Rf 63 second impression...WHy not the 83?

[stl1cjg]

I am about 1 week away from pulling the trigger on my new speaker purchase. So far I have a Marantz SR6003 AVR. The basement will just need carpet and the HT is ready to rock. With the money in the bank I went to my local hi-fi store this past weekend and auditioned the RF-63's. They were hooked up to a Rotel 2x100 amp with a rotel cd player as the source. Auditioned with Pink Floyd Echoes and a homemade hodge podge CD of various stuff I threw together that represents everything from symphony, Madonna, hard rock, live Frampton, and 50 cent. I wanted to get a good idea of what the speaker was able to reproduce even with a compressed CD from I-tunes.

Very crisp - but not too bright or forward on the high frequency stuff. I had a smile for most of the session, however, when Frampton's "Do you Feel" live came on the smile was ear to ear (and I have a rather large head)...get my drift. IMHO this speaker loves live music. I immediately fast forwarded to the 6 minute mark where the piano, guitar, and voicebox comes in. I could here more detail and seperation from the voicebox than what I am accustomed to. In between notes I could clearly here people in the front row cheering, talking and yelling.

Although the highs were exceptional, I found that off axis listening (say 3 feet to right or left of the set) lost some detail, brightness, forwardness or whatever you want to call it in the highs. Probably due to the horn design???? Whatever it was it was enough for me to make a note. WHen Pink Floyds "Learning to Fly" came on I again was ear to ear with joy. The one thing missing was the bass was too thin. There wwas almost a subtle undertone of the bass being present like you could feel it, but could not hear it. I told the salesman this and he said that it was because the speakers were on a wall that angled away from the speaker and that the speaker uses the wall to fire its ports against. DOn't know how true or how much difference that really makes, but the wall was certainly not square with the speaker. They were about 2-3 feet away from it as well. I have heard this before from other members about how much more bass was present once they got the 63's home.

All in all I really enjoyed the set. I can get both for 1800. I would like to get the RC-64 and finish my front stage. If not, for 2500 I can get the RF-83's. I would have to hold off on the center for a few months. The only problem is that there are no 83's in St. Louis to audition. In fact, the salesman said I was the first guy to audition the RF line in 2 MONTHS! ANyone have some insight to the RF-83's when compared to the 63's. Mainly HT 70%, 25% music, 5% gaming. I know the 83's should sound better, but for 2500 I need to verify that. I only have 1 more audition to do (PAradigm Studio 100 or Sig S4) I have heard them before and loved them too. But I believe my preferences are in the Klipsch line.

Whatever you have heard or know....fill me in on the 83's.

As always THANKS[]

[Youthman]

Very crisp - but not too bright or forward on the high frequency stuff. I had a smile for most of the session, however, when Frampton's "Do you Feel" live came on the smile was ear to ear (and I have a rather large head)...get my drift. IMHO this speaker loves live music.

This is exactly what I love about Klipsch speakers. Crisp highs, live soundstage and the thrill of the plastered smile on our faces when listening to them.

I have been more than pleased with the RF-83's. My room isn't ideal since it needs some major acoustic treatments. When we were renting a home before the home we purchased, the RF-83's sounded absolutely amazing. I could crank them and they loved it. Seemed like the louder I drove them, the better they sounded. They didn't have much bass because I had absolutely no wall behind them (strange living room).

Now that I have them in a dedicated theater room, the bass is fantastic. The mids and highs need help due to acoustic issues. I can't wait until I add the Emotiva XPA-3 to the RF-83's and RC-64. I believe this will unleash the beast within and truly help them to achieve their full potential.

There are others that own the 83's and 63's that will hopefully chime in.

[stl1cjg]

Youthman, very nice theater setup. Depending on if I go 63 or 83, I too, am looking at the XPA3. I can get the 63 and xpa-3 for the same price as the 83's. I just don't what to have buyers remorse and wonder what if. Thanks for your reply and nice work on your setup!

[willland]

Stl1cjg,

I have the RF-63/RC-64 front soundstage and don't think I could be that much happier with anything else. Very detailed with punchy bass. As one of the suggestions before, do not pull them too far out in the room. The bass is definitely fuller when placed nearer to a wall or corner for that matter. I have mine in the corners about 12 inches out.

As Michael(Youthman) said, the RF-83's are wonderful. Detailed with a bit more bass than the RF-63's. I really don't think you would regret buying the 63's but if you have the $$$ for the 83's, by all means get them.

