Submarine

The reason I chose to ask " Klipsch afficianados" was exactly for that reason. Many here are much more tech oriented than me and also have many other audio/HT experiences. I respect these opinions and they are discussing surround options just as I hoped. I'm leaning towards matching Klipsch ceiling mounted surrounds, although not in-ceiling matching surrounds for this particular application. Appreciate all the discussion.

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10518634_ITM Bose 901's: Review with SPL's measuring all Hz

Here's one of the best 901 article's I've read. He used a meter to accurately measure each Hz on 901's and added some good comments. Extremely reflective surface like tile appears to be best. I read that softer surfaces like dry wall absorb allot of mid and high frequencies. Matching the Klipsch's should be best for most music. I'm going to keep loking at proper positioning and set-up.

I ran into an interesting article on 901's SPL's measured by a SLM across all frequency ranges with comments: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10518634_ITM It seems that softer dry wall absorbs a great deal of high and mid range frequencies. The better reflective surfaces are harder like brick or tile, or heavy glass. For music, a full range matching Kilpsch appears to be best. With different HT seating positions, the 901's may be better. In my processor's set-up, I can adjust surround speaker's distance and default volume. The front of a Proceed AVP2 +6 has dedicated buttons to temporarily adjust default volumes and balance.

Has anyone used 901's strickly as surrounds for both HT and multi-channel music ? I'm looking for much more than my in-ceiling surround speakers for both HT reflected sound and direct multi-channel sound reproduction. I read some guys have added higher end EQ's on 901's to flatten out the mids and add sparkle to the highs. I'd probably use the processor to cross over both the mains and surrounds together between 80-100 Hz with a SVS Ultra 13 covering sub duty. The 901's direct/reflective design appears to have potential as ideal surrounds, if a better/additional EQ can provide improvement to the sound reproduction as surrounds. My room is unusual as I have to mount surrounds in a large vaulted ceiling. Can anyone share experiences and thoughts here? Any particular 901 series that may possibly sound best? Thanks Thanks

Are your 62's mounted on the L/R walls, about even with the seats, with the horns facing front and back? Multi-channel DVD-A, SACD and some redbook CD's in DTS, etc. have music demands that are much more than reflected HT surround sound. Yet, that reflected HT sound quality could work with additional high quality direct sound reproduction for multi-channel. I read some guys have added a higher end EQ to Bose 901's connected only as surrounds. This flattens out their mid-range peak and adds boost/sparkle up on top. I may need something bigger like these if they have the potential to reproduce the sound quality for both HT and multi-channel music.

I'm looking for HT/Musical surrounds for a 30 x 30 Florida room. My in-ceiling Klipsch 8" reference coaxials just don't provide enough room fill. Good for direct music. In fact, too directional for HT sound reproduction in this room. Klipsch's best surround speaker match for RF-7's? I was looking at RS-7's, then saw Klipsch has newer styles for surround design cabinets. Don't know if new ones would match better or are up to RS-7 build quality components. I also found the Paradigm Signature ADP3 v2. Different beast, but one fine looking set of surrounds that does both music and HT very well. Please add your favorite surround speaker choices for RF-7's. Large is fine. A dipole design, with both bi-directional HT reflective qualities and directional music qualities would probably be really good. Thanks

Professor Dean or Another RF-7/RC-7 Upgrade Pro, I am very interested in the best audiophile level upgrade to smooth out the dynamics in the horns with the other two drivers. I purchased the set new in 2003. All's currently stock. AMP: Proceed AMP 5. SUB: SVS Ultra 13 and two HSU MBM-12's. Overall, a very good sound and occassionally excellent, but not what I'd consistantly call beautifully detailed and non-fatiguing and smooth like my Mackie 824 Studio Monitors and REL Storm III. The Mackie dome tweeters really smooth out the vast majority of so many less well-engineered recordings yet have the definition and sparkle that sounds best to me (almost addicting) unless the recordings are exceptional. The best consistant sound I've found is adjusting 2.1 stereo mode with the Klipsch RF7's, SVS Ultra and MBM's first (room calibrated from my processor), then, adding the Mackie 824's and REL through a direct HDMI connection into my Sony TV. This allows me to adjust the Klipsch's, SVS and MBM's first, then blend in the MAckie's and REL. What may be the best recommendations today by Klipsch audiophiles after experiencing various upgrades for the Klipsch RF7/RC7 reference line? I also installed matching Klipsch 8 inch reference ceiling surrounds. Very appreciated.

