Amazing clairity and power,and imaging

zip

I just wanted to add another positive vote. I have found ,happily, that almost any description- sharp, shrill, hard transition between horn and the 8's etc to be almost non existant in fact they sound perfect. they stay dynamic at low volumes where other speakers die, and like the others said, you can push these speakers to extreme volumes. They are fantastic for movies too! Klipsch reccomends biwiring. when I did biwire I found an interesting effect- if you leave the jumpers on and single wire i could not bury my amp (distortion lights) but when I removed the jumpers and biwired to get the same volume my amp was taxed (adcom 60 wat/ channel) and the distortion lights came on. The moral of the story is biwiring definitly is electrically different than single wiring. The continuing controversy- perhaps that is why Klipsch suggests you wire them this way! Any way seeing is believing. right now they are single wired and they sound fantastic- the bass is tight and very powerfull so I'm not worried about getting more and the imaging is fine so why change! I got them from lets go digital- one of the gold wuffers had a crease (small but noticable)- it dosen't seem to effect the sound but I'm sure it did not happen during shipping so I wonder if they are selling b grade goods as factory new so beware! these are THE KIND let me know if you find better!

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jbl nd310

Enourmous sound stage. Plenty of decibals. Very efficient. Great depth in the vocals and instruments. Recreates a concert.

Expensive, retail price is $800. Could have brighter highs.

Excellent Klipsch speakers. Great new line. Some people say they are too bright but they really are not. They could be brighter like the KLF-30's but still recreate that ultra wide soundstage that Klipsch is famous for. They sound damn good and the horns actually create depth and this is what many "audiophilles" don't understand. Read my review of the Klipschorn on my
website:

http://hawkenslair.tripod.com/klipschorn.htm

Support Hawken's Lair as your favorite Audio website! Book mark it and come back often. Thanks!!!!!

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All kinds of stuff

Very Very Detailed, High Power Capacity, Tight Bass, Crystal Clear Mids and Highs

None

Well, After using these speakers for several months now, I have come to the conclusion that for the money these are the best speakers you can buy.

I compared the RF3 to my KEF reference series 105.4's. The KEF's are good but the Klipsh are superb. I have heard stuff on my CD's that I have never heard on my KEF's.

I recently upgraded from a Sony DE835 to a 555ES and the improvement in soundstage, presence and control is truly phenomenol when running in Analog Direct mode. The 555ES is a fantastic product.

I can bearly play CD material much past 5 on the volume or I risk sending the mid/woofers out of the cabinet.

To sum up. You truly cannot go wrong with the Klipsh RF series products, I own the complete series, including a KSW12 which is some much better being driven by the 555ES.


All I can say is "Go buy'm"

Similar Products Used:

Existing KEF 105.4, AR Series

Actually made in Arkansas,USA at a reasonable price - better value than some products made in Mexico or the Orient.Large frequency-response for the money.Very clear sound-definition and dynamics.

Treble character that may be able to rip the veil on the Holy of Holies.Be prepared...

Wow.I have never heard treble like this.Or,only when I have my ear right up to the tweeter of my B+W 601S2's.My ears will never forget it! Maybe a long break-in is required,or I am just too used to the darker type of speaker? Anyway,the experience of a treble-presentation like this that just tears the air is now indelibly imprinted in my memory...Were these speakers sort of designed just for home-theater,where ultimate scavenging of detail is paramount? I mean,I like it in a morbid sort of way (bird of craven-desire that I am!) - it is fascinating! But,knowing that my ear's may be sensitive to high's in general,I feel compulsion to warn the interested that the treble here is really "a bird of a different feather",in my opinion.Be aware that a "soft" listening-room complete with lots of overstuffed furniture and wall to wall carpets,drapes,and the like may be spongy- absorbent enough to mellow this out a bit.A tube amp,or something laid back,would not hurt either? I liked most everything else about the speakers,though.Just wanted to post my reservations about the upper spectrum thing,and what a buyer may have to live with,or die with...My rating reflects the fact that these towers are not intrinsically bad - just different - and are USA-quality all through.

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B+W.

fantastic blend between bass and treble, movie reproduction outstanding,what power playing cd's, tapes, etc.. nice appearance. tall and thin

a little weak on bass when playing classical music. also when watching a movie. a powered sub makes all the difference in the world. large, 60-70 lbs. ea.

When i first started looking at purchasing a sound system for my home i was debating between a home theater system or a complete new sound system. I'm very glad i went with the sound system. I listened to several speaker systems; polk audio, yamaha, cerwin vega, but for the money none compared to Klipsch. The sound quality is great. Don't be scared by your local Klipsch dealer into buying these speakers at their store due to warranty issues. I purchased the complete rf-3 series over the internet at Brandnamez.com including a klipsch ksw-12 sub for $1500. A savings of $800 from the dealer price. At 1st i was apprhensive, no more. Three wks. after getting my order my sub quit working, I call brandnamez and they shipped me a brand new one that day. The entire klipsch system is outstanding. I run a Yamaha 596 reciever and the blend is magical. this system is one that will last a life time. I am disappointed that my sub quit working as quickly as it did, I did not push it any. It may be an issue to explore. Overall, however, I am very pleased.

