joelaterdayz

Are ya'll recommending the RB-81 over the RF-52? They both ship free, but I can get the RF-52 for less. The RF-52 has two 5 1/2 woofers to the 81's 8' woofer, plus a larger cabinet. I know those are only specs, but what am I looking at, difference wise, in listening? Again, thank you for your expert help! You folks are awesome! - Joe

Arghh! No one will ship the RF-62's or 82's to Korea, they're too big! Looks like I may be springing for 52's. I suppose I could catch a flight over China and try to score some where they are made... I wonder what kind of deal I could get THERE!

Thank you everyone for the support! You all are giving me some great ideas. II see the angle with Stereo, and it totally makes sense, but I'm starting to think that maybe I should just spring for floor standing fronts and rears. That way I could pull off 5.1 without drilling wall mounts. In that case, would 82's for fronts and 52's for rears suffice? Or what about 62's for fronts and 52's for rears? Am I sacrificing anything by not having wall mounted rear surround speakers? I'm starting to eye my spare large unused bedroom here and thinking it could make a good little home theater with my 65' TV. Inventor, I used to be an Air Force guy myself from 1998-2007, before I went to the Army for a commission. First assignment was Vogelweh, Germany, then six years in Hawaii, followed by one year in D.C. Korea is FUN! I'll be here till Sep 2011. While I think we have had a lot of argument during these wars, most folks are directing their frustrations through peaceful means and the ballot. Which is the way it should be. The Armed Forces are a tool wielded by elected policymakers, and I think people recognize that, unlike during Vietnam. With that said, I really am greatful for all the support we've received since 9/11, and especially from folks who object to the way our foreign policy has played out over the past 9 years but still support us regardless.

Daegu, South Korea

Archman, I'd hold off on any direct comparisons until the new Iphone 4G is revealed next month. Its looking to be a signifcant upgrade over the current model and they could always tweak the call/data plans to coincide with the lauch. - Joe

dtel, I think you'd be best served by acquiring a PS3. The PS3 will allow you to access a wireless signal so you can stream music, movies and pics from your PC. The PS3 has a hard drive, so you can copy your music, photos and movies to it and make playlists. You can even plug a Thumb Drive into one of the front USB ports and copy files to the hard drive. You also have Blu-Ray capability of course and you can buy the $20 Bluetooth remote for better control. Perhaps the greatest feature is the ability to download firmware updates via wireless. Sony is expected to release a firmware update this summer that will provide 3D Blu-ray capability to PS3. Also, the PS3 does have access to Netflix in its menu system, though I'm not sure about internet radio. I've had my PS3 since 2007 and am glad I sprung for it. The only thing you might hear to dissuade you from buying a PS3 is it's ability to output TrueHD and DTS-HD to your receiver. It first decodes these formats and then outputs the data to the AVR, as opposed to letting the AVR do the decoding. The end result, from what I've researched, is the same http://hd.engadget.com/2009/04/21/hd-101-how-to-use-dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd-with-your-ps3/. - Joe

USNRET, I checked out COMJANGSOO, their listed price for RF-82's, when converted to Dollars is roughly $1.850 per speaker. I know Koreans love to haggle, but I'm not sure they can match what I can get online. I've been down to Pusan a few times, visited Hyaendae beach. It's really nice. The first time I visited Korea was TDY to Osan AB in 2001. In just nine years its changed a lot. They've really gotten rid of a lot of the less "reputable" establishments. Though I here Texas Street in Pusan is still pretty wild. The pace of development is also pretty staggering. Thanks for the help and thanks for your service as well! - Joe

Hi Inventor! Thank you for the response. Korea is a pretty good place, especially since I have my wife and kids here. They have a lot of cutting edge technology everywhere and the people are very, very polite family oriented people and there's little to no crime. When I first got here I felt like I was on another planet. But now that I've been here a while I've come to understand why they do things the way they do and have a lot of respect and admiration for them. The biggest downside for me is their culture is relatively newto mass car ownership, and so they are very dangerous behind the wheel. Also, there's a lot of industrial pollution, smog and overcrowding. But its definitely better than being deployed in a war zone away from my family for a year. The reason I'm looking at the 7.1 systems is I eventually plan to acquire all the speakers for a 7.1 system. Not while I'm here, but after I get back to the states. I think if I hold on to the original boxes/packing material and watch the packers like a hawk I may turn out all right... I did look on AAFES, but they don't carry Klipsch, or newer receivers, and their prices aren't competetive. I've been in over 11 years and it just seems AAFES has really gone down the tubes. Thank you for the great advice. It sounds like the RF-82's would be a good long term investment and something I can build upon. Where did you serve? - Joe

Hello Everyone!, I'm a Soldier stationed in Daegu, South Korea and am looking at purchasing my first AVR and Front L/R Floorstanding Speakers. I'll be ordering online, as the only AVR's the local Military Exchange is carrying are over two years old and are still being sold for the original MSRP. I've been looking at ordering from Crutchfield, as they offer free shipping/no tax to APO boxes. Do you know of any other places I should consider? As for equipment, I'm strongly considering the new Onkyo TX-SR508 ($350) or TX-SR608 ($499). These are 80 watts/7.1 and 100 watts/7.2 respectively with all the newest features. High end speakers for me would be Klipsch RF-82's ($549 each), if I go lower end it would be Infinity P362's ($200 each). Use would be 80% DVD and BLU-RAY using a PS3 with full HDMI connections through to a 65" Mitsubishi 1080P DLP, 20% music. Viewing/listening area is main living room (this is an apartment) which is about 18 feet wide with floor to ceiling glass on the left and completely open another 30 feet or so through to kitchen on the right. Walls are mostly high-end wallpaper and wood paneling, floor is wood and stone (similar to this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usag-daegu/4388457529/in/set-72157623386251837/). I can't drill in the walls, and a high-powered sub would probably annoy the neighbors, so I need the floor standers to do it all. Components also need to be durable/have a good warranty to survive frequent moves around the world. Other factors to consider are two feisty girls, 1 1/2 and three, who will likely lean agains/try to color on speakers. Oh, and I do not have an opportunity to listen to any of this equipment prior to purchase, unless the Klipsch Speakers in the local IMAX theater count (which are absolutely phenomenal). Some separate questions: Are the RF-82's overkill? Any recommendations on speaker cable? Any other stores I should take a gander at? Thank you, - Joe