Sundevil
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Posts posted by Sundevil
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Hi everyone-
I'm trying to decide on a Powercenter. I've looked at ACS, Panamax, and Monster options. I've even tried contacting a few of the customer service departments for help. So I figured I'd ask the experts here since I haven't gotten any substantial assistance after phone calls, forums searches, and googling.
How do you select what size/model to buy? I don't want to take shortcuts but I also don't want to overbuy and have WAY more than I need. I've really honed in on the Panamax products, as I've used them in the past and had no issues with them.
I'm looking to protect a 47 inch LCD, emotiva umc-1, emotiva upa-500, blu ray player, Xbox 360, directv hd dvr box, and then the rf82 pair and rc-62.
I've tried to add up my total max wattage and I think it's roughly 3000 watts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sundevil
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^^^After I got the price quote from audioholics, I went back to my local store to see if they were willing to compete. To my surprise they actually beat the price with tax included =^o There is a guy on AVS to talk to as well. I can't remember his name, but he posts a lot in the klipsch owner thread. He gave me a great quote on the speakers too (beat audioholics), but with shipping costs it ended up being quite a bit more. Depending on where you live you might try him as well as shipping might not kill you as much.
Alright, great. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on my home theater build. I'm going to start ordering things in a couple of days. I'm just trying to figure out a final few things before I make my purchase.
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It is not less power but, the quality of the power supply (amp). I just purchase a set of RF 7s that sounded fantastic at the seller's house running off a Sansui tube amp with just 1 or 2 watts.
Yeah, I'm sure the entry level harmon kardon receiver with no tuning is probably the culprit in the sound. I'm hoping when I get the UMC-1 and UPA-500 all hooked up the sound will be what I expected.
Call Audioholics.com. They quoted me the best price from the online dealers I called.
I'll be sure to give them a call. I'd love to support a local brick and mortar store but their pricing just can't match online dealers. My local dealer had RF-62's for $50 under MSRP, which I thought was a fair price though. They were only willing to give me an 10% additional price break if I purchased an entire 5.1 system. They were telling me that if I got the towers, center, rears, and sub they'd throw in the center for free and give me 10% off the top of that. That's just more speakers than I planned on buying, haha.
I'm still undecided about the 62's vs 82's. I know the 82 is more sound than I want right now, but it's just a minor change in price that I should just go forward with it for the long term investment.
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Well based on the feedback, I'm betting that the receiver/amp was the main issue with the speakers.
I've done a little more research and I've found where others experienced this at having a lesser amount of power to each speaker.
I know the Reference series is a good product and realize that this was probably just a fluke that it wasn't sounding right at a lower volume. The feedback everyone has left also reassures me that this is the case. When I demo'd these they were not in a good setup position by any means. I'm sure the sound was bouncing all over the place.
I'm slowly going to start piecing the system together over the next month or so.
Does anyone have any experience with open box items from Acoustic Sound Design? It seems like in most cases the speakers were just taken out of the box to setup and then put back in the box. Buying things that way may help with my budget a bit.
Thanks to everyone for their continued knowledge and feedback. It's really helped!
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Oh sorry, I misunderstood and assumed by intolerable, you meant the sound was coming off as harsh or bright sounding. That makes a lot more sense. That is odd that they are not coming alive until you turn it up quite a bit. I have a few suggestions you could try. Looking at performance charts for the RF-62s, there is a severe dropoff of db's right around the 65 hz range. It is dependent on the room, but would give you a good place to start so I would set the crossover frequency around 70 for the fronts. On the subwoofer itself, I would turn the crossover all the way up till it says LFE Off. This makes it so that your UMC-1 controls it. Then on the UMC-1 settings, I would probably turn the sub crossover up high enough to be above the lowest crossover you have for any of your speakers. After this, on the UMC-1 remote, turn just the sub volume up to make sure it's not set really low. EmoQ set mine at -20 which didn't make any sense because it's a pretty low powered sub compared to the rest of my system.
I haven't had a chance to listen to these speakers, but most reviews are claiming these speakers to have pretty boomy bass. If you got the UPA-500, it should be getting enough power. It just isn't making a lot of sense to me why it's only coming alive once you reach a certain volume. I hope others here can chime in that have had this problem.No worries, I re-read that first post and can see where I made it sound like it had to do with the harsh/bright sound.
