danbry39

I'm not the ear, but I have two of them. In any regard, please accept my opinion on the matter being discussed. One thing that hasn't been mentioned (unless I missed it) is the WAF. Bookshelf speakers are less prominent and offer more flexibility in placement. As for the sound itself, I listened quite a bit to the RF-3's and RB-5ii's for a system I was setting up in my bedroom. Here's why I picked the RB-5ii's. Beyond the above flexibility issues, I found the 5ii's had a bit better imaging and midrange clarity. This could be my ears only or even such factors as the way they were positioned in the showroom's listening room. However, while floorstandings might have an advantage with bass extention, smaller speakers have the potential to have more rigid cabinets, which might lead to the improvements I subjectively experienced. Both can be excellent though and this, by no means, is meant to demean the RF-3's, which I like very much. Nonetheless, if mated with a good sub, especially with an adjustable crossover, one can maximize the useful frequency of the system as a whole.

I bought my Parasound 1205A 5-channel power amp from Ubid for $649, new and with full factory warranty. It arrived safe and sound and I've been loving it ever since. I was disappointed that they didn't double box the thing though. I also bought a Toshiba DVD player for the kids for $29. This was a refurb and only came with a 90 day warranty. So far, so good on the Toshiba. My biggest frustration came when I missed getting an Aragon pre/pro by a about $20. I have heard horror stories about them also, especially goods damaged during shipping and the problems getting Ubid's correction of these problems. Also, I agree that their shipping charges are way too much. Will I shop there again? Quite possibly. For instance, if I decide to move up to 6 or 7 channels, I might check out their offerings for a decent monoblock or 2 channel amp.

Was going to write something, but I'm speechless.

Hey EricJohn, that's weird. I'm exactly the same age as you.

I agree with those saying that SVS or Hsu would be a better choice than Klipsch for the money. Each of these companies focuses on subs and selling direct to the consumer saves you the middle-man cost. SVS is also renouned for their customer service.

Hi, In my bedroom, I have Klipsch Reference RB-5's and, in my teenage daughter's room, I have RT-35i's. The RT-35i's used to be in my bedroom until I got the Klipsch. As for the sound, the Klipsch thump the Polks with regard to home theater. With regard to music, I still prefer the Klipsch, but not by a wide margin. The Klipsch are more forward, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's more a matter of taste. As for the Klipsch bashing, most of those people haven't really listened to the Klipsch extensively, imho, and use the same cliches over and over. My different systems use NHT, AR, Klipsch, and Polk speakers. I prefer the Klipsch over all of the others, even though I really like all of them. A lot of people are used to the same sound they've heard over the years and have come to define "good" sound that way. That's fine. Listening is a very personal experience. One thing I will say is that Klipsch is highly reliant on the source being fed into it. I personally wouldn't enjoy my Klipsch with an overly bright receiver or preamp/amp combo. It sounds great with my Rotel/Parasound though. In fact, it sounds fantastic. And, never, never forget the efficiency of these speakers, especially if you like your music loud.

I have the 55859 in my bedroom and have to say I'm in love with the thing. One thing you didn't mention was the huge amount of connect ports on the back of the thing and that the firmware is upgradable, which I've already done on one occasion. I'd get a callibration disc asap as I still feel you have the contrast way too high. I have mine at about 25% and it's fine, but the bedroom I have it in is relatively dark. By the way, I think deepdiscountdvd.com sells the Avia for like $34 with free shipping. The disc can do wonders for both video and audio.

Got both my sub and component cable from a Canadian company, Rhinocables.com after hearing about them on several boards and have to say I'm extremely pleased.

I did. I can't remember the model number exactly, but I think it was something like KG4's. Once, while listening to the Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East, for some reason, I just wanted the sound to really explode in my room. Well, the horn stopped working midway through the first song. I'm sorry and will never give into my urges thusly again. Forgive me Klipsch.

Rotel makes great stuff for a great price. If it's sounding better than the Marantz or the Denon, that's impressive. I have a 1066 pre/pro on order (to get it in silver) and am trying to be patient waiting. Could take a week or two more though. With regard to the 1055, I've heard it has the same pre/pro components as the 1066, plus a tuner (which the 1066 doesn't have), plus 5 channels of assignable Rotel power, but costs LESS than the 1066. Now, that's a bargain. This message has been edited by danbry39 on 09-14-2002 at 08:38 PM

Also, check ubid.com. I've seen HK amps there and found they were cheaper than what they were going for at Ebay. I got my Parasound 1205A at Ubid for $649, new and with Parasound's 10 year warranty. This message has been edited by danbry39 on 09-14-2002 at 06:25 PM

I have an Onkyo 696 and, until I toned it down with a Parasound amp, it wasn't completely satisfying to me. I don't know if Onkyos are bright, but the amp section of the Onkyo definitely was significantly brighter than the Parasound, hence a better match to these ears for the Klipsch reference speakers. I hear nice things about Harman Kardons and Denons matching up well with the Klipsch.

Also, you might want to try the zoom "+" or "-" buttons at the very bottom of your remote. You could completely remove the black bars thusly.

Just to let you all know, I've placed a bid on the Parasound 1205A for $649. After scouring the internet for as much information as I could, I just gotta believe this is one super amp, maybe even better than that on my Onkyo 696 (just kidding). I have made all the requisite family member's approval requests and was told, "Yeah, sure. Why not? If it will make you happy." They're a very special family, given the fact that I've already spent $14,000 in the last year upgrading the electronics in my bedroom (this includes my new computer setup). Now, if only I can get my wife to agree to allow me to put a little fridge and microwave by my bed, I'll never leave, never go to work, never talk to my family again...wait, perhaps that's why they're agreeing. Anyway, now for the preamp...

Thanks everyone. I know that Klipsch speakers are more amp sensitive than other non-horn speakers. Sounds like Parasound makes a good match.

Anyone heard or experienced how well these amps work with Klipsch. I'm interested for my bedroom setup which uses Klipsch Reference as the speakers. Thanks

Thanks for the response Belial. I've decided to hold off for now. I posted on the topic of biwiring over at Home Theater Forum and the responses were mixed. First, I'll work on breaking them in and positioning them as best I can given space restrictions.

Out of curiosity, why do you wish to undo your bi-wiring? I just got my RB-5ii's and was thinking about bi-wiring them. Is there a downside?