rminten Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 I am wanting to know the differences between the Reference Series and the Legend Series - what difference in sound I can expect, how are they constructed differently. I've seen some posts referring to a differenct construction of the reference series and resulting difference in 'Klipsch' sound that some people are unhappy about (I think it has to do with something about the construction of the mids - maybe not using the Klipschorn???), so my question is, do the Legends retain this Klipsch 'sound' better than the reference series? I don't know how else to say this. I hope this makes sense. I have the Reference series for my Home theatre system, but for music, I feel the RP-5's are missing a punch in the mid an lower levels....will the Legends give me this punch I'm looking for. They have so much more kick\thump in them when I heard them in the store. I think this is the 'Klipsch' sound I'm referencing (the heavy, crisp kick in the mids). I hope someone knows what I'm talking about! I have the chance to buy some Legend KLF-20's for $545 each...is this a good price?? Thanks for all the help! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forresthump Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 should be able to get 20s for $800/pr. max. see: http://www.allhometheater.net/speakers.html if you torn between the sound of rf & klf, look at the new RF-5 or 7. supposed to be the best of both worlds according to klipsch ------------------ go forth & hump the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rminten Posted July 27, 2001 Author Share Posted July 27, 2001 Thanks for the link. I have a pair of the RF-5 (I have the RP-5's) that I use for my home theatre, and they sound great...only not enough kick in the mids in my opinion. What is the difference between the RF-5 and the RF-7? Is it only the addition of the extra mid-range speaker\driver? What about the monster cables on the inside...are these the other difference? Also, what is the difference between the KLF-20 and the KLF-30? Thanks alot! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 rm, the 30s have that extra punch/slam say on a kick drum inside that 2nd octave 40-80hz (w/ a full range signal anyway ). give 'em a comparative listen to the 20s & reference & hear the dif. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnect & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z1 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D 5-disk cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics SL-1950 turntable/AT LS500 cartridge Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 Randy - From your description, I'd say you're missing the mid's that come from a 3-way design, which the RP-5 is not. BobG always described the Legends as having the slam, and the Reference's having the finesse. The new RF-5 and RF-7 are supposed to give you the best of both. I haven't heard the RF-7 enough to say, myself. As far as your inquiry about the differences between the RF-5 and the RF-7, do you mean between those 2 or between those 2 and your RP-5? Both the RF-5 and RF-7 are two-way designs, with a single tweeter and dual woofer, per the specs on the site. Differences lie in driver/speakers sizes and crossovers. RP-5 has the powered sub, which of course the RF series does not have. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rminten Posted July 27, 2001 Author Share Posted July 27, 2001 Doug and Boa12...thanks for the responses. Doug, I thought the RP-5 WAS as 3-way....Hi, Mid Woofers and Sub, unless that isn't what makes a speaker three-way. I think I need some clarification on the differences between the 3's, 5's and 7's. Is it only the size of the dome, horns, magnets and woofers? The RP-5 added the sub-woofer but took away one of the 8" woofers, but does it also use the Monster cable? Or is this a new thing added to the latest shipping versions of the RF-5 and 7's? I can't find the specs on the RP-5's anywhere, but I've measured the woofer, and end to end of the enclosure is 8", but the actual copper colored area is only 5 1/2 ". Regarding the 'horn', is the Tractrix® Horn a replacement\new version of the Klipschorn? And, did the Reference series do away with the mid-range horn and replace it with the Cerametallic woofer cone? Are the Heritage series the only speakers that have the Klipschorn? I'm not sure if what I think I'm missing (the slam\kick) in my References is because there isn't a Klipschorn for the mid-range or because I've got a single 8" woofer cone instead of two 10" like in the RF-7's. Or maybe it's just the crossover? Thoughts on this? Regarding the Legends, do the Legends have the Klipschorn? I can't find specs for them anywhere since they're discontinued. Are the Legends 3-way speakers? Does anyone have specs for the KLF-30's? Finally....here is what I'm debating, and I'd love everyone's input. I've been offered this upgrade to my system for $907 total: 2 RP-5's to 2 RF-7's 1 RC-3 to 1 RC-7 2 RS-3's to 2 RS-7's What I will be missing is the powered sub on the RP-5's, but I gain 1 woofer on the RF-7s and I also gain in size of the woofers (10" vs. 8"). Right? So, this begs the question, will I really miss the powered sub? Well, I also have a KSW12 sub, so I will have a 3-way system with the RF-7's and my sub (if my definition is correct), but I'm worried that if I get rid of the powered sub on the RP-5's, I might not have enough sub. Am I nuts? Should the RP-5's be accompanied by a sub as I have now in my system? I think the better 'match' might be the RF-7's to the KSW12. Thoughts on this? Wow..that's alot. I hope someone is still reading. I appreciate any thoughts you might have. Randy (confused in Colorado...but learning) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 Too many questions for me to answer at this late hour . But I do need to clarify my comment about the RP-5 not being a 3-way. Technically, it is a 3-way, because there are 2 crossover points. I guess, though, that I look at it really as a 2-way with a subwoofer built in. The reason is that the lower crossover is 90hz, which forces the mid-range to go much deeper than other 3-way designs (like the KLF-20/30 for example, whose mid-range crossover is in the 600-800hz range) and hand off the highs to the tweeter much sooner (at around 1900hz). The midrange is also a horn on the non-powered 3-ways, which gives more "ooomph" to the midrange than you might hear with a cone-type mid-range speaker. But that's just my own thoughts, and I, too, am learning every day. You can find all the specs on discontinued speakers under Home Audio, then Classics, then click on the Specifications in the left-hand navigation bar. Also, for current models, you can click on Comparison Shop when viewing a particular model and it will line up all the specs of that style (all the floor models, all the bookshelfs, etc...) so you can easily compare them. Again, there is nothing in my post that is an absolute -- just my own thoughts. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rminten Posted July 28, 2001 Author Share Posted July 28, 2001 Sorry for so many questions....I'm just getting into this stuff and I just have so many questions. Part of my problem is that I'm actually 'building' two systems....one is a home theatre system (the reference's that I'm upgrading) and then a sound system just for music (maybe the KLF-30's, Heritage etc.) because I have two rooms I need to accomodate! Regarding your comment: 'The midrange is also a horn on the non-powered 3-ways, which gives more "ooomph" to the midrange than you might hear with a cone-type mid-range speaker.' Are you referring to the RF-5\7's when you say 'non-powered 3-ways' (aren't these 2-way?)? Or the Legends? I think that 'ooomph' that you're talking about is what I'm needing in my mids...and I want to be sure I know what series you're talking about. Thanks! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 Randy - You are correct - the RF-5/7 are 2-ways and they don't have a midrange speaker. The midrange horn speakers I'm thinking of are on the Legends (KLF-20/30) and the Heritage series (and several of the other discontinued models like Forte and Chorus). Again, go give these a listen, if you can - the Legends and new Reference models. You'll know for sure what sounds best to you that way. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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