I thought it was really odd too though. I'm assuming based on your explanation that it was probably the recevier that was causing the issue in the store. However, like you mentioned, I'm hoping others can chime in on this issue I encountered to see if it's a common concensus that it was the receiver causing the problem.
While I didn't nessecarily expect to have a lot of low's at a lower volume, I surely expected the mid's to be more pronounced than they were. Even the guy helping me was like "hmm...there's absolutly no mid's or low's right now". I will say though that the clarity of the high's was very impressive.
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What you aren't able to tolerate is unfortunately what Klipsch is known for to some people. After hearing your thoughts, I am thinking that Klipsch may not be the right brand for you. There are a lot of other people who feel the exact same way as yourself. As far as them losing their mids and lows, there could be lots of reasons, but because the guy said it was a different receiver, they may not have yet got it hooked up correctly. It could have been under powered or some wacky crossover settings, or any other combination of things. Even if the mids and lows were there though, I still have a feeling you would still not be able to tolerate it at a higher volume.
Alright, I appreciate the feedback.
It's hard to pinpoint and explain exactly what was bothering me about the sound. At a reasonable TV watching audible level or even movies late at night, I completly lost any mid's and low's in the sound (I'd say this was around -32 to -34 volume) but the second it crossed over to -24ish volume it completely came alive. It's not that I can't tolerate the speakers being that loud because trust me I've had 2 12" ported subwoofers in my car for years now and I like listening to things louder than the average person.
I'm more concerned with others not being able to tolerate the loud sound, whether that be my neighbors or even my guests. When I was at a reasonable level for the high's I had ZERO mid's and low's in the sound. The sound was completely flat and like I mentioned it reminded me of my HTIB Panasonic system that I used throughout college. I even compared it in the store to it sounding like the speakers were just pissed off that they wern't louder. You could almost hear that they were begging for a higher volume.
I guess this really comes back to finding out if it was purely the setup in the store that was causing the loss of mid's and low's or if that's just what Klipsch is going to give me at what I deem a reasonable listening level.
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so guys...I'm having a couple of issues.
I went to my local authorized retailer today and worked with a guy that was incredibly knowledgeable about the products.
I listened to the 52's, 62's, and 82's and decided that the best option for me is the 62's. I just couldnt notice much of a major difference between the 62's and 82's to justify the price increase and honestly only when I was further away from the speakers (well beyond my distance from couch to speakers) I could tolerate them.
However, this is where the problem starts. These speakers sound FANTASTIC at anything under -26 or so. However, at what I deem a reasonable listening level, something over -30 the mid's and low's are completely gone. It honestly sounded like a HTIB system, even the sales guy was shocked because he said he really only demo'd them for people at their higher volume. With my current living situation, playing it at -26 or lower really just isnt an option for me on a regular basis.
On another note, I was wondering if the speakers were just losing the mid's and low's because they wern't getting enough power to them. They had recently sold their floor model Marantz receiver and they were powering these using an entry level Harmon Kardon receiver (I think he said they were pushing 50W to the towers). Is this why I'm not getting any mid's and low's at what I deem a reasonable listening level?
Only when I added a sub to the system in the store did I gain back some of the mid's and low's at the -30 level, however I could hear the rattle and I know that's not something I can have in my current living situation (next 2+ years).
I was really impressed with the product, I'm just a bit concerned that I'm buying large paperweights if I can't get any mid's and low's at a reasonable listening level.
Thanks as always!
Sundevil
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I've got a sub, so I've never really tried to push my 82s. The specs on them go decently low tho, so I would say that they can get pretty loud and bassy if you really want to use them like that.
Alright, I'm assuming that's just all based on how you set them up?
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I bought some of this Ethreal wire and at this price, its not a bad value. I like it better than themonoprice because its less rigid and a lighter weight wire (either that or im losing my mind). Just wanted to point this out! you can also get different size spools, go and check out some of the other stuff on their site!
I apologize for my delayed response. I've been out of town the past week or so and I've just gotten around to replying to things.
I'll be sure to check out different options for my speaker wire and HDMI cords. I really like the Monoprice HDMI's that release on 7/30.
