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RF7 II upgrade?


Wim M

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Those are beautiful looking Khorns, Joop.  Wow.  :emotion-21:

 

I know it's sometimes hard to believe, but the room can be as much as 50% of the sound.  After looking at your room, in particular the corner where the speaker is located I absolutely believe you that the sound can harsh and fatiguing while listening.  The sound is bouncing off hard surfaces including the floor, walls and ceiling.

 

Chris A. in an earlier post ^^^ gave you excellent advice regarding room treatments to tame those highs.  In my living room I have curtains which extend from the floor nearly to the ceiling, and couches which greatly help defeat the sound bouncing all over the room.  My room is not ideal either but all those soft surfaces help and my speakers are not fatiguing at all, in fact just the opposite.  They are very pleasant to listen to for extended time.

 

The picture below shows La Scalas in my living room, but the LS's were sold and that is where the Khorns are now located.  This is the only picture I had which showed my couches and the curtain on the left side of the picture.

+++

 

Joop, in your first post you wondered if the speakers needed a break in.  It is possible, but not very likely.  If the speakers need some break in that will happen just by playing them, I would not do anything special just to break them in.  I would expect your speakers to sound good at least after a week of normal playing.

IMG_4622.JPG

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I certainly agree with the break-in discussion, above.  After about a week of moderate listening levels (peaks above 80 dBC at one metre), the woofer surrounds are probably at 95-97% of their ultimate compliance (i.e., 1/stiffness) value. 

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Hello I was wondering how do you like the a21amp? I do own the p 5 halo pre amp and later I want to get the a21 for my rf7s. I have a 2 ch set up with no sub . Which I think to my ears is the best way to listen to the 7s . They do have two big ports in the back and like to put them to use. To me there is something special when listening to a set of full range speakers with a powerful amp.

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@marioramos I had the opportunity to try some other amp combos: NAD, Rega,...  And I can say the Parasound makes the 7II's sing.  Hi-res highs, tight bass. Class A operation is only in its first 8 watts which means you have rich, warm, somewhat tube like sound at 'easy listening' levels.  The 7 II's have a sensitivity of 101dB so I think I have never used more than 8 watts on them.  Also the P5 has a built in crossover.  I have the A21 and 7II's cut off at 55Hz.  Below 55 is done by the 2 R115's.  Impressive....

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This morning I was alone in the house, so time to do some serious testing.  First I brought in damping material, as suggested. 

I use Jriver on a Mac, which I had optomized for use with my RF 7II's.  So some finetuning could be done here. Then I turned the cabinets more into the room.  This all resulted in more relaxed and smooth highs.  Bass is still very much of a problem, since the bass cabinet is now way out of the corner.  You can feel the bass cabinet is doing its job, but there is not much audible.  So I was wondering: am I getting the complete picture here of what the speaker is capable of? (voicing, imaging, soundstage,..)

 

So I was thinking, shouldn't I be better off with LaScala II's instead of Khorns?  Considering the very bad placement options I have with Khorns.  With La Scala II's I can use my 2 R115SW's for the lower extension.

 

@Chris AThank you very much for your advice.  Do you consider my power amp (Parasound A21) as usable for driving Khorns/Lascala II's?

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I've not heard anyone complain about Parasound amps coupled with Khorns or La Scalas. In fact, just the opposite.  All have been fairly impressed by their sound.

 

The Parasound amplifiers that I've personally heard coupled to Khorns have been quite smooth and accurate (...as in--it doesn't have its own sound like some other types of amplifiers.  This is a very good thing).  In general, these installations that I've heard them in have also included good loudspeaker positioning within the room and judicious amounts of acoustic treatments (absorption and diffraction) applied.  They were very good.

 

Chris

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How do the LS sound so far?  Please be as objective as you can be, according to your ears, not according to expectations.

 

The reason I am asking that particular way is that there is another poster who is evaluating his new speakers and it would help to have another new set of speakers from which to compare.

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Today hooked up my Parasound amps and other gear.  After a 40 hr break in I was very curious to know how they 'd sound.  

I must say these LS II's put a big, big smile on my face!  Hi-res highs, balanced mids, great voicing, tight correct bass.  Very pleasant, laid back and non-fatiguing listening.  Compared to my RF 7 II's, it's as if the fog has cleared.  Also when the volume is turned up, tonal balance stays unchanged, not a single sign of stress on any component.  They go LOUD, with the amp even on idle.

 

A while ago I had a pair of 60 th anniversary Khorns, with the extra back panels (see earlier posts in this thread)  They were placed in the corners (where now the LS II's are) but I could not seal them in their corners as they should.  So probably the bass cabinet of the Khorn could not perform as it is intended.  This resulted IMO in harsh voices and general absence of warmth.  I think LS II's in corners definitely outperform badly placed Khorns, even with the extra back panels.

 

There is 1 issue: I also hooked up my 2 15" subs (R-115SW).  These subs are almighty when used in combination with my RF 7 II's, creating a very impressive soundstage with ease.  Now with the LS II's they are simply blown away!  The subs just can't keep up pace with the efficiency of the LS II's.  I tried tuning with almost everything: changing     X-over points, gains, EQ, PEQ.  But the laid back bass is gone.  Anyone suggestions on this one?  Palladium subs?  DIY 18's?  

 

@klipsch  Please, would you be so kind as to make 'Heritage Series' subs?  18" subs for home use?  You may ship the first 2 ones to Belgium. :rolleyes:

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4 minutes ago, joop said:

Today hooked up my Parasound amps and other gear.  After a 40 hr break in I was very curious to know how they 'd sound.  

I must say these LS II's put a big, big smile on my face!  Hi-res highs, balanced mids, great voicing, tight correct bass.  Very pleasant, laid back and non-fatiguing listening.  Compared to my RF 7 II's, it's as if the fog has cleared.  Also when the volume is turned up, tonal balance stays unchanged, not a single sign of stress on any component.  They go LOUD, with the amp even on idle.

 

A while ago I had a pair of 60 th anniversary Khorns, with the extra back panels (see earlier posts in this thread)  They were placed in the corners (where now the LS II's are) but I could not seal them in their corners as they should.  So probably the bass cabinet of the Khorn could not perform as it is intended.  This resulted IMO in harsh voices and general absence of warmth.  I think LS II's in corners definitely outperform badly placed Khorns, even with the extra back panels.

 

There is 1 issue: I also hooked up my 2 15" subs (R-115SW).  These subs are almighty when used in combination with my RF 7 II's, creating a very impressive soundstage with ease.  Now with the LS II's they are simply blown away!  The subs just can't keep up pace with the efficiency of the LS II's.  I tried tuning with almost everything: changing     X-over points, gains, EQ, PEQ.  But the laid back bass is gone.  Anyone suggestions on this one?  Palladium subs?  DIY 18's?  

 

@klipsch  Please, would you be so kind as to make 'Heritage Series' subs?  18" subs for home use?  You may ship the first 2 ones to Belgium. :rolleyes:

 

Horn loaded mains need horn loaded subwoofers.

 

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