[CountDooku]

Greetings!

I currently have Klipsch RF-7ii mains and an RC-64ii center channel that I love, but I'm getting the itch to upgrade when I move. I had set my sights on JTR 212HT's for the LCR to be hidden behind an AT screen with DIY subs. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have the budget to make that happen. I realize this is purely subjective for a lot of people and depends on the room, but please post your listening impressions of the Yorkville U215 compared to the Klipsch Reference ii's and JTR 212HT's if you are able. I am at about a 60/40 split for movies and music and plan on running these crossed over to capable subs. Is this more of a lateral move?

It sounds like JTR Noesis is regarded as being slightly more refined than the Yorkville's, and much better than the Klipsch's - can anyone comment on that?

Power is currently provided by three Crown XLS-1500 amps being driven by my Pioneer receiver. Surrounds are RB-81ii's right now (Only have a 5.1 setup due to being in an apartment, but plan on buying a house with a decent basement or other room for the new HT).

Thanks!

 

[Frohlich]

Just one man's opinion but I have owned both and posted the comments below on the JTR thread recently. Hopefully you get some additional points of view. If you are anywhere near Cincinnati, you are certainly welcome to hear the U215s.

*JTR Noesis 212 has a very sweet top end that offers great detail and resolution and on some tracks this is a big plus to me. There are some moments that top end gets edgy (for my tastes)but not very often. I always thought the 212 HT was a little "lean" sounding and could use some boosted midbass.
*The U215 has a very "full" sound with plenty of mid-bass. It does not have the same treble energy on the top end that I had grown very accustomed to over the last year with the 212.
*Both have very good imaging and I think the U215 might have a tiny lead here but not much difference overall.
*If I were a 2 channel guy, I think I might lean towards the Noesis family of speakers....especially if you like a "revealing" speaker. It just seems to get micro details out of the music that I didn't hear with the U215. The differences are very subtle but they are there.
*For HT it depends on personal preferences. The U215 is a very robust speaker that puts out a healthy amount of bass and mid-bass and is very coherent from top to bottom.
*They both offer great dialogue inteligibillity but I noticed some very small differences. I have seen "The art of flight" probably more times then anything else in my collection. I almost never watch the whole thing but have seen bits and pieces a 1000 times. Anyways, I know the dialogue parts in that movie very well and used it to judge dialogue. There were some scenes I felt the U215 did cleaner and some the 212 does cleaner. They are both excellent...but there were noticeable differences.
*Both JTR and U215 are bargains but I honestly think the U215 is a stupid good bargain at its asking price. I doesn't get the same buzz as the JTR line but for HT guys, I think it is hard to beat.
*The U215 is a big arse speaker. I thought the 212s were decent size but the U215 takes it to another level. I guess they would be very similar to the 215RM but probably still smaller then the fridge sized 215RT.
*The U215 could survive a nuclear explosion...much like the Danley's from what I remember hearing. Things are built like tanks, which is to be expected from Pro Audio speakers.

Anyways, sorry for the long drawn out comments. In the end, I could easily live with either speaker and be 100% happy. Honestly

 

[Kini62]

Greetings!

I currently have Klipsch RF-7ii mains and an RC-64ii center channel that I love, but I'm getting the itch to upgrade when I move. I had set my sights on JTR 212HT's for the LCR to be hidden behind an AT screen with DIY subs. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have the budget to make that happen. I realize this is purely subjective for a lot of people and depends on the room, but please post your listening impressions of the Yorkville U215 compared to the Klipsch Reference ii's and JTR 212HT's if you are able. I am at about a 60/40 split for movies and music and plan on running these crossed over to capable subs. Is this more of a lateral move?

It sounds like JTR Noesis is regarded as being slightly more refined than the Yorkville's, and much better than the Klipsch's - can anyone comment on that?

Power is currently provided by three Crown XLS-1500 amps being driven by my Pioneer receiver. Surrounds are RB-81ii's right now (Only have a 5.1 setup due to being in an apartment, but plan on buying a house with a decent basement or other room for the new HT).

Thanks!

Not on your list but take a look at what PSA and Reaction Audio has for speakers. They're getting great user reviews and would be within your budget.

 

[Swolephile]

I've owned both Klipsch RF 7II speakers and I am the present owner of Yorkville U215 speakers though they are for sale at the moment. I felt the RF 7II had the edge in sound quality. Clearer midrange with the Klipsch in my opinion though the highs on the RF7II gave me substantial headaches.

