# Oh boy, now I done it (RF5 towers!)



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

A couple weeks ago I got a 7 channel Integra receiver and needed two more speakers to add to my BestBuy Quintet III setup, so I started looking on eBay for some F1s or B1s or something cheap but still decent to match up. 

So of course 2 weeks later I ended up buying some mint-condition RF5's (only $530 with the $20 bonus coupon from eBay!), which I'm picking up tomorrow   I'm selling my Sub10 to the man I'm getting the RFs from as I recently bought a Velodyne SPL1200, but what in the world is gonna happen to my Synergy speakers now??? I'm assuming that the first thing I'll do is kill the center channel and use the RF5s for front and center to clean the sound up, but will 2 Quintet speakers in back at least keep the surround going for HT while I slowly but surely improve the whole setup? Or will they just be annoying?

Also, I'm gonna be improving one speaker at a time, so which would be my best bet for the next one? Center channel? Surrounds? How compatible are the variou Reference speakers with eachother?

Thanks in advance for the help!


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Congratulations on your new Speakers. Definitely the next thing to upgrade is your Center Channel. This is the lynchpin to great HT performance. I would try the CC you have prior to disconnecting it. While you could certainly run a phantom configuration (no CC), you might be better served by having one even if it is not as nice as your Towers.

In the meantime, your existing Speakers will be fine. Thankfully, they are all from the same Manufacturer. Upgrading your CC will yield a major upgrade, but for now you should be able to enjoy your setup.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Congratulations on your new Speakers. Definitely the next thing to upgrade is your Center Channel. This is the lynchpin to great HT performance. I would try the CC you have prior to disconnecting it. While you could certainly run a phantom configuration (no CC), you might be better served by having one even if it is not as nice as your Towers.
> 
> In the meantime, your existing Speakers will be fine. Thankfully, they are all from the same Manufacturer. Upgrading your CC will yield a major upgrade, but for now you should be able to enjoy your setup.
> ...


Thanks for the response, this is some good news for me. Might be a bit weird having an old flagship line mixed with an intro line, but hey, can't be too bad coming from Klipsch, right? :T


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Exactly. Since all of your Speakers are Klipsch, it really should be a pretty close sonic match. Especially with Klipsch being Horn Loaded Speakers. I would definitely try out your current CC before going to a phantom configuration.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

I agree with the points already made.. and if the speakers are properly set up, I wouldn't be suprised if you prefer the phantom center.


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

THAT'S SOME GOOD SOUND!!!

Wow what in the world have I been missing out on all these years??? I'm going with a phantom center because, while fairly insignificant, I do notice the center channel dragging the towers down a little on the midrange (8" Reference speaker > 3" Synergy speaker, duhhh) so I'm gonna stick two surrounds and the center on eBay and see what I can get for them, and hopefully it's enough for some more of those oh-so-sweet gold ceramics  

Man I love Klipsch, guess it's fair to say I'm a hornhead now haha


----------



## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

That's awesome! Glad you like the new toys.


----------



## MStrickland1988 (Jan 26, 2010)

Nice find man, awesome price. I have RF-5s and I absolutely love them. I recently got an Audiosource Amp Three to power them and the difference in sound is amazing between it and my Yamaha RX-v659 (very good receiver, makes OVER rated power). A lot of people hate on Klipsch for being "bright" and over on the AVS forum I saw them referred to as "ear-drills". I personally don't find them bright and love their sound. They are super efficient, have great detail and soundstage, and of course the dynamics are great. They also make great HT speakers. Anyway, congrats on your pick up and that is one hell of an upgrade you got.


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks guys 

I actually like the bright sound to a very large extent, because I was born 35% deaf (not enough nerve endings in my Cochlea  ) and having a more in-your-face approach to the treble and midrange helps make things come across a lot more clear to me. I am ceaselessly amazed at the newfound subtleties being projected from the towers, I can't believe the amount of things that the Synergy's simply _didn't_ play. Best part is that an old friend just paid me back like $450 he owed from a year ago, so it's time for some more buyin, yay!

There's some new RC-35s going on eBay for $165 right now, would they be a good matchup with the RF-5s? They are essentially just different years of the same general class of product, and the power ratings match up nicely. Did anything about the tone quality change enough to be an annoyance between the RC-3ii centers and the RC-35 centers? The RC-3iis seem pretty hard to find, and while better matching, they are all used and more expensive at the same time (I'm pretty sure the guy selling the truckload of RC-35s got a wholesale lot dumped at his warehouse or something, cause they're CHEAP) so the only thing really keeping me from going that route is a potential mismatch.

But I'm still new to this scene- Does anyone have some experienced input on the differences between the two models? Thanks in advance


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

bumpity bump

Any thoughts? Would I be better off with a RC35 center or a RC3ii center, both being priced about the same? If all goes well I'll start bidding on eBay come Monday


----------



## MStrickland1988 (Jan 26, 2010)

RC-3.


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

Any reasons why? Does the sound match up better, or is it just a better center channel in general? Thanks for the input, I just want to make sure I have all the bases covered before going in for it


----------



## MStrickland1988 (Jan 26, 2010)

Both. Plus it has the same look as the RF-5s. An RC-7 would be ideal but those are hand to find and the price is much greater. You will be happy with the RC-3 :T


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

MStrickland1988 said:


> Both. Plus it has the same look as the RF-5s. An RC-7 would be ideal but those are hand to find and the price is much greater. You will be happy with the RC-3 :T


Sounds like a plan, thanks for input! Time to set the alarm so I can snipe out the RC-3II I'm watching at its closing time :devil::whistling:


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The RC-3 would make for an excellent match for your RF-7's. Compared to the Quintet CC, this will be a huge upgrade. And with the CC being the lynchpin to HT, buying the biggest and closest match to your Towers is absolutely the way to go.

With my Vantages, I purchased the flagship Stage CC. Though it retails for 3000 Dollars, I am so glad I went with it as opposed to the Motif.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## Spuddy (Jan 2, 2010)

Holy expensive center! ^^^ Must sound awesome, eh?

Won me an RC-3II last night on eBay for $180 shipped, which is a decent amount less than I was ready to spend, so I'm pretty pumped. Now I'll have 3 Reference speakers, a 1080i projector running 2300 lumens/2000:1 co0ntrast and hitting a 110" screen, a Velodyne SPL1200 handling bass, and a rotary sub to handle infrasonics (when I finish building it)

*shudders* I feel like the goal of my entire life in finally happening


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Martin Logan Center Channel Speakers cost a fortune. The sad thing is, in terms of loudness, it probably is not any louder than your Klipsch. It does sound wonderful and matches well with my Vantages.
Cheers,
JJ


----------

