rf83/63 vs rf7ii

[steve sells]

To ask a favor of the membership: after reading many posts here, these seem to be the goals for my upgrade of my rb35/rc35 and making them (the 35's) the rear, and these new one, the front of my 7.1 home theater. I have noticed a few list having both in various systems, and some used to have them , now have others. considering the trouble of finding a matching center channel rc64 for older issues, what major differences will I have between these 3 various, RF series mains?

So far I gather that tthe 63, has more detail; 83 seems close but with more Ommph for music. It would be nice to find a way to know where the new series of the 7ii fit in? not that the wife will allow it any time soon, after getting the sw-115 three months ago, I will have to wait for more improvements, but comments from those that have owned and /or heard these side by side would help with upgrade dreams.

Thanks in advance.

[derrickdj1]

That is a tough question. It is like which car do you like, the Mecedes, BMW or the Lexus. They are all great speakers and most of us would be happy with a system built around any of those 3 speakers. The RC 64 is a match for the RF 83/63 due to the 1.25 in tweeter. The newer version RC 64II tweeter is larger.

[homeskizzle]

Just gonna throw this out there...I too was in the hunt for 83s. I'm a Home Theater enthusiast and so 83s were what I was after. Then, I ended up getting some La Scalas, from the Heritage Series. So far, I haven't been disappointed at all. I love those bad boys! Now, I don't have WAF (Wife Approval Factor) to consider at all. Not sure if you have the option of the Heritage series, but if you do, definitely give them a listen.

[Heritage_Head]

That is a tough question. It is like which car do you like, the Mecedes, BMW or the Lexus. They are all great speakers and most of us would be happy with a system built around any of those 3 speakers. The RC 64 is a match for the RF 83/63 due to the 1.25 in tweeter. The newer version RC 64II tweeter is larger.

I agree, you would most likely be very happy with any one of the set ups you listed. If one set up is better than another its going to be close. It would be easier to get the new set up and there are great deals to be had on new speakers (like 40-50% off). The older ones you would need to piece together used but in the end it would save you money.

[Vital]

I have not had the pleasure of hearing the 63's/83's so I can only go by what I have read. I believe the 63's/83's are a bit tamer, kind of like the RF-7 after Dean G's x-over mod. I don't know why the 83's didn't sell like the RF-7's, I have no doubt they sound as good or better. Maybe Klipsch fans just aren't ready for smaller woofers. I don't think you can go wrong either way, buy whatever you find the best deal on IMO.

[DC3]

To ask a favor of the membership: after reading many posts here, these seem to be the goals for my upgrade of my rb35/rc35 and making them (the 35's) the rear, and these new one, the front of my 7.1 home theater. I have noticed a few list having both in various systems, and some used to have them , now have others. considering the trouble of finding a matching center channel rc64 for older issues, what major differences will I have between these 3 various, RF series mains?

So far I gather that tthe 63, has more detail; 83 seems close but with more Ommph for music. It would be nice to find a way to know where the new series of the 7ii fit in? not that the wife will allow it any time soon, after getting the sw-115 three months ago, I will have to wait for more improvements, but comments from those that have owned and /or heard these side by side would help with upgrade dreams.

Thanks in advance.

Steve Sells- (Preface) I am by no means an audiophile, but I have owned/enjoyed Klipsch SP-1's, RF-82II's, RF-63's, and now RF-7II's. The 82II's, 63's, and 7II's all have been powered by Pioneer Elite SC-57. The SC-57 is a nice receiver with very healthy 140 watts per channel of d3 amp power.

My experience-

I just sold a very nice pair of RF-63's and bought a pair of RF-7ii's. First, let me say that the RF-63's are VERY NICE Speakers. I originally had bought the RF-82II system, but with a RC-64II (instead of the RC-62II). I auditioned the 63's at a local dealer after reading their reviews on the forums. I loved the way they sounded and had to have 'em. So I traded in my 82II's, brought the 63's home, and have been in audio nirvana for the past 2 years. The 63's were a definite step up from the RF-82II's which were a step up from the SP-1's IMO.

With the 63's, I heard things in my music and blue ray collection that I never experienced before with the SP-1's or the RF-82II's. The highs are crystal clear and the bass is tight and articulate. The depth of the cabinet is around 20" so its like 3 cannons firing at your seating position. Particularly amazing sound quality for music.

From 63's to RF-7II's-

The reason I replaced the 63's with the RF-7II's was to have a matching system (RC-64II timbre match and cone color/design). I really worried that I wouldn't like the 7's as much as the 63's. It took 6 months of research and various auditions to pull the trigger on the Rf-7II's.

What can I say about the 7II's? They are big...I mean really big...in size and sound. The RF-7II's are every bit as refined as the 63's, but with a more output. The bass extension is tight, deep, and powerful. The RF-7II's really show their prowess when driven hard, either musically or with movies. They exhibit an effortless quality.