The highs on the Yorkvilles are laid back and never bothered me even at extreme levels. The Yorkvilles are much, much more dynamic than the Klipsch RF7II's. They have no problem belting out 115db+ with minimal effort. Also their midbass is immensely more powerful than that of the Klipsch RF 7II.

The Yorkvilles have a very full, robust sound which can be ran down to a 40hz crossover with no problems. Their highs and mids are good but not great. Though overall they can give a very balanced sound with the right eq or with simple tone controls.

 

[CountDooku]

Just one man's opinion but I have owned both and posted the comments below on the JTR thread recently. Hopefully you get some additional points of view. If you are anywhere near Cincinnati, you are certainly welcome to hear the U215s.

*JTR Noesis 212 has a very sweet top end that offers great detail and resolution and on some tracks this is a big plus to me. There are some moments that top end gets edgy (for my tastes)but not very often. I always thought the 212 HT was a little "lean" sounding and could use some boosted midbass.
*The U215 has a very "full" sound with plenty of mid-bass. It does not have the same treble energy on the top end that I had grown very accustomed to over the last year with the 212.
*Both have very good imaging and I think the U215 might have a tiny lead here but not much difference overall.
*If I were a 2 channel guy, I think I might lean towards the Noesis family of speakers....especially if you like a "revealing" speaker. It just seems to get micro details out of the music that I didn't hear with the U215. The differences are very subtle but they are there.
*For HT it depends on personal preferences. The U215 is a very robust speaker that puts out a healthy amount of bass and mid-bass and is very coherent from top to bottom.
*They both offer great dialogue inteligibillity but I noticed some very small differences. I have seen "The art of flight" probably more times then anything else in my collection. I almost never watch the whole thing but have seen bits and pieces a 1000 times. Anyways, I know the dialogue parts in that movie very well and used it to judge dialogue. There were some scenes I felt the U215 did cleaner and some the 212 does cleaner. They are both excellent...but there were noticeable differences.
*Both JTR and U215 are bargains but I honestly think the U215 is a stupid good bargain at its asking price. I doesn't get the same buzz as the JTR line but for HT guys, I think it is hard to beat.
*The U215 is a big arse speaker. I thought the 212s were decent size but the U215 takes it to another level. I guess they would be very similar to the 215RM but probably still smaller then the fridge sized 215RT.
*The U215 could survive a nuclear explosion...much like the Danley's from what I remember hearing. Things are built like tanks, which is to be expected from Pro Audio speakers.

Anyways, sorry for the long drawn out comments. In the end, I could easily live with either speaker and be 100% happy. Honestly

Excellent comments guys!

-Frohlich it is very helpful to have someone who has owned both the JTR 212 and the U215's. I am a big fan of using pro gear in my home theater. My first mains were Cerwin Vega CLS-215's so I am accustomed to the large footprint. When I switched to the Klipsch RF-7ii's it took me a while to adjust to the much leaner sound and higher detail. I still have the CLS-215's as my computer speakers but I digress...
Please let me know if your impressions change as you get more used to the U215's. I do listen to a lot of music but don't really have an HD music library yet - that is on my list of things to build. Right now I have 320kbps mp3's and CD's. It sounds like the U215's are a bit of a dark horse which is somewhat appealing to me. Are you still running JTR for the surrounds?

Thanks for the invite btw! Unfortunately I'm all the way up in Minnesota but if I'm on the move in that area I'll take you up on that offer! I think some guys near the Twin Cities may have some U215's.

 

[CountDooku]

Not on your list but take a look at what PSA and Reaction Audio has for speakers. They're getting great user reviews and would be within your budget.

-Kini62 - Thanks for the suggestions! I have a PSA subwoofer right now and they are fantastic. I'll start looking at the PSA speakers and see how they compare - the price is definitely attractive. Do you have any experience with them?

 

[CountDooku]

I've owned both Klipsch RF 7II speakers and I am the present owner of Yorkville U215 speakers though they are for sale at the moment. I felt the RF 7II had the edge in sound quality. Clearer midrange with the Klipsch in my opinion though the highs on the RF7II gave me substantial headaches.

The highs on the Yorkvilles are laid back and never bothered me even at extreme levels. The Yorkvilles are much, much more dynamic than the Klipsch RF7II's. They have no problem belting out 115db+ with minimal effort. Also their midbass is immensely more powerful than that of the Klipsch RF 7II.

