MrMcGoo

I have owned Onkyo and Integra products. The main differences are that they are sold through different stores and that the Integra's have a different face plate. An Integra DTR 7.2 was reviewed in Sound and Vision versus a Denon 5803 and a Yamy RX-Z1. The Integra was very quiet, but did not even get close to its rated power output. It only put out about 38 watts per channel, 6 channels driven. My Integra DTR 7.1 was not as detailed on transient responses as my Pioneer 49TX now is. I keep the Integra as a backup. The 9 series has much better power output, but costs a lot more as you might expect. Bill

ZDoug, M&K speakers are excellent, but not for everyone. You are correct on both the impedance and the low sensitivity. M&K is better for movies than music IMO due to the THX specs manufactured into them. Many low impedance, low sensitivity speaker owners are very unhappy with their decision. There is a fellow on the Sound and Vision forum that purchased B&W speakers with a Denon receiver. He can't wait to upgrade to separates to drive his low sensitivty B&Ws, but he has to wait for financial reasons. He says that he should have purchased the Klipsch package that he listened to. THX was originally intended for movies, not music. The techniclal specs are quite detailed. Certification also adds to the cost. I prefer THX post procesing in my receiver, but I use Reference speakers happily. I prefer having high sensitivity, full range speakers. I recognize that a good argument can be made for small speakers with a subwoofer, but I prefer full range and a sub. I also prefer horns over dome tweeters. Bill

I believe JDM got it right when he said content owners are controlling copy protection on DVD-A. It is my hope that SACDs ability to be decoded in the receiver will make their sales leave DVD-A in the dust. The content owners will probably respond to sales more than anything else. Bill

I have been told that Aiwa is made and owned by Sony. It is a brand that is so cheaply made that Sony will not put its name on it, if I am reading the tea leaves correctly. There are much better brands available for the same money. The Toshiba mentioned above is an excellent example. Bill

Gator, The RC-7 may not be the best tonal match for the RB-5s. I would listen very carefuly before I purchased. Also call Klipsch and get their recommendation. The RC-7 is intended to match the RF-7. OTH, I have always obtained the best results with the bigger, better center channels. All 5.1 and 6.1 movies put very heavy emphasis on the use of the center channel. The center is by far the most important speaker in 5.1 setups, IMO. Subwoofers are more a function of budget and desire for bass "slam" in action movies etc. Subs also help a lot of musical recordings. The RSW-12 has a 650 watt RMS amp that is very good IMO. I have an RSW-15 with the same amp. For me it is overkill, but I do love overkill. Bill

Stephen, Most class action law suits only make money for the lawyers; hardly a surprise I know. Many suits are not appoved for settlement by the courts because there is no remedy for the consumer while the lawyers are taking a big fee to go away. Bill

Boa, I suspect that you are probably right when opine that SACD will beat up on DVD-A, if your receiver can only decode SACD. Who would buy a DVD-A when you would get a 10 db higher noise floor than a SACD. The increase in the noise floor was measured by Sound and Vision for the 49 TX. It is the difference between using digital and analog inputs. Bill

Boa, The information from thr Pioneer forum indicates 96kHz for 5.1 and 192 kHz for 2 channel music. The TI port allegedly supports copy protection that the indutry has approved for full bandwidth. I will be inquiring further because I will only upgrade my 49 TX if all of the hype is true. BTW, many DVD-As are mastered at 48 kHz. I can't tell the difference in most cases. The DTS Brazilian Bossa DVD-A has both 48 and 96 KHz cuts in the Meridian Lossless Packing version. I can't tell the diff, but I can hear a small difference between MLP and DTS 5.1 tracks. Bill PS-Further reading of the fine print on the Pioneer forum indicates that SACD is passed at full bandwidth, but copy protected DVD-A will require a future software upgrade. B

Boa, The 96 kHz sampling rate is used via firewire on the Pioneer flagships. True hi-res audio with bass management has arrived. ZDoug et al, I have editeded my prior post on this thread to clarify that there are 3 pairs of MOS-FETs per channel on B&K to one pair per channel on all 7 channels on the Pioneer. Bill

Boa, Pioneer is using a Texas Instrumets chip set that has satisfied the RIAA copy protection requirements. I believe that it will be the first of many users. Bill

