Some questions regarding the klipsch rf-83 system?

[JByrd26]

Hi everyone,I'm new to the forums and fairly new to owning a nice HT setup as well.I have a few questions hopefully some of the audioheads can anwser for me I think I'm going to go with the klipsch rf-83 setup because I can get better deals with that setup over some other setups I looked into.My first question is.. I have an Onyko tx706 reciever would I need more than that to push all those speakers?Like say a pre amp? If so does anyone have any recommendations,My second question is I'm in debates about a Sub.Are the rt klipsch subs pretty good subs for the price and if so would it be wise to just go with the rt-12d or just purchase (2x) rt-10d subs.Which would be a better bang? Because I can get 2 rt-10s for the price of a 12d.My room is 15x by 20 ft.But I am going to be moving to my own place where I will have my own living room.So the setup would be important for my own living room.As of size for that I can't say but I can assure it won't be no cathedral(haha) If any of you guys can help me out here I would be greatly in debt to you.Sorry for any silly questions I asked I'm still a newb to HT's.

[Youthman]

Hi Jbyrd. Welcome to the forums. I absolutely love the RF-83 system. Currently I am driving my system with a 140 watt x 7 Yamaha receiver. It handles them very well but they would no doubt have more authority with an external amp. I myself will be adding an Emotiva XPA-3 amp to the Yamaha to drive the front three speakers and let the Yammie power the surrounds.

As far as subs, the RT subs are nice but are expensive. You might want to also look into Elemental Designs, SVS and Epik.I have always owned used Velodyne subs. The one I am using now is a 15" with 1250 watt rms amp. Picked it up on Craigslist for $200. If you are patient and look around, you can find some really good deals.

Hope that helps. Ask all the questions you want. If we don't know the answer, we'll make something up. []

FYI, I had the Onkyo TX-SR703 (100 watt/ch) and it powered the RF-83's with no problem. It sounded fantastic for home theater, ok for 2 channel music. The RF-83's have a sensitivity of 100dB which means they are very easy to drive. I even had a 55 watt/ch Harman Kardon receiver powering my RF-83's and a RC-7. Klipsch speakers are known for high sensitivity ratings. Just about any receiver can power them. Of course, the more power you have, the more headroom you have for high action scenes etc.

[willland]

Welcome to the forum. I have most of the RF-63 system(2-63's and 1-64) and am running them with an Onkyo TX-SR705 as a preamp and a B&K 3 channel amp(200w/ch). Like my 705, your 706 pushes 100w/channel(2 channels driven). Personally I think you should add a 3 channel amp to run your L-C-R speakers and let your Onkyo run your surrounds. The RF-83's might put a little too much strain on your receiver's amp section being that the 83's tend to dip down to about 2 to 3 ohms. With seven channels or even five channels being powered simutaneously, the Onkyo is being asked to perform a really big task. Your receiver would have to power six 8"woofers and eight 6.5" woofers. Take a look at this review of the 706.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/receivers/3016/onkyo-tx-sr706-av-receiver-test-bench-page3.html

As you can see from the graph, the 706 does really well with 1 channel driven and easily beats the published numbers for 2 channels driven. Drive 5 channels and the amps get pretty weak.

Bill

[Jay481985]

I have the RF-83 and RC64 and RB75 run off a Denon 3805. The Harman Kardon stereo receiver before could drive them with full bass but the Denon cannot so I currently have to use a Crown XTI 1000 Pro Amp to drive the RF-83. They have an ohm dip at 40 hertz which brings the ohms down to 2.8 which is really low and strains the receiver. The Crown XTI 1000 can drive speakers at 2 ohms but most receivers can really only drive to 6 ohms (The lower the ohms the harder it is for the amp to drive)

Before you mentioned a pre amp, I believe you mean pro amp as a pre amp is basically what you receiver does sans the amplification that it also does.

As with the subwoofer, tell use your system is it for music or movies? Do you have the center and surround or not? Driving the 83 with the crown pro amp, it does not need the subwoofer for music at all and I listen to some very bass heavy music. What is the dimensions of the room?

