belial

I decided I wanted to go back to single wiring, but now I can't get those damn gold metal pieces back on to my RB-5 posts .... it seems impossible! They won't fit beneath the gold bases. Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks, dndphishin! One question: Do you think there are subwoofers in the $500 range that would substantially improve on my KSW12?

Sorry dndphishin and everyone else--I don't know why I didn't post my system specs to begin with. My brain must not have been working right. I have the RB-5s, as previously noted, the RC-3 center, the RS-3 surrounds AND a KSW12 woofer... So you think I would be better off upgrading something else, rather than say, going to monoblock amps for the center and surrounds? I have read that the KSW12 is not that well-reguarded ... should I think maybe about upgrading the sub? I forgot to add that although I do listen to music, I am mostly interested in home theater. This message has been edited by belial on 01-15-2002 at 09:30 PM

Thanks for the response, Klipsch-daddy! Anyone else want to add their opinion?

You wrote: "Plenty of movies that aren't encoded with EX/ES have very cool rear surround effects." And I agree, but I guess my question is, do movies that aren't encoded with EX/ES sound BETTER in a 6.1/7.1 setup? 5.1 films have great rear surround effects, but do they sound better with a matrixed back channel along with the rears? (Thanks for responding, by the way, toddv.) This message has been edited by belial on 01-15-2002 at 12:40 AM

I'm still toying around with my new Denon 3802. It supports 6.1 and 7.1 speaker configurations, and I just hooked up one of my (gulp) old Radioshack Optimus speakers as a sixth channel, along with the rest of my Klipsch Ref. setup. The Denon has something called a "matrixed" rear channel, where it creates a channel out of the regular left and rights. So far, I think it does add more "presence" to certain scenes, but I'm not sure how well it actually works with regular 5.1 soundtracks. Since I know a lot of you have Denons, I wanted to know if you stuck with 5.1, or if you like the 6.1 or 7.1 modes ...

I have read on other sites that you can really benefit by using separate amps to drive speakers, because, among other things, it reduces the strain on the receiver. Sound is supposed to improve noticeably. But if my Klipsch ref. series are as efficient as they are cracked up to be, and my Denon 3802 already puts out 110 watts per channel - would I really gain anything? Your thoughts, please. This message has been edited by belial on 01-14-2002 at 11:39 PM

I believe the Atoms are MUCH better (not to mention nearly twice the size of the Cinema mains ...)I were choosing between those two, I would choose the Atoms in a second. Much better for music as well. This message has been edited by belial on 11-30-2001 at 02:53 AM

Vatican, I actually bought the Videologic system. For the price, I thought it did an EXCELLENT job at home theater, but, here again, it did not sound very good with music. I believe most mini all-in-one home theater setups may be like that. If you don't care to listen to music that much, I can recommend the videologic. Go to your nearest Safeway or magazine store and check out a magazine like Home Theater for indepth reviews of the min-systems like the Cinema and others.

I have the Onkyo and will be posting my impressions in a new thread here soon.

It's terrible. They didn't even get a chance to be heard. Lets all bow our heads in prayer.

Vatican, I (briefly) listened to the Cinema in a store and wasn't very impressed with it. Maybe with a better woofer I would have liked it more, but the sound seemed kind of thin and tinny to me for home theater. Music CDs didn't sound very good either. Again, these are very brief impressions I formed, but they were enough to make me decide not to look into buying the Cinema any further ... my two cents.

Thanks to all of you for responding! I should have done a search for this topic in the "DVD" section, but to be honest I didn't even realize there was one--I pretty much only visit the home theater forum. Since movies are mixed for theaters and not living rooms--what do you think of the Re-EQ function (those of you who have used this feature, I mean.) It is supposed to take the edge or brightness out of the sound to compensate for the fact it was designed for a much larger environment... To be honest, so far I can't tell the difference...

I have the RB-5s, with an RC-3 center, a KSW12 woofer, and, uh, el-cheapo Radio Shack towers (to be replaced!) as surrounds, all of which I am running off my new Onkyo 595 receiver (I'll offer a review of it soon...)

I just got a new receiver and want to put it through its paces. I notice that sound quality seems to vary quite a bit from movie to movie, and it is hard to tell if it is my setup or the movie... For instance, on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 the sound is AMAZING, with bass and vocals extremely well defined (now I know why my local Klipsch dealer used it to demo the speaker. But on some other titles I find that some vocals appear slightly distorted at times and the bass is weak... Question 1: How to tell which is my system and which is a poor recording? It is hard to believe that a recent 5.1 soundtrack could be poorly recorded in this day and age. Question 2: Which movies would you use to test a system out? Thanks for all responses!

Yes, the Ears is of course right, you must listen to both. I went with Klipsch, because in my case I could get a good price on the Ref. series, but Paradigm makes very good speakers and if it weren't for the price, I could have gone either way...

