Klipsch RF7's make my hsu vtf2 sound bad (1 Viewer)

[Chris Tabor]

Well here's how it goes. I just bought Attack of the Clones and watched it twice now. The first time I had full 6.1 going and it sounded pretty good. The sub worked alot and I didn't seem to get all that much for bass from my rf7's. So, thats when I decided to watch it again. This time I set my receiver to NO sub so all the bass was directed to my rf7's. OH MY GOD. Thats all I can say to describe it. These things can put out sooooo much bass its unreal. I didn't realize how much I was missing using the vtf2 as the main source of bass. Now I wonder if I actually do need a subwoofer. Is there a way to make the receiver send full bass to the mains and the sub? I had it set to large front speakers and sub on but that took bass away from the mains. No sub was an unbelievable experience. I just fell in love all over again with these speakers. They are absolutely amazing.

 

[DerekF]

In your receiver setup menu you should have the option of sending LFE to:

Subwoofer only
Mains only
Both

Set that to both, and Mains on large...that should work (at least it does in my Yammy 2200....

Cheers,
Quill

 

[Ted Ross]

Didnt Sound & Vision do a review of the RF-7s & say that you really didnt need a sub with these speakers?

 

[Chris Tabor]

I have the denon 4802 receiver, guess I should have added that. I'll look through to see if I can do that with the lfe. And Ted, after watching attack of the clones I definately believe that they don't need a sub. It was simply an amazing sounding movie.

 

[Michael R Price]

Well Chris, you could always get a better sub. It's not fair to compare the 4 10" woofers of the RF-7s with the single 10" of the VTF-2, as you've discovered. But I think a more capable subwoofer would still be a significant improvement, especially for that really low bass. Those options tend to get expensive, though.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

four 10" woofers vs a 10" dedicated sub doesn't always mean the 4 woofers will win.

The subwoofer has more power, more displacement, and has the ability to be corner loaded and positioned for "bass management". The dedicated sub can have more flexibility if it has crossover, phase, gain, subsonic filter, etc.

The Klipsch RF7 have a -3db downpoint at 32hz according to their webpage. The VTF-2 has extension down to 25hz and has 150watts dedicated to just bass.

I'd try and get the RF7s to work with the sub if you can because I'm a bit suprised that the RF7s beat the bass out of the VTF so badly.

 

[Dustin B]

I agree with Michael. I think it's time to upgrade your sub. The RF7 towers deserve something a little more capable than the Hsu VTF2.

The RF7 towers may be able to get down to 40hz with gusto, but they won't be able to compete at all with a decent sub in the last couple octaves.

I'd be looking at pairs of the VTF3, TN1220 or SVS Plus series to mate with RF7 towers. Unless you can DIY, then you could really have some fun.

 

[Haris Ellahi]

The Klipsch RF-7 is good down to 30Hz.

 

[Chris Tabor]

Chris, there is absolutely no comparison between the bass from my rf7's to my hsu.

 

[matthew_rm]

I found the same thing with my RF3's. Now I really want to play around with the RF7's!

 

[Michael R Price]

This is why I decided that when I would get a subwoofer, I would only get a really good one. I have speakers with probably almost as much bass capability as the RF-7s... while a subwoofer would be worthwhile in reducing distortion from my mains and allowing me to play louder, there's a good chance it wouldn't actually improve the bass quality much. Oh, and I didn't have enough money. Funny how that works.

Anyway Chris, short of DIY I would be looking at SVS CS+/Ultra, or something custom built (Adire or Stryke based). If, this is a big if, you think it would be a worthwhile upgrade and you have the money to do it right.

 

[Manuel Delaflor]

Chris,
IMO what is happening is just that the Klipsch are way to efficient for your VTF2. If you play at lower levels the extra 5Hz from the VTF2 will shine. Granted, what you really need is a most powerful sub.
Well... Maybe not. If you are happy with the 30Hz or so with your RF-7's then just enjoy!

 

[Chris Tabor]

Well, I still want that low bass, I don't want to miss anything. I want a sub that'll still shake you but not even hear it.

 

[Chris Tabor]

The HSU just had its hands waaaay to full for AOTC. Thats the reason I decided to try without it. My main goal would be to have a sub that will play down to about anything and still get the full bass from my mains. The rf7's are amazing the way they handle bass. Not a single part of the movie distorted and I even raised it up the bass to +8 on the receiver just to see. I had a little bit of distortion if I maxed the bass up and played the movie pretty loud. I'm currently watching it with the volume on -8 with bass at +8 and absolutely no distortion from the speakers. I can't imagine home theater sounding any better than this.

 

[DanielSmi]

I'm using a velodyne hgs-10 with a pair of rf-5's, and all I can say is "my sub put's out, put's out like a prostitute." My sub can go subsonic, but it does have a subsonic filter at 20Hz. But I did get
60dB at 10Hz
70dB at 12Hz
87db at 15Hz
92dB at 18Hz
and 93 dB at 20Hz. This wasn't reference level but at -10 volume. These are really good numbers for a 10inch sub. I used to have a JBl PB-10 and it only went down to like 25Hz, and when I got my Velo I had to watch all my movies over again because I couldn't believe what I had been missing. If I were you I'd get a Velo, SVS, or Sunfire sub check them out; you can get really good low bass for about $800. You need to hear a sub go down to 20Hz, and then you'll realize what you been missing.

Daniel Smith

 

[Michael R Price]

Chris,

Save some money up and get yourself a serious subwoofer. You might change your mind about using the RF-7s full range. While my speakers can shake me up pretty good, it's nothing like, say, a Tempest.

 

[Troy_K]

Chris,

I think you may have your sub set up incorrectly. Make sure it's in a corner or somewhere close to where the RF7s are giving you such good bass.

Set all your speakers to small, and let the HSU handle all the bass. My Klipsch KG5.5s have 4 10" woofs, too. They can't do bass like my sub can, though! You have to set your speaks to small, even though it may kill you to think RF7s are small. You will get more bass.

Make sure then that you calibrate your sub levels to match your mains, and then go 2-3 db hot to start with from there. If this still sounds better than without the sub, then something is wrong with your sub, or it's placement. You should NOT have to use the bass control on your receiver. +8 is way too much distortion. Keep it at 0, and dial in your sub for volume you like.

Troy

 

[Chris Tabor]

+8 was just to see what they could do without distortion. They perform flawlessly at that level. Tons of bass though. Placement of the sub is about as ideal as it can get. There's just no way it compares to these. The sub is just too undermatched to the mains I think.