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Time for a new set of speakers


Cfaille

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My set-up is pretty basic at the moment, a pair of Klipsch KG4's hooked up to a Marantz 2270 (70 watts/channel) and a Denon 2910. I would like to upgrade my speakers and have been looking at the Klipsch RF-82 II and RF-7. Not sure if I will be able to bi-wire them with my vintage receiver, and unfortunately I cant find anywhere in Seattle to demo them. I listen to mainly rock, alternative, and metal. Would either of these sets of speakers be a good upgrade and pair well with my Marantz? Thanks for the help.

By the way, my KG4's are mint, so if your in the Seattle area they might be for sale soon if interested.

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I'm just worried about dishing out that much for speakers and then not liking them. I demoed a pair of Monitor Audio speakers at Magnolia High-fi once that were $1,800 per pair and looked beautiful, but they sounded terrible when playing rock music.

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Welcome to The Forums!

There are many great offerings by Klipsch (used) besides Reference.

New: Heresy IIIs are said to sound as good as Cornwall IIIs.

KLF 20s/30s (used) are said to be the best rock speakers available.

Forte/ Forte II (And Chorus/ChorusII) are supposed to be the best balanced.

Cornwalls and La Scalas are legendary; and a used pair of the right vintage will blow you away.

Reference series is good too; many are excited with the latest RF7IIs (shipping soon).

I prefer 3 way (Heritage) vs. 2 way; hands down. Others feel differently... To each his own.....

My point is...... Listen to every series and model you can; so you can buy what sounds best to YOU.

Good Luck!

PS..... If you want to listen to various speaker models; there are likely forum members nearby who would love to let you audition their setups....

Are you in/near Chicago?

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New: Heresy IIIs are said to sound as good as Cornwall IIIs.

Not even close

KLF 20s/30s (used) are said to be the best rock speakers available.

Right behind a pair of Chorus II's and some good power

PS..... If you want to listen to various speaker models; there are likely forum members nearby who would love to let you audition their setups....

Are you in/near Chicago?

My door is always open. [;)]

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Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm in the Seattle WA area and it seems like its hard to find a good Klipsch dealer here. All we have is bestbuy or video-only and they carry the bottom end models. No reference series or vintage Klipsch. I've heard some of the vintage Klipsch speakers like the Heresy and Chorus II. Both sound great, but they were hooked up to McIntosh gear which is way out of my price range. I would really like to hear some of the new reference speakers before I consider a purchase.

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My set-up is pretty basic at the moment, a pair of Klipsch KG4's hooked up to a Marantz 2270 (70 watts/channel) and a Denon 2910. I would like to upgrade my speakers and have been looking at the Klipsch RF-82 II and RF-7. Not sure if I will be able to bi-wire them with my vintage receiver, and unfortunately I cant find anywhere in Seattle to demo them. I listen to mainly rock, alternative, and metal. Would either of these sets of speakers be a good upgrade and pair well with my Marantz? Thanks for the help.

By the way, my KG4's are mint, so if your in the Seattle area they might be for sale soon if interested.

I have RF-7s as well and I listen to a lot of metal myself.

From my own personal experience, I absolutly love these RF-7s with the metal. Granted, I am paring them with a B&K Reference 200.7 amp, which is a bit more beefier than the Marantz. However, even when I was just listening to them with the Denon reciever powering them, I thought they kick-***.

Yes, the heritage is nice and you can get a used pair of Heresies and such pretty cheaply if you can find a pair. I persononally much prefer my RF-7s over the sound of the Heresies myself. However, I do want to eventually get something like a pair of Cornwalls for the downstairs two-channel rig. At the risk of stirring the $#!+ up, despite what many post here, I personally find that the Heritage is not the end-all-be-all. I've listened to some really nice K-horn-n-tube rigs, but I still find myself really impressed with what my trusty'ol RF-7 and B&K rig is capable of in comparison. Ultimatly, it is up to you to find something that you like. There is no denying that finding used Heresies and like will still a serious bang-for-the-buck, though. I guess somebody's gotta defend the Reference "faith" [;)]

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New: Heresy IIIs are said to sound as good as Cornwall IIIs.

Not even close

KLF 20s/30s (used) are said to be the best rock speakers available.

Right behind a pair of Chorus II's and some good power

PS..... If you want to listen to various speaker models; there are likely forum members nearby who would love to let you audition their setups....

Are you in/near Chicago?

My door is always open. Wink

The Heresy lll and the Cornwall lll has the exact same mid horn and tweeter, and all titanium, but they sound much different in the bass department.

