hungmeister

I called Klipsch, and they said they aren't aware of any RC35 lots to be defective. Now, I haven't been on this forum all too long (maybe half a year), but I know I've come across at least two different threads regarding defects and muffled sound coming from RC35s. Anyway, I was less than impressed with Klipsch customer support. They referred me to my reseller to resolve the problem. I suppose this isn't outright bad customer service, but the fact that they seemed not to know about this problem has me wondering about how close they are monitoring this forum as a tool to improve their product and address problems. I called my reseller and he agreed to have me bring my RC35 and do a A/B test. I'm almost certain my RC35 will be found bad. I'll update when this happens. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. These are my first Klipsch speakers, and I have nothing but good vibes about the RF-35, but being that it appears a bunch of RC35s were defective, and Klipsch not addressing it, I am wary of "upgrading" to other Klipsch speakers in the future. I'm still waiting for the day I'll find reason (and WAF says I can) to move to the RF7's or whatever their next flagship will be. -Hungmeister

You know.. I noticed this in my setup from the start (the RC35 having a totally different test tone from his Onkyo receiver). I thought it to be normal since it's a totally different speaker after all (compared to the RF35). I did all I could (increased treble, but this increase went to all speakers). What I ended up doing was to boost the volume in the center speaker through the receiver, but the sound has always been quite muffled. I hate to say this, but even my BOSE cubes that do surround (7.1 setup) have a closer test tone to the RF's than does the RC35 -- yes I will replace them cubes sooner than later. I was watching a movie tonight when a friend asked if he could turn up the volume cause the voices seemed muffled. And this was one of his favorite movies, and he said something didn't sound right. What's Klipsch's stance on this? If it's defective, why wouldn't they issue a recall of some sort? Klipsch customer support has always been reputable. I'll have to call tomorrow to see what they say. -Hungmeister

I have the RC35 center. I was actually about to get 2 pair of the RSX4's and just "live" with the way they hang off the wall, but news of the RSX3 is great! Any idea when the RSX3's will be available and cost?

Oh yeah. I forgot I was on Klipsch. So many good threads here that mention so many products, that I forgot Klipsch forum would be biased toward Klipsch speakers. I'm also looking at the RSX4, which is a bit large for satellite speakers, but the looks and sound are good (I had one a few months ago, but decided to trade them in for RF-35, when I decided I didn't mind the size of the towers).

Thanks folks. I'm still doing a lot of research on the filmscreens. I think I'll have to do an in person audition before I decide whether a screen is worth $1000 and up. I'm told it's a must with a non-dedicated room (where ambient light exists).

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=29-120-103&depa=0 This is a very cheap ($20 or so) 7.1 sound card with optical out (SPDIF). Anyone have any thoughts on it? I'm thinking of building the HTPC with a sleek aluminum case so it will mix with the decor of the rest of my system as well as fit in the A/V rack. I'm also getting a projector and new screen for the home theatre project. The projector has component input only. Anyone know the difference between component and the DVI input? There is an alternate model projector that has the DVI input, however the LUMENS on it is rated lower than the component out only projector (both from BENQ). I'll list out the parts of my HTPC that I am building once I spec it. Thanks!

Has anyone integrated a Media Center PC (Microsoft XP Media Center Edition) into a home theatre environment? Can you share your experience? Thanks,

How do you check whether we have a valid email address or not? I only have one profile, and don't want to be accidentally purged from your databse.

I'm looking to get a projector for a home theatre setup, and don't know much about screens. I checked them out and the screen prices seem a bit ridiculous. I was quoted $2000 for an 100" diagonal screen from Stewart Filmscreens. Other screen companies charge a bit less, but still over $1000. I don't understand the cost of these things. Anyone put a screen together? Would be a nice DIY project. If so, perhaps you can share your experience. Thanks,

I'm looking at getting 4 satellite speakers for side and rear surrounds. The DefTech Studio 80 and Studio 100 caught my attention for their size, and good reviews. Anyone have anything good/bad to say about them? Thanks!

I was playing with the different sound modes on the Onkyo receiver. What I found is that Cinema DTS 5.1 mode is muffled. THX Cinema 5.1 mode is even more muffied. When I switched it to Music DTS 5.1, dialog was much better. Does not make much sense to me, and I can't attribute this to the receiver since SSFull just updated that the RC3II sounded better. SSFull, try playing a movie through Music instead of Cinema 5.1. See if the dialog/sound is drastically better.

I'm one of those that had the experience of "muffled" sound from the RC35 before I found this thread. I'll share a bit more about my experience. Before I SPL calibrated my 7.1 setup, I remember having to bump up the dBs on the center to equalize the dialog with L/R fronts. Watched Return of the King last night, and constantly had to turn up the volume on scenes with mostly dialog, and then had to turn the volume down with the higher action/sounds scenes. This was while setting the receiver to play at "low night" mode (<1 year old baby sleeping upstairs). I'm thinking that I should just bump up the dBs on the center again (now after SPL-calibrating) to avoid changing the volume so much. I should also say that it's just on some movies that the dialog seems muffled. Other movies such as Big Fish and In America that I viewed recently on the HT were fine. So it might be the dynamic volume range of the "action" movies that I'm having problems "equalizing" center to the rest of the front mains. DVD concerts however sound great (Eagles, Josh Groban, Eric Clapton to name a few), but I'm thinking maybe due to mixing the source to play out the L/R as well as center. One thing more I will try is to just configure the receiver with no center channel, and see if the L/R do a superior job filling in for the center. One thing for certain though is that the RC35 is far and above better than the RC25 that I replaced.

