shoe11

Kain- I have 02470336 and 02470338. I couldn't find a thread which gave the complete explanation for RF-7 build date. If you could explain the mapping I would appreciate it. ~shoe

To make a buyer's initial out of box experience with them a complete success one would think that Klipsch could wrap them in something before inserting them in those plastic bags. Those smudge marks I'm referring to came from the plastic bags in which the cabinets were wrapped so I assume with some TLC I should be able to clean them up without problem. ~shoe

I'm sorry I love my Klipsch, but a man's audio system scaring his dog just ain't right! Given a dog's sensitive ears, I bet that did scare the hell out of him/her. Have you considered ear plugs for your faithful companion?

Kain~ You would think for 2k a pair they could clean them up a little bit before they ship them huh? I'll check the build date on them when I get home from work and let you know. Also plan to upload a few pics. Horn~ Yeah I have to be careful as well. My gear is downstairs, but during movies it shakes the hell out of our crystal cabinet upstairs. Can't wait for the REL. ~shoe

Last night I picked up my RF-7's and took back the RF-3's. They are some of the most physically impressive speakers I've ever seen even when not being played. It is readily apparent they are purpose built. Oh and they are damn heavy. I'm 6'3, 235lbs and they were still not alot of fun to get into position, but I knew the reward would be worth it and it was! So I get them home, installed the spikes and connected the bi-wires. Powered on the Rotel gear, and BB and Lucille came out more sweetly than ever before. However, while I was enjoying the sound, a closer inspection of one of the cabinets appeared to reveal smudging or some kind of hazy circular film on the top and side panels. These in no way appear to be scratches into the surface of the panels, but of course being new and me wanting them perfect, I am concerned. It looks like what you might see if you took a pencil eraser and ran it across the cabinet. Anyway being extremely cautious with them, I simply tried a soft cloth and had some modest success in removing the smudges, but some still remains. My question is has anyone else noticed this kind of film on any of their RF's when new and additionally, as anyone ever used anything beyond the standard cloth and warm water when caring for the cabinets. If I can't get them satisfactorily cleaned, then I'll probably request a new pair. One other RF-7 question springs to mind: For those who have them, did you receive consecutive serial #'s or not? I actually received a 66 and then 68. Not that I plan to sell them anytime soon, but to a Klipsch purist, is that a big deal? As for my thoughts on the sound quality of the new 7's: - They definitely have a more refined, audiophile sound. - The tweeter is much less tinny sounding than the RF-3 and believe me BB and Lucille can make a tweeter sound tinny and fatiguing. - The midbass is appreciably fuller and the lower bass frequency response is audibly greater than the 3's. Can't wait to add the REL Strata III to the mix on Wednesday! - There is more inner depth to the sound and more seperation between instruments. - The resolution is scary at times. During certain passages I could hear the sax player's breath and could even hear BB's hands moving on Lucille. I was really amazed by that. Anyway couldn't be happier. For anyone considering the upgrade, if you can afford to do it budget-wise, the audible improvements are definitely noticeable. Comments on my cleaning and serial # questions would be appreciated as always. ~shoe

