Wild Blue

Yes, please come over to Club Parasound/Halo! Lots of good Halo issues coming up there! http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/index.cfm?fuseaction=Threads.listings&forum=40&CFB=1

Yup, two words: James Cameron. Not having him for the third movie was the difference between a success and failure.

I highly recommend the Parasound Halo equipment, and own them myself with a set of Klipsch Legend speakers. If you're wondering where to buy them, Good Guys is having a massive sale on Halo stuff right now. (free 2-channel amp if you buy a 5-channel amp) For more Halo issues, you may want to check out Club Parasound Halo: http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/index.cfm?fuseaction=Threads.listings&forum=40&CFB=1

I highly recommend using setup discs, and would even go as far as to say that they're essential, and for the money provide excellent performance benefit. Think about all the money you've spent on getting good equipment to make you music and movies sound better. If I told you that you could noticeably improve your system performance even more for $20-40, wouldn't you do it? I personally own and use pretty much every single setup and test calibation DVD that's out there, from Avia to Digital Essentials to Dolby and DTS intro demonstrations. The only one I can readily think of that I DON'T own is the new Avia Pro Calibration DVD set, which costs about $400. But each setup disc has it's own unique benefits, and I've found the best results come by using them in combination, including BOTH the original Video Essentials and the new Digital Video Essentials. The original VE has some test material on it that you can't get on the new DVE. If I had to pick and go with only one disc, I'd probably go with DVE.

Wow, this has become quite a popular topic. I appreciate all the input! It really helps me make the right decision. I'll audition the XLR cables with some cheap cables first before buying the expensive stuff.

Hit it right on the nose... yes, I'm considering using it for a center channel to match my KLF-30 mains. The C-7 is a good match already, but I thought it would be even better.

Thanks for the more info, Rudy! I know exactly what you're talking about with the hiss being slightly bothersome but not annoying. I heard it in my last system with the same Klipsch system driven by my Yamaha RX-V2095. The Yamaha is a nice unit, and was very popular. But when I'd turn up the volume to theater reference levels to listen to a movie nice and loud, I could hear a very slight hiss before any sound started or in silent parts of the movie. For example, when I view THX and DTS trailers (which I love like any of us theater junkies) I love to turn it up LOUD. Just before the explosion of sound to begin the trailer, in the silent part, there's that slight hiss there that detracts from the experience. Like you, that's one of the many reasons I upgraded to high-end equipment and chose to go with the Parasound Halo line. I love the Klipsch speakers, and I DO APPRECIATE that they are so efficient and revealing--I WANT to hear every detail of the soundtrack. But I DON'T want to hear the hiss, which is coming from the overall system, not the media source itself.

I'm hearing very good things about people who have chosen to use new Parasound Halo processors and equipment with Klipsch speakers. The Halo line is really fantastic. http://www.parasound.com I'm also a happy Klipsch set owner (Legend Series, KLF-30, C-7, S-6 based) and have made the plunge to buy the Halo C-1 Processor, A51 5-channel amp, and A21 2-channel amp. Since my theater isn't complete yet, I haven't made all the connections, however. I have heard of a few Klipsch/Halo owners that are getting a low volume hiss out of their speakers, though. Rudy even posted that Parasound said that for Klipsch speakers, the balanced connectors should NOT be used, as they add a 6dB gain, contributing to the hiss. One of the reasons I bought the Halo line, though, was for the higher-end balanced connections that are supposed to REDUCE background noise. What have others heard? For those who are interested, we're also discussing this issue and other Parasound topics at the Club Parasound/Halo site, if you'd like to come join us: http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/index.cfm?fuseaction=Threads.listings&forum=40&CFB=1

Anyone have a single KLF-30 speaker that they are wanting to sell? Preferably black satin, but I will look at other finishes people are wanting to sell as well. Or is someone else interested in buying a single KLF-30 speaker also, and wants to split the purchase of a pair? MUST be in good operating condition.

bump

For those who aren't following my thread in the Home Theater Area, I posted about this: As you may be aware, there is a new magazine being published called Home Theater Builder Magazine. http://www.hometheaterbuilder.com The first issue should be out in the newsstands at the end of October. The magazine is focused upon the home theater lover that likes to do-it-yourself on many projects, upgrading and constantly improving to enjoy home audio/visual. This is exactly the kind of thing for us! I've been asked by the publisher to write a series of articles covering my personal home theater project, as I am about to move, buy a house, and build a home theater in whatever house I get. Although I'm an audio/visual enthusiast and have done some research, I have NO experience in building home theaters or home improvement. Therefore I VERY MUCH need your help with this project. Three issues have already been published. I found the house and bought it, and have just installed an all-home audio system. My theater room is about 12' by 22' by 8', with an 8' by 3' alcove that I'll be using for equipment. I've already installed a floating floor and am now doing the walls and wiring. Please let me know your input! Email: CDotur@hometheaterbuilder.com website: www.hometheaterbuilder.com

Thanks for the input, Kmijeski. Sounds like my project is actually somewhat similar to yours in the direction it's taking and the dimensions. For those who haven't caught a copy of the magazine, my room is ending up as 12' by 22' with an 8'2" ceiling. Unfinished dimensions. I have a 3' by 8' alcove on one side of the theater that I'm going to use as an equipment area. Plan is to use 6 seats in two rows of three each, front projection, and maybe 102" screen acoustically perforated so I can put my Klipsch speakers behind it. Next question for people: I'm going to use four KSP-S6 speakers for the surrounds. Where would you put these in relation to the seating? Would you go for standard THX recommended placement? Separate the two rear surrounds a bit? Do anything different since it is a little smaller of a room?

