achugh

Yes, I will definitely post few pictures. It makes total sense regarding the warranty. I have already received my RB-81 II (4 of them). They are beautifully made. I am still waiting for my mains (RF-7 II) and center (RC-64 II). My dealer said thay are already shipped. Amy, the cut-out sheet PDF file link on the website for all the 3 models i.e. RF-7 II, RC-64 II & RB-81 II DOES NOT work. Can you get with your web developer and have these links fixed. These links are shown below the product images under the Downloads section. Also, it would be good to update the specification pages to include that RB-81 II grills are magnetic. Yeah, finally. I love them. I hope the RF-7 II & RC-64 II have the same magnetic grills to match it. If they do, please update this information too. For some users, it is good to know information like this and can help make a sale. Lastly, I think the material is still MDF. Can you confirm? Also have this information on the website under specification as to what kind of material is used. RB-81 II First Look Review The overall finish is excellent. I fell in love as soon as I got them out of the box. They come with FULL grill as shown in the product pictures but the grills are magnetic. The inside inclosure is coated with a thin layer of WHITE poly fill. The WHITE poly fill is NOT visible unless you angle the speaker and look for it from the BASS port hole in the front. If I had a choice I would have gone for BLACK poly fill. The speakers come with 4 rubber stick-on feets that can be attached, if needed. Since I will be mounting the speakers on the wall, I won't be using them and cannot provide any feedback as to how effective they are in controlling the vibration of the speaker. I have not got a chance to hook them yet as I am still waiting for some of the other things to come like mains, center, banana plugs etc. I will let you all know how it all sounds.

Amy, I called up Klipsch product support and spoke to a nice guy. Here's what I got back from him: 1) RB-81 IIs can be used as surrounds. They are primarly designed as mains so the mounting option is for putting them on Left & Right channel stands which only need 2 screws. He told me that as long as I mount the bracket carefully without damaging the components the warranty WILL NOT be void even if I had to put 2 more screws at the bottom to attach a mounting bracket. Can you also confirm that this WILL NOT void the warranty? 2) For mounting the center channel he told me that I should look into bars used for putting retail merchandise. These bars can withstand lot of weight. I should get a faux platform build over my fireplace mantel instead of looking of a center channel stand. This way the center channel will be height matched to the RF-7 IIs. A great idea. I will now have to investigate this further. 3) Regarding Dolby Pro IIz and Dolby Pro IIx for 9.1 or 9.2 setup he said that RF-7 IIs with RC-64 II is a very efficient combination. I should first try to put 2 of my surround speakers in the same place where the height (IIz) or the wide(IIx) speaker would be placed and do a test to see if I hear any difference in sound. His gut fealing is that it might not add enough sound and would probably interfere with the RF-7 II sound. So once I get my speakers I will try to run a test and see how it all goes. Finally, I have placed an order for my new Klipsch speakers. I will be getting 2 x RF-7 II (LR), 1 x RC-64 II © & 4 x RB-81 II (SBL, SBR, SL & SR). I will be matching them with TWA (TweakCityAudio) 2 x CS18.2 (18" Subwoofers made by CraigSub). All of these will be powered by Pioneer Elite SC-37 to begin with. If I see power level issues like clipping or overpower shutdown then I will be adding Emotiva XPA-5 to my setup. And last but not the least, the subs will be EQed using Anti-Mode 8033. Looking forward to finally getting everything to build my dream theater...[] -Amit

@Amy, Thanks for all your replies. Can you get me the following information too? 1) What is the official mount for RB-81 II that allows mounting these speakers on the wall and allows for Pan & Tilt motion. I am not able to find any mount that uses 2 holes for mounting. The Omni Mount uses 4 screws & the Pinpoint AM-40 Side Clamping Bookshelf Speaker Wall Mounts specified by youtman will require extra screws for tilting. 2) What kind of center channel speaker stand can I use to put the RC-64 II? My TV is mounted ABOVE the fireplace and the fireplace mantel is not wide enough to put the center channel on it. I need a center channel stand that I can put in front of the fireplace to raise the center channel speaker's height to match the height of the RF-7 II. 3) Can you tell me how high from the ground the lowest woofer in RF-7 II is located? Basically I am trying to find the height NOT covered by the grill for speaker placement. Actually I have a couch right in front of the left RF-7 II. And I need to know if it will obstruct the woofer or not. If it does, than either I have change the speaker placement or get some kind of riser to raise the height of the mains i.e. left & right channel RF-7 IIs. 4) Would adding height channels (the Dolby Pro IIz) to a 7.2 setup (2 x RF-7 II, 1 x RC-64 II & 4 x RB-81 II); to make it a 9.2 setup; make any difference in overall surround sound when using RF-7 IIs as the mains? Or the RF-7 II as mains would overpower the RB-81 II as either height (Dolby Pro IIz) or wide (Dolby Pro IIx) and I would not see any benefit. Oh and my room size is 15' (W) x 20' (L) x 9' (H). and I DO NOT have a back wall i.e. this a 3 wall room and the room opens into breakfast & kitchen area behind the listening position. So the overall room length (I have a long rectangular hall) is 15' (W) x 43' (L) x 9' (H). You can see the floor plan at http://www.drhorton.com/Where-We-Build/South-Carolina/Columbia/Columbia/The-Mill/Plans/Murray-II/Floorplan.aspx. I will be putting the system in the family room. The front mains are at left & right of the fireplace with the TV mounted above the fireplace. The center channel is right in front of the fireplace. The surrounds will be at the end of the family room. Thanks for your help. -Amit Chugh

