The Flagship reference tower - Klipsch RF-7III unboxing and disassembly

Buy the RF-7III here: paducahhometheater.com/collec...
We have received tons of comments and requests since we started this channel to dive into the RF7s. As we've said time and time again, we do this for you guys! Ask and you shall receive. So...here it is! Join Jason as he unboxes a pair of the RF-7IIIs and discusses a bit of info on the speaker itself....before disassembling... so to show off the guts and what typically goes unseen in these units. As such, if you need to replace components, or need to take your speaker apart for any reason, this episode is also for you! Lastly, he compares the internal components side by side with the internal components of the 8000F and the 6000F.
enjoy!
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/ paducahhomet. .
www.paducahhometheater.com/
/ klipschmuseum​
www.klipschmuseum.org/​

[@HonJazzz]

I love my pair of RF7-iii's. Thanks for showing us that the exterior quality is matched inside.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching! -Jason

[@johnadams3116]

Thank You, Thank You. Purchased GR upgrade kit and one of them tore completely down in under 20 minutes. Thanks man!!!

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! Personally I'm a fan of leaving them stock but, to each their own. Glad we were able to help! -Jason

[@nerdinside8242]

I bought these + RC-64 iii from PHT, walnut B stock. They’re powered by a Rotel RMB-1095 with Onkyo RZ840 doing the processing. Thank you for taking care of me PHT. As I said in the FB group, I can’t wait to fly your team to California to build a true IMAX theater for my future home 😎

[@TopShelfAudio]

Awesome, enjoy. -- Cory

[@jpaleas]

I love these videos it’s like going to klipsch school for ongoing education!

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! Here to help! -Jason

[@markrigg6623]

Bought a pair earlier In the year and I'm very happy. Just added a Rel 12 inch sub (S812) . I'm by no means an audiophile but reckon I've done OK with the setup. 👌

[@TopShelfAudio]

Very nice! sounds like a great setup! -Jason

[@yournightmare9999]

Great video 👌

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! -Jason

[@nv7620]

I would definitely like that comparison of the center channels!!!!

[@TopShelfAudio]

Awesome! We will crack em out of the box soon and make some magic happen. :) -Jason

[@daveycrockett5738]

Lil the end was pretty cute!

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks! He asks to come on every time we drop a new video haha! -Jason

[@quytran-tq5gk]

So cute❤

[@paulgyro]

Oh man this was great. Would love to see the crossover. You planning to do everything I wanted related to the RF-7 III. So little info out there on them in any detail. I'm really curious to hear if they are closer to the RP line or Heritage, or a different beast? I'd also love to see in room measurements on them. Seems virtually no one has published measurements.

[@jstoli996c4s]

My guess is that the sound is closer to RP, just bigger due to the 2 way design. 3 way Heritage will have more pronounced midrange.

[@yournightmare9999]

if you don't want to be scared you better not watch the crossover

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! I didn't expect so much request for the crossover to be pulled. Could be a future Tech Tuesday, I pull all three input cups/crossovers and give you guys a peek. :) -Jason

[@daveycrockett5738]

Hell yeah I want to see al the suggestions you mentioned. Ones I want to se the most would be comparison between the fortes and rp8000s. Thanks guys been waiting fir this one for a long time. I would love to see what you guys think of the sound of these units. What they excel in some of the downfalls what music genera they’re great for some they aren’t so good for what would be a good amount of power to use for them what would be a good power amp to use for them. Things along those lines.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks! We plan to take these guys in a lot of different directions. More RF7s for sure coming soon! -Jason

[@daveycrockett5738]

Would love to see the rc64iii demo video and talked about the sound

[@TopShelfAudio]

based on requests, it's looking like a 504c unboxing, rc64 unboxing, and a head to head between the two. Stay tuned for more info. :) -Jason

[@davidleblanc1964]

Nice on the RF7iii’s!!!! Can you make a video amping them with some JC1+? Because that’s what I been thinking about doing to mine. Currently running an a31 for my front stage and I’m like,,,they could use some more power. But waiting hear somebody do it first,,,,

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching. Stay tuned. I think the plan was to run a JC5 in our 2 channel testing this go around. May not be exactly what you have planned but, should give you a relative idea. -Jason

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Yeah forte iv or even Cornwall iv would be an interesting comparison. It would come down to bass vs mids. I have heard both in isolation and I like the reference line better… but I have never heard them in the same room or system so hard to say. I own the RP8000F and ran them off a McIntosh MC462 out of my main system and it was surprisingly good. No one would actually run them that way though. $20,000 front end and $1500 speakers. I am interested to hear the 8000F vs RF7 III

[@jstoli996c4s]

7’s will be an even bigger sound, more impactful, and way more bass.

