Mike S Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 Has anyone heard or compared these two speakers against one another? I have an opportunity to purchase a pair of KF-30's....but wonder if the RF-7's are considered better? I know Klipsch is getting back into the 3 way with the upcoming "Premier Line." Any thoughts???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 ---------------- On 2/8/2005 10:39:49 AM Mike S wrote: Has anyone heard or compared these two speakers against one another? I have an opportunity to purchase a pair of KF-30's....but wonder if the RF-7's are considered better? I know Klipsch is getting back into the 3 way with the upcoming "Premier Line." Any thoughts???? ---------------- i personally prefer my KLF-30's to the RF-7's.... i feel that the midrange is better served by the 3 way design in the KLF-30... the RF-7 is a great speaker.... you really can't go wrong with either one.... FYI... the KLF-30 is not video shielded so you cannot put it right next to a tv... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchild311 Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 This has been a subject that has been discussed several times. Its a good one. I've had both, I currently have the RF-7's and I had a pair of 30's a little while back. The 30's will always stand to what they've always said about them and it really is probably the best rock n' roll speaker of all time. I really love the Legend series. There are things about them that I like better than the Reference series, but there are things in the Reference series I like more than the Legends. For me I think the Legends are not as harsh and are more musical with 2 channel music. They are great with movies as well though I would have to summarize that their strong-point is music. They tend to have a warm sweet sound. The Reference series are much more accurate if that's the right word. They seem to pick apart recordings in 2 channel music and can almost sound harsh with their clarity and accuracy. They are amazing multi-channel movie speakers. Though I will still listen to 2 channel stereo with them because I enjoy doing that. I'll usually turn down the treble to -2 or -4 even and crank the bass up to about +8 or +10. Everyone has diff ears though. If you can have a listen to both. If you're in the Utah area I could help you out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted February 8, 2005 Author Share Posted February 8, 2005 I am in Atlanta...so Utah would be a stretch....however a ski trip could be in the works! I currently have the RF35's in the front and have the RF15's in the back...really sounds good. I am currently finishing out a basement and am considering the RF-7/Aragon route. bchild311, you mention that you decrease the treble somewhat on the 7's.... are they more forward/bright than the RF35's? My only criticism of the 35's is that I wish they had a tad more extension....plenty of mid/treble energy..just lacking in the most upper tweeter range...to me. I am currently driving the 35's with a Denon 4802 and (3) Outlaw 200W monoblocks for the F/C/R...letting the Denon power the rears. SVS PC-Ultra does the heavy lifting (speakers crossed over at 80Hz). This is my first experience with Klipsch, and I must say I am blown away by their presentation...very lively! bchild311...how is the sub fiasco proceeding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 I really like the rf-7, although at the moment I too am running rf-35s. I like the preciseness of the rf-7's more than the 30s, and I think the 7s are superior HT speakers as well. That being said, it reall comes down to your ear and your taste, so I'd try as hard as possible to get some listening time in with both. I bet you'll be thrilled either way, as they're both excellent speakers! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchild311 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Mike, that 4802 and your Outlaws your running ought to be putting some sweet power to your 35's. They'd make some 7's sound absolutely amazing I'm sure. I hear the bass really comes alive in the 7's with plenty of power to them. As far as a listening spectrum goes, I'd have to say that missing high-end you would get with a nice pair of 7's as well. Thanks for asking about the sub fiasco. As always you can read the latest in my perpetual post. I add to it almost daily now. It just dumped a whole fresh load of snow here. Skiing is fantastic this year too. If ya ever make it up this way ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 How does that Denon 3802 drive your RF-7's? Are you afraid of clipping the signal? That's why I went with the MonoBlocks. Due to the "Dynamic Range" in movies, I was constantly worried I would be clipping the signal and potentialy harming my speakers. I run the RF-35's crossed over at 80Hz...so I don't hear a huge difference between the Denon and the Outlaws. I think that I may drive the RF-7's with the new Outlaw 300W X 7 amp...when it comes available!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeV Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 ---------------- On 2/8/2005 4:55:59 PM Mike S wrote: bchild311, you mention that you decrease the treble somewhat on the 7's.... are they more forward/bright than the RF35's? My only criticism of the 35's is that I wish they had a tad more extension....plenty of mid/treble energy..just lacking in the most upper tweeter range...to me. ---------------- I have both the 35's and the 7's. I feel exactly like you, I think that the 35's are a great speaker but seem to be held back a little in the top freq's. However, the 7's are not held back at all and combining them with the RC-7 will give you the best HT sound. The 7's will accurately play back all recorded music and are definitely worth the extra cost. If you haven't already listened to the 7's, you are missing out on one of the best sounding speakers ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Mike, IMO, a lot of your decision depends on your personal listening tastes. I have 30's and have demoed RF-7's. My personal preference was for the 3 way speaker sound. I think they are more detailed and offer a slightly better soundstage. But that is just me. 50 other guys on this forum will take the opposite view and we can both be right. Ultimately, all that matters is what sounds