Professor Dean or Another RF-7/RC-7 Upgrade Pro, I am very interested in the best audiophile level upgrade to smooth out the dynamics in the horns with the other two drivers. I purchased the set new in 2003. All's currently stock. AMP: Proceed AMP 5. SUB: SVS Ultra 13 and two HSU MBM-12's. Overall, a very good sound and occassionally excellent, but not what I'd consistantly call beautifully detailed and non-fatiguing and smooth like my Mackie 824 Studio Monitors and REL Storm III. The Mackie dome tweeters really smooth out the vast majority of so many less well-engineered recordings yet have the definition and sparkle that sounds best to me (almost addicting) unless the recordings are exceptional. What may be the best recommendations today by audiophiles after experiencing various upgrades for the Klipsch RF7/RC7 reference line? I also installed matching Klipsch 8 inch reference ceiling surrounds. Very appreciated.

Another vote on RF 7's and AMP selection: I thought that the few comments I read on harshness was simply inherent to the RF 7's. I couldn't tame it correctly with any settings on my Yamaha RX-V2400. My RF 7's sound much better with the Proceed AMP 5. The limits of the internal amps in my Yamaha reciever, especially for RF 7's, really stood out. Both the Yamaha and Proceed are rated at 120-125 watts each. Huge difference in smoothness, detail, and balance on a linear scale when adjusting the volume. The calibration is effective throughout all sound modes. Any harshness in the higher frequencies was removed when I added the Proceed and recalibrated. I give the RF 7's and Yamahas' internal "Parametric Room Equalizer" / "set-up" calibrator a huge vote. Automatically adjusting each speakers size, distance, Q, and volumes in 10 separate frequencies to a "flat" response worked great with RF 7's and in my listening area. I was actually considering different speakers before changing out the amp and recalibrating. I'm keeping the RF 7's and matching front and surrounds at his point. Very enjoyable and no extended listener fatigue at all. RF 7's are a great value when properly set-up and amped.

Klipsch RF-7 : Pricing info New $2200.00 $1500.00 High $1620.00 Last $740.00 Low Used $1270.00 Oct 01 Aug 08 Klipsch RF-7 released 2001, 10in woofs That's a sales history from a good source. I bought RF 7 demos in 2003 for $1800.00 The sound from the RF 7's alone sound very fast and musical when properly set-up and EQ'd. Their sound balanced out extremely well with a Proceed AMP 5, REL sub and two MBM-12's. Adding home theater, I feel the RF7's and most front's/surrounds benefit with occassional addition of mid-bass and bass, especially in large rooms - 900 sf/approx 8500 cf.

"Doing one sub at a time, I gradually moved the subs out from the corner an inch at a time whle playing music with very low bass. All of a sudden each sub seemed to mesh in with the room somehow and punched out bass depth I never heard before. The only tricky part was integrating the absolute phase of each sub. Initially when I switched on both subs I lost some bass compared with just one sub working. I figured out that both subs were set on '0' phase and one was cancelling out some of the bass of the other. When I switched one of the subs to '180' degree phase, I got the bass back, and then some! Wow! Subwoofer postioning is so important - just a little finetuning can make a big difference..." Perfect follow-up post ...Moving them one inch at a time away from the corners...and reversing the phase on one sub to minimize cancellations... Future technology may make it possible to visualize sound waves in the listening area during set-up and placement. It can remind me of Thomas Edison. After thousands of tests to discover the best filament materials, I read that his first truely successful light bulb still works today after a hundred years! I believe it has been continually "turned on" and displayed at the Smithsonian. Thanks for the successful update.

I'm speechless...that could probably levitate people off your furniture. The "Volume control" and "Play" button should closely guarded by only those with high security clearances. Does your insurance include coverage for home implosions from SPL's ? Obviously, it's a perfect example of truely fuctional furniture in the finest of style.

