Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I had waited a long time before upgrading my RF-3II's which I was really happy with since 2003. At the time the RF-83 were not available yet and the RF-7's was really what I would have wanted, had I had the money to buy them. But side by side with a real-time switch, the RF-3II only sounded like a smaller version of the RF-7's and I was ready to accept the small difference in sound as opposed to a huge difference in price.

Then one day I go to my favorite audio place and there they are, tall, deep, somewhat slimmer, but OOH so warm but SOOO powerful, the RF-83's which instanteneously knocked my socks off. They were too expansive for me, I just said to myself "hey buddy, you need to make more money to afford these".

For months I would go to that store, bring a CD, stay for an hour and just enjoy the ride. The amp driving was just a little theater receiver by Marantz of the 4000 series, and it was already so sweet to my ears.

I bought a pair 3 months ago and also upgraded my receiver to a Marantz SR7002 (from an old Denon 1802). The mix of the two is simply wonderful. These speakers litterally disappear, making you forget on-the-spot that you are listening to horn-driven speakers. My dad owns a pair of RF-7's and comparing the two, I have to say the RF-83 better suits my listening needs, with smoother and higher highs and more precise mids. The high-compression drivers on the RF-83 really makes for a punchier, dryier bass and yet is able of lower hz than the RF-7. I do NOT need a SUB to enjoy anything stereo anymore. The bass from these speakers is simply "what it should be" and anything more would simply be decadent.

They need a big room to be at their best, however. I would simply go with the RF-63 with a smaller room.

I used to think nothing could get any better than the RF-7's until I heard these, I tell you. Long periods of listening would actually tire my ears with the RF-7's as opposed to the RF-83's which you simply forget and just enjoy the music with only my own time being the limit. I took out old stuff I was tired of listening just to re-discover it on the RF-83's and what a pleasure. Words don't do justice.

They are the main speakers of my old theater setup which (still) consists of the RC-3II, RS-3II and RCW-5800 for the sides and two RW-12D for the subs. Having a dedicated KSW-10 sub for the center channel allows me to keep the actual setup for movies and BOY does it ever blow me away!!! I really enjoy this setup.

Klipsh must learn how to finish the job, though. The veneer on top of these speakers is at best flimsy (they say furniture-grade!!!) and for a speaker of that price, well... Every veneered corner has little chips that come off just by being there. My RF-3II (not even veneer!!!) did the same, so on that level, they have not improved.

However, the cabinets are really stirdy and feel strong. No boomyness whatsoever on the RF-83's, they just tell what the music wants to say. Everyday I come home, I want to just sit down and enjoy them.

When you read that "they just take everything you throw at them", well, IT'S TRUE. They do NOT show signs of harshness when played at loud volumes, and to be honest, when some stuff you know by heart so well, I actually got scared at times, thinking "should I bring the volume down for this part?" but NO, not at all. They are strong, heart-punching speakers with a pure and flat response that will rock your world as much as it is rocking mine right now.

I listen to SACD classical music (I'm a classical musician), Progressive rock, Blues, Jazz, well, it would be easier to simply say I listen to everything but country and folk... No offense, it just does not move me.

By the way, these babies are heavy...

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timjeter

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
These speakers are a sound investment. I got them as demos so they were more or less broken in. I traded some Tannoys which I thought were a bit too colored for my taste. The Klipsch RF-83 has a rather flat and clear presentation. I believe this reflects the trend in speaker design today. On the whole I think they have lower distortion than the Tannoys.

I would suggest that they be coupled to a warmer sounding amp. I have two amps. An Onkyo and a Cambridge model. The Cambridge integrated produces a slightly thin sound through the speakers. the Onkyo gives the better presentation and is rather astonishing .

Klipsch has come a long way in its speaker quality. These have little in common with the type of product they were putting out 15 years ago. If you are in the market for entry level high end give these speakers a listen.

wayne B.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I purchased my pair of Klipsch RF-83 Speakers approx. 1 year ago and shortly after wards noticed a very small indentation when the lighting was directed towards the speakers in a particular angle. I contacted the Klipsch Company and without hesitation they shipped and paid all expenses of the shipping and also the return of the speaker with the very small indentation. Afterwards Klipsch consumer relations department kept in close contact with concern that I was satisfied with everything else pertaining with my purchase of my Klipsch speakers. The deep rich quality of the highs and lows that these speakers produce is nothing short of incredible. I can either turn the volume very low or direct most of the power from my 130 watts per channel onkyo receiver with no distortion or loss of sound quality, in short these speakers are an awesome investment, and I'm completely satisfied with their performance that exceed my expectations that I would expect from the Klipsch Company.

