Klipsch RF3 II [Vintage] _(Z Reviews)_

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[@SinnerSince1962]

I bought a pair for $39 today. My lucky day, indeed.

[@nativenation3296]

Wow

[@Lord_Pistachio_Nut]

For those out there that want real info instead of "idk klipsch sucks with naming conventions" the Roman '2' is second series. Meaning there's an RF 3 then an RF3 ii. The second series has upgraded crossovers, better tweeter, etc. The higher the Roman number, the better the speaker in the Reference line. iii being the current, and best, in the Reference line. No offense but I HATE when people do reviews and don't know what they're talking about. Kind of redundant no?

[@morganrowe]

"These are the stubble on a super model's chin"! Genius zeos, love it my man 😁

[@voin3858]

Your speaker reviews have educated me to better my purchasing knowledge. Thks. :)

[@conniggit]

I'm about to buy these with the sub and center channel for 400 bucks very excited

[@commanderrussels2612]

christ I'm old. 2001 is vintage now....

[@aethertech]

Don't worry, in a few years the 2010's will be vintage too.

[@aethertech]

@Chrixx well, I guess im an antique then. *hugs 1970's Domus Omni*

[@bigelile07]

@@aethertech Hardly, 70s and older is considered vintage when it comes to stereo eqt. Unless you are selling something on eBay, then it's "vintage", lol

[@martinandersson9712]

I have Cerwin Vegas from the early 80"s, so 2001 are brand new *LOL*

[@OfficialJimrose]

I said that shit out loud too. 2001 is vintage? Fuck am I that old

[@MrWslindsay]

Vintage 2003 😂. I'm not knocking what people call vintage anymore. Time moves on. My first pair of real speakers were the Klipsch kg3's from the late 80's. Loved them at the time. Obviously they have come a long way since then. The point being here, I'm starting to feel old 😅😅😅

[@FullMoonStudio]

Dude! I still use my KG 5.2(s). Great speakers.

[@MrWslindsay]

@@FullMoonStudio That's cool as hell man. They used real wood finish back then. Wish I still had mine. Gave them to a friend as a wedding gift. He's probably still got them :)

[@ChasingGiants23]

Always great reviews. this one was awesome! well done Zeos

[@teddytusen]

I have these in my living room. Sound great and pump out amazing bass. Placement is as always crucial. I have a system in my home theater that cost 10x, and still love the sound that these produce.

[@bobwardrop8483]

I’m using 20 year old Klipsch surrounds as my rears. They still sound great. I’m using new Klipsch as my fronts. Thanks for the RP150M review Zeos. I love them.

[@martinabernathy205]

I have a pair of vintage late 80's Polk Audio Monitor 10 speakers and what you say about these Klipsch applies to them as well. Beautiful highs and mid-bass. Low bass, not so much. I enjoyed the vintage speaker review. Well done!

[@billholden20]

I did find these NEW, in the box, this year and I bought them and love them. I did buy a sub and it helps, for sure, though the low end is not terrible. I love these things.

[@andreysuprun4168]

Hey Zeos, I love your reviews and they have definitely influenced some of my purchases (for better or for worse). Just a thought on this review: Since these speakers are rear-ported they might benefit from being placed much closer to the wall than you have them for optimal bass response. You might want to give these another try with them pressed against the wall and see if they can extend that bass a little better. You'll recall that you had the RP-600M pretty close to the wall and in fact up against your windows almost, and you said they had great bass response. If you still have the RF3 II's, give that a whirl if you feel like it. Cheers

[@LordLiquidBaconII]

I'm glad I am a patron so I can get that Danny wall scroll before it sells out from the public release.

[@TeraNazantia]

The Saint is my favorite movie. Really pleased me that you played that. 👌 I own these in the 6 inch version. I have them bi-amped (only because I can) at a measly 140w per channel and my volume is usually set to -40dB for casual and -25 or -20dB for loud. You are absolutely right about not needing much power.

[@stevem.6557]

Thanks for reviewing, I have the RF3 original version which look identical to these but I think a few years older. I found they had better bass ooomph with the speakers bass port placed about 1 foot away from the wall. That being said I do also have a Yamaha subwoofer for added boom. To my ear the Klipsch outperformed every other speaker in the audio store listening room that I could afford. It broke my heart and I'm sure Paul W. is spinning in his grave to find out they make the reference series in China now.

