decibel man

If you go to www.dolbylabs.com or www.dts.com you can see what they suggest for equipment. It also depends on which surround setup is being used, 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1. I believe DTS suggested direct radiating speakers for 5.1 and DD suggests multi-pole speaders (di or bi) for 5.1. DTS has some pretty cool stuff on their website. Happy listening! JT

I think you guys have created one of the hottest strands since the "14 new products" strand. As far as tuning the box goes, I bought a paperback book on "box building" when I built my workshop speakers. It might as well of been in french. I am pretty good at math and I have a pretty good understanding of basic acoustics, but this thing was for audio engineers only. So I winged it, and copied the measurements off of the the RB-5 and even bought a pair of ports from Klipch that they use in the RB-5's. From what I have read there are a lot of important variables in just porting; diameter, flared, length and whether or not you smooth out any sharp edges. It was a rather mind boggling experience. I got some of the parts and tweeters from www.Partsexpress.com in Dayton, OH. I had the chance to actually go in and talk to them about a few things before I bought when I went down to Dayton on business. Craig, I would still consider putting the tweeter in a seperate section. That horn is a lot wider than it is tall, so if you put it between the woofers the cabinet would be pretty big. I would think you would want to stay close the the same amount of cubic space as the KLF-10 has. That way you are using a size setup that is close to what Klipsch had originally used. I have to go for the weekend I am getting yelled at by the wife. This stuff must not be important to her. Surprise! Good luck! JT

Hi Boa, we keep running into each other. For what it is worth, I have the HK AVR7000 which has an adjustable subwoofer crossover built in. It only has three frequencies, 80, 90 and 100, but it works rather well with my LF-10 and RF-3's. I like it at 80 for music and 100 for most movie listening. You just pop up the on-screen display and away you go making adjustments. I know this model has had some mixed reviews, but in the last 14 months I have had no complaints. It has a monsterous 75 amps of current. It does not have an A/B speaker option or 6.1 / 7.1 surround though. They are due to come out with a 6.1 / 7.1 format receiver in the very near future. Since my family room doesn't allow for decent placement of a rear center this is probably my unit for a long while. I know someone was talking about their B & K receiver that had a crossover adjustment with 5Hz increments. It might even remember the crossover point for each input, I am not sure. That would be nice. Good luck with the new receiver. JT

Craig and 4977, first of all, if you go ahead with this project do not use plywood. You should use 3/4" or 1" MDF (medium density fiberboard) or some other sound deadening material. You may want to even build a small section for just the tweeter. Using a seperate box section for the woofers may help in the driver array problem, but it will be one tall center speaker. The drivers would be in a triangle array with the tweeter on top, picture a small rectangle on top of a large rectangle. It is a tough project. You are going to have to figure out where to put the wide flare port so you don't have increased bass distortion. Tuning a box is pretty tough. I just built a pair of speakers for my workshop. I had a couple of RF-3 drivers that the movers has slightly damaged which were replace at their expense. I easily fixed the damaged drivers and used them in a pair of speakers I modelled after the RB-5's. I used pre-assembled crossovers and Selenium horns (low cash). It was about $200 and a lot of sweat and blood to get it right. They sound good, but they are in my workshop, not in a listening room (thank God). You guys are taking on a bigger project. I think the center channel speaker is probably the hardest speaker to make, let alone tune. If you guys go ahead with this project, I wish you the best of luck. Be sure to keep us updated as to how it is going. Good luck and enjoy! JT

Paul thanks for the tip, how much does that denon run? I also just read a small article on the CES show in Vegas that talked about Toshiba's SD4700 coming out later this summer or fall. It will play DVD-Audio, DVD-Video with progressive scan and multiple CD formats. The target MSRP is a mere $400. Now we are talking about something I can get into at a decent price. It does not play SACD though. I think it may be best to wait a while longer and see where the dust settles.

boa, it is just part of that sickness we have. I haven't heard anything from Kathy yet. I'll let you know when I hear something.

You probably have a center channel volume control. That is the setting that changes db's or volume. Can you describe how the speaker sounds awful? Is it destorted? Does it hiss? Does it sound like it is tonally imbalanced, meaning there is no bass or no treble? We may be able to better help you with some information. That is what this board is all about. Good luck and happy listening! JT

Kathy, I sent boa an email. Do you still have the white RS-3's?

I have black and would like to go to white. The three of us should talk. I have all of the original paperwork and reciepts. These black RS's have never been mounted (wife won't let me put black speakers on the wall). Feel free to email me. Jason

Call 800-Klipsch and ask to speak to a tech.

