Replacing my Klipsch RF 3II's

What is wrong with your RF-3IIs? 6 years is nothing. I suspect that they may be better speakers than the current RF speakers. And they're real wood, too, aren't they

Yeah I have these RF-3 II's too, and have had them maybe 3 or 4 years, LOVE THEM, I'm about to invest in new covers as the outdated "plugs" have broken on the top of both and the fabric is dirty and worn, but with them off, the speakers look awesome and sound great still...my friend just bought the 63's we're hooking them up this Friday night, I'll let you know how they compare.

We both have the Denon 2309CI, and now similar speakers. Are the 63's not real wood? We listened to the 63's in the store, they were great! Salesman said they have the same drivers, etc...THX certified and such?

i have my setup for sale

I think I am mistaken. On both counts. The RF-3 IIs are apparently vinyl. The RF-63s are wood veneer.



The RF-63 definitely does not have the same tweeter as the RF-3 II. The RF-63 has 3 - 6.5" woofers. The RF-3 II has 2 - 8" woofers. The RF-83's and RF-82's 8" woofers are not identical to the RF-3 II's, either.

And none of the Klipsch RF series speakers have ever been THX certified AFAIK.

Wow, so he lied to me? He said they were certified probably back around 2003/2004, and have been since...just salesmen talk?

Lied to you? I don't know about that. Maybe he is just not knowledgeable. Klipsch only makes one line of THX certified speakers.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/thx-ultra2.aspx


But why is it important to you that the speakers be THX certified, necessarily, anyway?

The current equivalent model in the Reference IV line is the RF-82. It uses a different horn and tweeter design, is double ported and has a significantly stronger enclosure. It is also dirt cheap right now and 2 can be had for half the price of an single RF-63. Part of the reason it is so affordable is that it just doesn't sound very good. The 2kHz crossover does not blend well and the bass produced from the double ported design is more boomy than punchy. I also found the 82s to be significantly more difficult to place for proper imaging than my 52s.

The RF-63 is a different beast altogether. Not only is it impressive to look at, but it is also quite powerful and accurate. However, I think the only reason it exists is so that people who can't afford the RF-83s would have a reason to buy something. The 83 is so much more commanding in its sound reproduction, while at the same time being so easy to both listen to and to drive, that I seriously have to question the logic of any 63 owner.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of the 83s, so take that as you will.

Yeah, I thought the RF-3s had a wood veneer, but I decided I better check at the Klipsch site and it said they were vinyl. Beats me.

Yeah, the Klipsch site says both were vinyl. I should have "II" in that post#10. I was referring to both of them, based upon what the Klipsch site said. As I originally said, I thought the RF-3IIs were wood.

I am using the RF-3s as side surrounds with RF-7s/RC-7 up front and RB-75s in the back, with a Denon AVR 4806 and it sounds phenomenal. If you have a Denon AVR 5308 I would definitely look at the RF-63/RF-64 combo up front and moving the RF-3s to side surround duty...Or better yet, see if you can find a pair of RF-7s and an RC-7 in the used market. My 2 cents.

Oh Yeah, my RF-3s look like real wood but apparently they are not.

I can dig it. The RF-3s are nice speakers.

What would be really cool of Klipsch, is if they would some how redesign or make an updated speaker grill for the RF3-II's, where we put some kind of magnitized peice in the current holes and then the new grills had the magnets on them, to kind of bring them up to the design of todays grills.

I didn't like the old style, stick in the hole etc...it will cost $52.xx a piece for the grills. I've emailed and checked.