Icon VF35's

[bailz]

Hey guys still not hearing much about the Icon VF series, as i recently purchased a set and am blown away with the sound they produce, just wondering if any one else out there has a set or has heard them and what are your thoughts on them, i really think they can keep up with and even exceed the sound quality of the equivelent models in the synergy and reference series what do you recon guys??

bailz

[bailz]

i guess no one else shares my enthusiasim for the vf's

[jamesV]

That sucks hat nobody was able to add to your joy....

I personally haven't heard them, only seen them in Indy for the Pilgrimage last year. They do look great, were they hard to place in the right spot for sound?

Any pictures of your setup?

James

[bailz]

Any pictures of your setup?

[bailz]

still in progress, still have to mount the surrounds, so have not played with placement that much yet, but even still they sound sweet where they are.

[KingJames]

Hey,

I just got the VF-35s as well. Ok I lied, I've had them for about 6 months, but they still feel new. Haha anyway, I too am very impressed with their sound. I had bought a pair of Polks, and they were ok, but then I went to BB and discovered these just came out and due to a pricing tag error by BB, I got them for the same price as the Polks! $400 for the pair! Not sure how I got away with that one... They blew the Polk towers out of the water. The sound is crisp and clear and I love them. I haven't heard a ton of different high end stuff, but I know these sound great with movies and music. I was reading however a little while ago that the new Icon series has some major quality issues in comparison with the other lines. I have yet to discover anything really wrong with them. Someone was explaining that the grills are removable because the cones are super cheap paper woofers. Might be true, might not. I know Klipsch though and I know they usually don't go the cheapest route possible in making their speakers, so I do have a hard time believing this. I'm glad though that you and I both are able to enjoy them, because I would totally agree with you that they sound AWESOME!

[purple4dla]

bailz:

Quite the contrary - the VF series is an answered prayer for an audiophile on a budget.

I travel a lot for my job and have homes / apartments around the world. Seattle is "home" for me and my two pair of Klipsch P-39F speakers ($40,000). I've had the Infinity Reference Standard speakers, Apogee Scintilla's, the KEF 7's (yes I'm in my late 40's) and while all impressive, none best the P-39F's. I tell you this so you have a refernce point for my comments on the Klipsch VF series.

In Raleigh, NC I have an all Klipsch surround system:

60" Pioneer Plasma TV PDP-6070HD

Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH receiver

Sony PS3 Blu-Ray

VF-36 front

VF-35 rear

VC-25 center

VB-15 surrounds

SW-12 subwoofer

Forget the crap about the non-removable covers on the VF's because "Klipsch doesn't want you to see the cheap drivers." The drivers are a fiber composite and who cares what they "look like?" In this price range, what they sound like is nothing short of outstanding!! I'm not saying they are the same as the RS-1B's or the Palladium's, but you are justifiably pleased with your VF-35's.

Attached is a picture of my Raleigh setup.

[Chiken]

I've got the VF36's and I can tell you that they do sound pretty amazing. I've got a fairly large room and they have no problem filling it. I am running a Pioneer Elite SC-07 reciever with the Klipsch Quintet set for the rest of the surrounds and am very pleased with the sound at this point. I know the VF36's are a little larger than the 35's but from my experience, the sound quality is just as good from both. The 36's do have a little deeper sound when set up right. I am currently looking for a Subwoofer that will suit my needs so I have my system set up to run the lows through the VF36's and it almost sounds like I do have a sub minus the dishes in the next room rattling. I have been looking at many different setups and can tell you that these towers can rival the much more expensive sets.

[purple4dla]

Generating sound is all about moving air. Generating loud, low frequency sound is about moving a lot of air - hence Sound Pressure Level (SPL) ratings. I've paired my VF-36's and VF-35's with two Klipsh Sub 12's (300watt, 12" downward firing cone). I set the adjustible low-pass filter to 50Hz so only the very lowest sounds are handled by the sub's - which they do very well. You not only off-load the VF-35'S and VF-36's from "the heavy lifting" but you also ease the burden on your amplifier / receiver. My neighbors are very accomodating, but be aware that you will rattle their dishes!

[lgrocks01]

can p-39f speaker stand up to definitive technology top of line floorstander

[bismarck]

The Klipsch are far out of the prie range of anything def tech makes. The top of the line def tech speakers are there BP7000 super towers, which are about 6,000 a pair. Companies like Martin Logan, Snell, and Vienna Acoustics have products that could gp toe-to-toe with the Klipsch Palladium (however it is spelled). Stereophile did a full review of the Klipsch and gave it high rankings.

