Sell my Klipsch RF-8000F?

[JayGould]

Last year I bought a pair of Klipsch RF-8000F floor speakers to stand in my (large) living room. Unfortunately, even though I have treated the room with lots of sound and bass absorbing panels, along with plants, paintings, rugs and you name it... it still echos and has terrible acoustics. Music just doesn't sound good there. They are great for movies/TV though (although I barely if ever watch it).

So I tried moving them into my little home office room (about 10x10 feet), but (due to their large size?) they don't sound good there either. So now I'm thinking whether I should sell them and buy a pair of bookshelf speakers for the office instead (+ a cheaper pair of floor standing speakers for movie watching). Would this make sense in my case?

Problem is I paid $2500 for this pair (I am in Mexico). Now as they've just released the 8000F v2, these cost less than $1000 brand new on amazon for a pair. So I wonder how much money I would get for them if I sold them.

Either way, what would you replace them with?

I used to own a pair of KEF LS50w (original version) and they were amazing. The new version (only one available) are too expensive for me though (almost $4000 for the pair). And I already own a decent amplifier (Cambridge Audio AXR-100, which I bought for $800). Any suggestions on what I should get? I mainly listen to: Blues, Classic Rock, Opera, Classical, Soul/Pop.

 

[sweetchaos]

RF-8000F (version 2) was measured by Erin:

Tonality (Preference) Score is 5.2 and would be 6.8 with a perfect subwoofer
Definitely not neutral sounding.
I expect version 1 to have more resonances, issues.

So now I'm thinking whether I should sell them and buy a pair of bookshelf speakers for the office instead (+ a cheaper pair of floor standing speakers for movie watching).

Pick a budget, then look at the options for both bookshelves and towers.
I wouldn't get two sets of speakers, since a good speaker will be good for both music and movies.
Unless I misunderstood you and you want 2 sets of speakers for different locations of your house?

Have you seen my 'passive speaker' recommendation thread yet?
Lots of ideas for bookshelves and towers, but I don't know the market for Mexico, so I don't know how their pricing relates to US prices (which is what my guide is based on).

 

[JayGould]

Thanks. Yes, I'd get two set of speakers. One pair (most expensive, for music listening in the office) and a second pair just to hear the TV audio (will likely get something for around $100, just as long as it is better than the built-in TV audio then I'm good).

I'm having a look at your list right now. I am not sure what those numbers mean. What I really want is good mids but low treble. Something that sounds similar to my Sennheiser HD650. At first I was thinking of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.2's, but heard some found them too bright. So perhaps I will go with Diamond 225's (if I can find them) or the Polk R200 (if I understand your list, they seem pretty good for the price too). From my reading it seems that both of these may fit my preferences.

 

[alex-z]

RP-8000F are mediocre speakers.

There is a significant dip in the frequency response from 1000-2000Hz, and the entire upper treble region is 3-4dB too high. The large woofers + cheap crossover also result in poor directivity, meaning that applying EQ is only a partial fix.

Upgrading the crossover is possible, but not a cheap proposition. The most beginner friendly route would be a digital crossover setup.

miniDSP Flex Eight

miniDSP Flex Eight, 400MHz Sharc DSP audio processor, toolbox for subwoofer or multiway speaker tuning, Optional Dirac Live license for room correction, Bluetooth LDAC/APTX/AAC streaming.

www.minidsp.com

UMIK-1

The UMIK-1 is an omni-directional USB measurement calibrated microphone providing Plug & Play acoustic measurement. From speaker & room acoustic measurement to recording, this microphone provides low noise and accurate results you can rely on.

www.minidsp.com

https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H x3

That way each driver has 70 watts of amplification available, and you can run the speaker in a 2.5 way configuration, with a 1500Hz tweeter crossover, and 300Hz lower woofer crossover. On-axis frequency response, distortion, and radiation pattern will all be improved.

Passive crossover upgrades are also available. I don't recommend them, but GR Research sells a kit. It won't be as good as the active crossover setup, but is still a large improvement.

Klipsch RP-8000F Upgrade (Pair) | GR-Research

gr-research.com

However, it would be much simpler to just buy something like a pair of KEF R3, which will offer excellent performance with no modifications required. I believe those are about $3000 USD when converted to Mexican Peso.

What acoustic treatment do you have? I commonly see setups using acoustic foam which does not offer good mid-range and and bass absorption. Anything less than 4" thickness for the side walls and 8" for the corner bass traps is not a good choice.

 

[JayGould]

RP-8000F are mediocre speakers.

There is a significant dip in the frequency response from 1000-2000Hz, and the entire upper treble region is 3-4dB too high. The large woofers + cheap crossover also result in poor directivity, meaning that applying EQ is only a partial fix.