The Yorkvilles have a very full, robust sound which can be ran down to a 40hz crossover with no problems. Their highs and mids are good but not great. Though overall they can give a very balanced sound with the right eq or with simple tone controls.

-Swolephile - that is really helpful that you have owned both the RF-7ii's and the Yorks. Why are you selling the Yorks? My RF-7ii's are in a fairly open carpeted room and I am running Pioneer's MCACC at the MLP and they don't fatigue at all. What was your room like? Did you run any sort of EQ? The midrange is pretty important to me right now but so are the midbass and dynamics. I'm trying to successfully balance all three. I like that the Yorks have better extension because to me it just feels better to cross over lower on the mains for some reason. (Maybe to justify having large speakers?) I think my AVR crossover is set to 50 hZ right now IIRC.

Would you feel the extra dynamics and full sound of the Yorks could be an improvement over the RF-7ii's, or would it be more of a lateral move?

I want to add a MiniDSP DDRC-88A to the mix and upgrade to Dirac and that is part of the reason I am shying away from the JTR's right now. If I can't get close their performance without spending the same amount of money I would rather just keep saving and go JTR. At some point I have to just set the line though - JTR 215's would be nice...

 

[Kini62]

-Kini62 - Thanks for the suggestions! I have a PSA subwoofer right now and they are fantastic. I'll start looking at the PSA speakers and see how they compare - the price is definitely attractive. Do you have any experience with them?

I don't.

Just head over to the dedicated thread.

Take a look at the Reaction Audio lineup too. A forum member went from high efficiency speaker of some type to the RA CX15 towers and felt it was an improvement. It may have been some JTRs.

 

[Swolephile]

-Swolephile - that is really helpful that you have owned both the RF-7ii's and the Yorks. Why are you selling the Yorks? My RF-7ii's are in a fairly open carpeted room and I am running Pioneer's MCACC at the MLP and they don't fatigue at all. What was your room like? Did you run any sort of EQ? The midrange is pretty important to me right now but so are the midbass and dynamics. I'm trying to successfully balance all three. I like that the Yorks have better extension because to me it just feels better to cross over lower on the mains for some reason. (Maybe to justify having large speakers?) I think my AVR crossover is set to 50 hZ right now IIRC.

Would you feel the extra dynamics and full sound of the Yorks could be an improvement over the RF-7ii's, or would it be more of a lateral move?

I want to add a MiniDSP DDRC-88A to the mix and upgrade to Dirac and that is part of the reason I am shying away from the JTR's right now. If I can't get close their performance without spending the same amount of money I would rather just keep saving and go JTR. At some point I have to just set the line though - JTR 215's would be nice...

I was not using any room treaments at the time. However I was using Audyssey XT for eq with the RF 7II's. I'm looking for a bit more midrange clarity and HF extension so I've decided to roll the dice again and try another setup.

I'm currently waiting on a pair of JBL 4722n to be delivered this weekend. I will compare them to Yorks once received. Music is always my priority though home theater is my second love.

Funny that you also were a owner of Cerwin Vega ClS 215s. I had a setup of seven of those monster speakers a few years back. Looks like we have similar taste in speakers. I also prefer running speakers at a lower crossover. 50hz always sounds perfect to me with a capable speaker. Any speaker that needs a crossover higher than 80hz is not worth my time.

I would consider the Yorkville U215's a step up from the RF 7II's. They are way more dynamic. And have much more midbass. They only give up a little clarity to the RF7II's but they beat them in many other departments.

 

[Reefdvr27]

I have heard the Yorks many times and I own the 212Ht's and 215RT's. Personally the 215RT is the best speaker I have heard yet for my own taste. With the U215, I love the speaker and could live with them, but there is just something missing in the top end for me. To me the JTR's have a more dynamic top end to them. The JTR's just a crystal clear sound to them that I have become accustomed to and nothing I have heard compared to them other than the Danley SM60F has made me want to unload them. I did buy the Danley SM60F's and played with them for a short time, but I really did not have the time to really set them up and compare extensively, so I unloaded them to Gooddoc which he did some prolonged listening and I believe he preferred them over the 212HT's. In the end I still prefer the 212HT's over the U215's, but the Yorks are still an incredible speaker and you really cannot go wrong with anything I am rambling on about. Good luck on your journey!

If you are interested, @raynist is selling 3 L,C,R JTR Noesis 228's which would be almost identical to the 212HT's.

