Svs Prime pinnacle vs Rp8000f (short review)

[Ken32]

I’m definitely a fan of this series of klipsch which is surprising, because i never thought I’d like them based on hearing older (harsher) speakers they’ve been known for. 8000f is probably one of the best sounding speakers for the money.

I did my SXS comparison of the 8000f and the svs pinnacles and needless to say, after several hours of A/B comparing with very familiar material. Different toe in angles and different seating positions (all in direct mode) both prime and 8000f balanced with an spl meter and I’m totally not impressed with the pinnacles. Their sound has a hole in it somewhere, similar to the Polk RTI A line. Picture looking at a speaker while listening to it and feeling like it’s completely missing a driver somewhere.... Very odd.

I’ve heard worse for the money.... but come on. 1600 a pair is way high for what it offers. At least IMHO.

For a 2 way design the klipsch had much better mids, clearer and cleaner treble and even though the bass is rated at 29 hz on the pinnacles, the 8000f hits much harder and feels like it digs deeper. 8000f sounds cleaner/more detailed overall.

One thing I did notice about the prime pinnacle is that the tweeter actually sits below ear level while sitting on an average height couch (sectional) in my case. When I set the pinnacles up and toed them in where i wanted, I closed my eyes and the music was center but not quite the same as the 8000f.

However, with the pinnacles it sounded like i was sitting above the band. As if i were sitting high up in the bleachers looking down at them. The music sounded beneath me. I didn’t care for that effect. The 8000f sounded as if the band was playing directly in front of me. Which to me was much better. Price to performance goes to the 8000f hands down. Even with movies the Klipsch really shined. Svs was better at movies than it was for music. Still not as good as the 8000f. The 8000f did both equally well. I was fortunate enough to catch them on sale for less than 1100 a pair with free shipping. I sent the pinnacles back and ordered a matching Rp-504c center which comes tomorrow.
I usually blow through speakers (buy/sell) but I have a good feeling about these. At least for a little while anyway....

Just thought I’d share my thoughts and opinions. I’m no expert in this hobby. However, I do play guitar and have a knack for how things should sound. BTW The walnut finish on these 8000f’s is gorgeous!

 

[KEW]

A lot of people have a hard time accepting it, but Klipsch has produced a great speaker. I have the RP-82ii's which were good, but I felt they really turned the corner with the RP-280f (which is one generation before yours) and your generation tunes it even better!
I don't consider them necessarily the absolute best for the money, but they are close and I, personally, love them for HT because of the way they capture a pin drop when you are on the edge of your chair waiting for the poop to hit the fan!
Here is ShadyJ's review if you missed it:

Klipsch RP-8000F Tower Speaker Review

The Klipsch RP-8000F, a dual 8" woofer tower speaker system that promises a wide dynamic range for lots of punch and impact, but will that come at the cost? Read our review to find out...

www.audioholics.com

Pros

• Neutral, accurate response
• Nicely controlled dispersion
• Wide dynamic range
• Above average sensitivity
• Copper tones on gloss black is very slick looking

Cons

• Listed 98dB/2.83v/1m sensitivity spec does not give context (non-anechoic)

 

[Ken32]

A lot of people have a hard time accepting it, but Klipsch has produced a great speaker. I have the RP-82ii's which were good, but I felt they really turned the corner with the RP-280f (which is one generation before your) and your generation just fine tunes it better.
I don't consider them necessarily the absolute best for the money, but they are close and I, personally, love them for HT because of the way they capture a pin drop when you are on the edge of your chair waiting for the poop to hit the fan!
Here is ShadyJ's review if you missed it:

Klipsch RP-8000F Tower Speaker Review

The Klipsch RP-8000F, a dual 8" woofer tower speaker system that promises a wide dynamic range for lots of punch and impact, but will that come at the cost? Read our review to find out...

www.audioholics.com

Totally agree! They’re very hard to beat for HT especially! I cannot tell you how many times the past week that me and my wife have jumped out of our seats with these things. Glass shattering, as you stated “pin drops”, walking through grass/brush, etc... Sounds unbelievable! Everyone that’s heard my new additions have been in complete awe.

These guys rock! They definitely have a new fan!

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out!

EDIT: I have seen that exact review! Which led me to the Cincinnati pops orchestra. I’ve never heard of them before but their Movie cover/scores are brilliant! Great review btw @shadyJ

 

[shadyJ]

I’m definitely a fan of this series of klipsch which is surprising, because i never thought I’d like them based on hearing older (harsher) speakers they’ve been known for. 8000f is probably one of the best sounding speakers for the money.

I did my SXS comparison of the 8000f and the svs pinnacles and needless to say, after several hours of A/B comparing with very familiar material. Different toe in angles and different seating positions (all in direct mode) both prime and 8000f balanced with an spl meter and I’m totally not impressed with the pinnacles. Their sound has a hole in it somewhere, similar to the Polk RTI A line. Picture looking at a speaker while listening to it and feeling like it’s completely missing a driver somewhere.... Very odd.

