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Bye Bye K-Horns.......


rockbobmel

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Simple, the RF-7's are FINE speakers. I've read many users praise, and some great reviews in the audio magazines, and over the internet. I've seen quite a few Klipschorn's for sale locally, and over the internet. I called to inquire about a few, was told they were selling because they bought the RF-7's. I was thinking about Klipschorn's in the future, but I just heard them and I wasn't impressed as I thought I would be from what I've heard here. I was impressed more so with the RF-7's. I'm thinking about saving for RF-7's.

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I think it really does come down to what genres of music you listen to. The Khorns are legendary, but I too prefer the sound of RF7's to Khorns. And I'm NOT saying that because I own RF7's. I truly believe the RF7's are better for all incarnations and off-shoots of modern rock.

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Hmmm, might be because he read this review on the RF-7's:

Klipsch RF-7

Powerful Speakers for Low Powered Amps

By David Bardes - 2003 All Rights Reserved - Vacuum Tube Valley Magazine

Many tube enthusiasts reach back to the vintage Klipsch speakers to get the big, dynamic sound they crave.

Compared to today's power-hungry speakers, the Heresy, Forte, Chorus and Khorn speakers are an inexpensive sonic salvation. Unlike other speaker manufacturers which have sacrificed high efficiency for small size and cost reduction, Klipsch continues to make efficient speakers that are a great choice for low powered SE and vintage tube amps.

Packaged in a contemporary tower design, Klipsch's RF-7 contains all the advantages of their classic speakers and serves them up with extended frequency response, improved resolution, and great imaging that define modern speaker design.

The RF-7 is a two-way tower design. A Tractrix horn-loaded, titanium-dome driver supplies the treble, and two 10" aluminum cones supply the lows and mids. The cones have been anodized on both front and back surfaces, which act as damping layers for the otherwise stiff but ring-prone aluminum. These drivers are crossed over at 2200 Hz using a fourth order Linkwitz-Riley type crossover. A relatively steep crossover was used to control sound dispersion and control "ring modes" in the aluminum cones. Two very large ports occupy the rear of the cabinet. These ports are larger than many other speaker manufacturers use, but are appropriate for the woofer configuration (it is easier and cheaper to use smaller diameter ports at the cost of potential port noise). The cabinet uses veneered MDF, veneered on the inside as well as the outside for improved cabinet damping. My samples were veneered in a beautiful cherry finish. Black ash and light maple are the other options.

Twin sets of binding posts are provided for biwiring and Monster Cable Zwire is used inside the cabinet. Most importantly, they are efficient enough for really low powered amps.

The RF-7s have a clean open sound. The titanium diaphragm provides great treble extension and a clear sound, but the tweeters sound just a bit frosty at first. Once the tweeters break in, the sound opens up to provide a nice image, both wide and deep. I heard real depth and a sense of the large recording venue for Diana Krall's Besame. I could distinguish the distance of the different sections of the London Philharmonic from the microphones as they backed up Diana's singing. Violins and violas were clearly delineated. Diana's voice was natural and I could not find a hint of coloration from the tweeter horn.

I thought I had found a weakness in the RF-7s bass performance which I felt was too pronounced and boomy, although the bass extension was impressive. This boominess turned out to be my single ended amp, because when I changed the amp out to David Bernings's Micro ZOTL amp, the bass tightened right up and delved even deeper, even though the Micro ZOTL amp is rated at just 1 watt! I played several discs with deep, strong bass (Down to the Bone, Crystal Method, etc.) and the RF-7s were quite impressive. Ron Carter's acoustic bass was deep and visceral while playing his version of Cubano Chant (When Skies are Gray, Blue Note). Only a very good subwoofer would provide deeper bass. It may prove that some single ended amps may not have the damping power to get the full measure of bass punch from these speakers despite their high efficiency.

Compared to my beloved Khorns, the RF-7s had far superior imaging, better bass and treble extension, and I heard details in recordings I hadn't heard through the Khorns. For me this is impressive, as many speakers sound like toys when compared to the Khorns. True, the Khorns still sounded bigger, but this is a warm fuzzy big, and not the focused image that the RF-7s convey. And if anything, the RF-7s could produce a punchier, more dynamic sound than my corner horns.

These speakers deserve consideration for low powered tube rigs. Unlike full-range, single cones speaker designs which are the current rage, these speakers have more muscle, way more treble extension, and they "got bass!" It is important to try your amp with these speakers, as my 300B amp was a good match, but the Micro ZOTL amp was an amazing match with the RF-7's. ($2300/pr SRP).

