Ou8thisSN Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 So 3 years ago, i was floored by the demo i got from the RF7 system at a tweeter, and within a few months I bought a pair and have loved them ever since. I know that this model has been discontinued and the RF83 is the new king of the road. I havent heard these speakers and there are few to none reviews of this speaker online, but I'm assuming some of you must have bought one. What do you think? I'm seriously considering buying a new pair of speakers for a stereo system, and I havent been disappointed by klipsch in the past, will i be this time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 From what I heard when I listened to the RF-83s (and I'll admit it wasn't a tremendously long demo, but I got the idea), if you LOVE your RF-7s, you'll LIKE RF-83s. If you HATE your RF-7s, you'll LOVE the RF-83s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 There was a bit of rough frequency response around 2-3 K. Sounds like the multiple smaller drivers helped that quite a bit. They are sweet! M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted October 26, 2006 Author Share Posted October 26, 2006 the only thing that i didnt like about my RF7s is that on some rock music, it could sound a little more harsh than i like. I mean its great sometimes, because it sounds so live, but sometimes its a bit too bright, if thats toned down a little, i would be in heaven. But the best thing I liked about my RF7s is the depth i got without the subwoofers. The 10s in it are so so smooth. I realize these are smaller drivers and I shouldnt expect the same type of performance but as long as it does a good job with the mids and the highs (obviously), I can fill the low end with a sub. Thanks for responding folks. I'm definitely going to demo them at a store this weekend. The local Klipsch dealer, HIfi buys, is having a 30th aniversary sale this weekend, and if i can get them to demo it and give me a decent price, i'll just go ahead and get it. When you guys bought yours, what discount, if any, did you get off the MSRP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 If you like a live ROCK sound, you should give Cornwalls a listen! M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 If you like a live ROCK sound, you should give Cornwalls a listen! M True.He can also tame those 7's with Dean's crossovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 RF7's are fine speakers ,RF83's are more polite and will be more forgiving.Play anything harsh and the RF7's will tear you a new one,the 83's will only start to irritate. For best results a high quality tube amp is a must(RF7's),with RF83's a quality receiver will match well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 RF7's are fine speakers ,RF83's are more polite and will be more forgiving.Play anything harsh and the RF7's will tear you a new one,the 83's will only start to irritate. For best results a high quality tube amp is a must(RF7's),with RF83's a quality receiver will match well. I heard the rf-5 and they seem to be less bright on the top end than the rf-7,I also found them to be a touch cleaner sounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Seriously?I just sold a pair.And why would someone play anything "harsh"on 7's? Is something "harsh"gonna sound great on K horns or Cornwalls?not the ones I heard.The 83's are a very nice looking and sounding HT speaker with good low end.If you hook em' to a substandard gear in a bad room improperly positioned and play something "harsh"they ain't gonna sound too good either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 thanks for the responses. I really appreciate the input. So i called a dealer that was out of state, and he says that he has both the RF7s and can get the RF83s. Now he says that while he has no problem selling me the RF83s he strongly suggests i get another pair of the RF7s. I told him that the RF7s are just a little too harsh on some types of music and i want somethign smoother, and he said that the only thing that has changed is that they have 3 drivers instead of 2, and it provides less power and less bass. He said the tweeters is bascially the same as they were in the RF7s, so the harshness that i've complained about would remain, but with less power to back it up due to how the 3 new drivers were wired. now I havent heard these speakers and I plan to tommorrow, but I was encouraged by what was written in your comments here. I cannot figure out if this dealer is being honest with me or if he's trying to unload his stock of the RF7s. Is there any merit to his claims? this would be easy to decide if there were any reviews online or in mags, i just dont know what i should do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 I think it's pretty safe to say that if you play music that's not well recorded it would be "less" offensive on the 83's.I summed up my thoughts when I had the 83's,if you think the 7's are too revealing the 83's might be just the ticket.They sound good,the highs were a little subdued to me compared to 7's but not in a negative way,just my preference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 