Sunfire 200~7 or 400~7 ?

[Macallan]

I am considering an upgrade for my Reference series line up. I am currenlty using at B&K 200.2 to power my RF-7s and drive my front and rears with a Yamaha 2300. I was originally going to go with a B&K preamp and add another B&K amp but i have recently read a lot of great reviews about Sunfire. My question is would the 200~7 be plenty of power for my RF-7s or would the 400~7 add anything? Also I have read about biwiring them using the voltage and current taps. Has anyone done this? Lastly my reason for choosing Sunfire is largely becuase they run cool, would it be wise to use a B&K preamp (less expensive) and a Sunfire Amp?

[MrMcGoo]

I have used several Sunfire amps with my RF-7s. The first Sunfire was 225x5. It was very good with excellent bass. The next move was to add a Sunfire Signature Stereo amp at 625x2. The mid range got better and the bass was tighter and more clearly defined.

I replaced the 225 wpc amp with a 405x5 Sunfire. The center and surrounds got better. In my view, the 7 series of Reference speakers are the most power hungy speakers that Klipsch has ever produced. The bigger amp is worth the money to me.

BTW, I run all speakers as small and let the RSW-15 handle the lower bass.

Bill

[wstrickland1]

I am considering an upgrade for my Reference series line up. I am currenlty using at B&K 200.2 to power my RF-7s and drive my front and rears with a Yamaha 2300. I was originally going to go with a B&K preamp and add another B&K amp but i have recently read a lot of great reviews about Sunfire. My question is would the 200~7 be plenty of power for my RF-7s or would the 400~7 add anything? Also I have read about biwiring them using the voltage and current taps. Has anyone done this? Lastly my reason for choosing Sunfire is largely becuase they run cool, would it be wise to use a B&K preamp (less expensive) and a Sunfire Amp?

and believe me, the B & K runs hot. I like it alot, but my Ref 200.7 is a freakin space heater. Literally! When I am watching TV up there no heat is required for the bonus room at all no matter how cold it is outside. No kidding. And I'm talking about normal listening levels. It is one hot running hombre. Very sweet sounding, but hot running as hades.

[Macallan]

Thank you. Have you ever tried biwiring the RF-7s with the voltage and current taps? Also what kind of preamp do you use? Would the Grand Theater IV be better than the B&K Reference 50? Would they both be a noticable improvement from my Yamaha 2300?

[ajcllc]

The Sherbourn PT-7010A is another good choice. Bob Carver designed its platform, and its based on the Grand Theater III. It is a great value.

[rplace]

Would the Grand Theater IV be better than the B&K Reference 50? Would they both be a noticeable improvement from my Yamaha 2300?

I can't tell you specifically if the sunfire TGIV would be better then the others (no personal experience) listed ...but I can tell you it is a sweet pre/pro. I really mine.

As to the amps, others may disagree but I think the more power the better. Obviously you have to pay for it, but if you have the means I would go bigger. I am currently using four 2 channel amps to power my 7 channels of HT. Each of them can be run as 2 channel or bridged for mono (and more power). One day I decided to test the difference. I listened to some familiar music with one amp which is rated at 225 WPC. Then hooked up two bridged mono amps which gives 350 WPC and listened to the same music. The music running with two mono amps had more punch to it. It also sounded more musical, with more depth, clarity and faster bass. The meters on the amps suggest I was running between 2 and 5 watts. I don't really understand how having aprox. 200 vs. 300 watts to spare could make a difference...but I would swear I heard a difference.

[Kriton]

Hmmm...that is a hard question(s). First, I have thought about

bi-wiring the RF-7's and have not yet done it - as I use my RF's for HT

most of the time (right now), I haven't felt the need. However,

if I start listening to more music down there, I will definitely try

it; the general concensus around here is that bi-wiring is nonsense,

BUT it isn't quite the same with the Sunfire...try it and let me know

how you like it.

As to the 400 v. the 200, I think the 200 will give you the wattage

that you need, but as was stated up above, the RF's are pretty power

hungry, and the way I saw it, if I am going to pay what I paid, I want

some **** headroom (censored myself). Also really depends on the price

you get it for - I got my amp in pristine condition for under $2k as a

demo with full warranty. Can't beat that with a stick. Did

I tell you that this thing runs warm? I mean lukewarm,

almost room temp. even when pushed hard for hours...it is

amazing. My Yamaha 5280 receiver would get far hotter than this

as a receiver, almost burn your hand when you touch it...the Sunfires

are just pleasant to the touch, and if you hate heat, and the

deterioration that can cause, get the Sunfire. I have seven

speakers tied into the thing right now, including the H2's as rear back

surround speaks, and it doesn't even break a sweat. I just got a

Denon universal DVD player, and the SACDs I was never able to play

before are fantastic, just can't get enough; Sunfire pre has an

"8-channel" mode, that they claim give you a straight shot through the

pre- (no coloration or DSP's), and the sound is awesome.

Don't have any opinions about the pre-amp, as I have not used any other

fancy dedicated preamp, but I will tell you that I have used Yamaha's

zealously for HT for at least 7 years, currently have two, and the

difference between the 225 watt Yamaha that I was using first for a

receiver and secondly as a preamp for the Sunfire, and the Theater

Grand IV is astounding...no un-needed bells and whistles or DSP's like

Yamaha just straight on simple controls and sound for days.

Well...I like my set...YMMV

K

[MrMcGoo]

I run my Sunfire amps and speakers with a Pioneer VSX-59TXi receiver. It has 105 db siganl to noise ratio in the preamp section, acoustic room correction and can play SACDs and DVD-A over the digital i.link. It also has DACs that were Burr-Brown's very best a couple of years ago.

There are many routes to good processing with certain trade-offs involved. For example, the Pioneer has a global crossover. I.e., the "small" channels are all on the same crossover level, 50, 80, 100 Hz etc.

Bill

[HTADDICT]

I too need an amp and am also looking at sunfire or rotel, I think I would get the 400 and be done with it, If I were to go rotel it would be a 1090 (300x2) and a 1095 (200x5) - If it were sunfire, I wish I could afford the 400x7, but will most likely end up being some other combination like the 200x5 and the 360x2. Right now I'm running six rf-7's off of a 100x7 yamaha rxv-757 and they sound good, I can only imagine how much they will improve once I invest in an amp!!

[Kriton]

You are kidding? 6 Rf-7's off that Yamaha? Wow. I

felt that the pair (2) that I had were laboring my Yamaha (that has

higher wattage than yours) - it was running pretty hot all of the time

just with those two, hence why I decided to upgrade.

I think that you will be amazed at how much more detailed the sound

will be when you put some more horses under those RF's - making some

room for the impedance dips alone will take years off your receiver...

Good luck!

K

[HTADDICT]

I hope I don't have to use the yamaha to drive them very long, I'm just waiting for a good deal on an amp, or until this weekend when my lottery numbers are drawn. It's been kind of a blitz on my checkbook purchasing all of these speakers in the last month, but I will get something that is worth waiting for! Oh and by the way the receiver is running a 9.2 setup, but it doesn't get too warm. I sure wish I had that 400x7 right now though[]