Upgrade from RF-3 II system to RF-7 II?

[Heritage_Head]

Before I got the rf-7ii set up I ran the rf-82 system with

the rc-62 and rs-52. So I changed set up like you did. Before I started buying

klipsch I ran speakerlab speakers they are very similar (not now) to the Heritage

Series. In the 70s and early 80s they sold kits some of the models where copy

cats of the Heritage Series khorns and Cornwall speakers. So I was kind of use

to the more refined sound from many years of running labs. When I got into the

reference line I was just looking for something small that filled the room for

ht. and after years of upgrading up to the rf-82 set up i was very happy for

ht. I always knew they didn’t have that smooth clean sound that a really high

end built speaker has but in my apartment it was plenty. When I bought my home

a year ago and was able to really light up the room with sound is when it was

even more apparent that I wasn’t going to be totally happy. I don’t know if by excitement

you mean that sound when the high end kind of cuts at your ears (not in a bad

way) I will admit after getting used to it the rf-82s sounded great loud but

not that clean sound I knew from the labs. When I first heard the rf-7ii the

first thing I felt was that sound when you unplug your ears everything comes

out effortlessly. You never hear the speaker’s sound change when the level gets

really loud. I would recommend turning it up a little more than you normally

would. It’s a different sound than the 82s they would get really loud pretty

fast the sound would be in your face not as laid back and I will use the word

pure and not forced to your ears. I sold my old set up to a friend so I have

heard it (different room of course) and the sound isn’t even close. It’s definitely

a different animal. What did you mean that something was sticking out on the

rc-64ii that you pushed back in?

[DrJazz]

Actually, come to think of it, the RC-64 tweeter must be fine. I got a loan of an Anthem MRX-500 yesterday and performed an ARC room correction, which shows the frequency response graph. There was nothing unusual in the RC-64's graph, so it must be okay.

For the record, however, here is a picture, from the top, showing how the horn is not quite flush with the cabinet. It was sticking out slightly further (by a millimeter or two) when I took it out of the box.

[DrJazz]

I don’t know if by excitement
you mean that sound when the high end kind of cuts at your ears (not in a bad
way)

Thanks for relaying your similar experiences, RH. And this is EXACTLY what I mean by "excitement." And your explanation makes sense. Your post has given me some further reassurance that the new sound with quickly grow on me. :-) Though, I still often find myself waiting for my ears to "pop" (like when you have a cold and all the sounds become muted and then you yawn and your ears pop and suddenly everything is loud again) and for the high-frequency sounds to crash in on me. Though, I did a little more listening this afternoon at elevated volumes and that seems to be getting me closer to what I'm expecting to hear.

Thanks again for the reponses!

[Youthman]

Interesting. The RC-64 had a round bezel that made the horn and was attached via screws. The new RC-64ii doesn't appear to be "attached" at all (althought I know it can't be just sitting in the hole or it would fall out when turned upside down). No screws that I can see from online photos. How is it secured to the cabinet? Does it have a trim piece over the screws and that's what is loose?

[DrJazz]

Interesting. The RC-64 had a round bezel that made the horn and was attached via screws. The new RC-64ii doesn't appear to be "attached" at all (althought I know it can't be just sitting in the hole or it would fall out when turned upside down). No screws that I can see from online photos. How is it secured to the cabinet? Does it have a trim piece over the screws and that's what is loose?

I'm not sure how it is secured to the cabinet. It appears to be either pure friction against the cabinet opening, or perhaps some very thin double-sided "tape pad" that seems to be under the "flange" of the horn. At any rate, I'm not too worried about it at the moment, but I'll certainly be keeping my eye on it over the next few months.

[cornfedksboy]

Thanks for sharing the review. I wonder if your untreated room has caused a little havoc between the change in cross-over frequency between your old set-up and the new. It's possible that there are some room accoustics that are canceling out some of the high-end frequencies. On the other hand, as you mentioned, you may just be used to the brighter sound of the older Klipsch speakers.

[DrJazz]

For anyone who might be interested, the next three posts are pictures of my set-up, including requisite "grills off" and "grills on" pictures. [] Please forgive the messiness of my living room.

[DrJazz]

Picture 2

[DrJazz]

And picture 3.

[cornfedksboy]

The RC-64 looks "small" next to RF-7s. Didn't think that was possible.

[Heritage_Head]

Here’s how mine looks I would call klipsch something looks

out of place

[BluBitRates]

For people who do not like the feet on the rf-7ii take a look at them on that wood floor. IMO they look great. Good looking setup if you get a chance post a pic in the rf-7ii owners thread or the Lets see your home theater thread. Maybe keep an eye on craigslist for a HUGE area rug.

[DrJazz]

The RC-64 looks "small" next to RF-7s. Didn't think that was possible.

