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RF-7 ii - matching amp


Linaki

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Hello :)

I am a proud owner of Klipsch RF-7 ii for a couple of months now. I bought them new and i would really appreciate your help and opinions for a matching amplifier!

I am leaning towards transistor amps, although i prefer the sound of tubes..!

Which amps would drive my RFs correctly and powerfully enough? How many watts do my RFs need to play beautifully with a transistor amp?

Thank you all in advance!

Lina

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Jumping in here with my Yamaha plug before Bill replies :P

 

Depending on what your budget is, Yamaha has several offerings which have many favorable reviews:

 

A-S701

A-S1000

A-S2000

 

I ran my RF-7ii's with my A-S2100 up until I recently got my scalas.

 

While I haven't had much experience with other integrated amps, and no experience with tubes, I can tell you that I was very happy with the "natural sound" of Yamaha, and thought they complimented the RF-7s quite nicely.  The 2100 is rated at 105W at 8 ohms, and it had plenty in the tank to drive the 7's at ear bleeding levels, if that's your desire.

 

I'm sure Bill will chime in with his thoughts of the A-S1000.

 

Also, take a look at what's down in the Garage Sale.  There are always some really nice deals down there.

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Linaki,

 

Welcome to the forum.  You have yourself there some nice speakers. :emotion-21:

 

 

 

Jumping in here with my Yamaha plug before Bill replies

 

You beat me. :o

 

 

 

While I haven't had much experience with other integrated amps, and no experience with tubes, I can tell you that I was very happy with the "natural sound" of Yamaha, and thought they complimented the RF-7s quite nicely.  The 2100 is rated at 105W at 8 ohms, and it had plenty in the tank to drive the 7's at ear bleeding levels, if that's your desire.   I'm sure Bill will chime in with his thoughts of the A-S1000.

 

While I have not run my full range RF-63'w with the A-S1000, I have no doubt that the Yamaha will have an easy time with them.  Same with your RF-7II's.  "Only" 90w/ch at 8ohms but the guts in this beast(48.5 pounds) begs to differ.  Big transformer, 6 bipolar output transistors per channel, 36,000 microfarads of capacitance per channel, and discreet parts all equal some serious ooomph.  The mentioned bigger brothers A-S2000 and A-S2100 will have an easier time with them.

 

Bill

Edited by willland
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Thank you all for your replies and your kind words! I really appreciate it!!

I understand that Yamaha bigger models as mentioned in these series will drive my rf pretty easily. Are they neutral? I wouldn't want my speakers to change the way they sound!

Are there other brands that I could also look? I want to be definitely sure before proceeding sorry if I am bothering you with all these questions!

Lina

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I understand that Yamaha bigger models as mentioned in these series will drive my rf pretty easily. Are they neutral? I wouldn't want my speakers to change the way they sound!

 

I would definitely say that the A-S1000 and A-S2000 are very neutral while the A-S2100 and A-S3000 supposedly lean slightly to the warmish side of neutral due to the use of mosfet output transistors rather than bipolar.

 

Are there other brands that I could also look?
 

 

I don't know your budget but you might want to look at the NAD C375BEE/DAC and maybe even the Anthem Integrated 225.  Both very neutral sound signature.

 

Bill

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I have the old RF7 speakers and they are 10+ years old.  I was using a Harmon Kardon AVR 630 (also 10+ years old) but it did not have the HDMI inputs for TV and other components.  I have been using a Yamaha as a stop gap until I can find a suitable replacement.  I am interested in hearing what you pick for a receiver.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Linaki,

 

Based on my experience, I strongly suggest that you consider pairing the RF-7 II’s with an “Inspire Fire Bottle SE Stereo Tube Amplifier HO” custom built by Dennis Had.  (I have no affiliation with Dennis, other than being a satisfied customer.)   Based on my tube rolling I’ve found the following combination perfect for the RF-7s:  Amperex 6DJ8, JJ GZ34/5AR4 rectifier, Groove Tube GT6L6 GE (Gold Series, performance rating 5).  I sometimes drive this amp directly from the variable output of my Oppo universal disk player (i.e., no pre-amp).   For all pop recordings (i.e., anything other than classical), the Inspire amp delivers ample output volume without a pre-amp.   However, for some high-res (24bit/192kHz) classical music (what I usually listen to) there isn’t quite enough gain, and I need to insert a pre-amp (McIntosh MX-110Z) for a little more output volume.   The sound quality is outstanding.  (In this system the other amps that I have to choose from are:  Scott 272, Scott 222C, Fisher KX-200, Marantz 2325 solid state receiver, Pilot SA-260, Scott 210F (mono), Fisher TA 500 (mono), and Scott LK150.   Another particularly good sounding combination in this system is the MX-110Z driving the Scott LK150.)   FYI, Dennis makes more than one type of SET amp – you can find extensive comments in another hi-fi forum.  (And he makes a pre-amp.)

 

The Inspire SET tube power amp is in the same price range as the NAD C375BEE.   I have an NAD C375BEE in a different system driving Klipsch Palladium P-37F speakers.   (Other amps in this system are Scott 399, Fisher 800B, Kenwood KR-9050, Pioneer SX-1980, Fisher X-1000, Scott 299C, and McIntosh MC240.)  

 

I have other systems with a mix of other amps – mostly tube amps (McIntosh MC30s, MC275, Scott 296, Altec 353A, etc).   For music I always prefer a tube amp.   I use the solid-state amps for movies and background listening.

 

Bottom line:  The NAD is a fine solid state integrated amp if that’s the route you choose, but tubes and RF-7s go together like peanut butter and jelly.

 

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Robert

Edited by robert_kc
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The speakers should sound excellent with some of the Pioneer Elite avr's.  Very clean, very detailed.  I also use a tube/SS hybird amp to run my RF 7's which is only 80w.  For 2 ch, the SQ is excellent and ear screaming power.  Lots of good choice out there.

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I am current running my RF 7 II's with an Onkyo A-9070. The specs are very conservative. It is a nice solid piece, has a nice sounding DAC and sounds very good overall. Sort of a minimalist look but I like that. There is a lot of nice stuff out there. Yamaha makes some nice 2 ch stuff as well. I didn't see your budget but if it is between 3K to 4K, look into the Prima Luna DiaLogue Premium or DiaLogue Premium HP. I recently had the chance to hear the lower power DiaLogue Premium on y system in my home and it was very nice. Nice enough to that I would have bought one if my wife hadn't already bought me a new turntable and cartridge for Christmas. With that said, I am still very happy with my Onkyo. As a comparison, I took one of my Emotiva XPA-2 amps from my HT system to drive my RF 7 IIs and even though it is a higher power piece, I still preferred the sound from the Onkyo. I know that I am comparing apples to oranges, but my point is power is not the last word and specs on paper aren't everything. The RF 7 IIs are efficient and really nice sounding speakers.The choices are endless. Ask a hundred people and get a hundred different answers. If buying new, buy from a reputable dealer with a solid return policy in the event you don't like what you hear and want to return it. Some dealers will even let you take a demo home for a demo weekend. Just pick a quality piece to drive them and I am sure you will be happy.

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