Do you have any suggestions on sound proofing? I just checked out my townhouse for the first time this past week and I'm a bit concerned that I may be "that neighbor" with my proposed setup. Are the low's in the 82's going to bother my neighbors? I don't know exactly what type of blocking they have between the walls but I never heard anything other than people going up and down steps when I was there.
Thanks again!
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www.monoprice.com will be your friend for all things wires
I use these from emotiva http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/interconnects/products/xrca as my connection between the amp and the processor. I am very happy with them and would buy them again. I have monoprice shielded rcas as well (digital coax which is always shielded) but i find the emotiva ones to be much higher quality and have a better sound.
I use emotiva banana plugs which i dont think they are selling anymore and i love them, excellent quality.
Get 12 gauge wire if you can too for your speaker wire.
Monoprice has great HDMI cables
these look awesome and are new, never saw them before but will definitly be trying them:
I have however used these with great success:
Try not to get really heavy thick gauge hdmi cords as they tend to put a lot of strain on the HDMI ports as you snake the cords and what not. I ruined an HDMI port on my UMC-1 and had to send it in for repair. Those redmere HDMI cables look like a fantastic option. I would buy both and test!
here is the speaker wire:
This is a kool rca-3.5mm for ipod listening
Thanks! I'll be sure to search around Monoprice for my cords. I really like that RCA cord, it will look fantastic!
Once again, thanks for the really insightful and lengthy response explaining everything. I'm going to slowly piece this all together over the next month or so while I'm in transition between moving my things from Arizona to Ohio. However, I figure with things like cords and the Emotiva products I can go ahead and place my orders sooner because of the inflexibility in the pricing for the most part.
Going to shop around on quotes for speakers at different places and see what type of deal I can get.
As the system is priced right now, cords excluded, it's $2841 if I was going to buy the speakers directly from the Klipsch website (which I wont), the UMC-1 and UPA-500 from Emotiva online, and the Monster Power Supply off of Amazon (which is a suprisingly good deal in my opinion at $193).
I'm hoping to be able to get that down around $2600-2650 by getting some deals on the RF-82's and the RC-62, if possibly even lower than that. I suppose it just depends on what type of deals I can find.
Thanks Again,
Sundevil
^^^ ah yes 12awg, that's what I meant. I edited my previous post. Here is what I bought for in the wall routing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QO0ZQY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00
I'm still trying to decide about in-wall routing of my wires. I've got a rental agreement on a townhouse for the next 2 years and I'd like to avoid having to patch the walls at a later date if at all possible. They don't have any touch up paint or color code for it at the leasing office for some reason so anything I patch is going to be a trial and error experiment.
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Emotiva doesn't have any resellers, probably to cut out the middle man and keep prices low. You might have some luck if you call them to see if they have any b-stock/refurbs available. Chances are there won't be any UPA-500s because it is a brand new item, but it never hurts to ask. Who knows, they might have a pretty cheap xpa-5 for you. Other than that, the only way to find one is ebay/audiogon/garage sale thread here. You might even have some luck posting a wanted ad in the garage sale thread here.
Thanks for the advice on that. I'm gonna start looking out for some deals on the UMC-1 and the UPA-500. However, I'm comfortable within my budget to buy them new if I don't end up finding a good deal. There's a "mint" UMC-1 on Ebay right now for $350, however buying it new and selling my upgrade card brings me to about the same cost and in that case I'd prefer to just buy new from the manufacturer.
Emotiva is an online only brand and their equipment is only available through them directly. Emotiva is the best value equipment that i have found for HT and has certainly fulfilled a niche in the market. Its a great place to start for you.
Many of us have used Emotiva and a lot of us have applied the law of diminishing returns to our purchases. For some its worth that extra thousand to get a rotel or parasound and for others, the quality is to a point that they feel there will be nothing more beneficial to be gained or its just plainly out of reach financially. Most of us can justify it being a great value because it puts receivers to shame most of the time for similar cost and in some cases its cheaper!
I'm really happy with everything I've read on the Emotiva stuff. I guess one of my final questions before I start pieceing this all together is what do I need in terms of connection cables.
I'm only framiliar with standard speaker wire that comes in the HTIB kits. I have friends that are into home audio and they've already pointed me in the direction of banana plugs.
Outside of HDMI cords, what other connections do I need? I was looking at the amplifier and noticed it would do fine with standard banana plugs but what goes from the amplifier to the receiver? Is there a specific gauge that I should be using for my speaker wire? Are all brands fairly similar?
