jdm56 Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Thursday, I drove two hours and fifteen minutes to Tulsa, OK to hear and see the only black 703's in the area. The guys at Audio Dimensions were very nice, helpful and accomodating. I also listened to 604's, 803's, and some marvelous sounding Krell 2-ways. I ended up buying the 703's. They are not so much to look at. (not impressive/intimidating like the big k-horns), but my stars, do they ever sound like music! Descriptive audio reviewer words that come to mind: lifelike; three-dimensional, smooth, balanced and lush. Bass is tighter than Pink's backside. Mids are soooooo natural sounding. Clarity is on par with klipschorns. Highs are a tad bright, but not hard or steely at all. Gotta go listen to da music!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Hey, the members over at the B&W forum would love to hear from you. My opinion is that Pink has a flabby backside, so how does this bass thing really translate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 jdm, I sure hope you got a good deal........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 hey jdm56 Glad you found something that fills your needs so well. The B&W speakers I've heard sound really good and I can see why someone would like their sound.For me its klipsch number 1 for the sound but also the quality of their products and support(simply a great company/people). Enjoy and stay and continue to join in this forum because its important to have all opinions. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted October 30, 2004 Author Share Posted October 30, 2004 Well yeah, klipsch is considerably more sensitive than B&W, and most everything else out there, too! These B&W's seem to be sensitive enough (90dB) to get loud as I can tolerate, though. If my receiver can't cut the mustard with them, then I could always bi-amp them with my pair of Sony ES amps (150W x2 into 4ohms). In fact, I'll probably try that regardless. B&W doesn't have a forum on there website, so y'all are gonna have to put up with me for awhile longer! I didn't get a great deal; 10% off list, which was about the best anybody from Tulsa to KC would do. At least I didn't have to pay any sales tax, being an out-of-state buyer. That helped! I hate to go on and on, but these things are really floatin' my boat! I played around with set-up today, and the best location I've found so far yielded extremely flat bass down to the 25Hz band, except for a drop in the 50-63Hz area (room-related, of course). I've got some more placement possibilities to try. Subjectively though the bass is solid, tight and clean. Maybe Pink's backside really isn't that tight, but the bass from the speakers sure is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Hey Guys! Did I ever tell you about my MINT condition JBL Apollos? Man, they really.... (OOPS,wrong thread)! Analogman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 congrats on the 703's, you're in for something special as you break them in. I am an out in the open B&W owner and lover, although I love my RSW-15 and miss my RF setup sometimes....and point taken, Klipsch has one of the best boards on the internet here. I love what Klipsch does, but my Nauilus 802's can actually make me emotional from how unbelieveable they sound, they do speakers very very well at both companies, cheers to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 jdm, Enjoy the music!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underhanded Penguin Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Bill, if our enjoyment of a speaker was simply and directly dependant on its efficiency then there wouldn't be much to discuss in the hifi world. In fact of all the qualities of a loudspeaker, I rank efficiency as one of the least important factors in determining how "good" a speaker is. Most qualities I can think of such as high and low frequency extension, pace rythm and timing, soundstage, coherance, separation, etc etc... are all more important than how efficient a speaker is to me. Less efficient speakers just mean they need more muscle to drive them. But the most efficient speaker in the world can sound really bad. Just wanted to make that point because you asked why pay more for a speaker less efficent than the RF-7. I, on the other hand, paid way more for a speaker smaller, doesn't play as low, and is less efficient than the RF-7. Does it sound better than the RF-7 in my opinion? Yes. Way better. So efficiency isn't everything. -UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 jdm - Congrats on your purschase. Please keep us updated as you break them in. Don't let the over the top fanboys turn you off. Sure, we all like our Klipsch, but, as you are finding out, there are a lot of great alternatives out there. I am sure I speak for many when I say that I welcome the opportunity to hear aboout some of them. BTW - How come no one's shorts get in a bind when we all post about non-Aragon amplification? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 I'm with UP, the man's entitled to be proud of his new speakers because he likes them and they sound good to him, he didn't question anyone else's choice in speakers....that said, it is a Klipsch board so favoring Klipsch is to be expected.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 To all, I apologise if I offended anyone............guess I just like the Klipsch sound. I do appreciate it when others post on different speakers, and did not mean to offend. .......................