RossVTaylor

The ideal height for surrounds is 2-3 feet above your seated ear, so that works out to about 6 feet or so AGL (above ground level...). Doug mentioned, correctly, that if the speakers are higher that you might want to angle them downwards some. If they're truly 2-3 feet above your ear, however, you probably shouldn't need to angle them. Mine, when installed in the final setup, will be above the ideal height by a couple of feet and will be angled downwards towards the listeners - they'll be mounted on the face of an angled soffit so that they point downwards at about a 40 degree angle from about 8 feet up, in a room 10.5 feet wide. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Clint, I've gotten on a Heritage kick lately and I couldn't imagine moving from that line, but I have to tell you that I am still greatly impressed with my little RB-5 bookshelf speakers. They're not the top of the line, by any means. But they're an awesome little speaker and a great value. Perfect for my jazz music without a sub, and great for HT with a sub. One of the Canadian audio magazines justed listed them as one of the four highlighted reviews in their annual gear guide and referred to the RB-5s as near-monitor quality. Of course, the Jubilees will have them all beat! Not that I'll ever be able to afford a pair. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

It's honest answers like this that make this company-run forum (and the company, itself, of course) so special. And rare, these days. Thanks, Bob. Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Troy, I'm at a loss then, as to why you're side-surround RS-3s are lacking in presence. They should be obvious! When my B surrounds are on, my A surrounds are off - but that's my setup. You may just have to play around with them to see. Andy, I don't think you'd be too pleased with the dispersion pattern of vertically mounted RS-3s, but you'll never know unless you try them out. BobG has suggested that you can, if needed, mount RS-3s above the listening position oriented front-to-back. Doug Drake has his wide-dispersion surrounds mounted this way and they work very well. But, vertically on the rear wall may not create the "open, spacial" sound you'd like for movie surrounds. Not that it won't work great - it might be awesome, but I wouldn't hold out great hope and you'll only know by experimenting. Lots of help I've been... I just told two members to "play around and see." Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

And, for a few days, I couldn't post... I wasn't able to recognize anybody! Amazing how used to the Avatars I'd become... Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Troy, That's a great setup! I, too, have a Denon AVR-5800 and four RS-3's for surrounds. I'm curious about your comment that the Denon manual and THX specs indicate the surrounds should be "pointing at each other just in front of my listening position." I just went through my Denon manual again and I didn't find that. The manual has a few pictures showing surrounds on the side walls, about directly 90 degrees off to the sides of the listener's head. Don't even look at that confusing diagram on page 13, where they seem to show the surround speakers in the front field! AAAARRRGGG! Why did they do that? Just to confuse unsuspecting consumers, I think! I also checked the THX website, again, but I didn't find anything about placing the speakers in front of the listener. THX positioning standards wouldn't apply to these speakers, anyway, because the THX standard calls for dipole speakers (that fire front and back along the side walls) and have a null region. The THX standards call for placement so that the listener is in this null region, so usually directly to the sides of the listener. Wide dispersion surrounds, like the RS-3, have no null region. I've got great sound from my RS-3s with the same receiver, so I know the combo works well. If your side wall RS-3s are lacking, there are a couple of things to check: 1) Try moving them back. If they're in front of you, they'll tend to get "washed out" by the front speakers and their apparent effect won't be nearly as pronounced as if they're to the sides or behind you a bit. 2) Verify that you've got them hooked to the correct surround outputs on the 5800. You mentioned that you can turn the side surrounds on and off, but that doesn't sound right. Usually, the side surrounds are on with all 5.1 material. The rear surrounds come into play for 6.1 and 7.1 (DTS-ES and THX-EX) material, or for some of the sound field modes (NEO or 7-channel music). Make sure your side surrounds are connected to the "Surround Speaker A" outputs and your rear wall surrounds are connected to the "Surround Back" outpouts. The 5800's got lots of connections back there, and they're a bit confusing. It's really easy to mix up the surround connections. With your four RS-3 setup, you shouldn't be using the "Surround Speaker B" outputs. I use the "B" outputs for a pair of Heresy IIs, for music, and when they're on then the side and rear surrounds (the four RS-3s) are all off. If you're using the "B" outputs, or you've reversed the side and back wall surrounds, that could definitely be your trouble. What other speakers are you using and what's your room size? You've got a killer setup! Ross

