roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 I am new to the Forum and Klipsch products. I do know about their quality and I currently own a sub 12. My current system is a 60" sony lcd with an onkyo tx-sr706 receiver with the Bose cube speakers for the fronts, Bose center channel speaker and Bose bookshelfs for the surrounds. I am looking to switch out the fronts and center, the bose center just seems flat or not enough depth to it if that makes since. My room size is 18'wx20'l and I sit approx. 18 feet back from tv and speakers. One of the problems I am running into is the space for the center speaker. I only have just under 5" of height to place it in my tv stand. So for the center I was looking at the XL-23 center. For the front sides I am looking at F-3, Icon VF-36, Icon WF-35 or the Reference Rf-63. I know the rf-63 is probaqble the better of those speakers. But I need some advise with quality sound and performance. Also is the xl-23 would be good for a center channel, how it sounds and if any or all of these speaker choices will be better sounding than the Bose that I am using now. I do not want to down grade speakers, I think these are all probable better sounding though. Problem is I can not hear all these to compare and I need your advise. Also I am looking for black cases but I did find agooddeal on the RF-63 in cherry, but cherry does not match anything I have. I think this retail company is discontinuing carrying the cherry wood. But if Klipsch is then I would not be able to add to the system later and get it to match. Anyway can you guys that know your audio help me out!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 First off, welcome! Secondly, that's what I'm talkin about; someone leaving bose for the world of Klipsch!!! You mentioned the XL23 center. But you also said F3, VF36, and WF 35, and RF63's. Your center won't match the majority of those speakers. If you get say the F3's, get the C3 center, and so on and so forth. I've never heard the Icon's, but the F3's and RF63's will definitly be able to fill that room. What is your budget? The RF63's are easily the best speakers out of the one's you mentioned, but that whole 5.1 system isn't cheap. If budget is an issue, go with the F3's, but if not, go with the RF63. These may help... One more thing, on the VF's, the grills are NOT removable. No matter which one of these systems you go with, it will leave your bose stuff in the dirt! http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rf-63.aspx http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/f-3.aspx http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/vf-36.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 The reason I talk about the XL-23 is I have limited height space in my stand where I want to put it I have just under 5" and if I put it on the bottom rack I have approx. 7 1/4". The XL-23 is slim on the back end and I thought I could get that to work in the tv rack. I think all the other centers are too tall and that is why I went Bose because the center fit with room to spare. I want to dump the bose but the center channel is holding me up. The rf-63 is my #1 choice and the price I found was good but it was only for Cherry not the black ones. To me IMHO the black will blend better into my system and home with the oak wood trim I have. Any opinions about wood and color choice?? But also I am going to buy this piece by piece and I am not sure if the Cherry rf-63 are being discontinued by the retailer or by Klipsch so that may be an issue. The reference center channel is to big to fit where I want it to. As far as budget, I can get what I want but, I also need it to fit and function. I want the rf-63's but not sure if I like the cherry but the price is great!! If the black was the same price it woulld be a no brainer for me but then I still need to deal with the center channel problem. So I guess I need to figure out a solution for my center channel amd find something that will fit and pair well with the fronts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Welcome to the forum. Another convert to the fold. Is it possible to make the upper shelf the larger of the two(redrill bracket holes and adjust)? How about installing a shelf directly above the TV and pointing downward? As in the previous responce(from Tommyboy), the XL-23 will not be timber-matched to any of your choices unless you considered adding the XF48's as fronts and the XB-10's as surrounds. For what it's worth, the RF-63's are definitely the best choice(especially @ $1200.00/pair for cherry) of those you are considering but the RC-64 center that matches is a beast. I know you have somewhat of a delimma but many should chime in to help and prevent you from going back to BOSE. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 There is no way to adjust the shelf they are glass and rest on square steel tubing. It is the sony stand that matched the 60" sony lcd projection tv I have purchased about 3yrs ago. The only thing I may be able to do is notch out the steel tube that supports the top shelf and then I would get 8" on the bottom rack but that is so close to the ground. If I put a shelf on the wall it would be sitting about 2 1/2 ft behind the tv and I do not think it would look so good.Yea the $1200 for a pair of rf-63 is making me think about the cherry for the $$ savings over the black, but to me the black goes betterin my home and the cherry is more retro looking, if that makes since. Is there any difference in sound quality between the black or cherry? Is it different wood or are they just refering to the color and the wood is the same. Is tghe RC-62 a good match for the RF-63??? I see its 8" high so I may be able to cut the square tubing and place it on the bottom rack. Do you tink that it would then be sitting to low to the ground. It woould only be about 1 1/2" off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 I had a similar problem once. Easy fix. I just hung a shelf above the TV. Just make sure you use heavey enough wall anchors. I believe the shelf extended 10" from the wall. OR if you don't want to do that, they do make speaker stands for center speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Actually, I still have it. Here's the shelf I used....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 How does the RF-82 compare with the RF-63? Is one better than the other and why? What are the strong and weak points of each? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 No sound difference between black ash and cherry cabinet. Now between the RF-82 and the Rf-63, I believe that the center channel(RC-64) will match better with Rf-63 being that they have matching tweeters(1.25in) and woofers(6.5 in). Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 So wood color is just personal preference. It looks like the matching surround speakers for the RF-63 only come in black. I would like everything to match if I can. Are the 63's better speakers than the 82's. That center rc-64 is huge 34" i think. That is why i asked about the rc-62 it seems more managable in my stand. I see alot of people haave the cherry speakers and have mixed in blacks. Is there a preference for the cherry or black or is it just what you like. I am not sure how the cherry would look. All my othere a/v stuff is black or silver. Can I place a center speak like the rc-64 so close to ther ground or would I loose quality? Does anyone know if the black rf-63 ever sell for $600 a piece? Why are the cherry ones so much cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 It looks like to me even if you placed the center(RC-64) on the bottom shelf, you would not have any room to tilt the speaker up to the listening position. Therefore you would not have any directional sound to the listeners ears. If you do choose to go with the larger reference line, I would highly suggest placing a shelf like Tommyboy has so you can accomodate the proper center channel to go with the Rf-63's. If still none of this will work, consider the XF-48 system, it might just meet all of your needs. As far as the RC-62 instead of the RC-64, they both stand 8" tall without the tilt stand extended. I may be a bit biased, but I like my RF-63's better than the RF-82's. http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/xf-48-home-theater-system.aspx Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 I am looking for a little more sound and I think the rf-63's would be better than the XF. I was looking to use the XF center but was quickly told that it was not a good match for the rf-63. A shelf may be my only option. But it would be sitting back behind the tv and to the top of it. I dont know if it would sound different coming from the rear of the tv as opposed to the front. Can the rc-62 match up to the rf-63 or to I need the rc-64 center. The 64 is almost 3ft long and I would need to mount a 4 foot shelf. It can be done with a little extra work. Is the rf-63 setup better that the XF-48 setup??? Or not?Does anyone know if klipsch is discontinuing the rf series in cherry? I may be piecing the system together over time and I do not want to have it discontinued while I am building my sound system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 30, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 30, 2008 I dont know if it would sound different comming from the rear of the tv as opposed to the front. Absolutely not. Every theater has speakers placed behind the screen so this is perfectly acceptable. If your receiver has an auto calibration mic, it will adjust the level if it needs to to compensate for the distance. The RC-64 is a center to be reconed with. The RC-62 is no slouch but the 64 is absolutely amazing. I would top mount it and angle it downwards towards the listening area. Bottom shelf without angled upwards is a bad place to place the center unless you plan on watching movies on the floor with a pillow. As far as color, total preference there. I love the cherry finish on my RF-83's. Gorgeous! I do not mind having front three speakers cherry and the sides and rears black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 As you can see from my profile, I have the RC-62 with the Rf-63's. I have not personally listened to the RC-64. With proper EQ and dB settings, I would say that the 62 will sound just fine with the 63's for most listeners. Being that I have not done an A/B comparison between the RF-63 sytem and th XF-48 sytem, I can not honestly give you my opinion. The XF-48's were designed with an onboard amp to give the listener a big sound with a lower profile while offering a more modern look. Take a look at these reviews: http://www.ultimateavmag.com/speakersystems/klipsch_xf-48_speaker_system/ http://www.klipsch.com/media/news-center/reviews-press-pdfs/46908-eprint.pdf http://www.klipsch.com/media/news-center/reviews-press-pdfs/47613-eprint.pdf Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 Wow you are right the cherry 83's look good over there. How big is your room? I thought the 83's might be overkill but now you got me wondering. can the 63's crank out the music and movie ssounds loudly with no distortion or do I need to move up to the 83's for my large room? Is the 599 price a good price for the cherry 63's. Would the 83's or 63's be a better match for my receiver onkyo 706. Is either speaker to much for the amp? or can the amp handle both with the rc-64 and surrounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 The 63's would definitely handle your room size, with no distortion. But... if you have the cash for the 83's, by all means get em! Yes, 599 is a good price for the 63's, and don't worry about your receiver matching up to any specific speaker. Klipsch speakers are VERY easy to drive, so no, either speaker is not too much for the amp, and finally, yes, the amp will handle thhe RC64 and surrounds fine. On the other hand, more power is always nice. You really are used to Bo$e huh? Welcome to the world of power. If you decide that someday, you waant more power, there are tons of power amps out there; not that you'd need or anything though....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 30, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 30, 2008 Wow you are right the cherry 83's look good over there. How big is your room? The photos in my sig were in our last house that we were renting. Here are some recent photos of them in my theater room. The room is 13' wide x 19' 4" long x 10' high. I'm working with a guy that is building me a custom entertainment center to house everything. You gotta love the huge 17" monitor that I'm temporarily using for a display on top of a storage container. [] I'm ordering my screen tomorrow. Trying to decide between a 103" and a 115" scope screen. Would the 83's or 63's be a better match for my receiver onkyo 706. Either speaker will pair well with your Onkyo. I was running my 83's and an RC-7 with an Onkyo 703 which is 100 watts x 7 like yours. It just did not have the new HD audio formats or HDMI. It absolutely cranked RF-83's and RC-7! No problem with volume or clarity at all. Some say the 83's have better midrange as well as more bottom end. Is either speaker to much for the amp? or can the amp handle both with the rc-64 and surrounds? With the high sensitivity of those speakers, the Onkyo will have no problem driving a 7.1 system. Could you benefit from an external amp to relieve the receiver's power supply from the work...absolutely. But is the Onkyo capable, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roaddog359 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 What is a good price for the rf-83's? If I can get them close to the 599 to 799 price I may get those instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 30, 2008 Moderators Share Posted November 30, 2008 The RF-83's retail for $2800. You would be doing good if you could get an authorized dealer to provide you with a price that was 35% off retail. That would bring them down to $1820.00 for the pair. I do no think you will find a brand new pair for under that from an authorized dealer. Cheapest on Ebay right now is $2000/pair but I do not think they are an authorized dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuyOtherSoundEquipment Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Not to get off topic, but Youthman, that theater room looks absolutely oozing with potential! I bet it sound pretty intense already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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