[Monster335]

Trying to decide between Klipsch RP 8000F and Elac Uni Fi UF5. Does anyone have these speakers and what your honest opinions are in this? Elac I might have to spend more and get power amp like Outlaw 5000.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by Monster335

Trying to decide between Klipsch RP 8000F and Elac Uni Fi UF5. Does anyone have these speakers and what your honest opinions are in this? Elac I might have to spend more and get power amp like Outlaw 5000.

My Klipsch are RF3's which are basically 20 year old RP-8000F's. I really like mine for both music and home theater. Are there better speakers out there? Sure there are. I do feel however that Klipsch once you enter into the reference line are great speakers in their price range. If I had some money to burn I would move my RF3's to rear channels and get RF7's for my fronts.

I think you would be happy with Klipsch.

[Black Sunshine]

No experience with the Elans. Like Nuckle already said the Klipsch RF series have always been a great buy. Very durable if driven hard, and very efficient with lower power. Only thing I will mention, at least on the older series is that they can come across as "bright". Normally not an issue for male ears or if being used as a mix for music and home theatre as you are looking to do. I used to work at a higher end AV store in the past and loved them. I actually have a pair of their large outdoor speakers for the yard.
If you don't upgrade to the Outlaw, what are you planning on powering them with?

[Monster335]

If I purchase the Elac speakers they need more power since its a 4 ohm speaker, that would be the only reason to get the Outlaw power amp. I am kinda gearing towards the Klipsch since Amazon has the piano black finish for $517 right, at Best Buy its pricing at over $800. I have a decent Denon amp right now so the Klipsch speakers would be fine. Lots of good reviews on the Reference Premier series. Elacs are good too but it needs more power.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by Black Sunshine

No experience with the Elans. Like Nuckle already said the Klipsch RF series have always been a great buy. Very durable if driven hard, and very efficient with lower power. Only thing I will mention, at least on the older series is that they can come across as "bright". Normally not an issue for male ears or if being used as a mix for music and home theatre as you are looking to do. I used to work at a higher end AV store in the past and loved them. I actually have a pair of their large outdoor speakers for the yard.
If you don't upgrade to the Outlaw, what are you planning on powering them with?

I found that picking the right receiver is key to keeping them from being too bright. Denon pairs very well with them while I found Yamaha to be way too bright. Can't speak of other receiver combos.

[symple84]

Agree on the Klipsch. I have RF82ii and RC62ii up front and they are really good with my Denon X4500. Check out Frys.com as they usually have good deals on Klipsch and other brands.

[Nuckle]

Originally Posted by symple84

Agree on the Klipsch. I have RF82ii and RC62ii up front and they are really good with my Denon X4500. Check out Frys.com as they usually have good deals on Klipsch and other brands.

I have the AVRX4300H and could not be happier with it. Nice receiver.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Monster335

Trying to decide between Klipsch RP 8000F and Elac Uni Fi UF5. Does anyone have these speakers and what your honest opinions are in this? Elac I might have to spend more and get power amp like Outlaw 5000.

I'm assuming this is for 2-channel/music use mostly.

1. Will you be using a sub or just the two speakers?

2.Do you already own a receiver; if so what one?

3. How big is the room?

4. How far will you be from the speakers?

5. Is this your first set of "real" speakers?

6. How would you describe what you're seeking in these speakers/this system?

[Emilime75]

I don't like Klipsch, but between your 2 choices I'd go Klipsch based on 3 specs. Efficiency, woofer arrangement/extension and power handling.

The Klipsch trump the Elac's by 13dB @2.83v/1m, that's quite significant. I'm a high efficiency fanatic when it comes to speakers, something that many aren't, but they tend to be much more dynamic.

Dual 8" woofers on the Klipsch should result in a more authoritative low end, which the specs show with the Klipsch at -3dB at 32Hz, and the Elacs at 42Hz - plus the Elacs don't specify if that 42Hz spec is at -3, -6, -10dB... Personally, I don't like subs for music, so that extension on the low end is important, to me.

