Petrol Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Since replacing a worn out set of computer speakers with a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 system that blew me away by comparision, I placed and won a bid on a pair of new Klipsch RB-35s and another for a RC-35, hoping for more of the same transformation in my living room. The RB-35s will be replacing my old polk bookshelf monitors and the RC-35 will replace an old polk center channel. I'll continue to use the Klipsch SW-12 that I've had for about 10-12 years. (no surronds) My self doubts stem from having had recently found this forum and reading many posts that state some version of : "...Japanese receivers are designed to run true 8 ohm speakers which might have a minimum impedance of 4 ohms ... Low impedance loads in the bass frequencies require large amounts of current that a receiver cannot usually produce ... Klipsch is way too difficult for a receiver to do well ... A separate amp is needed for the front three speakers IMO to handle the current requirements of the Rx-7 series..." Are the RB-35s & RC-35 speakers just as 'difficult'as the 7s? Will my expections of a similar sonic transformation in my living room via my existing sony STR-DE995 AVR be a source of major disappointment? Or is the sony such a priece of crap that I should have skipped the speaker purchase? I expect to continue about a 60/40% mix of DVDs & TV / 2 channel music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane_0_mac Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The Refernce 35 sreies are great speakers. You will love the sound in them. I had a sony and they are way over rated on power. You will ecentually want to replace it and add surrounds, the upgrade bug will hit again. So to answer your question yes you will be disappointed in your sony but you will have a big improvment over your polks. Out of curiosity what did you give for the RB-35's and and RC-35? Were they used or new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 Thanks for your reply, one thing that steered me towards Klipsch was their senitivity. I was kind of happy with the polks, just not near enough volume and my new Klipsch pc speakers knocked me for a loop. btw, I won the pair of RB-35 auction with a bid of $335 = $40 S&H and the RC-35 auction cost me $230 + $25 S&H. All were 'sold' as new-in-the-box . . . I patiently await the UPS truck :\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The answer to are you lost is YES but that is due to you having been bit by the Klipsch bug. You will seek better and better until you either A run out of money but still want MORE or B reach that quiet place inside of your self that is true bliss, until you get bit again by the upgrade bug! There is no hope for you now (evil laugh)you will give in to the dark side and replace ALL of your SS with TUBES!!!!!!, You will get larger and LARGER speakers until you are no longer able to move in your home!! (extra evil laugh!) But seriously, Your reciever will work for a while, take time to listen to your new speakers and to love them. As the time becomes due, you will move on to better electronics. ENJOY! Oh, by the way welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Petrol, I have written comments like your quote of me for the 7 series. I do not know the minimum impedance of the RB-35s and RC-35, but they are probably good to go with a receiver. Receiver brands with good power supplies and output devices are Harman Kardon, NAD, B&K and honorable mention to Pioneers from the 1015TX-K on up. Such receivers do well with the less demanding Klipsch speakers. The 7 series are the flagships of the Reference line. They do ok on receivers, if all speakers are run as small. The best performance can only be obtained with separate amps IMO. This is true with many speakers, not just Klipsch. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 Fair enough guys, thanks for the replies. My enthusiaism (sp) is not dampened. My pockets are not quite deep enough to replace my AVR with a 'real' quality setup at this point but I'm really excited about getting the new speakers. In fact, I egarly await their delivery and fully expect, at minimum to be able to enjoy AT LEAST as good (hopefully much better) a sonic performance as my old polks delivered, at a slightly louder levels at a given volume setting due to increased sensitivity. btw, I know that there is waaay more to a satisfying listening experiance then SPL, but can anyone tell me how much louder (will I readily notice) the Klipsch RB-35s (at 96dB) will be over the old polks rated at 88dB? I have heard mention that it takes something like 10 times the power to double the SPL. I've seen spec's stating that a speaker is capable of 121dB, which I guess is very loud. I just wonder, what does it all mean? I have seen charts saying a jackhammer is about 120dB and Is 121dB twice as loud as 60.5dB? can anyone post a scale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 You will notice the difference in volume between the two sets of speakers on the same receiver. It will take less amplification to reach the same level of volume you are used to. It takes twice the power (watts) to make a 3db gain in volume. Three db is about the same as quietly talking in a quiet room. Osha standards are to not exceed 80 db average in an 8 hour day without hearing protection. Your car is probably not far from that mark when driving 60 mph. Of course, if there are spikes of sound over 90-100db it is of benefit that you wear hearing protection anyway. When talking about receiver power (watts) remember that a 200wpc receiver is only 3 db louder than a 100wpc receiver. The difference is that at the same spl (loudness) the 200wpc receiver will have more headroom for transients, thus will clip less or not at all and will probably sound cleaner, given that both amps are of the same quality build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyT Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 My Yamaha did a good job of powering my RF3-IIs which is basically the same as