TheEAR Posted October 29, 2001 Share Posted October 29, 2001 This will be long. After delivery I started unpacking the beasts.The boxes protect quite well the speakers.The grill is as always packed in a separate carton.Spikes,plain instructions(very sparse,a la Dynaudio)and a 5$ Hard Rock cafe gift card comes in each box. The uncacking done I transported the speakers up,installed the spikes and set the speakers in the same spot the Dynaudio Contour 3.3's were standing before.The speakers are 3 feet(from back of speaker) from the back wall and about 3.5 feet from the side walls.The Sunfire subs are behind the speakers.I use Monster Cable M2.4B 15 feet cables.The amp used with the RF-7 is the very high quality Celeste MOON W5. All interconects are Monster Cable M1000.For the test I used the Audio Research LS25 tube preamp(the Denon 3801 and 5800 both way too noisy as preamps). As you can see quality gear was used,no cheapie reciever(well no reciever can compare,period). Time to fire some tests(remember the speakers are not broken in yet,they just arrived a few hours ago).The first disc is Quincy Jones's Back On The Block.Played a few tracks including #7 Birdland and found the RF-7's to throw a huge soundstage!The dynamics were simply huge.The slam was immense(for those who copmplain about slam???come on get a real amp and smell the coffe)ALL subwoofers were unpluged!I was even looking for a sub that was ON,I am still wondering if Klipsch did not hide an amp in the RF-7's. The spot where the Klipsch did not impress me as much was on Chesky Records Westminister Choir O Magnum Mysterium.This CD is one of the very finest recordings ever made to showcase fone detail and the speaker ability to recreate the acoustic space.While overall the pwerformance sounded good it was a far cry from the recreation of my Dynaudio Contour 3.3 or the Spendor FL-10's.Of course the Contour and FL cost 3-4 times as much! DUH The other CD's were from AudioQuest,Sheffield Lab,and other audiophile labels.Soe Van Halen,Genesis and Metalica thrown for the good ole dB drag race.All sounded good and very live.What the large Klipsch bring to sound is this live feeling,no sugar coating. The new tweeters are clearly better then the lesser ones used in the lower models.The twin 10" mid-bass drivers did not have any problems with speed.Again for those who complain use an amp with serious damping,the Celeste MOON W5 was lightning.The midrange on voices was quite good,one would think a big 10 incher would be slow and color the sound.There was some minor coloration,very slight but overall did nor distract from the music. And these monsters can hit you like an avalanche!When the mid-bass cones started to move the dB level was well over 110dB !And the speakers did not show a grain of stress,always in control,always relaxed.never broke a sweat. These speakers need a good sized room and a very potend power amp.Using them with recievers is far from the best way to go.I dont care how "High-Endish" the reciever claims to be(Denon 5800,Marantz SR-14,B&K,Yamaha 3000/DSP-A1,get the picture)the RF-7 need(want)to work with a high quality power amp. To say the least I am glad to have the RF-7.Super value for the money.For HT its THE bargain,for music it is still very good. After I decided to compare the RF-7's with the Contour 3.3's.Again I had to pump the volume way up when using the Dynaudios as the Dynes need much more power to match the Klipsch. At matched volume the Dynaudio Contour 3.3 had a more detailed top end.The midrange lacked any kind of audible coloration on the 3.3's.The Klipsch simply can match the neutrality of the Dynes.The bass was tight and punchy on both.The Dynaudio Contour 3.3 are superior to the Klipsch RF-7,there is not even a doubt here.The thing is the Klipsch cost 1/3!And give you so much for so little(not size or sound). Bravo Klipsch the RF-7 is a keeper.Now my HT is complete. TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeC Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 TheEar(s), Congratulation on finally getting your RF-7s. Sounds like you have an extraordinary setup. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 Congrats! Enjoy your new speakers. ------------------ Home Theater (getting soon): TV: Sony KV-ES34M80 (34" FD Trinitron WEGA) DVD Player: Toshiba SD-5200 VCR: Sony SLV-ED100 (HiFi VCR) Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (230V version of Denon AVR-4802) Speakers - Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7 Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7 Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBusa Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 I'd like to hear how the cornwalls compare to the rf-7s. ------------------ Ubid customer service SUX. Be very wary if you use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 30, 2001 Author Share Posted October 30, 2001 All my Klipsch Reference series are in "cherry",with the wonderful glue smell. These are big,my Dynes Contour 3.3 dont look that big now.All the usable space in the room is now taken. Only the Spendor FL-10 are a bit larger. Any larger they would not fit. TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gh7 Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 what is the best amp? i heard McIntosh is damn good. those amps are freakin heavy, connect those to some B&w speakers and have great