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RF-82


GeorgeV

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  • 2 months later...

I auditioned the RF-35s in the store and bought the 82's which my wife

and I both assert sound better, but the comparison is not fair since we

only heard the 35s in the store and the 82's in our home.

Like the man said, there is no substitute for listening for yourself.

Yamaha Rx-V757

Fronts = RF-82s

Center = RC-62

Sub = RW-10

Rears = CDT-5800-Cs

Surrounds = CDT-5650-Cs

and around the pool are four AW-650s

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It's probably not a fair comparison, but I auditioned a pair of 82's next to a pair of RF-5's. The RF-5's had been on the floor for about a year, and the 82's had about 30 minutes of break-in. I thought the RF-5's blew the 82's away. The 82's were very shrill, which my trusted salesman/ friend assured me would go away with some break-in. The RF-5's were very mellow and the 82's very bright. I did not care for them at all. I really wanted to hear the 83's vs. RF-7's ,but they didn't have 83's in yet and all the RF-7's were all gone.

As a huge Klipsch fan i'm dissapointed to say the best sounding speaker in that room was the Energy R70 L-C-R bookshelf. It had bottom end extension like you wouldn't believe. Phenominal speaker. I was in awe!

Jeremy

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Jeremy,

I noticed you're in "northern illinois"...just curious what store you went to. Sounds more like a setup/room acoustics issue than anything else.

Did they have the RF-5's and the 82's in the same room side by side?

For what it's worth - any amount of break in that is going to occur is already going to happen inside the klipsch plant...at least that's what I think I remember hearing from one of the engineers. Usually "break in" is a time for your own ears to adjust...any time a speaker switch occurs you are going to hone in on the new set of distortion and then after a while you will eventually tune it out. And then as you listen longer you will eventually stop tuning out the distortions that aren't there from the old speaker. The psychoacoustics of the situation are quite annoying and even further compounded by the crappy listening environment.

...or maybe the RF-5's just sounded better [;)] And there's nothing wrong with that...though I simply can't comprehend a klipsch fan enjoying the sound of energy brand speakers. Then again, I can't comprehend how people can drink coffee either [;)]

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I listened to the RF-35s a few weeks ago at a local Klipsch Dealer. Went back a couple of days ago and they had replaced the 35s with the RF-82s, RC-62s, etc.

The RF-82s and 62s sounded Great...I purchased them on the spot with a couple of CDT-5650-Cs for rear surround in the ceiling of our Great Room.

They install speakers on Thursday...I'll let you know how they sound in the house.

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I have had a set of RF-82's for demo (I carry Klipsch as my only speaker line). I love the sound of the 82's, I would be hard pressed to find another pair of $1000 speakers that performs as well. I do like the high-end of the 35's a bit more (I think it is a little less shrill). Part of this may be breakin, but it also could be the new horn in the 82. On the other hand, the mid and mid-bass sounds alot smoother and direct. I have only listened to music on the 82's, not done any HT listening, but I am very pleased with them so far and after I move next week I will be able to A/B them with the RF-83's just to see what that extra $1500 gets you :)

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Jeremy,

Thanks for the reply. I can still buy a pair of RF-5's, so I was very interested in your opinion. Were the RF-82's and RF-5's connected to the same equipment and in the same room?

The RF-5's and the RF-82's were side by side and they were both run on a Pioneer Elite receiver. Don't know which one for sure, but it shouldn't matter in this case. I think the RF-5 is even smoother in the upper mids than the RF-7. It just lacks the bottom end punch of the RF-7. I really need to go back and listen again, because I still have a hard time believing how bad the 82's sounded. They should be much better than they were. Maybe it was me. I hope so! Good luck.

Jeremy

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Jeremy,

Thanks for the reply. I can still buy a pair of RF-5's, so I was very interested in your opinion. Were the RF-82's and RF-5's connected to the same equipment and in the same room?

The RF-5's and the RF-82's were side by side and they were both run on a Pioneer Elite receiver. Don't know which one for sure, but it shouldn't matter in this case. I think the RF-5 is even smoother in the upper mids than the RF-7. It just lacks the bottom end punch of the RF-7. I really need to go back and listen again, because I still have a hard time believing how bad the 82's sounded. They should be much better than they were. Maybe it was me. I hope so! Good luck.