Thanks for the info boa, I could not remember where the heck I read that. I think it is a unique concept to use a 2.5 way crossover. It should be interesting to see what the RF-7's can do with a dedicated LF reference woofer that is 10 inches. Should be some very accurate bass. JT

It sounds like you can't loose in this situation. The RB-5's have a much better finish than the RF's. They both sound very accurate. Remeber to factor in the cost of a good set of stands if you go with the RB's. Typically what I have seen is the RF's at close to $100 less than the RB's although the MSRP is the same. See if you can audition both speakers at home and then decide. Good luck and happy listening! JT

I posted this link in the HT forum, but it really belongs here. As I said in my other post, these guys have way too much time and money!! Check out the links on the page to the rest of the system. Nice equipment. Here is the link: http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm Enjoy! JT

If you go to the link you should check out the rest of the "system". Way too much time and money!!

tg, I can't tell you which system would be better, you should try them all out if possible. As far as the KLF-10's go with the 100 watts. That is more than enough power. That receiver or amp will never have to crank out anything close to 100 watts with those KLF's. Those KLF's have an efficiency rating of 98db's. That would mean that at a blistering 116db's the amp would only need to produce 64 watts. That is with one speaker at one meter. You will be just fine with 100 watts with any of the speakers you mentioned. Good luck and happy listening! JT

Believe or not, I remeber reading some information from Bob G or Phil H about the use of 2.5 way crossovers in one or more of the new models. For example let's say the crossover is 2000Hz with a frequency range of 34Hz to 20kHz with the RF-5's. There would be one woofer that would go from 34Hz to 2000Hz and the other woofer would go from 34Hz to 800Hz. These numbers are not correct, I am just using them as an example. I believe the idea is to have deeper more accurate bass. This kind of sounds like the best of both worlds compared to 2 or 3 way designs. I am not sure, but I thing the RC-3 uses this kind of crossover currently. I am not 100% on this information, I wish I could remember where I read it. Just my two cents! JT

This link was posted in another strand by Chris Robinson. Chris, I hope you don't mind me posting this, but this needed to be shared. If you think you are an obsessive fidler or DIY project person you need to see this. This is what happens when you have too much money and time. http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm I now feel that I am neglecting my system compared to these guys. Good God Man! JT

Toshiba is coming out with the SD4700 this summer. It will have progressive scan and DVD-Audio capabilities. It may be worth a look just for the DVD-A. I plan on putting my SD2200 in the spare system so I will have HDCD and putting the SD4700 in the main system for DVD-A and progressive scan.

You will probably have to either look in your owners' manual or call yammy. If the amplifier portion that powers the fronts can handle the load than you should be okay, providing you don't leave the speaker wires connected to both the surrounds and the front B. If you are only running one wire than that won't be a problem, just change the wire at the back of the receiver and you are disco. Good luck and happy listening! JT

Orion, the SD6200 is a stereophile (stereophile guide to home theater)recommended component. It was just reviewed in the march / april issue. Looks very nice! Also, if you are willing to wait, Toshiba displayed a progressive scan / DVD-Audio single disc player at the Consumer Electronics Show in Los Vegas. The player is the SD4700 to be released sometime later this summer for a mere $400. That's right just $400 with both progressive scan and DVD-A. I have a Toshiba SD2200 and love it, but I see an upgrade in my near future. Unlike some of the Pioneer models, this unit has true progressive scan not just a line doubler. IMHO I'd wait for this baby to come out. Just my two cents. JT

Mike, the RF-3's are a two-way speaker. Both woofers are playing up to 2000Hz. Putting the sofa in the way of one of the woofers will make the high frequencies louder than the low frequencies. The new RF models coming out soon have a 2.5 way crossover similar to the RC3. I am not sure on the numbers, but it is something like one woofer does 2000Hz and lower and the other does 800Hz and lower. The other thing to keep in mind is that you should have the RF's at the very least 8 to 12 inches from the wall so the bass doesn't get too distorted. I hope this novel is helpful. Good luck and enjoy! JT

Seb, the RCA should work just fine.

John, letting your pre-amp or processor decode DTS will not degrade the quality as long as it is a decent piece of equipment. It should actually improve the quality, although I doubt it will be audible. There is less chance of signal interference if you use the digital out. I would suggust the Toshiba SD2200 (should be $250 - $280), I have one and love it for the money. It also has HDCD, so when you upgrade you can use it as a spare CD / DVD-V player in a bedroom or second room. That is my plan anyway. I am waiting for a true multi-player with progressive scan in the sub $1000 range. It will probably be a couple of years, but this player does quite well for now. I have had this player for over a year and it has had no problems, plus it has a twin disk tray, component video, nice zoom features, and a decent remote. Just my two cents. JT

I do just love this board. It is people like boa and TTK that make this a form of entertainment. Jef, I can hear a difference in the biwiring of my three front speakers, but I cannot hear a difference in the latested terminals that I have decided to use. The is not what you want for your speakers. Just my two cents! jt

Okay foget using the above first link. Instead go to www.minidiscmall.com and click on "accessories" on either the side or the bottom of the home page. Then you will have to go through all of their accessories (you know, the whole "next 20 matches thing"). On the last page there is a product called "Optical Plug Adaptors" with product code M4121. That should be your ticket. I am not too sure about this site's reliability, it seems a little questionable. I would contact them and get model numbers and go elsewhere. JT