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holtrp

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Everything posted by holtrp

  1. I have heard the RF-83's run off a Harman/Kardon receiver, a 100w Harman/Kardon amp, a 2306 Denon receiver, a 3808 Denon receiver, an Emotiva XPA-3, XPA-5 and my current setup, an XPA-2. The harman stuff was at the AV shop and everything else has been in my living room. I haven't done a whole lot of listening without my subs. I played them full range when I first picked them up with and without an amp and it was certainly noticeable. You won't regret getting an amp. These are pretty serious speakers and really come alive when you can throw some watts at them. My RF-83s replaced an older set of reference Paradigms and blew them out of the water both with and without the amp. Still, if you are really looking for heavy bass, you'll need a subwoofer.
  2. Congrats on the speakers. I have had my RF-83's for the better part of 2 years, you made a good purchase that should provide years of enjoyment. From my experience, the RF-83 has never been a bass-heavy speaker. 8" woofers just don't move enough air. If you are really needing bass, I would certainly get a good sub to pair with them before getting a separate amp. And don't take that wrong, a amp is certainly a worthy investment for the RF-83's (they love power), I just don't think you'll get the bass you are looking for. Also, they work best for me as far apart as you can get them in the corners and with the cross-over set around 60 hz on the receiver.
  3. Your RC-64 sounds messed up. I have had mine for 2 years and it is very smooth. I would get my money back or a replacement.
  4. holtrp

    Sub Help!

    Well, I would like to be able to keep it in the corner where my SPL is. Unless the foot print of the new sub is much over 40"x40" I should be fine, mostly just for WAF. I would prefer flat black to match the RF-83's but gloss black would be fine. I would like to keep it under $3k. Audiogon has some good deals right now on the aformentioned subs that are in the ballpark. I was thinking about it a little more from a user interface standpoint and it hit me that I absolutely detest the Velo SPL interface, it has a weak remote and blinky light that tells you the volume. I would much prefer something with a better interface with knobs or a LED panel. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind playing with it to set it up, just if it were easier to change settings from movies to music and slight volume changes would be nice.
  5. holtrp

    Sub Help!

    I currently have a Velodyne SPL 1200R in my set up. The sub sounds pretty good, but I could certainly use more SPL's from a bigger more powerful sub because the room is much larger than the sub is designed for. Living room is attached to the kitchen and entryway with 9' ceilings throughout. So for a while, I have just been thinking about getting another Velodyne SPL-1200R up front to balance out the front (one just came up on Ebay for $700) but now I am getting cold feet and the upgrade bug is buzzing around my head. I think the whole system would benefit from a better sub rather than two middle of the road subs. I have been reading about the JL F113, the Velo DD-18 and the RSW-15 which all get great marks. I have heard the JL f113 and f112 and both of them sounded amazing, but haven't heard the DD-18 or the RSW-15. Sorry, I know this debate has been raging and I have read quite a bit on these boards about the JL-F113, I was just hoping some of you would have some thoughts about what is going to sound best in a larger room. Thanks!
  6. I guess I don't exactly know what you mean when you say 'rolled off low-end'. I prefer sealed subs because they are tighter, more accurate and more consistent. Ported boxes or subs with passive radiators I have found to generally be louder, but they just aren't as tight. They sound fantastic at certain frequencies and seem to lag with others. I don't think that the RT-12d is as accurate as my Velodyne spl 1200r. At this price point though, I think it comes down to personal preference. I guess I wasn't really 'disappointed' with the RT-12d, it actually preformed just how I thought it would.
  7. I am partial to my Velodyne SPL 1200-R. I run it in a pretty large living room with RF-83's and it sounds amazing. I demo'ed a klipsch RT-12D last year in the house and wasn't terribly impressed. In my room, I preferred the Velodyne. Klipsch subs have always sounded a tad boomy to me, must be because of the ports. I have always preferred sealed subs. Take a serious look at the JL 12, I was very impressed with that sub at the store and almost did a in house demo with it.
  8. holtrp