The Pinnacle speakers are a bit more laid back then the Klipsch speakers, and that might suit your tastes more. I liked both the Pinnacle speakers and the RP-8000F speakers, although I didn't have them at the same time so I didn't compare them directly. I did do an A/B comparison of the RP-8000F vs the Paradigm Premier 800F, they are both good and have a lot in common as far as sound goes, but I did prefer the Premier 800f in the end. If I remember right, I don't think that the Klipsch speakers had deeper bass than the Pinnacle speakers though, they just had hotter bass. Anyway, you selected speakers the right way, by putting them through A/B comparisons. If you want to know how a speaker sound vs another, that is pretty much the only way to do it properly that is practical.

 

[Ken32]

The Pinnacle speakers are a bit more laid back then the Klipsch speakers, and that might suit your tastes more. I liked both the Pinnacle speakers and the RP-8000F speakers, although I didn't have them at the same time so I didn't compare them directly. I did do an A/B comparison of the RP-8000F vs the Paradigm Premier 800F, they are both good and have a lot in common as far as sound goes, but I did prefer the Premier 800f in the end. If I remember right, I don't think that the Klipsch speakers had deeper bass than the Pinnacle speakers though, they just had hotter bass. Anyway, you selected speakers the right way, by putting them through A/B comparisons. If you want to know how a speaker sound vs another, that is pretty much the only way to do it properly that is practical.

I’ve also attempted to do a comparison with the Paradigm 800f and was immediately turned off. Not because of sound, well, i only got to hear one speaker, not a fair comparison..... I picked up the set when they first came out. I drove 2 hours to my “local” hifi shop and grabbed them.

When I got home I unboxed the first speaker and every driver fell out of the cabinet and the baffle came unhinged from the speaker. The second unboxing went a lot better.... However, there was glue all over the finish (front and sides) from the baffle. I was aggravated at that point and all paradigm wanted to do was give me 5% off maybe 10% tops. Can’t remember. The offer was offensive. Enough for me to pack them up and swap for different brands and never look at them again. Someone definitely wasn’t paying attention at work....

Just a bad experience overall.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

When I got home I unboxed the first speaker and every driver fell out of the cabinet and the baffle came unhinged from the speaker. The second unboxing went a lot better.... However, there was glue all over the finish (front and sides) from the baffle. I was aggravated at that point and all paradigm wanted to do was give me 5% off maybe 10% tops. Can’t remember. The offer was offensive. Enough for me to pack them up and swap for different brands and never look at them again. Someone definitely wasn’t paying attention at work....

Oh my... I would have gone crazy if the drivers fell out of my new speakers when I first opened them. What a crazy experience. Sorry to hear you had to deal with that.

 

[KEW]

I’ve also attempted to do a comparison with the Paradigm 800f and was immediately turned off. Not because of sound, well, i only got to hear one speaker, not a fair comparison..... I picked up the set when they first came out. I drove 2 hours to my “local” hifi shop and grabbed them.

When I got home I unboxed the first speaker and every driver fell out of the cabinet and the baffle came unhinged from the speaker. The second unboxing went a lot better.... However, there was glue all over the finish (front and sides) from the baffle. I was aggravated at that point and all paradigm wanted to do was give me 5% off maybe 10% tops. Can’t remember. The offer was offensive. Enough for me to pack them up and swap for different brands and never look at them again. Someone definitely wasn’t paying attention at work....

Just a bad experience overall.

Wow!
Paradigm really seems to be losing it!
From my experiences which were about a decade ago, paradigm represented good speakers with top-notch quality but were a little on the pricey side compared to the competition.
Seems like that maybe a thing of the past with them between your experiences and another guy who ordered them and they canceled his order and he reordered them and they canceled it again so he gave up!
Crazy and disappointing!

 

[slipperybidness]

Wow!
Paradigm really seems to be losing it!
From my experiences which were about a decade ago, paradigm represented good speakers with top-notch quality but were a little on the pricey side compared to the competition.
Seems like that maybe a thing of the past with them between your experiences and another guy who ordered them and they canceled his order and he reordered them and they canceled it again so he gave up!
Crazy and disappointing!

I was thinking the exact same thing!

WTF Paradigm!

 

[Ken32]

Oh my... I would have gone crazy if the drivers fell out of my new speakers when I first opened them. What a crazy experience. Sorry to hear you had to deal with that.

I’ve got pictures on my old desktop that’s put up. WhenI have a little more time, I’ll dig it out and post some of the incident.

5 hour round trip and Paradigm wasn’t really willing to do anything to help matter. That’s what turned me away from them altogether.

 

[shadyJ]

I’ve also attempted to do a comparison with the Paradigm 800f and was immediately turned off. Not because of sound, well, i only got to hear one speaker, not a fair comparison..... I picked up the set when they first came out. I drove 2 hours to my “local” hifi shop and grabbed them.

