ric Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 currently running the RF7 surround pkg and would like to update the reciever.currently using Onkyo txsr700 and it souds ok. a 6.1 reciever with 100 watts rms but i feel im missing something. any suggestions?price range under a grand. thanks for the ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Does your Onkyo have pre-outs? If it does, and if it's a decent processor, your money may be better spent getting outboard amplification, rather than another all-in-one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ric Posted August 9, 2004 Author Share Posted August 9, 2004 now thats an idea....any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 It depends on your budget and whether you are willing to purchase used, etc. There are quite a few very good surround amps, such as the B&K Reference 200.7 and a bunch of others. I am sure others will chime in to add to that one. Of course, if you wanted to make the most out of your system you should separate the amplification as much as possible. If you have a 5-speaker system, one option is to get multiple amps. Three monoblocs and a stereo/3ch amp for the surround/rear would probably be the best option, albeit a pricey one. Another would probably be a stereo amp for the mains, and a 3ch one to cover the center and surrounds. I looked up your receiver and it looks as if it would be a decent pre/pro. Now if you get into outboard amplification you'll realize how much you've been missing. It made an enormous difference for me and I can only imagine what a pair of RF-7s driven by ample high current clean power will sound like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_shadow Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 I'd try the HK 630. I think its under a grand. Or whichever Denon model which is under a grand. Members here seem to prefer these brands. I'm curious what do you mean by sounds okay, but missing something. I'm curious because I'm looking at getting an Onkyo or rather an Integra receiver. I don't have the RF7's but the 5's. If your missing something, then I should be missing more. So can you be a little more specific than okay and missing something. Some say the Onkyo's are on the bright side, and I can attest that bright is not a good match for the Klipsch reference line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Well I can tell you the whole story. My RF-3IIs sounded very good to me when I was running them off the Pioneer. But during intense passages in rock or classical music (try Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd - > it's a good test, since it's a clean recording, has very good guitar and at the same time the chorus has vocals plus a bunch of instruments) I heard the definition of instruments and vocals become muddied and blur together. I also felt that the Pioneer was a tad on the bright side, because my recording of some Bach Violin conciertos played by Itzhak Perlman was so sharp it would hurt my ears after a while at high volumes. These were the reasons why I originally decided to upgrade to an outboard amp. When I got one and hooked it up the difference was apparent. I wasn't actually sure what happened for the first 30 minutes or so, because of how different everything sounded. The sharp highs were smoothed out, and the instrument separation was so good that even at crescendo I could pinpoint individual musicians. However, although I knew that there was a difference, I wasn't sure it was worth the money I paid for the amp. It was then that one of my friends showed up and we decided to quickly switch the speakers back to the Pioneer while a song was still fresh in our heads to see if we could hear a difference. Boy were we surprised. The change was astounding. After using the offboard amp the receiver sounded dead, hollow, the soundstage was half the size or even less, and the position of the speakers was clearly audible. When we switched back the sounstage grew to far beyond the edges of the speakers, the sound was fuller, livelier and when I closed my eyes the speakers had disappeared for the most part. For clean classical and vocal recordings the change was just as great - the vocals obtained a certain lusciousness that was not present when using the receiver, and the detail in classical recording was much more audible. All in all, it was the best sound I had ever heard (I heard RF7s driven by a Denon receiver in a dealership and I wasn't sure they sounded as good as my RF-3s with the new amp). For just $300 the change was so amazing it was worth every penny. Hope this helps. I am sure there is a lot more audiophile vocabulary that I don't know, which could better describe what happened, but essentially it raised my system up another level in terms of music reproduction. Eugene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Hi Eugene, I enjoy your descriptions of music on it's own terms. IMHO, too many Forum members get caught up in the technicalities of the equipment and forget the soul of the music. Glad things are sounding good for you these days. I take it you got the room bumps straightened out. What are you using for outboard amp? I like my Yamaha receivers, but would like to give my Cornwalls a little more breathing room without going the $$$$ tube route (sorry to the purists in the crowd) Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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