BluBitRates Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 How do you guys feel about using tower speakers for surrounds? Also how do you think these will match with the fronts i have? I have RF-82s for fronts with a rc-62 and i just picked up these F-3s. What are disadvantages or benefits of using tower speakers for surrounds. Any comments will be appreciated. Also a ring around one of the drivers in the f-3 has a small cracked (from transport i think), how can i go about getting this replaced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 anyone? Iam having a little buyers remorse, i had to drive 50 minutes each way to get these. I see how low they were for black friday. Also is the bezel around the drivers actually part of the driver or something i can replace? Please someone comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 15, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 15, 2010 How do you guys feel about using tower speakers for surrounds? From others on the forum that have them, they say they are great. Also how do you think these will match with the fronts i have? My guess is that they won't. They are of a totally different series (Synergy vs Reference). Better them as rears than trying to use them as fronts with a Reference Center Channel. What are disadvantes or benefits of using tower speakers for surrounds. Disadvantages: Direct firing as opposed to Wide Dispersion like the (RS series). Also are big.Advantages: Great sound. how can i go about getting this replaced? Call Klipsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockOn4Klipsch Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 i run floorstanders as surrounds and I really enjoy them. the WDST is reccommended for surrounds as it gives a more spatial sound to the room. I enjoy the added low end for music, i also like that they are direct radiating speakers, they are MORE there when watching movies which is said to distract from the movie but I think it adds to it. If you feel they do become distracting you can angle so the sound travels behind the listening posistion and hit more reflective boundaries before reaching the LP. The grey bezel is not apart of the driver it self. I would suggest using the F3s as surrounds as the do sound different the the Reference series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Okay thanks for some great replys guys. Thought i was getting a GREAT deal at $275 but really nothing special. I got my rf-82s for $280 but did not think that deal would come around again. Also i am glad that bezel is not part of the driver, small things like that drive me crazy and i want to fix it if i can for cheap. Does klipsch ever show great customer service and send things like this out for free or only shipping . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleve Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Big speakers for surrounds is a fantastic idea, if you have the space to use them. There is just as much bass content in the surround channels as in the front - most people don't know that UNLESS they hook up big speakers to the rears. I have Epic CF-3s for my surrounds - I would never go back to small rear or center channel speakers. Make sure, though, that you select DTS when available over Dolby 5.1 - DTS tends to transmit a lot more bass through center and surround than 5.1 One thing I'm unsure of - if the timbre of your new speakers matches the RF-82s. If they're the same model year, or same generation, they should be ok. Timbre match is critical to maximize your surround sound experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 $275 is a great deal on a pair of F3s. They'll work excellent as surrounds. I have floorstanding speaker as surrounds and had two different WDST speakers before them (SS .5s and RS-42s). I like the fuller sound that the floorstanding speakers give. I have mine sitting facing each other behind my sectional and I sit about 5 feet from each one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Thanks wuzze, okay my buyers remorse is almost gone. The problem is that they just look like junk next to the rf-82s[] Floorstandings work great for me as far as space, i really do not have open wallspace to mount surrounds. I guess my plan is to keep these until i can find some reference floorstandings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairda Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Just my two cents... I had a pair of RF-3 II's for L/R surrounds after I upgraded to RF-7/RC-7 upfront. These replaced some small ss-1's. I recently replaced the rf-3's with rs-62's for the surrounds. The RF-3's may go into a Audyssey DSX wide role. Based on the time I spent with the RF-3's as surrounds here are the pro's and cons for me: PRO: For music, with 7 channel stereo or Dolby PL IIX music, they cannot be beat by bipole/dipole surrounds. More cabinet space, more bass, more directionality (word?). They are clear winners in this role For HT they provide a very powerful and full surround which enhances the music in the soundtrack surround channels and increases the role of the surround effects (this is also a con) They are easier to "point" to a specific sweet spot since they are directional. CON: They are huge. There is no getting around the fact that towers are going to be bigger than surround purposed speakers. If you have space issues this could be a big factor. They require elevation to be at or above ear level. Putting towers on stands is a challenge. Besides finding a decent looking stand that can support ~50-75 lbs, you always run the chance of someone or something knocking the speaker over. They are directional, so getting the right sound for the widest area can be a challenge. They are much fuller than traditional surrounds so occassionally they can draw more attention to their sound during a movie then they should. Having a diffuse sound field is an advantage for surrounds. I personally have found that even though I sacraficed the more powerful sound of the RF-3's, I enjoy the more diffuse sound of the RS-62's. I listen to more HT then music, so this weighs heavily for them also. You also may find that a higher end surround such as the RS-52/62 may approach a tower sound more approximately for you thus negating the need for a full size speaker in this role. Hope this helps! -Alex- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 That is also very helpful. They will be used 70% movies, 20% games and 10% music. I really would not mind getting rs series surrounds. I just saw this deal and wanted to jump on it but figured afterwards how cheap you can get f-3s on a black friday. Oh well at 275 they should hold their value. Also i think they do pretty good to project sound at ear level if you are sitting in a couch that sits lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Just talked to customer service and they say they do not have that bezel part for the f-3s! They are still in production but they cannot get me that part? Cmon klipsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotog Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 How do you guys feel about using tower speakers for surrounds? As I have posted elsewhere, I am a fan of towers as surrounds. Particularly in 7 channel stereo. I prefer front firing ports for surround towers and rear firing ports for Front Mains (like KLF-20's). The front firing port directs the surround bass towards the listener while the system sub allows you to feel it through the floor. The "fullness" of the sound from a larger cabinet is one feature I am particularly fond of - given it matches the speakers (in other words - large for large sake is not necessarily good - but can be). Personally I do not have to consider multiple listeners, so a wide dispersion is not necessary for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Yes i will have multiple listeners only 20% of the time. I now need to research speaker placement. Should i have the surrounds facing me from the sides of the room if i was sitting in the middle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Yes i will have multiple listeners only 20% of the time. I now need to research speaker placement. Should i have the surrounds facing me from the sides of the room if i was sitting in the middle? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Okay i just went to dolby and saw how i should position them a little behind the listening area and angle them towards the sweet spot. My rc-62 arrives tomorrow so i am going to watch my first movie with 5 new speaker (wow that happened quick). Unfortunately i do not have that great of a receiver but i should still enjoy it. Also i have 16 guage speaker wire, i am going to have to order some new wire eventaully does 16 cut it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 16, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 16, 2010 Also i have 16 guage speaker wire, i am going to have to order some new wire eventaully does 16 cut it? Depends how long the runs are. I prefer 14 or 12 gauge. Go to monoprice.com. Inexpensive, but quality stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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