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altec lansing

Very, very detailed, distinct sound , great sound stage. Mids and lows are exceptional. They absolutely crank.

Might be a tad bright for some listeners, but that's Klipsch in general.

Well, I guess I don't have a whole lot to add to what everyone else is beaming about. Mine are just now about broken in and yeah, they are terrific speakers.
I traded in my SF-2's in October for the RF-3's . The SF-2's are very good speakers, but their MSRP is $625.00 and the RF-3's are $800.00. RF-3's are worth the extra change --if not for the bass alone. Not sure why Klipsch would price them so closely; I knew I was trading up so I didn't care, and I picked up the RC-3 in the process. I'm a little bummed about paying more but still skeptical about these online places. I know they may seem good at first, but what if you have problems a few years down the road? I'd really appreciate some feed back -- I hear mostly good about online purchases but there's also the occasional horror story. Thanks for the reviews, they really helped me out.
P.S. - Are these the highest ranked towers on this site yet -- it's gotta be close.

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Klipsch SF-2
RC-3

Super efficient, impressive hi end/midrange, surprisingly tight bass, overall impressive presentation for $

size, grills fairly fragile if removed frequently, may be too bright in certain combos

Can't recommend highly enough. Listened to many speakers all the way up to $2000 range. The speakers are deceptive because they truly do need a fairly extensive breakin period but nontheless sounded better than most offerings when new. Treble and midrange is incredibly dynamic and they really shine when run with lots of good power. Placement is key as are supplied spikes. At low volumes with a modest amp (I use a run-of-the-mill Onkyo 100x2 watt tx-8511) the bass can be felt at the other end of my house IN THE GARAGE. It's not boomy, earthshaking bass, but nice, controlled, accurate bass-can't see any need for a sub in most situations. These speakers will absolutely shake a house off the rafters when driven hard with no sign of overload. Biwiring does make an audible difference-adds alot of detail and openess to the soundstage. I run a set of Wireworld Oasis-affordable and great quality. To buy an American designed/manufactured product at this price with this quality is cool too if that sort of thing matters to you. If you're considering Klipsch KSF 8.5 due to aggressive pricing, consider bumping up to these. There is no comparison. I have a good friend who runs a hi-end Krell setup with BW reference speakers (roughly 4 grand a pair) who hangs his head in shame when he listens to these things with my puny Onkyo amp. A truly impressive product that is at home with virtually any caliper of equipment. One other intangible-I've delt with Klipsch for various reasons over the years and they've proven too be outstanding if a little dense at times, but they always mean well.

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Klipsch (KSF 8.5), Canton, KEF, Advent

Wonderful sound

none

I was wondering if i could use the RF-3's as main front channels, and the klipsch quintet satellites as the surrounds. I have the Denon Avr 3801 receiver and supports 6.1 channels of sound. Would it be ok to use the RF-3's as the front and quintets as the surrounds?

Great clarity, great dynamics, don't distort even at high volumes. High efficiency so they run great on just 40 watts. Far better than anything else Klipsch ever made in the past. No longer can some snotty Thiel salesmen turn up his nose and call Klipsch "king of the Cerwin Vega." They are now in near-audiophile territory at a price that can't be beaten.

Fatiguing when brand new, take a long time to break in. Some may want more bass but I am happy where it is. I have heard more accurate bass from higher priced models but these will please even the most picky listener.

These are warm, dynamic, snappy speakers. They sound like they cost a whole lot more. THey do require one long break in period, but as they get more used, they get more sensitive and warm and ear pleasing. I have to admit they were fatiguing when I got them, but after about 200 hours they really began to show their real capabilities. Even still I hear a noted improvement. I have it listed as a "weakness" but in actuality, I like the fact that my speakers are just going to sound better and better as I listen longer.

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Paradigm Reference

Excellent base response for the driver size and price. Beautiful voice rendition.

None that I've found yet.

I bought these to complement my Onkyo 575x, and it is a match made in heaven. I suppose you have to love the horn, but I sure do. These babies reproduce everything in my very broad collection to my liking, from the Ninth Symphony to Beck. Voice reproduction is spectacular, in my opinion, even at low volume. And with the volume up, on pieces like the Ninth Symphony and Brahm's Fourth, I can actually hear the strings bowing, and distinct base detail. Amazing. Even my wife says she can hear a difference, compared to my old Polks, and she was listening from the next room. They are a little large for my small/medium listening room, however. But I'm getting over it. -- I tested a variety of other tower and bookshelf speakers in this price range, including several models from each of Paradigm, Polk Audio, and B&W. My test recordings were the second movement of the Ninth Symphony (which has huge tonal range and variations in volume), some solo piano, and Beck's Odelay. Nothing came close to these babies, including Klipsch's own RB-5's, which lacked depth by comparison (in fact they sounded relatively tinny). -- To put it mildly, I'm thrilled with the RF-3's.

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Paradigm Reference series (various); Polk Audio Monitor 5 Jr.; B&W (varoius)