Link
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/209-audio-gear/1922913-3-jtr-228-noesis-pittsburgh.html

 

[CountDooku]

I have heard the Yorks many times and I own the 212Ht's and 215RT's. Personally the 215RT is the best speaker I have heard yet for my own taste. With the U215, I love the speaker and could live with them, but there is just something missing in the top end for me. To me the JTR's have a more dynamic top end to them. The JTR's just a crystal clear sound to them that I have become accustomed to and nothing I have heard compared to them other than the Danley SM60F has made me want to unload them. I did buy the Danley SM60F's and played with them for a short time, but I really did not have the time to really set them up and compare extensively, so I unloaded them to Gooddoc which he did some prolonged listening and I believe he preferred them over the 212HT's. In the end I still prefer the 212HT's over the U215's, but the Yorks are still an incredible speaker and you really cannot go wrong with anything I am rambling on about. Good luck on your journey!

If you are interested, @raynist is selling 3 L,C,R JTR Noesis 228's which would be almost identical to the 212HT's.

Link
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/209-audio-gear/1922913-3-jtr-228-noesis-pittsburgh.html

Thanks for the helpful info! I am currently trying to decide if that extra magic I have been reading about is worth the extra $2200 + of the 212HT's for LCR vs the Yorks. I'm hoping to have a listen to compare them myself before getting too carried away. The 215RT would be my ultimate goal but that will never fly right now. I have been following the DIY Group 1899 thread with some interest - it would be interesting to see where those end up on the spectrum after someone builds a set. The 228's sound like a very good speaker but after reading comments that you can tell the 212HT's are better when listening to music I had to decided to focus on the 212's if I go JTR.

 

[CountDooku]

I don't.

Just head over to the dedicated thread.

Take a look at the Reaction Audio lineup too. A forum member went from high efficiency speaker of some type to the RA CX15 towers and felt it was an improvement. It may have been some JTRs.

I will definitely take a closer look at Reaction Audio - leave no stone unturned!

 

[CountDooku]

I was not using any room treaments at the time. However I was using Audyssey XT for eq with the RF 7II's. I'm looking for a bit more midrange clarity and HF extension so I've decided to roll the dice again and try another setup.

I'm currently waiting on a pair of JBL 4722n to be delivered this weekend. I will compare them to Yorks once received. Music is always my priority though home theater is my second love.

Funny that you also were a owner of Cerwin Vega ClS 215s. I had a setup of seven of those monster speakers a few years back. Looks like we have similar taste in speakers. I also prefer running speakers at a lower crossover. 50hz always sounds perfect to me with a capable speaker. Any speaker that needs a crossover higher than 80hz is not worth my time.

I would consider the Yorkville U215's a step up from the RF 7II's. They are way more dynamic. And have much more midbass. They only give up a little clarity to the RF7II's but they beat them in many other departments.

I definitely enjoy my large speakers! I'm glad the York's sound like a step up overall compared to the RF-7ii's. I'll probably sell the CLS-215's and move the Klipsch setup into another room when I make my decision. Perhaps run the Klipsch stereo or 3.1. Good luck on those 4722n's! I look forward to hearing your impressions. It sounds like I'm going to have a tough time choosing from all the great options out there, and I'm sure just like the rest of AVS I'll try several new speakers sometime in the future. I just want to start somewhere and not get the itch for as long as possible...

BTW Swolephile what are you running for surrounds?

 

[Swolephile]

I definitely enjoy my large speakers! I'm glad the York's sound like a step up overall compared to the RF-7ii's. I'll probably sell the CLS-215's and move the Klipsch setup into another room when I make my decision. Perhaps run the Klipsch stereo or 3.1. Good luck on those 4722n's! I look forward to hearing your impressions. It sounds like I'm going to have a tough time choosing from all the great options out there, and I'm sure just like the rest of AVS I'll try several new speakers sometime in the future. I just want to start somewhere and not get the itch for as long as possible...

BTW Swolephile what are you running for surrounds?

I was using five Yorkville U15s as surrounds but I sold them last month. Though I am a big believer in matching fronts and rears. All of my previous setups consisted of what most would consider mains being used for left, right, and rear speakers.

 

[CountDooku]

I was using five Yorkville U15s as surrounds but I sold them last month. Though I am a big believer in matching fronts and rears. All of my previous setups consisted of what most would consider mains being used for left, right, and rear speakers.

