LaronB

First of all, thank you for lending your knowledge. I'm not completely sure if I understood your wiring explaination. I don't think my center speaker can even take banana plugs, so I photoshoped a picture of the actual binding terminalsof my RC-25 with a picture of speaker wire. Is this correct, or did I misinterpret?

Thank you sir. Can you elaborate on how to properly wire the binding posts (3)?

I recently upgraded the left and right mains and used new 14 AWG to wire them to my new Denon receiver. When I went to pull out the old Panasonic receiver, I noticed something terrible. There were two sets of bare wire in both the positive and negative outs of the receiver going to all four terminals of the center speaker (with the straps removed). I think I was only 15 years old when I wired the system back in 2003. I had misread the owner's manual thinking I had to follow the Bi-wire directions, even though the receiver was incapable of that wiring configuration. However, I never noticed anything wrong with the sound coming out of the center channel, but I have no idea what harm I may have caused them. So what I'm trying to get at is when I "bi-wired" the center speaker, I removed the metal straps and threw them out thinking they were packaging garbage. Now that I've upgraded my system and figured out my mistake, I need another pair of straps that will work with the RC-25 center speaker so I can properly connect it to my receiver. Anyone know where I can get replacement ones, or should I just call Klipsch customer support?

Thank you for your responses jrod, Youthman, and Stolenrs. I will consider your recommendations of the RB-61. However, what are the negative effects of pairing them with my RC-25?. I took measurements of the center speaker area, and I could fit an RC-52. On a different note, I explained to my parents that they would no longer require the use of the front in-ceiling speakers if we recplaced them with a pair of bookshelf ones. My mother then made the analogy that having those two speakers in the ceiling doing nothing would be like having a pair of shoes that you can't wear. Well, while reading reviews of different receivers, I was introduced to a relatively new feature called heightened surround sound. Receivers that are equipped with either Dolby Pro Logic IIz or Audyssey DSX can create a channel for speakers that are mounted higher above the main L/R channels. So, in theory I could utilize my in-ceilings for that purpose. I believe the Onkyo TX-SR607 was the first receiver to incorporate this feature. The Denon AVR-4310CI and the step down AVR-3310CI also have heightened surround capabilities and look like plausible choices. We need a receiver that performs well with movies and music alike. The TV speakers are going to be unnaceptable, so the receiver must be able to effectively handle 2-channel content as well. Is there an option on these receivers to switch from 5.1 to 2.1 when watching TV?

My parent's HT room is roughly 18'x18' and extends about 20' into the kitchen (where there is no right-side wall if one were looking at the TV). The television niche is not centered on the wall; it is farther off to the left. There is a fireplace and mantel that fill up the right side of the wall. The room has a 10' ceiling that houses front L/R in-ceiling speakers (Klipsch SCR-2) and surround speakers of the same model. Link to speaker's specs: Klipsch SCR-2 In-Ceiling Speaker - 8 ohms, 50 watt RMSThe center speaker (Klipsch RC-25) is sitting atop a shelf that is roughly 1' above the TV (year-2002 50" Panasonic Plasma): Klipsch RC-25 Center Speaker - 8 ohms, 125 watt RMSThe subwoofer (Klipsch RW-8) rests directly below the TV enclosed in the bottom, middle section of the custom built-in wood cabinet: Klipsch RW-8 Subwoofer - 125 watt RMS My parents purchased these speakers for the room as an offer from the homebuilders during construction. The in-ceiling speakers were professionally installed. The center speaker and subwoofer were simply delivered to us for self-installation. We had installed a custom built-in wall unit, designed by my mother, that did not take into considertion proper speaker placement. Over the last 6 years, these speakers have been powered by a Panasonic SA-HE100K Receiver. Because our plasma panel is about to croak, we feel it's time to upgrade not just the TV but all of our A/V equipment to today's HD standards. We plan on buying the 54" Panasonic TC-P54G25, the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player as well as other components. The Problem: All of us agree the overall sound we get from the current receiver and speaker set up is underwhelming. First and foremost, I am not a fan of in-ceiling speakers for HT use, especially of the Synergy Series that is in the ceiling now. Secondly, the in-ceiling speakers were centered by the width of the room and not the niche or seating area. Therefore, the left front and left surround speakers are in line with the left edge of the TV while the right front and right surround are roughly 6 feet from the right edge of the TV. The positioning of these speakers is awkward, and their downward aiming design takes away from the directionality of the sound material. However, we are pleased with the sound produced by the center speaker and subwoofer. If we were to purchase a pair of Reference Series bookshelf speakers to replace the in-ceiling fronts and place them on shelves to the left and right of the center channel, would that yield a significant improvement in the loudness, directionality and clarity of the sound output? In theory it should, or correct me if I am wrong. I would like to keep the center speaker and subwoofer that we have now. Although they were built in 2003, I am hoping there is a pair of bookshelf speakers today that can somewhat match their tonal characteristics. The Klipsch RB-61's seem like a good option. I encourage your suggestions. My mother has ruled out floorstanding speakers and the space designated for each bookshelf speaker is 17" (H) by 17" (W) by 24" (D). As for the surround speakers, my mother is not willing to mount anything to the back wall. So perhaps those two Synergy Series in-celings can be replaced with a pair of Reference Series in-celings like the Klipsch CDT-5650-C. And finally, we will need to buy a brand-receiver that not only pairs well with the speakers but can supply more than enough power to them and fulfill our feature requirements: HDMI 1.3 - at least 3 inputs. Accurate automatic speaker calibration Powered second zone functionality Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding Can connect an iPod or iPhone directly to its USB If you can pinpoint a model for me, I will be eternally grateful to you. Or if not, I'd love to hear brand recommendations.