RB-61/51/41 II as R/L front speakers?

[krutsch]

Hi Folks,

I picked up an RC-62 II center at a close out sale for a local AV retailer that went under (good-bye, Ultimate Electronics / AudioKing - I will miss you).

I have a previous set of RS-10 surrounds, elevated on the back wall of a small room (maybe 18' W x 10' D). The center is probably too big for this room, but can you really have too much speaker? []

Anyway, I am considering adding Klipsch bookshelves for the R/L front (Yamaha RX-V667 AVR), but I am really stuck on which model (i.e., RB-41/51/61 II). They will sit on the shelf above the panel, on risers to tip downward towards the listening position, on either side of the center.

I can't find any meaningful reviews on these models on the Internet (excluding a small number of user comments on Amazon). Even the AVS forum is pretty quiet on these speakers (unless my Google skills need work). To be frank, that is making me a little nervous. Also, with the fall of Ultimate Electronics and the shift in product lines at BB/Magnolia, there isn't really anywhere I can go to audition these.

I guess I am looking for two things: 1. testimonials or a review that comments on SQ and 2. an opinion on the one model over the other. In addition to the minor spec differences, it looks like the 61 adds bi-amp and moves the passive port from the rear to the front of the speaker (which may really matter, since these will be a few inches from the back wall).

Thanks, in advance, to anyone that can offer an opinion.

[SuBXeRo]

you arent finding many reviews on them because they havent been out for too long. Congrats on the RC-62 II. Center channels can have different sounds based on port design or sealed or passive radiators but in general, get the biggest you can tha twill match with your setup. The rc-62 II matches well with the rb-62 II or the rb-82 II. The rb-42 II is great for small applications, maybe surround duty or a conservative reference surround setup. The rb-52 is a good stepup in my opinion from that if you still want to stay conservative but get some more muscle. Price is always a factor so if the rb-62 II is your splurge point, get those. The sound stage will have more....depth and width to it. I would honestly go straight to the rb-81 II's. This will blow away the rb-62's in my opinion. This is of course your budget allows it and so does space. Biamping isnt really worth it so much FYI, it will work and will bigger more power hungry speakers its beneficial if you are using a receiver. I know some yammys and onkyos let you use the 6th and 7th channel for biamping and the extra juice to the speakers helps them run better. Receivers suck for power and you are really only getting 50-70% of the power they state you get. This goes for about 95% of manufacturers.

In any case, the speakers will sound clean and clear.

O yeah, one more thing, mylistening space is 10x10 and i have 2 rf7's and a rc-7 center. The center isnt too big for the space and provided i could separate the rf-7's more (which i cant because of other furniture) they would sound perfect and they are employing 8" cones in the center and 10"s in the towers. 8" woofers are a great size if you can fit them for a normal type home theater setup

[krutsch]

Wow... RF-7 system in a 10x10 foot space. I'm very jealous. Like most Klipsch owners, I like over-the-top sound pressure levels []. With a sensitivity of 101 dB on the RF-7s, I can imagine that your Emotiva stack doesn't have to work very hard to be convincing.

Where bi-amping really helps is with the reduction of intermodulation distortion:

http://www.audioforums.com/forums/showthread.php?14401-Bi-wire-vs-Bi-amp

... my Yamaha (and pretty much all other AV receivers) do not perform any active or passive filtering (crossover). However, there is still some benefit to passive bi-amping: reduced components connected to individual amplifiers(the Yamaha has individual amp modules) which means that each driver gets a more pure signal and, more importantly, suffers less from the effects of the other drives. Also note that AVRs mostly have only one power supply, so you won't gain a lot of extra power with bi-amping. An engineer from Yamaha stated that the sound improvement is real, however, with respect to clarity and detail.

I need to re-measure my space to see if I can fit the RB-82 IIs in the space allocated on top of the cabinet. If you are enjoying RF-7s in a smaller room, then I need to put on a fresh pairs of drawers and go large. Of course, next, I will need to upgrade the surrounds...

[SuBXeRo]

biamping klipsch speakers is easy. Klipsch has designed it so that you dont need any external crossovers or have the need to remove the current ones. My assumption it is just to be able to say they are biampleable and to help with people who have receivers and want to add some extra juice. if the power supply is shared, your right, not much of an improvement, but if its independent psu's then it should be beneficial.

I upgraded to the RF-7's from the RF-5's because i know in the future they will be great for movies in the proper space. Thats really the only reason why i did it. Klipsch offers soo many options that you can really make a ton of good setups. Check out craigslist. Everything i have bought barring tv and emo gear was used. I am using my heresys i got used and just reassembled yesterday after a long refinish. They actually mate rather well to the rc-7. The heritage line is great too, if you can fit them, even the heresys are bulky and like twice the size of the rb-81's.

A picture of your space would be beneficial if you are open to further suggestion.

[Heritage_Head]

Hi Folks,

I picked up an RC-62 II center at a close out sale for a local AV retailer that went under (good-bye, Ultimate Electronics / AudioKing - I will miss you).

I have a previous set of RS-10 surrounds, elevated on the back wall of a small room (maybe 18' W x 10' D). The center is probably too big for this room, but can you really have too much speaker?

Anyway, I am considering adding Klipsch bookshelves for the R/L front (Yamaha RX-V667 AVR), but I am really stuck on which model (i.e., RB-41/51/61 II). They will sit on the shelf above the panel, on risers to tip downward towards the listening position, on either side of the center.

I can't find any meaningful reviews on these models on the Internet (excluding a small number of user comments on Amazon). Even the AVS forum is pretty quiet on these speakers (unless my Google skills need work). To be frank, that is making me a little nervous. Also, with the fall of Ultimate Electronics and the shift in product lines at BB/Magnolia, there isn't really anywhere I can go to audition these.

I guess I am looking for two things: 1. testimonials or a review that comments on SQ and 2. an opinion on the one model over the other. In addition to the minor spec differences, it looks like the 61 adds bi-amp and moves the passive port from the rear to the front of the speaker (which may really matter, since these will be a few inches from the back wall).

Thanks, in advance, to anyone that can offer an opinion.

Grats on a great center use to have one and loved it (rc-62) I would go as big as you can (price vs space) nothing other than maybe the rf-7ii in the reference line would be too big for that center.

[krutsch]

Hey, thanks everyone for the helpful comments. I re-measured the space and even with the Auralex isolator pads, I can easily fit a pair of the RB-81 II and it will look great (sort of a wall of horns and cones aimed downwards to fire at the couch). I am going to spring for the larger model.

It's funny how I started thinking about the RB-41 and have moved all the way to the 81s. Visualizing this from work, it seemed like the 81s would be way too big, but when I got home and pulled out a tape measure, it seemed more reasonable.

I will post pics when I get this all setup.