tested these in a tube system and transistor system these speaker love tube power fantastic vocals bass could be better integrated though also tried a pair of neat motive 2 and didn't even compare then a change to a transistor power amp in the guise of a primare a30.2 the klipsch turned to *** the neats absolutely killed it so great with tube rubbish with solid state
Although these speakers are VERY efficient at 98 db, do not make the mistake of driving them with a budget amp. The will expose it's shortcommings in no uncertain terms. They may sound bright with cheap front-ends and they need a good amp to control that bass ! Also, be extra careful when choosing speaker cable, use something very neutral. That horn loaded tweeter exposes bright cable in a jiffy !
After a long exposure to smaller RF-62 my conclusion is that this speaker will reward you with astounding dynamics and transparency with a feeling of "being there" rarely achieved. Yes, they can sound a bit aggressive and overblown in the bass, but hook them to a good valve amp (like a PrimaLuna) and you will enjoy music (and movies!) like never before. And remember they need a long run-in and sufficient room to breathe.
I bought this speaker recentlly about 2 moths ago. I got also a nice Denon AVR-2808. 2 pairs of copper cable, nothing fancy, 2.6 mm oxigen free loudspeker cable with bananas fixed to couple to the receiver.
The sound is absolutelly beautifull. No way this review gives them the fair oppinion. The bass and soubtleness is all found in the recording you have. If you have good recordings, even on vynil, if the record is poor, of course the sound is rubbish. But if you play a good recorder CD (Willy Nelson's Best's, Frank Sinatra's remastered) and any good preserved vinyl with a good cartridge, the sound will hit you with its perfection. This spekers play especially good on instrumental music, or to say better on music played with real instruments, not those computer made music. Even if that one eve plays well as long as its an original recording...
Jazz is its music and country. Symphonic sound's increddible also on SACD especially...
So for 1000 euros per pair, this is in my oppinion the best choice. The next model from Klipsch cost 2500 Euros.
I bought these floorstanding speakers two months ago, and I have been using them since. After reading this review, I tested the speakers with the exact same song that was used for the test in this review (Not Fair by Lily Allen) and I must disagree with it saying that there is hardness in the vocals. Lily's voice is all but hard in my hi-fi system, and I do have a cheap 1979 integrated amplifier. I can only partially agree with the judgement over the very low-end (even though I have a bad amplifier, so it might be that), but even there, these speakers "dare" much more than competition with regards to trying to achieve very low sounds. If you want, you can adjust that by decreasing the bass on the amplifier knob a bit...and the trick is done. Another thing I would have mentioned is matching, which is crucial to these speakers. If you match them to a "bright" amplifier (maybe they were when tested for this review), the sound will be bright, if you match them to a mellow, warm amplifier, the sound will be so as well. It is also a good idea to partner them with an amp that controls the bass department in a proper manner, as I would compare it to tall wild horsed that need to be tamed.
so, bottom line: if you have bought these speakers, make sure you place them in a moderately big room (not smaller than 18 square metres, and put them 1/2 metre away from the wall). Partner them with an amplifier that: 1) is on the warm side, 2) controls the bass department properly.
Comments
tested these in a tube system and transistor system these speaker love tube power fantastic vocals bass could be better integrated though also tried a pair of neat motive 2 and didn't even compare then a change to a transistor power amp in the guise of a primare a30.2 the klipsch turned to *** the neats absolutely killed it so great with tube rubbish with solid state
Although these speakers are VERY efficient at 98 db, do not make the mistake of driving them with a budget amp. The will expose it's shortcommings in no uncertain terms. They may sound bright with cheap front-ends and they need a good amp to control that bass ! Also, be extra careful when choosing speaker cable, use something very neutral. That horn loaded tweeter exposes bright cable in a jiffy !
After a long exposure to smaller RF-62 my conclusion is that this speaker will reward you with astounding dynamics and transparency with a feeling of "being there" rarely achieved. Yes, they can sound a bit aggressive and overblown in the bass, but hook them to a good valve amp (like a PrimaLuna) and you will enjoy music (and movies!) like never before. And remember they need a long run-in and sufficient room to breathe.
I bought this speaker recentlly about 2 moths ago. I got also a nice Denon AVR-2808. 2 pairs of copper cable, nothing fancy, 2.6 mm oxigen free loudspeker cable with bananas fixed to couple to the receiver.
The sound is absolutelly beautifull. No way this review gives them the fair oppinion. The bass and soubtleness is all found in the recording you have. If you have good recordings, even on vynil, if the record is poor, of course the sound is rubbish. But if you play a good recorder CD (Willy Nelson's Best's, Frank Sinatra's remastered) and any good preserved vinyl with a good cartridge, the sound will hit you with its perfection. This spekers play especially good on instrumental music, or to say better on music played with real instruments, not those computer made music. Even if that one eve plays well as long as its an original recording...
Jazz is its music and country. Symphonic sound's increddible also on SACD especially...
So for 1000 euros per pair, this is in my oppinion the best choice. The next model from Klipsch cost 2500 Euros.
I bought these floorstanding speakers two months ago, and I have been using them since. After reading this review, I tested the speakers with the exact same song that was used for the test in this review (Not Fair by Lily Allen) and I must disagree with it saying that there is hardness in the vocals. Lily's voice is all but hard in my hi-fi system, and I do have a cheap 1979 integrated amplifier. I can only partially agree with the judgement over the very low-end (even though I have a bad amplifier, so it might be that), but even there, these speakers "dare" much more than competition with regards to trying to achieve very low sounds. If you want, you can adjust that by decreasing the bass on the amplifier knob a bit...and the trick is done. Another thing I would have mentioned is matching, which is crucial to these speakers. If you match them to a "bright" amplifier (maybe they were when tested for this review), the sound will be bright, if you match them to a mellow, warm amplifier, the sound will be so as well. It is also a good idea to partner them with an amp that controls the bass department in a proper manner, as I would compare it to tall wild horsed that need to be tamed.
so, bottom line: if you have bought these speakers, make sure you place them in a moderately big room (not smaller than 18 square metres, and put them 1/2 metre away from the wall). Partner them with an amplifier that: 1) is on the warm side, 2) controls the bass department properly.
Joseph P.