[@OscarSanchez-tk3hx]

I own the 8000 and very satisfied they have the same frequency response of the RF 7's I'm barely using 1 watt on my Technics class AA amplifier

[@markrigg6623]

@@OscarSanchez-tk3hx They don't have the same frequency response as the 8000F. RF7III s are at another level entirely.

[@TopShelfAudio]

That's awesome. Difference in what's pushing them will for sure make all of the difference in the world. One of the biggest things we hope to accomplish in our compares is that same room experience. real life side by side listening with rapid switching. Even if people are hearing it through a mic/phone speakers/through KZbin, hopefully our commentary is helpful in pointing out some of the nuances and differences. :) -Jason

[@jeffreymcconnell2727]

I love the new host 😀.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks! He loves being on camera. May have him make a few more guest appearances in the future. :) -Jason

[@Sloimer]

I really wish they’d make an RF-7 with a more robust midrange. There’s a huge frequency hole around 1300 and it makes everything sound thin, which is really a shame because otherwise they’re awesome speakers.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! -Jason

[@likesnoozn]

Cute son! You’ve listened to the entire Vintage line in your videos and their distinctive “live” sound, mainly because of the horn mid driver. I’d like to know how that sound compares to this model, Klipsch’s top of the line tower and it’s albeit, very large, cone mid driver.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! There have been some requests for side by sides of these. I for sure want to do Forte vs RF7. Talks of maybe a CW vs RF7 as well. Stay tuned! -Jason

[@sgonz11]

Would like to see side by side comparison between RF-7iii’s vs Forte IVs.

[@macgeek2112]

Same. I really want the Forte IV's for 2 channel listening but the RF-7iii's and matching center would be my choice to anchor my HT. Just need to find the time to get down to Dallas dealer to compare these two.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Stay tuned. Hopefully coming very soon. I think we will do some amp unboxings first though so we have some good clean power for the compares! but still...soon. :) -Jason

[@CanadaSocial]

I recently started having an issue with my RF7 and RC64 (version 3). After choosing a more powerful amp (200 watts at 8 ohms) I noticed that there was a rattle from the front black boards (not grills) and I see that the front boards are slowly coming loose. I wonder if those front black boards that house the speakers are just glued or are attached with hardware. Luckily I am in warranty so taking them in for repairs. I also recently got the Perlisten d215s which can really get the house shaking so, I wonder if certain low frequencies can easily affect the front black boards on the Klipsch speakers.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! Honestly in my years working with speakers, as well as my years at Klipsch specifically working with these units, I've never heard of an issue with the motor board coming loose. The route you are taking would be my recommendation. Talk to Klipsch directly and see what they have to say about the issue. Be forgiving with response/hold times at the moment though. We are going into the busiest time of the year for the customer service team right now. May take a little while to get a response but they will for sure reach back out to you. -Jason

[@CanadaSocial]

@@TopShelfAudio Sorry i missed your reply. I have talked to Klipsch and they asked me to take it to an authorized service center where I was told that they have seen this issue before and in all probability the speakers would get replaced. I am still waiting for an update as its the holiday season. I will let you know once I get an update.

[@CanadaSocial]

@@TopShelfAudio I got replacements for both the RF7 III and the Center channel speakers from Klipsch today.

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for keeping us updated! I hadn't personally seen this when I was there but one thing I was sure of was that Klipsch would take care of ya. Great people working over there. Happy to hear you are back up and running again and enjoying your system! -Jason

[@davidmcintier128]

Watching the video made me remember that when I bought my RF-7iii from Cory I had them on hardwood floors, so I used the rubber feet. Now I have them on carpet, we moved, and I can't find the carpet spikes. Is there a certain size or type that I should use?

[@TopShelfAudio]

Tons of options out there. Size *I believe* is standard 1/4-20 for the threading. I will double check and get back to you. That said, unless its super thick carpeting and you're noticing wobble or something to that effect, not sure that the changeover is necessary. should be just fine with the existing rubber feet. -Jason

[@davidmcintier128]

@@TopShelfAudio Thanks Jason!

[@phile3189]

Please can you explain the Klipsch lineup? There’s a Reference series (standard) e.g. the R-620F. Then there’s the reference Premiere. They’re above them e.g. the RP-8000F. And then there’s another reference series like the RF-7 III. But the difference between the 8000 an the 7 III are much more then the 620 to the 8000. What’s the difference here?