I know a lot about the whole HDMI myth and that as long as it's gold plated it essentially does the same thing, but if I'm investing this amount of money into a speaker system I want to make sure they are hooked up with the proper cords to ensure I'm getting the most out of my speakers.
Thanks,
Sundevil
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Some people have issues with their XPA-5's while others have ones that are dead silent. Its either an anomoly with some models, some people don't hear it or something else. I have ruled out my other equipment since i have zero issues now.
The UPA-500 in my opinion is better than a receivers amp section because it has 4 ohm stability and is designed to be a standalone power amp. That amp at 8ohms should be producing on average more than what receivers typically output. If you look at benchmark reviews of receivers youw ill find that the 120watt X 5 rating is a load of crap and you are only getting 120 watts X 1 or 2 channels if lucky. All channels driven you get about 50-70% of the stated rated wattage (kind of sad but thats marketing for you, the poor consumer gets screwed). Some companies more accurately reflect their power capabilities than others like Harman Kardon has typically done in the past but as a rule of thumb, expect a decent power loss with all channels driven.
A solid 80 watts X 5 channels is equivalent to a good quality receiver upwards of $1000 bucks (for the most part although a lot of money doesnt always mean a good product) really and has the perk of the 4ohm stability which most receivers don't carry (some are 6ohm stable most arent 4ohm stable). Power amps are pieces of equipment that if built well can last for 20 years. There are some on here that buy 10 year old amps used that are rock solid and are still kicking! Don't short change yourself when buying a power amp as it can last for a long time!
Financial restraints suck but as i have said before (and i dont always obey my own motto but i try my hardest) but wait and save so you can get what you want. its expensive to upgrade over and over again but if you dont mind some financial loss along the way, thats okay then!
I was just in az 3 weeks ago since my sister graduated from there too! it was some great weather out there. I am probably moving back out towards the years end around jan-feb most likely!
First off, as always THANKS SO MUCH for the wealth of knowledge you are providing me.
Weather was beautiful during graduation! It was a really great time. I'm sad that it's come to an end, but I'm sure I'll get oppertunities to go back and visit ASU from time to time through recruiting undergraduates for my work.
Like Tmassey suggested, I think I'm going to go with the UPA-500 for now and then if I feel I need to get something bigger to power the 82's I can always go with an XPA-2 or another brand to power the towers.
While I've stated that I'd like to stay between $2500-$3000, I do have the capability if needed to spend more to get exactly what I want. My only problem with that is I'm eventually going to want to upgrade from an LCD to an LED tv and I'm trying to start saving a little bit of money for that. But I will agree, budgets do suck.
I'm most interested in seeing what type of deal I'm able to get from a retailer on the actual cost for the speakers. From my research it doesn't look like I can buy Emotiva anywhere else so I'm guessing I'm stuck with their pricing on their website for the amp and receiver. The price I'm able to get may dictate if I'm willing to stretch the budget a little bit or not.
Thanks again,
Sundevil
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The UPA-500 would be a good bet. If in the future you feel you aren't doing your 82's justice, you can always get an XPA-2 (2 Channel Amp w/ 300 watts per channel) for them and the UPA-500 would be plenty for the center, surrounds, and rear surrounds. The XPA-2 would also give you much more headroom on your fronts as well than an XPA-5 would. The beauty of amps is they come in lots of different varieties and because they last a long time, they hold their value quite well also. This makes it easier financially to integrate them into your system a little at a time as you can afford it.
I really like your point about using the UPA-500 for now and then if the 82's need more power I can go to the XPA-2 and use the UPA-500 for everything else.
It really does help out my budget a little bit because I'll be able to get a good solid foundation without having to spend what it costs to get a bigger amplifier.
Is the only place to find these on the Emotiva website? I started searching around and I couldnt find any other retailer for them.
Thanks,
Sundevil
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I think you'll be surprised at the prices you find when you actually talk to a dealer and you may easily be able to upgrade into more speaker than you thought you could afford before. I got my whole system (minus the receiver) for around what your budget is. So by not getting the rears (RB-81 IIs) and going with the RS-52 or 42 IIs, you should be able to use that saved money and get a nice receiver and you'll be set.
