Keith_M

I have a pair of RP-160M's and would like to mount them up high with a slight downward tilt into the room. I have a pair of clamp-type wall mounts specified for 33lbs., but after a few days, the speakers just rolled out and hit the floor. Fortunately no one was under them to be hurt. (The speakers survived.) Any suggestions?

Sean23 (if you're still there), what did you end up doing? I also have a pair of these speakers and have the same mounting hardware as chasec2021, but with the speakers tilted slightly downward, they rolled out of the clamps with a few days and hit the floor. Luckily, no one was around to be hurt. (The speakers survived, though.)

I had been using a pair of RP-160M's for about a year, but I was never happy with their handling of complex symphonic (classical) material. With this type of music, they sounded strident and lacked detail. A large string section just sounded like a collision. Based on some online reviews, I ordered a pair of Hsu Research CCB-8's (also horn speakers), and they solved my problem; they sound extremely detailed and smooth not just with complex symphonic material, but with music overall. Granted, the CCB-8's are slightly more expensive speakers, but I am surprised that Hsu Research could get their second horn speaker in several years to sound so much better then the RP-160M's that should have benefited from decades of Klipsch horn design experience. (These speakers were/are driven by a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amplifier.) On a more positive Klipsch note, I consider our Klipsch R-15PM's to be classics: excellent audio, flexible architecture making them useful in a number of applications, and they just sound right, commanding the listener's attention, even if they are small and have little bass extension.

I have a pair of RP-160M's in an 11' x 12' room (with vaulted ceiling). They are driven by a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amplifier (100W RMS/ch into 8ohms). I listen to classical music (from orchestral to solo instrumental), Doors and Kraftwerk primarily. The RP-160M's sound pretty good. I have the following questions: 1) Would a pair of Heresy III's sound better? If so, how much better? Would their sound be "too large" for the room? (The Heresy III's would have to be placed on the same bookshelf that is currently occupied by the RP-160M's; there's no floorspace.) 2) Would I miss the bass response of the RP-160M's? 3) Would I be better off keeping the RP-160M's and adding a subwoofer (e.g. an Hsu Research unit)? Many years (about 4 decades) ago, I heard a pair of Heresies in a stereo store, playing my favorite recording of a Shostakovich piano concerto. It brought tears to my eyes. What I remember from that experience, most of all, was that the instruments sounded their actual size. All speakers I have heard at that time and since seemed to reduce the size of individual instruments. I could not afford such speakers at the time, but my friends to whom I recommended them could, and did. Time went on, and I gravitated to 2- and 1-way speakers (for reasons beyond the scope of this post), and I moved to geographic areas that did not have Klipsch dealers. Today, there is no place I can go locally to hear the Heresy III's, and I don't know how accurate my memory of hearing the Heresies actually is.

Does your turntable have the wrong kind of cartridge? Although I haven't connected a turntable to ours, I believe that the speaker's phono preamp is designed for moving magnet cartridges, not moving coil ones.

I contacted Klipsch Technical Support. They said that the R-16PM can accept anything that a PC can send it over USB. However, in the case of files that are greater resolution than 24/96000, the speaker will down convert the stream to 24/96000 and play it. I asked about DSD files, and the technician said that that included DSD also. I haven't verified this yet, as I'm not yet set up for sourcing high definition audio. Keith

Thanks for the reply. I understand that to play files to the R-15PM, I will need a PC. Windows 10 natively supports standard definition files (16/44.1kHz) for USB audio, as you have stated. Windows 10 does not natively support higher definition files. However, for higher definition files, I understand that vendors of products with DAC's (e.g. Oppo BPD-105D, Yamaha A-S801, Klipsch Powergate) typically provide Windows drivers to support higher definition files over USB audio. I am wondering which driver or application I need to send high definition files to the R-15PM. Also, I am curious whether the R-15PM supports DSD audio streams over USB.

What high definition formats (if any) can the R-15PM play via its USB port? The user manual and specification make no mention of this, and the dealer (who recommended that I call Klipsch who is currently closed) does not know. thanks Keith

Just to expand on my point a bit. Recently, I wanted to upgrade our "classic" Optimus LX5 (Lineaum) speakers on our secondary system. I narrowed the choice of replacement speakers to Klipsch RP-160M's, and a comparably-priced ELAC model. Since I was ordering these over the internet, I would not be able to audition them in person, so I paid close attention to serious reviews. The ELAC speakers are typically more respected for the type of music to which I listen (classical), but the Kipsch ones are close behind. However, the ELAC speakers are rated at 4ohms (nominal), whereas the Klipsch are rated at 8ohm (nominal). The inexpensive Marantz A/V amplifier that I would be using was not rated to drive a 4ohm load, which resulted in my decision to buy the Klipsch pair. I am happy with the Klipsch speakers overall, but the reviews that I read were pretty accurate. They are outstanding in every way except when complex classical material is played; in this case, they shout a bit, but otherwise, particularly for smaller orchestras, quartets, etc., they are excellent. So, this was a case of an inadequate amplifier limiting my choice of speakers.

Whatever amp you get, I advise that you make sure that it is rated to drive a 4ohm load. You may not need that capability for the RF7's, but it may be necessary if you migrate in the future to any other speaker and don't want you choice to be restricted. There was once a time when all hi-fi amps had such a capability. But in recent years, amplifier makers are applying more disparate methods of rating power in order to conceal design compromises. In a related story, about 25 years ago, I bought a new Yamaha 75W/ch integrated amplifier. I had never considered that amplifiers sold by "serious" manufacturers or outlets would not be capable of driving a 4ohm load, so I didn't check. So I learned the hard way. A few weeks of driving my 6ohm (nominal) Janszen electrostatics, the amplifier literally smoked and died. My hope is that you will be a smarter shopper than I was at that time.

If I recall correctly from years ago, the use of passive bass radiators flared briefly among some speaker manufacturers but was eventually abandoned because, although providing more bass, it was sloppy bass. Did Klipsch discontinue the Forte for this reason? Or, was the Forte the exception, and if so, how?

Derrickdj1: As an electronics engineer of 30 years before I retired a few years ago, "textbooks" and my education support your position, and I'd like to agree with you. However, my experience has led me to appreciate that the implementation surrounding a DAC chip (e.g. trace routing and isolation, quality of the various supply voltages, clock quality ... generally, the experience of the design team) can affect the quality appreciably. That is probably why my 20-year-old Madrigal/Proceed DAC, with its 18-bit D/A converter, exhibits a darker background and greater image depth than my recently-acquired Oppo BDP-105 with its 32-bit D/A converter. Overall, I favor the sound of the Proceed unit, which regrettably does not have the ability to to convert high definition files.

I am interested in the current Powergate (not Max), but I can't find any professional or user reviews for it anywhere. I would use it to drive my existing RP-160M pair. Among all of the integrated amp/DAC's in this price range, it alone provides a combination of features that I prefer: 1) preamp outputs in case I outgrow the internal amplifier 2) subwoofer output 3) doesn't use line lump/wall wart 4) USB DAC input/high definition capability Is this unit any good? As an amplifier and/or preamplifier, how does it sound?