RF-7's or Chorus II's???

[Bonzo]

I have a chance to get a MINT pair of Chorus II's in oak oil. To pull this off, I would have to sell my RF-7's. I do miss the thump of the 15 inchers! Two 10's just can't move the air. I will have to do some hard thinking on this one! Someone talk me out of this, please!

[Fish]

I don't think many of us would try to talk you out of it.If you've heard both you know which you like best.I've always used my 7's with a powerful sub so I've never missed out on plenty thump,in your chest style.I think for the 7's the rsw12/15 just blend perfectly for music,at least in my room.The 7's also have a nice modern appearance,fit well with decor and that horn just makes a Les Paul sound so real.Of course they can take endless amounts of power and just keep sounding better with more power.I hooked a 550 watt per ch amp to my 7's and the roar almost gave me a panic attack.

There you go,that's some of the positives.The Chorus are a nice speaker too,with many pros.Too bad you can't have em' both,only you can decide,good luck.

[DrWho]

The chorus II's will have a ton less thump than the RF-7's, but what they will have is an actual midrange - and a very good one at that. I'd say they have a better top end as well. For what it's worth, dual 10's pretty much have the same surface area as a single 15.

[rsp1068]

I am with Dr Who, proper placement with the 7's can net some incredible bass. They are not "finicky", room acoustics, placement, and upstream gear play hugely in the sound.

I grabbed a set of Chorus to "try" to replace my 7's with, and they can't hold a candle, at least at low to moderate db.

[stormin]

The chorus II's will have a ton less thump

You just got to give those woofers the right amount of quality juice![H]

[Daddy Dee]

My tastes would lead me to the Chorus II also.

[DrWho]

The chorus II's will have a ton less thump

You just got to give those woofers the right amount of quality juice![H]

1000W of pro-amp not good enough? []

The Chorus II's have a relentlessly flat bass response and it does take a little volume to get that passive moving. The RF-7's, like the Cornwalls have a little boost in the 80-100Hz region which makes them sound punchy and improves their low SPL listening. Crank em up a bit and the Chorus II will demolition the RF7.

But ya, I still totally prefer the CII - but it's all about the mids - that the RF7 has none of.

[stormin]

The chorus II's will have a ton less thump

You just got to give those woofers the right amount of quality juice![H]

1000W of pro-amp not good enough? []

I must admit thats plenty of power![]

[Deang]

Crank em up a bit and the Chorus II will demolition the RF7... but it's all about the mids - that the RF7 has none of.

Uh, yeah, right.[*-)]

[DrWho]

tis the same power-response concept that you don't like the large format 2-way tweeters for...

[Deang]

Interesting. I hadn't really thought about that before. I guess you're talking about the two 10's and the high crossover point? You're saying they're starting to beam before they reach the crossover point, that off-axis response is poor, and so the midrange unloads poorly into the room. Maybe some of us miss out on this particular problem because we sit close to our speakers -- is that possible?

[Fish]

The chorus II's will have a ton less thump

You just got to give those woofers the right amount of quality juice![H]

1000W of pro-amp not good enough? []

The Chorus II's have a relentlessly flat bass response and it does take a little volume to get that passive moving. The RF-7's, like the Cornwalls have a little boost in the 80-100Hz region which makes them sound punchy and improves their low SPL listening. Crank em up a bit and the Chorus II will demolition the RF7.

But ya, I still totally prefer the CII - but it's all about the mids - that the RF7 has none of.

Man......you better put down that bong or grow your own.Klipsch don't make any speakers that demolish the 7's.Better by some margin or preference maybe but that statement is off the hook.If you like an EQ with a mountain peak instead of a V that's your biz but I always prefered the V so the 7's eliminated my need for an EQ.I have 20's so I can compare mids easily,the 20's have a nice mid but the overall presentation of the 7's is superior,unlike my 83's.

[Audio Flynn]

Interesting. I hadn't really thought about that before. I guess you're talking about the two 10's and the high crossover point? You're saying they're starting to beam before they reach the crossover point, that off-axis response is poor, and so the midrange unloads poorly into the room. Maybe some of us miss out on this particular problem because we sit close to our speakers -- is that possible?

