Paducah Home Theater Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 So budget aside, does the THX line eclipse the RF, RC and RS lines? Though not in abundance I do see them in the used market right around the price point of what I am shopping for. If I am really just paying for THX licensing, then I will stick with the reference products mentioned. They don't eclipse them nor are better or worse in general. They have a totally different sound, they are very flat, which makes them great for speech and movies of the George Lucas type that have a nice full range sound mix. But, they kinda suck for music, especially rock. You won't get that rock growl, drums aren't going to sound powerful, bass guitar will be weaker, etc. They are just kind of boring. But, boring is usually good with movies. I've got three used ones I would sell but I don't see you getting an entire THX system for $1,500 though. Regardless of that though, if you're anywhere near western Kentucky you can come over and listen to both THX, RF-7ii's, and maybe other stuff. Personally I prefer RF-7ii's. But, if you look at the frequency response with no room correction, it looks like a ski slope. That's just how I like it though, I like a bunch of bass and very little shrilly highs. The other reference towers are just kinda halfway between these two, the tweeters sound very similar as the THX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks for that. I am thinking RF-62 II's, RC-62 II and pair of RS-62 II or RS-52 II and the RB75's really sound like they would be a fit too for my fronts. And good advice too on listening before buying...sound is highly subjective and there is a Fryes in Arlington too far away. Think they would mind if I bring my amp? On a separate note, have the RF-62 II's dropped much in value? Just curious, I see a guy on eBay selling a decent used pair but he's asking about $50 more than they can be purchased and shipped new with warranty. Its not much more but curious how his are better than new or maybe he is tryig to recoup his investment? Edited February 17, 2015 by miketyler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks for that. I am thinking RF-62 II's, RC-62 II and pair of RS-62 II or RS-52 II and the RB75's really sound like they would be a fit too for my fronts. And good advice too on listening before buying...sound is highly subjective and there is a Fryes in Arlington too far away. Think they would mind if I bring my amp? You nailed it on the head with "sound is highly subjective" which is why I feel like it is best to go hear yourself. Certainly your living room will sound quite different than Frye's showroom, but it will still give you some idea of the voice the speakers have. I don't have much of an input on the more modern Klipsch lineup because I am a Heritage kind of guy. An RS-62 II might as well be a prototype jet as opposed to is a speaker by my accounts. NOT saying they aren't great speakers, but I am just a bit ignorant of them. Hanging out here more though, I am going to educate myself a little more on the current lineup so I won't look like a moron >~ I don't want to go off too much on a tangent, but I am also wary of pushing a particular..... well, anything on a forum anyway. I am a musician and I "highly" recommended an acoustic guitar to a guy once. He was a younger guy and really had a pretty low budget. I found a pretty nice import guitar (one that I own as well) at a deep discount and recommended he buy it. He did and he hated it. He wasn't angry with me or anything, but it made me feel bad. That once again goes back to "sound is highly subjective." I definitely think it is a good idea to ask opinions here because many of these guys are mighty knowledgeable and can give you great insight on which models to keep an eye, or ear rather out for, but ears, or brains mostly are different. I mean, heck I am audiophile. I listen to my speed metal on vinyl. Ha ha ha. J/k Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) I don't want to go off too much on a tangent, but I am also wary of pushing a particular..... well, anything on a forum anyway. I am a musician and I "highly" recommended an acoustic guitar to a guy once. He was a younger guy and really had a pretty low budget. I found a pretty nice import guitar (one that I own as well) at a deep discount and recommended he buy it. He did and he hated it. He wasn't angry with me or anything, but it made me feel bad. That once again goes back to "sound is highly subjective." Bryant With you being a musician, you ought to know that every acoustic guitar sounds different, not just different models but literally otherwise identical ones, and even the same one will sound different over time due to the sap in the wood crystallizing then breaking up which takes a few years. Recommending a particular model because another one sounds good isn't a good thing to do, doesn't really matter how nice of a model it is. I wasn't aware of this until I saved up to buy a Taylor one time. Went into the music shop with 3 grand cash burning a hole in my pocket, and all the new Taylors just sounded like they were made out of rubber. I reluctantly left. A few days later I was heading to Nashville and happened to run across a young father to be on Craigslist selling an Alvarez for $200 to pay for some nursery items. I figured what the hey, and I checked it out. It wasn't a high end model but was still fairly nice with wood binding, and it sounded way nicer than those Taylors. I put wood bridge