Klipsch RF-7 Subjective Evaluation

Dynamic Range 4.5

Transparency 4

Frequency Extension 5

Dimensionality 4

Pace and Rhythm 4

Musical Involvement 4.25

The scale is 1 to 5 with a score of 5 being the very best!

Overall Rating: 4.25

Manufacturer Specifications

Frequency Response: 32Hz-20KHz±3dB

Sensitivity: 102dB @ 1watt/1meter

Power Handling: 250 watts maximum continuous (1000 watts peak)

Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms

Dimensions: (H x W x D):

Height: 45" (115cm)

Width: 11.6" (29.7cm)

Depth: 16" (41cm)

Weight: 90 lbs. (40.8kg)

Klipsch Audio Technologies

3502 Woodview Trace, Suite 200

Indianapolis, IN 46268

(317) 860-8100

Toll Free: (800) 544-1482

Test System Components:

Jolida JD 603 CD player with Mullard CV4004 tubes in the analog output section

Assemblage SET 300 amp with Valve Art and JJ 300B tubes, Micro ZOTL amp

Homebrew fine wire speaker cables using three strands of 30 awg silver-coated copper wire in a kynar jacket

TEK LINE PC-12 Signature power cords for both the amp and CD player

VSE Super Clear interconnects

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On 7/21/2005 11:27:56 PM jdm56 wrote:

Maybe you've already covered this, but what provoked the change? I'm a former k-horn owner myself, so I was just curious.

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BTW, that was a great interview.

That is basically the reason, AND like I was warned, You need a BIG room and good corners. I made false corners but the room never opened up. This made me feel like I had PA speakers in my livingroom. The bass was nice, but not as forward as I like.

Anyway, I came from ForteIIs that sounded great but I had the means and opportunity to get the KHs. I could not get an Academy reasonably, so I tried 2 different KLF-C7s and they came in damaged from the driver baskets warping (Stamped steel). Sooooooo, I bought an RC-7 (Had the RC-3). This I like. It has cast baskets, so I feel it has better components than the KLF series. BTW, I could get a pair of KLF-7s for $800., but decided that theRF-7s would suit me better.

The guy that bought them is tickled pink and I'm happy. It was a checkered experience owning them. Besides they take up too much real estate (and I'm single).

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Bob,

Yeh, I think it is probably a rare move you are making. Audio is about enjoyment. Should be anyway. Glad you are getting the speakers that suit your space and your ears. I've heard the RF-7's and they are indeed impressive speakers.

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I think a lot of folks here will be interested in your evaluation of the RF7s. Hopefully, you will give them a month or two of serious listening before posting an evaluation.

Like so many others here, I planned on Khorns someday. If the RF7 is that great, then why go thru the trouble of Khorns. The thing that bothers me about your decision is the fact you admit to never getting them set up right. Still, your opinion is very valuable here because you are one of the few people who will have lived with both speakers.

Good luck. It is indeed a bold move and I hope you are happy with the end result.

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Sounds like it was the room.

I've heard RF-7's once and was not impressed (clarification: better than 99% of the speakers on the market, but no Klipschorn).

In my case, I listen to everything from Gregorian Chant to Hank Williams with Bloodrock and Bach in between. Them big ol' horns are mercilessly unforgiving of anything not right between them and the source signal and themselves and your ears...and I LIKE it that way.

Dave

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klipschorns are great speakers, classics of course, but they are not perfect, and can sound downright bad in the wrong room or with the wrong set-up.

In my music room, my little B&W's sound WAY better than the k-horns ever did. k-horns just need some room. I think that really, all horn-loaded speakers tend to sound better in larger, more reverberant rooms, while more conventional speakers (non-horn) sound better in smaller or less reverberant rooms. Of course, taste enters in to the equation too.

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On 7/22/2005 6:37:21 AM stan krajewski wrote:

The thing that bothers me about your decision is the fact you admit to never getting them set up right. Still, your opinion is very valuable here because you are one of the few people who will have lived with both speakers.

Good luck. It is indeed a bold move and I hope you are happy with the end result.

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ME TOO!!!-----I set them up as good as they could have been set up. I made false corners.Added a graphic EQ, Tweaked--- till my teeth fell out....!! What else is there except moving. And I not gonna move to accomodate stereo speakers.

There is a lot to be said about KHorns, Including, they are very dependent on the room. Mine is 15 x 15 with a dipping floor. I was warned about that. They are like PA speakers. I did like the sound better with a tube amp, but I am mainly using a Rotel RSP-985

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