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching and stay tuned! The plan is to dive into an RF7 history similar to what we did with the heritage line. This should cover most of those topics. That will be coming as soon as possible! -Jason

[@phile3189]

@@TopShelfAudio I‘m very interested in this topic! I’m looking forward, to see a video (with sound demo) between the reference, the reference premiere and the RF series. I think the RF are the top ends from Klipsch. Thanks for all the very informative videos about this topic! Well done!

[@madcrabber1113]

What exactly is a furniture grade veneer?

[@TopShelfAudio]

Technically, the term "furniture grade" typically has little or no meaning. Veneer is graded differently, with letters and numbers. That said, when Klipsch says "furniture grade," it's their way of saying the speaker utilizes top tier, high grade, quality veneer. And they do. Really nice finish options and quality that lasts for years to come. Saying furniture grade just sounds a bit better than saying the speaker uses "AA" veneer. While the term can be a bit confusing, the quality is there for sure which is what's important. -Jason

[@newton5954]

Klipsch rf-3 Compared to the Cornwall‘s that’s what I would like to hear that would be fucking insane if you guys still have it that’s a comparison to try out as they are both expensive speakers and I was always curious to see how they sound compared to the heritage Cornwall iv if you guys can that would be truly amazing and I would appreciate it and I would love to see it as I support you guys and I’m big fan of a channel. 👍🙏

[@TopShelfAudio]

Thanks for watching! That would be a good compare but, not sure if we will be able to do it. I think we will do a CW vs RF7 though. Should be able to extrapolate a bit from that experience and get an idea of how the RF3 would go. -Jason

[@newton5954]

@@TopShelfAudio yes my bad rf-7 like you mentioned would be sick not rf -3 my bad especially with new tracks that would be awesome if you plan to do this kind of video when can I expect to see it? 🤞👍

[@TopShelfAudio]

It will be this season, but not sure on an exact date as of yet. Make sure you're subscribed for updates as they come! -jason

[@Ladco77]

My decision is whether to upgrade from my gen 1 RF-7's to RF-7 III's, or go Heritage.

[@yournightmare9999]

I se a lot of people run from RF-7 III to Cornwall.... I think they missing something in RF-7 III probably more middle

[@TopShelfAudio]

We see a lot of people with this dilemma. The plan is to do a compare of old gen vs new gen RF7s, as well as a couple of compares to heritage (possibly fortes and corns?). Stay tuned. Coming soon! -Jason

[@Sloimer]

@@yournightmare9999 It's definitely the mids. RF-7's sound are massive in the top and bottom, and absent in the middle. You can always supplement bass with a sub, but when you're lacking mids, you're kind of stuck. I owned both RF-7 III's and Forte III's at the same time. RF-7 III's are super crisp up top, but the midrange just becomes more and more recessed as you turn up the volume. I now run Forte III's with some killer subs. Best system I've owned.

[@tedrubinstein2003]

Like to see Cornwall4s compared to the RF7

[@TopShelfAudio]

Stay tuned and make sure you're subscribed. Coming soon. We plan to go RF7 vs Heresy, then Forte, then Cornwall. -Jason

[@PPCCO.]

bro needs to put his cash app at the bottom of his assembly videos. Because I know this will save someone money

[@TopShelfAudio]

Happy to help where we can. No cash required. :) -Jason

[@akluszcz]

Hmmm, another disassembly without showing crossover which is very important part of the speaker

[@TopShelfAudio]

While it is a very important part, my thoughts were, showing how to replace components that may have issues in the future. While a xover can go bad, drive components are far more likely to need replacing. That said, I will start pulling the crossover going forward as, it sounds like we have a few people that would like to see it! -Jason

[@nagunagamani4270]

Hi sir i am from India. I want help

[@TopShelfAudio]

Hello! How can we help? -Jason

[@Luke-qs2cg]

Sucks that true flagship like the palladium are gone, and this is all we are left with

[@TopShelfAudio]

Klipsch always seems to have something on the backburner waiting to launch. Maybe we will see another big brother soon. For now, the big release this year was the new Jubilee and it truly is amazing. We will see where they decide to go from here. -Jason

[@Alvedrotten]

Just bought myself a pair of used RF 7 III. They are BRIGHT. Not close to high end. Tried multipe rooms, and with Parasound NC 250W and Electrocompaniet ECI 3. Not toed in at all and they hurt my ears! And base isnt that great. Why someone can stand to listen to these I will never know. My old AP Virgo II is on another level.

[@TopShelfAudio]

you should have heard the older ones.