I haven't talked to any dealer's yet but I'll be sure to check with everyone here when I get some pricing to make sure that it's a relatively good deal before making my purchase.
I got my parents to lend me their Def Tech rear's yesterday that were in a box in their basement since they don't have them setup. So I have some rears in the meantime to tide me over until I can afford some myself.
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Great! With my proposed system changing constantly by the day, I'm going to need to find some savings anyway I can! Thanks!
LOL You're quite welcome but I only wrote a couple of sentences where as SubXero wrote an editorial. I think he deserves much more praise than me........great input dude!
Couldn't agree more. It was a fantastic write-up. I'm still trying to process all of the information so I completely understand all the parameters I need to make sure I satisfy with the Amplifier and Power Supply.
Big shoutout to SubXero for the lengthy and VERY educational posts. They've really helped me understand the home theater process a lot more!
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Thanks! I'll be sure to call them when I'm ready to make a purchase. Anything specific I need to let them know to get the "good price? :-)
He'll pretty much give you his best deal but it never hurts to ask if he can knock off a few more bucks to meet your budget. Keep in mind also that he will be quoting a delivered price without sales tax as well.
Great! With my proposed system changing constantly by the day, I'm going to need to find some savings anyway I can! Thanks!
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The choice to start off with a 3.0 setup is a great choice. The only negative aspect of that decision would be availability of matching components at the time of your next purchase. We never know for sure when a line will be continued, upgraded or discontinued. This generation of klipsch has been out for about a year now i believe so you should be good for another 2 years i'd think. There is also craigslist and audiogon as well if this pieces do become discontinued and is a place for you to seek them out.
Your idea of not getting something that will compare to your parents def techs...Psht! Def Techs are good quality speakers but they are certainly not horn driven klipschs. They are basically all in one type towers they have with a frequnecy extension down to 11hz. They are designed to have "mini subs" within them and those are selfpowered with an amp built into the speakers. They are a formidable pair but everything is integrated.
BP700SC
Response
11Hz – 30KHz
Impedance 8
ohms, rated 20-1,000 watts
14” 1,800 watt
super cube built in sub
4 6-1/2” mid
range drivers
2
1” aluminum dome tweeters
When you go and listen to some klipsch, keep in mind that the receivers or amp/processor combos wont be tweaked perfectly to each speaker you listen to. In most cases though, i think people are impressed when they hear klipsch for the first time. I am more of a fan of component style setups where my subs are separate from towers and nothing has built in amps but the subs (which is typical now). I also prefer my amp to be seperate from my processor.
The emotiva UMC-1 is just a processor. This unit does not have any internal power amplification to drive speakers. Its basically a receiver without the amplifier part. I have it and its a little bit qwerky but for the price its well worth dealing with its few shortcomings. Of the receivers i have used in th past, i love the UMC-1 the most because of its ability to let me customize things more than what receivers usually come with and for me, thats the game winner.
I owned an Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier and like its sound and power capabilities but it fell short in one aspect. I had a hum/buzz from all of my speakers that was not from a ground loop. It was the amplifier itself. I am not the only person to suffer this and i am not the only one to swap their XPA-5 for a different brand of amplifier. Emotiva says the topological electrical design of the XPA-5 is different than their other amps so i'd be interested in trying their other models to see how they sound. Needless to say, i changed to Outlaw Audio and couldnt be any happier. The sound is smoother and no hum/buzz. Well worth the reduction in power and increase in price to get something that works perfectly!!!
When you look at amplifiers, most of the time you are look at powers ratings (watts) @ a certain impedence (ohms) mesaured at a certain frequency (hz) and @ a certain number of channels. Power amplifiers or external amplifiers often often have 2 listed ratings, one at 8ohms and one at 4ohms. The 4ohm power rating is often 2 times the 8ohm rating but this is not a law! It often varies and could be 25% more, 50% more or litterally alot more or realyl barely anything more and just depends on the design of the amplifier. The majority of speakers are designed to have a nominal impdence of 8ohms but that is a nominal rating. The impedence and power are both dynamic and change constantly. Ok so back to amps! the difference between 4 and 8 ohms are not fixed, it isnt just one or the other and it will often dip bleow, above and anywhere in between. The amp will match the resistance of the speakers. There are a lot of other things you can compare like primary and secondary capacitance but this goes into things beyond my ability to explain and again, each amplifier has a different topology from the next model and certainly between brands. One thing i wanted to delve into further is the difference between a receivers amplifier and a stand along power amp. Receivers often weigh in around the 18-25lb mark, power amps often start at around the ~50lb mark. Part of this is because of the transformer that converts your incoming outlet power to usable power for your amp. When it comes to class A/B amplifiers, the general rule of thumb is the bigger the transformer the better and more ample the power supply is. The power supply is largely overlooked because of sheer space requirements and the fact that there are some very sensitive components within a receiver that wouldn't work as designed because of excess electromagnetic interference hence bringing the amplifier outboard and into a separate component piece. Again this is a very general overlook on amps with some very general info.
