inder19

Found a Yamaha CR-840 in EXCELLENT condition minus needing 2 bulbs which will be an easy DIY along with some cleaning on the inside. Only small issue is the balance knob which seems like it needs a cleaning. Tried to give it a test on my RF-7s and all I can say is that I am very impressed. At only 60wpc it easily drove my RF-7s. The AW-650s sound great as well. I am only able to turn up the volume to about 2-3/10 and that is almost too loud. Can't wait to try it during a larger get together. I don't know if a AW-800-SW would be neccessary, I am pretty pleased with the bass. For larger parties I may pick up a yorksville PA with 12" but shouldn't be necessary. Thanks for the tip on the vintage, the look and sound are both great (and its older than I am).

I did see some Marantz vintage ones, SR4000 was one of them I believe. I don't really need a remote as I plan to use an airport express to wirelessly stream music to the receiver and then use an iPhone to control volume and change songs. I tested the AW-650 indoors and was very impressed. They are obviously not as good as the RB-81s but filled the room and sounded clear and accurate. The bass was about what I expected and should be excellent for my purposes but I think paired with a sub these would be amazing outdoor party speakers. They don't need a sub but...lol Any reason you recommend a vintage model over some of the ones in the 5-10yr range?

I just received these speakers and now I need a receiver to power them. I don't need anything fancy, perhaps a A/B option which most seem to have. I have looked at some used/new and am leaning towards the used ones. The A/B option would be used to power a pair of bookshelfs, RB-81II. So far I have seen Yamaha RX496 -$110 HK 3470 -$120 [edit] another option may be a new Sony STR-DH100 on sale right now for $149Can Does anyone have any other opinions? Also if you have these speakers what power rating do you think would work best. Price is key as this is going to be a "temporary" receiver.

Congrats on the the new setup. The waiting while the Audssey runs is the hardest part because it feels like its taking 10 times longer than it actually is. When I set mine up I had everything but the speakers already at my house. I went through all the wiring and connected up everything and waiting a few days for the speakers to arrive. I remember my wife coming down and saying "Wow...They are just speakers" regarding the grin on my face. How do you like everything so far.

I just picked up some RB-81IIs but when I started my shopping I was looking at the RF-83 and RB-81s. Not having heard them side by side I would say that the RB-IIs sound more natural to me. They still have the klipsch sound but more refined? They do seem to sound a bit deep deeper but I wouldn't say its a huge difference. Between the two I would say having either would be fine and I would opt for the cheaper option. I did give a listen to the RB-61II and RB-51IIs and both sounded really good but never had a chance to compare them to the originals. I would say that I prefer the RB-81IIs over the RB-61IIS when not using a subwoofer for 2.0. However, when adding a sub I myself couldn't distinguis a huge difference. For the updates to models I think its primarily for $$. All manufacturers try and keep up buy refining their models. Its never anything remarkable but just noticeable. Built from 2010 is easier on the mind than built in 2005. Makes the buyer think "these will last me a while". I went for the new generations because the price difference was not a lot. Had there been a bigger difference I would have opted for the originals as I don't think I would be able to tell the difference at home.

I have just ordered a pair of the AW-650. I was just wondering if anyone knows of a way to make them more secure. I was thinking of mounting them to the bracket with a torx head rather than the plastic hand adjustable screws they come with. Theft shouldn't be too much of an issue but I have had strangers cut through my back yard even though it is fenced off. Also the house behind mine was demolished and a new one is being built so my concern is also that with so many people coming and going there I might come out to just find brackets one day.

Looking at a picture of the rx-v1700 it does look to have pre-outs so you should be able to simply connect rca cables from the pre-outs to the rca inputs on the XPA-5.

I am most likely adding an XPA-5 later on but will test everything out first. Movies so far have sounded great but I wanted more from 2 channel. I primarily listen on direct/pure modes and always have found the bass to be lacking. Plus having 7.1 I thought it would be better to go XPA-2/XPA-5 so everything is on external amps. If I had done enough research last year before making my purchases I probably would have opted for a pre/pro. On the other hand the internal power is nice for additional speakers or, knock on wood, if there is ever an amp issue. I noticed the same thing regarding the 10" drivers. Even in bridged mode the onkyo barely moved them. The RB-81s on bridged were moving like my sub lol. I am hoping I can add the XPA-5 around christmas and go FL/FR on XPA-2 and C/SR/SL/RR/RL on XPA-5.