Klipsch have an RMS power rating of 150w and a peak power handling of 600w. Elacs are rated at 140w peak - couple that low power handling with their inefficiency and...no, thank you.

This, of course, is all based on paper specs. Sometimes speakers sound better/worse than their specs suggest. Your intended use and needs may also negate any of the above. Can you audition either of them anywhere in person?

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

The Klipsch and Elac are very different loudspeakers. While I wait to learn more about the OP's specific application, I'll suggest a third option to consider... KEF Q series. A Q550 is right there in price with the other two options, and is clearly an excellent performer.

Q series come in black, white, and my preference... walnut.

https://us.kef.com/catalog/product/v.../category/219/

https://www.soundvisionreview.com/hi...f-q550-review/

[tdott]

I have a pair of Elac Debut 2.0, they are okay, nice that they are 3way so they sound decent in stereo mode.

I would say they are a good mid-priced option.

What really enhanced my setup was a good sub, I got a Klipsch R-12SW. It added a whole new dimension I never had before with my small little Yamaha sub.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Another path would be as follows...

We at KEF have our Q150 bookshelf speakers at 1/2 price until the end of the month. Let's call that $300 a pair... Add a KEF "KUBE-10b" subwoofer at $650 and you're at $950. Potentially you'll need to buy some speaker stands too, but my thinking is this setup will allow an upgrade path to a surround system in the future where you'll repurpose the Q150s as your surround speakers and you'll already own a sub. Also, i personally like the look of stand-mounted loudspeakers, but admittedly that's subjective.

[symple84]

Originally Posted by symple84

Agree on the Klipsch. I have RF82ii and RC62ii up front and they are really good with my Denon X4500. Check out Frys.com as they usually have good deals on Klipsch and other brands.

Also forgot to add that I paired this with a Monolith 10" Sub and it rocks!

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

I don't like Klipsch, but between your 2 choices I'd go Klipsch based on 3 specs. Efficiency, woofer arrangement/extension and power handling.

The Klipsch trump the Elac's by 13dB @2.83v/1m, that's quite significant. I'm a high efficiency fanatic when it comes to speakers, something that many aren't, but they tend to be much more dynamic.

Dual 8" woofers on the Klipsch should result in a more authoritative low end, which the specs show with the Klipsch at -3dB at 32Hz, and the Elacs at 42Hz - plus the Elacs don't specify if that 42Hz spec is at -3, -6, -10dB... Personally, I don't like subs for music, so that extension on the low end is important, to me.

Klipsch have an RMS power rating of 150w and a peak power handling of 600w. Elacs are rated at 140w peak - couple that low power handling with their inefficiency and...no, thank you.

This, of course, is all based on paper specs. Sometimes speakers sound better/worse than their specs suggest. Your intended use and needs may also negate any of the above. Can you audition either of them anywhere in person?

I used to think the same as you about subs. I don't need no stickin' boomy distorted subs in my system. Then I tried one out and I'll never go back. As I learned more about proper tuning and balance, I find subs a necessity in almost all systems; even those only dedicated for music.

Subs provide so many advantages. 1) They take the strain off of your main amp in not having to drive the bass in your mains. You're effectively biamping your system. This is provided you use the high pass filter built in to your sub or implement it at your source processor. 2) Placement of your mains is not always the best placement for the best bass performance in your room. With a sub, you can move the sub to a spot that provides the best bass performance taking into account your room characteristics and modes. 3) Subs are optimized to perform best at the lower frequencies.

I have two subs in my main system: a Velodyne HGS15II and a Velodyne DD18. The two subs are integrated seamlessly with my B&W N804 and N HTM1s. A friend of mine who used to manage the area HiFi specialty store auditioned my system. He was impressed at how he could see them but they didn't stick out and make themselves known. The output of the subs were just a natural extension of my main speakers. When you achieve this with good bass extension and no distortion, you have your system dialed in correctly.

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I used to think the same as you about subs. I don't need no stickin' boomy distorted subs in my system. Then I tried one out and I'll never go back. As I learned more about proper tuning and balance, I find subs a necessity in almost all systems; even those only dedicated for music.

