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KF-28 vs RF-82


Brewmonkey

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Hello all, I currently have a pair of Cerwin Vega CLS-215 speakers that I have finally got tired of. They are just too big, and a little too bassy for me now. I have long admired Klipsch and eventually will buy some Cornwalls, once my house is paid off in 3 years. Anyhow, I saw BB has the Icon KF-28 on sale for $349, and Crutch has the RF-82 for $499. The specs are almost identical other than cabinet size, I don't see any reason not to go with the Icons. These will be for 2 channel stereo use only, and will be driven by a rebuilt (new caps & soldered joints) Pioneer SX1080. Is there much of a difference in sound between these two? I heard the Icons at BB, and they sounded very good, and seemed to have adequate bass. My room is 16X24 with tiled flooring. I guess what I'm getting at is which would I be happier with price/sound both being considered, and also with the future purchase of the Cornwalls I will end up selling whichever I choose(28 or 82) for the temporary fix. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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No questions rf-82 is a much superior speaker. They can also be had at acoustic sound design for cheaper than you mention. Must call for price. I have owned both and i can assure you they are worth the extra money. The icon series in my opinion is over priced when stood next to the reference for only a little more. Welcome to the forum

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I own the Icon VF 35 and previously own the VF 36. The VF 36 most closely matched the RF 82. The Icon speakers are nice and sound good but, the nod goes to the Reference line. RF 82 and other Reference speakers are regularly posted in our Garage Sale part of the forum. Also check the local CL if price is a big concern. Scrappy gave you the name of a good dealer to boot. Lastly, welcome to the Klipsch community.

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Thanks for the help, but I think I'm gonna go another route for my fix. I went to BB to see the Icon, and the super flimsy grill just turned me off immediately, and they sounded really dull. I guess the last time I was there and walked by them, the bookshelves, and center must have also been engaged. Once again thanks for the help and dealer info. Cheers!

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BB is not a good place to make a decision on a speaker. The room acoustics are terrible and the set is suspect to say the least. The Reference system stuff is better build quality than the Icon line. The Icon V series was an excellent series since it was BB first adventure selling Klipch. As you can see in my signature, I still own the Icon VF 35's. The key with any line of speakers is to match them to the right gear.

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Thanks for the help, but I think I'm gonna go another route for my fix. I went to BB to see the Icon, and the super flimsy grill just turned me off immediately, and they sounded really dull. I guess the last time I was there and walked by them, the bookshelves, and center must have also been engaged. Once again thanks for the help and dealer info. Cheers!

another route? Please tell me you aren't going with a different brand just because you looked at Klipsch's bottom of the line from best buy? :-(

Reference will smoke anything that best buy sells, UNLESS you live by a fancy magnolia center best buy. Then they have some 50-100,000k setups in those. Then if your spending that much doubt your looking at icon line anyways.

One more thing, the grill difference is a clear difference in what I was saying the rf-82 is HANDS DOWN the better speaker for the money. Literally EVERYTHING about it is of higher quality.

Edited by Scrappydue
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Thanks for the help, but I think I'm gonna go another route for my fix. I went to BB to see the Icon, and the super flimsy grill just turned me off immediately, and they sounded really dull. I guess the last time I was there and walked by them, the bookshelves, and center must have also been engaged. Once again thanks for the help and dealer info. Cheers!

This is why I wish Klipsch didn't venture into the low end market. It just cheapens the brand IMHO and turns off customers who might have become loyal to the brand if they received a proper introduction.

If they want to sell at Best Buy, that's fine, buy why not just sell the reference line there? There's almost no difference in price.

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Thanks for the help, but I think I'm gonna go another route for my fix. I went to BB to see the Icon, and the super flimsy grill just turned me off immediately, and they sounded really dull. I guess the last time I was there and walked by them, the bookshelves, and center must have also been engaged. Once again thanks for the help and dealer info. Cheers!

This is why I wish Klipsch didn't venture into the low end market. It just cheapens the brand IMHO and turns off customers who might have become loyal to the brand if they received a proper introduction.

If they want to sell at Best Buy, that's fine, buy why not just sell the reference line there? There's almost no difference in price.

i agree here 1000% there is only a slight margin in price difference yet the sound quality as well as build quality is double at least in my opinion. Bad move on Klipsch's part.
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another route? Please tell me you aren't going with a different brand just because you looked at Klipsch's bottom of the line from best buy? :-(

Yeah, I went with the JBL Studio 590's, and after one week sent them back. They sound awesome, but the construction is very cheap. Very flimsy grills, and cheap plastic feet. One arrived with a broken foot, and I gently tried to remove the grill to check out the woofers, and "pop" went the grill peg. So I'm just gonna keep my CV's until I can buy me either the RF7ii's or CWiii's. I've been researching trying to figure out which will suit my music(rock,pop,hip-hop) best. I've been reading the CW's are best with classical and jazz, any suggestions?

Edited by Brewmonkey
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I own rf7ii and cornwall 1s. Both are very nice speakers for sure. For music the cornwall is a monster. It has the bass of a giant sub and a dynamic effortless sound to go with it. It single handily brought me back to 2ch music. To where I can just sit for hours just listening. The cornwall 1 and 2 used might be a better value (sell around 500-1500 a pair). The rf7ii are also very nice and if buying new might be a better value than a new cornwall 3. The 7s cost about 2k a pair or less brand new. The corns I would guess are about $1,000 more than the 7s would. But if you go used and can find a nice set or corns for 800-1000 you would be a happy camper. They sell parts for these old speakers so you will have np getting them to spec of brand new.

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I own rf7ii and cornwall 1s. Both are very nice speakers for sure. For music the cornwall is a monster. It has the bass of a giant sub and a dynamic effortless sound to go with it. It single handily brought me back to 2ch music. To where I can just sit for hours just listening. The cornwall 1 and 2 used might be a better value (sell around 500-1500 a pair). The rf7ii are also very nice and if buying new might be a better value than a new cornwall 3. The 7s cost about 2k a pair or less brand new. The corns I would guess are about $1,000 more than the 7s would. But if you go used and can find a nice set or corns for 800-1000 you would be a happy camper. They sell parts for these old speakers so you will have np getting them to spec of brand new.

Thanks,I'm always scouting on CL around Texas, and really have my heart set on CW's. The only thing that worries me about them is the 100w rms rating. Are they easy to blow?

Edited by Brewmonkey
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The old cornwalls also have a much better mid horn. The cornwall 3 uses the same mid horn that the heresy 3 has. Much smaller.

Oh wow, thanks! That info will get me moving in the right direction. Just one more question; other than age, are there any major differences between CWi and CWii?

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The 1s are made from birch plywood and the 2s are mdf. The 2s drivers mount from the outside. The ones have a coffin style that the back comes off and everything is put in from the inside. Because of this some feel the 2s have an advantage with the drivers being out in front of the cab. The 1s have the same drivers as the other big 3 at the time (khorn..) and the 2s don't. The 2s have a really good tweet from what people say. And some like the k77 tweet better. Some will say the non metal horns work better. The 1s had steal horns. The 2s did not. Basically they both have some advantages over the other.

Edited by reference_head
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