Also welcome to the forum.

[Youthman]

Williand, thx for the link to soundandvisionmag. I looked up their Test Bench Results for my receiver. With my receiver driving my 5 speakers, it goes from 140 watts/ch to 103 watts/ch. Good to know. That's why I need to get the XPA-3. []

[JByrd26]

Wow! Thank you guys for all your quick anwsers! This is a project that I'm in the process of and I am taking my time with it because I want it to be nice. I'm sorry I failed to mention my HT will be used for movies,Video Games and Music but I would say mainly for movies.So the Klipsch Subs are pretty decent but costly ok so say if I decided to go with a different type of sub,Would it be in my better interests to go with 2 subs or 1 sub? I read somewhere that using 2 subs are great if their the same sub is that true?So say if I went with the xpa-2,Should I use the reciever to push the L R and center and the xpa-2 to push the surrounds and sub and/or subs?Man thank you guys for your imput I really appreciate it all! (P.S.) I'm also open for any suggestions any of you guys may have keep in mind I haven't purchased anything yet other than my reciever.

[Youthman]

This is a project that I'm in the process of and I am taking my time with it because I want it to be nice.

You are smart. You will be enjoying your system for a lifetime so you might as well do your homework, find out what will meet your needs and budget, and build a system that you can truly be proud of. People that build a system impatiently often "settle" for something less than they want and end up selling it to upgrade and in the long run, lose time and money.

my HT will be used for movies,Video Games and Music but I would say mainly for movies.

Not sure what you will be using for your blu-ray player but it sounds like the PS3 would be a great matchup for what you will be using your HT for. They are coming out with a slim model for $299. Same features, less money and thinner profile.

Would it be in my better interests to go with 2 subs or 1 sub? I read somewhere that using 2 subs are great if their the same sub is that true?

I myself would love to have two subs. I have some spots in my HT that have much less bass response than others. I think having two subs would help even out the bass throughout the room. Some say that two subs can be difficult to dial in. I'm not as familiar with that area.

So say if I went with the xpa-2,Should I use the reciever to push the L R and center and the xpa-2 to push the surrounds and sub and/or subs?

The XPA-2 is a fantastic amp but if that's the only external amp I had, I wouldn't waste it's power on your surrounds. If I got the XPA-2, I would use it to drive the L R. But here's the deal. With movies, about 80% of what you hear will come out of your center channel speaker. Your front stage (LCR) is the most important part because that's where the majority of the sounds will come from. I would personally go with the XPA-3. 200 watts of solid, clean power, will take the RF-83's to their full potential. If you want to go all out, get the XPA-2 to power your LR and then an XPA-3 to power the center and 2 surrounds or the XPA-5 to power the center and 4 surrounds.

xpa-2 to push the surrounds and sub and/or subs?

Most subs have a built in amplifier so you won't be hooking an external amp like the XPA amps to it. On the back of your Onkyo, you will have a sub out. Using a single RCA cable, go from the receiver to the sub. Most subs have a left and right channel although they are a mono speaker. I use a "Y" adapter so that the sub gets two inputs. Some subs require two inputs, others do not.

One other thought....cables. Don't waste your money on name brands like Monster Cable. You will waste a bunch of money. Check out Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable. Since I first got into home audio, I had always bought into the "Monster" hype. When I got involved in the Klipsch and AVS forums, I heard about Monoprice. I was TOTALLY skeptical. I figured no name meant cheap products. Man was I wrong. Very high quality products. Check out their prices on HDMI Cables. Where can you go to get a 22 gauge 1.3a CL2 rated 20' HDMI cable for $22? Don't let the 22 gauge worry you. That is tiny, but the insullation around it is huge. My 30' HDMI cable is about 1/2" thick. It's crazy.

Ask all the questions you want. We like spending other people's money.

