Erukian Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I bought my RB-25's early 2004 for $300 from the good guys (talked the sales manager down). I sold them today for $250 to a friend who's moving, because I have had the upgrade bug biting me for at least 6 months to get something cleaner, much much cleaner. Not necessarily more detailed (love the detail in the tweeter horn) but the 6.5" woofer that the rb-25's used just sound like crap compared to some equivalently priced speakers locally, esp. some speakers like Boston Acoustics. So now I have just about 600-700 i plan on putting back into an upgrade. I was thinking that a pair of heresy's might do the trick, maybe even have some leftover money to upgrade the 12" woofers or xovers. I was also looking at these Onix Reference 1 speakers which they have in b-stock for $600. To be honest, and i'm not kidding myself here, a lot of klipsch's horn tweeters to my ears can sound a little harsh. I've tried to just dismiss it as maybe a cheap xover inside the rb-25's, but when I heard the RF-5's they were like 2x worse (talking about the harshness here)! Granted, i've never heard the RF-7's but to be honest guys, maybe my ears just prefer a speaker with more laid back highs where the mids can really show off. Anyways, I was wondering what you guys think that this 21 year old college student with a good car -- finally -- and money to burn on audio, should do. -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Buy some Heresies or if you want to lug bigger speakers around, Cornwalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Get thee to a nunnery, go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiobliss69 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 As far as what Klipsch speakers to pursue, I'm not really that versed in all their products. However, you said that the RB-25 was harsh and that the RF-5 was worse. If you're not sure you really like the horned tweeter (as it is inherently 'harsher'), I'd listen to all the speakers I could. Maybe you need to try a different brand. If you can hear some Khorns or Cornwalls or whatever and like them, good! If they're too harsh, though, look into something else. You could try something from Polk, Wharfedale, Energy, B&W, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, Totem, etc. Judging from your budget, I'd say you're looking at used, no? (I sure hope so.) You mainly listen to music I guess, right? I'll start ya off with some recommendations from Polk, as that's what I'm most familiar with. However, like I said, listen to everything you can to see what you like. You may want to look into the LSi series from Polk. With the ring radiator tweeter, they have very smooth highs. However, I do believe they have a bit of a hump in the midbass, and they do require a lot of clean amplification, so the equipment to back them up could get expensive (they're 4 ohm speakers). Or you could look at the LSi9. Same thing, with an extra mid-bass. I'd also look at the RTi line-up, and maybe some of their vintage stuff from the Monitor series. Whatever you do, just listen to speakers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Get thee to a nunnery, go! [][][] Allan, You are too kind.[] Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 Thanks for that reply audiobliss69, yes, i'm looking for b-stock (used) because honestly, i'm after sound, not looks. My room is smallish (10.5x12) so I doubt i'd need floorstanders. I have a 30wpc amp (at 6 ohms), what would a speaker rated with 4ohm impedance do vs a 8ohm impedance as far as power consumption? Also, what's the least amount of sensitivity that i'd want to look for given my amp? -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 To heck with the acreage- get Cornwalls, you'll never look back, never be sorry, and never sell them. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Other than the fact that you would have to have them shipped across the country, Freezin has a nice pair of Heresy IIs for sale. My HIIs are great. With good equipment, there is plenty of tight, solid bass as well. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 E, Since you are familar with Good Guys, go there and get some RB35's. I used mine in my bedroom and they would be pently strong enough for your needs!......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiobliss69 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 You're quite welcome. Hope I was/will be of some help. If you're not going with floorstanders, I'd suggest looking into Polk's RTi6. Here's Polk's page on the RTi6: http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/individual/bookshelf/rti6/ A speaker rated at 4 ohms will require a lot more current than a speaker rated at 6 or 8 ohms. Thus, the amp has to work a lot harder to 'keep up' with the speaker. This also means that the amp makes more power at a lower ohm rating. However, it's a lot harder on the amp and creates a lot more heat and, most importantly, it drastically increases distortion, too. So, if you're amplifier is working pretty hard at 8 or 6 ohms, it's going to be really straining and distorting at 4 ohms. Most receivers can't push 4 ohm speakers whereas most separate amps (that I've come across) can. What amp is that that you have? If it's rated at 30wpc at 6 ohms, I'm going to say that it should do fine with 4 ohm speakers. I'm not sure I'm quite qualified to recommend a sensitivity level to look for, but I'd say that, as long as you're not really looking to crank it wide open, something around 90db/w would be fine. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Yikes! Options: 1. go for dome tweeters; YUCK. Sure they will be less shrill with poor source or amp but you lose the realism. 2. RB-5 or RF-5; underapreciated, keep RB-5 on very heavy stands for anchoring 3. Heresey , cannot go wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiobliss69 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Yikes! Options: 1. go for dome tweeters; YUCK. Sure they will be less shrill with poor source or amp but you lose the realism. You won't loose it with all dome tweeters. Each one is different, and there are some real gems out there waiting to be found. 2. RB-5 or RF-5; underapreciated, keep RB-5 on very heavy stands for anchoring 3. Heresey , cannot go wrong If he's listened to them (assuming properly set-up within the room with good equipment/stands, etc.) and didn't like them, it doesn't matter 'how great a speaker they are'. If someone doesn't like something, then he doesn't like it. NOTE - No 'arguing' tones used above - just debating. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Joe, Heresy's are a good choice, IMO. I would offer a couple of caveats on upgrading... one, if they are more than 20 years old, (ie.or older than you) it will be worth your money to rebuild the crossovers with new caps. (however, this is not expensive to accomplish) Two, I wouldn't bother with upgrading the woofers. The limitations on bass are a function of the cabinet size and IMO it would be a waste of money to do something different with the woofer. Any additional funds would be best spent on your source and amplifier. I'm not remembering what you've got in a system.... but to my ears, Heresy speakers have sounded best in a vintage receiver system, or integrated amp with a "loudness" contour, to give a little Heresy friendly bass boost. They sound VERY good then. The "harshness" you experience could either be from your amp or your source. These speakers are so very efficient that the first watt has to be really clean or they will sound like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 La Scalas Dude , La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornwalled Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Ack! To My ears LaScalas are the harshest. And that bass...so resonant. Of course this is coming from someone who has owned Cornwalls for years and only recently acquired a LaScala. The Cornwall is such a great speaker, shame they stopped making them. Even I'm considering moving to something else though. Just can't quite get the realism that I want, and my ears feel fatigued after even a few songs. I do wonder if my Yamaha receiver is partly to blame, but I can't help but think that those horns are just too brash for me. The problem is there are too many speaker companies out there, I wouldn't even know where to start. Polk, Energy, Monitor Audio, BG Corp, the list goes on... -Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 As far as realism goes . When you go to a concert , unless it's acoustic , what in actuality is the music that you hear being played through ? Answer Montors ! The La Scalas are nice refined monitors . I personaly have Belles , I have never liked the looks of the La Scalas , but bang for the buck they rule ! Like Corns to , but from what I have seen lately the used price has been about the same . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 you can buy Corrwalls with that money..................... you will be forever happy .... listen to a pair before you spend more money at the big box store Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSharp Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If you have the space, buy some Cornwalls with that $$. Or with less space you might get some Fortes. I'm surprised nobody noticed these - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5801721837&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 If i buy some vintage Klipsch, i'd rather do it through someone on these forums than through a possible scammer on ebay, any day of the week. If anyone is selling some Forte's or Cornwalls, and can ship them at a reasonable price to zip code 98444, i'm definitely interested. Thanks, -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 where's Zip 98xxxx..... ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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