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Klipsch Epic CF-4 vs A/D/S L-1290?

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sb001

Active Member
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Opinions?
I have been a huge A/D/S fan for years, and owned many of their speakers, including the L-1290s and their later counterparts the M-12s. I absolutely love their sound.
That said, the other day I was stumbling through a pawn shop and came across a pair of Klipsch Epic CF-4 speakers for $499. Now I have owned a few of Klipsch's Heritage model series (including the Fortes, Heresys, and Academy) and have heard some of their more current Reference line which I thought were pretty good but nothing stellar (partly because they seemed to have lost that signature Klipsch Heritage sound-- a bit harsh highs but not grating, chestiness in the mids, tight controlled bass but not very deep, etc.) However I have never heard the Epic speakers, and in doing a bit of research it appears this may be the "holy grail" between the Heritage line and their more modern offerings- from what I have read it seems they still retain a good portion of the Heritage signature sound, but offer it in a more compact tower-type enclosure, and even may have gotten rid of the slight harshness on the high end. This is just what I have read, I have no idea how accurate this is, and was wondering if anyone that has experience with the Epic series could weigh in with their opinions on them- particularly in comparison to other Klipsch models.
The problem is I also have a local seller who has a pair of the A/D/S L-1090s that he is willing to part with but for $200 more. I have always wanted another pair of A/D/S's but don't know if i can justify it at that price, and so was thinking of possibly giving the Epics a shot in my living room. Any advice is welcome. Thank you!
 
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I have not heard A/D/S L-1090s however I do currently own a pair of Epic CF-4's. They are fantastic in my opinion. Highs are smooth along with very strong bass output if placed close enough to wall. Audiophile worthy for music and it will bring ultra thump for HT movies.

I strongly recommend them. I've also owned Forte II's and Cornwalls. And I've demoed RF 7 II's.
 
sb001 said:
Thanks Diamonddelts-
how would you compare the Epics to say the Forte IIs?
Click to expand...

Fortes have more separation in highs and midrange. But they have a very narrow soundstage and average bass.

Epics are not quite as detailed especially in the midrange as the Fortes, but they have a very clear and smooth sound from top to bottom. Much bigger soundstage, better bass, and better tonal balance between highs/mids and lowend. Overall more balanced sound in my opinion. Very full, smooth, and articulate.

Forte II's are very articulate but thin sounding resulting in a unbalanced sound heavy at the topend but severely lacking in the lowend without a sub in my opinion.
 
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Wow. I'd be all over those CF-4's for that price. Seems to be about half the going rate really. What length are the ports? If less than 3", they are version 2 or 3. If around 5.5", they would be v1's which are "more desirable" they say. I've got CF-3's that I picked up back in the summer for a little less than what they priced you on the 4's. They are great sounding speakers no matter what you throw at them.
 
avguytx said:
Wow. I'd be all over those CF-4's for that price. Seems to be about half the going rate really. What length are the ports? If less than 3", they are version 2 or 3. If around 5.5", they would be v1's which are "more desirable" they say. I've got CF-3's that I picked up back in the summer for a little less than what they priced you on the 4's. They are great sounding speakers no matter what you throw at them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info-- yes in my research on these I came across some info regarding the different "versions", apparently that's when the Klipsch dealers went after the company to try to make these sound more like Heritage series speakers, so out came the version 2s which were not quite as good and then the version 3s which were a little worse than that.
Unfortunately I have never heard any of these versions so it would be trite for me to try to make comparisons.
Is there any other way aside from the port length to tell which versions they are? I'm not sure the shop would be OK with me pawing around inside the speaker with a measuring tape! :/
I also need to go back and make sure these were indeed C-4s- I am pretty positive that's what I saw on the label but the print for the model was so faint I had a hard time reading it.
Thanks also diamonddelts for your comparison breakdown- these really sound like taking a chance on!
 
CF series failed mainly because they did not sound like the Heritage line and Heritage dealers were not happy about that. So if you want a Heritage sound then a CF is not going to do that for you.All the versions sound goo with the first sounding best. A Rev2 can be turned into a Rev1 and a Rev 3 can be brought close to a Rev 2. Longer vent tubes will re tune them to be more like the Rev1 some small xover changes can be made to turn a Rev3 network into a Rev1. The tweeter driver is the bottleneck in the system. A uses pair of EV DH1506 can often be found for a hundred each plus postage and they are an order of magnitude superior drivers compared to the stock unit. You will need to install a driver bracket and never ship these speakers with the drivers (stock or otherwise in place). There are a lot of mods that can be done to these speakers. Dig around and you will find lots to do. In my book the best Klipsch has produced to date. A huge thanks to Roy Delgado for the CF series they deserved to be a commercial success never the less they are a fine design and really like to be biamped with a couple of stereo blocks (one per speaker) of 75 or more watts per channel. ADS is likely your best bet stock on stock given your preference.
Best regards Moray James.
 
Thanks for that info Moray-
Problem is i KNOW I would be happy with the A/D/S, but like most anyone I am always on the search for something that might just sound even better!
I am heading back over to that shop tomorrow. Assuming $499 on the price, what if I discover that they are CF-3s instead of 4s? Still worth it at that price?
 
$500-600 seems to be about average for CF3 v1 in good condition. CF4 v1 are even more rare so expect that a couple hundred more is reasonable. That said, I've seen them go for a lot less. It really depends on the situation.

cubdog
 
Wow, well I was way off--
these were the CF-1s! I wasn't even close. At $499 I have a feeling the entire paradigm of this deal has severely shifted.
 
I'm assuming that discovery took a great deal, down to a terrible deal. :)

However, I checked craigslist earlier tonight and a guy is selling a pair of ADS L-780/2's locally for $120. So I might just save myself some bucks and go that route.

Anyway thanks for everyone's help and opinions- sorry I wasted everyone's time those speakers not being what I thought they were.
 
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