adam2434

Yeah, they are in phase. Center image is fine in center listening position, and bass is also not lacking.

It's funny...I have had several different floorstanders in this system over the years (RF-7 III, RF-7 II, RP-280F, Def Tech BP-10B, and Energy RC-70), and for some reason, I'm only noticing the extreme lack of off-center imaging with the RF-7 III. Could be a coincidence or could be something specific to the RF-7 III. I have to live with 2.0 in this system due to space constraints. Maybe I'll just migrate over to the center position and crowd my wife to the right. Maybe she will think I'm just trying to snuggle...nah, she knows me better.

This article talks about the benefits of extreme toe in for good imaging across multiple positions. http://libinst.com/PublicArticles/Setup of WG Speakers.pdf

Our RF-7 III’s are in a 2-channel system used for audio and video content (we have a separate 5.1 system in the basement). Most of the time when this system is used, I am on the left side of the couch and my wife is on the right side. If I am alone, I sit in the middle of the couch, which is one the centerline of the TV and speakers. When I sit in the middle, the center image is fine. However, when I sit on the left, there is no center image and the left speaker dominates. This is becoming increasingly annoying, now that my brain is in-tune to it. It’s like I’m only hearing the left friggin’ speaker. Interestingly, if I slowly turn my head to the left, there is a point where the sound will become centered between the speakers. I’m sure this does not bother my wife on the right side, as she could care less about the sound. I recently increased the toe-in from converging a couple feet behind the couch to now converging slightly in front of the center listening position. This really did not help. And man, the RF-7 III are a pain to adjust by yourself on carpet with the spikes installed. I basically palm the sides of them, lift, place, then repeat until I get both to the same dimensions from the back wall. From what I’ve read so far, sounds like I need to try extreme toe-in, with the speakers converging several feet in front of the center listening position (not looking forward to moving the speakers again!). This extreme toe-in will look strange in the room, but I think I need to try it. However, does this extreme toe-in narrow the soundstage, especially when seated in the center position? I’m wondering if the extreme toe-in makes off-center imaging better, but shrinks the soundstage. Thanks for any input.

Are you wanting lossless from local files only, and do you need higher than 16/44.1 resolution lossless? Are you also looking for lossless from a streaming service? For local 16/44.1 lossless files (flac rips from CDs, for example), a Chromecast Audio ($35), a UNnP/DNLA server on PC or NAS, and a mobile app (I use Hi-Fi Cast) can work very well. For a combination of local 16/44.1 lossless files and lossless (or non-lossless) streaming in a one-box (and one-app) solution, the Sonos Connect ($350) works very well. Sonos has simple set-up, very stable operation, and seamless integration of local files and streaming services in one app. However, Sonos is limited to 16/44.1 local files, so higher-res local files won't work.

So I used the Powergate and a pair of NHT SB3 that I had lying around (found cheap on CL a few years ago) and made a semi-portable “system on a board”. Why? Not really sure. Just had a notion to do this. Geeky version of arts and crafts, I guess. Actually, I’ll find a home for it and will also plan to take it when we travel by car for vacations. My sister works for a packaging company, and can have a custom-size box made. The NHT SB3 are upside-down to get the tweeter on top. Because they have threaded inserts on the back, I knew they would be ideal for mounting to brackets, once customized. Drilling new holes in the brackets to line up with the speaker’s threaded inserts was a real pain with a hand drill – brackets are at least 3/16” thick. The fan is screwed into the board from the underside and the Powergate is zip tied to the board. The fan is necessary because the bottom of the Powergate gets very hot. Fan runs off the Powergate’s service USB, which is convenient. The combo sounds great and has plenty of output capability. Of course, there is not much stereo separation, but the intent is something that can be easily moved in one piece, and is somewhat portable.

The RJ45 IN should be connected to your router or ethernet switch. The RJ45 OUT is optional. It can be connected to your PC or another device. The RJ45 OUT means that it has an internal ethernet switch, allowing network pass-through to another device (a nice convenience feature).

A direct PC connection will use the USB B input (in this case the Powergate is used as a USB DAC and amplifier). I believe a PC driver download is needed for USB audio. Internet/network connection can be over wi-fi or ethernet cable. For TV, yes, toslink. If your TV has a digital output format setting, set it to PCM/LPCM, as the Poweregate can only process PCM/LPCM.

Yeah, there are really 2 questions at play here. 1) Does the amp have enough power for the speakers to hit a certain SPL without excessive amplifier distortion? 2) Assuming the amp has enough power, are the speakers capable of producing the SPL level without excessive speaker distortion? My comment was related to 1). Assuming the speakers are capable of producing 100 dB peaks at 10 feet (just through that out there as an arbitrary number), the calculator I use indicates that 30 w/ch should suffice. If the speakers simply can't handle that SPL with clean power, turn it down, or off-load the high woofer excursion with a sub or subs. I've heard distortion from both scenarios - an amp that could not keep up, and speakers that could not keep up as the SPL increases. Not sure which is the case here.