sound. klipschorns also kick *** with this amp. cant wait to hear how the Rf-f sound. congras theears 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 Do you also have the RS-7s? Are they in black or white? Can you please post pics of your RF-7s?? Please?? ------------------ Home Theater (getting soon): TV: Sony KV-ES34M80 (34" FD Trinitron WEGA) DVD Player: Toshiba SD-5200 VCR: Sony SLV-ED100 (HiFi VCR) Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (230V version of Denon AVR-4802) Speakers - Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7 Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7 Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 i'll take the opportunity. i have a super chance of buying the rf-7s for a ridiculous price. i have a Sony STR-DB830. will I still enjoy them until I get a power amp (in the medium-range future)? or is it just plain stupid overkill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleggatt Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 Hey Ear, How do the RF-7's stack up to the Sonus Faber Grand Piano? I'd be interested to know as these are one of my all time favourite speakers. Have heard these? I heard the RF-7's only briefly at Hillcrest HiFi in Addison, Texas and I was impressed but did not get a real chance to hear them. Sounded much more interesting than the Martin Logan's they were next to. Let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eq_shadimar Posted October 30, 2001 Share Posted October 30, 2001 Coolies!! Glad you finally got them. I would also be interested in you reviewing them after some playing time. One of the moderators here mentioned that they need about 100 break in hours. I don't know if that is vaild as I purchased my speaker already broken in :-) Laters, ------------------ ...wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world... My Home Theater Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 31, 2001 Author Share Posted October 31, 2001 KAiN64 I will post some crappy pics soon,see I am not a photo amateur and I only have a cheapie... Kodak DC25 camera! Its only 640x480,pathetic rez. I will get some cells later this week and post some pics.Dont get your hopes too high the pics will not be high-rez. Oh my RF-7 and RC-7 are "cherry" you know the ones that smell like wood and glue for months. Gh7, McIntosh amp are very high quality both construction and sound.They have this tube like sound(even the transistor units).Never agressive,always liquid. I almost purchased the huge 600W/channel monster some time ago.True beauty,with the blue McIntosh output meters.Its audio gear that you keep a lifetime. Well when I saw,heard the Krell amps I never looked back.Most who spit on Krell only heard them at audioshops and when they saw the procetag said "TOO EXPENSIVE".So they say bad things because they cant aford the Krell.Krell amps rank in the top 3 best SS amps.No doubt about that.I find funny when clowns who never had the any large Krell amp at home with matching High-End try by all means to discredit Krell. The fact is the large Krell amps bring awesome performance home.To ay some cost much less and can surpass the overall performance is a joke). Bryston wile very good SS is not up there with Krell. Match a 14B-ST VS the FPB600 and the Krell will be the overall bettercamp(bnot just power here).The bryston is a better value at about $5000 US,the Krell goes for over $12000. Seb, If you can get the RF-7 for a good price and want BIG speakers(and like the Klipsch sound...err no sugar coated in your face)then the RF-7 is a winner. later when you add a good amp you will simply rediscover what the RF-7 is capable of.belive me,I tried the RF-7 with the Denon 3801 and 5800.While the 5800 has more punch and makes the RF-7 sound better its no quality power amp. My small Celeste W4070(70W RMS/channel)amp took the Denon recievers to the cleaners.The sound became grain free,less noise(if used with AR LS25 preamp)and above all the bass had a HUGE,immense slam no reciever can give.And when the MOON W5 came to the game,all bets were off,the RF-7 sounded sublime. Friday I will move some of my gear around and bring the huge Krell into my HT room.Then the RF-7 should wake up ,HE HE.The Carver TFM-75 will get its shot too.With over 600 and 750W RMS on tap per channel the RF-7 should not be famished.I know I may use 5-20 watts max during peaks. All I say here is get the RF-7's,the sound will opnly get better as you upgrade the amp. Kleggatt, The Sonus Faber are in another league,its not even fair to compare.The SF should be compared more to the Dynaudio Contour range.I Did listen to the high-end Sonus Faber Extrema and Amati Homage and these sounded like magic sound makers,two classes above any Klipsch I heard.After I auditioned the Dynaudio Confidence 5 and the Dynes bested the SonusFaber!HA To my ears the high-end Dynaudio have few peers,and the peers cost BIG kilo dollars.I have the Contour 3.3 and these will outperform many speakers costing upwards of 10 grand.The RF-7 while very good are way way less expensive. The RF-7 will not apeal to the same audience(TheEAR not the average audiophile),me I like what the RF series is doing for live music and HT.And I love my Dynaudios and Spendor on music. By the way the very best speakers I ever heard are the huge Dunlavy SC-VI.These giants vanished like no other speakers I ever heard.The