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Deciding between three Klipsch models. Help needed?


iamhartigan

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Hi, I am new to the forums so I hope I am posting this in the right area.

I can get the following speakers:

Klipsch CF-3 (Series 2. 1995) ($400)

Klipsch RF-3 II (2001) (Trade for a HK receiver I have. Valued at ~$350)

Klipsch RF-42 II (2010) ($75)

I can get the RF-42 IIs for practically nothing from a family member, but if the other two would provide a better sound then I would prefer them. I am willing to spend the money for the other ones. So not based on price what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!

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iamhartigan, welcome to the forum! Bang for the buck is almost always a consideration in considering the value of a particular piece of gear. Since you are able to select any of the three possibilities you mention, my best advice would be to select the speakers that sound the best to you. Listening to music is a real joy. Different speakers have different signatures in the way they reproduce the music. The CF and RF series sound different. It's best if you can take some of your favorite CDs and do a bit of listening to audition the speakers. Go with was is most pleasing to your ears. Enjoy! p.s. what kind of music do you like to listen to? some forum members might have recommendations based on your musical preferences.

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iamhartigan, welcome to the forum! Bang for the buck is almost always a consideration in considering the value of a particular piece of gear. Since you are able to select any of the three possibilities you mention, my best advice would be to select the speakers that sound the best to you. Listening to music is a real joy. Different speakers have different signatures in the way they reproduce the music. The CF and RF series sound different. It's best if you can take some of your favorite CDs and do a bit of listening to audition the speakers. Go with was is most pleasing to your ears. Enjoy! p.s. what kind of music do you like to listen to? some forum members might have recommendations based on your musical preferences.

This is great advise. ^^^^^^^

Go listen, only you can decide which ones sound best for you, in your room.

I have not listened to any of those speakers, but tell us more about your gear, room size, listening habits. Others who are more familiar with these speakers may chime in.

Welcome to the Klipsch Forums, we're glad you're here.


Dennie

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Sorry I should have added details!

They will be powered by a Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXI. Source will be a Pioneer Elite Universal disc player or Marantz. Havent decided yet.

I have only been able to listen to the RF-42 IIs extensively. They sound fantastic. I got to partially audition the CF-3s but only heard upper octave piano compositions. So no real bass. The RF-3s would be purchased through craigslist and I only meet in public places so theres no real way for me to audition them.

I listen to mainly movie scores and orchestral works. I enjoy some alternative music and will passively listen to light/acoustic rock from time to time. But 40% of the time these will be used as fronts for movies paired with a Mirage OM-C2 center speaker with surrounds that I have yet to purchase.

They will be in a living room 12' ceilings about 14' from speaker at listening distance. One will be about 4' from a wall and the other will be about 10' from a wall as the living room is partially open to the kitchen. Carpeted floors. So acoustically it isn't optimal, but it could be worse.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

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For 5.1 Surround.

I use 4 Heritage Hersery's..2 Klipsch Subs, and a Klipsch Center, not sure which one.I think it is a 3? ...

..Before I used the Klipsch center,( had Advent) I could not understand what was being said ..it was not clear, no matter how loud..I thought my hearing was bad..what was happening was my center was not as efficient as my Heresy's..so they were too loud..I replaced the center with Klipsch..Now I love it...Would not change anything..I am a huge fan of the Heritage series...So I cannot comment on any of the newer model..the newest ones I have had were Forte's..

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So I decided on the RF-42IIs (plus RW-10D subwoofer). I did a direct comparison on the CF-3s to the RF-42IIs and the difference was negligible if ever so slightly in the favor of the RF-42IIs. They were simply more transparent. The CF-3 had a bit of the "cupped hands" effect on the vocal regions and cellos/midrange orchestral tones. It also really bothered me how directional they were. They were fantastic when placed well, but so were the RF-42IIs. And the people sitting on the edge of the couch got to be in the fun too.

I wouldn't run the RF-42IIs in direct stereo, but with a subwoofer, they are fantastic. I personally prefer the smaller woofers because the crossover networking can be more favorable to the tweeter to eliminate any midrange coloring.

I know that they are entry level, but I did a very critical comparison and the RF-42IIs performed the same if not better. From a realistic standpoint the RF-42IIs were better for me. From a collectors standpoint the CF-3s were unbeatable. But I am very pleased with my final decision.

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I really like the design of the OM-C2. I am heavily swayed towards bi-polar centers. As far as timbre goes, it matches pretty well, but it is a bit softer of a tweeter compared to a horn. I really really dislike directional center speakers. I want to know that the sound is coming from the center, not above or below the display; but from the center. The omnidirectional design of the Mirage helps that imaging.

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I really like them. Honestly when paired with my RW-10D subwoofer (with little gain) the result is one of the best sounding stereo set-ups I have experienced. I would personally recommend the RF-42IIs as long as they will be used in tandem with one of more subwoofers. The bass drop-off is something like a bookshelf speaker, but the imaging, Fq response, and accuracy are really something remarkable.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I snagged a new pair of rf-42ii's for 275 and I love the heck out of them. I bought the rest of that package for a small living room setup amd they sound fantastic together. Quite impressive for their price point. I have already talked a few other guys into them. Amd they all love them as well.

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If I am not mistaken, all the RFII line floorstanders (excluding the RF-7s) all use the same what is essentially the same tweeter. So really the only difference in sound quality comes with bass extension. I have them paired with two RW-8s so I have no problem with that, but they are just as detailed and full bodied as any of the other RF series.

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