    RT-12d

    Cool chart. This sub is certainly louder than my Velo, though I don't think it is quite as musical as the Velodyne. Even at lower volumes, the bass lines of certain songs sound a tad 'boomy'. I have found about 5 more rattles in the hallway and in the bedroom on the other side of the wall the sub is on though. This sub seems to perform best in my space when the sub output is turned up to about +5 on my reciever and +10 on the sub with the Punch setting selected for EQ. My HT room is way too big, I bet this sub would make my chest explode if I had it in a smaller, room better suited for HT and speakers. I guess I am still slightly on the fence. My dealer wants to sell it to me for $1600, I am thinking about offering him $3k for 2. This brings up another topic. I prefer the ways subs sound in the corners, always have. That said, I have two corners left to choose from for the placement of the second sub. My first sub is front left in the corner. I can place another sub front right or rear right in the corner. Any recommendations one way or the other? I have an AV closet so I will have to try them both out before pulling wire through the walls. Thanks
  9. holtrp

    RT-12d

    Alright, my local shop dropped off the RT-12d today and I have it through Thursday to demo it in my HT. So far, it is certainly louder than what I have now and the bass it produces is fairly tight. It has about twice as large a foot print as my Velo SPL-1200R. The guy from the HT shop didn't have the mic, so I used the one from my Velo, the Auto Room EQ runs pretty quick. Still not sure, those JL subs are amazing. At some point though, you have to consider $1600 for the RT-12d vs $3k for one of the JL subs. I could pick up a pair of Klipsch and still be money ahead. The RT-12d handled Prodigy with ease, I would have done permenent damage to my hearing if I had turned it up much louder, but the bass always sounded good. The RT-12d was intense during one of my all time favorite bass tests, the opening sequence in Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine. I listened to this about 5 times and the Klipsch didn't let up. I couldn't keep it up when I walked over to the corner and put my head over the sub, it felt like I was listening to a very loud car stereo.
  10. I'll be darned. My Velo SPL manual says 'for more signal, hook up both R & L channels using a Y splitter'. Now I have to try, I am really itching for a 3 db gain. Thanks!
  11. Good thread. I am looking at both of these subs and would love to hear some more input from owners. A shop in my area has the 13 but it wasn't hooked up last time I was there. I did hear the f112 though and it is truely an amazing sub. I got to listen to 'Country Grammar' with the mains shut off and just the sub playing. It wasn't in the corner, just along the wall and the guy said he hadn't calibrated it. The JL's are amazing. I am still trying to demo the RT-12d, I only heard it once but didn't have any good source material.
  12. holtrp

