S2KDDS Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Just got my RF 7's delivered last night. They sound good but are extremely bright. I have wood floors and the windows have no curtains. We will be moving the speakers to a dedicated room with thick curtains and carpet. I know having more material will dampen the highs, but have you guys noticed that the speakers tone down a little after break-in? My wife hates the sound of the Klipsch, I may have to switch to some B and W's. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 What do you have the 7s hooked to,cd/dvd/avr/pre/pro/amp?Whatever the case there may be many factors at work.I still remember when I first got my 7s,I had an Onkyo,wow,bright was the best thing I could say.Lots have changed since then and all is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spkrdctr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I would EQ them as they are probably ear screeching bright in the room you describe. Putting them in a good listening room with carpeting etc will help. If there was one thing I could get Klipsch to do it would be to drop the highs down a little across the board. If you have no EQ ability you can modify the crossover by Dean and request him to add in about 8 ohms to the horns. That should drop it back a tad. I wish I had a pair of RF-7s to play with...... Or, you could sell me those speakers for $200/pair and I'll take them off of your hands..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Give them some time. What did you switch from? I would say at least wait until you can listen to them in a treated room. What was the room like that you had the demo in? As mentioned above the amp/pre amp can play some role, if it can't handle low loads well. I know a few members have reported similar issues when first listening but most have managed to fix any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 My bet is you were playing a CD through a DVD player when you listened to them. Eeeeeekkk. Redbook CD's will sound harsh and edgy when played back through most DVD players. Some Yamaha and Onkyo receivers have a reputation of being bright when paired with Klipsch as well. Then again Klipsch uses titanium diaphrams in those 7's which are notoriously bright. They will settle in some once you have about 15-25 hours of play through them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I do remember my RF-7s sounding bright when first listening. I don't know if I changed, or the speakers broke in somewhat, but after a very few hours of listening they seemed to warm up a bit. The highs were still quite pronounced as I was using a low-end Yamaha receiver (5560), but not quite as bad. I can tell you from experience that the RF-7s are very picky when it comes to source equipment. When I upgraded to a B&K 307 receiver, the change in the sound was nothing short of dramatic. It would help if you posted your system in your profile... Welcome to the forum! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S2KDDS Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 I do have a cheap Yamaha AVR and the speakers I 've been using are Klipsch bookshelf. I wired the speakers to one set of the connections. I don't understand biwiring. Do I even have them wired correctly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 2:17:21 PM S2KDDS wrote: I do have a cheap Yamaha AVR and the speakers I 've been using are Klipsch bookshelf. I wired the speakers to one set of the connections. I don't understand biwiring. Do I even have them wired correctly? ---------------- The Yamaha receiver is not helping you, that's for certain. Mine was overly bright and clipped when pushed too hard and the bass was very weak. When you can upgrade to a better receiver or separates, you will get much more (and better) sound out of those RF-7s. Each time I have upgraded the highs have been curtailed and the bass more pronounced. The receiver and all the hard surfaces in your room are probably working against you. If you are running one set of wires from your receiver to the speakers, have the pos. to pos. and neg. to neg and have not removed the wires (on the speakers) connecting the two red and two black binding posts, you are doing it right. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 2:17:21 PM S2KDDS wrote: I do have a cheap Yamaha AVR and the speakers I 've been using are Klipsch bookshelf. I wired the speakers to one set of the connections. I don't understand biwiring. Do I even have them wired correctly? ---------------- Do you have them wired to the top set? The jumpers in place? That little metal strip between the two sets of binding posts . If their in place and you hooked the wires up to the top set horizontally. Yes they are correct. Look at the wires is there any writing on one strip? It helps to make sure thier in phase. I usually look and think writing on red. That way when I am hooking anything up it's all writing on red, and no worries of being out of phase. If you have banana ends well then it's just as simple as matching the color up. Red is red. As for your receiver it is your bottleneck. You have a really nice set of speakers they deserve better. You may want to look into a NAD, Rotel, B&K, Cambridge audio, Arcam, receiver or if you got the resources an aragon preamp, power amp combo for a superior sound. You may need to change your source player as well. That is so important. You should use a dedicated cd player for cd listening. It's not a must but it helps. If I were to go dvd player and cd listening