Subs provide so many advantages. 1) They take the strain off of your main amp in not having to drive the bass in your mains. You're effectively biamping your system. This is provided you use the high pass filter built in to your sub or implement it at your source processor. 2) Placement of your mains is not always the best placement for the best bass performance in your room. With a sub, you can move the sub to a spot that provides the best bass performance taking into account your room characteristics and modes. 3) Subs are optimized to perform best at the lower frequencies.

I have two subs in my main system: a Velodyne HGS15II and a Velodyne DD18. The two subs are integrated seamlessly with my B&W N804 and N HTM1s. A friend of mine who used to manage the area HiFi specialty store auditioned my system. He was impressed at how he could see them but they didn't stick out and make themselves known. The output of the subs were just a natural extension of my main speakers. When you achieve this with good bass extension and no distortion, you have your system dialed in correctly.

Well, as someone who's been into car audio, home audio/theater and pro audio for over 30 years...and currently in commercial A/V...let's just say I'm well versed in sound reproduction, in general.

You've made some good points, and that DD18 you've got is quite the performer. Subs can be a benefit if your mains can't do what you need them to, but there's so many downsides that I'd much rather my mains be able to handle the low end needed for music. Things like group delay, time alignment and phase issues...yes, tuning can help, but the vast majority of people don't understand what it takes to do that properly and automated methods like Audyssey are a joke, IMO.

Now, I hesitate to say this because 96% of the population would think I'm crazy...the mains in my home system consist of dual 15s per side as woofers(not subwoofers), a 10" mid-range and a compression driver on a 15"x30" waveguide for the HF. They're part of a 5.1 system that is fully active using a BiAmp TesiraServer as the DSP and each driver in the whole system has a dedicated power amp channel. All of the drivers are high efficiency except for the subs which are 5 18s, again on an amp channel per driver, but they don't get turned on unless I'm watching a movie since the 4 15s in the mains handle music quite well. Anyway, I know that's way beyond any reasonable individual thinks is needed, but it's one of those things that once you experience it, you can't go back.

Anyway, don't want to derail the OPs thread with my lunacy, but I am a big proponent of high efficiency speakers. Which is not to say that low efficiency can't sound good, or that all high efficiency models sound great, but that's the first spec I look for. Spec 2 is driver sizes and extension on the low end.

[TXSTYLE]

I have Klipsch in my Home Theater for the past 2 years and they absolutely Thunder while providing plenty of highs and mids. Highly recommend.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

I’ve been pretty happy with my Elac Debut 2.0 setup (B52, C52, A42 and sub3010) so far.

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I used to think the same as you about subs. I don't need no stickin' boomy distorted subs in my system. Then I tried one out and I'll never go back. As I learned more about proper tuning and balance, I find subs a necessity in almost all systems; even those only dedicated for music.

Subs provide so many advantages. 1) They take the strain off of your main amp in not having to drive the bass in your mains. You're effectively biamping your system. This is provided you use the high pass filter built in to your sub or implement it at your source processor. 2) Placement of your mains is not always the best placement for the best bass performance in your room. With a sub, you can move the sub to a spot that provides the best bass performance taking into account your room characteristics and modes. 3) Subs are optimized to perform best at the lower frequencies.

I have two subs in my main system: a Velodyne HGS15II and a Velodyne DD18. The two subs are integrated seamlessly with my B&W N804 and N HTM1s. A friend of mine who used to manage the area HiFi specialty store auditioned my system. He was impressed at how he could see them but they didn't stick out and make themselves known. The output of the subs were just a natural extension of my main speakers. When you achieve this with good bass extension and no distortion, you have your system dialed in correctly.

Hey man. Clean out your PM's. Trying to send you a message!

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Haywood

Hey man. Clean out your PM's. Trying to send you a message!

LOL. Just did.

[rcracin]

What amp are you driving the speakers with?

Or if any of the experienced posters here would like to recommend an amp, that would be great.