Thanks Amy, that makes sense. Can I buy spare back feet to replace the front feet to match the look just in case I did not like the factory look? If yes, who do I need to call to findout how much do they cost? And in all this I am assuming that I can easily put the extra back feet in the front i.e. there are no issues replacing them and that they will fit. Correct? -Amit

Thanks Amy. Do you know what kind of mounting bracket goes with these holes? Is that something you can findout for me? I live in US so please mention products that I can either buy online in US or from US dealers via phone who can deliver to Columbia, SC. If you can metion more than 1 bracket that would be great as that way I get to choose based upon the look & price of the bracket. Thanks, Amit

@Amy, Or any other Klipsch employees, I would like to see some BOTTOM pictures of the RB-81 II to checkout how it can mounted. The description says that the mounting holes are at the bottom but there are NO PICTURES on the website. Also the RC-64 II shows the same image when you mouse over it (i.e. it DOES NOT show the maginified image) unlike RF-7 II etc. Also I would like to see some pictures of RC-64 II feet showing off its tilt capabilities? Lastly, does anyone know if the RF-7 II feet (as shown on the website) are adjustable i.e. can I slide the back feet under the speakers like the front similarly are the front feet adjustable i.e. can I slide them out like the back feet? Basically I don't like the feet as they are shown in the picture and are trying to find out if all the feet can be in the same position i.e. tucked in or way out. @All Klipsch Owners, Does the Bi-Amping any Klipsch speaker (RF-7 II, RC-64 II or RB-81 II) has any effect or is it just another marketing gimmic? Does anyone knows how to mount RB-81 II's on wall? Basically what kind of wall mount bracket do I need that will take a 2 1/4"-20 threaded inserts. I am looking at Omni Mount Pro 60.0 WBX http://www.omnimountpro.com/Product/Audio_and_Security_Mounts/Audio/WBX_Series/60-0_WBX/ but I am not sure if it is a match for the RB-81 II's mounting option. Can someone help? Thanks -Amit

Hi, I just got the Pioneer Elite SC-37 AVR and now I am in the process of getting the speakers to go with it. If I consider pair of RF-7 II (for LR) and RC-64 II (for center) which surround speakers will work better? RS-62 II or RB-81 II? I will be using 4 surround speakers (7.2 setup) with 2 on the sides and 2 behind the listening area. I know most movies are 5.1 so the surrounds will be matrixed (I think I can do this in SC-37). Reading an old article at http://www.hometheatersound.com/equi..._reference.htm I found the following text intriguing: Side speakers are intended to have a null at the viewer’s ear, yielding a diffuse surround, while rear speakers are supposedly more directional. So does that mean that I should be considering RS-62 II pair for sides and RB-81 II pair for backs? Or should I get RB-81 II all around? Or RS-62 II all around? Assume that I have the budget to get 2 pairs of RS-62 II, if they are a better choice. I am leaning towards RB-81 II all around because I think high frequencie sound is more directional which is primarily being used for surround channels and RB-81 II can be directed more easily because of their design? Please provide your own personal experience and any relevant information to help me decide. Thanks. -Amit

Hi, I am in the same boat. I just got Pioneer Elite SC-37 AVR and I will be getting the new RF-7 II and RC-64 II. I am undecided about the srounds. Should I go with RS-62 II or RB-81 II (assuming I have the budget to get either ones). I will be getting 4 srrounds. 2 will be placed on the sides and 2 will be placed at the back of the listening area. I forgot where but I read that srrounds are mostly being played at high frequencies which are more directional. That made me concern since the RB-81 II (Bookshelve) design can be directed more easilt towards the listening area than the RS-62 II which is already angled at 45 degrees away from the listening area. Which surrounds are recommended usually? Also recollecting from my memory most srrounds in cinema halls are directional like the RB style. I do not understand why the RS style will be preferred over RB style surround? Can someone shed some light please? Thanks. -Amit

