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Klipsch RF-3 or Forte II

I loved the Forte II's for music. But honestly, I thought they flat out sucked with movies. Not very dynamic due to a very neutral low end in my opinion.
 
Placed these within 12 inches of the wall and the bass is sounding fantastic on these now. Highs are clear and smooth. Sound is balanced yet POWERFUL. Here are a few pics with grills on and off.
 

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I took the grills off my CF-4 and measured the ports today. They came out to be 5" deep so I'm guessing these are Version 2. Now my question is has anyone heard both version 1 and version 2 C-4 speakers?

I really like these speakers but it does seem like their midrange is not quite what it should be. I did some reading today and saw that Klipsch changed the crossover and port lengh on the Version 2 and Version 3 CF-4 speakers. I also read that the Version 1 had the best midrange and clarity in vocals due to a better xover.

I'm wondering if I'm missing anything major with the Version 2. So if anyone has heard both please let me know. Would love to hear impressions on if there were any discernable difference in midrange fidelity and vocal clarity between Version 1 and Version 2 CF-4 speakers. Thanks.
 
I have CF3 v1 and v2. Actually I have four v2s that I use for HT. Honestly I don't hear much difference between the two. I've never done an actually shootout between the two. I should do so one day but the v1s are in the basement and moving four 100 lb. speakers isn't much fun.

If anyone wants to stop by and help move them come on over. :yes:

cubdog
 
Wait a minute. If your ports are around 5 inches deep you have the version 1 speaker. The later versions had 2 1/2 inch ports. You should be good.

cubdog
 
Ok thanks so much Cubdog. However I was confused because I read version 1 had 6.5 inch ports, version 2 with 5.5 inch ports and version 3 with 2.5 inch ports. I did a +4 boost to mid and +2 to treble with a -2 decrease on bass. Speakers sounds really good now with more separation in mids now.
 
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I have a pair of RF-3II and really like them. I find their miss to be quite satisfactory and the bass is fine to me....and I'm kind of a bass guy. Haven't had a chance to hear a pair of Fortes but have spent some time with Choruses, which I liked a lot. But the RF-3’s came to me at a bargain price, and seemed to be a great match with a Marantz HT receiver that also came my way for a song.

Great that you're able to give both a good home.
 
Loving every minute with the CF-4s now. Their bass is monstrous at low and high volume levels with movies. Dialogue is sharp and clear. Movies are so much more enveloping now. Im also enjoying their laid back sound during music playback.

When I've listened to music for over an hour with the RF 7II's, I always got an ear bleeding sensation followed by a migraine. Not so with these. Never any ear fatigue no matter how many hours I listen to them.

Their balanced sound and excellent performance for both movies and music is exactly why I only auditioned Klipsch speakers for my bedroom. Other speakers Ive owned like the Bowers and Wilkins 800 diamonds definitely had the edge with fidelity in music over Klipsch but they are useless for movies. Dont get very loud and exhibit bad compression and distortion when driven past 110db. Once you get used to high sensitivity speakers its almost impossible to go back to low sensitivity designs unless your only interested in 2 channel music playback only.

I will only use dual performers in my home. And it is my love for Klipsch which led me to research other high fidelity designs in the high end pro speaker world which is what took my main setup in my livingroom to another level. So I am eternally grateful to Klipsch sparking my audio journey.
 
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As I've stated before, it's funny how we all hear different things from the same speakers. I too owned RF7 IIs. I used them for a couple of years in a two channel only system. At no time did I ever feel them to be harsh or fatiguing. I could be happy if I had stayed with them but I like to try different types of speakers and amps so they are gone. My CF3 v1 will likely move on as well although I'll keep my v2s for HT duty.

cubdog
 
I actually like the RFII's better than the CF-4's for both music and HT. And I did not find their highs harsh at all. But they did give me ear fatigue and a pursuing migraine. If they did not give me the ear bleeding sensation I would still own them. This is why I was interested in the RF 7 I because I'm wondering if I would experience the same phenomenon with them.
 
diamonddelts said:
I actually like the RFII's better than the CF-4's for both music and HT. And I did not find their highs harsh at all. But they did give me ear fatigue and a pursuing migraine. If they did not give me the ear bleeding sensation I would still own them. This is why I was interested in the RF 7 I because I'm wondering if I would experience the same phenomenon with them.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what mean when you say you liked the RF7 IIs "better than the CF4s for both music and HT". :scratch2: Also, I'm not sure what could have been causing ear fatigue and migraines. The midrange and bass?

cubdog
 
I felt the RF 7II's have more extension in the high frequencies than the CF-4's. I also felt their midrange performance is much better than the CF-4's. In lowend, I would say they are about equal but the dual 12's give a little more output across the spectrum. I'm not sure if it's crossovers in the RF 7 II's but something gives me intense earaches and headaches after listening them for any extended period of time. My family members would also get headaches after listening to my RF 7II's as well.

