Jump to content

Just got RP-280F, curious about RF-7 II


adam2434

Recommended Posts

RF-7ii's are bright too, but due to the larger compression driver and lower crossover, they have a thicker tone on things like cymbals. I prefer this sound over the smaller 1" tweeter, but I'm still EQ'ing the things down. If you face them straight on with no EQ they are in fact pretty bright. It's still nice for music but it can be overbearing and needlessly bright on movies.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's almost the amount of distance I have for my 7's.... Which move A LOT more air... You might try another few inches.

It could take you 50-100 hour break in... And 25-50 to find your sweet spot.

I still fidget with mine just to see what happens.

For high frequency... Do you have a hard coffee table in between you & the speakers? That may be reflecting high freq's right at you.

Do you have any photos of the room so we can all see what's going on in there??

 

Here's a shot of the room.  The pic is taken about 20' from the speakers.  The room extends about 33' behind into an informal carpeted dining area and kitchen beyond that.  

 

We have a leather trunk in front of the couch.  I can try putting some blankets over that the next time I do some critical listening.

 

20151227_213048_LLS_zpstpkigbax.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, try throwing a heavy blanket over the steamer trunk & see if that helps a little?

And try this experiment to test your toe in preferences. This is what I did to figure out what I like. (It's easier for you to move around then keep fussing with the speakers)

Sit in front of your steamer trunk (near field listening) And see how your imaging sounds and what your perceive for the high freq's you are trying to tame. Do you like this sound ? Has it improved dramatically? Then toe your speakers OUT and go back to your normal couch position and sit down... Listen again. Better?

Did you dislike the sound? Then toe your speakers IN and go back to couch and listen again... Better?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some open cell foam cut to shape and inserted into the throat of the horn might help tame some of the brightness. Also, if you have a friend that's into audio, you might swap amplifiers and see what happens. Some amps have a warmer sound than others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 The room looks to have issues to me. For starter speakers too close together, at that distance not much need for tow. They also need to be in corners, maybe a foot from rear and no more than 2 ft from side wall. The glass side wall door dont help. I would only expect it too be ok at best in that room. BUT, this is all just my opinion and what I would be concerned with.

 

 I had a Rotel 1068 and 1095 hooked to 7's in a similar room (16 x 24 x 8ft). Door left of gear, door on right and left wall, carpet. The room really did wreck their capability. I moved them back to their normal room, fantastic and breath taking as ever. I made changes to the room(left door gone speaker in corner) but never took the 7's back in, The room now has klf 30's and they sound pretty good. I have klf 20's in the 7's old room and they sound fantastic, just as good as 7's, maybe.  

 

The room is first, then source, speakers, upstream gear.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 The room looks to have issues to me. For starter speakers too close together, at that distance not much need for tow. They also need to be in corners, maybe a foot from rear and no more than 2 ft from side wall. The glass side wall door dont help. I would only expect it too be ok at best in that room. BUT, this is all just my opinion and what I would be concerned with.

 

 

I can't do much with the room, since it is a family room (secondary system) and I'm already pretty fortunate that my wife does not have issues with increasingly larger speakers flanking the TV, given that I already have a dedicated media room/bar/man-cave in the basement.   :)

 

I agree that the speakers are closer than ideal.  I can separate them about another 12" and can play with toe.

 

Regardless of the room specifics/issues, the RP-280F sound much brighter than the other speakers mentioned above in this same room/position.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RP series should be less bright due to the horn design.   Toe in may be hurting you more than help.  Don't aim the speakers at the MLP/ears.  The direct sound of the speakers is to great at that distance.  Use EQ and not the tone control to cut the treb 2-5 db starting a 2 kH and sloping down to 20 kHz.  Look at some example of an X-curve.  Consider a Pioneer Elite avr that has this function built-in.  That room may be better off with one of Klipsch smaller tower speaker like the RF 62 or 63.  Big speakers are not needed for every room!

post-50685-0-17840000-1451509745_thumb.g

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The room looks to have issues to me. For starter speakers too close together, at that distance not much need for tow. They also need to be in corners, maybe a foot from rear and no more than 2 ft from side wall. The glass side wall door dont help. I would only expect it too be ok at best in that room. BUT, this is all just my opinion and what I would be concerned with.

I can't do much with the room, since it is a family room (secondary system) and I'm already pretty fortunate that my wife does not have issues with increasingly larger speakers flanking the TV, given that I already have a dedicated media room/bar/man-cave in the basement.   :)

 

I agree that the speakers are closer than ideal.  I can separate them about another 12" and can play with toe.

 

Regardless of the room specifics/issues, the RP-280F sound much brighter than the other speakers mentioned above in this same room/position.

I completely understand about changing a room. I only wanted to point out that is your limitation. There are many speakers more forgiving than Klipsch ref that work in less than ideal rooms. Your other speakers are just less revealing of external issues, all my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been thinking about DSP-based room EQ a bit, but need to do some more research into options.  I do not plan to switch to an AVR, so would be looking at stand-alone hardware like miniDSP, although their units are a bit of an investment.  Also, I'm not sure if they have a unit that has enough digital inputs for my needs (need USB, coax, and optical inputs to cover all my sources).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I'm not sure if they have a unit that has enough digital inputs for my needs (need USB, coax, and optical inputs to cover all my sources).

 

The DSP would go after whatever preamp you use to switch all the stuff you just listed.  

 

I was looking at the digital input models because I don't want the signal to go through an A/D and D/A conversion after my DAC.

 

I would want the DSP'd signal to be fed to my DAC so that my DAC is the only D/A conversion in the chain.

 

I need to do more research and ask some questions on the miniDSP forum.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RP series should be less bright due to the horn design.

I've ran them side by side, this isn't really the case.

I have to disagree. While I haven't owned RF-7ii's, I've owned more than a dozen other RF and RB models(including the original RF-7), and the RP is dramatically smoother.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Reviving this thread...

 

I sold a few pairs of speakers and am now looking to upgrade to a pair in the $2,500 (max) range.

 

I'm still considering the RF-7 ii's, but seems like there are mixed opinions on their brightness vs. the RP-280F (which I just sold).  For the most part, I enjoyed the RP-280F, but did find them to be bright and a bit unnatural-sounding at high levels with some material.  I did appreciate their detail, dynamics, and efficiency though.  

 

Any other RF-7 ii vs. RP-280F direct comparisons out there?

 

I'm also considering Polk LSIM707, Monitor Silver 10, and SVS Ultra Towers.

 

Any other suggestions to consider in the $2,500 (max) range?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...