I will say this, the Rotel amp(100w/ch) that was powering the 63's in the demo, probably was not doing the RF-63's any justice. My 200w/ch B&K amp makes them roar.

Bill

[Youthman]

Youthman, very nice theater setup.

Thanks!

I can get the 63 and xpa-3 for the same price as the 83's. I just don't what to have buyers remorse and wonder what if.

You might have answered your own question with that very statement. If you are already wondering "what if", my guess is that you will always wonder "what if" if you get the RF-63. That's one of the main reasons I am sticking to getting a 200w per channel amp instead of amp with less watts. I know about the double power = 3db increase but I want to make sure that I'm maximizing my sound as much as my budget can afford.

You would likely be fine with either the 63's or 83's but if you want to squash the "what if" from the start, you know what you need to do. LOL. []

[DrWho]

So what are your long term goals? Are you just looking to make a single purchase now and enjoy it for a few years, or are you more into the hobby and willing to invest in progressive upgrades? One of the things I've learned in this hobby is that it's always cheaper in the long run to just purchase the gear that you think you'll end up with. Buying the RF-63 now and reselling and then buying the RF-83 is going to be more expensive than just saving up for a bit longer and going with the RF-83 up front.

Btw, have you auditioned the Heritage series from Klipsch?

[stl1cjg]

Thanks all for the replies. DrWho, long term goals...have a very nice HT setup with ability to listen in 2 channel. I prefer HT over 2 channel now, but as I move up into higher quality systems I can tell I will like 2 channel more. I gues this comes with age LOL...I have never auditioned anything from the Heritage line. I will audition the Studio line sometime this week and compare. I talked to the Klipsch dealer and they said if I bought the 83's and did not like them, I could exchange them for a 15% restocking fee and get the 63's.

Will post pics of HT and bar when complete

[Fotog]

I had posted elsewhere that the largest is not necessarily the best. My example was that KLF-20's are generally considered to be superior to the larger KLF-30's. Just last weekend my local Klipsch retailer (Today's Audio) stated the same about the 63's over the 83's - however another member here disagreed. I am sure there are those that feel the 30's are better than the 20's but for the 2 hours I spent discerning between them - it was pretty clear to me that the 20's ran away with the show. Over a decade and a half later, I am very certain I made the right choice choosing the 20's over the 30's. According to my local retailer, the same is true of the 63's over the 83's - but until YOU do the discerning, you really won't know. My guy says the 63's are the choice to make - but based on other posts here - there is obviously less than a consensus.

edit to add - My retailer said that soon Klipsch will have a mirror to the KLF-20 coming out [Y][H][Y] That's something to smile about.

http://www.todays-audio.com/

[Youthman]

Buying the RF-63 now and reselling and then buying the RF-83 is going to be more expensive than just saving up for a bit longer and going with the RF-83 up front.

Been there, done that and bought the tshirt. Good advice.

[Bill H.]

You would be very Pleased with the 83's. Buy the Best you can Afford. As others have stated, the upgrade Bug is an expensive way to go...................

[hart11b]

I really liked both the RF-83 and RF-63, but I ended up going with the RF-83 mainly because I got them for only $200 more than the 63.

There are better deals out there, I got mine for significantly less than MSRP, NIB from a retailer near my home town. PM me if you want more details.

[Rich_Guy]

When I bought my RF-5's I choose them between the RF-5 and RF-7 auditioning them both at the Good Guys store which is now long gone. I have made many upgrades to my system since then but I have always loved my RF-5's. Recently I was curious about the RF-7, but I decided again that the RF-5 was the best choice for me, they're capable of excellent bass, sound lifelike in HT and sound great musically.

It's definitely a shame that you cannot hear and compare the two in person, but the 2nd in line Klipsch speakers are also excellent sounding very high quality speakers.

I also think the Klipsch center channel speakers (RC-7 and RC-64) also are better matches to the RF-5 and RF-63.

[jrod]

My question is this: How long is purchasing the 83's going to push back the purchase of the RC-64? Weeks, months, a year? I ask this because if you are 70% movies (as I am), you should want the 64 ASAP. If it's something like a year.... That's a loooong time with an underpowered center.

I will have to make this exact same decision within the next 12-18 months so I've been thinking about it in the back of my head. What I have come up with is this... I will probably go with the 63's for my HT setup, then try to go Heritage for 2ch. I'm lucky in that I have a lot of space and a girlfriend who indulges this hobby of mine.

