JewishAMerPrince

Just wait till the Summits get really broken in which occurs somewhere around 300 hours. OBTW, I don't find the Summit to be any more difficult a load than the RF7. My Aragon 3005 does just fine..... Horn tweeters such as found on the Klipsch and ESL drivers have very different geometry and physics, yet deliver surprisingly similar SQ.

Just about all the Reference series match timbre wise. No problem running a better center since in HT the center does about 80% of the work. I think the RC7 is a truely excellent center while the RC35 while good, doesn't distinguish itself in any manner.

Have you actually listened to either? I'll take the Aragon clarity over the Sherbone brute strength any day. And, I've had both here for review. I said it before and I'll say it again a lot of cheap parts does not a good amp make. Just a heavy one. Based on your criteria. My latest amps, the Nuforce Reference 9 monoblocks, which are taking the industry by storm, and are about THE best amp I have EVER heard, should be loosers because......... They weigh only about 7 lbs each and are almost hollow inside. Seven of them would only total 49 lbs.

I think your house would fall apart long before that "single power supply" would run out of steam. Assuming they are Klipsch, you'd probably long since blown all your surrounds, thus automatically rebalancing the load on the 2007. There is an elegance that exists in design simplicity that seems to escape many such as yourself. I can't comment on B&K but the cheap parts in the Sherborn (albiet there are more of them) should alarm someone far more than the lack of them.

Keep an eye on eBay Klipsch!

My thoughts exactly. However, I will reserve my final judgement until I've heard them. I'm ready for an upgrade frfom my RF7s and all Klipsch is offering is more of the same, or rather the same only with more.....whatever. It appears to me that marketing has taken over from engineering in driving the product line. I myself fail to see the necessity of six different towers in the Reference line. Three price points would be more than adequite. I'm sure that somewhere in the line they are competing with Synergy price wise. It's never a wise move to compete with yourself. Ask GM. Jerry Rappaport

I own two of those tiny suckers for my MBR 2.1 system. They are everything that the review states and then some. After about 300 hrs they loose most of the midrange harshness that he mentions.

Actually Reference series was launched in 99, making it seven years old.

Define relatively young? I'm not sure that the so called "younger" market likes the looks of the Reference. I just think that Klipsch never thought about it much. Now, I'm not suggesting anything as radical as a GMX or even the tech look of the Synergy, just something that shows some real finess. The golden/copper woofers were a great step forward 12 years ago on the original Reference, but that was 12 years ago now some added spice IS needed.

Yup...just as dorkey as ever! The comments about being Synergies cheaper brother came not from me, but from several of my customers when I tried to provide References in their home theaters. When people are spending the cost of a room, as well as equipment, appearance becomes a significant consideration. Klipsch needs to learn that. I'm just frustrated with having to provide other brands when I know that the Reference sound better.

Yes. He has some of it right and some of it wrong... The new surrounds look like the THX U2 KS-525-THX the only thing the same is the shape of the box. the spec's that are stated are Prelimiary at best. CES spec's are prelim as well... THe 3 woofers are in parrell. THe centers are tapered aray (2.5 way networks) The rest you will have to wait unitl after CES... I have seen the press release for CES and have one burning question. The Reference IV all look pretty much as dorkey as the current series. Was any consideration given to jazzzing up the build quality and appearance so they don't look like they are the Synergies cheaper brother? Something as simple as a bullit dust cap could have done wonders.

It's too good an amp to sit around. If someone were to really want it I would sell it.

The whole family noticed the difference immediatly. Not in volume, but in the depth and extension of the bass.

I've had my RF7 surround setup for three years now and in that period of time have gone thru a variety of amps to try to find the ultimate capability of the 7s in 2 channel. I've also incorporated Dean G's mods in my towers and center...all in search of the proverbial audio holy grail. Power wise I went from a Denon 3801 receiver to Rotel separates featuring a RMB 1075 125 wpc amp which was later replaced with a 200wpc RB 1080. The more power I added the better the 7s got. Recently I needed to experiment with the latest class D stuff so I tried a Rotel 1077 which is rated 100wpc, but I understand will deliver just about all the current one needs. The 1077 was actually a big improvement over the 200 wpc 1080 in all areas except soundstage. Last week I noticed Klipsch was selling off the last of the Aragon 3005s on eBay. I aggresively bid on the silver one and won it. Today it arrived. The title above says it all. I find it hard to believe that such an efficient speaker as the RF7 would actually need 300 wpc, but boy oh boy does it appreciate 300wpc.

Win what? The Halo amps sound a lot like Denon receivers. Slightly overempasized midrange to make them more forward ( and more powerful then they really are) and a dulled out top end that lacks "air". They also don't track linearIy. When the volumes is turned down, the highs and the lows fall off faster than just normal Fletcher/Monson effect. I kept my A21 a whole six weeks before dumping it. Probably the only piece of gear I've lost money on in the past decade. I understand that Aragon are very neutral. Meaning they aren't really voiced for anything except faithful reproduction.

Here is the link to the eKs and the rest of their Audiophile stuff. http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?Category=Home%20Theater

Anyone looking for premium build quality, twisted pair design, silver plated wire, double shielding and a sexy sheith all at a very reasonable price should check out the eKs at www.knukonceptz.com. I've been using their cables for three years and I find they compare very well to the likes of Straight Wire and Tributary and other esoteric brands at nearly 1/10 th the price. Jerry R

Bravo, Bravo From an expert designer/architect (me). You are doing the right thing. Enjoy having it your way now, because someday you will get married and decor will no longer be your decision...lol I think you need to be specially commended. You have found a happy, healthy and life enhancing hobby. Most youngsters your age would have taken that money and smoked or sniffed it, then had nothing to show for it. My 16 yo step-son thinks a home theater should consist of 5 cheap subwoofers going boom boom boom all the time. I wish he had your taste.