How loud is "loud" in terms of SPL and distance from the speakers? It should only take about 30 clean w/ch to achieve peaks over 100 dB at 10 feet with your speakers. That's fairly loud.

Tested the PowerGate optical input with a Chromecast Audio. It works fine, and I believe it sounds as good as direct streaming the same content. Also, setting the PowerGate on the fan above (at lowest speed) resulted in the bottom of the unit being just warm after 12 hours of continuous operation. It runs very hot without the fan, as mentioned above. Setting it on a fan is a bit clunky and takes away from the small form factor and single box solution.

More on the heat issue... When off (standby), the unit stays warm. When on, the bottom of the unit gets VERY hot, even when nothing is being amplified. Therefore, most of the heat is not from the work of driving speakers. This makes me wonder if the heat is from the CPU and/or network card. As an experiment today, I set the Powergate on top of a fan (link below) that I use for another component. The Powergate has no top or bottom vents, but I'm hoping that some air flow on the bottom of the unit will help, since that's where it gets so hot. I'm leaving it on today, playing music at a moderate level while I am working. I set the fan to the lowest speed. I'll check the heat level later this afternoon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G05A2MU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sure. I will test flac files on the PC using a Chromecast Audio via optical. As mentioned above, flac files will stream directly with Media Server using the Stream app, but the Chromecast will allow a test with optical. I would not expect a sound quality difference between direct streaming and Chromecast optical, given that both likely use the same DAC in the Powergate.

Received the PowerGate yesterday and thought I'd post some initial impressions and observations, pretty much in the order I observed them. The good: Wi-fi set-up with the Stream app was pretty straightforward and painless. Spotify Connect is working well with no drop-outs. The Stream app does not need to be running for Spotify Connect, typical of Spotify Connect. Media Server in the Stream app recognized Minimserver running on my PC, allowing playback of the flac files on my PC. Overall sound quality is pretty darn good. I've been testing it with my garage speakers (somewhat hot-rodded Polk Monitor 7C's in the upper corners of my garage. I redid the crossovers with Dayton Precision caps and Mills resistors, and also installed the uprgraded factory silk dome tweeters a couple years ago). The Powergate seems to have ample power to drive the 7C's to the highest level I would ever need in the garage with no signs of distortion. Broke out the SPL meter and measured 90 dB peaks at around 18 feet from the speakers. That is louder than I would typically listen in the garage. I would venture to guess that it would drive most speakers to satisfying levels. For reference, I normally power the 7C's with my primary 2-channel gear - an Emotiva DC-1 DAC/pre and Rotel RB-1582 MKII amp at 200 w/ch. Sure, the Emotiva and Rotel combo sounds subjectively better (as they should), with more lively dynamics, better bass punch, and more resolution. However, the Powergate actually sounds better than I thought it would for a $250 (current price on Amazon) all-in-one unit. Briefly tested Bluetooth - connected right away and had good range. I used aptX on my Android and the sound quality over Bluetooth was very good for Bluetooth. The not-so-good: Stream app is clunky and not intuitive compared to Sonos. I use a Sonos Connect for the main system and we have a Play5 in the kitchen. Utility app to update firmware got stuck on my Android phone. Borrowed my wife's iPhone, installed the app, and was able to update to the latest firmware (I think). I say "I think" because I could not find a way to check the firmware version running on the unit. Volume increments using Spotify Connect are too coarse. Jumps from too low to too high in one increment. You have to use the unit's volume knob or remote to fine tune volume level. When using Bluetooth, my phone will not control the volume. This is strange and disappointing. Lowering volume all the way will mute the sound, but there is no volume control range. One increment from the min setting setting produces the same volume as the max setting, so volume control from my phone was not possible. Every other Bluetooth device I've used allows volume control from the phone. This is a pretty big flaw in the Powergate. Fortunately, I will only use Bluetooth in travel/vacation scenarios. Guess I will just need to adjust volume with the remote or on the unit. The bottom of the unit runs VERY hot after a playing a while. Seems like not much consideration was put into thermal management and heat-sinking. The top of the unit has no vents - seems like that would have been a simple solution to allow much of the heat to escape. This heat issue causes concerns for long-term reliability. Overall, the good outweighs the bad so far. Again, this will ultimately be used in a bedroom system and while on vacation, so I think it will do very well for these uses. Have not tried the optical or analog inputs yet.