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The Heresy lll and the Cornwall lll has the exact same mid horn and tweeter, and all titanium, but they sound much different in the bass department.

The sound of the Cornwall is much fuller, probably from different crossover frequency and higher efficiency.

Both sound nice, don't get me wrong but i recently did an A/B comparison between the two and the sound is much different than it appears on paper.

I still would not part from my Chorus II's for either but thats just me.

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The sound of the Cornwall is much fuller, probably from different crossover frequency and higher efficiency.

Both sound nice, don't get me wrong but i recently did an A/B comparison between the two and the sound is much different than it appears on paper.

I still would not part from my Chorus II's for either but thats just me.

Some of what you said sounds just like what I have heard people say about the LaScala and the Khorn, both have the same mid and tweeters. So the crossover probably does have something to do with it and also the height difference between the four speakers. ?

I have also heard a few people say they wouldn't trade there Chorus ll for anything. I have never heard the Chorus or the ll version, but there must be something special about them, I have even heard them called one of the most balanced speakers they have ever heard.

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I would like to upgrade my speakers...

I think both the RF-82II and RF-7 would be an upgrade to the KG 4. Now to digress.

I also listen to a good deal of 'thick' music. I had a pair of KG 4s side by side with RF-3s, Forte IIs, and KG 4.2s (pic). I was switching between my HK AVR 525 and a Scott 299-C in original condition. I did set up each pair properly before listening (just took this 'stacked' picture at the time for kicks).

The KG 4s sounded the most canned (or thin) out of this bunch. Granted, they were the oldest and had all original parts. When comparing, I was amazed at how quickly my ears would get accustomed to whatever pair playing. Then I'd switch, play the same songs with a different pair, and my ears would be thrown off again. Directly A/B-ing was fun!

You seem already set on exploring a newer reference model, which is totally a fine path. It will be cheaper if you find a used Reference, like an RF-82 ($500-600), or go back further with an RF-3 (around $350). You'll get to compare at much less cost. Buyer's remorse is cut down considerably.

Give the Heritage line an equal opportunity. They present music/vocals differently than Reference. Not saying better or worse, that's up to your taste. Good used deals come around, just check Craigslist often.

In two channel, I use Forte IIs with an HK 730 and they are really wonderful.

Good luck and post again once you have found something.

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post-34666-13819620124964_thumb.jpg

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Thanks for the advice. Its too bad my pops won't part with his Chorus
II's, those speakers rock extremely hard. My room is 11" x 13" so they
might be a little too big for the room, although I could fit them in :D
I will be doing some extensive searching so I can test some of these
other Klipsch speakers out. Aren't the Heresy's almost a step down from
the KG4's? Sounds like I need to check out the Cornwalls and the RF series. I will keep you all posted on what I end up going with. I think the KG4's would sound fuller if I could hook a sub up to them, but I dont have the space and dont want to piss off the neighbors too much.

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Some of what you said sounds just like what I have heard people say about the LaScala and the Khorn, both have the same mid and tweeters. So the crossover probably does have something to do with it and also the height difference between the four speakers. ?

I have also heard a few people say they wouldn't trade there Chorus ll for anything. I have never heard the Chorus or the ll version, but there must be something special about them, I have even heard them called one of the most balanced speakers they have ever heard.

The height is very different between the two (Heresy/C-wall) but the slant riser on the Heresy III makes up for the difference so both were at ear level pretty much.

There is a big difference between the K horn & LS II's for sure ( me & pops had free reign in both listening rooms at Simply Stereo ) i always had a fancy for K horns but after auditioning both i like the LS II's much better, the bottom end feels more natural and transparent to my ears minus the lack of the deepest notes the K horn produces.

Having only one pair of Chorus II's left in the house you would have to pry them from my cold lifeless grip.

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New: Heresy IIIs are said to sound as good as Cornwall IIIs.

Not even close

KLF 20s/30s (used) are said to be the best rock speakers available.

Right behind a pair of Chorus II's and some good power

I have read the CW IIIs are not as good as the CWI or II. Several threads here about them being on par with H III as they are better than H I or H II.

I would love a set of Chorus/ Chorus II.... Nonetheless... KLF 20s do have the rep for being as good or better for metal..... [;)]

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dont want to piss off the neighbors too much

Find out what your neighbors like to listen to, they are now participants. [;)]

Welcome to the Forum Cfaille. I absolutely love my RF-7's. I listen to a very wide genre of music and the 7's are simply the best thing since spreadable butter. Clean, crisp and they will punch a hole in your chest. I am glad you are doing your research, people here at the forum are quite knowledgeable and very helpful. Good luck in your quest.

Matt

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