Reference level is an spl level established by Dolby Labs (and I also believe there is a THX reference level), in order for designers to "tune" a theater. If I remember ccorrectly "reference level" is something like 115 db ...hopefully somebody here can help on that one.

The 1091 and 1092 are being voiced as we speak. Rotel will not release them until they are an exact match to the 1077 in sound quality, however long that takes. JR

There are not 1 but 2 new models coming: 1091 500 watt Monoblock 1092 500 watt Stereo Both are analog modulated ICEpower just like the new 1077. They look like the 1077 from the front, also. JR

I'll be reluctantly parting with my Chorus IIs that I use for my study library. I'm adding built ins to the room so I no longer have good corner locations to put them in. So, I need to find another solution. The CIIs are light oak, they are consecutive serial number that indicate they were made in 1992. I have the papers but not the boxes. They are in excellent condition with a few truely minor scraches that aren't visable enough to even photograph. I would prefer a local sale and pick up, since they are large. However, I realize that not all Klipsch fans live in South Florida so, if you are willing to pay shipping and handling costs, I will ship. Looking for $650-700 ish JR

I remember years ago one of the manufacturers billed their amp as a straight wire with gain. That would be the ultimate amp, as it would add hardly anything in terms of distortion and noise and would loose very little as well. When I opened the box for the RMB 1077 and took out the diminutive device inside that ancient sound bite came to mind. We are taking a giant leap towards the ultimate amp: A straight wire with gain. Ive spent the past 5 days burning her in and playing all types of source material, with my RF7s (DeanG moded) and offer the following observations: The 1077 is definitely a Rotel in sound signature, clean, clear and musical. However, it has much more of the mid and low end weight and forwardness of the Krell Showcase or a Halo. The mid and low bass are much stronger than what I am used to experiencing with my 1080 making the 1077 sound like a much more powerful amp. The Halo A21&51 that I tested, with its 250 wpc has similar weight in the low end. The top end is very extended without being bright. The 1077 is less rounded than most Rotel amps, it is also much more transparent then the Halo, whos top end is so rounded that it seems to be designed specifically for brighter speakers that have hot tops, or for people whos high frequency hearing is already shot from too many years of high SPL listening. When I first turned it on the 1077 was a bit harsh at the top. Sibilant sounds grated like sandpaper. Over time she has smoothed out considerably. This initial harshness is a characteristic I find of all Rotel amps with all Reference Series. After break in the overall sound signature of the 1077 is as close to perfect as I can imagine for use with MY speakers. The Krell Signature 5 channel amp I borrowed last year left a similar impression. I wouldnt have expected an amp with a FTC rating of only 100 wpc to be so powerful. I think this new breed of amps will have to come along with a new way of defining amplifier power. AMD had to do this a few years back when its processors performed on the level of much higher clock speed Intel processors. AMD started to rate their processors at Intel equivalent clock speed, rather than true clock speed. On day 3 I cranked up the 1077 for a rendition of the "Stars and Stripes" played by the Boston Pops to a level that could be heard by just about the entire neighborhood. I didn't experience any "compression" of the sound as I would expect from an amp sporting only 100wpc (and have experienced with my 1075 while driving the mains). Ive played some heavy material since at insane SPL and the 1077 has handled it all without the slightest hint of clipping or other signs of distress. Although they are very efficient, the RF7s are a somewhat difficult load since they have an impedance dip to 2.8 ohms at some frequencies. This will quickly show the deficiencies of any amp, and multi-channel receivers with their puny excuses for onboard amplifiers simply do a terrible job with the 7s. The 1077s ability to "track" the impedance curve of a speaker allows it to transfer max power even at surprisingly low impedances. Only "bigger" amps (200 wpc and up) have achieved this sound with my RF7s. The 1077 does appear to sound like a "bigger" amp than my 200 wpc 1080 does, and at least as big as the 250 wpc A21/51. Soundstage: My initial apparent dissapointment with the amp centered around its seemingly narrow and shallow soundstage. On day 2 I realized that this dummy, in his rush to get the amp up and running had reversed the left and right channels. No wonder everything sounded so weird. I can now report the following. The soundstage of the 1077 in 2 channel mode is at least as wide as the 1080, however, it does lack some of that amps depth. Most of the 1077s soundstage is forward of the speakers so it tends to project instruments out into the room. The musicians seem to be out in the room with you rather than being in front of you on a stage. I was able to moderate this a bit by adjusting the separation width and tow-in of my speakers. The amp is exceedingly linear. It performs as well at low volumes as it does at high SPL. This has been a characteristic of Rotel amps for as long as Ive owned them, and its a characteristic I enjoy. When I auditioned the Halo A21 for three weeks one of the things that distressed me the most about that amp was the fact that it performed well at high SPL and had a good, if not great top end and a huge soundstage. But it fell apart completely when turned down. The Krell Showcase held up well under similar conditions. It never lost it. Ive decided that the 1077 is a keeper! ________________

It's my understanding (from my Klipsch dealer) that the Reference 7 series will be refreshed/revamped next summer. It's my experience that revamping doesn't necessarily lead to improvement.

The China vs USA debate shows up on just about every electronics bulliten board. The Oriental people including both the Japanese and Chinese are really good at doing the same repetative task over and over. By the third day on the job a Chinese worker can produce a product that is world class. American workers on the other hand, besides being higher priced, don't have the same work ethic or pride in their product. As for the politics of pumping American dollars into a Communist country, I wouldn't fear thqat it would make them too strong. I think the Chinese government sees much wisdom in the old saying: "don't bite the hand that feeds you.