Receivers are quite capable and some are far better than the next. Receivers start to lack again in their amplifier. Most slack at their low impendence capabilities (pushing 4ohms for instance). Some speakers have bigger impendence dips than others and those with rf-7s who have driven them with an amp know that at higher volumes, their receivers go into protect mode and shutdown in order to keep them for overheating and burning out. Fortunately though most klipsch can be run on receivers quite well without any hitches. There have been some who have switch back to a reciever from an amp and noticed no benefit of the external amp while others like myself notice night and day differences. Some receivers now like a few of the higher end pioneers i believe have started using energy efficient Class D amplifiers to help boost usable power without added weight. The gripe with Class D is sound quality as the signal is digitial and different from analog class A/B power structures. Class D sheds far less heat and uses power only when it needs it whereas cclass A/B runs hot and has power more on tap so to speak.
When choosing an amplifier, you try and get something that supplies more power than the speakers can handle. You do this to help reduce the chances of clipping (sending a distorted signal to your speakers as the amplifier begins to max out its power capabilities, this is a detriment to transitior amplifiers). Klipsch is very efficient so in reality most of us need 150 watts max which if held contastly would be enough to make our ears bleed. You also want extra power to handle peaks in sound like an explosion in amovie that requires an abnormal amount of power compared to the rest of the movie or rather in relation to the average volume you are listening at. My amp is 125 watts @ 8ohms x 7 channels and i have pushed my speakers to the point of shaking my walls and to an uncomfortable level without issue. I wanted to see how capable it was and i was astounded!
This brings me to speaker sensitivity. Klipsch has high sensitivities compared to most brands and this is because klipsch uses horns. You see horns in every sports venue because of the ability to produce high amplitudes of sound while keeping clarity without sucking tons of power relative to a non horn loaded speaker. Every 3db in sensitivity means you need half as much power to achieve the same amplitude. For instance: a 96db sensitive speaker requires half as much power as a 93db sensitive speaker to reach the same volume and a 90db sensitive speaker requires 4 times less power to achieve the same volume volume as the 96db sensitive speaker.
I think this is enough for now haha. I assume you went to ASU? I graded 2009
Thanks again for all of the knowledge, I really enjoy getting to learn about the different aspects of what I should be looking for when piecing together my system.
To answer your question, yes I went to ASU and just graduated a month ago. Glad to have run into a fellow Sundevil that can provide some assitance in my quest to get my first real home theater system.
I'm starting to repiece my system together a bit more and I really appreciate all of the feedback I've received. It's completely changed my plan for how I'm going to construct this system. I'm going to go ahead and go with a 3.1 system to start for sure, I'm usually pretty picky when it comes to things matching but as long as it's fairly close I'm sure I'll be able to live with it.
My changed build to this point (still plenty of research left to do before my actual purchase) would be to run...
Fronts: RF-82 II's (I feel that the small price point between the 62 and 82's warrants that I spend the extra cost for the 82's)
Center: RC- 62 II (I'd really like to spring for the RC-64 II but at a "new" price it would be well out of my budget)
Receiver: Emotiva UMC-1
Amplifier: Emotiva UPA-500 (I'm certainly going to do some research on the issue you mentioned or consider looking in other places for a more reliable amplifier like you suggested. I'm still a bit lost on calculating how much power I need to have put out by the amplifier to be "above" the max limit like you mentioned in your post)
Power Supply: Monster HDP 2500 or another alternative, I know as a reference my parents have been using a Panamax for the better part of 10 years now and it's still humming along from what I can tell (I'm still a bit confused on what I need to look for when I'm selecting how big I need my power supply to be, is it just adding all the Watt peaks together for all the components I'd be running?).