in one player it would be cambridge audio, or NAD. Good luck, and welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierceb Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I agree with the above. Your yammy, coupled with no carpet or curtains (live room), are the culprits. Give the 7's a chance with some better equipment. Oh, and there is supposedly (I haven't tried it) an excellent crossover upgrade available from DeanG that helps smooth out the top end. Do a search on the BB for RF-7 crossover, or DeanG crossover upgrades, you may learn more there. -PB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Well...you have heard the worst the 7s can sound,dump the Yamaha,quickly.Just get some quality watts and you'll be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northshore Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I setup my RF 7's about 3 months ago and I must say that the sound was somewhat bright out of the box,however, they have certainly developed into a superb sounding speaker. I have had Klipsch for a number of years and have had them powered by every receiver/pre amp that the collective wisdom frowns upon as being too bright. IMO don't jump ship just yet, the RF is a fine speaker collection that simply craves good,clean power to make them function to the full potential. Relax and enjoy the journey, afterall the RF line is near top of the line in most eyes. In the end, a questionably powered Reference speaker is still far better than most others out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 4:57:11 PM Northshore wrote: I setup my RF 7's about 3 months ago and I must say that the sound was somewhat bright out of the box,however, they have certainly developed into a superb sounding speaker. I have had Klipsch for a number of years and have had them powered by every receiver/pre amp that the collective wisdom frowns upon as being too bright. IMO don't jump ship just yet, the RF is a fine speaker collection that simply craves good,clean power to make them function to the full potential. Relax and enjoy the journey, afterall the RF line is near top of the line in most eyes. In the end, a questionably powered Reference speaker is still far better than most others out there. ---------------- Hell yeah, I power my RF7's with 250 watts of pure, regenerated AC at a locked 120Hz and the soundstage, power, emotion, and depth of my music is f__king RIDICULOUS! Let them break in for a good 30 hours or so, and get rid of that Yamaha for godsake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 B&Ws will also sound very bright in such a room. It is not a good idea to throw out the speakers because of poor room acoustics. Fix the room, and then worry about the speakers. Poor amplification can easily make the RF-7s sound bright and edgy. The RF-7s are typical Klipsch which is to say that they show problems and do not cover them up. The reward for fixing the problems is excellent sound for both movies and music. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PYRO Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 AGH! growing pains, I remember those days. Go for seperates or a high end AVR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doozer Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I have found the klipsch have an amazing sound with Harman Karman AVR's. you would be suprised by the difference a good AVR makes. I know how the WAF (wife acceptance factor) can be a hurdle, I am fighting it on a daily basis. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOPHER Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I just added Richard Gray's 1200C power conditioner/stablizer to my pioneer elite 52tx which runs my RF-7's. The difference is absolutly stunning. Beyond words I tell you. For 2K I think it may be worth it. Start your upgrading there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 5:17:56 PM nicholtl wrote: Hell yeah, I power my RF7's with 250 watts of pure, regenerated AC at a locked 120Hz and the soundstage, power, emotion, and depth of my music is f__king RIDICULOUS! Let them break in for a good 30 hours or so, and get rid of that Yamaha for godsake. ---------------- Hell yeah! No brightness here in this room either! Those RF-7s with the B&K is just friggan smooth and detailed, with incredible dynamics and "presence"! Un-friggan-believable! I agree - ditch the Yamaha for crying-out-loud! Also, it does that I have plenty of carpet, drapes and such that helps with the sound. I am actually quite surprised at how well everything sounds in this room with little treatment beyond typically what is found in a room like this. I am certain I can improve things, but as it is, I am quite happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 The room, fix the room! Geez, I wish I had kilobucks to throw at equipment to solve an issue, that cannot be solved by equipment changes or crossovers, or other amps. Bottom line, the room is the most important link in the reproduction chain, second to that is the loudspeakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Hi. You need curtains and some floor coverings. If the Yamaha is an older model - get rid of it. Garbage in, Garbage out. The speakers need several days before they run in. The latest series of receivers from the likes of Yamaha, HK, NAD and Denon are excellent. I like the NAD 743 receiver. It's inexpensive, has superb sound, and will drive the RF7's really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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