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RJVB

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  1. I like to live dangerously so here's a question I probably shouldn't be asking here I'm more or less in the market for a new pair of budget-but-good headphones, primarily for use with my upstairs computer (with an iMic or a Fubar headphone amp). I have an older set of Sennheiser cans (HD 570) that I use with the downstairs HiFi system if not listening through my Klipsch RF52 (MkII) floorstanders. I currently use an early model set of Sennheiser noise-cancelling on-ear headphones (PXC-250) with the computer, which don't really sound too good and give me a nice case of black leatherette dandruff after wearing them. I've identified a few possible options, sadly without being able to do listening tests (I wouldn't know where in my region). To start with the competition: - Sennheiser HD 239; probably my 1st choice but almost impossible to find within my budget here in France - Sennheiser HD 231/231i; apparently comparable to the HD 239 - Sennheiser HD 205ii; would be a no-brainer given its price if I weren't considering a supra-aural model (easier to put 1 can *next* to an ear when I need to keep an ear out) and there were less remarks about how tight it is. - Something comparable from Klipsch. Here that basically boils down to an Image One v1 or v2. I love the sound of my Klipsch speakers, but have a hard time figuring out to what extent I might be disappointed by the sound of the Image One. Too many commenters coming from (or going back to) Beats, which to be painfully honest makes me doubt their credibility a bit... There are also a lot more comments about breakage and non-replaceable earpads. In short, I'm very tempted to try out a set of Klipsch headphones, but I hate having to return a purchase. NB: I do own a pair of their S4i in-ear phones which sound quite nice when I manage to seat them correctly (and they stay in place), but the only comparison I have with this kind of headphones are the buds that came with my iPhone and miniDisc walkman. IOW, OneEar might be kind in the land of the Deaf ... And to be honest again, I don't think I can find anything like a Klipsch sound-signature in the S4is that corresponds to the RF52s. If anything the Sennheiser phones have a more comparable sound to my ears. So I thought I'd ask here. I'm an accomplished amateur violinist and listen mostly to acoustic or "slightly amplified" music: classical/early music, jazz, blues, bluegrass (lots, these days) though I don't shy away from my old soul/funk/disco recordings. Thoughts, (impartial ;)) feedback and advice welcome!
  2. I'd been dreaming of a pair of floor standers for a while, and when I got a not-to-be-refused deal on a pair of RF52s (basically the MKII for a MKI sales price!) I pulled the trigger. They've been playing since Friday morning, and I'm almost literally blown away by how much they sound even better than the RF51 bookshelf speakers we had before. I'm just wondering about those big gaping holes (erm, bass reflex ports) on the rear. I can see some kind of tissue on the far end looking down said ports, and if even I can insert my hand, I can only imagine what other critters are going to waltz in there and make themselves comfortable. We're living in a countryside house, and while the 6 and 8 legged fauna isn't as diverse or impressive as in some parts of the US, we're rarely without spidery housemates. Are there specific grills to place on the ports, just as there are grills to protect the front sides? Do I just get hold of a pair of old nylons and make something myself? For the moment I've slid in a bit of bubble wrap plastic, but of course I'm already imagining that's degrading the sound ^^ Regards, René
  3. I received my pair of RB-51s and the Vogels VLB-200 yesterday. First impression concerning the Vogels: serious stuff that comes with equally serious mounting screws (made in the Netherlands, but there's nothing d"double dutch" about them ). There's a rubbery kind of lining material for the clamps, which will also improve grip on the (curved) front (the front clamp is flat-surfaced). The rear clamp does cover the bass reflex port, but for not (much) more than 2mm. or so. I suppose that will not affect sound quality, esp. if one files off the plastic a bit to remove the 90º angle. I'm not using them for the moment, though. The idea would be to mount the speakers at about 2m height, angling downward. The right would be at about 3/4 of my place's long wall, the other on the left (far) wall, just far enough from the long wall to avoid being behind the furniture. Both would be oriented towards the centre of the room. Thing is that I'm renting the place, so I don't want to start drilling deep holes only to discover that the set-up is no better or worse than the current set-up. (current set-up is on wooden furniture, with the horns nicely at seated ear-height).
  4. Update: I received the RB51s and hooked them up yesterday. They've been playing since this morning, and I must say I'm happy. I'm amazed to see I have to open the amp even less than with the old pair of Philips speakers I had (which max out at 40W... The left speaker is sitting on the 'shelf' of a "buffet breton" (resembling this below though sitting further from the left wall) so that one gives a pretty substantial bass too... PS: more on the set-up and possible mounting
  5. No, there's no subwoofer, and the amp was configured that way. So this is another point where the manual could have been clearer: it wasn't clear to me that the crossover setting is ignored in absence of a subwoofer. Thanks for clearing that up (and if we'd had a subwoofer, I'd indeed have kept the setting at 80Hz - I only went lower out of fear that I was filtering out the lowest frequencies).