Boa, Pioneer claims that there will not be a copy protection problem with the 49TXi decoding DVD-As and SACDs. So far there are no reported problems on the Pioneer flagship forum. The Denon 5803 uses a proprietary i-link that doesn't pass copy protected DVD-As yet. The Denon owners are not that happy, especially after purchasing the expensive 9000 model. Bill

ZDoug, The AVR-307 is reputed to have a better amp section than any other receiver. They use 3 pairs of MOS-FETs (per channel) to Pioneer's one pair (per channel for 7 channels). I assume that the 507 will use the same or better amps. The power transformer is huge etc. The AVR-307 has a reputation for making a slight poping sound when changing processing modes, e.g., when changing from PL II to DD 5.1. B&K told owners that they did not want a quieting circuit to degrade sound quality when not in use. The B&K flagship forum gives B&K good marks for service and support. The Denon amd Pioneer flagships have excellent processing with three microrpocessors. Denon's 5803 uses dual Hammerheads and a Motorola. On the other hand, the Pioneer VSX-49TXi has a 32 bit Shark preprocessor for decoding, a 48 bit double precision Motorola sound processor and a second 32 bit Shark for room equilization. The room equilization feature really works. The Pioneer has the lowest noise and harmonic distortion in independent tests. This is a major factor with very high sensitivity Kilpsch speakers IMO. I run a B&K ST2140 2 channel amp with my 49TX to give me better dynamics with my RF-7s. This is contrary to the conventional wisdom to use a 3 or 7 channel amp. The 2 channel B&K happaned to give perfect balance to the 49 as near as I can measure or hear. Any of the three flagships from Denon, B&K and Pioneer will sound great with Klipsch IMO. I have listened to all 3 at Magnolia. The deciding factor for me was the room correction on the Pioneer. Today, Pioneer has one uped the industry with TI Firewire to decode copy protected DVD-A and SACD in the receiver. Bill

petty, When I bi-wired my RF-7s, I used Monster Z-2 bi-wire. More detail was apparent, but go with 12 AWG zip cord or larger. You will save a bundle and get most or all of the benefit of bi-wiring IMO. Bill

ZDoug, Boa has many excellent points. Upgradability is a major factor IMO. Lexicon, B&K, Denon, Onkyo and Pioneer all tout upgradability. Upgrades can help protect your investment from obsolescence , but the receivers are only upgradable if they are the flagship model. In receivers, the lower models are not upgradable. The Denon flagship forum has some interesting information about Denon's upgrade of the AVR-5800 to Ultra2 (similar to the 5803). Denon limited the number of upgrades available. UPS dropped several units in transit. Bottom line was that not everyone was happy with the upgrade. Pioneer will soon take its first shot in upgrading the 49TX to be similar to the 49TXi with TI Firewire for DVD-A and SACD decoding in the receiver. Best advice is to listen to the various possibilities and let your ears help decide. Then investigate service. This level of equipment is a big investment for most of us. Bill

Shoe, My RF-7's are black. Their predecessors were Klipsch CF-2s in light oak. I went from a light oak tv to a Urushi black tv, so i went with black speakers this time. I hope to get many years out of my RF-7s and RSW-15. Black should blend better with future upgrades of my tv and other equipment. I did love the light oak, but it's the sound that is important IMO. Either color will sound great! Bill

Spin, I believe that the Denon 3803 does video upconversion. If it does, then you can leave your HDTV on one source without the need to switch it constantly. My receiver does this and it is very convenient; it does all of the switching. The Denon will have ample bandwidth to handle HD signals. Use in order of priority: 1. component, 2. high quality S-video cables for your VCR and other equipment that does not have component, 3. RCA coax. Hope this helps. Bill