    Sub advice

    Alright, heres the deal. I have a fairly large listening area and have always prefered the sound of 12's for low end because they have a tighter slam to my ear and have always produced that kick drum bass that you can feel in your chest. I just got a set of RF-83's and a RC-64 which replaced some old Paradigm Monitor 9's & a CC-190. Obviously, these speakers and the Emotiva XPA-3 (thanks again for showing me the online sale Bill!) have taken my HT a whole new level. I have a Velo SPL-1200R for a sub that sounded much better with the Paradigms and now it seems over powered and diminished by the new towers. I have turned up the volume on the Velo and played will all my settings but it still just doesn't keep up and sound as good with the 83's as it did before. HT is still fine but when I play music it is pretty obvious that I need more sub. I had a chance to listen to the RT-12d but the listening room had a drop ceiling and I didn't have my cd's with me, plus the kid working there didn't seem to know all that much about what he was selling. I am hoping that the shop will let me do an in home demo on this speaker. I also had a chance to listen to the JL F113 & F112, and those both sounded amazing. So, I am considering adding another Velo SPL-1200R in the other corner, but I don't think it is going to give me the slam back, it will just balance out the sound. I could purchase a RT-12d and possibly add a second one down the road, or I could start saving for a JL 13 or 12 and possibly upgrade to a second one down the road. Or, I was thinking about checking out the Velo DD-12, which I have heard good things about. Or, who knows? I really enjoy the sound of the sealed sub I have now, the bass is accurate and the sub is very punchy. I love the fact that this sub has a 1k amp (the JL's are even more outragous) and am a tad concerned that the Kilpsch only has a 800w amp, although, I would venture to guess that the extra radiators make up for the lower power. I would love to hear some opinions on sub matches with the 83's. I don't really care all that much about HT, most the subs I have heard at the price point I am considering can rumble just fine, I am more concerned with music reproduction. Thanks in advance! Ryan
  13. Good to know Jay, Where do you have the 83's crossed over? I hadn't planned on running them all the way down to 40Hz, although I know they could take it. I am in a similar boat. I just stepped up to the Denon 3808CI from a Denon 2307 which gives me an advertised 30w extra per channel. I was suprised with just how much of a difference it made. It could have been wishful thinking but after listening to Dark Side of The Moon on SACD a couple of times, I am convinced the sound is much clearer and louder by at least -5db from reciever to reciever. I have also been able to hear some details I hadn't heard before (espcially when it comes to drums and backing vocals) while listening to Dave Matthews and Modest Mouse in stereo. I popped in the Omaha Beach sequence from Saving Private Ryan this morning and all of the guns sound much more distinct, powerful and lifelike. I don't ever remember really appriciating the difference between the Thompson SMG, a BAR or a MG-42 like I did this time around. Although that could be wishful thinking as well, I haven't seen it for awhile and it is tough for me to tell unless it is side by side.
  14. Hopefully they will be punishing my eardrums. I can hardly wait to have those RF-83's hooked up.
  15. Thanks! I will do a little review once I get everything set up and will probably ask you guys for some help. I think the boss would have me sleeping on the couch if I were to go out and buy more A/V equipment after the most recent visit from the upgrade bug. The Samsung, PS3, RF-83's, RC-64, Emotiva and Denon are all new, anything else for the theater now would be a very tough sell indeed. One of the local A/V shops has that other Velodyne on sale, that is my achilles heel and it will be tough to stay away. I should be plenty busy hooking up and playing with everything once it comes in, the AV closet is going to need to be re-arranged to make room for that amp and I will also need to move all the old living room stuff to the office for the backroom system. Thanks again, Ryan
  16. Hey Bill, That BK is nice but a little bit more than I want to spend. However, I got a pretty good deal on my RF-83's and RC-64 and had enough left over to get that XPA-3! It should be great to start out with. I am pretty excited, it is going to be a long two weeks waiting for my speakers. Thanks for the heads up! Now I need to decide if I want to add two more in ceiling surrounds for full 7.1 or add another Velo SPL-1200R up front. I am leaning towards the two extra surround because the RF-83's should pound with that amp. Thanks again! Ryan
  17. I can only imagine! Thanks for the heads up on the Emotiva, that is a screaming deal. I have never used an amp in a home system before, but I can imagine the difference in sound is stunning. Do you have any problems with the mains over-powering the surrounds with your amp? I suppose once you set it up and balance everything just right it wouldn't be a problem. The only thing I need surround for is SACD and blu-ray, so it might be a moot point anyway.
  18. Hi, I am taking the plunge and buying a pair of RF-83's and a RC-64 to replace my old Paradigm monitors. These speakers sound absolutely fantastic at the store and I can hardly wait to get them back to the house. I currently have a Denon 3808CI & Velodyne SPL 1200R which I think sounds pretty darn good with the Paradigms (I have about 3500 cu/ft in the living room with an open floor plan to a kitchen that is about the same and a entry way & dining room that adds another 2000 cu/ft). I know these speakers will sound fantastic with the Denon alone, but what would be a good amp to give them that 'extra something'? Thanks, Ryan
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