loud. I have an old (15years) HK550I stereo reciever and I have yet to have a clipping problem with its 45 watts and +/- 30 amps of current. My guess is that the HTR units will have 20 to 25 amps of current or less, even at 100 watts. That is probably the weight difference in the RXV and HTR, a bigger toriodial transformer. All that being said I have steered a couple of my friends toward yammy's in the past. In both cases they did not have Klipsch (Paradigm and B&W). The yammy's fit the bill for both of them. Whatever you buy, just make sure you have a money back guarantee. Better yet, try to audition the unit or a similar one before purchase. It sounds like this is a very important purchase for your systems, as it should be, so take your time and make sure you are comfortable with the purchase. JT

KD, there isn't a difference in sound quality as much as there is a difference in build quality. The "better" toslink or optical cables will fit more snug in the connector, keeping out tiny dust particles that can eventually affect the signal. They are also typically more resistant to kinking. Some cables stop working properly if they get kinked. There are other issue, but those are the main ones. I have a higher end Monster on my DVD-player, but I was a little nieve when I bought it 3 or 4 years ago. I have helped my friends pick out a several cables in recent times. They all went with cables in the $25 to $50 range. The build quality wasn't too bad for that money. My cable on the other hand looks like it could be mistaken for 4 gauge wire, and it should for $100. I this helps you in your quest for the speed of light. Happy listening and enjoy! JT

Two things concern me. First the lack of pre-outs for other five channels and secondly there is only one digital coax input. That doesn't give you alot of flexibility as far as hook-ups go. My cable box is only coax and so is my CD-player. I would have a problem with just these two basic components. My friend got a yammy to run his B&W 303's and it does it very well. I think it was the 5250 or 5280 I am not sure. It has some definite querks with regards to ease of operation. I remember him having to go through a few extra operations to get it to play back DTS, but overall it is a good value. I have heard a couple of complaints about yammy's being too harsh with the already brighter (and of coarse lovely) sounding Klipsch speakers. Just my two cents. Good luck and enjoy! JT ps: I would wait until you can come up with another $100 and get the Outlaw receiver.

I like the "light bulb" analogy. I think we are all on the same page. JT

Kain64, 1) This one I am not 100 percent on. The negative db reading is only a reference point it doesn't actually mean that there is negative sound, obviously. With most receivers, when you turn them all the way up to "0 db" they are at normal full amplification. Anything after that could be a pre-amplification gain. That is why the current trend is to display negative db levels to show how close the receiver is to full amplification. Again this varies between manufacturers and models. 2) The amount of power used is dictated by the speaker NOT the receiver. Because the Klipsch speakers are so efficient they hardly use any power. I doubt that the RF-7's in most listening conditions will ever use more than 20 or 30 watts. That is loud, really loud! Efficiency is based on the sensitivity rating of the speaker, usually represented in a spl rating. The rating for the RF-7's is 102db. That is measured in a lab using one watt at a distance of one meter and only one speaker. The formula is: when the wattage is double the spl goes up 3 db's. 1 watt = 102 dbs 2 watts = 105 dbs 4 watts = 108 dbs 8 watts = 111 dbls = loud 16 watts = 114 dbls = louder 32 watts = 117 dbls = damn loud and so on.... A 100 watt receiver doesn't always put out 100 watts it just puts out as much power as the speakers need up 100 watts. I would love to get into a discussion about current and amperage, but time is short. I hope this makes things clearer than mud for you. There are plenty of other people that will probably chime in on this one. Enjoy and happy listening! JT

All pretty good points. This brings us back to the age old question: what the hell is Klipch doing to improve it's representation in the marketplace? There are a whopping two dealers within a 60 mile radius of my house and both are pretty damn apathetic towards Klipsch. And it seems that the Paradigm staff has done a much better job of building relationships with these two local retailers. Hint, hint if your current representation sucks, find somebody new. There are plenty of other dealers in the area that would do a better job. I haven't even bothered going to try and hear the new RF-7's, because earlier this summer I asked a manager when they would be getting them in and he asked ME when would they becoming out as if he had heard nothing about them. I would have to assume he knew they were out, and he just pretended that Klipch hadn't informed him yet as to blame Klipsch for him not having a pair on display yet. Could have walked out with some Studio 100's though. In the words of the eternally great Droopy Dog "That makes me mad" JT This message has been edited by decibel man on 11-19-2001 at 12:24 AM

Mark Levinson is only doing work for Lexus for now. My mother-in-law just got a new LS430 and opted not to get the $8,000 upgraded Mark Levinson audio system. I beleive it is available in all four of the 400 series models. The car is still pretty nice without the Mark Levinson system, but what the hell I would have gone for the gusto!