good to you. Another factor is price and location. As I'm sure you are aware, the 30's and RF-7's are both large and heavy speakers. Get something you can pick-up if possible. I'm located NE of Atlanta in the burbs. If you are interested in hearing some 30's, e-mail me. Maybe we can set something up. Redtop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunt Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Mike, I started out last year with the RB-35's and liked them a lot. I upgraded to the RF-5's because they were on a BOGO free offer. I didn't care for the sound - thinking they were a little too forward/harsh. I wound up the year trading in for the RF-7's and boy am I glad I did. Very pleasant sounding, good extension, detailed highs. I would recommend the 7's to anyone looking for good 2 channel music, Hi RES or HT. I use them in a 7.1 set-up, and properly calibrated, they blend nicely with even my little RCW-5's planted in the wall behind my listening area. My Denon 2805 does a nice job powering everything, and I have experienced no problems with clipping. This is in a 15x25 room, and has plenty of volume, with lots of headroom to spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Ok, I would be one of those fifty. To my ears, the RF-7s are more detailed than the KLF-30s (its the titanium, man..), and I prefer that sound vs. the Legends. However, KLF-30s do sound great, and the difference is not as large as you might expect. With respect to three-way speakers, I just prefer the Heritage sound over the Legend sound. I concur with Redtop though about locality and availability. If I were you and had the opportunity to grab KLF-30s locally at a fair price, I would do it. There has been much speculation about why the new Premiere line is going bck to three-way. Personally, I think proper setup RF-7s do not suffer any deficiencies and are great speakers - regardless of two-way vs. three-way. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchild311 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Mike, hey who wouldn't want more power? My 3802 does nicely though. Someday I would really love to venture into separates but I'd probably have to get divorced first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 ---------------- On 2/9/2005 2:21:21 PM bchild311 wrote: Mike, hey who wouldn't want more power? My 3802 does nicely though. Someday I would really love to venture into separates but I'd probably have to get divorced first. ---------------- find a pro audio shop that rents equipment for different events and rent a pro power amp with at least 200 watts per side.... plug it into your pre-outs on your receiver and you will be in for a very pleasant surprise.... the pro amp (as well as any good consumer amp) will be able to drive the RF-7's or KLF-30's much better because it can handle the low impedance dips in the lower octaves.... it has been measured at about 3 ohms or so.... 95% of all receivers cannot handle that low impedance load and do it justice... you will not believe the bass response of your speakers with an amp that can really handle the low impedance dips... Bill (Mr MacGoo) on this forum will back me up on this - he uses a sunfire amplifier to power his RF-7's.... BTW - i bought my carver professional ZR1000 digital amplifier (225 watts per side) AFTER my divorce!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchild311 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Minn_male, hahahaha ... too funny! That is a great idea about the power amp. Even if just to get an idea of what the 7's COULD sound like. There is a place that my work outsources to that provide AV equipment for large tradeshows and conf. I bet they'd have somethihng. Thanks for the tip ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I can vouch for what Russ and Bill are saying. There is a big difference in running the RF-7s with the big boys due to the low impedance dips, and it wasn't until I added some real power that the RF-7s really came to life. As a result, my RF-7s now only get my Rotel 200 watt solid state amp or my Dynaco Mark III monoblocs (60 watts in tube land which is about 1/3 of a comparable solid state amp). If you get the chance, hook them up to the pro stuff. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 Thanks for all the great feedback! I just heard the RF-7's at Melton's in Atlanta....and they sounded great! I could not tell a significant difference in the top end when compared to the RF-35's...however the sweet spot was larger and the bass extension was easily evident(room acoustics were not optimal). They will allow me to bring them home for audition...I will do that soon. When is the "Premier Series" going to be introduced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeV Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I don't know if anyone has noticed this or not. But, when I first hooked up my RF-7's the bass seemed muffled. I looked in the port holes at the back of the speakers and I noticed that the acoustic foam at the bottom of the speaker had come loose and was blocking the port holes. I pushed it back along the bottom to the front and up the front side of the speakers and the difference in bass was huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I have never owned/listened to the KLF-30s, only the KLF-20s, and I thought they sounded great. I couldn't possibly give any feedback as to which is better, But one thing I can tell you is, I have never heard of the RF-7s described as "harsh" until now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 MikeS, It sounds like you are leaning toward the RF-7's. If you don't go with the KLF-30's and they are within driving distance, would you mind putting me in touch with the seller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 Hi RedTop: The only reason I am leaning towards the 7's is that I love that "fresh out of the box" smell!! Kidding aside...the 30's have been sold...my loss? I am considering a RF-7/Aragon purchase...but am now hesitant after reading comments over at Audioholichs and at the Klipsch forum " Hometheater thread" regarding the RSW15 subwoofer fiasco. Befor I drop the big bucks...I have to feel comfortable with the customer support group at Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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