performers and their instruments were recreated with stunning accuracy.The problem the Dunlavy SC-VI goes for $25000 US and needs a immense room to perform.And around 500lbs each its not your mini monitor.This masterpiece has two 15" bass drivers,you can start to imagine its size. From the amp side I have all the power and finess to drive any speaker you throw at me. Eq_shadimar, I will post a more detailed review,well opinion if you want.What I know right now,these big speakers need good amplification and proper positioning to give top performance.If the amp quality and/or placement is nor correct you may very well end up disapointed. I think that is all...FOR NOW TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 i would also like to know a little bit more about the KLF vs. RF differences... the KLFs are said to have more "slam", and God knows I like and want slam, as I will be using the speakers mostly for home theater and, err, very dynamic music. however, i am worried they might be too harsh and bright, especially coupled with my Sony receiver, because I know Sonys don't have the smooth sound of Denons. so what should I do? or should I just forget about it, and invest my money so that I can start out in life with some money, not just a kickass sound system... what to do, what to do? just thinking that I have the money right now to pay cash for a pair of RF-7s just kills me... and I don't know if I'll be able to get that same ridiculous price for long... plus I know there aren't many KLF-20s left in our inventory... if only i could listen to them at home with my own equipment... just not practical, or possible for that matter. the big contradiction is I love slam and in your face sound but I hate when the sound is too bright, it hurts my sensitive ears... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 31, 2001 Author Share Posted October 31, 2001 Seb, The Klipsch RF-7's have HUGE slam.Only the KLF30 would have more slam(and some classic monster Klipsch).The twin 10" mid-bass drivers KICK POSTERIOR. The RF-7 are not harsh,and yes they are IN YER FACE. The RF-7 will no doubt make your Paradigm 2200 work overtime if you pump the volume up. You will have to listen at least one time in the store and compare with the KLF20 to decide. I know I prefer the RF-7 over even the KLF30,any day. And I can get a better deal on a pair of KLF-30's!The KLF-30 is simply ...HUGE...the RF-7's are not minimonitors thank you. TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted October 31, 2001 Share Posted October 31, 2001 TheEAR, do you also have the RS-7s? If so, in black or white? Secondly, how much bigger are the RF-7s than the RF-3s? ------------------ Home Theater (getting soon): TV: Sony KV-ES34M80 (34" FD Trinitron WEGA) DVD Player: Toshiba SD-5200 VCR: Sony SLV-ED100 (HiFi VCR) Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (230V version of Denon AVR-4802) Speakers - Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7 Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7 Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 31, 2001 Author Share Posted October 31, 2001 KAiN64, I have the RC-7 not any RS-7(what is that???),also in cherry.All my Klipsch reference are in cherry,all my Dynaudio Contour are in rosewood.Very nice finish. The RF-7 are much larger then the RF-3.Not the same speaker at all,the twin 10 inch drivers in the RF-7 need some serious space to work.Plust the tweeter is of much better quality. TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 hey ears, we always hear, well read, about your speakers, can we get some pics? how many rooms have you filled? LoL! bet the power company and everyone in your tristate area hates it when you play Star Wars on your HT.... can we say brown out? ------------------ -justin I am an amateur, if it is professional help you want email Amy or call her toll free @ 1-888-554-5665 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 yes Theear, we keep asking, but I still haven't seen any picture of your beloved ht room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted November 3, 2001 Share Posted November 3, 2001 wouldnt be funny if theears was really an extremely over weight 13 year old girl from the tennesse back hills? LoL! that would be one to put in the books! just joking theears... but i would really like to see the stuff, where do you keep it all? ------------------ -justin I am an amateur, if it is professional help you want email Amy or call her toll free @ 1-888-554-5665 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted November 3, 2001 Author Share Posted November 3, 2001 LOL Yes yes I am a 13 year old fat kid from Gramby,Quebec. You now know my terrible secret! I only have a set of LoudMedias and brag about things I wish I had. LOL I guess time to put my worn snickers and buy that cheap $19.95 "DIGITAL" ready camera and take some pics of the local audio shops. Damn Justin you unmasked me! TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted November 3, 2001 Author Share Posted November 3, 2001 Ok Justine here are some crappy pics(done with the super duper Kodak DC25...LOL). Dont blame me,its the crap camera and the batteries are dying. Here some RF-7,RC-7 and Sunfire subs. Lets see if this works... TheEAR(s) Now theears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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