Bill~ Thanks for your comments. I went in today around 1pm. Being the holidays, the sales guys were busy, but the store manager basically let me have my run of the place. I spent probably close to 2 hours or so, just listening, and trying different setups. I went in having narrowed my choices to either the Concerto/REL or RF-7/REL combo. The Concertos have a very nice sound to them and soon after I arrived I really was ready to get them. Well the store manager who I was dealing with was busy finding a plasma display for another guy so I went back into the room with the RF-7's and played my favorites (BB King and SRV) on them again. Sitting there completely enjoying the Klipsch sound I decided that was it. I thoroughly enjoy the way they play my favorite music, and I've been thinking of upgrading to them since I purchased my RF-3's in June. I just couldn't bring myself to get that close to them and then not. Also going with a REL Strata III. The REL is very well made and has a ton of adjustability options. I wanted a more musical sub with more lower bass extension than the RSW-12 and the Strata III fits that bill nicely. With only a single 10", I was amazed at how low it can really go. The two (RF-7 and Strata III) sounded incredible together. Looking forward to getting them in the house and set up. So the manager finally walks in and says "So what do you want?". I said give me the Klipsch. He was rather surprised as he knew I was originally leaning towards the Sonus. I told him I'm going with what I know and enjoy then he can give me a pair of Concertos to take home and then they can try to convince me otherwise. He said he'd get the RF-7's in for me tomorrow, give me a few days with them and then also hook me up with a set of Concerto's to take home and compare just to make sure I was happy. I have to say that for being one of the more cookie cutter audio shops, the folks at Tweeter were incredibly accomodating in helping me make my decision. I basically was given free reign over all the amps, subs, speakers, etc. I've had great experiences when dealing with them. So anyway my decision was the RF-7's in black and a REL Strata III in black. Pickup the 7's tomorrow and the REL should be in by Saturday. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I'm sitting here listening to my RF-3's feeling a bit like the Michelin man in that tire commercial. Sort of sad to see the 3's go as they are really a great speaker for the price, but ohhh the 7's! ~shoe

IMO I think for the most part it would sound great given that each channel would have identical sonic qualities. The only real issue I think would be how it would deliver the center channel given that the driver array in the cabinets is setup in a vertical, not horizontal array. It's just not going to be optimal for center duty. As a personal opinion, I find the use of floorstanding mains for rear effects channels to be a bit overkill, but to each his own. BTW if you ever decide to try an RF-3 as a center, I'd love to see a picture of it laying on top of your 27' TV!!! ~shoe

I agree with Dougdrake on this one, but there is a caveat to it. Assuming as Doug does that the floorstanding speakers and sub will contain higher quality drivers relative to the sat/sub combo, then definitely go with the floorstanding units, set them small and still use a sub for the lower octaves. However, many times manufacturers will make a floorstanding and a sat/sub combo using the same drivers. The only distinction being its's configuration. Two possible explanations for this are: 1) space requirements 2) acoustic preference For some, with smaller rooms, the sat/sub arrangement allows them to get the same quality sound without needing to place large floorstanding speakers which could overwhelm their listening area. Simply a more flexible setup. A second and more important reason for why there are two setups is that some people acoustically prefer one setup over the other. Many people believe that floorstanding speakers in their attempt to reproduce the lower octaves can muddy the sonic performance of the mids and highs. They prefer to have their mid/highs seperate from the low bass modules. Others enjoy the fullness/completness that a floorstanding model can provide relative to the sat/sub combo. Assuming your mid/high drivers are identical, I'd say hear them both in your HT if you can and make a decision from that. HTH ~shoe

Ok tomorrow I'm off to Tweeter to place my speaker upgrade order. RF-3's and most likely the RSW-12 will be traded. Now that I've beat myself to death reading up on all of the components under consideration, I'd like to open it up to the floor for additional opinions. Right now I'm leaning towards the RF-7/Q201e overkill combo, but I also very much like the sound of the Grand Pianos. Then there's also the combo of the Concertos/Strata III which when heard were very impressive as well. Anyway help me choose. Let me know what you think. Pick one speaker: RF-7 Sonus Faber Grand Piano Sonus Faber Concerto Pick one sub: REL Q201e REL Strata III RSW-12 Sunfire Mark IV (not at Tweeter, but hearing tomorrow) Focus is music say 80/20. ~shoe

---------------- On 12/11/2002 5:43:21 AM marksdad wrote: what do you guys think of this? my son is a gamer, and he got a demo disc from 1 of the rags he reads, it would not play? he went on line and 1 of the posters told him to boil his disc, he said sometimes films left in production gummed up the disc's, so we did, and i'll be darned if it did not work, i have boiled a few disc's i have rented from blockbuster and it really does clean the disc's well, and seemingly thouroughly ---------------- Now that's a new one for me... ~shoe

