Klipschtastic Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Well its yet another speaker question from yours truly. I have a set of RF3s as many of you know and I am chomping at the bit to either modify them or buy a different speaker. I have located a pair of klf 20s that intrigue me. I vaguely remember listening to some KLF20's when I bought the RF3s a dozen years ago. If I remember correctly i was wanting the KLFs but they were just out of my price range at the time. I liked the RF's well enough but over the years I have sometimes wondered what if i had bought the KLFs. Now may be my chance. I would imagine they put out much more bass, which the RF's are decent at, but I wouldn't mind a little more and I really don't want to use a sub with my 2 channel setup. Their midrange is bound to be better since they are a three way speaker, right? For those of you who have heard both, please fill me in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 wow . nice thread started . i sure too wana know how the KLFs stand next to RF3s . i havent experienced them but iv read people complaining mostly of the poor cabinet design and usuall rip off of the front baffle of the legends . i wonder why they do that ? anyways , 3 way speakers sound better , i have my doubts , till i hear some 3 way klipsch .... regards .... shehryaar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzannucci Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 The KLFs have the ability to be a much higher output speaker but stay cleaner. It also has the ability to put out better base and more well defined midrange. If you are in a smaller area, the midrange output would be the major plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I have had two sets of KLF 20 (gave one set to my daughter) and had a good friend with a set of RF3`s. There is no contest between the RF3 and the KLF 20. To think that an RF 3 could even begin to keep up with a dual ten three way speaker is not realistic and suggests to me that one has not heard both speakers. You do need to remember that the KLF is stock with a poly tweeter diaphragm which is the poorest diaphragm Klipsch ever made. You need to switch the poly out for at the very least a phenolic diaphragm which is the stock diaphragm material for the K79K in all the heritage and extended heritage Klipsch. Better to switch to Bob C`s Titanium tweeter diaphragm and much better again to also move up to the Klipsch Titanium mid diaphragm. The only two way that is worth considering seriously is one in which the crossover point is in the 800 Hz range. The Epic CF3 and CF4 woud be the place to start with a serious two way. All of the RF series speakers are crossed over too high to be compared with a three way speaker. You want your crossover to be well under 1000 Hz. That is of course just my opiniom and YMMV as they say. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Yes, ymmv, my 7's easily kick my 20's butt,I like em' both.The 20's are a better sounding speaker than the rf3 's overall.The 3's are a good sounding speaker but can't produce the volume and range of the 20's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingman Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 While I sure don't come close to the knowledge M.James has on the KLF-20's, I do have a set and can comment on the bass output. First off, I did put the Ti's tweets in them at Moray's suggestion and am glad I did. I like plenty of high end, and that helped alot. Ran them off a new Marantx 80wpc SR-4023 and they sounded pretty good. Lacking somewhat on the bass and when the RW-12D came up for cheap, I bought one. Put it in with the KLF-20's and it helped but I just wasn't happy with the crossover\sound. Something just not right, I thought. Then, I snagged a couple of Marantz SA-500 mono-blocks. Used an older Marantz preamp (the 3300) with the monoblocks and things immediately sounded better. I SHUT DOWN the RW-12D and cranked up the bass controls on the 3300 and it was like opening the door to the room where the speakers were (in a virtual way) hiding. The bass is really, really good! It's got *nearly* the punch of the RW-12D with alot more clarity. I'm pretty sure I didn't actually have the sub set up properly to work just right with the KLF-20's but now I don't need the sub at all. And the high end seems more separated than with the SUB & SR-4023. This wasn't exactly the info you were looking for, but I did want to add my experience with the bass end of the KLF-20's. Anyone want to buy a new-ish Marantz SR-4023??? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 A lot of what we all preceive is learned preference. I would expect the RF7 to push more air in the bass department. I am curious though if you have ever compared the RF7 to the FR7ll and what your impressions between the two are. As far as I can see the primary difference between the two speakers is the crossover point which is considerably lower in the RF7ll. If there are other physical differences I would be interested to learn what they are. I really like the idea of a two way design (I have a set of CF3 parts waiting to have cabinets built) but as I mentioned the compromises needed to make a two way work may not meet the expectations of everyone`s ideal. A working compromise for one person might not be so for another person. I find that it is extreemly difficult to compare speakers which differ greatly in efficiency even when you level match playback between the two. So for that reason (even though I prefer lower crossover point speakers) I was very impressed with the RF7 the first time I heard them. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I never compared the 7's' I went to buy a pair when first released but the 1/2 grill shut me down from further consideration.I did listen to them at the store but there is no way to judge unless you have em' home.As you mentioned preference it is the main thing.Back in the days when an EQ was almost standard I always lowered the mids and boosted bass and treble.When I got 7's they were that way out of the box so they suited me perfect.I have friends that upped the miss and lowered bass and treble, I always hated that sound, to each their own. I do want to upgrade my 20's as you suggest though, someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Currie Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hey Fish, would like to know why/how your RF-7's kick your KLF-20's butt? Just curious. I have the KLF's and looking to do the mods Moray James suggests and have never heard the RF-7's. (but even as they are, I can't imagine the KLF-20's can get THAT much better, they're so damn good now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappa883 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 More than please with my 20's and the 30's..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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