m00n Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 So after months and months of saying "Yeah someday I need to swap my RS7s for my RC7s to see what it sounds like" I have finally did just that. For those of you who are not familiar with my setup here it goes. I have all RF7s up front, L/C/R I have 4 RS7s (yes two sets of side surrounds) I have 2 RC7s for my two rears RSW-12 and RSW-15 I power my second set of side surrounds with an external Harman Kardon amp. So anyway today. I finally got motovated and took a set of RS7s down. I pulled both RC7s off the back shelf and hooked them upto where the RS7s were. Now before I go any further I do want to stress one thing. My room is not your room, what I experianced is NOT what you will experiance. As griffy says in his signature, YMMV (your milage may vary). As a matter of fact, it will very. Immediatly I noticed a difference. I noticed that the surrounds seemed to be bigger, fuller, more detailed and added clarity. However, there is a trade off. It as you would expect... It sounds direct... You loose some of that immerersed feeling that the RS7s give you. You loose some of that spaciousness feeling. Not only that, you tend to hear gaps in audio coverage that was once there. (sorry don't know how to better explain that last one)... I have more listening to do before I make a final decision, but I may replace them permanitly. Stay tuned. PS.. one more thing I realized too. I'm lowering my surrounds. They are just way to high. When I sat up off the seat to raise my head in the room, I started noticing even more clarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 20, 2004 Author Share Posted March 20, 2004 Oh more info... Prior to exchanging speakers I had one set of side surrounds (RS7s) turned off. I think that's an important point because people will most likely tell me that running 1 side surround on each wall will by itself add clairity. So... I just wanted to make sure that was clear. ALSO, when doing this testing, I did not put the replaced RS7s in place of the RC7s. That too could be a good bit of info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 MOON that is pretty much how my room works and most of the rooms i a have lived in. It's definetly a matter of preferance. I like to focus on the movie and not the surrounds most of the time. Gaps and calling to much attention to their selfs can be to distracting. But sometimes i prefer that sound not all the time. I really like that sound with the discovery channel rain forest type stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 As I've said many times, I personally prefer both. A pair of RF-7's AND a pair of RS-7's BOTH doing surround duty would be killer. The additional pair of rear RF's would increase output considerably. This is why many people think monopoles sound 'better', simply because of the increased output, whereas the RS-7's are diffuse. Same as the louder sounds better phenomenon. Why not replace the tall center with a RC-7, set it small, adjust crossover to about 60HZ, and try the one RF-7 in the back of one corner facing the opposing front corner? Might be interesting. BTW, where is your crossover set for your front speakers and your rear speakers? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 To gain a little more diffuse sound from your monopoles ( rc7's ) you can turn them around so they fire into the corners. You can try that, it doesn't hurt. Scratch that thought.... You have bass traps in the rear corners. My bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 20, 2004 Author Share Posted March 20, 2004 ---------------- On 3/20/2004 4:50:21 PM T2K wrote: Why not replace the tall center with a RC-7, set it small, adjust crossover to about 60HZ, and try the one RF-7 in the back of one corner facing the opposing front corner? Might be interesting. BTW, where is your crossover set for your front speakers and your rear speakers? Keith ---------------- I can't, I have absolutly no room for RF7s in the rear of my room. Nor on the sides for that matter. I actually really like having the RF7 up front for a center. Great timbre match. Actualy that is another point. I find the RC7s to be a closer timbre match with the RF7s. Everything just seems to sound more solid. Crossover settings? I don't recall what the actuall numbers are, but I do have all front three set to large. They are handleing it great and the HK has no problems pushing them from what I can tell. Plus it does tend to warm them up a tad. In my opinion of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 Can you order individual RF-7's, or did you buy two pairs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 20, 2004 Author Share Posted March 20, 2004 I was able to get 1 single RF7 for my center at a local small store dealer here in town. I think I paid $800.00 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 m00n, When I used 3 RC7s in a 7.1, I gained a lot of respect for them. My RS7s were the first to go. Dropping them, or tilting them (that's what I did, with Omnimounts)is a definite improvement. And the directionality is fine, as long as they are properly pointed. They way outclass the RSs IMHO. Good move to those, I think. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 Seems like a compromise either way you go. I am at a loss how to resolve it myself. I love how the RS-7s' do ambience with music and H/T, but in my own set-up, which is used primarily for music, they definitely are lacking when it comes to DVD-Audio and SACD, where often the "surround" speakers are used more like the fronts - as music sources. I think the way one goes will ultimately be determined by what works best most of the time for you. Myself, if it were a dedicated HT room like yours, mOOn, I would prefer the RS7's in the back and side surround role. I think they do a better job of letting you suspend reality and get lost in the movie. But for the way my rig is used, I think I will eventually swap out my RS7's for either heresy II's or belles. Definitely belles if the room was a bit bigger, but probably heresys since it ain't. (belles in the back corners would only be about 7 1/2 feet from my ears - ouch!