[@bobmerrill3554]

I’ve got a room your size, with RF5 mains, RF3II rears, RC7 center, and 2 KSW15s. Love the older Reference stuff. Drops jaws every time I show it to someone.

[@skrem23]

I actually have a pair of these Klipsch RF3's in my home office set up, and love them.

[@tcblackg35]

Same, in my office

[@Imhalfamazing]

I have these hooked up to a Denon receiver and added a KSW-12 sub. Tune correctly and kept the towers 4 feet from the receiver. Perfection !

[@IBODEGAI]

I’ve had these. They fucking jam. HARD. Great for cranking a party or a concert. But they will wear your ears out.

[@Krikstar123]

I have the RF3 and have been watching your vids lately to find a replacement for them - completely unaware that you have done a review on them ;-)

[@jeffstockton534]

Very educational and informative.

[@spencerthrall1866]

God I love the picture of Danny dovito on the wall

[@PrincessPastaAudio]

fml

[@madf00bar15]

Long ago in a previous century a buddy of mine bought a pair of Klipsch La Scalas, gigantic cubes with horn loaded tweeters and midrange that completely took over his living room. No WAF, he was single. Those suckers would deafen you with 10 watts. So loud it hurt, but they still sounded great.

[@cmammen]

I love you man but your place is so nuts! just subscribed you NUT! Good job Volume monster! love the neo vintage review..... An elephant whoa!!!

[@DEVUNK88]

glad to see you still have the ohms

[@thegreener196]

I have been running a set of these for about 5 years now with my NAD C375BEE and these sound AWESOME! and wicked efficient. I play jazz/jazz fusion metal etc. no problems with bass/low end at all and voice sounds great. "patricia barber inchworm" sounds wicked! i have mine about 12" from the wall. that being said i do run a sunfire 12" sub because i like bass that punches you in the face. i have been so impressed with these that i just purchased a set of RF-7's and love them as well but I am having a hard time parting with the RF-3's.

[@q5kxsps9]

I will only use Klipsch. Best bang for the buck!!! :)

[@zcustomcarnesi]

I just picked up a pair of these for 100 bucks for the pair with grills and pristine condition . They sound great!

[@bigchimpin4215]

I wish I could ship my RF7 III to you, but they're 100 pounds a piece. The new Klipsch RF series addresses all of the old Klipsch issues. 250W RMS 1000W peak and super efficient. 10inch woofers and bifurcated cabinets with ports big enough for a Texas toast sandwich.

[@h4tch3tt74]

Is that a Texas sized challenge to fit Texas French Toast in that port I hear

[@OniMirage]

Z, I am using your latest video to suggest creating a playlist of music. I have seen a few of your vids and you have such an eclectic taste and I think a suggestion vid would be one of your most repeatedly viewed videos.

[@RaineFilms]

I LOVE that painting of the Swordfish on the wall!

[@PrincessPastaAudio]

Take Danny down or I'm never stepping foot in that apartment again.

[@JD-kr1dt]

How dare you, Danny is a legend...…."Rum Ham!"

[@Diatonic5th]

Apparently, you're not fond of monster condoms and magnum dongs.

[@PrincessPastaAudio]

@@Diatonic5th correct.

[@musicman257]

love to se you get a hold of some jbls like the older stuff like the jbl t 100 I believe from the 70s cool video Z

[@MegaM563]

If you would put the speakers on the ground you get more bass and you dont need a sub. I have had the RF5's and they had incredible low bass.

[@josegallardos4265]

I agree with you, if the speakers are set on the floor the bass will expand more!!!

[@SinnerSince1962]

@@josegallardos4265 And proper placement from the wall is important also.

[@Damien-Lugnut]

@@SinnerSince1962 he placed them 5 feet from the wall lmao

[@BrianTrimble]

I have a pair of Heresy (original Ver. 1), those are vintage.

[@d3tach3d]

those are in perfect shape

[@JT-ul9zs]

so a pair of these followed me home, your review is very accurate. How the eff do I stop the shot noise? LOL I've had dozens of different speaker pairs, I get these and the shot noise is the first damn thing I noticed.

