RossVTaylor

Hi Horst, I can't comment on the main part of your post, but I can certainly recommend a listen to the RB-5 "bookshelf" speakers for your bedroom with the Denon. The RB-5s are of modest size, but have a wonderful sound - I chose them over the tower models because I preferred the sound. Although I use a sub with them for HT, I don't for music. Ross

Nice review. Interesting word, "Klizznipsches."

gto6, If you ever do need something checked out (in person) at Audio Alternative, email either Doug or myself. We're always looking for a good excuse to go in there, anyways! Ross

I thank everyone who chimed in with input. I made the decision to stay away from DVD-Audio and SACD for now. I checked the reviews on the players mentioned above and found lots of positive comments for the Denon on audioreview.com. I almost bought the DCM-370 but ended up buying a CDR-W1500 that I read about in Sound and Vision. Like the 370, this player handles the HDCD's. I'm very impressed with the sound quality. I also checked out a nice Pioneer Elite (the PD-65, I think) that was very nice - but I thought the Denon sounded great, too, and it has two trays with recording capability. So, maybe it's not as "audiophile" but I couldn't be happier. Thanks again for the opinions, Ross

I just brought home a DVD-Audio player that I bought on an "impulse" while I was looking for a new CD player. It's a Panasonic DVD-A7D. While I've got a nice CD changer, I'm going to use that as our whole-house music source, so I'm looking for a single disc player of good quality to use with my Denon AVR-5800 in our HT room. I thought the DVD-Audio capabilities would be nice to have, but after reading the four reviews on audioreview.com (and some of the threads on DVD-Audio) I'm not sure this is the player for me. It's still in the box, in fact. Does anyone have any suggestions for a player in the $600-800 range? My favorite dealer carries Denon, B&K, Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer/Elite. Any thoughts on the Denon DCM-370 with HDCD capability, or any thoughts on HDCD in general? I just read a review on the Denon CDR-W1500, a two tray player/recorder. The reviewer liked the audio quality and the ability to play two discs. I wouldn't mind having another burner, if the play quality of this piece is good. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone can offer some experience. Thanks, Ross

Dan, Thanks for the verification. I couldn't remember exactly what my first Heresy's looked like... maybe it was all that frat beer? And BTW, I know when I write "Heresy's" it's incorrect. It's not possessive or a contraction, so there's really no apostrophe - but, "Heresies" can't be right and "Heresys" looks just plain stupid. Anyway, Ive strayed from the topic... Ross

Hi gang, I just bought three Heresy II's for the front channels in my HT room. I've got four RS-3's for the side and back surrounds. I just got the opportunity to buy two original Heresy speakers and I'm considering using them as the second set of surrounds for music (my receiver permits me to switch from the RS-3's to another set of speakers). I haven't owned Heresys since college and I seem to remember that they were two-way speakers. Is that correct, or did they have a mid horn and a tweeter horn? What's the dif between the originals and the II's? And, lastly, do they sound close enough that I can mix them like this for music? Thanks for the input! Looking forward to five Heresy's in one room... Ross

In case anyone's looking, I found this ad for a Klipsch Reference speaker package and the price looked pretty good: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum5/HTML/001236.html Ross

Now, this says a lot about the Klipsch following. How many other products can you think of that we buy without a specific need, in the hopes that we can fit it in somewhere, just because we like the product and the companies values? Go Klipsch!

I'm going. I have no idea what I'll be doing while I'm there. I don't really care. It's all good. I'll have the digital camera. I'll have room to bring back stuff. It'll be a road trip. I'm excited. Ross

I have a B&K ST-140 in which I put a relay and a 5V DC reed switch. They're connected to a standard 2.5mm (I think) power receptacle that I mounted on the rear panel. I use that to accept the 5V remote trigger from my Denon receiver and it works great. Looks professional, too. At one time, I had the instructions posted in another forum. Let me know if this is what you're thinking of. If so, I'll dig out those instructions and repost them here. It's pretty simple, actually. Ross

CB, A passive sub is traditionally powered by the amplifier's front channel speaker lines. Those speaker lines run to the inputs on a passive crossover network (usually on the subwoofer) where the bass "separated" and fed to the subwoofer driver. The filtered midrange and upper frequencies are then sent out of the passive crossover to the front left/right speakers. So, in other words, the speaker wires run from your amp or receiver to the sub, then from there to each speaker. In this setup, the amp or receiver is supplying all the power for all three speakers (Left/Right/Sub). I've had a couple of passive subs over the years and was never really impressed with their performance. Using a separate amp for the sub frees your main amp up from the need to drive the bass woofer. Then the main amp only drives the left and right speakers. I don't think you'll find many supporters of your idea to use a car amp. But hey, I've done my share of weird experiments in my day! A car battery "puts out" as much current as is drawn from it, up the the limits of the battery and the wire. What you need to find out, in order to size your power supply correctly, is the ampere draw of your amplifier. It should state that somewhere in your manual or on the amp. If not, check the fuse holder that came on the amp - it may give you an idea of the max current they designed it for. If it says, say, "5 amps" then you would need a 12-volt power supply capable of supplying at least 60 watts. Volts times Amps equals Watts. That 60 watt power supply, however, won't have the capacity to supply the spikes your amplifier might draw momentarily. In practice, I'd actually suggest a much bigger power supply but I don't know enough about car amps to make an informed recommendation. Instead of spending 50-60 bucks on a 12 volt power supply, you might want to save that money towards a used stereo amplifier that you'll be much happier with. Best of luck to you, Ross