howdy all, I have not heard the RF7 so cannot compare. But what I can tell you is this. I have owned my RF83 for about 4 weeks now, with around 60 hours on them. I have it hooked up to A Yamaha RX-V2500 and HK DVD22(not high end but very good value for money). After playing around with wiring, analog out from DVD instead of toslink for 2 channel etc, these speakers continue to keep impressing me. The bass from these things is crazy (I keep checking the volume level on the sub) and the drivers don't even move!..lol. The soundstage is wide, seperation is very nice, mids are smooth and detailed. Throw on any well recorded disc (80's era if you have them due to much less compression than the "hot" crap they are selling these days.) The clarity from thse things is simply stunning. I simply cannot be happier and I have a very picky ear. I can only imagine what they will sound like when I get my new amp,250 watt minimum bruiser to really put some heavy punch and see if the drivers move then lmao. I cannot see how anyone who likes Klipsch or excellent sound would not fall in love with these. Enjoy your new purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 Well as i said, I love the rf7s but the only times i wished it was a bit gentler is if i listened to some really hard rock stuff, like van halen or linkin park. On those, again it depends on the album, but there is just some stuff that gets phased out in terms of clarity and melts in the treble. But as long as you guys think it does a good job on the midrange, and the trebles, i would be very pleased. I am not worried about the low end as I plan on getting a sub to go along with it. Also what are your impressions of the rt12d sub thats supposed to complement it? btw: Jetjockey can i ask how much you paid for your 83s? I'm gonna try and haggle with the local dealer tommorrow, dont know how flexible they are over pricing, but if its close to 20% i'd love to make a deal with them. Is that reasonable to assume that they might go that far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 hi there, i'm in Ontario, Canada and paid $2600 Cad plus tax of course. The list was $3499 which i think was inflated but am happy with the deal especially considering how friggin awesome they sound. Up here 20% off is pretty much the norm on higher priced gear. Let us all know what you get and have FUN!! P.S....from what I have seen from Klipsch , either choice would be a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 As an after thought, assuming pricing is good, if you already have RF7's why wouldn't you get the 83's and that way you can put them in the room that works best for each application? Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 I asked MarkMaple to post here, he's been using RF7's for some time, had Dean mod them, bought RF83's- guess which ones are for sale! M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 right now we use the RF7s in a home theater environment only and it just performs outstandingly. I didnt like the idea of having the same exact speaker in every part of the house so i was waiting for these new RF83s to come out. And if it addresses the only two complaints i have with the RF7s in terms of harshness/reveals too much on some music, then i'm golden. Lets hope that I get a good demo tommorrow and walk out with these speakers, if i like what i hear. I'm going to take 5 of my favorite CDs to the store and try it out to test exactly what i know. Thanks for all the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 now I havent heard these speakers and I plan to tommorrow, but I was encouraged by what was written in your comments here. I cannot figure out if this dealer is being honest with me or if he's trying to unload his stock of the RF7s. Is there any merit to his claims? The RF-83 is definetly much much smoother sounding - and the tweeter is vastly improved. Overal cone surface area is about the same for both speakers, but the RF-83 goes 3Hz lower according to the measurements... [] The tradeoff is the RF-7 can go 2dB louder...that would be equivalent to two numbers of volume on your reciever. And then when you factor in the dealer's incentive for moving old product off the floor...just seems fishy to me. I think I'd take my business elsewhere. As far as which speaker to go with - let your ears decide. Going out and doing your own listening comparisons is the best way to go about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 As far as which speaker to go with - let your ears decide. Going out and doing your own listening comparisons is the best way to go about it.Excellent advice. If you dig those 83's today buy them & enjoy. If not come back here & search for "rf-7 crossover mod". That does what your looking for.JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram2500 Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I am runnig the RF-83 with a Sony 7100ES receiver and coundn't be happer with them. The RF-83 are a more refined sounding over the new RF-82 that i use for rears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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