No love for the PowerGate amp, it seems. Based on the majority of what I've read so far, the wi-fi set-up, stability, and Klipsch Stream app are frustrating and buggy. I knew that going in, so I'll just return it if I can't get a stable and consistent Spotify Connect stream and bluetooth connection. For the current $250 price, I love the features, specs, and versatility "on paper". We'll see in a couple days...

Anyone have any experience with the PowerGate amp (small black model)? They are being sold for 1/2 of their original price on Amazon. So, I wonder if they are being discontinued. The reviews on Amazon are mixed. I ordered one yesterday and will receive it in a couple days. I plan to use it for a bedroom system with a pair of NHT SB3 bookshelf speakers. I will also plan to use this system as a portable system for vacations. It has decent power and ample connections/features. I will use it with Spotify Connect, optical from TV, and Bluetooth (aptX) when on vacation.

I seriously doubt this is an under-power issue. I would guess that you have a defective receiver or a short in the wire or speaker(s). After verifying that all receiver and speaker connections are good and trying Emile's suggestions above, I would try another receiver/amp.

Yeah, by "pro", I meant someone who gets paid to do reviews...for whatever they're worth. 😊 Cory's review was helpful and I enjoyed it.

I have had a LFM-1 (12") since 2005. The amp died last year and Outlaw fixed it for around $75...not bad. Last year, I also added the X-12 (12"), so am now running the LFM-1 and X-12 in a dual sub configuration in the basement mancave 5.1 system. I got the X-12 on sale for around $550 shipped. They run sales a few times a year. They are solid performers at their price point (especially when on sale), on par with similarly priced subs from other ID companies like Hsu and Rythmik, IMO. I've been happy with their performance with music and video content. Adding a second sub really improved the bass in this system.

RF-7 III pro review by AVS staffer was posted. Glowing to say the least... https://www.avsforum.com/review-klipsch-rf-7-iii-floorstanding-speakers-review/ This is the first pro review I've seen on the RF-7 III.

I use these crimp-on plugs most of the time. I give the bare wire a good coat of Deoxit Gold and do a double crimp. https://www.parts-express.com/gold-plated-crimp-on-banana-plug-16-pcs--091-350 I ditch the boots and use 2 layers of shrink tubing for strain relief. I feel that these crimp-ons make a more secure connection than the other types. Downside of the crimp-ons is that they are permanent.

JRiver's "internal" volume control is 64 bit and is purported to be a very good implementation of digital volume control. I believe it is best to set the JRiver output bitdepth to the highest bitdepth the DAC can handle (24 bit for most DACs). https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Volume

Some good info on the subject: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/general-interest-interviews-menu/311-what-s-wrong-with-digital-volume-controls I have found that my Emotiva DC-1 DAC/preamp sounds more transparent and has more resolution connected directly to my Rotel RB-1582 MKII amp (via balanced cables) vs. connecting it to my Rotel RC-1580 preamp. The DC-1 uses a Muses analog resister ladder for volume control (attenuation) after the DAC output gain stage. Some DACs with volume control attenuate in the digital domain, and some do it in the analog domain. Both can work well, if designed properly.

I assume you are using a Chromecast Audio with the analog output connected to your integrated amp, right? If the above is true, you might consider an outboard DAC for improved sound quality, as the 1/8" output doubles as a mini optical output. When using the analog output, make sure "Full Dynamic Range" is on in the device settings. You probably know the two points above, so just throwing them out there... BTW, what mobile app do you use for FLAC selection, and what server software do you use? In a secondary system, I have been playing with the free version of the Hi-Fi Cast app for Android and Minimserver on my PC. However, I have to make Minimserver transcode FLAC to WAV for it to work (which is no big deal, other than using a bit more network bandwidth). In the main system, I use a Sonos Connect.

Off topic a bit... I agree that the Sonos UI and integration of personal library and streaming services is superior to anything else I've used. For 16/44.1 FLAC and Spotify Premium, I've been very happy with the Connect for the main system and Play5 in the Kitchen. I am currently looking for a used Connect for a second system, but these things hold their value pretty well. The one major flaw for Sonos, IMO, is the way it handles replaygain tags. It is not as effective as Squeezebox and Foobar (on PC ) for leveling volume with track gain, which is a nice feature when listening to a playlist that is from multiple albums (often I will simply hit shuffle on the Blues genre in my library, so the playlist contains hundreds of albums). The way Sonos handles track gain is a mystery. Supposedly, the amount of pos or neg gain becomes limited near the upper end of the volume control. Also, it only works with viable volume, not fixed. With the Squeezebox, you can select track gain or album gain, and use replaygain in variable and fixed output.