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Should I replace 4x RF7-IIs with La Scalas and Belles?


archdukeobvious

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I had RF7's for years for my HT until I decided to purchase some used Forte 2's to hear what all the fuss was about. You cannot un-hear the difference that a dedicated mid-range driver makes with the accuracy of the vocals. Once I sat down with an SPL meter and A/B compared those Forte 2's to my RF7's, that was all I needed to prove what I thought my ears were telling me. The RF7's (IMO) exaggerate the vocals and once I compared the two speakers, I decided on the spot to part company with my beloved RF series. I ended up selling the Forte 2's for a new pair of 3's because I preferred the newer finish, but if I had the room to go all heritage for my HT I wouldn't think twice about it, I'd do it.
If you had the original version of the RF-7, I totally agree. When I had my pair, we thought they totally lacked midrange. They were very disappointing to me. The version II don't seem to have this issue. Also, the forte II speakers are great sounding speakers and are newer speakers that will work well with home theater receivers. I recently compared the forte I to the RF-7 II speakers, and the RF-7 II speakers won without a challenge. I'm sure the forte II speakers would put up as better fight, but not sure if it would win. I know@Youthman did an A+B comparison of the RF-7 III speakers against the forte III speakers and he preferred the RF-7 III speakers.

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On 6/16/2021 at 11:52 PM, archdukeobvious said:

I have height channels as well, but you can't really put La Scalas in the ceiling.

 

I guess it depends on how determined you are!

 

That said, years (and years) ago, I started my first HT.  It too had some front/height channels.  I bought three Academy's (on advice of the store that carried the brand).

 

The LaScala is what, 24"x24" on the bottom?  I cut a piece of plywood that was 24"x30" so the 6" would stick out the back.  On that I mounted a sconce that had a 3/4" female threaded hole.  I bought some pipe and a "T".  Put the pipe in the sconce, put the wire inside the pipe.  Brought the pipe up to maybe six feet and built a platform for the Academy.  Had the "T" just under the platform to bring the wire out.

 

Now, wherever the speaker was pointing, the Academy would follow.  It worked exactly like I thought but, if you DID move things, the pipe was long enough that you'd get some wobble from the Academy in the air.  (today I'd redesign it a bit to make it more sturdy BUT, it did work fine)

 

No pictures but if that makes sense, that's how I hung a speaker in the air without drilling into walls and keeping it in line with the LaScala.

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On 6/17/2021 at 12:28 AM, Smitty8451 said:

Once you go heritage you’ll never go back.  Replaced my RF-63’s with La Scala Ii’s, then upgraded to AL5’s last summer.  Just replaced RS-62 II’s with Fortee IV’s and have a third La Scala AL5 on the way to replace my RC-64 III center.  Best move I’ve ever made.

Really....I'm not seeing any comparison here. I could say the same about many speakers vs what you had for much cheaper.......

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7 hours ago, dtr20 said:

If you had the original version of the RF-7, I totally agree. When I had my pair, we thought they totally lacked midrange. They were very disappointing to me. The version II don't seem to have this issue. Also, the forte II speakers are great sounding speakers and are newer speakers that will work well with home theater receivers. I recently compared the forte I to the RF-7 II speakers, and the RF-7 II speakers won without a challenge. I'm sure the forte II speakers would put up as better fight, but not sure if it would win. I know@Youthman did an A+B comparison of the RF-7 III speakers against the forte III speakers and he preferred the RF-7 III speakers.

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Everyone has their own taste...which means there is no wrong. I had original 7's, had to sell em' after some years. I went in to buy a new pair of II's when released. After making them hook em' up to every decent front end at Ovation I said yikes, they ruined the 7's. Cured me of wanting new 7's....Try to find some old ones, somebody must like em' .I see every other Klipsch except jubes often, never 7's v1, except crazy priced many years. Got some that ain't crazy priced ? I want to be wrong, just let me know....

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8 hours ago, dtr20 said:

If you had the original version of the RF-7, I totally agree. When I had my pair, we thought they totally lacked midrange. They were very disappointing to me. The version II don't seem to have this issue. Also, the forte II speakers are great sounding speakers and are newer speakers that will work well with home theater receivers. I recently compared the forte I to the RF-7 II speakers, and the RF-7 II speakers won without a challenge. I'm sure the forte II speakers would put up as better fight, but not sure if it would win. I know@Youthman did an A+B comparison of the RF-7 III speakers against the forte III speakers and he preferred the RF-7 III speakers.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Youthman did do that comparison and he chose the RF7III's based on 2 channel, in that specific room because he wasn't planning on running a sub and the 7's had better/more punch. However, my issue was with the vocals that were much more accurate with the Forte than the RF7's. But, to be fair and to your point, mine were the original 7's and I have never compared either the RF7ii's or 3's.