Too analytical for me.

let us look at this totally subjective

1. RF-7 looks like a scrawny pup; the runt of the littter for floor standers

2. Copper colored woofer cone in a loudspeaker; Heaven help us!

3. Chorus II has a much more robust grill design.

My Chorus IIs went from very nice soundstage and detail to amazing due to JM Blueberry and Dean network upgrade this year!

Hope this helps.

[]

[Fish]

Interesting. I hadn't really thought about that before. I guess you're talking about the two 10's and the high crossover point? You're saying they're starting to beam before they reach the crossover point, that off-axis response is poor, and so the midrange unloads poorly into the room. Maybe some of us miss out on this particular problem because we sit close to our speakers -- is that possible?

Too analytical for me.

let us look at this totally subjective

1. RF-7 looks like a scrawny pup; the runt of the littter for floor standers

2. Copper colored woofer cone in a loudspeaker; Heaven help us!

3. Chorus II has a much more robust grill design.

My Chorus IIs went from very nice soundstage and detail to amazing due to JM Blueberry and Dean network upgrade this year!

Hope this helps.

[]

1.rf7 is LARGER than most Klipsch speakers,although not 3ft wide,a plus for most.

2.Copper woofer helped Klipsch make a flat fortune,I could take or leave it.

3.Do you play with the grills,had mine 4 years grandkids and all,NO problem,just like new.

4.If you prefer Chorus enjoy,I just can't understand why people bash a Klipsch product,I guess to make them feel better about their choice/find.

[audiocvk]

"Maybe some of us miss out on this particular problem because we sit close to our speakers -- is that possible?"

I find the RF-7's sound even better farther away, gives the speakers breathing room. I have mine setup about 14ft. away from listening position, midrange is very good. I like to setup the RF-7's from 12 to 17 feet away from listening position.

I think the negatives from members here are ones who never owned them or ever heard them setup correctly to give even a hint of what the RF-7's are capable of, but in either case lets all be respectful to our own likes, hate to see this get into a debate match.

Good Day.

[audiocvk]

I own many speakers and I have the Chorus II & RF-7 in the group of Klipsch speakers I own. The RF-7's have bass and you should be getting bass. I use without subwoofer and get great bass with thump. The RF-7's have better bass all-the-way-around but I've setup many RF-7's and the key to it is to use it with a high output amp and this really brings the bass out. It's also important for speaker placement for bass results, you can follow the general rules for placement. I wouldn't do anything as drastic as getting rid of your RF-7's for the Chorus II. The RF-7's have very pin-point imaging, resolution, and upper detail from the titanium horn. There isn't lack of midrange if you use the RF-7's with a high output amp, this will push the midrange outward with great detail. The Chorus II & RF-7's both very good speakers but just slightly different flavors of sound but more alike than not of the Klipsch signature sound. I find I favor more towards the RF-7's for these ears and tend to use it much more than the Chorus II's. I have compared them side-by-side and to these ears, the RF-7's win for all-around-sound. If I had to pick just one, it would be the RF-7's. I can't image how "DrWho" can say the RF-7's have no midrange, this leaves me to believe DrWho has never heard them setup well with quality components?? Out of all the RF-7's I have setup, not one person has ever told me there is no midrange!!!!. I also disagree with the statement "Crank em up a bit and the Chorus II will demolition the RF7". I don't find that to be true at all, not with setups here.

It is all subjective and the final result you prefer will be your ears alone, it would be better to ear them first before you leap into it to make sure you are making the right move. Good Luck!

[Tony Reed]

I own Chorus II's and have listened to RF's a lot. In fact, sometime ago, I could have gotten RF-7's for a song, but I turned it down. I just like the overall sound of the Chorus II's better. I guess it's closer to that "Heritage" sound.

Tony

[DrWho]

Oh wow, that really stirred the pot - lol...wasn't meant to be an RF7 bash at all.

First of all, the CII's can do 130dB peak and are clean as heck all the

way up to 118dB. The RF-7's start breaking up around 110dB or so. Yes I

know, nobody listens at these levels (I'm usually down around 60dB) but

it's a good indication of which one has less distortion for the same

SPL.