[@alllove6305]

So, i have those speakers and maybe i missed what you said. Im wondering if you have them bi wired or just powering the tweeter and the mid bass seperately. Because i currently have that nasaly sound and i want a more cleaner sounding tweeter. They are paired with a ksw-15 sub, and a sr5013 marantz reciever.

[@daveb7408]

I have four of these, stored in their original factory packaging, and in climate-controlled storage for the last ten years. I bought them new in 2002 from Tweeter in Augusta, GA. I also have the subwoofer and center channel speaker. I ran them through a Denon receiver and with a Sony 400 disc CD changer. I wish I could find someone who wanted to buy the speakers -- or the receiver or CD player -- from me.

[@Davekinematic]

@daveb7408, how do i reach you, i am interested in purchasing

[@davegutenech7188]

I have 2 of thoes 4 of the triangle shaped 1 speeker 2 horn tweeters, a center channel speaker & there great Sub Woofer. That thing shakes everything. Driven by a Top of the line 7.1 Yamaha recever. I like this set up.

[@SteveV2023]

I use my klipsch Chorus II's for my fronts, beautiful warm sound and no sub needed. RS3 II's for the rears and RC3 II center, all powered by my Denon.

[@n.o.b.s.8458]

"It's literally free unless you buy things" 🤔

[@BonnevilleNut]

He meant raising them off the ground.. "free" improvement

[@YourFutureEx]

I have RF-3s... not the II's. hahaha! That's how long they have lasted. You don't want these for bass anyway, that's why Klipsch makes awesome subs.

[@tcblackg35]

The originals are the same without the monster wiring which made no difference

[@06Vfr800]

Thank God you finally moved ... the clutter in that room reminded me of a kid playing Call of duty for 2 weeks non-stop , with Pizza boxes and coke cans everywhere . The clutter was distracting .Not big enough for an elephant to Phuck in , anyway . Lol

[@alanburnham9832]

MY RF-3 lls are on the floor, there is no lack of bass. My RP-600Ms have good bass, but not what I get from the RF3 lls.

[@whatsnext7664]

I'm still running these that I bought over 20 years ago from Crazy Eddie.

[@sinuskurvepitch1247]

You have to try the RB81 II, these are incredible

[@Hollastein]

Oh my gosh the room looks so much better without all the boxes now.

[@jmakc3541]

Emotiva's speakers are now on clearance. I picked up the T1's and I find them slightly boomy in the mid-bass range, too. Love, love, love them from the mids up, though... which makes me look harder and harder at the T Zeros. Mini towers for $400 that I'd blindly bet are incredible with a sub.

[@mrwagner01]

Give it a few weeks, they'll break in a little more and even out. They seem EXTRA picky about room placement, distance from walls and tow in. Great speakers for the money though especially on sale.

[@jmakc3541]

@@mrwagner01 Will do. I've already decided I like them enough to keep them. I currently have them crossed-over with a sub so I can better control the bass.

[@ggsmith23]

@9.20 the supermodel is Danny DeVito

[@hochhaul]

I like your picture of Frank on the wall.

[@healthierlife235]

The RF 3 II were highly sought after

[@BearsBlend]

Hey zeos, have you seen the new Jamo C line speakers? new c93/91 etc :P

[@chasefreedom5178]

Check out the RP8000F's. Love 'em, 4 8s produce plenty of bass. Still use a subwoofer but these speakers provide deep bass. 16×20 room.

[@charlesferguson6678]

I’m curious about something. You mentioned the use of a passive RCA to XLR converter in your signal path. Does the presence of this converter change the impedance of that signal path? Not even sure if my question makes sense. Anyone?

[@sebasese1]

Just use a Di Box in order to convert your unbalanced Signal from Chinch to a balanced Xlr Signal. With that humming should be reduced by a lot and it only cost like 50$

[@Raymondey]

Zeos - Yosi Horikawa new album "Spaces" is out!!!

[@sum2automation]

From 1974 to today I have had Klipsch speakers. Don't forget to stack them up!

[@DerekRNeumann]

I use rca-xlr interconnects for a cheap Logitech 5.1 to go all the way around a bedroom. I noticed that when the xlr connectors (which are metal) touched each other there was indeed a static type noise from the satellite system. Suggestion, use some heat shrink to cover the rca-xlr connection point. See if that changes anything in your signal path

[@BrianTrimble]

You found a gound loop.

[@marioaguirre175]

Any pros/cons with using the rca to xlr adaptors? I was thinking of trying them with the gorack.

