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RF-7 mod to tame the harsh HF


sredmyer

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DeanG if you happen to see this post could you please respond. I was refered to this forum by cecaa850 on another forum when I mentioned that my RF-7's were somewhat harsh. cecaa850 said that DeanG instructed him to add a resistor to the xover board on his RF-7s. I was hoping to find more information on this mod.

Thanks,

Steve

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Steve,while Deans xovers have a great rep and are highly recomended if

you don't have the proper equipment to go w/7's you don't how they

sound.I've heard my 7's sound ok/good and great,all due the prepro.If

you've already done the footwork and auditioned many units on the 7's

and have arrived at the very best you could find/afford,then Dean is

the next step.

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My RF-7s are only part of my HT system. The reciever is an Harman Kardon AVR7300. For the front 2 (my RF-7s) I have an additional amp (an Adcom GFA 555) which was added because the primary use of my system is for 2 ch. music listening and I wanted more power. Overall I am quite pleased with how my system sounds however, I believe that at high volumes the high frequencies are somewhat harsh. When I made this comment on another forum I was told, by a member of this forum, that DeanG had suggested, to him, that he add a resistor to the xover. This individual continued to say the mod was simple and made his speakers sound much better.

Steve

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Some of that harshness is coming from your old Adcom. I know -- I'm very familiar with the sound of that amp.

To bring that horn down a bit tack a 10 ohm resistor in parallel with the 2 ohm resistor located on the first board. When you pull the network out, turn it so the wires are facing you -- the resistor is on the left edge of the board next to the large black capacitor.

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  • 9 months later...

Apples and oranges. Different speaker and different network. If they were mine I'd rip out the mylar capacitors and drop some Auricaps in them. Still, when I heard the H III in Indy a couple of years ago I thought it sounded damn good. Of course, they had it hooked up to some damn good stuff!

The RF-7 doesn't just sound hot on top, but measures hot on top -- find the Sound and Vision review.

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Dean - Thank you for your reply. I changed speaker wire from the Home Depot solid core to Radio Shack 16ga zip cord and stripped the end of the wire to run through both sets to binding posts. Helped get rid of some of the oddness I was hearing up top which I now attribute to the supplied link thingies. I think they roll off the treble in a way that can make some sounds seem unatural.

At any rate, the speakers are not *horribly* messy up top - just too brutal and possibly accentuating faults that are there. This does make them a tad difficult to live with in a domestic setup with less-than-stellar (TV signal, iPod, etc.) sources.

Others - were your comments about the RF-7's or the Heresy IIIs?

- Greg <-who thinks the Heresy IIIs are *almost* perfect - just gotta smooth out the top a bit

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I must like it hot on top,I've always bumped the treble until I got 7's.I just noticed someone that complained of harsh highs was running an Adcom 555,no surprise,this amp is known(to me for sure) to be slightly harsh.I'm not knockin' it,I like Adcom but that amp is better used with softer speakers.Almost every time I see an rf7 harsh issue when I see the gear used I think,no surprise.These speakers are not plug and play,they need to be paired with gear that suits your ears and plenty power.I have never heard two different components sound the same on 7's.They cannot produce beautiful highs on substandard media,Zepp 1 ain't gonna sound like Steely Dan Aja and an ipod ain't gonna sound like an sacd.

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When I ran mine on a low grade Yamaha at 1st they were unlistenable. Listening to them throught my Scott 233 tube amp they sounded fantastic. Its all in what you drive them with. I always thought that they would be best suited for a Biamp setup. Power for the bass and tubes for the horns.

Anyway I sold them for a pair of Khorns that I found for 1,000. Since then I never looked back. In there defense they were very good HT speakers straight out of the box. I impressed many a guest with my RF7's.

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something that can handle down to 2 ohms? I heard the qsc amps sound great but they are pro amps

QSC sounds wonderful...and Dean's network.

My comment speaks to the rf-7. I've never heard H3's. Dean's reworked network is worth every penny.

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