Doug, as usual, is right on here. The 6-foot figure puts the speakers 2-3 feet above your seated ear height, which is optimal. Of course, if you watch movies standing up then you'd have to place them much higher. Most people, it seems, tend to mount the surrounds too high on the walls. If your room setup forces a higher installation (like over a window), then you'd do well to angle them downwards (maybe even considerably). For the surrounds, most designers seem to agree they should be about 110 degrees from the front (from the apex of your head). In other words, with zero degrees in front of you and 90 degrees directly to either side, the surrounds would be mounted slightly behind your watching position. You mentioned mounting these speakers on the back wall - that's the best location for rear surrounds (as in a 7.1 setup). If yours is a 5.1 setup, try the speakers on the sides first (if you can). If you can't place them there, THEN try the back wall (or even the ceiling). With the RS-3's wide dispersion design, you can (if you have to) even place one speaker on a side wall and one on a rear wall - not optimal, but certainly possible with this speaker's flexibility. Experiment a bit and let us know more about your HT setup and room layout. Ross

Al, If I read Andy's equipment list correctly, it looks like a flat panel plasma screen. Very cool, indeed! Nice setup, Andy! Ross

Deanna, Sorry, I can't help you with the ProMedia stuff. You might want to re-post this in one of the ProMedia forums (farther down on the BB page). Those computer guys know their stuff, but might miss your post here. Ross

Boa, Regarding the bass management, I've got my Denon set up so that when I watch movies I'm using the sub, but when I listen to music the sub is off. It works very well for my setup - can you do that with yours, too? It might be worth a try. As far as the broken pin goes, try screwing a small diameter sheet metal screw into the open/broken end of the pin (most are hollow). Drive the screw in gently and just enough to get a bite on the pin, then try pulling the screw and pin out with some pliers. It's better to risk pulling the screw out of the pin than driving the screw in too far. If the screw pulls out, you can always try again. But, if you drive the screw in too far (or it's too large) you'll wedge the pin even worse. If you can find the right screw, it will work.... trust in yourself... use the force Luke... Ross

Hiya, Boa. I can't speak about the 3801, but my Denon 5800 doesn't have adjustable sub crossover points. I'm locked in at 80hz. Last year I had a couple of Pioneer Elite receivers (the 27 and 29TX) and they had multiple crossover points. I think, though, the the THX standards set (or encourage, anyway) an 80hz sub crossover point and most manufacturers seem to be going that way. Even my Denon... Ross

Are the SCW-2's installed as your front left and right? I think I'm reading that they are, but I didn't want to assume. Any reason you'd steer away from Klipsch for the surrounds? It would be ideal to have a matched set, and getting matching Klipsch surrounds would assure you of a tonal/timbre match (in addition to an efficiency match, so that the dynamics are the same). Ross

I'm set for speakers, for now. But, I do need a projector for my HT room. And, maybe a new sub (possibly a hand-me-down from Doug, who's got like six subs...). Bass shakers, too, while I'm at it. I've pretty much shot my audio-visual budget this past year... now I've got all the stuff, but not enough money to build the room to put it in. Right now, my Denon 5800 and my speakers are sitting in my garage - while they sound nice, it's not the HT room I had in mind! Ross

Uhhhh... yeah, what Gil said. Seriously, though, DWK. It sounds like you're hooking three pairs of speakers to a receiver designed for two (at most, and maybe only one depending on speaker impedance) pairs of speakers. Some receivers and amps are more tolerant of low impedance loads than others. Although what you're doing is not recommended, it might work - the only way to know for sure is to try it out and see if the protection circuit cuts out your speakers. If you have no protection circuit, though, permanent damage could result. Well, do you feel lucky? Well, do you? (say this in your best Clint Eastwood voice) Ross

Holy double posts, Batman! (I couldn't delete a double post, so you get this witty interlude... we now return you to the thread)

Craig and Mr. Q (4977)Craig, Several posts above, Q. mentioned that he put a couple of woofers on his RPTV and didn't have any troubles. Because the guns in an RPTV are at the bottom of the set, even an unshielded center speaker shouldn't pose a problem. Craig's equipment list shows he's using a Hitachi tube TV - that one might very well be affected by unshielded magnets. Craig, before you spend the bucks on bucking magnets (pun only mildly intended) you should try out your speaker and see if it affects your TV. If you plan on changing to a RPTV or FPTV in the near future, I wouldn't spend the money on shielding right now. For an interim measure, you might try a plate of sheet metal (ACE Hardware has a selection in appropriate sizes) between your speaker and TV - if it works, it's a cheap fix. If not, you can take it back (since you won't have to cut it). While the C7's a great center channel, there's a lot to be said for three identical front speaksrs. Best of luck on your project! Ross