When I got home I unboxed the first speaker and every driver fell out of the cabinet and the baffle came unhinged from the speaker. The second unboxing went a lot better.... However, there was glue all over the finish (front and sides) from the baffle. I was aggravated at that point and all paradigm wanted to do was give me 5% off maybe 10% tops. Can’t remember. The offer was offensive. Enough for me to pack them up and swap for different brands and never look at them again. Someone definitely wasn’t paying attention at work....

Just a bad experience overall.

"Made in Canada" just doesn't mean what it used to...

 

[Ken32]

Wow!
Paradigm really seems to be losing it!
From my experiences which were about a decade ago, paradigm represented good speakers with top-notch quality but were a little on the pricey side compared to the competition.
Seems like that maybe a thing of the past with them between your experiences and another guy who ordered them and they canceled his order and he reordered them and they canceled it again so he gave up!
Crazy and disappointing!

It’s very disappointing! I was way excited about the speakers. 1 because of their reputation. 2. The fact that they’re not built in China, but in Canada was a plus. Not that everything China builds is terrible! Just a nice change.

After that experience, I’ve questioned their advertising “Crafted in Canada” B&W, Kef, Klipsch, Polk, Def tech, Martin Logan, Emotiva, HSU, SVS etc..... crafted in China. I’ve tried them all. Not one has fallen apart on me like the Paradigms. Definitely lost a customer.

Shame to hear that guy’s order was cancelled so many times. They must not care about their customer base.

I’ll post pics of it when I have more time to dig my old computer tower out.

 

[Ken32]

"Made in Canada" just doesn't mean what it used to...

My thoughts exactly! Most mid-fi and some
Hifi speakers are made in China. I’ve yet to have a single issue with a Chinese crafted speaker. Unless damaged being delivered (Ya, UPS. I’m talking about you. Lol) Otherwise been satisfied every time. Unless i didn’t like the speaker....

 

[Ken32]

@shadyJ @KEW @slipperybidness @VMPS-TIII

The first speaker fell apart. The second speaker had glue all over the finish. Very poor quality/control.

 

[KEW]

I can't see enough to make sense of it!
Were the screws pulled out?
Was the baffle torn out where the screw attached the driver?
Or were the screws never installed?
The hole I can see doesn't appear to be damaged which would generally mean that screw was never installed!

 

[Ken32]

I can't see enough to make sense of it!
Were the screws pulled out?
Was the baffle torn out where the screw attached the driver?
Or were the screws never installed?
The hole I can see doesn't appear to be damaged which would generally mean that screw was never installed!

There were absolutely no screws. None inside the cabinet and none behind the baffle. The speakers were set in their holes and the baffle installed over it. The screw holes were untouched. No threading inside them whatsoever.

 

[KEW]

I guess that front panel was not intended to come off since they did not finish the MDF under it.
Compare that to my old Studio 20's with an aluminum plate that was 3/8" proud of the baffle (even the port is reinforced! Not even @Danzilla31 is going to wear that port out!):

 

[Ken32]

I guess that front panel was not intended to come off since they did not finish the MDF under it.
Compare that to my old Studio 20's with an aluminum plate that was 3/8" proud of the baffle (even the port is reinforced! Not even @Danzilla31 is going to wear that port out!):

I should’ve specified better. There were absolutely no screws on any of the drivers. I looked in the cabinet for lost driver screws. Nope. None astray. The MDF the drivers sat in had stainless hex head screws holding it in. The drivers never had screws installed at all. The plastic facing is the only thing that held them in place until it couldn’t take the weight anymore. It fell forward and the speakers fell out. The first bass driver wasn’t even connected to the wire system.

I like those older paradigms. They seem very well made.

 

[ryanosaur]

"Made in Canada" just doesn't mean what it used to...

It's aboot time we do something aboot this! This should never happen agane!





Hosers.

 

[ryanosaur]

(even the port is reinforced! Not even @Danzilla31 is going to wear that port out!):

What, with that chastity plug? er... I mean phase plug... It can't be that, um... comforting.

 

[Mpsafranski]

You know, it’s bizarre this paradigm thing is coming up on this forum recently. When I was doing dozens of hours of research for my speakers last year, I was at one point sold on the 800f based on the review here. But I did some looking around the other forums and it seems issues like this are common, and people have expressed that when they do happen, getting Paradigm to do something about it is pulling teeth. So I stayed away.

I guess i’m kind of a sucker for “great customer service reputation” when I’m spending the kind of money we do on this hobby. And why I’ll probably keep climbing up the SVS sub ladder even though HSU might offer better value, after the way they bent the rules to allow me to upgrade both subs past the promised year.

maybe someone in Canada is paying attention and they’ll straighten things out but for now it seems wise to steer clear