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49 minutes ago, Fish said:

Everyone has their own taste...which means there is no wrong. I had original 7's, had to sell em' after some years. I went in to buy a new pair of II's when released. After making them hook em' up to every decent front end at Ovation I said yikes, they ruined the 7's. Cured me of wanting new 7's....Try to find some old ones, somebody must like em' .I see every other Klipsch except jubes often, never 7's v1, except crazy priced many years. Got some that ain't crazy priced ? I want to be wrong, just let me know....

I'm with you, at least for HT. I had 3 LS Front, Cornwall sides and Heresy rears and while awesome I unloaded all (but the Heresys) and plugged in v1 RF7s of various combinations. Currently run Front and Sides with Towers, RC7 center and RS7 rears. I've had RC7s back there too as I have an extra pair of those in the house. I can't describe the sound because I don't know all the terminology but they just sound tighter and more "modern". I like them much better. 

 

Now 2 channel is a different story. LS2s in one room and P37s in another. Very good in all rooms. Never looking to change although eventually my life's lease will expire and I'll be "living" at a place like The Pines of Mar Gables Phase III in which case I'll sell it all.

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On 6/22/2021 at 5:35 PM, dtr20 said:

When I first got my belles, I thought something was wrong with them when I hooked them into my home theater. When I hooked them up in a real stereo setup, they sounded amazing. This happened with my Klipschorns as well. Wanted to try it for the heck of it and they had no life, until a stereo setup.

 

  • We  run movies and listen to music on the same system: 2 Klipschorns (AK4), 1 modified Belle center (now uses the same midrange horn as the Khorns, in a DIY top hat that is deep enough to accommodate it, otherwise stock), and 2 Heresy II surrounds.  This system sounds great on both movies and music, with an amazing amount of life.  If anything, a good Blu-ray movie sounds better, with better dynamics than most CDs.  Most SACDs are fine.
  • We don't use an AVR.  We have a Marantz preamp- processor (AVP) that feeds 2 two-channel NAD power amps with 150 real watts per channel, plus one channel of a Yamaha power amp for one of the surrounds.
  • We have a moderately treated room with a few diffusors pArtScience 3 inch SpaceArray Diffusor 2 x 2 foot Wood Panel (2-pack) and absorbers, and lots of bookshelves in a room with a ceiling that slopes from 8.5 feet in the front to 11.8 feet in the back. 
  • The Marantz has Audyssey, which we painstakingly set up, and looked at the results with REW.  In A/B tests, Audyssey FLAT sounds better than bypass, with more spaciousness and depth. From the main listening position, the response is roughly +/- 2.5 dB, or if fudged the way many speaker manufacturers seem to do, more like +/- 1.8 dB.   Audyssey Reference, with its high frequency roll-off (-2dB at 10K) and also - 2 dB at 2K "midrange compensation," is a bit duller, but comes in handy for a few harsh, unbalanced, soundtracks (How the West was Won, Smilebox version).  Our doctored version seems much more like it was in the Cinerama theater, when a woman screamed at the first impactive note, but auditory memory being what it is ...
  • We also use a Klipsch RSW-15 subwoofer.  We set the crossover at 40 Hz (after a year of futzing around), to provide a little more foundation in the lowest octave of bass.  If we could accommodate a horn loaded sub, we would -- and may -- consider it.
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  • 3 weeks later...

I just acquired a well worn set of LaScalas with the same crossovers as my Klipschorns (Type AA) so now I have 4 channels to work with. I am thinking of using one of the LaScalas as the center so I would need to find a use for the other (any ideas?). My receiver doesn't support 6 channels otherwise I would do a 6.1.4 configuration with it. I will eventually plan on refinishing these, but I need to practice my wood working skills on something less important first.

 

What would be a good pairing for the rears and sides? My room is only about 13 feet wide so I don't think I could do full LaScalas surrounds.  I will be installing some CDT-3800-C II's in the ceiling for the heights since the the room is only 7 feet tall and is definitely way too short for mounting some heritage speakers to it. If necessary, I can move the home theater to the living room which has much more space, but not sure how the acoustics will behave with the vaulted ceilings and no wall going into the dining room on one side. 

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15 minutes ago, archdukeobvious said:

I just acquired a well worn set of LaScalas with the same crossovers as my Klipschorns (Type AA

congratulations , now you need some elbow grease -------any pictures?

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4 minutes ago, archdukeobvious said:

They'll need a lot of elbow grease haha. They were apparently used in a public high school, so I doubt they've ever experience any kind treatment in their lives. 

 

1979 Lascalas ---I hope you got a good deal  --the speakers need sanding and new tops -

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