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RF-7 III or RP-280F and choice of 1 or 2 Subs


Liftenw8ts

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Okay been busy driving to Cincinnati and to Columbus to listen to Klipsch speakers for home theatre only to discover that Best Buy's Magnolia stores all 3 that i went to do not have any set up in the demo rooms. What a waist of my time. Just spoke to a sales rep for Klipsch and the question i have is concerning the front sound stage and choice of subwoofers.

It was recommended that i run a pair of RP-280F and a RC-64C as my front stage.

My sprayers will be 2 RP-250

Back back wall will be 2 RP-160M

Ceiling will be 4 CDT 5800-C11

As for subs I am still trying to choose between a pair of RP-115SW or pair of SVS PB-16 Ultras or a pair of Power Sound Audio V-3611 or S3611 or 1 S7201

 

What would be the best subwoofers or setup and would it be a better setup to go for the RP-280Fs over the RF-7IIIs that way i can dedicate more money to 2 subs instead of spending the xtra money for the RF-7 IIIs. Is this a smart move or should I go with the RF-7 IIIs?

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The RF-7iii's are quite the jump over the RP-280f's, if you went that way you would also need to up your center to the matching RC-64iii's. Also, the RF-7 series love power,more you feed them the better they sound so a 3 channel amp that can do  a clean 200-300wpc@8ohms would be recommended to run  the front soundstage.

At this point the ppl on these forums would need to know more about your situation, room size, budget ect… to be able to guide you on what would work best.

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49 minutes ago, rebuy said:

I don't believe that you need that much power to run RF 7's.

Many people use them with an AVR.

 

Not always about amount of power but more about quality of power.

 

I do know this, when Youthman had his RF-7 vs RF-7II vs RF-7III shootout, all three had much more punch and presence when he added his 200w/ch Acurus A200 to his HK receiver than with the HK alone.

 

Bill

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Thanks for the info, I already know this information.

All I'm saying is a Power Amp of 2 to 300 Watts is

Not Required to enjoy most Klipsch Speakers.

If you have the money to buy a amp, go for it but

the lack of a power amp should not stop you from

buying the speakers of your choice.

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When talking to the Klipsch representative he suggested since i will be running 1 or 2 subs of very good quality that i could get by with the Rp-280Fs. Keep in mind i willl still be running the RC-64 III center channelreguardless of which left and right fronts i run. He stated that there would be no conflict for home theatre when running the front sound stage. If i was to go with the RC-64 center and 2 RP-280s I would save enough in costs to buy a second subwoofer. But if this is not the way to go i will run the RF-7 IIIs and then just stay with one nice subwoofer now. Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

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Will you listen to any 2 channel? If you did, that's where the RF7llls would really shine, they are a world class speaker, the RP 280s are no slouch though. 

Many people on here would advise you to get the best speaker you can afford for your front three, especially the center. Getting the RF would take away any "upgraditis" later.

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43 minutes ago, rebuy said:

Thanks for the info, I already know this information.

All I'm saying is a Power Amp of 2 to 300 Watts is

Not Required to enjoy most Klipsch Speakers.

If you have the money to buy a amp, go for it but

the lack of a power amp should not stop you from

buying the speakers of your choice.

Agree, but amp power is cheap and can extract better what said speakers are capable of.

 

Bill

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On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 2:04 PM, Liftenw8ts said:

What would be the best subwoofers or setup and would it be a better setup to go for the RP-280Fs over the RF-7IIIs that way i can dedicate more money to 2 subs instead of spending the xtra money for the RF-7 IIIs. Is this a smart move or should I go with the RF-7 IIIs?

I would skip the external amp and purchase an upper-end AVR along with the RF-7IIIs and a nice sub or two. 

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On 10/26/2018 at 3:04 PM, Liftenw8ts said:

What would be the best subwoofers or setup and would it be a better setup to go for the RP-280Fs over the RF-7IIIs that way i can dedicate more money to 2 subs instead of spending the xtra money for the RF-7 IIIs. Is this a smart move or should I go with the RF-7 IIIs?

You've obviously done your homework and have already made a lot of good decisions.  There is also lots of good advice further upstream ^^^.

 

Speakers:  Very simple, the RF-7 III series is top tier, the RP-x series is the second tier.

 

I like to start with the best center and build from the inside out.  Your RC-64 III is an excellent choice, couldn't be better IMO.  The next decision would be L/R and I would suggest the RF-7 III's.  You are correct it's more money but it's the best match to your center, all three with newly designed 1.75" compression drivers.  The clarity and dynamics are a large step above the RP-x series.

 

Subs:  I suggest you start with one to allow more in the budget for L/C/R and a top tier AVR.  When a second sub is added you will only gain 3 db, all on the top end.  A single sub will get you to 90%  of what two subs have to offer.  The advantage of the second sub is typically to reduce peaks and nulls, not for any additional SPL.

