Thaddeus Smith

do a search on using two speakers for the center for specifics, but everything I recall seeing strongly suggests against doing so.

this one struck home. I was 19 when i moved out ...college just wasn't my thing. It's been an interesting time since that moment with absolutely no regrets. I suffered through about 8 horrid years of I.T. ...not at all a fit for my personality, but it pays well and gave me the opportunity to learn the business ropes and the technical wherewithal to jump careers and do something I truly enjoy. Some of my peers make more than me, and many more don't. Going through facebook I see all sorts of people with cool degrees working in call centers or low level corporate roles. and the joy of life sure doesn't seem to be there as much. I also married a smart and compassionate nurse, which helps keep things stress free. these days, im older and more mature and now able to see exactly what i want to go to school for ..and in another decade I hope to have my MBA. your daughter sounds very similar to me at that age, and in that light ..I wouldn't have learned how to survive if I knew i could just move back and pay a few bills. my parents were always supportive and helped as they could, but a return trip home was never an option. having said all that ... my sister is now 20 and they are treating her differently, so there may be some sort of boy/girl factor I'm not quite calculating. either way, it sounds like you're spot on in the parenting department (which actually will evolve into more of a mentoring/friendship relationship as time goes on, which is a cool transition).

checked fuse(s)? moved to a different wall plug?

have you contacted the klipsch parts department to see what they can offer?

my old 100wpc pioneer vsx-d608 ...i thought about spray painting the box, but i feel it would detract from the aesthetics.

does cost play a role? msrp on integra is around $2800 ..with the marantz combo topping out around $5000 ..both are full on features and power.

ha! HPKg 3.5 101 ..i love it!

i was looking for some sound in the garage ..got a printer for xmas and had just enough spare kg 3.5 parts laying around to build a speaker ..don't really care what happens to it, and with the box full of packing peanuts, it sounds a lot better than no sound at all. late night boredom for the win!

i've heard of them ..but only in the realm of home appliances like freezers, hot water heaters, etc.

See if you can get a used marantz s8001 ..they usually go for around $500 USD these days. Otherwise, I'd recommend the 4023 you listed.

also, you can download and burn this dvd to run at night or during the day when no one is watching the tv. it flashes full screen color in a loop and will help expedite the break in process. it's also an effective tool for wiping away IR since it's full screen and stimulates the phosphors.http://www.eaprogramming.com/

i have it ..but it's only noticeable when a person's head is smack dab in the middle of the panel from the main listening position ...which would be me. it's no louder than my ceiling fan ..or the dishwasher ..or the fridge when it kicks on ..or morgan when she decides to chatter in the middle of a movie. it's really only audible when there's no other sound being played and certainly not worth sending the tv back.

carl knows his stuff when it comes to subs (or at least fakes it really well) ..so i'll defer to his suggestion.

you might check out elemental designs ..they are to subs what emotiva is to amps. $850 will get you this beast: http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?t=2&products_id=640

get a sub and then use the marantz's ability to send anything under say, 80hz, to the sub ..this will allow your 63's to shine on the mid's and high's and give the marantz some breathing room, while increasing your bass response.

aww, been there dude. it sucks ..and you go through the 5 stages of grief ..and then life gets a little better ..a little rosier ..and then you find a sweeter deal. keep your head high and don't write off CL; it's still a very viable place to find great gear at low prices.

i think what people are trying to tell you is that having no rear speakers is better than having in-ceiling rear speakers...

wish i were ..and i must have. oh well, it happens. again, no arguing or crappy service from klipsch; I called up and immediately reached someone in the RMA dept (after hours, it seemed @ 4:30ish CST) ...there was a long pause after I explained and then she indicated that it had been re-opened, a new part would be sent, and a return label emailed for the incorrect part. Total phone time was under 5 minutes. it's good to know i can get this level of service without having to go through a dealer.

you're mostly being paranoid. I just got a samsung plasma about a week ago and was also paranoid. watch stuff full screen when you can ..but don't stress if you can't. There is a difference between image retention and burn-in. burn-in is virtually permanent and takes a LOT of something constantly being displayed over time. Image retention is normal and will stick there until those pixels are used again. so run the scrolling bars for a bit and you should be good to go. or just watch full screen content. it should also become less and less prevalent after the set breaks in and the phosphors calm down. reducing your contrast will help during this time.

not tonight. an rsw-10d amp was sent; called and straightened it out, but it'll probably be next week before I'm operational.

oh your system sound great, no doubt. if i run audyssey before the sub's ARC, though, won't it it EQ and calibrate the speakers on an improper curver (which would ideally be fixed once i run the ARC). The whole thing feels like a chicken/egg scenario with an endless loop of each system nullifying the other. yet it doesnt seem logical that only relying on one or the other will suffice either.

i sorta worked from home all last week and most of this week due to the horrible snow we've had *snicker* ..so no, trying to fill out a full day here at the office.

I browsed through a couple of threads that touched on this, but I can't find anything definitive (or properly substantiated), on whether it's appropriate to run both vs. one or the other. Logic (to me) dictates that I should run the ARC first to flatten the sub response to the room's dynamics and then run audyssey to properly blend in with and calibrate the rest of the system. If this logic is flawed, please explain to me why ..

This statement still stands ...but i was just informed by Morgan that a package has arrived from klipsch

Ya know ..these days, i really wouldn't mind. This setup is more than capable in spite of not having a sub. It's like my photography ..in that I hardly ever pick up my camera in between gigs, which is a shame. so 2010 will be about shooting more for Michael, and enjoying the sound which was built in 2009. Less gear chasing and more enjoyment of what many consider to be impressive arsenals.