em.jay

245 pages!! That should keep me going for awhile! I came across a PDF on Denons/Audyssey, etc, by BatPig which was pretty informative. I guess this depends on how the volume on your Denon is calibrated (i.e. is 0 the max?) and how the speaker levels are set. Did you run the Audyssey setup? From what I've been reading, 0 on my amp should output 85dB ('reference'). Testing with the 'white noise' speaker test showed closer to 75dB for each. The F3s are set to about -3dB, and the C3 to +1 with the S3s set to about +3dB after the Audyssey calibration.

OK, testing with the sound meter on the opening scene of the Iron Man Blu Ray with the Denon set to 0 gives maximum of around 90dB. This has Dolby TrueHD Testing with the battle scenes in District 9 with the Denon set to 0 shows maximum of around 98dB. This has a DTSMA-HD track. But it's impossible to know whether the maximum is different due to the track or the codec. Either way, that's a fair bit of volume. I guess what it comes down to is that I'm reluctant to go above 0 on the Denon, in case it damages the spaakers. Having an external amp would allow me to go to higher volumes withour fear that the sound will clip and damage the speakers. Or am I still failing to understand how it works?

What a fun toy the sound pressure meter is! I don't mknow why I didn't get one ages ago I've been able to answer a few questions with it - for example, I wondered how accurate the volume adjustments on the Denon actually are. So I listened to the same piece of music (intro to Money for Nothing) over and over in +3dB increments, and the meter reported about 3dB increase in maximum sound each time (something like 2.8 or 2.9)2 Also found the answer to the question 'are the ads louder than the shows?' - not according to my little toy they're not

Believe me, I'm considering it! I'm thinking a pair of Cornwalls - 'one day' *sigh* I was talking to the local Klispch sales rep about the price premium we pay here, and how with current exchange rates it's so much cheaper to buy them and bring them in yourself. She warned me about warranty issues. But really, for the price, it's worth the risk. Anyways, I got myself an SPL today, and did some testing. I'd say the Audyssey setup on the Denon did a good job - as did the guys in the Klipsch factory! All 3 speakers across the front were within .5dB of 75dB when sitting between my 2 recliners with the meter at ear height. Strangely, the 2 S2s registered a little lower, even though they're physically closer, and the Denon had both set at about +3dB above the fronts already. I wonder if that's because the mic on the tester was facing away from them, and towards the fronts? The sub registered only around 60dB during the test. But I'm not worried about that - my house has a wooden floor which seems to carry the bass anyway. And it's not bass that is lacking. I did disable the 'artifical' volume limit, and cranking above 0 definitely made a difference (actually got the volume to +9 before I lost my nerve!). Maybe I should just be happy with what I''ve got - I remeber when I first set up the F3s I thought the sounds was awesome! (and compared to what I had, that's definitely true) Thanks everyone who has posted thoughts and suggestions

97db with 1 pure watt with a microphone @ 1 meter distance. You normally do not sit 1 meter from your speakers. I might have to, if I can't figure out how to get better volumes! But at least now I get the concept. And for every +3dB you need to double the power? And -6dB for every doubling of distance from source? I really enjoyed reading your HT-build thread, btw, youthman!

I shouldn't be surprised that the solution, on the Klipsh forums, is to buy more Klipsch! [] Unforunatley, in Australia, the cost is prohibitive. The Klipschorns RRP is AU$23,000, which is about US$20,000 And LaScalas are AU$17,000 (US$14,000), Heresy AU$4,500 (US$3,800) As a consequnce of these prices, there's not much of a second-hand market either I don't know about that. I know it has 'night mode' which is Dynamic Range Compression - definitely switched off. I turn off Audyssey for music, it just sounds muddy, but, for me at least, it makes a big improvement to movies. But I'll retest this weekend once I buy an SPL meter and I'll disable all the Audyssey. This won't affect speaker settings. Is this the way it works? I've been trying to read up on this, but wasn't really able to get my head around it. So, when the F3s have sensitivity of 97dB, they only need 1 watt to achieve this output? So, even if the Denon is only able to provide a tenth of the 90w claimed, they should still be capable of pretty big sound. Definitely need an SPL, then, to get some objective data. Maybe I'm going deaf?? Now that's what I want!

Hi Chuck. I have the sub10 - originally purchased the Denon with Quintets and this sub. It's not lack of bass, it's that I want "knock you down and make you dizzy" volumes Maybe I can reset the volume limit and crank it past 0, but I <i>did</i> blow 2 of the quintets! Looks like a trip to the electronics store is in order for the weekend for an SPL, first. And from what I've been reading, the Denon is unlikely to actually produce the 90 watts as stated, which is why I started thinking external amp...

Hi guys, hoping for some advice. I have F3 fronts, C3 center and S2 surrounds hooked up to a Denon AVR-789 (90 wpc). For those not familiar with the Denon, the volume is labelled from -72db to +18db. I have set the maximum volume from the menu to 0 as I'm worried about it clipping and damaging the speakers. I ran the Audyssey calibration when I got the new speakers, but don't (yet) have an SPL meter. My problem is this - watching Iron Man on Blu-ray the other day, which has a Dolby TrueHD track, and the volume just wasn't that awesome at 0. It sounds good, don't get me wrong, but not the sort of volume that I'd hoped for. Other sources appear to be a little better, particularly DTS-HDMA Blu -rays, and even some DTS sound-tracks on DVD. I'm not keen to start a DD vs DTS discussion, I'm more interested in whether the Denon at 90 watts is a poor source for the F3s/C3 which are rated to 150w? I've read plenty of posts that suggest you should have an amplifier capable of higher power than your speakers can handle, in order to provide 'headroom'. Unfortunately I know a lot more now than I did when I bought the 789, or I would have spent a bit more and gotten something with pre-outs so I could think about a 2 or 3 channel amp for the L/C/R speakers. But am I on the right track? Need more power? This for me means buying a new AVR that has pre-outs, but it will have to have decent power capabilities on its own, as the new AVR will clear out my 'spendings' so the dedicated amp would have to wait. And the 789 will have next to $0 resale, I fear. Setup is in a standard-sized living room, about 5m x 4m (or 16' x 13' if that's easier Thanks for any and all input!

Hi. Thanks for the quick reply. However, I probably should have mentioned, I'm in Australia. The cost here is much higher than you guys pay, even though the AUD is about 0.9USD at the moment Maybe it would help to not so much think about the actual $$$ since you guys get much better prices. A quick search shows these available for about $450 there, so this us probably equivalent to $200 (less than half new price) Thanks again.

Hi. This is my first time here, I'm hoping to get some advice. 12 months ago, I was just browsing through the HT section of a local 'big-box' retailer when the guy offered to demo the Klipsch Quintets for me. I was so blown away by the sound that I bought them then and there! I hadn't even been planning a purchase - lol Well, it's time to step up, but my funds aren't exactly vast. There are currently F3s on ebay in my area going for $500 (retails here for $1200/pair) The reason they're so cheap is because they've been damaged. My plan is to use these as the new L/R and move the Quintets to the surround and rears for a 7.1 setup. Then in a few months buy a new center. My real question is, do you guys think that these speakers are a good buy, with this much physical damage at less than half new price? They're about 6 months old, apparently. NO way I'm going to buy without hearing that they're working fine, but if some of you guys could check the pix at the below link, and let me know your thoughts, I'd be appreciative! Thanks Matt Pix: http://pbckt.com/sb.ddif