Kain Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I posted on the AVS Forum regarding my speakers sounding a bit bright and harsh at high volumes. Soundood (who has a lot of experience with these speakers) stated that I need to get high-powered amplifier as the RF-7s dip into real low ohms at certain frequencies which would cause clipping and altimately harsh upper frequencies. However, I noted that even during portions in music where there are little to no low frequencies that would cause clipping (mainly high), the highs still sound a bit bright. He still insisted that I try a high-powered amplifier, specificially pro amplifiers as the watts-per-dollar ratio is very high. So, my question is, will a high-powered pro amplifier tame the brightness regardless if I am clipping or not? What other kinds of improvements do you think I will notice by getting a high-powered pro amplifier? Lastly, I was recommended Face Audio and QSC pro amplifiers. Anyone here have any experience with these amplifiers? Which would you recommend (doesn't have to be limited to Face Audio or QSC)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 check your room acoustics before investigating electronics choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 While I am considering improving my room acoustics, the point is that when I am playing music and stand next the speaker (where the sound would reach my ears before interacting with the room) it still sounds bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockOn4Klipsch Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 As Michael said, room interactions are huge, if you have problems with early reflections then even standing close to the speaker would cause it to still sound bright. Try to minimize early reflections as much as possible. Also try to tame the wall directly behind your listening posisition. Do you already have a bright room ( I do, hardwood floors) or do you have a soft room (lots of carpet and drapes) are the speakers close to any windows (biggest reflector in rooms). check some of those solutions and see if it helps any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 Here are some pics of my room. Where do you think I should add some acoustic panels or other forms of treatment? http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/8/1156198/Room%20001.JPG http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/8/1156200/Room%20002.JPG http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/8/1156202/Room%20003.JPG http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/8/1156203/Room%20004.JPG http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/8/1156223/Room%20005.JPG Note that even though there is a heavy curtain next to my left RF-7 which would greatly help reduce reflections, if I stand next to that speaker when playing music it is still quite bright which brings me to the conclusion that room acoustics are not going to help tame the brightness (but I could be wrong). Also, my sofas are suede which I'm sure also reduce reflections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Just out of curiosity, how big is the room? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 ONCE you get your room issues taken care of, the QSC PLX2's sound great with RF-7's. Not harsh at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Based on your pictures and what you've said I'd be surprised if the brightness is due to room acoustics or an amplifier with not enough power (isn't it the damping factor that determines an amplifier's ability to deal with varying impedance anyway?). I have heard that different amplifiers sound brighter and/or more harsh with Klipsch speakers than others. For what it's worth, I'm using a Kenwood KA-7100 (65W RMS) solid state and it sounds nice and smooth in the high frequencies. I don't know what the newer HK amplifiers sound like, but I've got a 330B from the 70s and it's quite warm sounding. Or it could just be that the RF-7s are just too bright for your tastes! I only have a little experience with them, but what I remember they are awesome speakers so it'd probably be worth trying to "broaden your horizons" - many people claim that the "break in" period is nothing more than the person getting used to the various characteristics of a speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 My room is about 15 feet long x 11.5 feet wide x 9.5 feet high. Lastly, I agree, I think the RF-7s may be too bright for me and I doubt it's due to room acoustics. However, with movies they generally sound find (usually). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted July 3, 2009 Moderators Share Posted July 3, 2009 I remember my first experience with the RF-7's. There were in a 9 x 9 demo room. Oh my goodness! They were rockin and totally in your face...exactly how I like it. Very lively sounding speaker. My understanding is that Klipsch refined the sound (smoother, less harsh) through the RF-83's. You might want to see if you can find a pair of 83's to compare to the RF-7's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Perhaps you could try and find a used amp known for it's warmer sound (such as the HK 330B/C) and see how it sounds? I bought mine for $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 I have a question. As speaker cables age, does the sound of the speakers change? If I remember correctly, when I first setup my home theater (back in 2004) I don't think I ever thought the sound was bright or harsh. I haven't made any changes to my home theater since and wonder if my speaker cables are causing the bright/harsh sound since they are quite old now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted July 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted July 4, 2009 As speaker cables age, does the sound of the speakers change? Not sure exactly. I had some Monster Cable (clear plastic insullation with copper wire inside). I believe this was from oxidation. Can't say whether it changed the sound or not because I'm sure I adjusted over time if it did. Good news is cable is cheap, especially from monoprice.com. I mean really cheap. If you are concerned, do yourself a favor and pick up a small spool of 12 or 14 gauge and then you won't have to worry if it makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 As a much less expensive alternative, I would suggest replacing your crossover networks with ones from DeanG on your front three speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 When I said to "broaden your horizons" (i.e. get accustom to the speakers) I didn't realise you had already owned them for a while! Has your high-frequency hearing improved? If it's not your taste that's changed, then start looking for defective components. Try new speaker cables (I agree with Youthman that monoprice looks good), borrow a friends amplifier, etc. See if you can figure out the source. I doubt both speakers would fail simultaneously with a symptom of increased brightness, so I'm sure you can ignore the RF-7s If your tastes have changed, the DeanG crossover's that wuzzzer recommended I've heard good things about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 QSC PLX2's sound great with RF-7's. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I would suggest replacing your crossover networks with ones from DeanG Yep again, although shipping overseas could be cost prohibitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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