Thanks for all the help and support from everyone that's commented so far! I really appreciate the help and it's really helping me piece together a better system overall.
Sundevil
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7.1 Receivers are pretty much the industry standard now. You wouldn't pay much extra, if any, for going with a 7.1 receiver from a 5.1 with the same specs. I would really check out Emotiva. You could get a UMC-1 and a UPA-500 for right around your price range. At that pricepoint, it would blow anything else out of the water, especially if you can sell the upgrade card which should go for around $175 (which would put you around 723$), while offering you better future proofing than getting a stand-alone receiver.
As far as the system you named, it would work, but I think most wouldn't be happy with the performance, especially if you are listening to 40% music or action movies. I would also recommend finding an authorized klipsch dealer you can to to listen to some of these speakers. For all we know, the 52's may be perfect for you. Or the 82s would sound better enough to you, that you would rather save your pennies for a few months to get them instead. The worst thing you can do is make your purchase and immediately be wondering "what if" if you had gone with the 82s.Just so I understand since the naming of their equipment is not something I'm framiliar with, the UMC-1 is like a standard receiver and the the UPA-500 is an amplifier. So I'd want both of them together?
I'm going to go to an authorized dealer later this week to check everything out. I'm a little worried that I might walk out of there and want the biggest baddest thing they have, haha! I visit my parents fairly often and they have the Definitive Technology BP700SC's which I realize nothing I can afford can compare to.
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help! I stumbled across acousticssounddesign.com a couple weeks ago and I was planning to order through them when I decide to make the purchase here relatively soon.
Like Beechnut said, you have to CALL Mike at acoustic sound design. Don't "add to cart" and place order online or you will pay wayyyy too much.
We're both speaking from experience.
Thanks! I'll be sure to call them when I'm ready to make a purchase. Anything specific I need to let them know to get the "good price? :-)
Welcome to the show!
The system you have picked out is pretty fine as it stands. The rc-62 II isn't perfectly timbre matched (the tweeters/crossover) with the rf-52 II's. Will they sound terrible? Nah. Will you hear that they dont mesh perfectly? You might. You'd probably get used tot he sound and it wouldn't bother you. This is just me being anal about things matching. The rf-62 II's are matched to that center. Many of us here (myself included) suffer from upgradetitus and have upgraded more than a few times because what we originally had was too small. With that said i would suggest getting the rf-62 II's at a minumum.
You can get away with the rs-42 II or rs-52 II. Surrounds are more ancillary of a speaker and are as important to timbre match to your fronstage because they are behind you. Of course they should be perfectly timbre matched but we all can't have everything right?
Monster power center is good, you are on the right path. Monster is good gear but just tends to be overpriced. You could also check out APC as an alternative (just dont get the g15 as mine emits an annoying buzz but the H15 is good!)
Are you going to be in a house or in an apartment? If you are going to be in an apartment, do not get a sub as you will piss your neighbors off and it will become a paper weight until you get a place where you can actually use it. Your subwoofer doesnt even have to be the same brand as your speakers and there are a bunch of brands out there that you will get better performance with at a better price. If you are a curious and what to check them out: www.svsound.com, www.hsuresearch.com, www.outlawaudio.com, www.emotiva.com, www.rythmikaudio.com, www.velodyne.com just to name a few!
If you are going to be in an apartment, you may want to consider reallocating some subwoofer money into your towers. In this case, jump from the rf-52 II, surpass the RF-62 II and get the RF-82 II's. You may say, Sub, you are effin crazy! Well, yes and no. They will give you a really solid bass foundation and will last you for years and years (not that the others wouldnt last years and years too). The low end from the towers can help to make up for not having a subwoofer and later on you can always add when apropriate.
Your receiver is an entry level model and don't be svelt with sticking to a 5.1 channel receiver. Most receivers now are 7.1 or 7.2 and you are shorting yourself by trying to stick with a 5.1. You don't want to skimp on your powerplant so to speak and many find that their receivers do the job but just dont give them the performance they are looking for. My suggestion though is to make sure or try to get a receiver with multichannel preamp out connections. This gives you the ability to add an external amplifier to the mix as many of us have. Most of us find that an external amp adds more dynamics and definition to sound and gives us better low end bass as well as staying clean at higher volumes. A receivers internal amp cannot compare to an external amplifier (unless its a class D amplifier where it may actually compete well) just because of the sheer mechanics it actually takes to produce good quality power.