RF35s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spkrdctr Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Your new speakers will blow you away. Enjoy them with your current reciever! Good purchase, and welcome to Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 ---------------- On 6/20/2005 9:04:30 AM Petrol wrote: My self doubts stem from having had recently found this forum and reading many posts that state some version of : "...Japanese receivers are designed to run true 8 ohm speakers which might have a minimum impedance of 4 ohms ... Low impedance loads in the bass frequencies require large amounts of current that a receiver cannot usually produce ... Klipsch is way too difficult for a receiver to do well ... A separate amp is needed for the front three speakers IMO to handle the current requirements of the Rx-7 series..." Are the RB-35s & RC-35 speakers just as 'difficult'as the 7s? Will my expections of a similar sonic transformation in my living room via my existing sony STR-DE995 AVR be a source of major disappointment? Or is the sony such a priece of crap that I should have skipped the speaker purchase? I expect to continue about a 60/40% mix of DVDs & TV / 2 channel music ---------------- Well you need to take the source into account as well as your own personal preferences. I would say the person from that quote was probably very serious about their sound and probably has issues with "jobs leaving america" and all that. Whether or not that is the case is a political question so let's try to avoid going that route; I think you can find Japanese amps that fit the quote and ones that don't so it's pretty much a useless comment in that you can't rule out "Japanese recievers". However, there are plenty of cheap recievers out there that simply sound bad...many try to attribute it to specific specs, but specs really don't tell the whole tale (how many people around here are listening on 5 watt amplifiers and not complaining about lack of power?). I've been through my fair share of sony recievers and the only thing I've ever found wrong with them is in the high frequencies which seem to always be hashy and dry sounding. Deep low bass could be improved too, but a powered subwoofer covers that up nicely. Sony isn't exactly known for the best sound quality, but in the mid-fi market I think you have a more than decent reciever. Heck, you already have a system better than 80% of the systems out there. Yes, you have room for improvement but if you find your current reciever acceptable then consider yourself lucky that you don't have to spend more money to start enjoying your purchase. I get to spend lots of time in nice expensive studios, but can't come close to affording those toys at home, so I actually don't often listen at home because I get too distracted by the flaws with my equipment. If I had the best electronics in the world available and had to choose between your old polk setup and your new klipsch setup, I'm pretty sure I would take the klipsch (but why else would I be on this forum?). Your speaker purchase was definetly a step forward that has also opened a window for many other improvements (for when you or your wallet feels the need to upgrade). If you're real nice about it, you might even find a dealer in the area willing to let you demo higher end equipment (as long as you get him thinking you're eventually going to purchase it). If you don't find a big enough difference to justify the cost, then by all means stick with your Sony and ignore the nay-sayers...it's all about your ears and how picky you are about your sound. The downside to trying out new gear though is that when you hear a big enough difference, you quickly catch the bug and before you know it you'll be purchasing a new house just because it has a room well suited for a dedicated HT ...a little further down the road and you're building an extension to your house that's bigger and costs more than the house itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted June 24, 2005 Author Share Posted June 24, 2005 YAWHOO! HOLY SHIATTEMUSLIMDRUSMILITIA!!! I am very impressed with my new speakers (my wife wasn't but I think she was wearing her "I-would-rather-spend-money-on-something-else-ear-plugs") anyway, I seem to already be developing a SERIOUS Problem with these speakers! I have only had the RB-35s & RC-35 for two days but I'm already dreaming of moving the RB-35s to surround postions and picking up another pair of RF-35s for the mains . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 ---------------- On 6/24/2005 10:25:16 AM Petrol wrote: I have only had the RB-35s & RC-35 for two days but I'm already dreaming of moving the RB-35s to surround postions and picking up another pair of RF-35s for the mains . . . ---------------- Great idea...so what we gonna do for a subwoofer after that (provided your wife hasn't killed you already)? I know I'm not married, but here's a tip anyway...a lot of guys on the forum will purchase something for their wife whenever they purchase something for their audio cravings. Even if it's not 1:1 in the cost department, at least she'll have a reason to get excited when you purchase something audio related cuz it means she will be getting something and it makes her feel special(ie, you're thinking about her interests too). Me? I'm only gonna marry a girl as crazy about audio as I am and dodge the WAF issue altogether Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted June 24, 2005 Author Share Posted June 24, 2005 ^^^ well, my dream would be to replace my old SW-10 (which still provides good bump)with a new sub-12 or better yet a RSW-15 . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Petrol.. This is a serious addiction.. Be careful!! hahahaha Welcome to the "nuthouse"... I mean club!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 we've hooked another one boys! bbbbwwwwwhwhhhahahahaahahahahahah Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 "..we've hooked another one boys!.." Yep, y'all sure have! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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