philallegro Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 First time in the Forum. Long time Klipsch enthusiast. Had my first pair of Khorns in the mid 80's, still have a pair of Chorus II for 2 Channel system. I am in the market to replace my Home Theater speakers, which are Paradigm Studio 100 v5, Matching Center and Surrounds (Studio 20 v5). I miss the throw of the Klipsch in my Home Theater and would like to buy the RF-7 III as Main Speakers. Need advise on what Center channel and Surrounds to buy to compliment the RF-7 IIIs. I currently am running the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor and MX-A5000 Amp. I was considering the THX Ultra II Surrounds (KL-525). Also currently just using 1 Paradigm Studio Sub12. Was thinking of replacing with a Klipsch as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Best, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 8 hours ago, philallegro said: THX Ultra II Surrounds (KL-525) Hello and welcome to the forum. It's a great place to be! So, a former K-Horn owner; that's fantastic! I think your choice of the RF-7III's as front main speakers is an excellent choice for home theater. I currently have a pair of the original, RF-7I's and love the manner in which they project. Considering that you, having been a K-Horn owner, please allow me to suggest that you also consider a pair of the new, Cornwall IV's in place of the RF-7III's. My reason for suggesting them is that, in my opinion, the Cornwall VI's, with their new midrange squaker, tend to sound more "K-Horn-like" than the RF-7III's. They too, project extremely well and because they, like the K-Horn, are 3-way systems, their bass-to-midrange-to-treble transition is handled a bit more smoothly than with the RF-7III's, again in my opinion. Naturally, there is a larger cost differential, but you did not mention your budget. In any case, if you do choose to go with the RF-7III's, you will immediately see a dramatic performance increase in dynamics using your existing amplification over your Paradigms due to the large difference in the two speakers' sensitivity ratings: 92db for the Paradigm Studio 20 v5 vs 100db for the RF-7III. The Cornwall IV is 102db. Should you decide to stick with the RF-7III's, I'd like to suggest the RC-64 III Center Channel Speaker. For Cornwall IV's I would suggest the Heresey III or a third Cornwall IV as your center channel (a perfect timbre match). I would agree that your choice of the THX Ultra II Surrounds (KL-525) is outstanding! As for subwoofers, depending on the size of your space, I would like to suggest either one of Klipsch's Reference Series 12" or 15" subs or the pair of THX subs, which would require their external amplifier or an alternative amplifier of your choice. Best of luck, philallegro! Happy shopping! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Hello and welcome to the forum. It's a great place to be! So, a former K-Horn owner; that's fantastic! I think your choice of the RF-7III's as front main speakers is an excellent choice for home theater. I currently have a pair of the original, RF-7I's and love the manner in which they project. Considering that you, having been a K-Horn owner, please allow me to suggest that you also consider a pair of the new, Cornwall IV's in place of the RF-7III's. My reason for suggesting them is that, in my opinion, the Cornwall VI's, with their new midrange squaker, tend to sound more "K-Horn-like" than the RF-7III's. They too, project extremely well and because they, like the K-Horn, are 3-way systems, their bass-to-midrange-to-treble transition is handled a bit more smoothly than with the RF-7III's, again in my opinion. Naturally, there is a larger cost differential, but you did not mention your budget. In any case, if you do choose to go with the RF-7III's, you will immediately see a dramatic performance increase in dynamics using your existing amplification over your Paradigms due to the large difference in the two speakers' sensitivity ratings: 92db for the Paradigm Studio 20 v5 vs 100db for the RF-7III. The Cornwall IV is 102db. Should you decide to stick with the RF-7III's, I'd like to suggest the RC-64 III Center Channel Speaker. For Cornwall IV's I would suggest the Heresey III or a third Cornwall IV as your center channel (a perfect timbre match). I would agree that your choice of the THX Ultra II Surrounds (KL-525) is outstanding! As for subwoofers, depending on the size of your space, I would like to suggest either one of Klipsch's Reference Series 12" or 15" subs or the pair of THX subs, which would require their external amplifier or an alternative amplifier of your choice. Best of luck, philallegro! Happy shopping!Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Sorry for the double-post. Tap-A-Talk seems to have screwed me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philallegro Posted November 22, 2019 Author Share Posted November 22, 2019 Thank you so much for the advice. The space is Mid Century Modern so the Cornwall or anything Heritage Series would be too boxy for the room. I need a tall thin speaker and the RF-7 III would fit in the space. As far as a sub, my space is excellent with the Paradigm Sub 12 so I may just start with one Klipsch Reference 12". The center is what I thought too; RC-64 III. Thanks again! Phil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEH Synergy Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 IMO, your single tiny sub will NOT match well with the RF7 III. Great speakers, but up your sub game SIGNIFICANTLY if that ultimately ends to be your choice of mains. Your sub will run out of gas FAST IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEH Synergy Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 I don't know if @picky is picky, but his post had SOLID advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Sounds like you will be building a nice system! I currently have the Ultra2 system with the KL-525’s but if you are planning on getting the RF-7 III’s, I’d probably go with some RS-62 II’s for surround duties. The Ultra2 speakers are what I would call more laid back than the top of the food-chain reference line. I really wish Klipsch made some KL-625’s but they never did:/ If this is strictly for home theater, have you considered just running 3 KL-650THX’s across the front? Modern receivers can tune things very close but running identical speakers as your 3 fronts is supposedly the way to go. I am really into looks of my equipment, almost as much as the sound, and I think the 650’s look great. Not trying to talk you out of the RF-7 III’s as I hear they are amazing speakers, just thought I’d make another recommendation. People tend to recommend what they have, I am no exception. How large is your room? I ask because putting a good portion of your budget into quality subwoofers will probably make the most noticeable difference in your system. Something like dual 15’s from brands like PSA, Monolith, SVS, Rythmik or HSU will probably get you the best results and with the holiday sales right around the corner, this might be the time to make the leap. Subs don’t have to match the rest of the speakers, in fact, most people get better results when they don’t, now that that these internet direct companies are so specialized, they are hard to complete with. I also have the dual Ultra2 subs with matching amp but I can’t provide you any feedback as I am just now trying to get them setup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philallegro Posted November 23, 2019 Author Share Posted November 23, 2019 Do you think that using the KL-650-THX for rears might be better because the sensitivity is 97db as compared to the KL-525-THX that is 94db, or will it be an overkill. Like you said, the RF-7 III are 100db. Thanks, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philallegro Posted November 23, 2019 Author Share Posted November 23, 2019 The room isn't great and has limitations (15' W x 30' Deep) and has a glass wall to outside. It's a MCM home and no room for a dedicated theater. I used to have a dedicated theater in my place in CO that was awesome and the company used Paradigm there that sounded great too. That's why I went in again for Paradigm and upgraded for my last place. Just trying to do the best I can here with limitations and I just miss the Klipsch sound for watching movies and concert Blurays... Thanks again for the advice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 philallergro: Now, having your room dimensions, given that it is 30 feet deep, you might wish to consider migrating over to a pair of 15" subs; one below the front wall and one below the rear wall with both aimed towards the center of the room. That is a very long space for one or even two 12" subs to fill with even bass, in my humble opinion. Of course, if you are already pleased with your current 12" sub's performance, than of course, please disregard my suggestion. As to your question about the rear channels, I believe that the greater the sensitivity the better (KL-650-THX vs KL-525-THX. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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