Linn produced a 12 x 2 sub in their 5100 line called a 5150. It was later renamed Melodik with some driver changes. Has anyone had any experience, possibly heard or can otherwise comment on these subwoofers? It's RETRO styled unit approximately 4 CF ported (2 active 12's) with a 200 watt amp. Having trouble finding much info at all. Thank you.

Start at the top and learn about the absolute highest end products (careful with rare botique type products). Matching the system components together is important. The source (disk player, etc.), reciever or processor/amp, and speakers should all be purchased to produce the type of sound that you enjoy best. After reading many review/ratings, certain names and models will begin to stand out and repeat themselves to you. What holds value in the secondary market can be very helpful in determining proven build quality, sound quality and customer service. Learning how to "set-up" a system can truely optimize sound systems. Without it, your system may only sound good playing certain type recordings. With it, and patience, your system can sound great to you on almost all music and home theater recordings. Room volume (future room volumes, too) and ideal placement are part of the set-up process. Digital room calibrators available in some recievers/processors can be very helpful. Subwoofers may require a more sophisticated room calibrator than available in a reciever/processor. Once the best digital calibrations are completed, complete the process by ear. If you go with a reciever and possibly plan to buy separate amps later, look for "pre-amp outs" from the reciever to connect the amps. Matching the pre-amp voltage output from the reciever/processor to your amps input sensitivity is important. It helps assure optimal performance and rated wattage from the amps. Both 5k and 7K can purchase nice systems.

The two factory ports in my RC-7 are are 2 5/8 diameter and 4 inches long. The extenal opening is flared. Sorry, con't help with the filler material.

Yes, 10 HZ is admireably lofty. Unless I'm following graphs from the above HSU Forum link uncorrectly, it appears difficult to easily produce useable bass below 16 Hz. - especially from a simple "plug-and-play" perspective. One owner of a new QuadDrive set is working with a newer bass calibration unit engineered to calibrate lower to 10 Hz. The subjective listening comments on music and HT Cinema sound quality comments are promising. New product excitement has to be factored, too.

http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showthread.php?t=6557 This was released in the last two weeks. It's a sealed, wireless 15 inch unit and reported to reach 10 HZ properly set up and tuned in the right environments. It's probably too new to see many reliable samples of 3rd party testing/reviews/ratings. One owner posted very well-written set-up and tuning trials on a "QUADDRIVE". His test results look like this may be a major contender. HSU has 3 price packages offering single units, and the price drops off for "DUALDRIVE" and "QUADDRIVE" packages. I've been looking at ULTRA 13's, JL Audio F-113's, Velo's DD's and others. At the highest price point of $1,300.00 plus $55.00 shipping for a single unit ($1100 each for the DUALDRIVE packages and $1000 each for the QUADDRIVE packages plus shipping), the ULS-15 is on my short list to "wait and watch" upcoming test evaluations. Each one comes with a single wireless transmitter. One transmitter is reported to supply the proper signal strength for up to four units simutaneously. Please post any additional comments or 3rd party test links. TY

Yes - be fair warned to be careful with test CD's. They produce very interesting sounds that, at higher levels, can damage speaker components. The REL Storms' "balanced high level input" was new to me. It has a 3-wire plug. The wires are connected to both the left and right PLUS front main signals, and ONLY TO ONE of either the left or right MINUS leads. That's how REL tapped into both stereo channels for balanced high speaker level inputs to the REL. This 3-way (2 plus/1 minus) connection sends both left and right channels to the REL without changing the stereo signal from stereo to mono on the front mains. It's the recommended hook according to the REL manual and musically sounds much better than the LFE input. On the other hand, my MBM-12's sound cleaner connected directly to the SLE output.