Ah... thanks for the clarification, Brent. Glad to see everything worked out with you and Parasound.

Uh... is it just me, or did this thread get edited and gutted with posts suddenly missing?

I appreciate learning about distribution issues here, if nothing else--it helps me to understand what's going on behind the scenes.

Yes, I do think it's a shame that Tweeters will no longer be carrying Klipsch. I thought it was a good store. Bruinsrme, you got the right idea for the WAF.

Perhaps I missed it somewhere in this thread, but I'm still not sure of why Klipsch is pulling out of Tweeters. I was in both a Tweeters and an Ultimate Electronics store this past weekend, and had a pretty good experience in both. Both carried quality electronics and many high-end components, not just run-of-the-mill cheap consumer items. I appreciated that, seeing item after item that was worth purchasing for a solid medium to above-average system. Even high-end interconnects, especially at Ultimate Electronics. I don't understand why Klipsch would pull out of a store like that. The Tweeters guys were telling me that Klipsch sales are a majority of their speaker sales. Is Klipsch pulling out of Ultimate Electronics too?

Lolo- That's the question that many of us are trying to figure out. I've talked to about 3 people specifically who have mentioned that Klipsch sounds very good with the "classic" Parasound products that they own. As the only Parasound comparisons I've heard have been that the new HALO line is quantitatively better than the classic line in every way, I don't see how it can be anything but good news for potential Parasound users with Klipsch. I personally hope to let you know for sure shortly. As for the basic thread here, I think I'll just back away. It's always disheartening to see people get hurt one way or another through these forums and hostile against each other. That's really not the purpose of these things.

Media_Design: I'm glad you hopped on here yourself! I didn't notice before--are you actually with Legacy Media Design of Dallas? Because LMD is listed on the Parasound website as an authorized dealer also starting up as a Parasound dealer--not sure where the confusion on that one came in. I agree, there are always forum members on any of these forums that jump the gun and are super negative (and obscure in their posts ) when trying to convince someone else of their opinion. But I don't think anyone can fault those who do pursue a deal, but do so cautiously to protect against the fraud that's out there. I've seen deals mentioned to people on forums more than once that ended up being scams. I myself came very close to losing over $1,600 once. I definitely appreciated the E-mail response you sent me, and if you're still open at all, would like to at least talk to you more. Thanks for posting!

Not sure what you all mean. There's always going to be a chance when someone posts on the internet (or has someone post for them) that they are selling products that you can't come see in person. So I certainly understand those who are calling Parasound direct to ask for distributor information--no better info than the source. However, it is true that you can sometimes find great deals going through small internet or telephone companies. So it's just up to each one whether you want to take the chance or not, and how much you want to protect your interests. To be honest, this is actually the 2nd post I've seen on a forum about a dealer offering a huge discount on the new HALO line. The other one was based in Chicago or something. I guess you never know! I'm still open to hearing more about peoples' experiences here.

Great... I look forward to hearing more. I talked to the guy on E-mail, and he gave me some info about himself, but doesn't have anything to show me to show me in person since I'll be in his area this weekend--no store/showroom, no HALO products in stock, etc. Seems nice, though. I'm willing to learn more.

Well, I'm up to the stage of wiring the room now for lighting and sound before I drywall. Issue 2 has been out for a bit, and issue 3 will follow soon. Question--I'm going to upgrade my Yamaha RX-V2095 receiver as part of my project to something higher-end with 7.1, and I'm looking at Parasound and Rotel. Parasound seems to have so much to offer. Does anyone have Parasound mated up to their Klipsch setup? How's the sound? My speaker group: KLF-30 Mains C-7 Center KSP-S6 Side Surrounds KSP-S6 Back Surrounds KSW-15 Subwoofer, possible SVS upgrade

Justin- Sheesh, I remember when you first started onto the forum, and just look at the post number now. I can't get your links to work to your room. Do you still have it posted on the web? I'm also doing a private home theater project, building my own and writing about it in Home Theater Builder Magazine, so I always like to follow the posts of fellow forum posters.

I think it's good that Klipsch is branching out, but I share concerns with others here about (1) The company image of Klipsch by selling in discount mass market stores and (2) even more so, that people with no idea of Klipsch are going to hear only the low-end Klipsch items in these stores and not get a perception of Klipsch being an average products company, not having any idea of what the higher-end models are really capable of. MORE THAN ANYTHING, I'd like to say that I'm very disappointed that Klipsch is no longer carried by military exchange stores, except for a few small items. I absolutely understand that military AAFES stores are an oddity in catering to a very limited customer group with limited merchandise. But this is how I started with Klipsch, learned how much of a value Klipsch is, and decided to buy all my major speakers to be Klipsch. If I had not, I'm positive that Klipsch would not be anything more to me right now than another A/V company that I have heard some good things about but really have no experience with, like Martin Logan. My $.02.

Klipschmaniac, I think you're right that HALO is shipping now, but I think they were debuted this year at CES 2003. They certainly have been talked about for quite some time. I'm interested in a HALO deal, but would need to know more about the dealer, of course.