I don't want this to turn into a personal dispute between you and me, Ears. If you don't wish to buy online, that is fine, that is your decision. How you can argue that it is "unethical" to buy online, however, just doesn't make sense to me. If you have someone who provides bad service online, and someone who provides bad service in person, is the person providing you the bad service in person somehow better than the person providing you bad service online? Because they pay rent, or hire employees? I really don't get it. Sure, if I have a problem with something I order online and have to send it back, that's a drag, shipping etc, but I am willing to deal with it for the money I save. How is that an "ethical" question? Same thing with getting a longer warranty. Okay, I pay less, I get less of a warranty, that is a choice I make. As far as driving brick and mortar stores out of business, some DESERVE to go out of business. I will NEVER buy Klipsch from the local dealer in my area, because he is TOTALLY sleazy. Why should I support him instead of an online dealer who has dealt with me fairly in the past? Where is the sense, ethically or otherwise, in that? On the other hand, there is an audio dealer here who seems like a very fair, knowledeable person, so I am buying my new receiver from him rather than saving a little extra cash by buying online. The point is, each choice makes sense, and each choice is a decision I am able to make. I simply don't understand the idea that it is always "wrong" to buy online, and always "right" to buy from a brick and mortar store, no matter what the circumstances. If you want to make your purchases like that, it's fine with me. But I will argue with you if you say it is somehow unethical for me to think and act differently. PS: Ears, I forgot to ask you: What do you mean by "dumping stock?" Do you mean selling items and then not supporting them? This message has been edited by belial on 11-18-2001 at 01:50 AM

I am not an authority, by any means, but I do own a KSW12 from Klipsch. I find it somewhat "boomy" in sound quality, although maybe I should work on tweaking my arrangement more. I have (briefly) heard the 8 inch Velodyne and it sounded nice and sharp, for lack of a better description. If I had to do it over I would go for a Velodyne.

BigBusa--I'd be more than happy to post my thoughts on the Onkyo 595--when I finally get it. Unfortunately, today is not the day. My dealer was supposed to get a shipment from Onkyo in, but now they say they won't be delivering until next Tuesday! Kind of a drag, since one of the nice things about buying locally is knowing that you can just walk right in and pick up your equipment THAT DAY. Oh well. I'll be sure and post a new thread with my review once I actually get the Onkyo.

I might be the wrong person to ask. I've got an el cheapo Yamaha HTR 5240 which produces a LOT of hiss in 5.1 mode. Tomorrow I'm getting a new Onkyo 595 and I can't wait! The Yamaha that I have has the standard volume settings, unlike the better recievers we've mentioned.

I don't actually have a denon, but I know some better quality recievers like Onkyo use the last 20% of the volume to really make a difference. That is just the way they are designed.

I bought mine from sounddistributors.com with no problem. BUT--I think I would be happier with a different sub, maybe a velodyne. Klipsch makes great speakers, but some of their subs leave a lot to be desired. At least my KSW12 is a little too boomy for my taste. Velodyne's have a nice, sharp, snappy sound to them, for lack of a better description.

Before buying online, be sure to check the site's user ratings here: http://www.audiosurvey.com/cgi-local/mailorder.pl

I'm kind of stuck with a bad situation here too. In my living room I have to have my TV in a corner, facing out vertically. I have my RB-5s on homemade speaker stands on either side of the TV. The right speaker is fine, but the left is only a few inches away from the wall. Nothing I can do about it really. To tell you the truth I'm not sure I've noticed the difference in sound quality between the two, but I probably would if I tried hard enough.

Wow. I'm really surprised at the hostility expressed towards online retailers, especially from The Ears. First, I have to say, so WHAT if they are "glorified distributors?" As long as they actually ship me the product, in fine condition, at a decent price, I don't care what you call them. Are there sleazy online retailers out there? Boy, you bet there are. I'd even venture to say that there are more sleazy online retailers than there are sleazy brick and motar stores by far. But where I live, employees at the authorized Klipsch dealer LIED TO ME point blank about several things. Example: I had one guy tell me that the RB-5's only come in blond wood, which was of course what they had in the store. Quick trip online showed me that wasn't true. This is just ONE example, I have others, and have heard from others about this store's bad reputation. Now do I want to buy the blond RB-5s from them, for $800, or do I want to buy the BLACK RB-5s, the kind I wanted, online, for around $500? Which do you think I went with? (They were delivered promptly, in good condition, by the way.) There is a nice local audio dealer here--but he can't carry Klipsch, because the other guy has exclusive rights. I'm going to buy my new receiver from him, which he marked down around $60. I could get it for even cheaper online, but I would like to support this guy. Seb, who posts on here regularly, seems like a pretty decent brick and mortar guy too, and I'm sure there are many others.But that's not really the point. The ultimate point to me, as a consumer, is, where can I get the best deal for my money (without doing anything unethical, I might add.) Anyone who refuses to buy online out of some sort of principle, is simply misguided. Here is a link to user ratings of online vendor sites. It helps you know who to stay away from (I find the user comments especially helpful.) http://www.audiosurvey.com/cgi-local/mailorder.pl Good luck to those who buy online AND locally. This message has been edited by belial on 11-14-2001 at 01:36 PM