kippyieh Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 Wow, what a great forum! I had been confined to ecoustics and audio review till now. Instead of treading thru the enitre wealth of information, I am going to be lazy and just ask my question. Right now I have 2 RF-3 II for front l&r, RC-3 for center and KSW-12. I was planning on getting the RS-3 and another RC-3 to finish out the system, but now was wondering if I should just move the RF-3's and RC-3 back and purchase RF-7's and RC-7 for the fronts. I really am new to this, and have not recieved my Onk TX-SR800 from UPS yet, but for 7.1, do I need 2 rear centers? Personally, when demo-ing the RF-7's versus the RF-3's, I thought the RF-7's too bright, which is why I purchased them to begin with... but I am beginning to feel persuaded by popular opinion... Just curious, are they going to quit making the Reference series when the new THX stuff comes out? Should I be concerned about this, I mean as far as matching my existing setup? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 Kippy - Yeah, I used to cruise other forums, too, but this kind of has it all rolled into one. I do not believe that 7.1 is actually a format that you will find on a DVD. It only refers to the number of speakers in use, in this case. The highest format is 6.1, and you can use either a single or dual array for rear center. Kind of depends on the size of the room -- if you have space for 2 rear centers, go for it. The Reference series will not be replaced by the THX stuff. As you can see, Klipsch just announced a huge refresh of the Reference line, with several new models. The THX stuff is a niche product, in my opinion. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 While the Webmaster in his Wisdom may have branded dougdrake a "No Life"... but if you add in his "alter-ergo-NoLife" ploy, he is a veritable Answering Machine. No wishy-washy replys for the drake, he's on a topic like a duck on a June bug! And just so with this topic. With appologies to Ogden Nash... One nitch for which there is no match Is to skip THX and start from scratch! While the George Lucas experiment (that's what the "X" stands for... the "T.H." are the initials of the self-inflated engineer who headed the experiment) helped unify movie standards and generally "wake-up" an industry that was bumbling down convoluted paths. Fortunately, after a brief flurry of popularity, the mixing pros and audio manufacturers drifted away from paying steep royalties for THX certification of their product offerings. In fact, the THX fans dwindled so low in the ranks of those who made a living at it that Lucas sold an 80% interest in THX to a Singapore company that is busy reducing standards so it can license everything in sight at discounted prices... or at least so I have been told. But, the THX logo with the tricked-p bass and tricked-down ambience has caught on with theater and HT consumers who bought the big HiFi-Lie which distorts the "live" sound that PWK founded his company upon. Fear not for Klipsch has not allowed Heritage level speakers to be folded, spindled and mutilated in the THX image. Even the perked-up Reference line was not perked-down the THX timbreless-surround & foggy-bottom format and maintains its pupularly priced (for Klipsch) audio leadership. A yes, the drake is more genteel than I... about the Bufflehead niche market that hopefully Forum folk will duck. =HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 ---------------- On 1/17/2003 9:50:23 AM kippyieh wrote: I was planning on getting the RS-3 and another RC-3 to finish out the system, but now was wondering if I should just move the RF-3's and RC-3 back and purchase RF-7's and RC-7 for the fronts. ---------------- If you can afford it, I'd say go for the R-7s in the front and put your R-3s in the rear. I originally started with RF-3s myself. I had them for all about a month and ended up with the RF-7s. I was a little reluctant to spend the extra cash outlay on the RF-7s, but in the long run, I am really pleased with the sound. I went back to the local dealer and listened to some RF-3s again, and they just seem to flat and lifeless compared to the RF-7s (although the RF-3s are definitly still an excellent speaker, which I would recommend over many other brands, such as the JBL studio series speakers). About the 7.1, as was mentioned before, DVDs only have up to 6.1 recorded (and not all of them even have that). The recievers send a single channel to both of the rear speakers in a 7.1, at least if using the standard DTS, or Dolby Digital formats. The reciever may have some special DSP modes that makes full use of the 7 channels plus sub, although I am not to familier with all the modes available in the Onkyo SR800 reciever you are awaiting for (I know the feeling - it seemed like it was forever before FedEx finally showed up with my Denon AVR3802 when I ordered it last winter - that was one long 3 weeks!). If you have the space and you don't mind spending some money on and additional speaker, there is nothing wrong than going with the full 7.1. In my case, I probably could have gone the full 7.1 myself, but found that putting a single RC-7 in the rear, thus opting for a 6.1 setup, worked out better for me (and saved me a little money in not having to buy that second speaker). Also as mentioned ealier, Klipsch is not giving up the Reference line in favor of the THX speakers. In fact, Klipsch has put out a bunch of new speakers in the reference line. Personally, I am very interesting in seeing how the new RB-75s will work as surrounds for my setup. When my local dealer gets some in, I plan on trying them out in my setup. Those THX speakers are going to run between $6K and $8K for the complete set, depending on if you get the 5.1 version or the 7.1 version. From looking at the specs on those new speakers, although they are some nice looking speakers and am willing to bet they will sound wonderful (and having the same model speaker across all three front channels is definitly a plus), my gut feeling tells me that my Reference 7 setup is still going to be much better for slightly less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippyieh Posted January 17, 2003 Author Share Posted January 17, 2003 So it sounds like the RF-3's will be all right for the rears? Am I missing something by not having the 'true' surround speakers in the back? It seems that Klipsch would make them a certain way for a reason. I realize that alot of this is probably subjective, but as an 'ear in training' type of newb, I would appreciate the advice. And another thing, how about those lines conditioner's? Are they a gimmick? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 The type of surround you use is mostly preference. I use normal speakers for surrounds. A good line conditioner is not a gimmick. It may be over-priced, but not a gimmick. Have you ever heard a click or pop from your gear when the A/C or refrigerator turns on? A line conditioner should eliminate that and other noise from your AC line that may be barely audible, but affecting your gear just the same. I have a couple of expensive surge protectors that have heavy filtering for my system. I don't use line conditioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 even though i am a cornwaller i say go with the 7's, more of everything. but do, do, do stay away from those tiny sats. go with your floor standers, sure the bi or dipole are supposed to have some advantages, but what they dont have that your floor standers do have is full range sound. plus the larger cabinets create a more lifelike presentation, a smoother transition from front to back, and the 3's are a really great timbre match for those moving sounds in ht Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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