Hehe, no kidding. The 64 is a huge piece itself, dwarfing my old RC-3 II at nearly double the width. Though the RC-3 had a tad more height. But those RF-7's are monsters, though their floor footprint is actually quite manageable in my room - not much more than the RF-3's they replaced.

As for my room acoustics, yeah, I'm pretty sure that a has a LOT to do with the sound I'm hearing. Though the ARC room correction on this Anthem receiver I have on loan seems to work better than the Audyssey system on my Denon.The sound does seem a bit more dynamic with the Anthem, but that could just be my imagination, or one of the other many variables I've been playing with, or I could just be getting used to the new speakers. []

[Heritage_Head]

delete

[Heritage_Head]

Another thing to try I know 95% of people would set

everything to small and the crossovers would vary but I run the 7s and the 64

as large. I’ve tried tons of different ways and large in my room and set up

just sounds best. But I think it’s more that I run 3 subs and by running the

speakers as small the subs run to hot (signal) and get too much mid bass so by running

them on large it tames the mid bass and to me sounds better. Also gives me a way

flatter response on the sms-1.

[Heritage_Head]

Your room looks awesome I’m jealous of the projector []

[Youthman]

Dr Jazz, nice setup you have there. I noticed your RF-7's are pretty close to the front wall. Have you tried pulling them out into the room a bit? Maybe 6" to 12" more? With all the hard surfaces in your room, I'm guessing it is pretty bass heavy. Adding the RF-7's in the corner will cause you to have boundary gain. By moving them out a bit, the RF-7's will have more room to breathe.

[DrJazz]

Dr Jazz, nice setup you have there. I noticed your RF-7's are pretty close to the front wall. Have you tried pulling them out into the room a bit? Maybe 6" to 12" more? With all the hard surfaces in your room, I'm guessing it is pretty bass heavy. Adding the RF-7's in the corner will cause you to have boundary gain. By moving them out a bit, the RF-7's will have more room to breathe.

Thanks to EVERYONE for your kind comments.

As for the placement of the RF-7's, you may notice in the second picture I posted that there is a door right beside the right speaker. The door opens into the living room, so the speaker needs to be jammed into the wall in order for the door to open enough for someone to fit through. I've thought about changing the direction of the door, but it's an old house with aged wood and I'm afraid that any attempt I may make at modifications would ruin the look (also, I'm not very handy at all). And on the left side, my equipment rack is right in front of and a little to the left of the left speaker (you can't see it in the picture). I could conceivably move the rack somewhere else, but I'd still have a problem with the right speaker placement, and it would just be lop-sided. Still, I continue to think about ways to improve the placement of these beauties.

And I am, in fact, looking at getting a large area rug soon. We already have a small one, but a larger one is, uh, necessary.

RH - I have started playing with the crossover from the front speakers to the sub (I have a single Paradigm DSP-3400 in my 13 x 20 foot room - it does a good job) and setting the 7's as large/small. Not sure yet which I prefer. And yes, the projector is nice, but it's high-maintenance sometimes. It's my only "TV" and it kinda sucks to have to darken the room every time I just want to watch a show (otherwise the picture is significantly washed out). Many times I have contemplated getting a 60" plasma or LCD instead - but now I'm too addicted to the 10 foot screen. Like I said - I'm notoriously impossible to please. []

[Youthman]

The door opens into the living room, so the speaker needs to be jammed into the wall in order for the door to open enough for someone to fit through.

Man, that must be a tight fit trying to get into the room. I would be really afraid of someone opening the door too far and hitting the speaker.

And yes, the projector is nice, but it's high-maintenance sometimes. It's my only "TV" and it kinda sucks to have to darken the room every time I just want to watch a show (otherwise the picture is significantly washed out).

I hear ya. We do not have a TV in our home either but that's just because we simply do not watch TV at all. I have rabbit ears in the HT but use it maybe once or twice a year at most.

Many times I have contemplated getting a 60" plasma or LCD instead - but now I'm too addicted to the 10 foot screen. Like I said - I'm notoriously impossible to please.

Have you considered having both? You could hang a plasma or LCD on the wall and mount a screen in front of the TV. The screen would need to be either motorized or a manual pull down. That was my original plan but I figured it would be a waste since we do not watch TV.

[DrJazz]

Have you considered having both? You could hang a plasma or LCD on the wall and mount a screen in front of the TV. The screen would need to be either motorized or a manual pull down. That was my original plan but I figured it would be a waste since we do not watch TV.

Yeah, I've thought about it - a lot. The screen is already a motorized one, so I'm set there. But, I have more room issues - there's a door behind the projector screen (leads to an outside deck) which I can't block permanently with a TV, and there's also a window on that wall which makes centering a TV of any size over 40" an issue. And a 40" TV from 13 feet back looks pretty tiny. Still, I've contemplated a TV on a horizontally sliding fixture, but honestly, the projector works well enough even with the curtains in the room opened. Yeah, the picture is washed out a bit, but it's still watchable.