jjgump44

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2400.00 from AVS Direct

Summary:
This is an update to the November 8 review (first review). I finally upgraded to the Onkyo 905 in Feb. The quality of sound compared to the Denon 3803 is just so dramatic, that there aren't enough words in the English language to describe it. Bolder, fuller, more weight, holographic, precise, TONS of detail at all volume levels. I like to fall asleep with these at an ultra low volume level, and there are times when a female vocalist will come on and wake me up out of a dead sleep saying "what babe, what?" while looking around my room for my girlfriend. They are THAT detailed. I like to use my PS# to play the Pink Floyd, Dark Side of The Moon SACD in full surround sound. Pure audio heaven is a good way to describe that expierience!

Placement is not as important as I thought, but you will know when you have em just right. The sound of the jazz station on Grand Theft Auto 4 is so smooth and precise that I found that when I start getting sleepy, I would steal a boat, turn off the sound effects, leaving the music all the way up, and fall asleep to the sound of that wonderful sounding jazz music.

The soundstage is nice and deep, allowing one to pinpoint each and every instrument without even closing your eyes. I'm in the process of teaching (yes teaching, she's a blond, lol!) my girlfriend how to listen to hi-fi music and these speakers mak it so easy to just point to the middle at the singer, behind him to the drums, off to the right to the keyboards and so on and so fourth.

Movies are just as good as music. Even the old movies sound good thanks to the Onkyo. The surround sound on PS3 games/Blu Ray movies has you looking around the room in awe. Again, detail, detail, detail!

Never in a million years did I think that 30 watts can make such an improvement in sound (Denos 3803 = 100 watts RMS, Onkyo 905 = 140 watts RMS), but it mostly has to do with the massive power supply, and the Onkyo's ability to handle difficult loads (the RF 83's dip down 3.6 ohms), which the Denon seemed uncapable of handling.

At the end of the day, nothing relaxes me more (well almost nothing) than sitting in the sweet spot in front of these beasts to listen to some SACD's from bands like Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Elton John, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, NIN, Henry Mancini, Diana Krall, Ray Charles, Peter Gabriel, and the list continues to grow!

Strengths:
Big bold sound, Beautiful looking with grills off, powerful, DETAILED, and pure sounding.

Weaknesses:
Gets to be expensive buying all the SACD's and Blu Ray's to listen to on these wonderful creatures!

Similar Products Used:
B&W, RockSolid, Gallo, Acoustat, KLH, Boston

Youthman

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I upgraded from a pair of Klipsch CF-2's to a pair of RF-83's. These speakers are absolutely stunning in appearance with their beautiful cherry finish and cerametalic copper color woofers. I first was powering them with a Harman Kardon AVR55. At 55 watts/ch, the HK and the RF-83's delivered a very sweet, detailed and lively sound. I was able to hear each individual instrument in the soundtrack that often went unnoticed on a previous Polk/Onkyo system. I now am using a Onkyo TX-SR703. The RF-83's sound more laid back with the Onkyo and less detailed but deliver much more punch in the low frequencies and achieve a much nicer sound at higher volumes than with the HK.

I even borrowed a QSC RMX1450 266 watt/ch amp and hooked it up to my HK with the RF-83's. Wow! Talking about a beautiful sound. The soundstage opened up, Transformers sounded amazing! So much detail and clarity. Sarah McLachlan's "In the Arms of an Angel" sounded absolutely fabulous. Very smoothe, refreshing and sensual. I even went old school 90's rap and was enjoying a blast from the past. I am looking to add a Parasound 200 watt/ch amp to them in the near future. Another thing that I like about them is the height. They seem to cover the room with sound moreso than my previous shorter CF-2's. I'll have to try the amp with the new Onkyo as well just for fun.

Strengths:
Solid build quality, can handle 200 + watts at high volumes and still sound crystal clear, narrower than RF-7's, amazing sound and clarity.Bi-amp capable, magnetic grills are easy to remove and to put back on.

Weaknesses:
Not really a weakness but they are very heavy (100lbs). To me that is good because the speaker is dense enough not to vibrate. Pricey but worth every penny.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch CF-2, Klipsch RF-7, Klipsch RF-82