1. How many channels are you actually using in your HT setup? I mean I know alot of people probably have 7.1 receivers, processors, but are you actually using them? 2. For those of you with RS-3's, RS-7's, RC-3, or RC-7, how much power are you using per channel into them? Are you getting equal power to your Fronts and Center? 3. Here's my situation. Presently I have a 2 x 130 Rotel with preamp and CD for basic 2 channel stereo, and the Denon 3802 for HT. I love the Rotel stuff such that I'm planning to sell the Denon and use the Rotel equipment for both 2/multi channel audio and HT. The pre/pro is already decided with the RSP-1066 taking those chores. My problem is which amp or amp combo to use. As stated earlier I have a 2x130 already and my considerations for an additional multi channel amp break down as: RMB-1075 5x120 or RMB-1066 6x60 or (2)RB-1070 4x130 or (2)RB-1050 4x70 So with the RMP-1075 I'd be looking at 7 channels. While that's the state of the art number of channels right now, considering the sensitivity of the Klipsch Ref series surrounds, I just think that level of power would be overkill. If I do the RMB-1066, then I get more (to me) appropriate power levels for each of my surrounds, but I end up with 8 channels and while my front mains would use the 2x130, my RC-3 would only be getting 60. I could add 2 more RB-1070's which would give me 6x130, but here again, I just think that power output to the surrounds and centers would be overkill, but it does provide me uniform power to all driven channels. What I think might be the best for me is to add (2) RB-1050's giving me 4x70 and 2x130. That setup to me provides the correct number of channels and the appropriate power for each. Again my only concern is that across the front, I'd have 130-70-130. As I've always read that the Fronts and Centers should have identical power, is that what most everyone has at this time? Unfortunately Rotel doesn't make 3 channel or 4 channel power amps anymore and for whatever reason, they elected to not have the multi's match the stereo models at least in terms of watts per channel. So what does everyone think my best choice is here? ~shoe

Going to get popcorn....... This should be good.

Boa and Pyro~ I pretty much expected that there isn't a product that does a great job with scratched CD's. Just wanted to see if maybe I was wrong in that assumption. Thanks for your replies. ~shoe

Looking for information on what everyone considers to be the best products for maintaining and repairing scratched CD's. All comments appreciated. ~shoe

Nice setup Pyro. I grabbed all silver Rotel for a dedicated 2 channel stereo room. Looks so nice and sounds even better. RF-7's are on the way for my setup for xmas. ~shoe

Stephen, So the question becomes what speakers are you replacing them with? ~shoe

---------------- On 11/30/2002 6:21:45 AM marksdad wrote: excuse me, but, rotel+ klipsch= heaven...silly silly boys, he he he ---------------- Yeah what he said!!!!

Lone- Yeah definitely sounds like a setup issue at least as far as the sub is concerned. Enabling the low pass and setting the crossover on the sub (assuming RSW) should clean that up. Placement of the sub is important as well. Also if they had the RF-7's set to small in the receiver setup, that would also make them sound thin. Perhaps a listen through a seperates setup without a sub and/or a receiver with them set to large and no sub would give you a better sense of their sonics. ~shoe

Alright well after my detour to acquire my Rotel seperates, I'm still considering an upgrade to one of the two scenarios above. You people are a terrible influence. All I keep thinking about is "Upgrade, Upgrade". Driving me crazy I tell you! With my feelings on this upgrade addiction I presently find myself in stated above, which would you prefer and which do you think gives the most bang for the buck? My current thinking is that the RF-7's would not be substantially better than the RF-3's at least in the mid to upper and that the RSW-15 could give another nice bump in the low range for the RF-3's. Or it could be that the RF-7's are substantially better than the RF-3's and the jump from RSW-12 to 15 would provide, but a minimal difference to my current setup. Fire away everyone and let me know what you think. Thanks in advance. ~shoe

Finally purchased Kimber PBJ IC's for CD/Pre and Pre/Power. Thanks to everyone for their comments. ~shoe

