kx200

I've had my RF-7 II's for about half a year now, and can say that with a well matched amp I have never heard a better sounding speaker. They are, however, very revealing of any shortcomings of your source or equipment. I first had them driven by a Harmon Kardon "high current" 120 watt stereo receiver and the bass was somewhat anemic. But after running them from the amp section of an old 160 watt Sansui G-9000, the bass was strong enough to punch you in the chest while still being very clear and accurate. They also sounded very good driven by 2 different Fisher 7591 tube based amplifiers (KX-200 and 500C). It is my understanding that these speakers may have a serious impedance dip in the very low frequencies and need an amp that can keep hold of the speakers down there, but once you find the right amp you will be rocking!

My guess is your Denon, with 120wpc, will have plenty of power to drive RF-83's, which are a very efficient speaker. You may be able to get more bass impact, especially with bass drums, if you went to a higher powered amp but the difference will be marginal and NOT economical. I would do just as wuzzzer said above, and listen to what you got first, then decide if you need to upgrade.

I have had a pair of KG 4.2 since new and love them! If you are looking to upgrade a little and want to go vintage, look for a pair of Forte or Forte II. They are similar to the 4.2's with a little better bass extension and a slightly more natural soundstage. But if you can afford them, check out the new RF-7 II's. They are absolutely astounding! I have not heard the other new RF series, but I would think the RF-82 II would also be a good replacement for a much lower price.

I have been listening to my new RF-7 II's for a week now and they are really blowing me away. Very musical, accurate, natural and effortless. I am currently driving them with the preamp section of a Harmon Kardon HK3490 and the power amp section of a vintage Sansui G-9000. The reason I am not using the power amp of the HK is that I previously had a set of Forte II in there and the HK just could not deliver enough current to drive them properly. Next, I intend to try the HK by itself to see how well it can drive them, and then I am going to try a Fisher KX-200 tube amp. If you are interested, I can keep you posted on how that works. The RF-7 II's are really marvelous speakers, and I really hope you find the right equipment to help you enjoy them!

Too many great American audio companies have been sent downhill after being bought out, (Fisher) others have done well (Marantz). Hopefully the new corporate overlords will recognize what a great company Klipsch has been and will let it continue as is. But just in case, I ordered a new pair of RF-7 II's today.

One of the sweetest sounding setups I've heard is a The Fisher KX-200 (nicely recapped) feeding a pair of Forte II's. Decent ones sell for $600 to $700. Don't know if that's the price range you're looking for, but well worth it.

All this electrical theory is fine, but the best way to evaluate any audio component is with you ears. The two best sounding amplifiers I have are 30 and 50 years old., and can easily drive any speaker. The common characteristic? Huge transformers.

I especially like the mono mix of Sgt. Pepper. Listen to A Day in the Life back to back in stereo and mono, entirely different experience. Overall, I much prefer the mono mixes since most of the Beatles stereo mixes are so artificial. Plays perfectly fine through stereo systems.

Right now, a The Fisher 500-C in completely original condition. Sound pretty good, but need the loudness control turned on for decent bass. Also use a The Fisher KX-200 with new caps through signal path, Chinese C9 12AX7 and NOS Westinghouse coin base 7591A output tubes for awesome lifelike sound. But my usual, and favorite, setup is the preamp section of the Harmon Kardon HK 3490 receiver feeding the amplifier section of my Sansui G-9000. The HK preamp has slightly better clarity and a slightly better phono section, but most importantly has remote control. But the Sansui's amp section completely wipes all the other amps out in power and in your face punch. Klipsch speakers are generally very efficient, but it really does take a good very high current amplifier to bring out their best performance.