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 It is fun to experiment huh.....I bet no matter the results you had a good time...and this is what it is all about...FUN.... ENjoy it no matter what you end up with..... and do they make a carb free popcorn yet? heheheh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 20, 2004 Author Share Posted March 20, 2004 ---------------- On 3/20/2004 9:33:10 PM ygmn wrote: and do they make a carb free popcorn yet? heheheh ---------------- They have something very close... It's called styrophome... Just paint it yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 you mentioned positioning the RC7s lower...you might try positioning your RS7's lower and seeing if you get that same benefit in clarity, but mainting the diffuse sound. also, i still think that you gotta modify that back wall panel thing so that you can get your rear surrounds lower and aimed better (if nothing else, point the rears down more). i think you'll notice the same difference you found with your side surrounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 ---------------- On 3/20/2004 10:19:39 PM m00n wrote: ---------------- On 3/20/2004 9:33:10 PM ygmn wrote: and do they make a carb free popcorn yet? heheheh ---------------- They have something very close... It's called styrophome... Just paint it yellow. ---------------- I think I will stick with Pistachio nuts hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 While popping a fresh batch of carb enhanced theater popcorn in a real theater popcorn popper... I had an attack of "m00nEARvisi0ns." I trust, friend m00n, that you were setting up your RC-7 surrounds with an SPL meter. Also, having the rear RS-7's hot in the test sends additional frequencies over 2,000 Hz bouncing off the sidewalls. As narrow as your room is, it is unlikely that you need two rear speakers of any kind when one good RC-7 would do. As long and narrow as your room is, you would likely do best by having two RC-7's on each wall. The horizontal positioning and the spread of the woofers should do the job. Essentially, that would put your theater in the most common configuration for a commercial theater. Just as your RF-7 center makes your movies come alive... five RC-7's should make your ambience be as smooth, crisp, and honest a sound as the audio engineer who mastered the DVD intended. Hey, I realize that a rear array of five RC-7's isn't cheap... just like having an RF-7 for a front center isn't cheap... but m00n... giving a chance for the sound that the mixing engineer intended you to hear to be what you hear can be so rewarding. Just like Klipsch speakers tend to be more revealing of both good and bad DVD's... properly set up all monopole configurations reveal great fully ambient, fully dramatic DVD's... and coldly display the shortcomings of the average. More later... duty calls. -HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Rick! Im telling you one more time. Dinner is ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 ---------------- On 3/22/2004 10:27:10 AM DrWho wrote: you mentioned positioning the RC7s lower...you might try positioning your RS7's lower and seeing if you get that same benefit in clarity, but mainting the diffuse sound. also, i still think that you gotta modify that back wall panel thing so that you can get your rear surrounds lower and aimed better (if nothing else, point the rears down more). i think you'll notice the same difference you found with your side surrounds ---------------- I've thought the same thing. I've often wished that I had built it about a foot lower. But if you look at my construction pics, on my website, you will see it's would be no easy task to remove/lower that shelf. I do have my RC7s raised as high as I can get them using the adjustment screws. Non the less, I still wish that shelf was about a foot lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 BBB... you have no idea how close to dead on you really are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 Ed... I'm a bit confused as to your suggestion. You said ========================================================= As narrow as your room is, it is unlikely that you need two rear speakers of any kind when one good RC-7 would do. ========================================================= But here you said ========================================================= Just as your RF-7 center makes your movies come alive... five RC-7's should make your ambience be as smooth, crisp, and honest a sound as the audio engineer who mastered the DVD intended. Hey, I realize that a rear array of five RC-7's isn't cheap... just like having an RF-7 for a front center isn't cheap... ========================================================= I'm just having a hard time visualizing what you are suggesting. Are you suggesting I have no rears or 5 rears? And if there are 5 rears, are two of them the 2 sides surrounds? What I was thinking here is that I would no longer have 4 side surrounds... 4 would now = 2. In that replace all 4 RS7s with 2 RC7s... On top of that I would still have my 2 RC7 rears that are there now... Can you clairify what you were suggesting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 LOL. I know Moon. I know. I'll tell you one thing, though. Finding people like you that are dedicated to "Getting it right" are getting harder and harder to find every day. Keep plugging away. I'd rather have more people constructing things than destructing things. And don't forget, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Or in other words..stay off the ladders! He he he he he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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