tholly Posted November 24, 2001 Share Posted November 24, 2001 I have a HT system now a few years old - 61" Pioneer Elite TV; CF-2s (fronts); KV4 (center); 4 KG 1.5s surrounds; 2 M&K V125 subs powered by a Dennon AVR 5600. I'd like to use 2 Luxman M-12 amps I have to build up an audio system to be placed in a 16'x20' room with 20' cathedral ceiling. For my price range, considering a pair of CF-3s, RF 3 IIs or KG 5.5s for use with contemporary music. I would appreciate opinions of those with experience with each of these speakers. What are the merits of each speaker and against each other? Also can anyone convey the sound presence between these speaker designs and the Belle Klipsch or La Scala models? Thank you for responding! This message has been edited by tholly on 11-26-2001 at 10:52 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowooo Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 tholly.....Do you have an option to buy either of these speakers or are you just checking them out? First thing is the CF-3's retailed for two-thousand dollars, more than twice that of the 5.5's. I'm not saying they are twice the speaker, but that is something to consider. The Epic line, especially the 2,3,4's with the aluminum diaphragms and massive 2" horns, are "in my opinion," excellent with most types of music. They are great with imaging, very airy/depth, and can play extremely quick and loud with no distortion. Of course all this depends on your other equipment. It's been years since I've heard the larger kg series so it wouldn't be fair to make any judgements on them. I have owned CF-2's for over six years now and can tell you that I absolutely love the sound of them and have had no problems what so ever with them. Good luck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted November 26, 2001 Share Posted November 26, 2001 I have KG4, Epic CF4, and La Scala speakers. I have never heard any of the RF line. The KG and Heritage lines are much closer in, uh, "sonic signature" than either is to the Epic line. The Epic series sounds more different than other Klipsch speakers than any other speaker they made, at least of those I've heard. The CF-3 will have a very detailed sound, plays loudly with minimal power, images very well, and doesn't react too strongly with the room its placed in, making it easier to find a location that gives a good balance of top to bottom sound and imaging. However, the Epic series does not share the "slam" and in-your-face presense of the other Klipsch speakers. The KG5.5 will play almost as loudly as the Epic CF3 - it's rated a smidge less sensitive, at 98dB rather than the CF3's 100dB per watt, but this is a bit misleading, as the two speakers will emphasize different parts of the spectrum, and either one might sound louder than the other at any given power level based on the type of music you're playing. The KG series will not image as well as the Epic, does not have quite the same refinement in the upper midrange and treble, but WILL have a LOT more bass slam, and a lot more "presense" - that is, KG's will sound a lot more "Klipschier" than the Epics. Nothing else sounds like a Belle, La Scala or Klipschorn except a Belle, La Scala or Klipschorn, or to some degree the Cornwall and Heresy. These Heritage line speakers use different, older types of horns, and in the Belle and La Scala are totally horn loaded (the CF, KG and RF series all have direct radiating bass units - no horns down there), and nothing else sounds like it. The KG sounds closer in most respects to the sound of the Belle and La Scala that the Epic does, but it's still a long way off. I like my La Scalas better than my CF4 or KG4, because I like the life-like dynamics at low or high sound levels that I get form the La Scalas. The La Scala and Belle will not image like the others you listed, are HUGE (actually MOST HUGE) compared to the other speakers on your list - you could alsmost fit the CF, RF and KG speakers INSIDE the Belle or La Scala and still have room for a small jazz band - and, contrary to what you might expect, the Belle and La Scala will have NOWHERE NEAR the bass extension of the other speakers. The QUALITY of the bass that they do produce will be far above that of the other speakers, but the DEPTH of the bass will leave you quite surprised if you're not expecting it - both La Scala and Belle roll of sharply below the mid-50's or so, meaning your missing the last octave and a half of bass. Hope all this helps... You really ought to try to listen to these things before you buy them - you're talking about a range of speakers that sound quite different from each other. ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Ray's Music System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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