[@ralphaelmathews2851]

I also used to own a pair of theeeeese... They were the fronts of my matching 5.0 setup. I believe the RF3II was the revision of the speaker. If amped properly IMO I thought they had plenty of bass, so much so, that I never bought a sub for my HT. They are rated at 38hz. I ran them with a Yamaha Avr / Rotel RB Amp 150 X 3. As a Funny side note my dumbarse once used these to DJ a party for The Family in a Pinch. I later ended up blowing one of the tweeters and set them out for the trash. Definitely a Rocking set of speakers for sure. The RF7's were even better with wood cabinets, a 3inch Tweeter, and Dual Tens. The Imaging and staging on those $2200.00 plus beast are incredible, regardless of positioning. In hindsight I should've just gotten a pair those instead.

[@shagunrekhi3229]

Hah! I did the same exact thing -dj’d a family party using these.

[@Krikstar123]

@@shagunrekhi3229 Me too. Best was my mothers 50 year birthday where we rented a big room for 80 or so people. Had them hooked up on a Primare A20 70W amplifier, no problem playing at night club like levels, dragging everybody out on the dance floor! Police came twice to tell us to turn the volume down or they would close the whole thing down. Haha ;-)

[@mindtraveller100]

This left me wondering if the RF 82 II that i recently bought have the same downsides as these... They are not as old as these (2010´s), but not as "new" as the Klipsch Z is refering to. I still haven´t heard them because i don´t have an amp yet...

[@vannk73]

Those RCA to XLR adapters are the most likely problem with your noise floor. Try using a stereo direct box to rebalance the signal before it goes out. Something like the Whirlwind pcDI or Radial ProAV2 should do the trick.

[@grand7m]

Whoo hoo a Washington state shout-out! Also, any idea of the specs? I have some DIY HTM-12 that are 8ohm/ 97 db sensitivity and yes, any kind of cable interference or ground loop or dirty power will be audible. I also hooked them up to a Crown XLS 1502 amp and even at high volumes, the VU meter only rarely lit the first green light. But I must say, I think they sounded a tad better with the extra power. Probably psychosomatic.

[@DanielLopez-ec2qo]

I have a lady selling me the same one for $200 perfect condition is that a good price ?

[@justins.1283]

Nice set of speakers ,look like something from the 70's

[@randomtube8226]

I really like the Klipsch Fortellls.

[@Punisher9419]

I want these so badly.

[@shannonwilliams6623]

There's music speakers designed for music and there is home theater speakers made for movies klipsch reference series is for home theater use, that's there strong area, these kind of speakers were not engineered for music listening, that's why they sound the way they sound.

[@bronsonosborne3962]

i have a set of phase technology teatro 7.5 and they are great sounding

[@kylef_1129]

I got klipsch sf3s for 50$. They deliver more than enough bass and definitely dont require any subwoofers. There are basically the same speakers you just reviewed. Two 8s and the same horn tweeter but your model is a little diffrent and it has copper.

[@kylef_1129]

The tweeter can be a little harsh and really bright sometimes though on my model.

[@stanislasflipo7214]

he uses d-class amplifiers, there's a possibility that the lows that are already fairly damped on klipsch got overdampened

[@jkjome4095]

"this was the biggest tower that Klipsch offered at the time" No. Klipsch had two larger towers- the RF-5 and RF-7.

[@dr.dragon2284]

Yes i still have RF-5s they were great speakers for a long time.

[@martinandersson9712]

Not at the time, if these are from 2001 RF7 did not exist, maybe on the drawing-board!

[@chalkball9397]

You should review the new topping D70 dac, a lot of people are looking at it to pair with the THX 789 since it just dropped again.

[@gustavoramirez-rangel5773]

I have my vacuum tube fisher 500c with these speakers, I have many other high end speakers , but these speaker are very empressive. I will try to find another pair.

[@eziodonizete9435]

Estou querendo comprar um par desse modelo, aí fica a dúvida, umas dessas mais antigas de 8 polegadas ou uma moderna de 6 polegadas

[@felipe5875]

Which Klipsch subwoofer is that one you showed?

[@lcdcac]

Damn I have these speakers. Have them set up with a Martin Logan Subwoofer.

[@CaveyMoth]

Wow, look at the tractrix on that.