David, I'm an incredibly pleased owner of a 5800, so let me address the remote issue. The Aktis remote that ships with the Denon is a cool, programmable touchscreen remote with RF capability (so it works from other rooms). That said, I'm not even using the Aktis with my system. I like the Philips Pronto soooooo much better. The first Aktis software version did have "freeze" issues, but that's been resolved. I find absolutely no faults with the Denon AVR-5800, or even its remote. The remote is better than most OEM remotes. But, if you've used a Pronto you get spoiled. As far as amp versus speaker wattage goes: Don't worry. There is no problem using an amp rated higher than your speakers. In fact, it's less hazardous than using a lower rated amp that you might push into clipping/distortion - THAT'S what will kill your speaker! Yes, you can fry a speaker with clean power too... but, you're better off having an amp with the ability to provide clean, dynamic power than try to push a lesser amp beyonds its limits. Ross

David, I'm an incredibly pleased owner of a 5800, so let me address the remote issue. The Aktis remote that ships with the Denon is a cool, programmable touchscreen remote with RF capability (so it works from other rooms). That said, I'm not even using the Aktis with my system. I like the Philips Pronto soooooo much better. The first Aktis software version did have "freeze" issues, but that's been resolved. I find absolutely no faults with the Denon AVR-5800, or even its remote. The remote is better than most OEM remotes. But, if you've used a Pronto you get spoiled. As far as amp versus speaker wattage goes: Don't worry. There is no problem using an amp rated higher than your speakers. In fact, it's less hazardous than using a lower rated amp that you might push into clipping/distortion - THAT'S what will kill your speaker! Yes, you can fry a speaker with clean power too... but, you're better off having an amp with the ability to provide clean, dynamic power than try to push a lesser amp beyonds its limits. Ross

Rusty, I feel for you! Maybe you could finance a trip to the States just to pick up some local Klipsch stuff (or would you have to pay import duties?). Or, I'd be happy to bring them to you... Ross

Oh, how are you tonight? Better. Oh, that's nice. No. Better get a bucket before I throw up. (paraphrased from memory... but the whole high-end cable thing makes me feel the same way <g> )

I checked the Klipsch speaker matching chart, but didn't find the in-walls listed. I'd say that to get the best tonal match, your ideal center channel speaker would be another SCW-2. Three identical speakers across the front should work great! Now, if you're looking for a traditional TV-top center channel cabinet speaker then all bets are off and I have absolutely no idea what matches the SCW-2s. If you're happy with the sound of the SCW-2's, and you want to stick with in-walls, I'd use three of them across the front end. The center channel is incredibly important in HT uses - some estimate that it carries 60-80% of the "weight" during a movie, so I wouldn't use a lesser speaker for the center. A tonal match between the front three speakers also ensures that sounds that pan across the field keep their sound consitent. Now, surrounds are another matter - while it would be nice to have matching surrounds, if you had to cut corners somewhere then the surrounds are the better option than the center. BTW, what are you using for surrounds? Are you using a subwoofer, too? Ross

Brett, I posted the following text in another thread and I'm repeating it here. This guide is pretty interesting reading: There's a very interesting PDF file available for download from the Auralex site. This 18-page "Acoustics 101" has some good info for designing a sound studio. Many of the principles apply to HT. Go to auralex.com, click on the "Intro to Acoustics" button on the top of the page, then download the Acoustics 101 document from the bottom of the next page. Well worth the paper to print it out.

There's a very interesting PDF file available for download from the Auralex site. This 18-page "Acoustics 101" has some good info for designing a sound studio. Many of the principles apply to HT. Go to auralex.com, click on the "Intro to Acoustics" button on the top of the page, then download the Acoustics 101 document from the bottom of the next page. Well worth the paper to print it out. I've not, yet, bought any of their stuff but when I'm ready to start on my garage-to-HT conversion I'll probably be calling them. I'll be doing a "room within a room" and their sound barrier membrane seems like an important part of that. Ross

The RSW-15 was an awesome sub and, I think, well worth waiting for. We listened to it for a couple of days with the new Jubilees, in both music and movie demos. It looks incredibly cool - one of the best looking subs I've ever seen. The easily accessible volume dial on the side was a nice touch, too. As far as sound goes, it kept up nicely with the Jubilees. In fact, this setup had a pair of Jubilees, a Belle center, and 8 Heresy surrounds. The RSW-15 was very impressive, even with all these "fast" horn speakers. I have no doubt that this sub would be a great match for LaScalas (or just about anything else, for that matter). Now, if I only had the bucks to buy one... Ross

Last year, I did the "shopping for a receiver thing" (to replace my trusty ole Yamaha RXV-1070) and I actually had three different receivers at home. Not truly happy with any of those I tried, I ended up biting the financial bullet and buying the Denon AVR-5800. I could not be more pleased! I do like the B&K, and I think the Integra is an incredible value, but I'm firmly convinced that the 5800 is the best in its class. I've listened to it with my RB-5s, my Heresy IIs and my LaScalas - I'm in music and HT heaven. For some great info on the 5800, check out this site. Ross (MIA for a while during the move, but glad to be back on the board!)