Just ordered my XPA-2. Should be here in 4-5 days. Also had a chance to properly test the RB-81iis. They are very surprising speakers. I was switching back and forth between the RB-81s and RF-7s and obviously there is no comparison but I just wanted a reference point. The RF-7s are much more dynamic and have a room filling sound. Highs are higher and lows are lower and overall sound better as expected. The RB-81s sound very good and filled my room which is 22'x36'. When I used them with the 5007 in bridged mode they sounded excellent. Room filling sound and noticeable bass. They sound much better with the subs on but even without the sub I think A lot of people, including myself, would be impressed. I have yet to try them in 7.1 mode so I can't comment on that. Having heard the RF-82s on many occasions I would say that with a 10" sub the RB-81s are a better package. Head to head the RF82s hit harder. I would not consider these "bookshelf" speakers either. They sound much bigger than they are. My wife went to pick them up for me and I told her there will be 4 small boxes.......she responded "THESE ARE NOT SMALL" after having them put in her car lol.... I will do a further review and comparison when I have everything completely set up and will also determine if an XPA-5 is necessary once I get a chance to compare the XPA-2 to the Onkyo 5007. My initial guess is that the Onkyo is more than powerful enough for movies especially once the fronts are run off the XPA-2. My only concern is that the RC-64 may sound lacking but I am hoping that the calibration fixes that. If anyone has a similar set up with just fronts off XPA-2 maybe they could chime in. If anyone has any questions regarding the RB-81s I am willing to try and answer them as I found there was not very much information on them around the web.

After a little more research I am considering the XPA-2 or XPA-5. Hoping to eventually get both. The rear RB-81s will also be used as zone 2 so I am thinking that the XPA-5 may be the better option now and power the L/C/R/RL/RR and then when I can add the XPA-2 i can switch that to the the L/R. I do agree that the HK did not sound nearly as good on movies as the onkyo. The HK seemed to have a warmer deeper sound while the Onkyo had MUCH more detail and was more lively. I checked out some Anthem ones but they are out of my budget.

I ended up ordering 2 pairs of RB-81iis, one pair will go with my current setup and make it 7.1 with the rears serving dual purpose as zone 2 music only. The surround was lacking during movie most likely due to the width of the room so I tried an old pair of speakers I had and they made a difference which made me pull the trigger on the RB-81s. The second pair I purchased for a stereo set up in another room (wanted the rf-82s but they are too big...). I was looking for a cheaper AVR to power them and came across some clearance Harman Kardons, AVR2600. Out of curiousity I tried comparing it to my Onkyo 5007 on my RF-7s....... I was very dissapointed that a receiver I paid under $500 for was out performing the 5007..... I played with settings for hours and at the end of the day found the HK hit harder deeper and louder! I always thought the onkyo sounded great volume was never really an issue but the HK made me think my Subs were on while listing to music. Movies did not sound as good at all but there was a lot more sound coming from the fronts with the HK.... So now I think I need/want an amp. It feels like the RF-7S are not working at all right now and that I am missing out on what they can do. Does anyone else feel the onkyos lack power? Now on to a new Amp. I am considering the XPA-2 or XPA-3... My use is 50/50 music and movies. Should I be looking to pay more for a better quality amp? or will these ones be good enough. I also don't know if I want the XPA-2 and not worry about the centre so the 2 channel is more improved or whether the XPA-3 is good enough that I will not notice an improvement in 2 channel by going to the XPA-2. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great, I have an itchy trigger finger and I'm ready to buy lol.

nice videos, I had seen these when I was researching klipsch online. I have recently seen a local listing for a set of Belles for $2200 but seemed a bit pricey to me. Look like they are in excellent condition. I have been secretly looking at the la scala and belles and other older klipsch speakers. I just don't if I have the room for them. I was going to ask you what mic you use for these videos, I have tried a Blue Eyeball and its decent but doesn't pick up the sound like I thought it would.