DQH, I don't want to cross the line into posting a classified ad here, but I'm getting three new Heresey IIs (yippee! ) and I won't be needing the RC-3 I bought about three months ago (to go my RB-5s, which I'm keeping forever). I bought the RC-3 for our not-yet-completed new home. I'm currently using a Mirage center that's built in to our entertainment center, so I'm not currently using the RC-3. It's sitting in its box in our storage room. Since I bought it as an (unused) display from our local Klipsch dealer, I can't take it back there. They have a policy against returns on demo models and closeouts. $200, plus shipping. Email me if you're interested. Ross Phil - sorry if this crossed the "ad" line. It's all to help out a fellow Klipscher (and let me buy more Klipsch product, too)!

Keith, Hmmm... my first thought was that the receiver had defaulted to small speaker settings and the sub was run off the speaker lines. I liked that theory because it fit so nicely! Oh, well. One more thing to check. In your receiver's setup menu, check the subwoofer setting. With the front speakers set to Large, there may be only LFE bass going to the subwoofer. This LFE may be present only in movies and, depending on the movie, there might not be much even then. Now that we know your sub's hooked up to the subwoofer output, try changing your front speaker setting to Small (which will send all bass to the sub). If that works and you want to keep you front speakers on Large, you'll need to change the subwoofer setting. In that case, look for a subwoofer setting of "Plus" or "LFE+Bass" or something similar. Sorry I can't be more specific on that - I don't have an Onkyo. Ross

Car or Home?

B&D, My first speakers (in college) were Hereseys and I remember them SO fondly that I just spent several days arranging the purchase of a new pair. I abused the heck out of my original pair, DJing fraternity and sorority parties (with a pair of Jensen bass speakers with metalic blue vinyl skin). Those speakers worked great and sounded great. I think you're gonna like them I'm going to have to move to a neighborhood with better trash... Ross

One more thing, How is your KSW-15 hooked up? To the speaker outputs or the preamp output? If the speakers are set to small (which might be the default since it's a THX receiver) and you're using the front speaker line outputs for the subwoofer, then that's your problem because the bass signal isn't being sent there. Ross

Keith, What settings are you using for your speakers (in the Onkyo's setup menu). If they're all set to small and the sub's not active, that could certainly cause your problem. Let us know what settings you're using and we can be of more help, Ross

Hi Pat, I can't give you the direct answer you want, but since nobody else has posted yet I thought I'd at least steer you to someone who should know the answer. Give Dennis Erskine a call. His phone numbers are listed on his website at: http://www.designcinema.com/ I'll be he can offer some guidance. Ross

Several speaker manufacturers make speakers with adjustable tweeters, but that may not solve the problem. If you aim the tweeters inwards, towards the center of the room, then as you move outside of that area the tone will change even more dramatically. You might want to look at some of the multi-tweeter ceiling speakers made by Paradigm or (I think) Niles. These are round ceiling speakers with three tweeters in an array for wide dispersion. They work really well in your sort of application. Ross

John, Klipsch lists the specifications of their in-wall speakers in the product listings under Home Audio, then Architectural. You might also listen to the Paradigm inwalls - very nice sound and reasonable prices. On a side note, 20 feet is a pretty wide spread for two ceiling speakers. You may find that, with a spread that wide, you are likely to hear only one speaker at a time depending upon your location within the room. That's fine for low-level background music, but can be distracting at louder volumes. Best wishes, Ross

Ooops, Gumby. Uhhhhuhhuhh, (said in my best Beevis voice) never mind. Sorry about that! I misread the value. Ross

RWMIN, I know this sounds foolish, but I haven't heard the Heresey II's! In fact, I've not heard Heresey's since I owned a pair in college, 17-18 years ago... But, I have faith in the speaker. I'm excited, in fact. I'll let you know how things work out. Ross

Oh, should have mentioned the warning! Use only a fuse of the rating specified by the maker, in this case Klipsch. A higher amperage fuse will not melt at the same current flow and can increase the risk of damage to the equipment. The more oversize you go, the greater the risk. Ross

Radio shack has them. "Fast Acting 5X20mm .063amp/250volt fuses", catalog number 27-1044. Ross