pins in it and a set of Martin Marquis in, and holy cow that thing opened up. Best $200 ever spent. Does that mean that somebody else can pick up a budget Alvarez model like this and it will sound the same? No. Does that mean that all $3,000 Taylors suck? No. It doesn't work that way. Anyway, what you say is true with all things, but with acoustic guitars it goes beyond simply being subjective. What you are hearing and what that other guy is hearing may very likely be completely different. Edited February 17, 2015 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I don't want to go off too much on a tangent, but I am also wary of pushing a particular..... well, anything on a forum anyway. I am a musician and I "highly" recommended an acoustic guitar to a guy once. He was a younger guy and really had a pretty low budget. I found a pretty nice import guitar (one that I own as well) at a deep discount and recommended he buy it. He did and he hated it. He wasn't angry with me or anything, but it made me feel bad. That once again goes back to "sound is highly subjective." Bryant With you being a musician, you ought to know that every acoustic guitar sounds different, not just different models but literally otherwise identical ones, and even the same one will sound different over time due to the sap in the wood crystallizing then breaking up which takes a few years. Recommending a particular model because another one sounds good isn't a good thing to do, doesn't really matter how nice of a model it is. Anyway, what you say is true with all things, but with acoustic guitars it goes beyond simply being subjective. What you are hearing and what that other guy is hearing may very likely be completely different. Oh I am very well aware of the differences. I have been playing for 30 years. However, that guitar, a Greg Bennett (Samick) Worthington acoustic/electric features a solid sitka top, Grover tuners, rosewood fretboard, five ply binding, built in under saddle pickup and preamp with EQ with built in tuner with LCD readout etc. etc. I bought the exact same guitar, rebranded as a Silvertone SD-50E. My Dad liked it so much, he bought the same SD-50E. I bought a non electric one for my brother, the SD-50 and my friend (a singer by trade, but also plays, especially for writing) Urban Breed the singer for Serious Black also bought one on my referral. All four I put my hands on are QUITE similar in voice, with my brother's just slightly better as it has no electronics, nor cutaway (they are dread sized.) I seriously don't think the guy that bought it was a very experienced player, by any stretch. However..... given the specs I told you of the guitar, he payed about $150 bucks for it. It definitely could have been a lemon, or it could have been he was expecting something else. I really don't know. However, this is a mass produced laminated b/s guitar. They tend to vary less than a "more" hand built all solid acoustic. Who knows ? Having said all of that, some like the sound of Martin, some like Taylors. Some even like the redwood topped Breedlove (yummy ^__^) In that respect, it is similar to speaker selection. Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 These are one's: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/clt/4893002082.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Emailed them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Emailed them At $100 per speaker you really can't go wrong with those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Wonder where OP is located? Maybe I missed it. That link was for an example of price versus e-bay. and series II. I would have to have telephone conversation and assurance about condition,etc, before I travelled far to get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Sorry, meant to say I am in Cedar Hill, TX about 25 miles south of Dallas. And yes, that goes without saying for any online purchase. I figured at $100/speaker + ship it would be a great starter setup and will buy me time while I check out more Klipsch products including older legacy and newest reference II equipment. I am a bit of a wheeler dealer and am fine with buying and reselling when I am ready to upgrade. Edited February 17, 2015 by miketyler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Got my Reference IV speakers yesterday and all arrived in great shape. Thanks Billybob for posting. The RF-62 IV's are much heavier than I expected. The build quality looks very good on them and the RC-52 IV center. I thought I might have been a little trigger-happy at first but looking at these now at $400 shipped I feel pretty good about where I am so far. Of course I want to keep my Sunfire sub, but is there a real benefit in keeping everything else from the Reference IV line for a "tuned" setup? Still need to find a pair of RS-52's or RS-62's. Will post up pics later 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 25, 2015 Moderators Share Posted February 25, 2015 Nothing wrong with using a non-klipsch sub with your reference speakers. Most of us have with great success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The surrounds should show soon enough. Have fun doing the setup, listening there. As Youthman said about the sub. Pics always fun. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Got my Reference IV speakers yesterday and all arrived in great shape. Thanks Billybob for posting. The RF-62 IV's are much heavier than I expected. The build quality looks very good on them and the RC-52 IV center. I thought I might have been a little trigger-happy at first but looking at these now at $400 shipped I feel pretty good about where I am so far. Of course I want to keep my Sunfire sub, but is there a real benefit in keeping everything else from the Reference IV line for a "tuned" setup? Still need to find a pair of RS-52's or RS-62's. Will post up pics later Oh, I see you got these from the craiglist posting? Good Show... A Sunfire/Bob Carver influenced sub is nothing to sneeze at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) the simple idea of a budget home theatre system sounds wrong - you are better off - buying a good system worth say 3k$ that is used 4-5 years old but in great shape and pay the 1k$ - anything less is garbage - and will on the long run be worthlesss - the THX series from Klipsch are phenomenal and will last 20 years at least - I bought a set for 5k$ last year that was more the 20k$ 4 years ago - hooked them up , and was astounded - you cant expect a budget aystem to be anything other than low quality - that's why a lot of us buy the Heritage series - as they are super quality - Edited February 25, 2015 by Randyh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketyler Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 "Budget" is a relative term and I am pretty happy so far. I guess it depends on how critical you are of audio quality. One man's ceiling is another man's floor. Once I find surrounds I will probably have $1K in my first set of Klipsch boxes. It's an acquired taste. Like old cars....it's a journey and I think as I grow into it, so will my budget. For now I hope to be as happy with Reference IV's as you are with your system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Got my Reference IV speakers yesterday and all arrived in great shape. Thanks Billybob for posting. The RF-62 IV's are much heavier than I expected. The build quality looks very good on them and the RC-52 IV center. I thought I might have been a little trigger-happy at first but looking at these now at $400 shipped I feel pretty good about where I am so far. Of course I want to keep my Sunfire sub, but is there a real benefit in keeping everything else from the Reference IV line for a "tuned" setup? Still need to find a pair of RS-52's or RS-62's. Will post up pics later Awesome !! I love the dynamics and detail of Klipsch. Not too bad for a honky old horn IMNSHO. Hope you enjoy them. Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Sorry, meant to say I am in Cedar Hill, TX about 25 miles south of Dallas. And yes, that goes without saying for any online purchase. I figured at $100/speaker + ship it would be a great starter setup and will buy me time while I check out more Klipsch products including older legacy and newest reference II equipment. I am a bit of a wheeler dealer and am fine with buying and reselling when I am ready to upgrade. What rocks about the Heritage line is the sensitivity built in. With the increased sensitivity od the speaker, it draws less power from your system for the volume other speakers would require. In theory, that can lead to the end result being greater dynamics. I listen to some prog rock and progressive metal. There are lots of passages that go from quiet to loud and there are movements that are VERY demanding at times and my receiver nor speakers ever break a sweat. In fact, my hearing is not the greatest. I am a musician. I have been playing guitar for 30 years, I have been to more concerts than I can count and played in more bars than I can count. I have also worked in manufacturing for 25 years. These speakers will run me out of the house, not just the room, with much less than their mediocre 100W max. Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violetgrey Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) They have a totally different sound, they are very flat, which makes them great for speech and movies of the George Lucas type that have a nice full range sound mix. But, they kinda suck for music, especially rock. You won't get that rock growl, drums aren't going to sound powerful, bass guitar will be weaker, etc. They are just kind of boring. But, boring is usually good with movies. I wanted to get back to this statement for a second. As far as flat response from the speakers goes; isn't that exactly what we should be striving for; speakers that do not add color to the audio signal? If you have a tonally flat output and room response and the sound of the material is not to your liking is that not more of a statement on the mix or master of the material itself? Edited February 26, 2015 by violetgrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) You could go with some used La Scalas... If you shop carefully you might be able to pick up 3 of them for the front 3 channels, and then get a pair of Heresy's used for a 5.0 setup. Or you could go for 5 Heresy's, and then get your sub. With La Scalas, you would get or exceed the sensitivity of your brother's old Altec speakers (probably A7s), as well as slightly better frequency response above 60 Hz ... but .... you would need to get a good subwoofer right away, because the La Scalas lack bass below about 60 Hz (but you would probably cross over to the sub at 80 Hz, anyway. How is your soundproofing? You would need it to be good, unless your neighbors are far, far away. Edited February 28, 2015 by garyrc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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