Jeremy

the rf-5 used the same horn but used a 1 inch tweeter as opposed to the 1.75 inch tweeter in the rf-7. The rf-5 was rated down to 33-34 hertz as opposed to the rf-7 which was 32. Also the rf-5 was made after the rf-7

The rf-82 are replacement to the rf-35

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I comared the RF35s side by side to the RF82s, and I bought the 82s.

For me, it was a no brainer because I thought they sounded better. The

store was trying to offload the 35's and they were willing to sell them

for less, but in the end, I was willing to pay a bit more to buy the

'new and improved' version and buy the 82's.

My 2 cents...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I finally got the chance to listen to the RF-82's and I purchased them. The RF-82's sound much nicer then the RF-35's they replaced. Overall, the bass is better and the midrange is definitely clearer. When I broken in the speakers (which only took about 3 to 4 hours) I did an A/B comparison with my RF-7's and the difference was small. The RF-7's had a bit more punch in the bass region and the highs were better. But, the midrange on the RF-82 was more noticeable and definitely better then the RF-7's. I think Klipsch did a wonderful job in designing the RF-82's, a definite steal in this price range.

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really?? only 3-4 hours? I sometimes listen to music after a day of finals lately and notice a big change or maybe cause my ears were drowned out with studying and diesel buses?

but I noticed change in my rf83 with day one to day two and week one, week two etc

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Has anyone listened to the new RF-82's and do they sound better then the RF-35's that they replaced. Thanks in advance.

EDIT Please note Iits the RF83's not 82's I was listening to. [:S]

First the RF82's replace the RF7's not the RF35's.

Comparing the two(RF82's and RF7's)lets start with the outside,cosmetics. The RF82's and the revamped Referance range now has a much better speaker grill.Magnets hold the grill in place and the grill protects the drivers from dust as well as its more solid.

The older grill deesign did not protect much against dust and was a flawed design that could be broken easy if care was not taken when removing them.

Second,the finish of the cabinets is also superior.Look at the back of the cebinets,higher quality is very visible.The bracing looks(feels)to be slightly better.Towers are more slender,deeper.Binding posts the new design is nicer but I do prefer the old RF7 and RC7 binding posts with easy access to all four posts when biwiring or biamping(not a problem for the vast majority).

Sound ,my personal RF7's sound smoother but this is due to the fact they are fully broken in and have countless hours of use. RF82's sound more natural on Jazz and acoustic music,with more break in the upper end should open up and be smoother. Impact,one point where the RF7's stand undefeated,on electronica and any recording with well recorded drumms watch out.TRhe RF82's are no slouches in the dynamic departament.

RF82's are better rounded speakers that will please more people i believe,as the RF7's are more identified with the Klipsch sound.RF82's are better balanced,smoother and descend a wee bit deeper in the bass.

Both can be used free from any subwoofer if used with muscular amplification,with the Sunfire dual channel 600W /pc power amp driving them I gave a clear advantage to the RF82's. With a low power tube am the RF7's will be kings,as the woofers are more damped(mechanical,suspension damping) and are a bit more efficient.This will work to an advantage with tube amps.

Both are very easy to drive so any cheapo receiver can drive each pair to very high SPL in most rooms.

To take advantage of each however one needs a quality power amp,the RF7 and RF82 are revealing speakers but not analitical.These could NOT be used for serious monitoring(again a non issue) as they will exibit colorations at certain frequencies. I compared these to my new Dynaudio Contour 3.4's and its clear as day the R series Klipsch favor milder sounding amps and do wonders whe used as main HT speakers.

In closinmg I think Klipsch needs a Premiere line,where you pay $8000-9000 but get the dynamics of an RF7's with the neutrality of a Dynaudio Contour.PS Klipsch I would be a buyer.

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you're wrong theear!

the rf-83 is the rf-7 replacement

the rf-82 is the rf-35 replacement

note rf82 has two woofers rf83 has three

rf-65 replaces the rf-5

My bad it was the RF83's I was listening to,triple 8" drivers. Damn Klipsch just rename the RF83's and name them RF93 or something. [:P]

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