RF-7's verses older klipsch

[Sayles]

Speaking only of sound quality not price, how do the RF-7's compare musically to some of the vintage Chorus, Forte, and other speakers? Would there be any advantage to run tube amps on new reference speakers? I am most interested in a 2 channel system.

[j-malotky]

Welcome to the Forum

Go over to the 2 ch area and take a look. Good people to ask are Moon and DeanG, both are RF fans.

Me, I like the old Heritage.

JM

[m00n]

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On 4/25/2003 11:37:22 AM j-malotky wrote:

Welcome to the Forum

Go over to the 2 ch area and take a look. Good people to ask are Moon and DeanG, both are RF fans.

JM

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J/M,

Oh no you don't! I have to be the *LAST* person anyone should be taking any advice from right now.

Seriously though... I have never heard any of the speakes you are asking about. So for me to give any quality advice would be like the blind leading the blind.

I will say this about the RF7s though. They are a very nice speaker for 2 channel IF and only IF you toss a sub into the mix. However let me express that that statement is of my opinion and may not be felt by others.

Now DeanG from what I understand adores them without a sub, but he has modifed his crossovers to produce a non factory sound. He has a thread somewhere in 2 channel land on how he did this and what the outcome to the sound was, but I can't find it.

I personally would not have the RF7 as a 2 channel speaker without a sub. I guess I like lots of chest pounding bass. But that could be because of the type of music I listen to. I primarily listen to Rock, some techno, some new age and very little classical.

As far as home theater goes, I think the RF7s are fantastic. I have two of them as my l/f mains and will be adding another as my center channel so that I have a perfectly matched front array.

Welcome to the land of no concrete answers, enjoy your stay. I have.

[Sayles]

Thanks for the help. I am an old klipsch fan but a 'new guy on the block' in this forum venture. I can already see I will be learning a great deal by interpreting opinions and trying to decipher all the 'tech talk'. Glad to be a part of this B.S.!! (stands for 'better sound' of course!)

[jzoz01]

Personally I find the Legend series to be ultimate music speakers, although I know you heritage guys will disagree. The KLF30s are a 3 way speaker with 2 12" drivers and 2 horns. They also don't require a seperate sub if you bi-amp them. Awesome speakers.

[m00n]

How do those ledgends compair to the cornwalls? Or have you ever had a chance to listen to some cornwalls?

Ohhhhh.. Damn, I just went and looked the KLF30, those look nice! How is the bass on them? What about the mids and highs? Smooth or bright?

[Fish]

I'm with m00n on the sub(rsw12/15) with the 7's,they will do nicely by themselves,but why?I listen to 70% 2ch music,20% multi ch,the 7's sound great.The only way to make them sound bad is with a bad source.The other Klipsch sound great also,personal preference takes over here.

[dougdrake]

You'll notice a different type of sound between the Reference and the Heritage/QuasiHeritage in the mid-range, especially, IMO. The Reference are 2-way, so the cone woofer carries alot/most of the midrange load. The older models are 3-way, so you have a horn carrying the midrange, which gives a different sound -- more "lively," I believe. (I think DeanG calls it ear-bleed - I like it.)

[j-malotky]

Moon

See - You did help a lot.

Sayles

If you have fallen in love with the Heritage sound, I would bet you will find the RF-7 a disappointment.

At lease you are at the advantage here. In that you can go to the store and listen to new RF-7s and make your own mind. Unlike the other poor souls here who yearn to compare Heritage to there newer klipsch speakers.

JM

[avman]

klf-30's sound great for 2-ch. music. plenty of bass,mids and highs are clear and loud!!

i have supplemented their bass output w/a RSW-15,(did not HAVE to, but i like the improvement) and i have listened to rock concert music at home on the 30's recorded at the concert i attended, and it sounded like i was back at the concert! rf-7's i have yet to hear, but that is soon going to change...more on that later

[skonopa]

I love my RF-7s. For the music I like to listen to (symphonic/melodic power/prog metal), I have found these speakers to be perfect. Aggressive enough for the hard-hitting guitars and such. Refined enough for the orchestral parts. I most certainly find these speakers to be very dynamic and "alive", yet refined. I added a REL Storm III subwoofer, and oh my - that much better . Beautiful, tight clean, and accurate bass, that does not overpower everything else.

Now I cannot give an opinion on how well the Heritage and the other speakers sound since I have not heard any of them, but I really do like the sound of my RF-7s.

As with tube gear. I hear people do have good success with tube gear. I may have to go see if I can score myself a tube set to use with my RF-7s (and perhaps, my future 2-channel system featuring LaScalas). I honostly think the RF-7s would be incredible with tube gear.

[skonopa]

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On 4/25/2003 12:51:15 PM m00n wrote:

Ohhhhh.. Damn, I just went and looked the KLF30, those look nice! How is the bass on them? What about the mids and highs? Smooth or bright?