I like the CF-4's with a few tonal adjustments however without any eq, I feel they have zero separation in the mids. Their highs and mids just seem to blend together.
 
Increased the power again by switching to a Yamaha P7000S amp which is conservatively spec'd at 700 watts @ channel at 8 ohms. It is also well regarded as a high fidelity pro amp. The CF-4 speakers truly sang with this amp. The midrange is much more prominent now. I scaled back the tonal controls back down to zero. This is the sound I've been searching for in my bedroom. Wide and deep soundstage paired with smooth, non-piercing highs. This is a truly a great combo.

These speakers shine with the more watts you throw at them.
 
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I stopped playing these speakers in full range mode and scaled them back to a 40hz crossover. Cleaned up the overall sound tremendously. Sound is very balanced now. Midrange is very clear, highs are pronounced, and bass though not as powerful is tighter, punchier, and cleaner.

I'm very impressed with what I'm hearing now from these speakers. However I am an avid multichannel music lover as well as a HT enthusiast so I definitely want to add a center channel to these speakers. But I'm not sure what to get. Was there a center speaker released with the Epic series?

I have a chance to get a Academy center or KLF-C7 now but itheir specs look similar to the KV-4 center which I absolutely hated. It has made me a bit hesitant to purchase any more sealed center speakers from Klipsch. Bass was anemic, lacked dynamics, inefficient in comparison to my other ported speakers, and it's highs sounded tinny like an old speaker from Radioshack.

I'm willing to drop more coin on a RC 64II, but not sure it will tonally match my CF 4 speakers. Center speaker I really want is a RC 7 due to it having fairly low bass extension, higher power handling, and it's a bass reflex design. Can't find any on CL or ebay at this time though.
 
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On a additional note, I tried biamping these speakers tonight with my Emotiva 200 watt per channel @ 8 ohms multichannel amp. All I can say is WOWZERS! I apologize for all of my early comments on these speakers. Once biamped their highs and mids are superb. Sound is buttery smooth now. I can even run them in full range mode again without the bass overtaking the highs like before.

Now they are sounding bombastic from top to bottom. Great speakers! Exceeds what I was hearing with my RF 7II speakers in a previous setup!
 
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sorry but I got lost along the way. Which speakers did you just bi amp? You say that you now like them better than your RF7 ll that you used in a previous set up , could you mention what that set up was and how it differs from the current bi amp configuration? thanks. Best regards Moray James.
 
I am now biamping the CF-4 speakers. I'm using a Emotiva XPA-5 to bi amp them. Previous Klipsch setup was a pair of RF7II speakers paired with old flagship Onkyo TX-NR 1000 receiver which was a true 150 watts per channel @ 8 ohms.
The RF 7II setup was not biamped.

Do you know a good center which can go with my CF-4 speakers?
 
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thanks I should have guessed it was the CF4. As far as the best centre well that easy but large another CF4 or a little smaller a CF3. A CF3 on its side would work well. As for small centre channel speakers while I have not listened to one the KLF C7 is supposed to be a very good match. You can see the data below. Sorry I cannot offer you more than that. Glad that you are enjoying the bi amp set up. I recommend this a lot as it the far better option when so often folks bridge up amps for more power and bi amping usually does a better job. Did you ever contact the member at the Klipsch forum who is using the EV DH1506 to replace the stock comp driver in his modified CF4? He seems very pleased with the upgrade. The 1506 is an impressive driver. Best regards Moray James.

Frequency Response: 75Hz-20kHz(+-)3dB
SENSITIVITY: 99dB @ 1watt/1meter
POWER HANDLING: 150 watts maximum continuous (600 watts peak)
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms
TWEETER: K-90-KV 1" (2.54cm) Polymer diaphragm compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: 90(o)x60(o) Tractrix(r) Horn
WOOFER: Two K-1062-KV 8" (20.32cm) Poly Carbon Graphite cones
ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)
ENCLOSURE TYPE: Sealed
DIMENSIONS: 11" (27.94cm) x 27.19" (69cm) x 9.125" (23.18cm)
WEIGHT: 38 lbs. (17.25kg)
FINISHES: Light Oak, Medium Oak, Mahogany, Black Satin
Built From: 1997
BUILT UNTIL: 2001
 
Purchased Bic Accoustech PL28II center speaker to go with CF-4 pair. It sounds really good and blends in great with the Klipsch speakers. Very big soundstage for a conventional center speaker. Very happy with results.

Now Im contemplating adding two rear speakers in my bedroom.
 

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