Alx

The Emotiva UMC-200 + UPA-700 is sold... I've also found a cheap-ish Nuforce set : AVP18 pre/pro + MCA18 power amp, but I can't find much information about those, and if they'd go well with Klipsch speakers ? 🧐

Actually, I'm running a 5.1 system (I should've mentionned that...) : RF7-III * 2 + RC35 (was saving for the RC64...) + RS52*2 Anyway, thanks for the first opinions, that seem to point towards the SR7012, which is also at this point my first option. But I'm not excluding buying second-hand, if it's economically sound : I've just spotted a Emotiva UMC200+ UPA700 for just €500, which limits the risk in case I happen not to like the emotiva sound. Tough choices ahead 😉

Hi guys, I've been living a very happy life with my RF7-III lately. They're now nicely broken in, and it could've been a "happily ever after" for me. But two weeks ago, my Marantz SR7009 died on me. Apparently, one of the CPUs fried and the estimate is north of €500 for the board alone... This is not good news, as I'm not bathing in money at the moment... Upgrading my amp would've been on the table in a year or two, but now is really not the perfect time. So, I'm torn between different options, money being definitely a factor: 1) Replace my AVR with a new Marantz SR7012 for approx. €1000 (I can't find pre-loved Marantz SR70** for less than €600-€700, so the price difference is not worth going second-hand). It seems like the most sensible/reasonnable solution (I kinda liked my Marantz), but I'll basically have the same system as before and be one grand poorer, which I find pretty frustrating 2) Upgrade to the Marantz SR8012, which looks like a very nice toy. But they're freakishly expensive (the best price I could find was around €2800) and I'll have to be VERY convincing with my S.O. for it to happen... 3) The Emotiva BASX line seems interesting. I don't know if they would go well with the RF7-III, but maybe something like a pre emotiva MC-700 + a power BASX A-500 (or another nice second-hand power amp, maybe a marantz MM7055 ?) could do the trick. It would be a bit more expensive than the SR7012 but still a lot less money than the SR8012 for perhaps similar (or better?) performance. What do you think? Please take into account that I've only had Marantz AVRs for the last 20 years, so I might be a bit too used to this sound signature ? Thanks for your help; I'm feeling a bit depressed right now...

I get that. That's been the slightly disappointing part so far. The bass is there, and even tighter and more musical than I expected considering my receiver (but only since I've fiddled with Audissey and activated DynamicEQ, without it, the bass was really too quiet). But it's not "punchy", not as physical as one could imagine it could be with 2*10" woofers and such a large cabinet. I assume a good power amp would make a lot of difference in that area! But for now, I'm happy as is, so my next purchase won't be an external amp. Actually, I'm hesitating between a new subwoofer (XTZ 10.17 edge ?) or a new central speaker. My RC35 is still relevant when I'm watching movies (impressive!), but for multichannel audio when the voice goes from a RF7 to the RC35, it's really bizarre... I'll probably change both, but I'm not made of money and I have to decide in which order to do it 😉 Cheers!

Hi guys, I finally have my RF7-iii (pics below) : I'm over the moon 🤩 They're just like new, not even broken in... They sound amazing, just brilliant, I'm rediscovering all my CDs: it's pure bliss ! The excellent news is the Marantz SR7009 is doing just fine. Real, quality, music is coming out of those speakers, with good bass and proper articulation. I can feel a tiny bit of auditory fatigue in the trebles (even though I'm used to the Klipsch sound signature): I don't know if it's my room, the amp or if I'll just get used to my system? But I'm glad I didn't take the RF7-II or, worse, RF7-I that alledgedly project even more... The bad news is I'll definitely have to buy the RC64-III: my RC35 may cut it, as far as HT is concerned, but I'm listening to a lot of multichannel music and when the artist's voice goes from one RF7 to the RC35, it's just plain cruel for my present center... Thanks again for giving me the nudge that was needed to pull the trigger!

To keep you posted: The RF7-ii were sold out everywhere I looked. I didn't purchase the RF7-i I was considering: the guy suddenly decided he didn't want $1000 for them, but that they were worth $1200... The extra money wasn't an issue per se for me, but I was sort of mad that he wanted to bargain with me the "wrong" way... So I dropped it. I eventually found what I think is a better deal : a pair of brand new (barely touched) cherry RF7-iii for $1900. I'll have to drive 4+ hours to get them, but I think it'll be worth it ! I'll post pics as soon as they're installed 🙂

I think they are. Their current owner assures me they are from december 2011 (and their very good state is consistent with that statement). I don't know if there's a way to check with the S/N (101125410410118) ?

Black ash.

I've come across a pair of pre-loved RF7 "classic" (I assume they're exactly the same as RF7 mk 1, just more recently made) that are fairly priced ($1k). Are they adviseable? The general consensus seems to be that the mk ii are the better speakers, so shall I wait till I can get my hands on a pair of mk ii instead? Are they more or less difficult to drive than the RF7-ii ? Thanks !

Thanks for your input! It's all very reassuring. I've read so many tests of people highlighting the difficulty of powering those RF7 that I have a lot of hesitation pulling the trigger (though my heart tells me to do it). Anyway, I'll have a bit more time to think it over, as the e-shop I wanted to purchase them from is now telling me his RF7-II are all sold out (although they're still listed as "available" on their site)... And I'm not paying an extra grand for RF7-III that I found a bit too "polite", so I'll have to keep digging for old stocks. Thank you again.

Hi all, First time poster/long time lurker! I'm currently running a old-ish Klipsch HT setup (2*RF25 + 1 RC35 + 2*RS25) in a small dedicated room (4m*3m, that's approximately 13ft*10ft for you my friends across the pond), with a Marantz SR7009 AV receiver. I'm pretty happy with my setup as is. But you know what it's like: i'm having a bad bout of upgraditis and really considering changing my fronts (and probably the center too, but later on), mainly to improve the music side of things (not so much the HT aspect). I'm eyeing the RF7-II, but I'm really wondering if my Marantz SR7009 can cope with them, and make them truly shine. I've listened to the RF7-III in an auditorium and they only baffled me when plugged to a $5k amplifier (a naim uniti nova), they were only OK (a bit timid/sluggish even, IMHO) when powered by lesser receveirs (I couldn't bring my own). Hence my questionning: shelling over two grands to eventually have a less homogeneous and dynamic system than before doesn't seem like a good idea... Please note that I unfortunately can't add a power amplifier to fuel the fronts as there is simply no room left in my TV rack for that (and if my lovely wife is OK to have the huge RF7 in the TV room, she just looooves the current TV stand and wouldn't want it replaced). Should I forget about the RF7 and maybe consider the RP-8000F (or the RP-280F) instead to get a more balanced end-result (I didn't have the opportunity to listen to them) ? Or, will the Marantz suffice to power the RF7 at a level, though not optimal, but that will still make them sound far far better than my RF25? Thanks for your help, and sorry for my bad english (it's not my mother tongue, as I'm sure you'll all have noticed at this point).