In the sixties, many "muscle cars" were modified, inexpensive family cars. I had a 69 GTO 400 transformed by the PMD, I believe, from a Tempest. Muscle cars rocked my family and neighbors driveways, and when stripped/modified, were great for NASCAR or dragstrips. They were new innovations in the 60's. Gas was cheap and mods were everywhere and fun to do. At 3,700 plus pounds, the new muscle cars reappear as modified family vehicles. They're more exciting than most Detromobiles. I test drove a standard Corvette, Z06, Cayman S, and new "Miata" recently - all handle like true DNA trimmed sports cars. For a higher performance family car, I chose the build quality of a Lexus SC 400 hand selected from the secondary market. At this point in Detroits history, Ford should be producing a highly reliable and affordable 500 HP Ford GT. Pontiac, a two-seater 400-500 HP GTO with a clean and daunting muscular appearance and performance. The Camaro and Firebird should have evolved over 40 plus years into worldclass cars. Design, raw materials, tooling, assembly and service is all there is to a supercar. From personal observations in JAX, FL, the difference in customer traffic between Toyota/Honda and the Detroit dealerships is like day and night. The service departments get more Detroit vehicles than original dealerships for their routine services after warranties. Nobody can beat America when it sets it mind to something. Old Detroit could be producing highend vehicles and supercars that exceed the best of Japans and Europeans mainstream competition. Becoming old and fat ($$$ and LBS) effects the ways that they think and everything they do. They see me drive up in a Lexus or fully loaded 4-door Tundra for a look around their Detroit dealerhips and they know the BS game is over before I step out. "Hello, boys." The responses are usually the same and sound like this one, "I shouldn't be telling you this because I work here, but I wouldn't ever buy one of these. I'd stay with Toyota." Unfortunate and true. I hope the Camaro starts really starts a new trend. "My Baby and my Camaro" - man, that was a great ad.

I have a Yamaha reciever - RX-V2400 that I bought new 5 years ago. It has 120 watts x 7 and a zone 2/3 pre-amp outs if you want to add a multi-channel amp for separate rooms in a home. It has many features. I especially like the built-in room calibration feature. With it, you place the Yamaha's microphone in your main seating position and hit auto-run. It calibrates all your speakers for variences in your room, your speaker locations, and seating position. The result is a balanced, "flat" response. Very nice feature. I like Yamaha's sound processor. It also accepts "multi-channel" inputs for use with my OPPO HD 981 disk player. From the OPPO to the Yamaha, I have multi-channel, digital coaxal, and RCA outs connected. The video HDMI out is going directly to the TV. In the OPPO, I have the HDMI audio turned off. Since the Yamaha does not have HDMI, I called OPPO for assistance. OPPO stated they had no percieved signal loss with up to 50 feet of 22 AWG HDMI cable. Here's the place the recommended: http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240 50 feet of 22 gauge HDMI cable will cost you about $50.00. This way, video goes directly to your TV, and sound directly to your reciever. The tuner in the Yamaha is fair - I connected a older Tandberg to the CD input and I'm very pleased. It has pre-amp outs for 5 channel surround. I have considered adding a larger multi-channel amp for my main system. A Rotel 1095 is highly recommended by many. The Yamaha has 1 volt pre-amp outputs for 5 channels, and 2 volts for the subwoofer pre-amp output. The 5-channel Rotel has a input sensitivity of 1 volt to match the Yamahas' pre-amp 1 volt output signal in its processor. The key to selection is to match the pre-amp output voltage with the input sensitivity of the new multi-channel amp. This match will allow the new amps to achieve the rated watts. Many are much better at this than me. Some amps sound warm and some sound bright. After I added 2 HSU MBM-12's (mid-bass modules) and a REL Storm III subwoofer, I was very satisfied with the Yamaha's internal amps. You can find a used Yamaha for very good prices. Mine was like # 2 or #3. They're top reciever has a 7 channel pre-amp "outs" with amplfier return "ins". This external loop is usually reserved for higher end recievers. The sound fields in the Yamaha processor reciever gets very good ratings/reviews. Internally, you can set almost anything and I've found customer service to be very helpful. Hope something here helps. Here's a link: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=200220&CTID=5000300

