STUDIO 2000 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 All, I have been very impressed with the amount of knowledge on this forum. I have read many posts describing the different manufacturers of amps, processors, and what some of your preferences are. I just recently purchased the RF-7, and also got a good deal on the RC-64 Center. I dont have a subwoofer as of yet, and would like to use my RF-7's bass as much as possible. This morning as I got out of bed, I decided I want to go with Seperates! (I was very close to buying a Receiver) My needs: I am looking for Seperates that will not cost me more than $2000. I want SeperatesThe living area is approx 17.5 X 13. This will mainly be used for HT but also for music. I will mainly be doing a 5 channel for now, but want room for 7X channel. I was going to hold off till HDMI v 1.3, but I think that seperates will still work great with an Component/DVI or HDMI connector. I am a Movie Soundtrack Junkie. Although I love movies, somehow when I watch a movie, it is the Score or soundtrack that really does it for me along with special effects of course. Wish to utilize RF-7 capability and bass as much as possible (until I get a subwoofer later, but I know the neigbors will complain:))Dont want RF-7 to sound too harsh. I am not totally understanding the technical details with regards to RF-7, but I read a post where Dr. Who spoke about these Low impedence dips the RF-7 has and to use a high current amp. The way I understand this is that the current is more important than the Wattage?. I looked at the Outlaw 7075 AMP and its only 75 W x 7 channels with a Outlaw Processor like the Pre. Pro 990? I also looked at the NAD T973 AMP and specs looked good. I welcome your input, and other suggestions of Amps worth looking at. I want to get the best I can afford with a low noise as possible and enjoy those movies. I welcome your input and suggestions based on my above needs. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Where are you from 2000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STUDIO 2000 Posted June 2, 2007 Author Share Posted June 2, 2007 IndyKlipschFan Thanks for the reply. I am in Austin, TX Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 cant go wrong with Rotel. they make some great stuff. I bought the RSP 1068 and the RB-1080 for our RF83s, and it sounds fantastic. With some negotiating, you can get those two down in that price range or very close to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepjk01 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I would skip the rotel as far as amps are concerned with the rf7's. Not that rotel is bad just there is better for less money amps that mate well with the rf7's. My advice as far as an amp would be go on ebay and pick up a used qsc plx2402. I picked one up last week and hooked it up over the weekend and have never heard my rf7's sound as good as they do know. I have tried various amps with them including rotel, aragon, and bryston. My second favorite is the emotiva audio mps1. It has the same high end sound as the qsc, but lacks the force of the qsc in the low end. I picked mine up of ebay for $410 shipped in mint condition. As far as a preamp I would wait and go with the new onkyo 805, for 1000 it is looking like a good bargain. You can read its specs over on avsforum in the amp section first page of the thread of the new onkyo receiver threads. The only straight preamps with hdmi capable audio decoding are going to set you back more than your total budget. That still leaves you with five hundred left over and you could always pick up an emotiva audio lpa-1 5channel amp for your center and surrounds if you don't want to use the amps built into the onkyo. Others opionons will vary, but this is what I would do. I'm not the first to praise the qsc plx series pro amps with rf7's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 No to Rotel and thumbs up for Onkyo? That is really far out,imo.I wouldn't have that Onkyo if it was $500 and had 10 hdmi hook ups,only my opinion mind ya.As to the qsc,I hear it's fine,and that industrial look is way kool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I'm not the first to praise the qsc plx series pro amps with rf7's It is important to note that the PLX series is fan cooled (as are most pro amps), and therefore it will be audible in a quiet room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 My advice as far as an amp would be go on ebay and pick up a used qsc plx2402. I picked one up last week and hooked it up over the weekend and have never heard my rf7's sound as good as they do know. I have tried various amps with them including rotel, aragon, and bryston. My second favorite is the emotiva audio mps1. It has the same high end sound as the qsc, but lacks the force of the qsc in the low end. I picked mine up of ebay for $410 shipped in mint condition. I'm not the first to praise the qsc plx series pro amps with rf7's Shepjk01, That is awesome! Glad to hear another happy QSC owner. I get concert levels with mine and its as clean as can be. Love to go to concerts but wish the venues had the sound I have at home. It really is awesome! Congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 It is important to note that the PLX series is fan cooled (as are most pro amps), and therefore it will be audible in a quiet room. That is a good point Formica. There are ways to help with that problem. One of them includes exchanging the factory fan with a lower rpm fan. Or just moving the amp to another location. I think it is well worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepjk01 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 As far as the fan sound from 12 feet back at my listening position I can't hear it. The fan in the plx series amp is variable controlled based on the amps operating temperature. Qsc also offers a fan upgrade for 15 bucks that supposedly makes the fan almost completely inaudible at less than a foot away. Glad to see you also like the plx series amps stormin. I will never go back to home audio amps again unless they are tube based. The plx series with the rf7's is a match made in heaven. My next upgrade is to purchase three more for the rest of my rf7's in my home theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadtobin Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I'd like to add- If you are on a budget, you could pick up a Crown XLS 402 and achieve very similar results. These can be had for around 250-300 on ebay. I quite literally disconnected my subwoofer after upgrading to a pro amp. The increase in bass and overall presence and power of my RF-7's was shockingly improved. Recievers just don't cut it with these guys. One negative about the Crown- the fans are quite loud, and will probably bother most during quiet passages. My solution was to disconnect one fan, no