  6. Not sure if this is the correct forum but here goes: I'm looking for options to wall-mount a pair of RB-51s (the model preceding the MKII). It has to be a mount allowing a non-orthogonal angle to the supporting wall, so the upper brace won't do. The Vogels VLB-200 looks interesting but I fear they'd obstruct the bass reflex event. Is any of you aware of options that are compatible with the dual mounting threads that are present at the speaker's rear? They're listed as ' 1/4"-20 ' is that a standard, metric thread for which I can find bolts easily here in Europe? Thanks in advance!! I don't think I could find a good spot at my place for those wonderful speakers on a stand but I'll appreciate suggestions for that kind of solution too. A bit curious that there's so little information about this kind of accessory on the Klipsch product site!
  7. We recently got ourselves a pair of Klipsch RB-51, driven by an Onkyo TX-SR308 A/V amp, for use at my partner's place. Main source is a computer connected over HDMI (using the TV/CD input), main usage is (classical) music listening. The computer (HP G62) has an ATI graphics/sound card, set at 96kHz/24 bits. I'm not completely sure about the amp's set-up, and the differences between its various listening modes. The speaker specs mention a cross-over frequency of 2000Hz. Either that's a typo (it seems very high for the tweeters to kick in in any case), or it's not the same cross-over frequency as can be configured on the amp (which seems to be related to an optional -and unnecessary- subwoofer). The amp's manual suggests one might go as low as 80Hz on (small) speakers with a good bass reproduction I set it at the RB-51's low limit, 50Hz. Would that be correct? As to the listening modes: the manual lists a whole slew of them, but in practice I only found 4, presumable because the others don't apply to our set-up (?): theater-dimensional (on Onkyo thing), Direct, Game and Stereo. I can't find any explanation about the Game mode; the T-D mode apparently uses Dolby PL-II but without mentioning which of the 3 versions. According to the manual, the Direct mode does take the speaker config into account but not the rest of the possible processing ... and the Stereo mode is just mentioned as appropriate for playing stereo sources over 2 speakers. It's near impossible to determine the difference between the Stereo and Direct modes: we think we hear something, but that could be auto-suggestion. I rather like the T-D mode, esp. for lower/background listening levels as it makes the stereo image more spatial, but my partner seems to be right saying that certain frequencies/voices are harder to hear. Thoughts, anyone? I realise that in the end it's probably a matter of personal taste and circumstances, but I'd like to know what I'm getting when I push a button
  8. Heh, did I mention I have neighbours? ^^ In fact, part of my 2nd question concerned the surroundings: we're talking about a room of about 26m2. Does it make sense to put a pair of speakers the size of the RF-52s in there ... and also, how do they perform at the listening levels I can manage? Am I wrong in assuming that it's like with instruments - a big instrument played softly isn't the same at all as a small instrument played loudly (at the same sound level)?
  9. We just got a new system at my partner's place, an Onkyo TX-SR308 driving a pair of RB-51s. Given the size of the living room and the levels at which we listen, that's enough, and I'm mighty pleased even after about 10h of breaking in only. Pleased enough to be convinced that I'm going to replace the *old* Philips speakers I have on my own NAD amp with a pair of Klipsch, and plan a bit ahead at the same time. The NAD is a 2x25W *continuous* amp ... and my own studio is about 26m2 (with very little in terms of across-floors sound isolation). I've seen the RB-51s advertised with 2x25W RMC amps, so I'm pretty certain my NAD won't have any issues driving them. I wouldn't trust them on stands, though, so I'd have to wall-mount them, and that doesn't seem overly evident. First questions: - Does anyone know if the Vogels VLB-200 mounts can be used with the RB-51s? It seems the bass reflex event might be masked by the mount. - what other mounting options would be suitable if one doesn't want to use the mount installed on the speakers themselves? The planning ahead has to do with us moving in with each other. Getting the RBs, I'd preserve my NAD system as an additional, small-scale set-up, while the Onkyo system could evolve with a pair of floor-standers. The alternative would be that I get a pair of column speakers for my NAD, and that the amps would switch speakers when we move in together. Third question: - What result to expect when pairing a pair of RF-52 MkII with my NAD amp? Thanks in advance, René
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