As for the Icon V series, audioholics did a review on them and gave them decent rankings. I have been able to setup a number of them and for movies and music they are great, for music I might look to step into a different series. Still, everyone starts somewhere and works there way up overtime and they hear more speakers and figure out what they like. I think the V series is great for people who want big sound and efficient speakers without spending too much.

[purple4dla]

Igrocks01:

I'll presume you are refering to the Definitive Technolgy BP7000SC, as their top-of-the-line floor stander ($2,750 each with a built-in 14" sub-woofer). I'm a big fan of Def-Tech and put their Mythos XTR-50 system (with Denon 7 channel THX receiver) in my girl-friends house in Chicago. My problem with Def-Tech is their claims. Great, captivating brochure writers, but misleading. Does anybody believe the BP7000SC has two 1,800 watt, .01% THD amplifiers? No. On the same page, DT will price their speakers each, and then tell you that they have built-in 1,800 watt amplifiers. Is that each? Is that Root Mean Square (RMS)? At what distortion levels (THD)? When talking of audio gear, always keep these two things in mind: 1) Trust you ears 2) Vendors (DT and Klipsch) are trying to sell you their products.

The Klipsch P-39F ($10,000 each, with 3 - 9" wooofers). At this level, audio breaches technical specifications (all exceptional for the P-39F) and becomes emotional / subjective. Just seeing my four zebra wood P-39F's is an emotional experiece akin to viewing a Monet - and I haven't even turned the power on yet! With that said, the objective question becomes; are the P-39F's worth 4 times as much as the BP7000's? Technically, no. Especially when you consider using FOUR ($18,000 each) McIntosh MC2301 mono-block amplifiers, with these jewels. This is why Klipsh makes thr RF-83 ($1,500 each) and DT makes the BP700SC. It's also why Pioneer and Denon make very good receivers that are nothing like Mac and Krell mono-blocks amplifiers.

So can the P-39F stand up to the BP7000's? Do this one thing and answer your own question - listen to three pieces of music on the DT's.

1) Aria from "La Wally" Diva, 2) Jimmy Rogers All-Stars "Trouble no more" w/ Mick Jagger, and 3) Flim & the BB's "All my children"

Then come to my house in Seattle and listen to the same music on the Klipsch P-39F's. If there's no smile on your face and a tear in your eye - check your pulse.

[purple4dla]

Spot on! The VF series is for folks looking to spend around $4,000 on a 7 channel surround sound speaker system. Much like the Def Techs.

The Palladium P-39F is for those lucky few who can afford systems 10-20 times this much.

Perhaps a Klipsch PF-37 ($8,000 pair) / Def Tech BP7000 ($5,000 pair) discussion would be more "in-line."

[lafayettetech]

I just purchased a pair of VF35's and I am impressed with the sound quality. I have the Harman Kardon 3490 stereo receiver running the VF35's and a SW-450 in a large living room. Short and sweet, my best purchase to date for the price and quality of sound.

My stuff:

VF 35's

SW-450

HK 3490

Monster Cables

Samsung LCD 55"

PS3

[derrickdj1]

I just purchased a pair of VF35's and I am impressed with the sound quality. I have the Harman Kardon 3490 stereo receiver running the VF35's and a SW-450 in a large living room. Short and sweet, my best purchase to date for the price and quality of sound.

My stuff:

VF 35's

SW-450

HK 3490

Monster Cables

Glad to see some V series users. I just purchaded the V series at a great price due to Klipsch discontinuing that serie. I also brought a Pioneer Elite SC 35 on close out. The V series and Pioneer are off to a long and happy marriage. I had the Pioneer first and used my Klipsch HT satellites with a VB 15 front L/R. Next I brought anothe set of the VB 15 and VC 25. I was satified but not truely happy at this point. The receiver was over matched to the satellites and the Front Height configration did not work nor did the surround back in this 9.1 setup. This week I got the VF 35's and Bam! The whole system came together, center channel voices, crisp and clear. I left out one minor detail, I also got the VS 14 and use my sub from the HT 500 , No more adjusting and tweeking of the avr. Everything works in harmony and sounds great. I use this 9.1 setup 85% TV/dvd and 15% music via internet radio and my own personal collection. Let;s hear from more people with Klipsch V series speakers.