Just my style! I had CLS-10's as my rear channels when I was running the Vega's and have RB-81ii's as my rear channels right now. You could say they are overkill but I used them as an excuse to try some speakers that could be used for rear channels if I liked the series and then get the rest later (RF-7ii's) which I did. Right now I'm probably going to run a smaller setup for the side and rear channels when I go 7.1 and hand the low frequencies to the subs. First I have to upgrade to a receiver that allows me to run different crossovers for LR, C and Rears. I also listen to a lot of music using PL-ii or THX Neural sound and the large rears make a difference for this IMO.

 

[jbrown15]

I will definitely take a closer look at Reaction Audio - leave no stone unturned!

I sold my JTR 228HT's for an LCR setup of Reaction Audio CX-15t's and I'm extremely happy with my decision to do so.

 

[CountDooku]

I sold my JTR 228HT's for an LCR setup of Reaction Audio CX-15t's and I'm extremely happy with my decision to do so.

It looks like Reaction Audio is pretty new on the scene. I started browsing through the dedicated thread and there is a lot of info! jbrown - how do you feel the CX-15t's stack up against the 228HT's? (Sound quality, build quality, etc). How do they sound for music? Can you compare them to any of the other speakers I mentioned in my thread (Klipsch RF-7ii's, Yorkville U215)?

Thanks!

 

[CountDooku]

Just one man's opinion but I have owned both and posted the comments below on the JTR thread recently. Hopefully you get some additional points of view. If you are anywhere near Cincinnati, you are certainly welcome to hear the U215s.


Anyways, sorry for the long drawn out comments. In the end, I could easily live with either speaker and be 100% happy. Honestly

-Frohlich I did get your PM - I just can't reply until my post count hits 15... I have been lurking for too long! I am one who loves detailed replies - hopefully people don't get sick of reading my own somewhat long posts.

 

[jbrown15]

It looks like Reaction Audio is pretty new on the scene. I started browsing through the dedicated thread and there is a lot of info! jbrown - how do you feel the CX-15t's stack up against the 228HT's? (Sound quality, build quality, etc). How do they sound for music? Can you compare them to any of the other speakers I mentioned in my thread (Klipsch RF-7ii's, Yorkville U215)?

Thanks!

Against the 228's the CX-15's stack up really well, I think they image a lot better and have a massive soundstage. For mid bass it's not even close, the CX-15's mop the floor with the 228's in regards to mid bass. I would say that the two are pretty even as far as their top end sound, the highs sound great with both. But I prefer the CX-15's as they are a little more laid back compared to the 228's. The build quality of both are good but I'd give the 228's a slight advantage overall but the painted finish on the CX-15's is more eye pleasing and higher WAF in my opinion.


I think the one area the CX-15's really shine is with music and the ability to run them full range without a sub. I haven't been able to hear any U215's just yet but I have heard the RF-7ii's and I found them way to bright and harsh at loud volumes so I knew they weren't for me.


I love the CX-15t's but I still think I'd have a hard time picking them over the JTR 212HT's just knowing the 212's reputation, but I personally would have a hard time spending double the money on the 212's compared to the CX-15's because I'd have a hard time believing that they are 50% better then the CX-15's even though they are over 50% more price wise. I would suspect that the CX-15's would be 90-95% of what the 212HT's are but at half the cost.

 

[Reefdvr27]

It looks like Reaction Audio is pretty new on the scene. I started browsing through the dedicated thread and there is a lot of info! jbrown - how do you feel the CX-15t's stack up against the 228HT's? (Sound quality, build quality, etc). How do they sound for music? Can you compare them to any of the other speakers I mentioned in my thread (Klipsch RF-7ii's, Yorkville U215)?

Thanks!

I have heard the CX15's a couple of times now and just recently I had a chance to really get a better demo and I liked them better than the first showing. IMO they are a very neutral speaker and do not image like the JTR's at all. They are a little to suddle for me, but I tend to like it a little bright, so that kind of separates me from most. It is still a fine speaker, I myself would favor them more with music than H/T. I would really say that they would make a very fine 2 channel speaker. I would certainly demo them if you can.

Another speaker to look at would be the PSA MTM 210's. I did get a chance to hear them and I liked what I heard. I have had quite a few PSA products now and currently have a pair of Triax's and I absolutely love them. The MTM210's are on the 228's level, but they seemed to be a little "Flatter" to me. Still a fine speaker for the money. Tom and Jim were offereing free shipping both ways one them, would be a fine way to get to hear them in "You're" room! I think you may like what you hear!