I don't think sitting close to a speaker necessarily ensures avoiding

the off-axis issues - especially in the typical home setting. As you

get closer you start to notice proximity gain which results in the

lower lows increasing slowly. It'll be more a function of the reverb in

the room (if the room is more life in the midrange, then it won't be as

noticeable). Might explain why one would like the Altec horns in the

same room though...

Another thing that I find interestingly never mentioned is the ringing

of the aluminum diaphragms. They've got a pretty nasty sharp peak at

9kHz (? I forget the actual number, but I've seen the measurements). It

is a design tradeoff to maintain a stiff enough cone without

sacrificing efficiency.

Btw, most of the folks at Klipsch would tell you that the biggest

shortcoming of the RF7 is the midrange, which is one of the key things

they tried to address with the RF-83. Though an improvement it still

doesn't compare to the cornwall (which I've had the opportunity to demo

side by side in rooms with decent acoustics and $40k of equipment).

I've also had cornwalls and Chorus II's side by side and they are

nearly identical with different music sounding better on different

speakers.

As I mentioned earlier, the Chorus II bass is relentlessly accurate...I

too usually prefer the exagerated sound of the cornwall/RF7 bass, but

this is more a shortcoming in the recordings than the speakers

themselves. I'm gonna butcher the quote, but PWK mentioned that there

is no problem "tweaking to taste", but a less accurate speaker cannot

be tweaked to be more accurate when needed. It's in the Dope from Hope

so I'll see if I can find the page again.

The effects of the baffle are also a pretty well understood aspect of

acoustics - the conclusion being that a larger baffle is better. It

reduces distortion (less cone movement needed for the same SPL),

increases power output and improves the off-axis response. The tall

narrow and deep design of the RF-7 is a tradeoff to increase its WAF.

What is it, a 3 foot deep cabinet? That would correspond to reflection

induced phase cancellation at 90Hz and standing waves every harmonic of

360Hz. There will be similar issues from the height of the cabinet as

well though they would also be present in the CII.

gosh, there I go getting technical again...thought about deleting the

whole post, but decided to leave it anyway. Despite all the tradeoffs

happening in the design of the RF-7, it is still a very good speaker.

Heck, I used to defend them against KHorns until I actually got to sit

down and hear them for myself. I actually think it's kinda funny that

I'm not a fan of the RF-7, RF-83, or the khorn, yet a big fan of the

cornwall, chorus II and Jubilee.

[stormin]

Funny how such a defensive posture is raised when we all love klipsch speakers. I really havent seen any bashing in this thread but more of a like dislike of each and personal preference. So you like the RF7's and little timmy likes the chorus II's. Big deal, nobody on the planet has made a perfect speaker yet so its all about indivdual tastes.

Now we do all believe that one speaker maker PWK made some great speakers and made many different models for all of our tastes and his legend continues with each and every new klipsch speaker.

I dont believe anyone is trying to step on anyones egos or toes. Just giving personal advice from experience and our own likes and dislikes.

So chill out and go enjoy some tunes on your KLIPSCH speakers!!!!!!!

Oh and by the way CHORUS II's ROCK!!!!!!!! []

[Fish]

"Maybe some of us miss out on this particular problem because we sit close to our speakers -- is that possible?"

I find the RF-7's sound even better farther away, gives the speakers breathing room. I have mine setup about 14ft. away from listening position, midrange is very good. I like to setup the RF-7's from 12 to 17 feet away from listening position.

I think the negatives from members here are ones who never owned them or ever heard them setup correctly to give even a hint of what the RF-7's are capable of, but in either case lets all be respectful to our own likes, hate to see this get into a debate match.

Good Day.

I could not agree more with that whole statement.At 15 ft they sound fantastic(where I set),even at 20 or more.I also 100% back the no hint of their capabilty statement,it never ends with anything I've hooked up,it just keeps gettin better.

To Who,if I never would have owned 7's I'd prolly go for that technical mumbo jumbo but I've had em' 4 years.I've heard and had many speakers twice the price right beside em'.You may have heard 7's on poor gear,bad room ,bad source,bad connections or Dr Who knows what,or maybe you just don't like em'.