Did you get the RPs in ebony or walnut? The walnut model is a looker. Hope they are not damaged. Be sure to tell us what you like or don't like about them.
RE: Klipsch RP-8000F vs DF62 (Elac Debut 2.0 6.5in)
This isn't a review or even remotely a scientific comparison but just my impressions after playing around and doing the best A/B test I could with the RP-8000F and DF62's I had. I've had the Elac's for several weeks now and liked how they sounded but the Klipsch were in stock and on-sale at Best Buy and with extended returns I had the opportunity to try them out. I really wanted to see if the extra money gained me extra sound quality and performance and see if it was worth it.
Let me first just say, mechanically the binding posts on the RP-8000F's absolutely suck. I was pissed enough with them after unboxing that I almost just said the heck with it but I persisted. You cannot use a banana plug with these speakers or at least not one that isn't angled. I had the pull the plugs off my speaker wires to get them to work and the holes are unreasonably small if you have a heavier gauge speaker wire. Had I gone the extra mile to solder them I'd have been up a creek. That said, the Elac's, do take a banana plug but since I'd already taken mine off putting them back on to test again along side the RP-8000F was a bit of a pain. The binding posts are really too close together to turn them with sufficient force as you can't get your fingers around them or in between the posts. The holes are big though and take speaker wires being inserted without fuss.
Where the RP-8000F makes up for this binding post issue for me is the magnetically attached grill. Why doesn't everyone do this nowadays? The grills work perfectly each time. Elac's on the other hand have a terrible way of putting the grills on using the posts that take, in my opinion, too much force to go in properly. I despise them but since I don't do this often (including remove/replace speaker wires) these two dings for either speaker aren't important really. I just felt it was worth of commenting.
I'm going to start with the spoiler and go right to the chase, I'm returning the Klipsch and keeping the Elac's. The bottom line for me is the Elac's simply sound better to me. With that said, it is ONLY because I have a decent subwoofer. The Klipsch far surpass the Elac's on the bass when used alone but still aren't the equivalent to having the subwoofer involved which, from my standpoint, puts the bass output for both on even footing since I don't really care. Taking that out of the equation the Klipsch just sound too intense on the high end for me. It's like have a fur coat that keeps you warm but I don't need to feel the individual hairs to appreciate the softness or warmth it provides. Keep in mind too that the Klipsch, in my case, were more than twice the cost of the Elac's. I had to think about whether I'd like the Klipsch or not and if I have to think about it then it simply isn't worth the money.
The odd thing is, up until now, I'd never understood this bright, harsh, sharpness comment that seems to get bantered about here regarding Klipsch. It was my understanding that the RP-8000F's fixed this issue from older Klipsch models and if that is the case I'd hate to hear the old ones. If I was being fair, I'd have to say the Klipsch had some edge on clarity but for me it just was too much what, when I write it hear, doesn't make a lot of sense. Why wouldn't you want something that is MORE clear? Well, all I can say, is you need to hear it. Some people may like it and some may not. There was a warmth and dare I say softness to the sound from the Elac's that just was more pleasant to listen to. Keep in mind though I've never heard a truly high class speaker (in the $5k and up range - maybe even the $2k and up range...) so maybe I just don't know good sound when I hear it. I just know I like the Elac and that's what matters.
And for the record, I did listen to a variety of music and I tend to like quite a variety. There was some electronic, classical, reggae, 80's, you name it. I played the same thing on both sets of speakers after calibrating both sets with Yamaha's YPAO. I also tried it without YPAO (not with everything...YPAO flat was definitely better than none) and I also tried with and w/o the subwoofer. It is clear in the different modes that and during the comparison as I said that the Elac's don't hold a candle to the Klipsch in the low end bass. There is just no contest. It also is notable that the Elac's require a lot more power to get the same volume levels. The bass in the Elac's besides being weaker overall doesn't seem to come out until you get it up there. The Klipsch would have completely blown me out of my living room had I decided to really push the amp to the upper limits. As has been mentioned before, the Klipsch are VERY efficient.
One other thing lest I forget, I did try the Klipsch integrated into my surround. My opinion is that there is even less of a difference there but I don't have a Klipsch center to try. Suffice it to say that I didn't think the Klipsch offered any advantage for me here.
Just for completeness on the comparison, I paid $230 each for the Elac towers which, with tax for my area, was @ $497 total. The Klipsch were $483 each (I know, they've been cheaper) and with tax for the two came to @ $1044. There was just no way in my mind, when coupled with my SVS PC-2000 Pro, that the Klipsch were worth over twice as much. I'm not even sure I'd keep them if they were the same price. On top of that, had I gotten the Klipsch, I'd have probably felt compelled to get the matching center channel speaker adding further to the cost. I really sat here wondering if I liked them better or not for a bit until I went back to the Elac's and then realized I really do like their sound. That sealed the deal for me. If I have to wonder then it isn't worth it. Had the Klipsch given my a WOW moment I'd have kept them probably but that just did not happen.
This makes me wonder what the Uni-FI series sounds like but I doubt I have the power they take to run them so I'm not sure if they'd work for me w/o a bigger amp (if I got my hands on them). I could be wrong but since I like the Debut series so much I can imagine myself liking the Uni-Fi even more. Fortunately, I have a taker for the Elac's if I ever decide to part with them so maybe in a few more Christmas seasons I'll get the chance to try a different sort of upgrade. For now, I'm loving my Elac Debut towers. I hope this helps someone.
FYI - I'm sorry if this really doesn't belong in a thread about Yamaha amps...it is a bit off topic but at least one person wanted to know so I can imagine others might benefit.