[@markshone4606]

lots of knowledgeable people on here i have a yamaha rx v675 why does it turn itself off when i turn volume up high

[@blanex10]

I'd love to see more vintage speaker reviews! Someone send him some Infinity Kappas please!

[@bigelile07]

These are *not* "vintage".

[@BonnevilleNut]

I got some Kappa 8's lying around somewhere

[@robscorner7012]

These were actually the smallest reference line tower at the time.

[@tylerstoddard6734]

Finally! But why not rs7? I might have to send you mine for a review

[@curtmorse8474]

If that's vintage, I should send you my Ohm Walsh 2s to review.

[@colbyperry3325]

He has a pair of ohm Walsh’s sitting right behind those speakers..

[@curtmorse8474]

@@colbyperry3325 his are maybe a year or 2 old Ohm Walsh 2000s relatively brand new. Mine are 2s from the 80s

[@ramonmagallan6194]

Came for the speaker review, stayed for the figs. Also do you have Danny devito and shinobu on your wall? 😂

[@shobhitmathur5686]

Super, you could start a Vintage series. KEF iQ5 wanted.

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

Actually your crowns are not idle-ing, they are producing their full wattage at any given time. It's just they don't get any Voltage to amplify, just the interference from the cables gets amplified enough so you can hear it on efficient speakers.

[@jodytatum5418]

Hey i just bought these with center and bass cube for $150 and very good condition. Can i post your channel for people to see and hear what they sound like? I want to sell them.

[@delta9k]

Damn I have these... I bought them new - does that make me also vintage?

[@insidiousengineering]

OMG! DeVito's eyes followed you around the room. That's just weird.

[@trued2010]

2 seconds in you can tell they have no sub base. I wonder how hard it would be to mod them with another set of inputs and box in that bottom 8" to only do sub base. Disconnecting the tweeter and the mids are really muddy though too.

[@Dave30867]

AUDIO’s Audiophile Vol 1 - Vol 24 (24 CD, 1993 - 2005) This collection would do you justice for your sound demos , ✔👍

[@MasterMark5]

So do modern towers have a dedicated driver for bass and sub bass?

[@CaveyMoth]

Some speakers do, like ones made by Adam Audio. Forget 3-way, we have 5-way drivers.

[@MasterMark5]

@@CaveyMoth Why stop at 5, 10 WAY SPEAKERS ACTIVATE. That's cool though although sounds very expensive

[@Bigvin122]

Yeah these are nothing special in the Klipsch world. They have way better gems if you go back a few more years. Would love to lend you my KG 5.5s or Quartets to give people a taste of the old Klipsch. I'm local lmk. Prob one of the best older towers they made were the KLFs. Thats def something you should review if someone can offer it. When a clean pair of KLF30s ever show up local i think my KGs might have to be replaced.

[@AlanGonzalez-ev6ur]

This is very late but how are good condition kg 5.5's for $500?

[@AlanGonzalez-ev6ur]

found a post on offerup was curious

[@sivadathansr3078]

i bought sybasonic usb dac and when i connect it it say 'hight powers usb device conected and its not turning on please help sir

[@user-ww6bf4mj4y]

Found out with old towers sometimes if I can drop the Crossover to 30z Some Amps can’t drop as low I’ve done that it got as low as 20z when I pushed my old my towers with the big boom woofers hopefully helps yea

[@JD-kr1dt]

I had the rf82's in my home theater, loved them for home theater, but music always sounded thin in the midrange

[@endrizo]

Yeah...in some time you will be reviewing the likes of focal grande utopias and wilson audio alexandrias etc etc..mark my world. haha.

[@drivefive]

Very interesting with that missing deep Bass although you would expect more from two 8“ drivers. The Heresy III has a 12“ woofer and only goes down to 58 Hz although there is a midrange (horn loaded) driver that should allow the 12“ to concentrate on the Bass.

[@bigelile07]

Heresys have always lacked base. The RF3s go down to 37hz - plenty of bass. Of course they are going to sound like crap sitting in the middle of a room on top of tables. 🙄

[@callumcowell3187]

Can you do a review of the superlux hd668b . Theyre cheap headphones but I've heard nothing but good things

[@johnyang799]

Pretty ok but still at its price bracket. However better than many high priced shit headphones like hd820 z7 z1r etc.