VF 35 Front R/L

VB 15 Surround R/L

VS 14 Front Height

VC 25 Center

Klipsch HT 500 satellites for Surround Back

HT 500 Klipsch Sub 8in

Samsung LCD 55"

PS3

[derrickdj1]

I am still finding great deals on the iconV series. Just got VS 14's on closeout at BB.Now I changed around my system to get better sound out of my 7.1 system with a 9.1 setup.

Pioneer SC 35 avr

VF 35's front R/L

VS 14's Front Height

VS 14's Surrounds (mounted near 10 ft. ceiling

VB 15,s Surround Back

Klipsch SW

With the surrounds near the ceiling, I can get added effects like foot steps upstairs in Master and commander DDPLIIx-THX. It is also great for plane and ariel acts. The SW was moved to a corner position and the MCACC did a great job controling the SW so no problems with distortion and phase problems. I sure would like to here how other people like these speaker and their setup. I know I am not the only one finding these great deals going on this time of year : )

[lafayettetech]

The set up just got better. Picked up a Harman Kardon PA2200 Stereo amplifier for $150 and a bbe 462 sonic maximizer for nothing cause my friend just happened to have an extra?, this really doesnt happen to me at all. The hk pa 2200 is rated at 100 wpc continous @ 8ohms. The hk3490 receiver is rated 120 wpc continous @ 8 ohms and we all know the difference between receiver and amplifier power. So lets get into how this is wired up! All devices, dvd player; ps3; and cable box go to the tv by monster hdmi cables. I also have a 500 gb hard drive loaded with music plugged into the tv by usb. I use the optical digital audio out from the tv to the 3490 reciever. This way i dont have to change the input on the 3490 receiver, it just stays on vid1 and plays sound from any of the devices i have. I removed the jumper from the rear of the 3490 receiver which is between preout and main. Monster rca's connect to the 3490 preout and then to the bbe 462. Monster rca's out of the bbe 462 to the hk 2200. Left the monster sub rca's in the 3490 as they still receive a signal and nothing needs to change there.

sound test time; SW450 turned off and only VF35's to reproduce the music. I used "prison" by Tool for my song choice. As the song started i had to make adjustments to the bbe and my bass and treble controls. As the song played i wasnt sure i turned my sub off cause i never heard the vf35's hit that hard, tight and deep, as well as clean, crisp and clear. The SW450 was off. The pa 2200 has the beef. Id almost say i dont need the sub anymore but thats no fun for the neighbors. There is a night and day difference in power from the 3490 to the pa2200. Next song i chose david gilmour shine on you crazy diamond, Live dvd version. The more i turn the volume up the clearer it gets, absolutely amazing sound from the icons. Just wanted to give you guys a tid bit on what i've done. ill put a photo of the setup on here soon. Oh yea, the sub is still on, volume control is almost minimized.

Harman Kardon PA2200

Harman Kardon HK3490

BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer

Monster Cables

Klipsch Icon VF-35's

Klipsch SW450

Samsung 55"

ps3

[derrickdj1]

Yes, these speakers are very crisp and clear. I certainly enjoy my music much more since I purchased the V series. You will never find brand new Klipsch at these prices. It is a great deal at these closeout prices. I am glad to here from othe V series people and seeing how they setup their system. But, they need a sub to complete the setup for improved performance.

[cornfedksboy]

But, they need a sub to complete the setup for improved performance.

Yes...good luck finding a R/L speaker under $5000 that couldn't benefit from a subwoofer. Even at 10K+ I know that most speakers still need subs...but there might be a true full range speaker at that price. Still one reason that the Icon speakers don't get the same following as the Reference series is because they don't produce as much bass. Us Reference owners are quite spoiled by the low end output of such a moderately priced speaker, however, if you're going to run a subwoofer at frequencies under 60 Hz anyway, you don't lose much by running Icon towers. Great mid-range for a 2-way speaker and you keep the high end dynamics.

It is a great deal at these closeout prices.

Tremendous deals to be had!

[cornfedksboy]

I'm glad your new amp is performing well! That was something I immediately noticed when I added three 125 watt Marantz Monoblocks...the bass immediately deepened and tightened up!

I use the optical digital audio out from the tv to the 3490 reciever. This way i dont have to change the input on the 3490 receiver, it just stays on vid1 and plays sound from any of the devices i have.

I'm not an expert on this, but there was a recent thread discussing various Dolby/DTS playback methods that can and can not be transmitted via optical cable. You might want to do some research or solicit device on this forum in regards analog vs optical vs HDMI and sound processing.