Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
Look before you leap ...

First off, what are you trying to improve by swapping out the speakers? In my experience, KEF and Klipsch are very different from one another, and both of them differ significantly from NHT (between, the three I generally prefer the NHT sound).

The NHT speakers use a sealed box design, which makes them very compatible with small rooms because of how the low end roll off on a sealed speaker works in conjunction with the room boundary gain. Subjectively speaking, sealed speakers can sound more "musical" or "tighter" than a ported speaker because by design they have a quicker transient response at the low end and are easier to work around the room acoustics.

A large ported speaker like the RF-7 can easily overpower the room if you run them at full range, and if you choose to crossover the bass and redirect the lows to a subwoofer, then you've made an investment in large floorstanding speakers without really needing them or making use of their capabilities. Declaring that the RF-7s should be purchased based on "principle" is nothing more than principled declaration that you're willing to shell out money for something that might actually downgrade the sound quality of your system.

Sounds to me like you're having a lot of buyer's remorse based merely on hearsay (KEF) and bargain hunting (the Klipsch), both of which are very bad reasons to upgrade. The primary reason to upgrade should be the sound quality. If you don't like the NHTs, and the KEF or Klipsch speakers sound better in a direct comparison in your room, then you got a legitimate reason to upgrade. That last part is very important -- just because a set of speakers sound good in the dealer showroom does not mean that they will sound good when you bring them home. The room acoustics greatly affect what you hear, and what sounds great in one space might sound horrible in another.

Either way, I think you should first maximize the sound quality for what you already own before dumping any more money into component upgrades (i.e., experiment with different speaker placements [alignment, toe-in angle, height, etc.], level match all speakers using a SPL meter and test tone, correctly setup the distance, etc.). Makes no sense to do a system upgrade if you've never even heard what your existing system is fully capable. Any shortcomings in the setup or room acoustics will still affect your system even if you completely swap out all of the components.

Then, I think you will likely get a lot more mileage out of your budget by first upgrading the subwoofer (and because you have a small room, you absolutely need to EQ the sub with a parametric equalizer -- I doubt that the auto-calibration on your receiver will work in the lowest frequencies). Because of your room situation, you might want to go with a sealed sub from Martin Logan, REL, B&W, or Atlantic Technology, or a mail order sealed sub from Rocket, SVS, or ACI.
Well said. See? That's what I was saying. (couldn't resist that one Roy) I just left out all the knowledgeable details.

Upgradeitis can be hard to fight off. It sounds like you are happy with your system now. But, like me, you are looking to find that next level. Don't rush. Listen and read. Many of the upgrades Wooch, and others here will suggest are free. Save up for something that knocks your socks off