Kef Reference vs Klipsch Rf-7ii

[TheWarrior]

Klipsch Reference premier close mic measurements, 1/24th smoothing:

This is in room, the room is sparingly treated for mid/high frequencies with auralex, but not for bass, so anomalies below about 200hz are likely room acoustics.

As recorded you've got a +/- 5 db tolerance (which doesn't win any prizes), but close mic-ing will hide some things too. Record 200hz - 20khz with a single speaker playing at 1m. That range will limit the influence of room boundaries on the measurement.

BTW your response to everettT was nothing but the marketing BS he described. Please don't read that as me being a jerk, not my intent at all, just giving you perspective. Without quantifiable data, which Klipsch does not provide, it's all just marketing 'fluff.'

S&V further confused things by using a relative level loudness measurement which is weighted differently than an SPL measurement. Useful measurements can be found from Soundstage magazine as they follow a similar, yet not nearly as thorough, process developed by Floyd Toole while he was at the NRC. Last I checked tho, they have not done any with Klipsch. They did do the KEF LS50 which I auditioned with another member. Very good sound, but something wasn't quite right. The Soundstage measurement confirmed two resonances right in the midrange that colored the sound. Given the price, they ended up going back to the store.

So to the OP @dafirst search Soundstage measurements for your KEF selections as that is the only measurable data available for your speaker choices. You may find discouraging data though, so keep your options open to other brands too!

 

[yepimonfire]

As recorded you've got a +/- 5 db tolerance (which doesn't win any prizes), but close mic-ing will hide some things too. Record 200hz - 20khz with a single speaker playing at 1m. That range will limit the influence of room boundaries on the measurement.

BTW your response to everettT was nothing but the marketing BS he described. Please don't read that as me being a jerk, not my intent at all, just giving you perspective. Without quantifiable data, which Klipsch does not provide, it's all just marketing 'fluff.'

S&V further confused things by using a relative level loudness measurement which is weighted differently than an SPL measurement. Useful measurements can be found from Soundstage magazine as they follow a similar, yet not nearly as thorough, process developed by Floyd Toole while he was at the NRC. Last I checked tho, they have not done any with Klipsch. They did do the KEF LS50 which I auditioned with another member. Very good sound, but something wasn't quite right. The Soundstage measurement confirmed two resonances right in the midrange that colored the sound. Given the price, they ended up going back to the store.

So to the OP @dafirst search Soundstage measurements for your KEF selections as that is the only measurable data available for your speaker choices. You may find discouraging data though, so keep your options open to other brands too!

No offense taken, you can see a lot more data on their cinema series. The only point I was making is the horn design is identical, and the cinema series modified tractrix horns do indeed show constant directivity up to 14khz at 90° off axis, and 45° off axis past that point. My measurements have shown similar results on the premier and cheap reference, reference II series rolls off above 10khz at 90°. I have some 1m measurements floating around I will post. The major difference at 1m is a reduction of the 14khz peak.



Sent from my 5065N using Tapatalk

 

[TheWarrior]

No offense taken, you can see a lot more data on their cinema series. The only point I was making is the horn design is identical, and the cinema series modified tractrix horns do indeed show constant directivity up to 14khz at 90° off axis, and 45° off axis past that point. My measurements have shown similar results on the premier and cheap reference, reference II series rolls off above 10khz at 90°. I have some 1m measurements floating around I will post. The major difference at 1m is a reduction of the 14khz peak.



Sent from my 5065N using Tapatalk

0deg or 360deg is on axis. If you go 90 deg off axis you are looking at either the left or right side of the speaker. The '90deg horn with constant directivity' would need to show identical measurements at 0deg as well as 45 deg (+/- 45deg = the 90deg pattern). They don't, you've posted up to 30deg off axis measurements in other threads that showed the off axis sound falling below the on axis level. But unfortunately the term 'constant directivity' is also a marketing term from 1975.

 

[everettT]

Just a note: using the same horn does not equate to similar performance. Drivers, crossover networks, and cabinets will dictate the results more so than the horn. I keep hearing measure flat but have seen zero evidence to back it up. Calibration of the spl meter and or mics is extremely important. I've seen some calibration files that have corrections as high or low as 6 dbs.

 

[shadyJ]

But unfortunately the term 'constant directivity' is also a marketing term from 1975.

I would say constant directivity is more than a marketing term. It is that, but it does also have useful meaning. Earl Geddes explains it better than I.

 

[ski2xblack]

Yep, if you want to understand the differences between the Cinema series and the commercial versions, whether they use tractrix, the 402 (which is more of a waveguide than a horn), or whatever else, you need to get ears their speakers designed by Roy Delgado. Go audition a pair of KI-396 or the new Forte III, if at all possible. All the speakers of his design I've heard have a just about perfect tonal balance (IMO and all that). To use lazy aduiophile terms, the big Klipsch make music, while the bulk of their commercial offerings of the last couple decades make sound.

Here's what the Klipsch forum members do in late April every year. Yep, if you like martinis and loud music via Klipsch, this party is just up your alley.