launch1 Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Hi all, I just bought me a pair of RP-3s and I have to say I am amazed at the clarity and sound from these!! I went with the recommendation of my salesperson on getting the SC-1 Center channel though and think this might have been a mistake?? another salesman gave me a different oppinion pointing out klipsch's speaker matching chart and telling me I should get the RC-3. the first salesman told me that the SC-1 has one driver that is active and one that is passive therefore for some reason (I'm not an expert) it would have better freq. response or produce low freq. better than the RC-3 which has both drivers "active". He said that since I want to use my 5 ch stereo and like to listen to music with my system as well as theatre that I would be better served with the SC-1?........ my question is ...Is this active/passive thing actually true and, in your opinion would I be better served by the SC-1 or RC-1. Does the driver material make that much difference in the timbre matching on these speakers?? any advice or info would be really appreciated.... I like to here opinions to so if you have on feel free to speak up... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Go tell that sales person to get their story straight if they want to do any more business with you. The SC-1 uses dual active low frequency drivers. It is NOT the proper match for any of the Reference series, including RP-3's. The RC-3 Reference center channel is the matching speaker for your mains. It uses a Tapered Array design wherein both woofers cover the lowest range, then one is shut off by the crossover network, allowing just a single driver to handle the band of information below where the horn system takes over. This produces smoother response across a range of listening positions. It is sometimes called 2 1/2 way design. The sales person is either lying or Very confused. It's this kind of 'service' which drives people away from dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
launch1 Posted April 21, 2001 Author Share Posted April 21, 2001 I'm not to happy with this guy, He seemed so knowledgable at the time of purchase. I hardly even listened to the centers because I trusted this goofoff. To tell you the truth the overall experience wasn't a good one. This was my first major theatre purchase and everyone told me to go to a good audio shop for advice and what happened?? I get blindsided by this guy. and to top it all off, when I got my "A" RP-3 speaker out of the box there wasn't any mounting feet, spikes or intruction/warranty manuals!! Some may think this is trivial but when I buy over $1300.00 worth of speakers I expect them to be absolutely perfect!! and this goof acted like he didn't want to give me a set today when I went in! He said he was going to order me a pair but for some reason I just don't know if he is? I'm also wondering if they were a return or refurbished or something?? ....... Oh well I just had to vent sorry bout that, I guess I'll just suck it up and press on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 There is a time to suck it up... and a time to let it all hang out. Now is the time to stand up and be counted... for all those too timid to put bad advice in its place. By your own admission, you went to an upscale Klipsch source to have confidence in an advice more expert than your own. You, and others like you, deserve to have better value for your trust than an absolute fairy tale that violates something as primal as the Klipsch Speaker Matching Chart! After all, you risk not only getting less than your money's worth... but you, your friends and family must also must endure hours of diminished listening pleasure. Please, launch1, take back the SC-1 and get the RC-3 that always should have been! At least tell the manager or store owner, by letter if need be, that your confidence in his shop and the money your paid for your critical center channel would have been better placed at "Cheap Charlie's Discount Audio & Psychic Speaker Advisory." Make no mistake, you can get great sound out of a two-channel rig... but HT DEMANDS the right center channel to get the most value out of your whole system. Having the dialogue come through true and clear adds impact of subtle nuances to a story... just like the right sub puts it's special emphasis on a timely explosion. Miss either one and you get a second class (or worse) experience for the money you have spent. And, if you do not speak up, that same sorry line is going to hook other folks naively trusting as you once did. It is far easier to get such a travesty repaired early on... so get thee hence and find out why the RC-3 has carried such favorable mention on this board. If your a real HT fan, you will learn that it is better to pick out the best center speaker you can afford and then pick up the mains that match it best... then the other way around. The movie industry has been biased toward Dolby ProLogic mentality for decades... so most of the available program material pours 70% (or more) of a movie's sound through the center channel... and you want to skimp there? It is like putting your best right foot forward in your left shoe! Further, any self-respecting authorized dealer worthy of anyone's trust should be eager to set your problem straight. If anything kills a dealerships long term profit potential... it is the silent group of disenchanted buyers that simply "suck it up" and don't go back. Like any retired business owner, I have been guilty of having people on my staff that have not always been what they should have been to my customers. Sometimes, no matter how much I tried to keep my reputation, I had the good fortune to have someone like yourself speak up and let me know the "horrors" that can creep up in even the best run shop. And, when they make good... or especially if they don't, let us all know. Public opinion is the Achilles heel of the Audio heel! "Suck it up" and launch1 becomes lunch1. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 Klipsch packs just one manual, set of 8 feet in RP-3 and RP-5 since they are sold in sets of A's and B's (rights and lefts). Check to see if you didn't get the proper amount of feet in the other box. If not, contact us at 800-klipsch for instant action. On the SC-1 vs. RC-3 you would have thought that the sales person would have been anxious to sell you the more expensive model. Either he truly was ignorant of the proper match or was motivated by "state of the stock room". In either case, I agree wholeheartedly with Ed in his post above; tell the owner of the store that you want better service! Klipsch has about 1000 stores selling our brand and we wish we could ensure the service you receive when shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
launch1 Posted April 23, 2001 Author Share Posted April 23, 2001 There were only 4 feet/spikes and hardware included with one of the speakers, I guess this was a mistake at the factory. I just asumed that since there were only 4 feet and the owners manual in one box that the same would be packed with the opposite speaker. Thanks for the info, I guess I will contact klipsch for the other feet/spikes and I have decided to go ahead and trade up to the RC-3 Center ch. I'm going to suggest they upgrade me for a cheaper amount or free since I've gotten the runaround but I'm sure they won't........but I can dream can't I! again, Thanks for all your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.