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted October 31, 2004 Author Share Posted October 31, 2004 I am more than a little uncomfortable about this myself. I owned cornwalls for eight years and k-horns for six. And now I can barely contain my gushing over a little pair of B&W's that are far removed from the best that company can build. Hey, I loved my klipsch, and am not knocking them or any other klipsch product, but I can't quit listening to these things! I just spent a beautiful day off, in which I could have done any number of constructive chores, sitting in front of these speakers, mesmerized by the sounds coming out. When I wasn't listening, I was moving and measuring...then listening some more. I'm telling you, these things can do magic! It is a magic that, audio memory being what it is, I had nearly forgotten about. The three-dimensionality, the "reach out and touch" quality that can make hi-fi such a suspender of reality. Depth, image specificity, yada-yada-yada. I still hold klipschorns to be one of the greatest speakers ever built, but in my experience with them, it is a greatness that cannot be realized in just any environment. They are one demanding, unforgiving son-of-a-gun. In the right room, either huge, or medium sized but with favorable dimensions, they can do their own kind of magic, but anywhere else, all bets are off. Perhaps I should have heard the RF-7. I did hear the RB-75, though, and felt they were very, very good. The set-up was less than stellar, so maybe it was not a fair comparison, but geez, the dealer has some responsibility here to demo their products properly! A few nits to pick: the grilles seemed flimsy for the price; the bass was a bit loose (set-up issue again?); the RF7 is due for a makeover to "75" status; and that pesky thing about using a pair of 10" drivers to handle the midrange - I'm a bit uncomfortable with that. So...I wasn't determined to audition the RF-7. My loss, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Personally, I would have sold the house and kept the Khorns. But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Enjoy!! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 ---------------- On 10/31/2004 12:06:29 AM kev313 wrote: BTW - How come no one's shorts get in a bind when we all post about non-Aragon amplification? ---------------- Hi, actually I read somewhere's on the board, maybe from the Indy pilgrimage attendees, that Klipsch has QSC amps in their lab. Just yankin' jdm's chains, as I know B&W makes fine products. As for backsides, we might all have our own definitions of tight, is all. However I'd be willing to help out with the bunching of Uma Thurman's under-garments(if she wears any) Now that's gotta be tight, by anyone's standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underhanded Penguin Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 No offense taken Bill. Opinions are always welcome. ---------------- On 10/31/2004 12:40:45 AM Bill H. wrote: To all, I apologise if I offended anyone............guess I just like the Klipsch sound. I do appreciate it when others post on different speakers, and did not mean to offend. .......................... ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 ---------------- On 10/30/2004 11:49:10 PM Underhanded Penguin wrote: Bill, if our enjoyment of a speaker was simply and directly dependant on its efficiency then there wouldn't be much to discuss in the hifi world. In fact of all the qualities of a loudspeaker, I rank efficiency as one of the least important factors in determining how "good" a speaker is. Most qualities I can think of such as high and low frequency extension, pace rythm and timing, soundstage, coherance, separation, etc etc... are all more important than how efficient a speaker is to me. Less efficient speakers just mean they need more muscle to drive them. But the most efficient speaker in the world can sound really bad. Just wanted to make that point because you asked why pay more for a speaker less efficent than the RF-7. I, on the other hand, paid way more for a speaker smaller, doesn't play as low, and is less efficient than the RF-7. Does it sound better than the RF-7 in my opinion? Yes. Way better. So efficiency isn't everything. -UP ---------------- Damn right,its like comparing a truboed Dodge Viper Stryker or Henessy Viper to a BMW M5 or AMG55 and claiming the Vipers are much better cars.NONSENSE The RF7's are very good speakers for the price(I have TWO pairs in my smaller HT system)but as efficient as they are they are not even close on Classical or Jazz as my Dynaudio Contour 3.3's.Not even close,and yet the Dynes need a monster power amp to reach teh same SPL as the RF7's do with a mere 20W per channel. By this simple standard I would go out and buy JBL's PRO speakers and Cerwin Vega stackable horn bass bins and say they are great based on houw much blast I get per watt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch RF7 Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 ---------------- On 10/31/2004 11:05:49 AM TheEAR wrote: The RF7's are very good speakers for the price(I have TWO pairs in my smaller HT system)but as efficient as they are they are not even close on Classical or Jazz as my Dynaudio Contour 3.3's.Not even close,and yet the Dynes need a monster power amp to reach teh same SPL as the RF7's do with a mere 20W per channel. ---------------- How would you rate your Dynaudio Contour's for high voltage rock vs. the RF-7's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 No doubt about it that B&W sound really does have a certain something - I still love the sound of the 802 - even with Tony's bizaro 500 wpc digital amp. Not familiar with the 703 but I might get to hear it at the high end show in Athens at the end of November. Of course I am also hoping to hear the best speaker ever made (I guess). I describe it thus as it has the only true measure of greatness of a speaker that counts (according to some of the posts in this thread) - 110 dB sensitivity!! (Avantegard Trio if you were wondering). I am actually dying to hear that one - I cannot imagine what it sounds like - sure costs a lot though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underhanded Penguin Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 avantegaurd trio looks like 3 trumpets. I'm sure it sounds good though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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