heat issues and the volume was dropped to acceptable levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Get the Crown XTi 1000 for $499 new with full transferable 3 year no fault warranty (drop it of the Empire State Building and run over it with a truck....and all they may ask is how it got that way out of perverse curiosity...also, it can be extended to 6 years). For a hundred bucks more than the XLS, and a few hundred less than the QSC, you get a proportional fan (it probably will not run at all for home use) and it has a greater duty cycle and, if you ever need it, it excels at ~2 ohm loads...plus it has additional DSP functionality built in including crossover (if you have a use for them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Get the Crown XTi 1000 for $499 new with full transferable 3 year no fault warranty (drop it of the Empire State Building and run over it with a truck....and all they may ask is how it got that way out of perverse curiosity...also, it can be extended to 6 years). For a hundred bucks more than the XLS, and a few hundred less than the QSC, you get a proportional fan (it probably will not run at all for home use) and it has a greater duty cycle and, if you ever need it, it excels at ~2 ohm loads...plus it has additional DSP functionality built in including crossover (if you have a use for them). Hey Mas, Wondered when you might be showing up for the party![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 My advice as far as an amp would be go on ebay and pick up a used qsc plx2402. I picked one up last week and hooked it up over the weekend and have never heard my rf7's sound as good as they do know. I have tried various amps with them including rotel, aragon, and bryston. My second favorite is the emotiva audio mps1. It has the same high end sound as the qsc, but lacks the force of the qsc in the low end. I picked mine up of ebay for $410 shipped in mint condition. I'm not the first to praise the qsc plx series pro amps with rf7's Shepjk01, That is awesome! Glad to hear another happy QSC owner. I get concert levels with mine and its as clean as can be. Love to go to concerts but wish the venues had the sound I have at home. It really is awesome! Congrats. Best kept "secret" out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STUDIO 2000 Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Thanks for the info so far and keep it coming. Please educate me on the following: I want a 7.1 suround system later and will probably start with 5.1. If I go with these AMPS, I see it only as 2 channel so that means it it will only be for the Rf-7 pair? How will this help me with Home Theater in 7.1? I mean wouldnt my two fronts be too overpowering for the center? RC-64 in this case and too powerfull for surrounds? I want to maintain good balance. I guess I want to make sure that I dont buy this AMP and it's only for 2 channels and the rest of the channels sound so less powerfull? How would you get around this? - as I was going to go with a home theatre 7X channel decicated amp., but now you have me thinking otherwize. Also on the Klipsch RF-7 specs it says 250 Watts Max. If you use a higher power amp than 250 Watts wont it damage the speaker? I welcome your input on this and to learn as much as I can. Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 There are ways to help with that problem. One of them includes exchanging the factory fan with a lower rpm fan. Or just moving the amp to another location. I'm actually using both those techniques as i power both my subwoofers with pro-amps. QSC,no longer offers the "quiet fan" kit... but you can do it yourself using an after market unit (although it "technically" voids the warranty)... and it is still lightly audible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 2000,first you do not need more than 250 solid watts,period,no ifs,and or buts.If 200 watts per don't make the 7's scream to the heavens,get different speakers.I've had everything from 35 watts per to 550 watts per ch.200 real solid watts will work very,very well.I'd suggest you keep it real and get a good 2/5 channel or 7 channel amp.I saw a Parasound 1205a on Agon for $699,trigger etc,157 watts per on the bench x 5,enough to make the 7's almost blow apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 2000,first you do not need more than 250 solid watts,period,no ifs,and or buts.If 200 watts per don't make the 7's scream to the heavens,get different speakers.I've had everything from 35 watts per to 550 watts per ch.200 real solid watts will work very,very well.I'd suggest you keep it real and get a good 2/5 channel or 7 channel amp.I saw a Parasound 1205a on Agon for $699,trigger etc,157 watts per on the bench x 5,enough to make the 7's almost blow apart. I agree with you Fish. That is some great advice. And I do agree that 200 solid, real watts should make most speakers sing to the high heavens. Aragon is about as real a 200 watts as you will find on the planet and it just doesnt have the bass foundation or mids that this high powered QSC has. Not even close. I dont personally own the 7's and it may be alot easier to move the 2 10's than it is this 15 in these Chorus II's I don't know. Price is out the window when it comes to these pro amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachuckster Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 I have an Outlaw 7700 amp. It is rated 200 WPC continuous into 7 channels. It ROCKS over my Denon 3803, rated at 110 WPC. Loud, hard, in your face watts really make my RF7s kicks. They also have a smaller amp, the 7125, rated at 125 WPC, all 7 channels driven. They have a matching 990 pre-pro that is very nice. Together, they are around $2000. Take a look at www.outlawaudio.com I believe each carries a 5 year transferrable warranty. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepjk01 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 It is just not about making the rf7's scream. The horn of course takes very little power to reach hi decibels. The woofers in the rf7's are another story. As has been shown the rf7's have a dip down to around 2.8 ohms in the bass region. The nice thing about the qsc is that it handles this dip with ease unlike many home audio amps. I to was sceptical about pro audio amps until I actually used one to power my rf7's. It was not that the other amps sounded bad, they would make the rf7's sing, just not with the authority and control the qsc has over the woofers. Like I said it is my opinion and it looks like others on here have came to the same conclusion that have also tried plx amps. As far as trying a crown xti I cannot comment as I haven't heard the crown. Keep in mind the crown xti and qsc use different topologies AB verus 2 teir class H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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