Interesting. I have been thinking the same thing about the RC-35 - muffled dialog. Just haven't had time to tinker with it. I'll double check polarity and secure wire connections to see if it's any better.

Last night, I put the relative delay on the center to be -3.0ms while leaving all the distance settings as they were. Maybe it was just brain psychology, but it actually felt like the sound was coming from behind the tv (my center speaker sits atop my tv). Kind of spooky, but cool at the same time. So anyway, I think I understand more about distance/delay, even if my understanding isn't perfect. Thanks all for trying to enlighten me.

Yes, I realize that he was trying to sell me more gear. But if you had the bucks, then I would think getting gear specific for HT separate gear specific for audio isn't a far fetched endeavor.

So if delay and distance are the same thing, why would the Onkyo receiver have settings for both? I have already set all the distance settings accurate to half a foot. And then I have delay settings that I can set as well. Should I leave the distance to all 0, and set the delay? Or should I leave the delay to all 0, and set the distance? Or do I set both to non-zero? And if the latter, how do I determine what's right so that the sound will reach the sweet spot from all speakers at the same time. Thanks for your patience. I'm just trying to get this thing set right. I'd call Onkyo, but they're not too helpful in tech support there.

The RF35 isn't a small speaker by any stretch of the imagination. So if it's space, it's not going to save you much space over the RF7. If you have the budget for it, I'd definitely go with the RF7. Personally, I have the RF35s and they're great. Still, when I see or hear mention of the RF7, I think "someday...".

I'm a beginner too. The Sony 5000 is a nice receiver, but I've learned that you shouldn't get an all in one receive and expect good things for both movies and audio. I would say that sony 5000 would be great for home theatre, but might not be the best for audio. If I had the $$, I'd get a separate receiver for audio. But being the poor schmuck that I am, I have to enjoy the all in one deal.

I like both (theatres and home-theatres). But please don't make me watch a chic flic for $10 a ticket!!! Hope my wife doesn't find this forum. Hahah.

I had to install them on the RF35 pair I got. That's one of the minor complaints I have. The screw-hole for 2 of the 8 feet I installed weren't quite straight, and it was really difficult to screw them in. Also, even after you screw them in, they wiggle around if you try to move the entire speaker. The speakers sound great though!

I haven't heard the RF3II, but the RF35 is a very nice speaker. I almost got the RF5, but the dealer didn't have in stock and also there was a considerable price difference. I got to listen to RF7 after enjoying the RF35s for couple months, and for sure the RF7 sounded fuller. But I digress. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon Klipsch and the RF35s. I hear about the harshness of the klipsh-horns all the time, and maybe it's because these are my first "real" speakers that I've owned so I don't know the difference, but they sound pretty good to me.

I'd try to talk him into a DLP (Samsung) or even one of the Grand Wegas from Sony. You won't get screen edge convergence problems with either (known problem for projection units). Of course you'd have to change the bulb every year and a half or so, but some consider that a benefit - refreshing your picture with every new bulb. If CRT is a must, I think Sony's are still the best. I'm looking to get the 60" Grand Wega from Sony, or I'll wait til end of the year for a new product from Sony. I don't recall the name of it, but it's basically a piece of glass that works as a screen for a projector. The glass is not retractable, but it will display the projected image so bright that no light management (window screens) will be necessary. I got this from a marketing person at Sony. And surprisingly, it won't be a huge cha-ching factor.

I have the setting for fronts and center at large speaker settings. I played with the small speaker settings for the fronts and center, but for some reason it didn't feel right, so I put it back to large settings. So are we saying that the two settings 1) distance of the speakers to the sweet spot, 2) delay are redundant? And that I should only set one and leave the other at 0? Maybe my understanding of it in the first place was correct, so that the delay is only to make the room "sound" longer and wider? Like I said before, too much technology.

Sorry, forgot to mention that the Onkyo receiver also has a menu item where I enter all the speaker distances from "me/sweet-spot". I'm clarifying this since one of the responses stated I should get out my measuring tape... So all I am asking about is the delay. Thanks again!

Oooooohh.. spicy! Nice description of what the delay settings will do for the movie experience. I've totally missed it then. So, can someone explain to me with concrete numbers how I should set up the delay then? Here is my current setup: L C R Sub LS Me RS LR RR The distance between "me" and the respective speakers are roughly: L: 12ft C: 12ft R: 12ft Sub: 12.5ft RS: 8.5ft RR: 9.5ft LR: 8.0ft LS: 7.5ft I have all the speakers at 80dB with an SPL meter (SUB's a bit higher at around 82dB). If it matters, I'm running RF35/RC35/RF35 RW-10sub with Bose satellite cubes for the side and rear surrounds (will replace with Gallo Adivas sometime this year). The Onkyo TX-NR801 has these delay settings: 1) Relative Center Delay 2) Side surround (not a separate right surround, left surround setting). 3) Rear surround (not a separate right rear, left rear setting). What should my three delay settings be? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! (can't wait to try it out)