Armando

There is a video on YouTube about how to improve the sound on the RP-8000F. It asserts that there is a large gap in how the speaker measures. The poster sells a kit to replace the speaker crossover. I have not read much regarding his claim. I doubt its veracity because measurements are not an indication of SQ. Also, none of the reviewers have heard anything missing that would indicate whatever he is measuring has an impact on the speaker's SQ. Has anyone seen this video and has a comment on it? The RP-8000Fs will leave my home over my dead body. However, I have a friend who wants to buy a pair and is hesitating because of what he saw in the video. Thanks! Link to video:

Thanks so much for your help. I was doing cartwheels because I had bought jumpers that were banana on one end and spade on the other. I returned them for sets that were spades at all ends. Making a mistake like that, even after thinking through it, is why I sometimes feel my age Thanks God it does not happen that often. Now I can follow the recommendation of having both jumpers flowing down from the HF row to the LF row, then connecting the incoming speaker wire as in the diagram red to red HF and black to black LF. Doing that instead of connecting both speaker wires to the HF row and using the stock metal jumpers improved SQ in my system. Instruments sound more like listening to live ones and separation improved. It was worth a try. I hope when the new jumpers arrive today I will after break-in see further improvement. If I don't I can always return them. Either way, I thank you for your prompt responses.

The drawing included is in a pdf provided by Audioquest to give guidance on how to connect a single full range cable (link included) to the twin speaker posts of the Klipsch RP-8000F. I purchased the jumpers from AQ to replace the stock metal plates that join the HF and LF posts on my 8000. The wiring recommendation for a two-way speaker is, as you can see from the drawing, non-standard. However, AQ claims improved SQ. The connection from the single AQ Robin Hood Zero speaker cable is simple enough. What I fail to see is how the jumpers should be connected, since they are of course directional. Should the red jumper flow from the + of the HF post row to the + of the LF post row, or the other way around? Should the black jumper flow from - of the HF row to the - of the LF post row, or the other way around? It has been difficult getting AQ to return calls. Has anyone done this type of wiring to their 8000 speakers? AQ claims improved performance (provided the jumper directionality is done right). There is no guidance in the document attached that has the diagram. http://tools.audioquest.com/downloads/literature/learning_modules/Understanding-BiWiring.pdf

Thanks everyone for all the kind and helpful comments. Now that the family is Horn Happy, I spent the day doing research and negotiating. Unfortunately, without the dedicated music room I once had, the height limit for an upgrade to the RP-160M is 44 inches with a width of 12 inches. That means a pair of RP-8000Fs. Not ideal but hardly shabby and a definite improvement over my Focal 1038be towers, which I'll be able to sell to one lucky Focal fan while remaining silent about our secret. After all, it's a matter of taste and fit. Saying that I'm tooting my discovery horn sounds corny but fortunately it is not hyperbole.

I've been an audiophile for over 40 years and have had some of the best electronics and speakers money can buy, excluding jewelry audio that only oil barons can afford. I've owned a variety of speaker types, including dynamic, planar and electrostatics. I had never tried horns, and am ashamed to admit I've looked down at Klipsch for all the reasons many folks find them wanting, unfortunately without ever having listened to them. Woe to me! A few weeks ago I needed a pair of near-field speakers for my computer desk. The problem was I am so used to superb sound quality I did not think bookshelf speakers, even those fed by superb electronics, would entertain me during the many hours I spend writing. That is, until on a visit to Best Buy I ran across, yet again, into this black bookshelf with the funny copper colored driver and a horn, an R-51M. It sounded horrid at the store of course. But at a deep discount and in these days of easy returns and full refunds one has very little to lose on a trial. I was almost embarrassed that someone I knew would see me walk out with them and was sure I would stop the music after a few bars of my favorite tunes. My ears were not ready for the surprise that ensued. I am Cuban and the first album I streamed off Amazon Music HD was one of Celia Cruz masterpieces. Now, Cuban music is highly percussive and I've never been satisfied with the tonal accuracy of speakers up to $30,000 a pair when it comes to reproducing music from my native land. Hearing it for the first time on the 51 Reference Premieres literally brought tears to my eyes, my 72 year old hips started swinging and I got up to dance. I pushed my desk chair aside and enjoyed an unexpected workout over many tracks. I also listen to Americana. The lyrics on many songs are pure poetry. Along with the simply orchestrated music that is one of the many hallmarks of the genre, beautifully reproduced, I felt deeper emotions than I had ever felt. Ditto for my Classical music favorites. Symphonies by Mahler with over 100 musicians blasting away had power and clarity that came ever so close to my memories of live concerts. I never would have believed that a pair of $200 speakers could create music that sounded so real. But I've lived to see the day. I then replaced my $12,000 Focal towers in the main listening room with $375 RP-160Ms. I could almost hear my top-notch PS Audio electronics sneer at having to share the stage with such a modest component. I never told a soul in my audio club for fear they'd see me wasting great electronics on $375 speakers, $500 with stands. I had my fellow audiophiles blind-folded for a listening session and saw their smiles as the music played. The sneering from the components did not last long. The openness, accuracy and engagement of the 160s took but a few minutes to win me and everyone else over. It was priceless seeing the surprised looks on faces after blindfolds were removed and the musical culprits revealed. I've read reviews that rave over these speakers. I don't know if their sound varies with the quality of the electronics that feed them. I do know that I can finally check the musical Nirvana box in my bucket list. I also know that all the things I thought about Klipsch speakers were preconceptions. Space keeps me from having bigger horn speakers. Downsizing homes after retirement was a necessity but one I no longer musically regret.