Ok so I have had my speakers for about 6 weeks and I wanted to address some of the concerns people mentioned I may have and some that I do have. 1 - The SW-311 may not be enough and may have me wanting to upgrage. This is a tough one because I tried a paradigm sub 12 and was blown away and wanted to buy it. It was in a much smaller room so it wasnt a fair comparison as even the SW-311 in my family room is excellent. At home I have tried a velodyne 15" and wasn't doing much more than the SW-311s. Do I want to upgrade..possibly yes but no more than I want another set of RF-7s lol. The SW-311 is a more than capable sub but a bit pricey imo. I am running 2 of these so that could be another reason I am satisfied. (my room is approximatel 22x33). For music is where I would like more bass movies not so much as I find the two are doing more than I need. 2 - May want to consider a powered amp. This is a yes, I will definetely be adding a seperate amp and currently looking at the emotiva xpa-3 but the website says it will ship Mar. 20th i think it was. My receiver is doing the job but having heard another set of speakers with amp vs same receiver it was very apparent that the amp will help. I was curious if anyone has any other recommendation for an Amp. My budget is under $1000 just for front 3. 3 - 5.2 vs 7.1 So I had opted for the 5.2 and the only complaint I have is that in some movies I feel like there is not enough sound coming from behind. I tried different placements and then tried using a set of old speakers as rear surround and front heights and even though its not discrete channels it did help my set up. My theatre room is essentially a dedicated theatre room but also has a pool table/bar area at the back which gives about 18x22 ft of area behind the seating w/o speakers. I am currently on the verge of ordering a set of the RB-81s and or RB-61s. They will both stay in theatre room as front heights and rear surrounds or one pair will go to my bedroom. Any opinions on that would be great. I liked the idea of going all 6" for rears, surrounds, and centre. I could always go all RB-81s for fronts and rears. I also considered the rb-51 but didn't like the sound beside the rf-7s. Haven't had a chance to test the RB-81 and RB-61 but i have heard they are very similar. Price point is almost double for the RB-81s which I think may be over kill for rear surrounds and potentially front heights/wides. 4 - Placing speakers in cabinet This was another issue and I have found that putting some insulation behind the rf-7s made a difference but will test more. I would highly recommend keeping them out if possible. I also tried playing around with the toe-in and maybe its because my room is 22' wide but I liked the speakers almost straight. This is another reason I am considering adding front wides or heights as the 2 edge seats dont get the same experience. 5 - Photos I posted some in the lets see your theatre thread. 6 - RF-7 Feet KEEP THEM ON as they are designed... I had mine tip on me and they have a scratch now ... I had tried them pointed inwards just to test and see the look and unfortunately I bumped one. It didnt hit the ground but bumped another piece of furniture and now there is scratch. I will see about getting that fixed later. If anyone has any othe questions or tips let me know

I have just started considering making one last purchase where I currently work part time because of my discount. My choice is between adding 2-4 RB-81s to go 7.1 or 9.1 in my main theatre or getting a full RF-82II setup for my family room. I have also considered doing a mix and match of say adding 2 RB-81s to my theatre and just 2 RF-82s + RC-52 to my living room. I have also considered the RF-63II but I won't be adding a sub immediately and like the amount of bass the RF-82s can provided on their own. This isn't really a need purchase but rather a "I will never get this type of deal again" purchase. The only issue with the RF-82II set up is that it cant be discretely added to the living room lol... The RB-81s are special order while everything else is readily available, I mention that because RF-82IIs can be purchased on sale like they currently are for $999 for a pair which is more than my discount price but still a good enough deal to buy them later when they are on sale again. RB-81s would always be MSRP less any discounts offered.

Thanks Dysmae, The SW-311s are better than I expected. Very clean and tight and loud. My problem is my room is so large and not very good for bass that it gets boomy really fast at high volumes. I have tried a velodyne and paradigm in the same room with the same result. I'm considering adding a tuba-ht just because I want to build it lol and I have heard some good things. I tried one of the SW-311s in my family room which is much smaller than the theatre room and it sounds GREAT. I would say under a 14x20 room its perfect but my theatre is 20x32. They sound reallllly good with the rf-7s even though they are the same size drivers As for the passive side woofers I cant really comment as to how effective they are but there is a lot of movement from them and they push quite a bit of air. Watching movies the subs are excellent its with the music where I find that the room is too big for them.