Upgrading the crossover is possible, but not a cheap proposition. The most beginner friendly route would be a digital crossover setup.

miniDSP Flex Eight

miniDSP Flex Eight, 400MHz Sharc DSP audio processor, toolbox for subwoofer or multiway speaker tuning, Optional Dirac Live license for room correction, Bluetooth LDAC/APTX/AAC streaming.

www.minidsp.com

UMIK-1

The UMIK-1 is an omni-directional USB measurement calibrated microphone providing Plug & Play acoustic measurement. From speaker & room acoustic measurement to recording, this microphone provides low noise and accurate results you can rely on.

www.minidsp.com

https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H x3

That way each driver has 70 watts of amplification available, and you can run the speaker in a 2.5 way configuration, with a 1500Hz tweeter crossover, and 300Hz lower woofer crossover. On-axis frequency response, distortion, and radiation pattern will all be improved.

Passive crossover upgrades are also available. I don't recommend them, but GR Research sells a kit. It won't be as good as the active crossover setup, but is still a large improvement.

Klipsch RP-8000F Upgrade (Pair) | GR-Research

gr-research.com

However, it would be much simpler to just buy something like a pair of KEF R3, which will offer excellent performance with no modifications required. I believe those are about $3000 USD when converted to Mexican Peso.

What acoustic treatment do you have? I commonly see setups using acoustic foam which does not offer good mid-range and and bass absorption. Anything less than 4" thickness for the side walls and 8" for the corner bass traps is not a good choice.

Thank you for the response/info. Appreciate it.

"https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H"

So is this amp better than the AXR-100? Or what am I going to use it for exactly?

$3000 is out of my budget unfortunately. I am looking for speakers around $500 (maximum $750). Thinking of either the Wharfedale Diamond 12.2's, 225's or Polk R200's.

 

[alex-z]

Thank you for the response/info. Appreciate it.

"https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H"

So is this amp better than the AXR-100? Or what am I going to use it for exactly?

$3000 is out of my budget unfortunately. I am looking for speakers around $500 (maximum $750). Thinking of either the Wharfedale Diamond 12.2's, 225's or Polk R200's.

In an active crossover setup, each driver of the speaker has its own amplifier channel. TPA3255 chip amps are just one of the cheapest ways to get a good amount of power without high distortion. So if you did the active crossover conversion, you could still use your AXR-100, but would need 4 additional amplification channels.

Based on the company spec (<0.15% distortion 20Hz - 20kHz, 80% of rated power) I would safely assume the AXR-100 has slightly more power than the Aiyima A07, but more distortion. About 2 orders of magnitude more actually.

AIYIMA A07 TPA3255 Review (Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AIYIMA A07 desktop amplifier based on TPA3255 class D amplifier chip. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. The cost is US $72 on Amazon including prime shipping. And as of this shipping, it also included a 32 volt, 5...

www.audiosciencereview.com

For $500-750, I would purchase either the KEF Q350, or Elac DBR62. Both are good bookshelf speakers with fairly neutral frequency response, and no major design compromises.

Before you purchase new speakers, have you tried EQ?

It is pretty simple to measure your in-room response with a cheap microphone like the UMIK-1, and then apply some basic corrections with software like EqualizerAPO.

UMIK-1/2 setup with REW

miniDSP is a leading manufacturer of Digital Audio Signal Processors for the HomeTheater, Hifi, headphone and Automotive market. Join our large community of Audiophiles, Engineers and DIYers using our innovative products.

www.minidsp.com

Equalizer APO

Download Equalizer APO for free. A system-wide equalizer for Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 / 11. Equalizer APO is a parametric / graphic equalizer for Windows. It is implemented as an Audio Processing Object (APO) for the system effect infrastructure introduced with Windows Vista.

sourceforge.net

Having a measurement mic is also a useful tool for figuring out how effective your acoustic treatment is. For example, some rooms have fast treble decay and slow bass decay. This is a sign of poor treatment choices.

 

[Taiga]

Audioholics measured the Klipsch RP-8000F and gave them a favorable review here:

Klipsch RP-8000F Tower Speaker Review

The Klipsch RP-8000F, a dual 8" woofer tower speaker system that promises a wide dynamic range for lots of punch and impact, but will that come at the cost? Read our review to find out...

www.audioholics.com

And recommends them at the end of this video:

If the OPs room is acoustically problematic, then more expensive speakers may not do the trick.

 

[thewas]

RP-8000F are mediocre speakers.

There is a significant dip in the frequency response from 1000-2000Hz, and the entire upper treble region is 3-4dB too high. The large woofers + cheap crossover also result in poor directivity, meaning that applying EQ is only a partial fix.

On which measurements do you base that on?
The RF-8000 II measurements of EAC show a quite decent directivity, especially considering the size and price. https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/klipsch_rp_8000f_ii/