Does anyone knows why the new II series speakers are lighter? Is it because the wood has been changed say from MDF to Baltic Birch or something on those lines? The RF-7 Classic do say the Enclosure Type is MDF http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/rf-7-specifications/

Decided just a bit late. I called up my dealer in Columbia, SC and found out that RF-83 line is no longer available :-( The new RF-7 II line will NOT be avaiable till middle of September 2010. But the matching Sub could be even further later with estimated date of early October 2010. No information about any price or early bird discounts yet. Too bad I missed the huge discounts at the end of line as I am sure the new line will NOT start with the same discounts :-( Waiting for the new line to be made available just like others. In the mean time if you know of any dealer in and around Columbia, SC that has the whole RF-83 line with the Subs with huge discounts, please let me and I will jump on the offer right away. Waiting ..........

@Islander, Thanks for your input. I am only affriad that higher powered amp might damage the speaker. Is that NOT true? On the klipsch website some of the lowered powered speakers have Power Amp listed. What does that mean?

@southflorida, My budget is not that big. I am trying to get the speakers including any taxes ~3K. The 82 fits perfect in this budget. Getting the mantel fixed will cost me a whole more. I can use that money to get my receiver etc.

Does anyone knows how the well the XL-23 is going to mate with the RF-82 series speakers? I concern I have is its low continous power. This is the only wall mountable center channel I could find that is being listed amount the top rated speakers in the Klipsch lineup.

@Youthman, Good point.

@BuyOtherSoundEquipment, Thanks for the information. Yes, I thought about them at one of time. But I don't the sound of In-Walls. Another thing is that I will loose the flexibility to adjust the location, angle stuff if I don't like the sound where it is installed. And lastly, god forbid if I ever have to relocate, I can bag my speakers with me whereas with In-Walls it is not easy.

@Youthman, Thanks for the information. I looked at the WF-35 HomeTheather package. It has the same issue as the RF series. The Center Channel has NO mounting hooks on the back. The only advantage this has is that it is less deep. But with backfiring ports, I am thinking it cannot be flushed to the wall and needs little breathing room. My mantle is only 4 1/2" deep. It is real skinny. So I was looking for something that I can hang on the wall like a TV. The only speakers that I could find from Klipsch are the ones listed under their FLAT screen sloution. One question regarding these flat speakers, if someone knows the answer. All the flat screen solution speakers have a very low power rating like 75W Continous. If the AVR has lot more power like say 140WPC; will the AVR damage these speakers specially when the AVR is doing Auto Calibration like Audessey or MCACC etc.

@Youthman, Thanks for your input. We hardly use fireplace. And the fireplace is set with natural gas instead of the old wood burning style. I was doing my own research about other brands because of limited depth available for the center channel and found the Paradigm Millenia's series. These speakers are quite flat, have a very good WAF but are not the full wood enclosure type. So far I am not been able to find any brand which has full wood style speakers with the center channel that can be mounted/hung on the wall. It seems every manufacturer has the sleek design which will allow you to hang the center channel on the wall but they will not be the wood style. So I think they will lack the fullness I so desire. If anyone knows about any manufacturer making HT speaker sets that are resoanbly priced, sound good and are wood style (has the warm full sound), please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi, I need help in deciding which speakers should I go with. I have a 7.2 wired home and are thinking of geting a Pioneer ELITE SC-07 for the AVR. I am a big fan of floor speakers that are made of wood as they sound fuller to me compaired to the compact bookshelf ones. I also have a problem where the CENTER channel is already wired above the fireplace where the TV will hung. The fireplace mantel is only 4 1/2" deep. So I need a speaker that comes with wall mounting option. My dealer is recommeding the RF-82 series (the whole set with the exception of RVX-42 for the center channel) as it be hung on the wall under the TV.What other options do I have? Is thee some kind of adjustable height stand that is available for the RC-62/64? Another question that is bothering me is that most of the AVR will have a default cross over freq set to 80Hz. The SC-07 will lets me changethe X-OVER freq. I don't know the option as of now all know is that it is a global X-OVER setting so it applies to all speakers set as SMALL on the setup screen. The question I have is why would anyone go the route of buying RF-63/83 with extra woofers when the woofers will not be used as the LFE sound will be route to the sub? I am thinking that a RF-82 with better subs like the RT-1xd would be a better setup than getting better L+R+C speakers. Please advice.