joebagadoughnuts

Only use Boundary Gain Compensation if your primary seating position is against the back wall.

To say the THX U2 subs could not possibly be out of phase is not accurate. I suppose it would be possible if the amps or subs were wired incorrectly internally, but the chances of that are extremely small. If the two subs are not located together, there could be a chance of the two being out of phase. Keep them together.

Presuming you have a 9' ceiling or so you should be able to have tons of LF wow. That is almost exactly the dimensions of a dedicated theater that I designed and executed with all Klipsch THX U2. Put the two subs together in a corner, make sure you're not seated in the middle of the length and width of the room (sit about 40% from the front or back wall and one seat off center to the left or right), and use MultEQxt or MultEQxt32 for room correction. You will have about all the wow you can hope for. Let us know how it goes.

so -- my AVR could be the issue? A new processor could give me better bass? I thought the bass was driven by the KA-1000 amp... Tell us the size/volume of your room. The most common causes of "lack of LF wow" are not enough LF energy from subs, phase issues between subs (impossible with your subs), and improper bass management/room correction.

Hi there, Good question about the KA-1000-THX amp. It is not clear in the owners manual, but despite the two inputs, the KA-1000-THX is a summing amp, therefore will not deliver two discrete sub signals. You only need to send it a signal to one input. The amp will sum this and send it to both subs. This is a bit unfortunate, because there is sometimes the need to place subs in locations where they are asymetrical to the central listening and calibration point. If the amp would send out two separate signals, then the two sub outputs of your AVR could be used to give you more installation flexibility. The only hint of this in the owners manual is the fact that it is recommended that the two subs be located together. This is so that there is not a delay issue. The only way to sent two discrete sub signals is to add an additional amp. Not likely for most. [] Alas, not a perfect product in this respect, but I bet you'll still enjoy it. []

Good thread. I haven't visited in a long time. I thought I would share a few things that might be helpful. It looks like you reached a good decision in your new dedicated theater. Fellow members offered thoughtful considerations. I'm sure that your designer had specific opinions about which speaker model would serve you best. They are very different designs, and their selection would require specific design approaches. The choice is very application and design dependent. I have lived with the Klipsch THX U2 system at home and in many of my designs for several years now. I know it well in everything from reference dedicated theaters to family media rooms. It is not only a superb performing line, it has exceptional placement/installation flexibility which is about performance flexibility as much as it is convenience. This has long been a goal that THX has encouraged in speaker system designs. The 83s and similar floor standing models are excellent performers, but each type of speaker comes with its unique characteristics that may make it more suitable for one application than another. I find those a fine choice for designs/installations where they will be free-standing in the room. In professional cinema and dedicated home theater design, it is advantageous to minimize surprises, therefore the design and project execution follows certain approaches and protocols that achieve specific performance objectives. For dedicated theaters, the THX U2 line (especially the screen channel speakers) is a better choice for us because its design gives us the flexibility we need to utilize our installation techniques that permit us to achieve specific performance goals. Their footprint and forward-firing port are essential to how we design and construct. The large floor-standing models often have a rear port, which creates the need for a different approach than we prefer, therefore we stay clear of that unless it is a specific customer requirement. Another thing that comes up with large floor standing models is the question of bass management. Two factors compete for consideration when placing LCR speakers. The creation of a good front stage of sound, and whether low frequency sound from a speaker in that location will be a benefit or detriment to low frequency response in the room. Low frequency response in small room acoustics is complicated enough with satellite/sub bass management. Using full-range speakers always complicates the task of verifying response and calibration, but can be done. Bass management can certainly be utilized effectively with towers. The problem is some folks are sure they are losing something. It is best to verify and apply as required. Another thing that we take into consideration is the throw distance to the primary row, the size of the LCR speaker baffle and how the transducers are located. Presuming precise broadband localization of sound is a perfomance goal, this can be complicated a bit if large towers are used in short throw scenarios. This is one reason why big pro cinema stacks are not a great choice for normal home theater size rooms. In the case of both the towers and the pro stacks, if the room is big enough and the primary throw is long enough, none of those problems are noticable. My point is that the somewhat condensed tranducer design of the KL-650-THX is a benefit in this regard. Regarding the size of the original poster's room, the THX U2 line would be very happy in that size room...and in rooms both smaller and larger than that. We had a recent project that was a dedicated room about that size. It was a particularly rewarding gig because the homeowner had rather demanding expectations (came to us through the THX web site), and involved us at the very earliest planning stages. The result was a reference theater that is an exceptional acoustic (and viewing) environment thanks to many factors including a low noise design and a custom acoustic treatment array designed to reach reverberation targets and a balance of broadband absorption and diffusion. The two row theater uses eleven speakers from the THX U2 line. All the speakers and the acoustic treatment array are concealed. If you would like to see images from it, I can provide a link to the web site. Regarding pricing in this or any other time, I think there are creative ways for folks on both sides to approach this. The reference theater I described above was not a budget-is-no-object project. The homeowner made a two room addition to his home, and one room was the dedicated theater, so there was only so much money available to build out and equip the theater. He saved a lot of money by getting his hands dirty on weekends and/or seeking out competitive construction contractors. Once he had the design and continuing guidance, he could really knock out a lot of the less specialized work. A lot of the work in room with that level of performance expectation is specialized, but a lot is not. I'll admit it is not particularly easy to find providers who will work this way because so many companies just don't wish to take the time (I guess). If they have lots of overhead, they want to zoom on to the next gig. They rely on volume. If you can find a provider who will work with you (and really knows their stuff), you may find that they will be able to package what they are providing at a very attractive value. It should all be about three things: Lifestyle; expectations; and budget...the true essentials of "custom." The trick is finding providers that use that philosophy rather than volume retail sales. Cheers []

Duplicate post. See below.