speed3 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I'm curious as to whether the RB 81 is as good as the RB 75. It appears to me that the RB 81 may be a derivative of the RB 5/RB 35 level as opposed to the 75? I have been told that I must relegate my KLF 10's, etc to the "mancave" and replace them with some bookshelves and inwall surrounds in the family room. The room is 24'x24' with vaulted ceilings. Sub duty is performed by a 15" Rythmik Servo as my SW 12II quit on me last year. I like the efficiency of Klipsch, especially in this size room, but I've not been a big fan of most of the Reference line. I have found the RF 7's to my liking, and figure the RB 75 should be close to that. If the RB 81 is more like the RB5, I think I'll have to switch to Paradigm Reference even with the greatly reduced efficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I owned 7's but never heard 75's. There were lots of favorable threads back in the day some just gushing over the 75's to the tune of almost as good as 7's. You might search it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterxela Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 the 75's have the same top end as the 7's, and the 81's have the same top end as the 82's if my memory is correct. 75's are front ported so you can put them on stands against a wall, in a cabinet, on a wall etc.. I loved mine. were not as good as my rf-7's, but, that would be impossible, 1 8 outperforming 2 10's good luck finding 75's if that is the path you choose, they have become quite rare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 The tweeter in the RB-75 is clearly superior to the RB-81tweeter. Here elies the major gain. RF-7/RB-75's are outstanding for HT and do a good job on music. They use a high quality compression driver that is very efficient and needs little power to reach serious SPL . Detail,detail is where the RB-75 have an edge over the RB-81. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speed3 Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 That is what I expected to hear. I think it's unfortunate that Klipsch is not offering a higher end bookshelf speaker. I looked at a review of the RB 81 and the Paradigm Studio 20 v.4 (by the same reviewer). They are closer in sensitivity than you might think, only seperated by 3dB. I realize this still means double the power for the same SPL, but it's better than a 9 dB difference that the specs show. If I can find some 75's to audition, I may go that route, but I think the 81's are a bust. I've never been overly impressed by the RB 5 level in the Ref. series. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Well you know there is this one series called the Palladium that offers a bookshelf from Klipsch if you want high end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I have both and wouldn't part with neither. The high end on the 75's is just like the 7's, don't provide the full spectrum like the 7's but if you like the 7's you'll most likely be happy with the 75's. I use my 7's in a large room and the 75's in my bedroom (15x16). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I have the RB-75s/RC-7/RS-7s sitting in the Hallway that were in our Bedroom HT because we realized we never used them. Given what is in my signature below, we came to the realization that we didn't need two Extremely Outstanding Klipsch Home Theaters. ;-) Laying in bed, relaxing, watching a movie, couldn't really happen given nature of these beasts. That, along with the real estate they take up, helped my wife convinced me in taking them out.... Now I need to figure out something to do with them. [^o)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speed3 Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 What's the finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Cherry RB-75s and RC-7. The RS-7s are in Black. Unfortunately, I don't wish to ship them and they are too good of speakers to sell cheap. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jopez Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 The 75's are a FANTASTIC deal! There are some great prices circulating with people selling and upgrading etc. I had the 75's for about a years and had to sell them to free up some cash. However in the time that I had them, the 75's unlseashed massive amounts of detail in recordings I had not expected. When I first played newer music through them to some of my buddies they swore the bookshelves were broken since the sound didn't seem right. Little did they realize it was the music that was broken. [] Maybe one day I'll reown them, or save up for Palladium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catharsis147 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 RB-75s are a great speaker set. MUCH better than the Rb-81s. I own two pairs of the Rb-75s and the RF-7s and can say that you miss little between the two. Besides the tweeters of the Rb-75s being better, the finish is also better (vinyl versus real wood veneer finish) than the Rb-81s. Good luck in your search!!! Peace, Ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.