Vintage Klipsch vs New Klipsch

Rmac587

Rmac587

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Hi Ya'll,
I found a few threads addressing this question, but they seem dated. It wouldn’t occur to me to ask, but I had a curious experience recently. I came across a pair of RPM-150s very cheap, and ran them in my garage briefly. I have to say the imaging was simply superb on them. I was really shocked that they sounded as good as they did, and the bass was solid.

I also own a pair of Forte I with Crites xovers and diaphragms and Moray James mods. They are amazing. That said, a pair of RP-260f have pooped up locally at half price. I just can’t help but wonder if the imaging ans soundstage on a bigger sounding version of the bookshelves I heard might be possible. I wouldn’t put much stock in the newer entry level stuff, but man, I wonder about these. Thoughts, experiences, impressions?
Thanks!
 
Just to reiterate, I absolutely did not expect the RP-150 to sound as good as they did. Hence the question....
 
I know a lot of people prefer the RP towers over the TOTL Ref 7, stating they are less in your face up top. Others feel they are too polite. I haven't heard them. I did hear theRef 7 vs the new Forte III and the Forte sounded much better to me. The sound of the R7, to me, had that horn coloration that I haven't heard in other models.
 
In my case, I have a pair of RP-160Ms in my garage setup. They play plenty loud and clear. I don’t need to shoe horn a set of towers into my space.

There is a YouTube video comparing the the new Forte 3s with the new Ref 7 III towers. The commenters online there felt the Fortes were smoother, less in your face than the Ref 7s. The presenter was able to switch between both pairs of Klipsch quickly in order to make the comparison.
 
Personally I found the copper colored coned line a tad fatiguing after awhile, although it was during auditions. They just may not have been broken in yet.
 
Mamrak1 said:
In my case, I have a pair of RP-160Ms in my garage setup. They play plenty loud and clear. I don’t need to shoe horn a set of towers into my space.

There is a YouTube video comparing the the new Forte 3s with the new Ref 7 III towers. The commenters online there felt the Fortes were smoother, less in your face than the Ref 7s. The presenter was able to switch between both pairs of Klipsch quickly in order to make the comparison.
Click to expand...
I think I saw that video Mamrak, guy with a Sotuerhn accent right? I don’t think I’ve heard the Ref series, but I did hear a cooper woofer Klipsch tower in a store and found it really bright, as Slick Willie did. But the RP-150 was pretty smooth.
 
Slick Willie said:
Personally I found the copper colored coned line a tad fatiguing after awhile, although it was during auditions. They just may not have been broken in yet.
Click to expand...

Upper bass and lower mids sounded muddy to me. I'd expected, or hoped for, better resolution from those cool-looking drivers. Makes me wonder who voiced 'em in the first place. They could do better, imo. Obviously, many will disagree with my assessment. I'm referring specifically to the 150s.
 
Personally think the newer Klipsch lines are more aimed at the home theater crowd. I have a set of the RP-280fs and yes they sound good but they just seem to be too hot at the top and bottom. For music only, I think the heritage stuff is better.
 
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Im hooked on the Heritage series. Personally, once PWK went belly up, the company also went belly up. The moved most of their manufacturing to China, used cheaper drivers and wanted to go mainstream, mass market. But, that's just my opinion.
 
Heritage is all still built in Hope, AR. They have a Pilgrimage every year and tour the plant, talk to the builders, etc. Now the drivers that are in some of the other series may come from other places and I would imagine the Best Buy models are cheapened up. But, Heritage is still hand built.
 
With all the up grades to the Forte's, I'd stick with them. My oldest son has RF-7 which model I forget, but compared to my former Hersey they do have better low bass, but everything else was second class. Compared to the Cornwalls I lived with in college they were a very poor 2nd. The RPM's we sold were never on my like list. Part of that could have been the Yamaha electronics at the time, but even with NAD electronics they just weren't in the same class as Forte's. Early Fortes had tweeter issues for me, but you have solved those issues. So in around about way I would say stay with the Forte , I kind of thought a Forte was a Heresy
 
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