I have a THX Ultra 2 receiver. It applies proprietary THX processing to 5.1 sources only. It requires a 7.1 speaker systyem with the surround back (center surrounds) to be within 4 feet of each other. Ultra 2 processing will not be done by the receiver unless it has all 7 speakers etc. I like Ultra 2, but DTS ES discrete is usually better than DD 5.1 in Ultra 2. The discrete 6th channel can add a lot to a movie sound track IMO. Gladiator and Saving Pvt. Ryan are the best examples. DD Surroud EX has its 6th channel matrixed inot the two surround channels and can sound great. LOTR, Harry Potter and THe Phantom Menace are excellent sound tracks. In short, I usually prefer any "6.1" movie over a 5.1 movie. All 5.1 and 6.1 movies are best if the receiver is properly calbrated with delay times (distances) and sound levels matched in all 7 channels. The Lexicons have an excellent reputation. I do not know if they do room acoustic callibration. I believe that the best sound improvement left for most people is to match speakers to room acoustics. There are two routes to go. Pioneer will do it automatically on most of their VSX 4X series. Or, you can spend some money to have a pro do it with an equalizer. If you want to learn more about Ulta 2, go to the flagship receiver forum. Both the Pioneer and Denon flagships have their manual on line and both are Ultra 2. The Pioneer manual is long, but a wealth of information. The Pioneer and Denon forums have discussions of Ultra 2, DD EX and DTS ES, PL II etc. Bill

Disco, I suspect that the wire to your speakers may have oxidized. If the ends of your speaker wire are now a grungy green, then cut off the ends and use fresh wire. I use soldered bananas to avoid the problem on my mains. If your house current's voltage has dropped due to a brown out, then you may need to turn it up as well. Final thougt: Have you turned the volume up too loud and blown a driver? I hope that this is not the case. Bill

Kain, My RF-7s were manufactured in March 2002. They are black, and there was a VERY tiny glue run on one joint. You have to use a magnifying glass to see the glue. I decided to keep them because they sound very good to my ears, and I do not notice the joint that isn't perfect. Your glue problem is totally unacceptable if you can see that surface. Bill

Logic 7 turns 2 chanel music into 7.1. Dolby Prologic II does the same thing for 2 channel into 5.1 or 7.1. THX Ultra 2 takes material that is Dolby Digital 5.1 and turns it into 7.1. A comparison of Logic 7 to THX Ultra 2 is comparing apples and oranges, IMO, becuase the sources are different. The 5.1 track is usually much better than the 2 channel track for the same movie. Bill

When my RF-7s arrived, the internal foam had moved to block both speakers' ports. I merely reached through the large ports and smoothed the foam into place. It fit perectly. If my speakers were going to be close to a wall, I would have left the foam bolcking the rear ports to avoid sound reflections. IMO, the foam moves due to shipping vibrations etc. and does not represent a manufacturing defect. OTH, Kain's "leaking" glue on his new RF-7s should have never left the factory. Bill

Dolby droupouts can be from either the source, DVD Sat receiver etc., or from the receiver. I returned a JVC DVD-A player that had a problem with dropouts and lockups. (Did they buy their operating system from Microsoft?) Some DVDs are defective. Many HT fans are frustrated by DD dropouts. My best advice is to identify and eliminate the weakest links in your system. (Easier said than done.) For example, a low quality toslink cable caused dropouts that were largely eliminated with a better toslink. I would have used a coax, but the sat receiver only offers an optical DD source. Bill

IMO, there are large differences in receivers, if you look carefully. I have owned Onkyo THX, Integra and Pioneer receivers. The Pioneer 49TXi is outstanding due to its autosetup and room correction features as well as its processing, low noise and a wealth of other features. Room correction helps my RF-7s sound their best IMO. (The RF-7s don't need a lot of acoustic equalization, but the little bit that the 49TX does adjust helps.) The weak point in any receiver is the amp. The B&K AVR 307 has the best amp of any receiver due to 3 pairs of MOSFETs to my 49TX's 1 pair. The b&k has an excellent power supply as well. The newer AVR 507 will be THX Ultra2 certified. The Onkyo and Integra 7 series do not reproduce transients on Klipsch speakers as well as the Onkyo 9 series will; the difference in power supplies is noticeable in transient reponses. The older Onkyo's had dropout problems with DD EX flagged DVDs. If anyone tells you that there are no differences, they do not know what to listen and look for IMO. Transient responses are subtle while Dolby droupouts would be noticed by anyone. My opinion, go Pioneer for the MCACC room correction and very good power. Be advised that the 47TX does not have as good processing as the 49. The 49 has a third processor just for room correction. Bill