[Jay481985]

Youthman has good advice, I use Monocable 12 gauge with their very high quality but low cost bananaplugs that look fantastic http://community.klipsch.com/forums/t/110376.aspx?PageIndex=1

You will also want to get the RC-64. If you get the rf-83 the only center speaker that will match is the rc-64. The RC-64 also makes you design/find the tv stand for it, it is basically 2/3 the rf-83 sideways. It is not a small speaker at all weighing 60 pounds but it is truely an amazaing center. On my built in speakers with my samsung led lcd I would sometimes ask myself what a person said on whatever I watched, sometimes even if it was a movie go back but with the 64, its just pure and natural understandable vocals.

With the double subwoofer or not, how good are you with wood working? Do you have the tools like a table saw, router etc? It can be cheaper and much better cost/ratio if you build it yourself and if you have kids that are old enough can be a great project. Currently I built the enclosure and now have to paint and prep the enclosure. http://community.klipsch.com/forums/t/123864.aspx

Last where do you currently live (state wise) as my dealer has pretty stellar prices.

[JByrd26]

Thanks for your kind words! I already own a blu-ray player sorry I failed to mention it's a LG bd390,Basically what I have so far is the onkyo tx-706 and the Blu-Ray Player.Exclude a Sub for right now because I haven't decided what to go with in that department yet. I will get the rf-83 LR the Rc-64 C for sure. I was pondering on wether to get (2 rs-62 surrounds or 4) or ( 2 rs-62 surrounds and 2 Bookshelves) what do you guys think?Basically if im correct if I go with an XPA-3 to push my LCR and use my onkyo to push my surrounds I'd be good correct?Suggestions are very welcome,I need all the help I can get and who better to ask than fellow audioholics!![]

[Vick's Pit]

Depending on your budget you can get a five or seven channel amp and not have to worry about adding additional amp's later on. Also look at some subs and amps in the used markets. Such as Audiogon or Craigslist is always good. A lot of good deals to be had right now on some slightly used or demoed units.

[Youthman]

I was pondering on wether to get (2 rs-62 surrounds or 4) or ( 2 rs-62 surrounds and 2 Bookshelves) what do you guys think?

It's a matter of preference. For movies, I would use the RS-62's in a 5.1 setup. In a 7.1, many have suggested using RS (Wide Dispersion type speaker) for the side surrounds and RB (Bookshelf type) speakers for the back surrounds. Some have RS for side and back surrounds. The RS will be more enveloping, the RB will be more directional. If your couch is close to the back wall, I would recommend RS speakers. If you take a look at my photo gallery or my build thread in my signature, you will see that I have RB-35's in the rear. Mine are much higher than I would like. When I get the RS-52 or RS-62's for the sides, I will mount them a two - three feet above ear level.

Basically if im correct if I go with an XPA-3 to push my LCR and use my onkyo to push my surrounds I'd be good correct?

Realize that just by having the RF-83's and RC-64, you would have a MUCH better system than probably 99% of the people you know. LOL. If you add an XPA-3 to the front three, I believe it will rock your face off. I can't wait to get it for my HT. The main purpose of using an external amp is that for a receiver to handle video and audio processing as well as drive 5 - 7 speakers at reference levels is asking a bit much. More than the single power supply can handle effectively. By relieving the receiver of having to drive the LCR, it will drive the rears with more authority, clarity and efficiently thus producing a cleaner sound. By adding the XPA-3 to the LCR, they will play crisp and clear, with no distortion, and plenty of headroom for the explosions, complex musical scores etc. One benefit I am looking for is that you will get a much more full sound, even at low volumes with an external amp. I hooked up a QSC amp (265 watts/ch) to my RF-83's and they sounded amazing! The louder I cranked it, the better they sounded and never got harsh.

uggestions are very welcome,I need all the help I can get and who better to ask than fellow audioholics!!