Bottom line-

The move from the SP-1 to the RF-82II was so-so (I really enjoyed the SP-1's 8" active driver's bass- still have them at my vacation home). The move from the RF-82II to RF-63 was phenomenal. The move from 63's to RF-7II's was noticeable, but not as much as the move from RF-82II to the 63's. I have overall been very happy with both the 63's and the RF-7II's.

You will be too.

[DC3]

To ask a favor of the membership: after reading many posts here, these seem to be the goals for my upgrade of my rb35/rc35 and making them (the 35's) the rear, and these new one, the front of my 7.1 home theater. I have noticed a few list having both in various systems, and some used to have them , now have others. considering the trouble of finding a matching center channel rc64 for older issues, what major differences will I have between these 3 various, RF series mains?

So far I gather that tthe 63, has more detail; 83 seems close but with more Ommph for music. It would be nice to find a way to know where the new series of the 7ii fit in? not that the wife will allow it any time soon, after getting the sw-115 three months ago, I will have to wait for more improvements, but comments from those that have owned and /or heard these side by side would help with upgrade dreams.

Thanks in advance.

Steve Sells- (Preface) I am by no means an audiophile, but I have owned/enjoyed Klipsch SP-1's, RF-82II's, RF-63's, and now RF-7II's. The 82II's, 63's, and 7II's all have been powered by Pioneer Elite SC-57. The SC-57 is a nice receiver with very healthy 140 watts per channel of d3 amp power.

My experience-

I just sold a very nice pair of RF-63's and bought a pair of RF-7ii's. First, let me say that the RF-63's are VERY NICE Speakers. I originally had bought the RF-82II system, but with a RC-64II (instead of the RC-62II). I auditioned the 63's at a local dealer after reading their reviews on the forums. I loved the way they sounded and had to have 'em. So I traded in my 82II's, brought the 63's home, and have been in audio nirvana for the past 2 years. The 63's were a definite step up from the RF-82II's which were a step up from the SP-1's IMO.

With the 63's, I heard things in my music and blue ray collection that I never experienced before with the SP-1's or the RF-82II's. The highs are crystal clear and the bass is tight and articulate. The depth of the cabinet is around 20" so its like 3 cannons firing at your seating position. Particularly amazing sound quality for music.

From 63's to RF-7II's-

The reason I replaced the 63's with the RF-7II's was to have a matching system (RC-64II timbre match and cone color/design). I really worried that I wouldn't like the 7's as much as the 63's. It took 6 months of research and various auditions to pull the trigger on the Rf-7II's.

What can I say about the 7II's? They are big...I mean really big...in size and sound. The RF-7II's are every bit as refined as the 63's, but with a more output. The bass extension is tight, deep, and powerful. The RF-7II's really show their prowess when driven hard, either musically or with movies. They exhibit an effortless quality.

Bottom line-

The move from the SP-1 to the RF-82II was so-so (I really enjoyed the SP-1's 8" active driver's bass- still have them at my vacation home). The move from the RF-82II to RF-63 was phenomenal. The move from 63's to RF-7II's was noticeable, but not as much as the move from RF-82II to the 63's. I have overall been very happy with both the 63's and the RF-7II's.

You will be too.

[derrickdj1]

I get the feeling that which is better of the top tier speakers depends on what gear it is paired with, listening preference and the room. I don't think there is a clear winner.

[Youthman]

I would agree with that Derrick. I have performed and shared in this forum on two separate occassions some A/B testing I have performed on the RF-83 and RF-7's. They both sound fantastic, they both have different tonal qualities to them. No clear winner in my mind, they just sound different. Smoother midrange and tighter bass in the RF-83, but the RF-7's still rocked it out and were brighter and slightly more detailed. My conclusion was.....I'm keeping both. []

I think most would be absolutely thrilled with any of those three speakers.

[Fish]

I don't know what you read or gathered but it has no bearing on the speaker you would choose by hearing. The only way to pick a speaker is to hear it, there is no short cut or easier way. Put any notion you have out of your head, it does not matter. You need to hear a speaker in your home to really make a decision, any other way is just a guess and you will never really know. The speakers you mentioned are great speakers, very different to my ears.

[jacksonbart]

Buy a Nova

[steve sells]

Thanks for those links. I followed them to the ends, and it seems any of the 3 will be fine. I was not sure about if I should look at the series ii 7 but it seems what ever I can find for a good price will be the winner, when wife allows me. I have too many expencive hobbies to keep them all in the front all the time. I really like my RB-35, so I am sure that the upgrade will be dramatic when I do it.

Thanks for all the information, while my 30 year old daughter cant understand why I can not be happy just listening to music on a cheap boom box like she does, Like many here; I always look for a better music experiance. thanks again.