RF-5 modification idea...opinions

[tunemanjjw]

Probably no surprise to all, from extensive listening in our homes, ncsubum and I have decided that the best sounding vocal speaker in the klipsch reference line is the rc-7.

-RC-7 seems to have the mid-vocal detail/unity that the rf-5 accels in over the rf-7.

-However, the rf-7 has such a huge soundstage (which I attribute to the tweeter/horn) in comparison to the RF-5.

-It seems the best of both worlds, minus the fantastic low end of both rf-7 and rf-5, seem to be had in the RC-7.

ALL THIS TO MENTION:

1) I couldn't help but notice that the rc-7 and rf-5 use the same two 8" mids.

2) I also couldn't help noticing that the rc-7 and the rf-7 use the same 1.75" tweeters/horn assembly.

...So i'm thinking, replace the rf-5 crossover with the RC-7 crossover and replace the rf-5 horn/tweeter assembly with the horn/tweeter assembly from the RC-7/RF-7

I'm thinking this would provide:

A) The huge soundstage of the RF-7

The vocal accuracy of the RC-7

C) The fantastic low-end from the RF-5

Anyone try this? What are your thoughts?

[michael hurd]

The rc7 is a 2.5 way design, with only one woofer working to increase intelligability in the midrange. The second woofer turns on at a lower frequency, therefore avoiding a midbass hump in the response. The cabinet on the rc7 is quite a bit smaller than the rf3II or the rf5.

[damonrpayne]

Tuneman,

It's not that simple, as I found out when I tried to design a custom center channel. The drivers, crossovers, and the internal dimensions of the enclosure are all interconnected, so you can't simply take a piece out of one box and put it in another. In your example the tweet may respond differently inside a different enclosure, which means the crossover would not be balance properly, etc.

[tunemanjjw]

Well, I don't think the tweeter will perform differently. The horn assembly is all one peice (8" horn + 1.75" tweeter) and not exposed via the rear (i.e. no enclosure interaction).

Also, these aren't random peices -- the RC-7 crossover is designed specifically for those peices of hardware exactly (not just any 8"s, they're the exact same part #'s)

the ONLY thing that is different b/w the suggested set-up and the rc-7 is the airspace behind the 8"s, which will give the system the low end extension of the rf-5's.

The only real concern I can see in doing this is maybe a bit too much bass below 550 or a bit to little above 550. That midbass tuning....but being that the rc-7 midbass is excellent, and the bass from the rf-5 is even moreso, I'm guessing the result would probably be pretty fantastic.

[Deang]

An expensive mod, and it might not cost much more just to order a pair of RC-7s and run them as mains with a sub -- which I myself did for a time.

If you're hell bent on doing this -- order a pair of RC-7 crossovers and tweeter/horns from Klipsch, but keep the LF section of the RF-5 crossover when you do the mod.

[STL]

I tend to agree with AK-4's post above. First and foremost determine just how much it will cost you get a RC-7 tweeter assembly and a filter network. Futhermore, you will need to do some critical listening to determine whether to use the low-pass filter from the RF-5 or RC-7. It might end up that neither is really optimal, but I'm sure one of them will sound decent at the very least. Just be sure to report back with your finding!