Hi, my name is Michael and I'm an audioholic. (Forum members in unison..."Hi Michael")

[tragusa3]

Hey Michael, I've got an XPA5 scheduled to show up at my house Monday! Remember, I'm running the KL650's across the front. I'm hoping to accomplish all the things you listed above. They sound great with my Denon, but I can tell they don't have the authority to live up to all the "over the top" reviews. I'm hoping the amp does that for me!?!

[Youthman]

Hey Michael, I've got an XPA5 scheduled to show up at my house Monday!

Ok, rub it in. [] That's awesome man. Definitely post your thoughts on it. My guess is that even as good as a receiver can be, they cannot "effectively" power several speakers. Can they drive them, sure. Can they do it well. Yeah. But a receiver cannot deliver allow our setups to present themselves with the "authority" you and I are looking for. I really hope to hear some good news from you when you hook it up to the XPA-5.

[peshewah]

You won't regret getting Emotiva. They are solid as a rock. My wife could tell the difference and she hates my system. The longer I listen the more I like the sound. Good luck Jbyrd and welcome to the forum.

[JByrd26]

Hi Guys It's been a few weeks since my last post and I decided to fill everyone in and ask a few more questions if you all don't mind.As you all may know I am considering the following speakers for my setup rf-83 towers,Rc-64 Channel.Now I have a question (Remember I am a Noob so be easy on me ) Is there a difference between the Rs-62 Surrounds and the Bookshelf speakers? Because I am in a bind wether I want 4 Surrounds or 2 Surrounds and 2 Bookshelves. Ok next, I own a Onkyo tx-706 reciever a couple of nice fellows pointed me to the Emotiva amps to get a little bit more boost.Now my next question is, Instead of going with the XPA-3 I was considering the XPA-5 now would that be a step further choice or would It just be Overkill for my setup? As for a subwoofer.. I was able to get my hands on a JL Fathom f113 for $1900.00 brand new from someone on another forum I chose this sub because I heard good reviews and I got it for a great price. I also have the BD-390 Blu-ray if it's any consolation I say this because when the time comes that I have everything ready to be hooked up I may need a little insight from the good people on this forum.So Answers,Comments,Questions are all welcome,And as always I thank everyone for helping me get my first real HT setup

[Jay481985]

for the surrounds or bookshelves itssubjective. The RS62 will be better for cinema as it has a more "room filling" non directional sound as bookshelves tend to be more directional. Best of Luck

[Youthman]

Is there a difference between the Rs-62 Surrounds and the Bookshelf speakers? Because I am in a bind wether I want 4 Surrounds or 2 Surrounds and 2 Bookshelves.

The Klipsch RS series are great for enveloping sound around you since they have drivers firing in two different angles. Sometimes referred to as Wide Dispersion speakers. The RB series are direct firing meaning they are easier to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. It's a matter of preference. Everyone has their own opinion as to whether to have 4 RS speakers or two RS on the sides and two RB's on the back wall.

Instead of going with the XPA-3 I was considering the XPA-5 now would that be a step further choice or would It just be Overkill for my setup?

Either of those amps would be sweet. My personal preference is to one day buy the XPA-3 and let my receiver power my surrounds.

I was able to get my hands on a JL Fathom f113 for $1900.00 brand new from someone on another forum I chose this sub because I heard good reviews and I got it for a great price.

JL has good reviews, they just are pricey. My guess is that you could probably get an equivalent sub from SVS or Epik that would perform as well and save a few bucks. Regardless, you probably have a fantastic sub that you should be proud of.

[JByrd26]

Hey thanks for the input youthman! My main dilema right now is to decide on what Emotiva amp to go with. Xpa-3 or Xpa-5 or maybe even XP-2,You know my setup right? I got the Onkyo TX-706 reciever that I am using to power my surrounds and I need a nice amp for my LRC speakers.What are the main differences between these amps other than how many watts you can push to each speaker? Can I not use the XPA-5 to push my LRC speakers and let my reciever push the surrounds?I'm in a bind here! Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[wuzzzer]

Unless you're really pushing your surrounds I think you'll be fine with the XPA-3 for your front 3 and using your receiver for the surrounds.