How are old Klipsch speakers? I'm not finding too much feedback online.

[jlee]

I have an opportunity to pick up a pair of RF 3 IIs and an RW12 for $250 (may offer $200, as it's been for sale for months). Primary use is music/tv at relatively quiet volumes (unless I talk the upstairs neighbor into watching a movie so they're not bothered, ha).

It's probably way overkill and I could likely get by with a Dayton SUB-1000 to go with my Dayton B652 bookshelf pair, but it's just so cheap!

 

[SithSolo1]

I have original RF3s as my mains and I've been using them since 2003. I think they sound fine and they don't require much power to get loud so you don't need a beefy receiver/amp. $250 for the RF3 IIs alone is a good deal, the RW12 is just icing on the cake but I don't know much about it. I say go for it as long as they are in good condition.

Worst case if they are too much, flip the sub or the speakers for $100-150 and get smaller replacements. You'd still come out ahead.

 

[jlee]

Great to hear - thanks! I may pick them up this weekend. Do you think the sub is necessary given the 8" drivers in the RF3s?

 

[SithSolo1]

They should have plenty of low end for most music and tv. I'd use the sub for movies/bass heavy music and use a receiver to roll the speakers off around 50-60hz. I should mention that some people find most Klipsch speakers to be bright(pronounced high frequency range) due to the horn loaded tweeter design. If possible I'd demo the speakers with some music you are familiar with to see how they sound to you.

 

[MongGrel]

Even for $250 with the Sub should be pretty rocking IMHO, if you already have an AVR/Amp.

Have plenty of old speakers in my 7.2 system, Klipsch if they are in good shape second hand will be good at that price.

 

[twinrider1]

Heh, old, he said.
When I read old Klipsch I was expecting some old Cornwalls or similar.

What Klipsch was built on.


My hunch is you'll be fine with those speakers. The old ones were bright, to the point that they could really wear you out after a while. Kinda like looking right at an LED light versus an incandescent. But that comes from being designed back in the tube days when you could use a little help in the high end. I'm just going to guess the more modern units are designed to get along with modern electronics.

 

[snoopy7548]

I've got a pair of KG-2s that I bought about nine or ten years ago at an MIT Swapfest for less than $60. Driven with a good stereo amp, they are nearly perfect (IMO). Very smooth and detailed sound. A bit warm, but I prefer a little extra warmth. The bass is incredible; you can turn these up and shake the walls without any distortion. At some point I'll probably refinish the cabinets, but they're in great condition. I've been using them in my office for listening to music and playing games.

I've been thinking about buying a couple of higher-end older Klipsch speakers like the smaller ones twinrider1 posted. I've never listened to a "horn" speaker before. How does it sound compared to a traditional dome tweeter? I'd imagine they'd be fairly bright, which might not be suited to my music preferences (mostly alternative rock and hip-hop, no classical).

 

[jlee]

I have read that Klipsch horns tend to be a lot brighter, but (at least with the RF3 line) that they tend to mellow out a bit after they've broken in. These should be well broken in by now, saving me that step.

I don't have a receiver here yet - I've been running a little Lepai 2020a+ with a pair of Dayton B652's. A receiver is definitely on the list. I liked my Denon 1611 that I bought maybe 8 years ago...I'll have to do some hunting to see what's the best option for me now.

 

[jlee]

Sealed the deal at $220! I need to find a power cable for the subwoofer and one of the clips on a speaker grill is broken, but superglue should repair it well enough to work.

 

[SithSolo1]

Nice!

Just eyeballing it I believe a standard PC or Monitor power cable will work, you just won't have the ground wire connected to anything on the sub end.

 

[Chapbass]

Nice!

Just eyeballing it I believe a standard PC or Monitor power cable will work, you just won't have the ground wire connected to anything on the sub end.

This. I have one of the later models, thats all it is, just a standard PC power cable.

 

[jlee]

This. I have one of the later models, thats all it is, just a standard PC power cable.

Yep - discovered that the other day. Quite convenient.

It's a ridiculous amount of sound for $220, and I haven't even hooked the subwoofer up yet.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I love the Klipsch sound. Enjoy!

 

[NutBucket]

Heh, old, he said.
When I read old Klipsch I was expecting some old Cornwalls or similar.

What Klipsch was built on.

Heh, me too.

Thing with speakers is, age is meaningless. Good speakers sound good and everyone has an opinion. This is probably why I have like 4 or 5 pairs of late 80's/early 90's Boston Acoustics speakers. They're cheap on the used market and sound great. Plus, they're USA made which makes me doubly happy.

 

[jlee]

Heh, me too.

Thing with speakers is, age is meaningless. Good speakers sound good and everyone has an opinion. This is probably why I have like 4 or 5 pairs of late 80's/early 90's Boston Acoustics speakers. They're cheap on the used market and sound great. Plus, they're USA made which makes me doubly happy.

Have you found any deterioration of rubber over the years? When I was a kid, my parents had these absolutely incredible cabinet speakers but after a couple of decades, the surrounds on the woofers fell apart.

 

[NutBucket]

Yes. Luckily there's a guy close by that does great repair work at a reasonable cost. I've had him replace surrounds on a few speakers.

 

[jlee]

I have original RF3s as my mains and I've been using them since 2003. I think they sound fine and they don't require much power to get loud so you don't need a beefy receiver/amp. $250 for the RF3 IIs alone is a good deal, the RW12 is just icing on the cake but I don't know much about it. I say go for it as long as they are in good condition.

Worst case if they are too much, flip the sub or the speakers for $100-150 and get smaller replacements. You'd still come out ahead.

What are you using for a center? RC3 II's are pretty hard to find locally; if I were to buy a new Klipsch Reference center, would it match well?

 

[MongGrel]

Yes. Luckily there's a guy close by that does great repair work at a reasonable cost. I've had him replace surrounds on a few speakers.

It varies I guess, have a few old Kenwoods and JVC's from the 80' the subs look about the day they were bought.

I blew out the mid and tweeters on the JVC set once, I replaced those myself and still rolling along fine, I think I improved them a bit, the subs are the best thing in those originally, the only things that are original in that set.

 

[NutBucket]

Generally speaking it seems that most sealed designs use foam surrounds and ported designs use tougher materials. This is based on speakers from the 70's and 80's.

 

[SithSolo1]

The RC-62 II is probably your best bet at this point if you want something close to the size of an RC-3 II. You could also look for a RC-35 but they probably aren't that easy to find either.

I'm looking at getting an RP-450c at some point. I think it'd do better in the room I have but I don't know how well it will match my RF3s.