 

I can't recommend a specific sub because I've not heard live! any of the ones  you listed.  I run 15" subs all DIY with at least 500 wpc each. 

 

Our own @Youthman is currently reviewing subs including the PB-16, both sealed and ported.  I suggest you check out his Youtube channel.  He has also tested the RF-7 III and RC-64 III.  Click on the "More info" part of his vid to find some links to equipment in which you are interested.

 

AVR:  I would suggest the best AVR you can afford because of the amount of speakers you want to run which looks like 7.2.4 Atmos.  Michael (Youthman) has reviewed some of the top ones, Marantz 8012, Denon 6400 and several others.  See his Youtube vid for a complete list.  I would put a priority on a top AVR over a second sub.

 

My best suggestion:  If you are looking for a vendor with a rep for gold standard service and outstanding prices, contact fellow forum member Cory, @MetropolisLakeOutfitters.  He can give you prices which can't be advertised and everyone, and I mean every single person I've encountered on this forum and the Klipsch Owners Group on FB has nothing but praise for his top notch service and prices.  He also sells some AVR's and he will give you very honest advice IMO.

 

About me:  I own the RC-64 III, I've heard the RF-7 III's.  I've heard the RP-x speakers.  I own the Marantz 6011.  By using the @ sign and picking names from a drop down menu I've already alerted Cory and Michael to your thread and they will see the notification the next time they log in.

 

 

 

 

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On 10/26/2018 at 3:04 PM, Liftenw8ts said:

Okay been busy driving to Cincinnati and to Columbus to listen to Klipsch speakers

I forget my manners.  Welcome to the Klipsch forums.  :emotion-21:  :emotion-19:

 

I am in West Virginia, about 2 hours from Columbus and 3 hours from Cinci.  -Dave

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On 10/26/2018 at 2:04 PM, Liftenw8ts said:

It was recommended that i run a pair of RP-280F and a RC-64C as my front stage.

 

Klipsch told you this?  Why?  Get the RF-7III's and an RC-64III if you can afford it and don't look back.  If budget was the concern, which is the only reason why 280F's should ever be recommended over RF-7III's, then I'm not sure why they didn't recommend the RP-450C, or the new setup with RP-8000F and an RP-504C.  

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On 10/26/2018 at 2:04 PM, Liftenw8ts said:

As for subs I am still trying to choose between a pair of RP-115SW or pair of SVS PB-16 Ultras

 

At the risk of irking some higherups for saying this... there is really no contest here.  If the price of two PB16-Ultra's doesn't scare you off then yeah do that.  The 115's are great in terms of thump for the buck at 20-25 hz but I feel that they could be more neutral, they aren't very defined or controlled.  Two of them will in fact shake your house for a very reasonable amount of money though.  If I didn't like them I wouldn't have like 65 of the things on hand right now but still, there are several much nicer subs available, the 115's are great for fitting a certain budget but they're not the end game in terms of residential subs.  If you can afford nicer then do that.  

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3 hours ago, rebuy said:

Thanks for the info, I already know this information.

All I'm saying is a Power Amp of 2 to 300 Watts is

Not Required to enjoy most Klipsch Speakers.

If you have the money to buy a amp, go for it but

the lack of a power amp should not stop you from

buying the speakers of your choice.

 

If you cross over at 80 hz then yeah.  The biggest problem in my opinion is impedance dips with the RF-7 series.  Run them full range, put on a bass heavy concert blu ray, crank it up, and an AVR can run out of juice pretty easily.  An external amp just kind of unleashes them.  Even a relatively meek amp like the Halo A23 with _only_ 125 watts is worlds better than an AVR by itself in this situation.  But yes, if you have to choose, always splurge on the speakers, you may have them for 20 years.  You can always add an amp later if you feel the need and like I said, running them crossed over at 80 hz doesn't matter nearly as much.  

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1 hour ago, Liftenw8ts said:

Guy recommended a RC-64 III with RP-280s for front stage

 

The model designations Klipsch uses are confusing as heck to a lot of us, at least they are for me. 

 

I'm not sure if you know what @MetropolisLakeOutfitters was saying, but even within the Reference Premier series the RP-280 is not in current production.  They have been replaced with the RP-800F.  Either way, these are the mid-level offerings, not the top of the line Reference speakers that would match the RC-64 III.

 

That means if you went with the recommendations the Guy gave, you would have the best center Klipsch has to offer paired with a mid-tier L/R that is a generation out of date.

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Funny--Everyone is always willing to help anyone with their audio/video issues.

Everyone has to learn what they have and need--does it ever get old.

This was a good discussion.

How many times have we discussed this with one person or another?

ABOUT 1 MILLION TIMES--HAHAHA

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