epsilon Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Hello, I'm very close to making a Klipsch purchase. I have audtioned the RF-25s and RF-35s at 2 different dealers and I couldn't discern much difference, at least at the auditioning volume levels. I plan to go out shortly to pick up a pair of RF-25 to bring home to audition. My listening area is small and a bit odd; the front is 11.5' wide and the listening location 10', ~12' away from front center (there's no back wall for another 20'). For a center speaker I'm leaning towards the RC-35, regardless of which fronts i go with, although the 25 is still an option (for the RF-25s). The surrounds choice is tougher; I am leary of going with the RSs because of the narrowness of the listening position and the lack of a back wall. So I'm considering wall-mounted RB-25s or 15s (the dealer told me the 25s are a bit large and heavy to be wall-mounted). These will be driven by a newly-acquired Panasonic XR50 digital receiver. I welcome your thoughts on this setup and thank you all for contributing to this forum and making it such a valuable resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_L Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Sounds like a VERY nice set up to me. Let us know how the Digital receiver works out in all of this. What is sending you in that direction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 The digital direction you mean? Well, I read all the hype about it and decided to take the plunge, a small one at that, given the low admission price. I'm happy with the audio quality (markedly better than my old Denon) but disappointed by the rigid setup and cheapness and inflexibility of the connections. Additionally, all my sources are digital so I like the concept of everything staying in the digital domain until it hits the speaker outs. Off to pickup the demo RF-25s. Edit: Quick question. Any recommendations for decent (esp. w/ reasonable prices) dealers in the Chicago area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmtnbikr Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Your setup sounds pretty similar to the one I just got set up Friday....RF-25's, RC-25, and RB-15's for the back. I was quite happy with the service of my local dealer; Don's TV/Maximum Sight & Sound. And kudos too go out to Rich, the Klipsch sales rep for our area. We were curious as to the shipping progress on the order and he called me back in about 15 minutes after my query.....that is what I call service! So far I am happy with my inexpensive Pioneer receiver, and it has more than enough beans to power efficient speakers like those. I had some issues with available locations and space for the rears and thus my choice of the RB-15's. I have the fronts set to large while the center and rears are small, and the sub fills in nicely. With the RB-15's having a rear port, and if you are also using the small setting for the rears, you could wall-mount them with no worries about having the port blocked off I would believe, but mine are on stands near the walls. I could not be happier with the sound, and it is noticably cleaner than my Synergy speakers were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 I had to drag myself away from listening to some classical, jazz (and a dash of electronica too) to give a quick update. Very impressive! The individual instruments and the voices come out distinct and alive. I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to the sound, unlike some Klipsch-haters' claims to the contrary. The major decision now is to whether the RF-35s would be worth the close to $200 difference. Off to watch a movie now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Let me plug the rf-35s for you. I too almost got the 25s, but in terms of sound stage (how "big" the area the sound is coming from) the rf-35s blow the rf-25s away. It might not be obvious in a small acoustically-friendly demo room, but the 35s sound waaayyy better in my opinion in the real world. Especially if you listen to music much (it's less important for home theater) I would recommend them. On the other hand, if you have auditioned 25s and are happy with them, that's the important thing. I just know that after bringing home 35s I'm really grateful that I didn't skimp on them, but if you are happy, ultimately that's the important thing. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RM1111 Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Hi Ep, I recommend matching up all the speakers. If you are going with RC 35, get the RF 35 to match with it. Then so on with the rears, RB 35 with speaker stands. Depending on your budget, you might have to wait and get your rears later. If you go with the RF25, get the matching set speakers. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 Thanks for the suggestions. The problem with stands at the surrounds is that they won't physically fit; the 10' width at the listening location are just enough for a couch and room to walk in. Since the only bookshelf I can mount is the 15, should I get the matching RS then? Won't those be wasted, given the lack of a back wall? I also feel that monopoles will be better for gaming purposes (better localization of sound). I would appreciate to hear your suggestions on this. The budget is so tight that I plan to do it in 3 stages: fronts, center, surrounds. My current center is a half-way decent AR Hi-Res with 1" titanium tweeter and dual 5.25"s (it matches the RF-25s much better than my old mains) and the AR surrounds also have 1"/5.25" drivers. I can live with the mismatches for a few months. Delaying the surrounds may also give me enough time to convince the wife to move; then I can potentially go with matching RFs at the back. Decisions, decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RM1111 Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Ep, you can always place your rears in back of the couch to get 5.1, instead of the sides because of your room restrictions. Now you can get your RB or RF for the rears. That just a thought. You might want to try Saturday Audio for pricing. They are a authorized dealer and the prices are under MSRP. They offer a better deal, if you can afford the whole package, but there hours are only limited to the weekends. The website is www.saturdayaudio.com. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streyle Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 ---------------- On 1/30/2005 10:17:04 PM ottscay wrote: Let me plug the rf-35s for you. I too almost got the 25s, but in terms of sound stage (how "big" the area the sound is coming from) the rf-35s blow the rf-25s away. It might not be obvious in a small acoustically-friendly demo room, but the 35s sound waaayyy better in my opinion in the real world. Especially if you listen to music much (it's less important for home theater) I would recommend them. On the other hand, if you have auditioned 25s and are happy with them, that's the important thing. I just know that after bringing home 35s I'm really grateful that I didn't skimp on them, but if you are happy, ultimately that's the important thing. Scott ---------------- i'd also agree with the statements on the RF-35s....I think you will hear a difference in the real world..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I really like the presence the 35s have - the soundstage is bigger and more alive. The midrange of the 25s seems slightly more alive, perhaps due to the smaller woofer, but the difference is minor and the other advantages of the 35s make it a more desirable choice. The RS-25s are not too big to wallmount, as long as they're mounted properly. The 15s are a bit small, and are certainly insufficient if you get 35s as mains. 25s, on the other hand, are fine as surrounds in a 35-based system... my friend has that kind of a setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Thanks for the Saturday Audio reminder, I'd ran into the website but had forgotten about it. I'll go to their Evenston store this week (they appear to be open on Thursdays as well). The guys I've been dealing with are Simply Stereo in Hoffman Estates. They are the ones that suggested I take a pair home to audition, before I even hinted at it. I was pleasntly surprised, as that doesn't seem to be the norm any more. They had some nice setups there, including Horns and other Heritage speakers. If I only had the room... May I ask what you opinions are on the RB-35s? I may pick up a pair to evaluate upon return of the RF-25s. Towers would be a bit low to use as rears in my current situation. Also has anyone successfully wall-mounted RB-25s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Thanks Meuge, do you happen to recall what mounts your friend is using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 The RB towers are pretty heavy. If you're going to wall-mount them I thing the best way would be to build shelves into the walls... and they better be sturdy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 RB towers If you mean RF towers, I don't think I ever mentioned mounting those. I was referring to the RB-25 bookselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdrazek Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Hi, I was at Barrett's in Bloomingdale over the weekend after visiting Simply Stereo. Barrett's is closing that store and are cleaning out their entire inventory including Klipsch. Call them and you will get a very good deal if any are left. I got their last RF5's and RC7 over the weekend. You won't find anyone matching their price and they are an authorized dealer. I would say call them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Wayne, I owe you one! I got their last RC-35 literally minutes before a guy called wanting it! Also bought RF-35s and RB-25s for the rear. I'm officially a member now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Congratulations on your purchase. Enjoy it for many years - or at least until the upgrade bug (and sheer curiosity from this forum) finally gets to you and you make the jump to a Heritage system... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilon Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Thank you! My curiosity is indeed already peaked but I will keep it in check, at least until I move to home ample enough to accomodate the addiction :-] I will not be able to pickup the RB-25s until Wednesday so, if anyone is of the opinion I should go with RS-35s instead, please chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomicskiier01 Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 What I've learned on this forum is that you should only go with a bookshelf type speaker if you are able to point them directly at the "sweet spot" at the correct height. If you are going to have people sitting all over the room, you may want to get the RS-35's so everyone can enjoy the surround, not just the person in the middle of the room (unless that is you, of course). I just purchased the RF-35's, RC-35's and RS-35's. I chose the RS's because I am going to be moving a couple of times in the near future and want to have more flexibility in where i can put them. What kind of deal did you get on your RC-35 and RF's if you don't mind me asking? I was able to find an authorized dealer near me (Brighton, Michigan) that would go 20% off when all the rest were only offering 5-15%. I read a lot of posts about people saying that you shouldn't settle for less than 20% off retail. Have fun with your new system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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