Cole C Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Hey guys, I own the reference series r-26f towers, with r-14m rears, and the matching r-25c center channel. I know a lot of people don't like this particular line, but I got them all for about half price brand new and I have mostly enjoyed them so far. The one thing that has bothered me so far is the center channel. I was considering replacing it, but I don't want to replace any of the other speakers. Is there a center anyone can recomend that is timbre matched to this or at least close enough that I won't notice, but is a nice upgrade over the r-25c? As a side note, this is 99% dedicated home theater use so I'm not concerned with music as much as movies. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 There are no Klipsch speakers that are timbre matched to that line other than the R-25C and whatever the Icon line's center channel was (since they're the same that's moot). An upgrade will be the RC-62, but you will almost certainly be able to pick it out among the rest of your speakers, and chances are good that it will outperform even your R-26F towers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole C Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Thats pretty much all I needed to know, I figured the timbre matching was just among the same line of speakers but wasn't sure. After reading another thread I was looking into the rc62ii. Seems like a great deal right now, around $330. Would I be better off going with that and upgrading the rest to the reference II line down the road or would I be better off looking at the reference premieres? Whatever center I upgrade to, I would like to stick with the same line when it comes to upgrading the rest, but I don't want to short myself. I know the reference premiere is the newer line of speakers, but it sounds like the rc62ii is a better center from whatvive read in this forum. Does this hold true for the towers between the two lines? An easier way to ask this question is probably. Which line is the superior speaker the ref 2 or ref premiere? Thanks, sorry if that got wordy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Reference II is Reference Premier with different branding. You could get the 62 and upgrade the rest to either II, older Reference gear (before that line was rebranded too) or Premier just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkfan9 Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) Reference Premiere is more than just different branding from Ref II... Different horn and different voicing. I don't think timbre matching is as important as many do. I had an Academy center paired with R28F LR for over a year and was very happy with it. I could pick it out if I turned it off vs on or compared music in PLII vs stereo, but that was as much about soundstage as timbre. There were timbre differences, but they did not detract from the experience. If you want something to build around and want new in years to come, get Ref Premiere. I doubt the RF II will be around too much longer. On the other hand, some here have recommended Ref II centers with RP towers, so you could still go the upgrade route into RP down the line even with the Ref II center. Edited December 17, 2016 by Dkfan9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 If your gonna get the 62ii then go ahead and get the 82ii towers to match. They have only a limited amount of those right now. They came out of no where. Once they are gone they are Gina and your stuck buying used. Not the end of the world but waiting for a certain model to pop up can take a while. If you wanna take your time then get reference premiere. Another tidbit bit of advice. I personally build a home theater around a center. It's the most important speaker. So get the best you can buy and or fit. If you can fit the 64ii get it and start saving for 7ii's down the road. If 450c is your budget start saving for 260's or 280 towers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole C Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 I thought I might be able to fit the 62ii currently, but even that is a couple of inches too wide. The theater will be getting a complete overhaul this spring so maybe I will wait and go with the 450c when I can make room and build around that. Thanks for the advice guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 20 minutes ago, Cole C said: I thought I might be able to fit the 62ii currently, but even that is a couple of inches too wide. The theater will be getting a complete overhaul this spring so maybe I will wait and go with the 450c when I can make room and build around that. Thanks for the advice guys! Just throwing this out there, but I have an RC-3 that is a little bit thinner than the RC-62. It might actually image better with the R-26F's to boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboKlipsch Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 You're asking the exact same question I asked myself last year when I bought several from the sale. I had the R-25C matched to my R-28Fs and R-15ms. I sent it back and got an RP-250C, and immediately noticed an improvement. Yes the timber is different but we're talking about the center here, I don't think you will find the superior center to sound bad with the others, it just may inspire you to try and change the other speakers. If it fits in your space the RC-62 is a great purchase right now. If you can find an RP-250C cheap that is a great option also imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboKlipsch Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Having said that, I'll also throw out there that your AVR and how it does, or does not calibrate the center matters a lot. If you have Audyssey or another room correction system in your AVR it does a good job of making it sound it's best. I found the RC-52 to be poor sounding before Audyssey, and afterwards it improved it dramatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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