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Klipsch RF-7II vs. RF-82II -- My Impressions -- Need Advice

post #1 of 14
1/31/13 at 11:33am
Thread Starter 
After researching...ALOT. On paper I had a full setup mapped out with RF82II fronts and RC-62II Center. I found a place to go audition them... And I liked them over all but I was shocked...I actually heard the negative of what some people say. Upper end can be harsh and fatiguing after a long time.

I liked the forward feel and the dynamics especially since this was supposed to be for movies...but I could not get over the upper end shrill I heard that really got on my nerves rather quickly.

So I have now been on my search for over 3 months. I have heard allot of speakers from Paradigm, PSB, BW, ML etc. And I keep coming back to the Klipsch.

Today I dragged in my wife and we brought our own referance material. She heard the movie and loved the Klipsch...then she heard music and really didnt like them at all.

The salesman smiled and brought us to the "next" show room. He played for us the RF-7II... This was a dynamic speaker but the harshness I heard was gone. My wife was looking at this semi-unattractive hulk of a speaker. She loved the sound but the speaker size and the price was VERY signfigantly more and the thing is just a beast. (I think I can talk her into the size...it is really cost at this point and the fact although the RF-7II sounded more refined at that price point I really have to start my search again.)

Can anyone help me out with + and - of the RF-7II compared to the RF-2? Anyone have advice as to any other speakers that sound like the RF-7II? 1600 a piece plus center is a budget buster. I was looking 3k for LCR...

Our reaction came after auditioning the Paradigm studio 100 and 20's at another store. We liked them over all..but they seemed a tad too laid back. They didn't punch me. To be 100% in my drearm world the RF-7II and the RF-82II didnt punch me in the face either with OMG I love them. But they are the best we heard so far.

PSB and BW were no goes. BW was for sure musical..but cost and fact that we are going to use them 80 percent for HT made us move away from them.
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post #2 of 14
1/31/13 at 12:20pm
Don't pay retail for them. you should be able to find them new with significant discounts online or by driving around. Might have to go kind of far but since you're in Dallas there must be more than a few places to buy from.

Or take a trip to Houston or San Antonio.

Buy used. They seem to appear on CL or Audiogon pretty frequently.
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post #3 of 14
1/31/13 at 2:00pm
Or check around for Klipsch Authorized B stock. I purchased 3 RF7IIs shipped to me for 2 Grover Cleveland's , one William McKinley and 2 Benjamin Franklins
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post #4 of 14
1/31/13 at 8:10pm
If possible sense you only have 2 speaker id try the Studio 100's and the RF-7's in your home at the same time.

I'm trying to find a place that has all 3 of these
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post #5 of 14
4/9/13 at 2:15am
I found the opposite, kind of, to be truefrom my demoing of these 2 speakers. The 7's were overly boomy and lacked the clarity of the 82's. If you were planning on not running a sub, Id say get the 7's. But I plan on running a sub and opted for the 82's. But yes, I too can hear the shrillness of the 82's once I got them home.
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post #6 of 14
4/9/13 at 4:29am
@ Newbie01 - I think you should at least check out the BIC Acoustech PL-89's, PL-28, PL-66's. Are they the greatest speakers out there, no of course not. But if you kinda like the sound of the Klipsch but find them to be a bit harsh and bright, the Acoustech's may be right for you. I have heard the RF-82II, the Synergy tower with dual 8", and the Icon tower with dual 8". I prefer the Acoustech's over all the Klipsch they sound great and bring dialog to life and have crisp clear highs without having fatigue. I would say the Acoustech's are better speakers than the Synergy and the Icon, But they aren't built quite as well or as strong as the Reference series tho. I also think the Acoustech's look good with the piano gloss black top and bottoms. For the price they are hard to beat I paid under $1k for 2 towers, 1 center, and 4 surrounds.
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post #7 of 14
4/9/13 at 4:48am
I think Newbie01 has some philharmonic speakers now.
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post #8 of 14
4/9/13 at 6:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfD View Post

I think Newbie01 has some philharmonic speakers now.

Yep...old post. I have Phil 2's. I did like the Klipsch RF-7II but for music it was missing for me (texture to the music, sound stage).

I was looking at BIC as well...but to be honest there were not that many good things to be said about them besides cost. Not saying they are not good speakers...just saying what I read.

Thanks though!
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post #9 of 14
4/9/13 at 6:39am
RF83 would be nice speakers also if you can find them
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post #10 of 14
4/9/13 at 9:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daffypuck View Post

I found the opposite, kind of, to be truefrom my demoing of these 2 speakers. The 7's were overly boomy and lacked the clarity of the 82's. If you were planning on not running a sub, Id say get the 7's. But I plan on running a sub and opted for the 82's. But yes, I too can hear the shrillness of the 82's once I got them home.

Daffypuck... My last audition I spent a ton of time with the RF-7II and thought they were a little boomy as well. Not punchy like I was looking for.

I thought they were as clear as the 82's...and it was less shrill than the 82's but the bass was for sure boomy (at least to me).

Let's not forget the HUGE price difference between the 7's and the 82's. So...besides the boominess, lack of 3d sound stage and texture to female focals...and over all the cost...I went a different route.

For a large room HT I think the RF-7II would do fine though...
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post #11 of 14
4/10/13 at 2:44am
The good thing about these speakers is positioning can really affect how they project. I found that reducing the tow-in relative to your listening position reduces the shrill effect of the highs. I will be pairing my RF82II's with a Velodyne DD15. I think once I get everything calibrated and dialed in, it will sound pretty decent. Thats the thing that sucks about speakers, unles you live in a really big city, most folks just dont have the opportunity to listen to a myriad of speakers to compare and contrast the many brands there are available. To be frank, Im tired of trying to find that perfect speaker for me. When I met my GF, she had a Theta Casnaova pre-pro, Krell KT 500 amp and B&W 804s's coupled with a Velodyne DD18. They sounded awesome, to me. But when I connected her B&W's to my gear, it sounded totally different. So until I have a dedicated listening/HT room Im gonna settle, for now, with the 82's. They sound loads better than my Old Infinity Beta 50's.
Edited by Daffypuck - 4/10/13 at 2:52am
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post #12 of 14
4/10/13 at 8:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daffypuck View Post

I found the opposite, kind of, to be truefrom my demoing of these 2 speakers. The 7's were overly boomy and lacked the clarity of the 82's.

Something definitely was setup wrong. Fwiw, the larger compression drivers for the horn makes the RF-7's upper-end cleaner and if they appeared "boomy" it was more than likely the room and/or settings in the AVR.
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post #13 of 14
4/10/13 at 3:13pm
+1 agree Zen.. I spent hours of listening time comparing the 82ii vs 7ii's on 3 occassions. I found the 82's very crisp, almost too shrilly high, and lacking the mids, esp. lows that the 7's made. But best thing I noticed was at high volumes the highs didnt shrill. Took it to borderline tolerable listening limits in a huge dedicated listening room at Frys (San Diego, mission valley area) with some deadmou5, metallica, l.armstrong, pink floyd. Had to do the 7's. 4 of 6 folks demoing with agreed. 2 guys at the store preferd 82s, but mainly cause of price. went with them from acoustic sound design. better deal. Now I have them hooked to my marantz SR7007. 23' x 18' room. Lovin it.
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post #14 of 14
4/11/13 at 1:21am
When I demo'd the 82's, I compared them to B&W CM9's, B&W 684's, Paradigm monitor 9's and a Revel model I cant recall. IMO, the 82's vastly out did those four speakers.
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