This may help. I have a REL Storm III and two HSU MBM-12's with the full RF-7 home theater/music set minus the RSW-15 (nice but not available when I purchased). Tuning is really a science and an art. I have a 10K SF listening room. My mains are set to full. The center and surrounds are set to small. My REL is connected to the leads off the mains and set to full range, but at only approximately 1/3 volume. The MBM 12's are connected to the LFE and set to full range at approximately 2/3 volume. When I ran my Yamaha recievers' "room calibration" feature using the recievers' microphone (this compensates for various room dimensions by adjusting output to each speakers frequencies and volumes separately to produce a flat responce all around), I had the REL and MBM's turned off. I tuned them by ear after I was happy with the reciever's calibration of the Klipsches. This balance has worked best to my ears for both music and cinema. Often, the recommendation is having the sub blend with the specs on your mains. If they play down to 34 Hz, set your sub up to play at 34 +/- Hz and below. Many like setting mains to "small" in the reciever/processor, and setting the mains crossover in the reciever to a higher crossover point than their natural 34 Hz such as the THX 80 Hz, and adjusting the sub to cover the entire range from 80 Hz and below. For my ears, all three techniques can sound very good because I tried each. My way is just my personal preference. I like the fuller range at lower volumes, and when adjusting the volume up, it simply gets better. The room calibrator in the reciever gets honorable mention. The listening area is much larger than the calibration microphone. Moving the smaller mike just 1-3 feet around (up, down, side-to-side) within the larger listening area (money seats) can make a significant calibration change. It took 3-4 runs to get the Klipshes calibrated correctly. Then, I tuned in the MBM's and REL by ear. Subwoofer waves seem to be very mysterious - seemingly more so than mid-bass modules. Placement can be huge. The REL is next to my RF-7's, and the MBM's are flanking my couch. They sound good flanking thecenter speaker, too. The MBM ports can be aimed directly into the key seating area for home theater. Hope something here helps.

Test CD's are available that continually play separate frequencies on separate tracks - 100, 90, 80, 70, 60.....40, 35, 30, ...15, plus a test track to isolate and fix rattles effecting your sound environment. The test tracks are usually separated in 10 Hz increments at higher frequencies, then, 5 Hz increments down low. HSU sent me one with my MBM-12's. I'm quite sure they can get one to you. Parts Express may have one, too.

Parts Express has a web page with all their drivers and recommended size enclosures for choosing either a sealed or ported design. Drivers are often designed strictly for a sealed or ported enclosure. On their website, you should be able to look up your driver and find the correct enclosure recommendation. The cabinet size, and ports "tune" the drivers down into lower frequency responces and higher SPL's than the driver can reach alone in free air. Subwoofer drivers are designed to move a relatively precise amount of controlled air volume. The port "tuning" should be a specific width and length, as well as possibly flared on one or both ends. Tech Support has been very helpful on the telephone. To reduce rattle, a test CD is the ticket. One track loop is recorded just for locating and correcting rattles. While you have the test CD playing at a healthy volume, you can isolate and eliminate all of your rattles. HSU has them available. Parts Express may also have a test CD - they play a separate Hz per track, too. For example, tracks 1-15 may play in 10 to 5 Hz increments (often separated by 5 Hz at 40 Hz and below). You can also be sure if your system plays well at certain low frequencies, too. The test track to isolate rattles is a recorded as a separate track. Test CD's are excellent for home troubleshooting, too. I hope you aren't installing this in a off-road pick-up truck with a million miles. You'll be Earths' Rattle Eliminator Expert.

I have a pair of HSU MBM-12's (mid-bass modules) running full range off a "Y" adapter from my SLE output. It's set to about 2/3 volume max volume. I have a REL STORM III connected to the left and right main leads. The REL is set to full range and turned up about 1/3 max volume. The MBM's add the coveted "slam" that "feels so good" on rhythm and soundtrack parts. The MBM's blend very well with the REL and RF-7's, and the blended Hz/SPL's sound very smooth. The MBM's are not priced too far up there - about $500.00 each. The Fathom and Ultra 13 are two of the highest rated sub's for their sizes. As noted, the SPL of the ported Ultra may be the most well-rounded choice for both music and HT near your price. I'm sure a Fathom would also be a great choice, too, and about twice the cost. Danley also has mid-bass units, and a 12 inch sub worth knowing about: http://thesoundbroker.com/Danley.htm