I just picked up the new Delphi SkyFi XM Receiver for my house, but haven't yet subscribed. I was wondering what other's experiences have been like with XM radio. Are you pleased with the sound quality that is provided? How about the artists that are featured on the various channels. Are they well known or are they mostly unheard of's? All comments are appreciated. ~shoe

Ok everyone. Shoe took the next step to audio nirvana. I've officially entered the world of hi-fi seperates. The Denon is gonna hang around for HT duty, but tonight I picked up the complete Rotel setup in silver that you see in my signature. I'm loving life. My beloved BB King and Lucille never sounded so good to me. I'm still new to hi-fi, but I can say that the Rotel's definitely provide a much fuller, warmer sound with greater dynamics and clarity than my Denon 3802. I plan to try the Kimber Hero, AQ Corals, and Diamondbacks once I give my new gear some time to break in and buy whichever one I prefer. From what I've read the Rotel gear doesn't really open up until about 50 hours or so. The RB-1070 at 130x2 (which I've heard is a conservative number) pushes the RF-3's effortlessly. Definitely glad that I made the switch. ~shoe

Ok everyone. Shoe took the next step to audio nirvana. I've officially entered the world of hi-fi seperates. The Denon is gonna hang around for HT duty, but tonight I picked up the complete Rotel setup in silver that you see in my signature. I'm loving life. My beloved BB King and Lucille never sounded so good to me. I'm still new to hi-fi, but I can say that the Rotel's definitely provide a much fuller, warmer sound with greater dynamics and clarity than my Denon 3802. I plan to try the Kimber and AQ Corals once I give my new gear some time to break in and buy whichever one I prefer. From what I've read the Rotel gear doesn't really open up until about 50 hours or so. The RB-1070 at 130x2 (which I've heard is a conservative number) pushes the RF-3's effortlessly. Definitely glad that I made the switch. ~shoe

Stephen, Originally I had the same decision as you did. I went in with the intention of buying bookshelves and a sub (in particular the RB3 and KSW-10/12), but once I heard the RF-3's and then the RSW-10, I was hooked. I ended up getting the RF-3's and the RSW-10 to start with. Even though I have the RSW-12 now, the 10 was a great sub. I'd say of your two choices, take the RB-3's and RSW-10 if you can afford it. The RF-3's by themselves don't go as low as the RSW-10 is capable of. I think the RF-3's go down to around 35-45hz. I believe that's what I've read. The RSW-10 is good down to around 30hz. Of course the sub/sat combo is gonna cost you more than the RF-3's. I think the big thing is to set the exact dollar amount you have available for your upgrade and then review what your options are. If you love bass then I wouldn't consider anything less than an RSW-10 at least within the Klipsch line. As for the online question, I've never bought equipment online. I know many people who have, but for me I prefer dealing with someone I know and to whom I can physically return stuff if I have a problem with it. The warranty issue is another reason to go to Tweeter and get your gear. ~shoe

I've posted a few times about upgrading my RF-3 to 7's, but I've decided to follow the advice I've heard from many audiophiles and upgrade my sources first. To that end I added a new Rotel RCD-1070 to my system this weekend. I had also considered, but didn't get the Rega Planet or the NAD c541. While I'm definitely not looking to spend thousands of dollars on cables, I do believe that if you are going to buy a high end cd player, you'd be foolish to pair it with cheaply made cables which could prevent your new source component from providing you the best quality sound that it can provide. Specifically the models of cables that I am considering are the Audioquest Viper, Monster M1000i, and the price equivalent Transparents. Basically 1m pair for around $200. I don't believe that these companies would manufacture nor be able to sell such high quality/expensive cables, if there wasn't truth to the argument that they do improve sound quality. I'm still very much an inexperienced audiophile when it comes to hifi gear, but from what I've heard and what I've read, the cable investment to me is worth the money. Of course the cost/performance ratio comes into play at some point for each listener. For me that's around the $200 mark. I appreciate everyone's feedback.