Medium room, Metal music: RP-8000 vs RF-7 III vs Forte III?

[kskull]

Hello Klipsch friends,

 

after 14 years of Acoustic Research Chronos F-25, my eyes and ears demand something new. Klipsch has been recommended to me for my taste in music, which is mainly metal music (death/black/heavy you name it; less rock, more the harder stuff).

I don't need the volume super loud, but I want it very dynamic with a crisp bass. I'm planing to use a NAD amplifier and CD-player.

 

So far, the RP-8000f, the RF-7 mk iii and the Forte III have gathered my interest, but I am unsure, which one too choose.

My main concern is, that the RF-7 or the Forte III can't shine in my room: the room has roughly 25m² and the listening distance will be around 3 to 3.4 meters. However, several listeners of the RF-7 recommend at least 4m distance, better 5-6m. Below, the sound seemed to "stick" too much to the speakers. 

 

1.) What minimal listening distance is acceptable for the three speakers by your experience?

 

2.) What would you recommend for metal? Does the Forte differ a lot from the RP/RF soundwise? Does it appear more "live"?

 

3.) Due to the small room size, I am tempted to go with the smallest option, the RP-8000, but I am not sure if, this is a real upgrade to my old AR F-25, which retailed around 2.5k 14 years ago. Does anyone of you use the RP-8000 for metal music?

 

Sadly, I am from central Europe and can't really test any of these models. So I am somewhat risking a blind buy... price wise, the RF-7 costs three times as much as the RP-8000 here, and the Forte is an additional 300€ more. 

 

 

Thanks a lot, 

I am looking forward to your help!

 

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by kskull

[willland]

@kskull,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I think each of the speakers mentioned will be just fine for metal, your room size, and listening distance.  Of the three speakers you have mentioned, I have only heard the RF-7IIIs and boy are they dynamic, top to bottom.  I know this is not much help, but maybe you should go with the "best" speakers you can afford.

 

Bill

[jjptkd]

Here's a direct comparison of the forte III vs the RF-7 III:

 

 

[willland]

33 minutes ago, jjptkd said:

Here's a direct comparison of the forte III vs the RF-7 III:

Actually Forte III vs RF-7II, which is still a good comparison.

 

Bill

[rockhound]

I listen to the same music in a small room and all of those selections will work fine. If I had to choose one of the 3 for metal it would probably be the RF7iii. However if you really want the best then grab a pair of KI-396's and call it a day.

[Ceptorman]

Another vote for the RF7lll.

[kskull]

Thank you all a lot for the great input and also the nice video comparison between the Forte and the Reference Line. The Forte seems a lot warmer and not as clear and maybe not punchy enough for my music.

 

I found a store who had the RP-8000 and had a chance to listen. It's a nice and very dynamic speaker, but it is not a match for my current system (as I expected). Especially I am surprised, how much pressure the F-25 are producing with their huge bass membrane, now that I compare them again with another speaker.

 

The Ki-396 seem to be awesome, but sadly,  I have neighbors

 

I will look out for the RF-7 iii now; maybe I have to make a trip to Germany to find a retailer where I can listen to them. 

 

Thanks for your support!!!!

[Kidd]

Trip to Germany ?  Lucky you , must be like going  from Arizona to California 

[glens]

1 hour ago, kskull said:

Thank you all a lot for the great input and also the nice video comparison between the Forte and the Reference Line. The Forte seems a lot warmer and not as clear and maybe not punchy enough for my music.

 

That's not necessarily a fair comparison video.  The towers have a higher output for the same power so they'll invariably sound "better" in a comparison like that where volume levels are not precisely matched.  Evidently the RF III has a little less "shrill" upper-end quality than those in the video, so there's that, plus those RF towers in the video do not have stock crossovers, so there's that, too.

 

That video actually helped to cement my decision for the Forte III, which I (happily) bought without any live auditions.

 

Do be aware that the music you primarily enjoy typically has less-than-stellar recordings (in terms of audio quality) available, so speakers which make them more dynamic-sounding likely aren't as neutral as can be.