I've rambled a bit, but my point is: If that much of your listening time is devoted to movies, get the 64 ASAP.

My $.02

[Rdmarsiii]

I went to our local StarPower and auditioned the 63's and 83's. Granted they were in two completely different listening rooms, my ears liked the 63's better. Went home with them that day and haven't looked back.

[stl1cjg]

I have the money to get either the 63's or 83's. The problem is taht I would not be able to get a seperate amp. My MArantz is only 90-95 wpc. Granted MArantz makes wpc on the lower end of the spectrum vs what they really output, and the Klpisch speakers are efficient...I know they would be missing something without the added headroom. With 63's I can get the center and the amp (XPA 3), with the 83's I would be missing the amp. No matter how efficient the speakers are they will still draw alot of current. BAsed on other responses the 63 might be the way to go especially for HT. I can already see that I will have upgradeitus. I will find someone in st. louis who has some I can audition.

Also, somewhere on this forum there was a thread where someone who worked at Klipsch had talked about in detail the differences in the reference line. I enjoyed it very much but cannot find it. BTW Aint the 64 beautiful. I still think it is one of the best looking centers out there. Clean and simple lines with 4 copper plates looking at you.

[Youthman]

I wish I had the XPA-3 to tell you first hand how much of difference it makes with the 83's. Hope to have it soon.

If you truly believe you will have upgraditis, get the 83's, save up some money and pick up the XPA-3 later down the road. Who knows, you might find a really good deal on one.

BTW Aint the 64 beautiful. I still think it is one of the best looking centers out there. Clean and simple lines with 4 copper plates looking at you.

No doubt! I wish I could see mine again. I haven't been able to look at it since I mounted it in my false wall. The top three panels on my false wall are screwed in. I need to install some form of hinges on them so I can upen them up and use the top sides for storage.

I took tons of photos of mine when I first got it home.To me, the cherry finish is absolutely georgeous.

[jrod]

It really is a beautiful speaker. It rarely has it's "clothes" on at my house!

[Dmaul187]

I auditioned both the rf-63's and 83's in my house and liked the 83's better. I agree with Fotog about the klf-20 vs the 30's as I owned both and liked the 20's better. The rf-83 just filled up my room better and had a more distinct low frequency response. Now, both speakers sound incredible and my listening environment is different from yours so take that into consideration. Plus, as another poster stated, it will cost you more to buy the 63's now and then upgrade to the 83's later if you get the bug. I dont think you will be unhappy with either speaker.

On another note, have you shopped around for prices on the RF-83's? There are authorized dealers out there where you could get the speakers significantly cheaper than what you said you can get them for. I just purchased the RF-83's and RC-64 recently from an authorized dealer so you can contact me for the information. Hope this helps.

[Rich_Guy]

On another note, have you shopped around for prices on the RF-83's? There are authorized dealers out there where you could get the speakers significantly cheaper than what you said you can get them for. I just purchased the RF-83's and RC-64 recently from an authorized dealer so you can contact me for the information. Hope this helps.

Very true.

When I bought my speakers I brought in an ad I printed out of a much lower online price and said what kind of deal can you give me. While they couldn't match the very low online price they did give me an excellent deal that was significantly lower than their normal price. I was able to have the speakers that day and from an authorized dealer.

[carbon summit]

I have the money to get either the 63's or 83's. The problem is taht I would not be able to get a seperate amp. My MArantz is only 90-95 wpc. Granted MArantz makes wpc on the lower end of the spectrum vs what they really output, and the Klpisch speakers are efficient...I know they would be missing something without the added headroom. With 63's I can get the center and the amp (XPA 3), with the 83's I would be missing the amp. No matter how efficient the speakers are they will still draw alot of current. BAsed on other responses the 63 might be the way to go especially for HT. I can already see that I will have upgradeitus. I will find someone in st. louis who has some I can audition.

Also, somewhere on this forum there was a thread where someone who worked at Klipsch had talked about in detail the differences in the reference line. I enjoyed it very much but cannot find it. BTW Aint the 64 beautiful. I still think it is one of the best looking centers out there. Clean and simple lines with 4 copper plates looking at you.

Like others have said buy best stuff you can the first time. Reselling never works out well on newer stuff.

Be patent and buy piece by piece would be better than to buy something less just to have all the spots filled in your system.