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My first real speakers-I just ordered RF-7's and a Denon 4200 need help


Butterman

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I've never had any real AV other then stuff from Best Buy. I decided to start building a system and just ordered RF-7's and a Denon4200. I guess my question is did I get the proper receiver for the speakers? with the sensitivity of the speakers I'm thinking I don't need tons of power to make them sound good, if not great. As I said, I'm a novice, and would like to know if this is a good receiver for my needs now and to build on in the future. Usually going to be 70% music. Any thoughts or expertise would be very much appreciated. (I can't wait to get these beasts!)

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Welcome Butterman..

 

That receiver will drive the 7's just fine with options to add on later if you desire. Atmos and Audyssey XT32 are great features plus pre outs to add external amplification if you feel the need after adding additional channels.

 

Pics are mandatory here (not really) but we love pics!

 

Again welcome!

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Welcome to the forum Butterman.  You did more than great.  You will love the combo of the Denon and RF 7 II's.  I would just soak up some tunes for a few week and tweak the avr and speaker placement before worrying about things like and amp, separated vs avr, ect.

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Thanks, really appreciate the feedback. I can't wait to get em-just trying to decide what the first song will be.

I've read no subwoofer is needed with the 7's, do they supply that much punch? Would an amp be a better alternative? I would normally never buy something like this sight unseen but there's no decent AV stores around anymore.

Thanks again

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The RF 7 II's are good without an amp or sub for 2 ch. music.  For movies, most of us use subs.  I have used the HT without subs during renovation for HT and enjoyed it thoroughly.  Take it slow on growing the system a stick around on the forum.  You will learn a wealth of info to help you develop a top notch system.  Check out some of the signatures to see what equipment others are also using.

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Thanks, really appreciate the feedback. I can't wait to get em-just trying to decide what the first song will be.

I've read no subwoofer is needed with the 7's, do they supply that much punch? Would an amp be a better alternative? I would normally never buy something like this sight unseen but there's no decent AV stores around anymore.

Thanks again

 

For most music, you might not need a subwoofer, but for movies you will really want a good sub.   Also a sub gives you the ability to increase bass a bit by turning up the sub.  Audyssey, especially XT32, is a great tool.  Be sure to use all 8 microphone positions, and follow instructions carefully.  Most people over on the "Official Audyssey" thread on the AVS forum do boost the sub a bit after running Audyssey.  You may want to just listen for a few weeks without Audyssey, find the best place for the speakers, put up some room treatments, and then, later, run Audyssey.  There is an Audyssey FAQ on the AVS "Official Audyssey thread that is clearer than most AVR manuals.  The general instructions start at post number 51778, and FAQ starts at number 51779.  Don't use the info that starts at post number 1 because there is some misinformation there.

Edited by garyrc
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Thanks, really appreciate the feedback. I can't wait to get em-just trying to decide what the first song will be.

I've read no subwoofer is needed with the 7's, do they supply that much punch? Would an amp be a better alternative? I would normally never buy something like this sight unseen but there's no decent AV stores around anymore.

Thanks again

Butterman, congrats on your new system! Denon and the 7 II's are a great match! Music wise you won't need a sub, but if you ever plan on doing a ht you'll want to think about adding one.

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I guess my question is did I get the proper receiver for the speakers?

 

I have a 4k Denon I think 130 watt/channel.   You did not get too much power.   I think they are a little over rated on power.   Driving just two it is fine, actually up to 5.1 its fine on power.   Past that and its more like 60 watt/channel.    When I went 6.1 the power per speaker really seemed to drop to the point where I was thinking mono blocks for the fronts. 

 

But I don't use effecient Klipsch speakers for my HT.    That Denon you have is very versatile,   can hook HDMI from a computer watch movies, play flacs, mp3s, CD, etc.    

 

I think you need a phono pre amp for it if you want to listen to vinyl records.

 

Oh BTW, Best Buy use to sell Denons :)

Edited by BobK
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Only time I've ever run out of juice is when crossed over low, and playing multi-channel heavy metal at stupid loud volumes. This is with a Marantz SR-7009. For sane usage it will be fine. A high current amp would make it sound better due to some hard to drive impedance dips but it will be fine. I've heard RF-7ii's on a $7,500 amp... it's just not the same.

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Welcome Butterman, nice choice with the RF7lls, black, cheery, or walnut? As others have said, hang around, this place has a lot of very friendly and knowledgeable people. I'll bet these speakers will impress you with their size, looks, and mostly the sound…congrats.

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Thanks again for all the feedback, feeling confident I made the right choice.

I've already learned a lot just reading old posts, man I have a lot more to learn.

Ordered black finish, I liked the cherry more but figured black would be easier to maintain long term as it's an easier color to match.

After reading some posts I can't wait to hear anything from the Herritage series.

Anyone have any suggestions regarding wire?

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I've read no subwoofer is needed with the 7's, do they supply that much punch?

 

Adding a subwoofer will make them sound fuller and better balanced, IMO.  

 

Congratulations on the new speakers. 

 

I agree--It turns a 2-way speaker into a 3-way system that goes lower and the speakers require less power to drive.  

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Butterman:  Congrats on your acquisition!  When do you take delivery?

 

How large is your listening room?