Unfortunately, I have degrading hearing in my left ear. I don't know if it will progress, as it seems to have leveled off in recent years. I am only 29 and it is one on my greatest fears of aging. I want to be able to stop and listen to the Klipsches as I get older. I have had my left ear flushed and the process was not fun, mostly because I had an inner ear infection and the whole area was sensitive. I couldn't tell if I could hear better, because I was to busy having an alegetic reaction to the two Codine tablets the doctor told me to take. The whole not being able to breath thing was requiring most of my attention. All I can say is if your children have ear problems, go to a specialist and don't hesitate to put tubes in if recomended. I have a greater fear of losing my hearing then my sight, and that is not just because I am a stereo geek. I have traveled and seen enough, I just like listening to people, music, and life in general. JT

This is a Sony receiver (picture it in the box)... this is a Sony receiver once it is plugged into the electrical outlet (see above description). Understand! Don't do Sony!!! Sorry about the metaphor, I just couldn't pass it up. JT

Speed... I see you already have the Sony receiver. If it was a recent purchase find out if it is returnable. If not don't worry about it for now. I suspect this setup is going to sound much better than whatever you have right now with or without the Sony. If you are stuck with it for now then just consider upgrading in the future. The good thing is the Klipsch speakers won't be too demanding of it. If money is really tight try getting a Denon or Harmon Kardon from www.ubid.com many of us have had good luck finding good deals through UBid. I bought my current receiver from www.jandr.com by phone though. You may be interested in the KSCC1 center speaker which seems to be going for $100 or less on ubid. Good luck and enjoy!!! JT

Big... I have the HK AVR7000 and I suspect you will fall in love with your 510. I am going to try and explain your DVD connection in as simple terms as possible. DVD Connection: Sound: Use a optical cable for sound (it is not that I prefer optical it is just that most other digital sources don't give you a choice, they just stick you with coax because the tech is more common). This will allow for more additions of digital sources in the future (digital cable or satalite, CD players and whatever else you can through at the 510). A $20 to $50 cable should do just fine. Typically the difference in optical cables is just the sturdiness of the cable, not the sound. A better cable will fit better in the connector and will be less likely to kink causing complete or partial loss of sound. Optical cables transport sound data using light so there is no interference from outside sources. Video: This area is a little gray. I would just use a decent s-video cable directly from the DVD player to the TV. The video signal coming from the DVD player does not need to be decoded, it is ready for viewing. A good cable will have some heft to it, heavier shielding and decent gauge wiring. The difference between s-video and composite (single RCA connector, usually yellow) is nothing short of stunning. The jump from s-video to component (three seperate RCA connectors, ussually red, green, and blue) is less visible, but still improved. Lessen here is: if you get a new TV make sure it has component video. TV Connection: Sound: This is NOT for DVD playback, but for watching TV. Connect the stereo RCA outs to the receiver's TV audio inputs. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Logic7 surround mode. It is the same basic philosophy as ProLogicII. It really sounds pretty darn ggod for analog. If you connect your VCR to the TV in the normal fashion you will be able to use this connection to watch movies on the VCR, providing the VCR is stereo. I hope this helps. Also if you have a CD player that is equipped with a digital out, utilize it. You won't believe how much improvement the 510's DAC's will make over most regular CD players. If not, try playing you favorite CD's on your DVD player after you hook up the optical cable. You will not be disappointed. Good luck and enjoy!!! JT Email me if you have any specific questions.

Try the Outlaw out, they have a pretty impressive guarantee of satisfactiion. You can't really loose.

I just got some 14 guage twisted in-wall wire from Home Depot for my outdoor speakers. It was $.22 per foot. It is insulated and is in a twisted config to help keep noise at a minimum. I have 14 guage insulated wire in my garage / workshop that I used for a set of horn loaded speakers I built. That wire is from www.partsexpress.com and is rather reasonable, about the same as the HD above. I have been dealing with them for awhile and have been pleased with their service. Just my two cents.

Get a decent pair of fronts and a decent digital receiver and add the rest as you go. You could probably find a Harmon Kardon 310 and a pair of the RF-3's in that range. If you buy a whole system for $900, you will probably out grow it in a few months. Also check out the System 6 Synergy setup. It has a decent offering for a little more than you want to spend once you get a receiver. Also check out www.ubid.com for discontinued Lengend series speakers and discounted receivers. Just my two cents. JT ps: I tell my friends when they go audio shopping to come up with a price range that they are comfortable with and then spend double that amount. This helps to prevent first time buyers remorse after a few months. I have had my system for a few years and it is time to upgrade, but the bank that owns my house expects me to write them a mortgage check every month.

Do you like Sony recievers? You may want to check out other receiver options, Denon, Yammy, Marrantz, and Harmon Kardon. UBid could be a place to find receivers. Good luck with the project and keep the BB informed along the way. JT

Here is the link to the 38" Loewe: http://www.sensoryscience.com/default.asp?area=loewe

You should really check out Loewe, most dealers are willing to deal with you. It is about the same price as Sony XBR when it is all said and done. The Loewe's are built well and have a most excellant picture. I personally ran into a great deal on a 36" Toshiba that I am very pleased with for now (analog, $600 from $999). I plan on getting a 38" Loewe widescreen direct view when we can afford it. Don't be afraid of the MSRP on the Loewe sets. JT

My family has been season ticket holders for over 40 years. I have probably missed less than 6 games in the last decade, of which most were preseason. I can honestly say that was a great day for the Browns, but more importantly for the Browns' fans. I don't think the players truly knew what that ment to those of us who were scarred by the self-serving liar Art ... oh it still hurts to say his name. I think Butch Davis could be the new mayor in Cleveland with the write ins he will get in the election to come. Go Browns!!! JT

You should check out some of the room structure treatments that 3M has to offer. They have spring loaded wall studs and specific floor insulators, important because of 2nd floor installation. Owens Corning also makes a lot of room acoustical treatments. Just food for thought.

i use www.partsexpress.com for odds and ends. I have even been in their store a few times. Nice people. If you can't find it on their web, you should give them a call. i ahve bought several items that were not listed on their page.