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I have never heard the KLF-30s, but I did get the chance to listen to some KLF-20s. I found them to be a bit more aggressive in thier sound overall. They where certainly dynamic though. I personally liked the more refined sound of my RF-7s better myself.

[minn_male42]

moon,

i have the klf-30's as my mains....

i am powering them with a carver tfm-25...225 watts per channel.....i also have a velodyne ct-150 powered sub that i only use for movies....for music i use the klf-30's only....no sub!!!

the bass is almost overwhelming sometimes...the four 12" woofers really crank out the lows....

for the tube amp lovers out there....maybe if you had a high powered tube amp to power these awesome speakers....last night i hit 110 watts with my carver and it was awesome!!!

[TheEAR]

With no doubt the RF7's represent the best from the R series,they play it like it is,no sugar coating no BS.Detailed and forward upper range,very clear and clean midrange and a most defined bass by far best definition in its price class(when used with a Bryston or another qualty non whimp amp they redefine bass definition).

KLF30,edgy upper range(they are as smooth as a gas 450cc competition chainsaw),very inviting midrange again clear and clean.Bass is has more punch then the RF7's,abit more punch but NOT as defined.Dragster refined

Cornbreadwalls,very natural upper range,natural and clear midrange with good bass definition.The Cornwall needs a good subwoofer and shines for two channel.They may looks like a giant boom box but the sound they paint will make you sit down and wonder how Klipsch did it.

The Cornwall is deserving of the best components,a classic Klipsch.Damn if Klipsch made then custom to order in bird eye maple I would consider(even if they are so WIDE).

[Audio Flynn]

RF-7 is pretty cool.

Dean G and LEOK who cruise the 2 channel forum have pushed these speakers with amps and source material more than most people experiment with.

RF-7 is not a 3 way horn speaker but it is a Klipsch sound.

A sleek design if you do not want a pair of refridgerators in your listening room.

I think they are more refined than a KLF 20 or 30.

[SteelerFan]

I love my RF-7's but they make me want to get rid of my Yamaha amp. I don't remember my Forte's being as harsh with the Yammy. As a matter of fact, I wasn't sure exactly what people meant by a bright or harsh sound until I got them. But if I let them rip, I get tired and I guess that's what they mean by Yamaha not being a good match.

That's why it's taking me so long to make up my mind on a new receiver. I want to be sure I make the right choice.

[v3spitfire]

I'm bi amping the RF7s with 2 adcom amps, totalling 200 watts per channel. I listen to accuoustic, techno and hard rock. These are absolutely great for techno bass. I don't use a sub for music, but only because the crossover on my preamp is set at 100hz, and I don't want to use the xover in the sub, as I think I would lose alot. I think lots of power makes the woofers produce. I am very impressed. I have heresy II's as well, and they are no match for the Rf7s.

I run tubes to the heresy's but not the Rf7's because I want them to be incredibly loud at times and I only have 20 watt tubes!

[cyclonecj]

Del:

What Adcom amps are you running? I have been curious to find out how they sound compared to tubes.

[Soundthought]

I've run my RF7s on 40+ different amps/receivers over the coarse of the last 2 and a half years.

Just like others here have stated....they tell it like it is.

No beating around the bush with these bad lads.

If your amp has an extremely high frequency range, then your gonna hear it.

And I mean all of it.

Persoanally, I bought them as the ultimate everything speaker.

Unfortunately, I found the best place for them integrated into my HT.

IMHO. That's where they really shine.

After coming to terms with the difficulty of integrating a great 2 channel set up in with a great HT set up, I finally changed directions.

Seperate 2 channel and HT rooms.

My quest isn't quite over for the ultimate stand alone 2 channel set up, but I do find that my KSF 10.5s, KG 4.5s and my Fortes come pretty darn close.

No sub needed.

The RF7s also make a great stand alone 2 channel set up.

But.....only with certain receivers and amps.

It's all about that source input.

Like I said...They tell it like it is.

Sometimes, that ain't so pleasing to the 'ole ears.

Bright and screechy are terms i've heard.

It can be rectified, however.

Used with most modern receivers/amps, I found the RF7s really benefit from the mating of a good sub.

It just seems to bring forth a balance in the voicing of the RF7s.

But, If one were to get say, an old HK 430 or old Pioneer, then no sub is required.

Usually, the older equipment has a smoother, more liquid tone to it.

Plus, plenty of a$$ to accomodate the old ineffecient speakers they were built to drive.

Then again, i'm a sucker for the old gear.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck.

[SCOOTERDOG]

My nephew has KLF30's and they do sound pretty sweet. But I, as well as him prefer my La scala's. FWIW. I will say the midrange on the KLF30 is excellent hence the reason I am using one in my center channel build.