 

What is your music source (e.g., CD, SACD, Pure Audio Blu-ray, vinyl, etc)?  You will want to feed this system good quality audio – i.e., not lossy low-resolution digital.

 

What types of music do you listen to?

 

Is your goal to reproduce the natural timbre of orchestral instruments at reasonable sound levels in an average size room?   For a string quartet?  For Mahler’s Symphony No. 2?  Or put a “heavy metal” band in your living room playing at volume levels that can damage hearing? 

 

Do you want to “rattle pictures off the wall” with LFE (Low Frequency Effects in movies) – e.g., recreate the sound of a buffalo stampede?   (FWIW, I personally hate LFE/subwoofers – but people are different – which is why I ask.)

 

I own Klipsch RF-7 II (and RF-7) and I think they are a great value in a loudspeaker.  And paired with the right amplification they can deliver excellent sound quality.  And, yes, they can deliver significant “punch”.   I mostly listen to classical music and opera, both of which often have greater dynamic range compared with most pop music, and the RF-7s handle this music well.   They also can swing with big band music.

 

Did you buy a 7.2 AVR receiver (vs. 2 channel) because in the future you might want surround sound?

 

I don’t have your Denon receiver, so I can’t share any experience.  As long as you can manually adjust tone controls in order to compensate for vagaries in recordings and in order to suit your taste (in addition to the DSP based automatic room equalization), I’m sure the Denon will perform well.  (Klipsch can sound a little bright.)

 

I use tube amps for music, and solid state amps for movies (in order to save hours on the tubes).   Tube amps and Klipsch go together like peanut butter and jelly.  I’m currently experimenting with an SET tube amp that puts out about 9wpc.   For pop music this is ample power to drive the RF-7 as loud as I care to listen – with ample bass and ample punch.   For high-res recordings of large scale classical music, let’s just say I’m still experimenting with the SET amp (and expecting some different tubes today).   However I can say from experience that a 20-60 wpc push/pull tube amp can deliver satisfying sound for large scale orchestral music played through the RF-7s.  As you’re probably aware, “solid-state watts” don’t go as far as “tube watts”, but your Denon’s 125wpc (2 channel spec) is ample for RF-7 speakers in any reasonable application.  (I have a 1970s era Marantz 2325 (125wpc) in the system with my RF-7s, and a modern NAD C375BEE (150wpc) in my system with my Palladium.  In both cases these solid state amps have ample power and sound good.   But again I prefer tubes for classical music.)

 

The RF-7s may take a little time to break in – so be patient.   And as others have suggested, I’d be slow to make any changes to your new system.     You should be able to fine-tune the Denon and Klipsch to achieve excellent sound quality for both music and movies, and do so with just the two RF-7s.  

 

If you enjoy music that involves natural instruments (vs. electronic music), somewhere down the road you might consider a separate all-tube amplifier for music, and keep the Denon for movies.   But candidly any improvements would likely be subtle, and any additional investment will likely involve significantly diminishing returns.  Which is part of the hi-fi hobby for many of us …  :)

 

Please keep us posted.

Edited by robert_kc
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I can't wait to get em-just trying to decide what the first song will be.

 

Whatever song it is, make sure that it doesn't suffer from dynamic range compression.  If you put in some new stuff, you'll think your speakers sound like crap, but you're actually hearing a poorly mastered recording through your new high resolution speakers.  

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I think the Denon AVR-X4200W is an excellent choice to go with RF-7s.  I tend to keep speakers forever, but receivers seem to need upgrading every 2-3 years as they come out with new surround formats, new HDMI specs, resolutions, etc.  Given that, it does not make sense to spend more on a receiver than you did.  Perfect choice.  And given the sensitivity of the Klipsch gear, you will likely be fine even as you add surround sound (in a average size room).  If you do need more power you can add an external power amp that will never become obsolete as you upgrade receivers in the coming years.  You will love your new system.  I find the Audessey Room calibration in the Denon's to be excellent. Definitely use it.  It will provide two curves, "Audessey" and "Audessey Flat",  By default it will use "Audesse"y which applies a very slight attenuation in the higher frequency range.  "Flat" does not.  Choose the curve you like.  I happen to like the default with the Klipsch's.

Edited by rgdawsonco
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Awesome info-keep it coming everbody. I do really appreciate all the insight as a lot of the subjects touched on I've thought about.

What would the typical break in time be and should I take it easy on them until I've properly broken them? Also, any suggestions on a good CD player? I've listened to quite a bit of Pandora/Spotify recently for the ease of use. I would like to continue to listen to them from time to time; will a good CD player be able to provide high listening quality with digital to analog?

Thanks

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Also, any suggestions on a good CD player? I've listened to quite a bit of Pandora/Spotify recently for the ease of use. I would like to continue to listen to them from time to time; will a good CD player be able to provide high listening quality with digital to analog?

 

Yes.

 

This Cambridge Audio is a fantastic CD player and Dac.

 

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/162001-cambridge-audio-azur-840c-price-drop-60000/

 

Trust me.  This used to be mine.  I still own one and use it for CD playback and stream Pandora from my TV to the 840C to my NAD pre/pro. I have owned three 840C's total.

 

Bill

Edited by willland
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