Thanks for the fantastic response! This really helped me hone in on the types of things I need to be considering on this purchase.
I'm living in a townhouse and I really didn't ever consider the noise bothering my neighbors so I think it's safe to say that I'm 100% set on building a solid 3.1 system to start and then adding on the rears down the road a little bit and then a sub when I'm finally out of community living.
I'll be sure to check out APC power systems and see what they have to offer. I've been able to find a few good deals on the Monster systems but I'm not sure what size or wattage output I should be looking for. I'm continuing to do some research to make sure I fully understand the options available for the power centers.
I've never been framiliarized with an amplifier before. Is there a specific model that I should be looking at getting. I know above it was suggested by tmassey that I look at the UPA-500, I must say I really like the looks of it but I don't nessecarily understand the technical aspects of it. Is there anything specific I should know about an amplifier? I understand the basics of how it works and so forth.
I like the look and specifications on the Emotiva UMC-1 that tmassey suggested. Is that something you'd also suggest? I'd like to get the opinions of multiple people so I can look at all the equipment from every angle before I make my purchase.
Once again, I appreciate the lengthy and VERY helpful response. I'm somewhat of a noob to this, which is a shocker since most things electronics I consider myself to be an expert in (mainly PC builds). I want to absorb as much knowledge as I can about what type of system I should be looking at for my entry level system.
Thanks,
Sundevil
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Do you have a budget limit in mind?
I built mine over time as I could afford them and have saved myself the pains of the upgrade bug and money that comes with it. My progression was front 3, sub, then surrounds.
What you've mentioned would def last awhile. Craigslist is a great place to find good deals. Check out the forums garage sale section for other used gear.
For new gear, try Acousticsounddesign.com. Browse the site to get an idea of what you want then call and talk to MIKE for the best price. He always does a better deal over the phone.
Summary: 3 questions. How much is your budget? Where are you located? What is your listening preference? (ie 60% movie 20% game 20% music etc)
Thanks for the help! I stumbled across acousticssounddesign.com a couple weeks ago and I was planning to order through them when I decide to make the purchase here relatively soon. I do like the idea of building a system the same way you mentioned. I initially thought about doing a 3.1 system since I've never had a good sub or rears, I figure a solid 3.1 will blow my mind on it's own to begin with.
As for the questions...
Budget? I'm looking to spend no more than $3000, however my comfort zone is more about the $2500 mark.
Location? I've just recently relocated to the Athens/Southeast portion of Ohio.
Craigslist? I've been actively watching craigslist for some deals the past few weeks and there's occassionally some good finds on there, however I am an uber novice when it comes to home theater systems and I don't know what to be looking for when searching the used market in terms of how people have treated their equipment. Even if there's no cosmetic damage, I dont know what sounds a speaker would make that would indicate it's on a declining path.
Listening Preference? I would say on average I'm at about 40% Movies, 40% TV, and 20% Music. I'd like to get into watching more movies though as I've just picked up a blu-ray player recently and I'm already in love with the quality improvement over a standard DVD.
Thanks again!
Sundevil
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Welcome to the forum, Sundevil!
To edit your message (above) to put in manual carriage returns, just hit the "edit" button on the right-hand side...but first, you might want to know about non-IE/non-Firefox browsers on this forum:
http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/163301/1740684.aspx#1740684
Chris
Thanks! Got it fixed now, appreciate the help!
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Hi Everyone-
First off, I want to apologize if this is not the proper place to post this thread. I searched through the forums and this seemed to be like the right spot for this question.
I'm new to the home theater game, I've previously owned a few HTIB Panasonic systems and now that I've finished college, found myself a good job, and am starting my "life" per-say, I wanted to make a purchase that is going to last me a while.
Here is what I have in mind, please feel free to critique anything as I don't have many reasons (other than the ones listed) for my selections...
Fronts: Klipsch RF-52 II Towers
Middle: Klipsch RC-62 IICenter (my reasoning is simply based on the fact that I like hearing the dialogue and figured that a more powerful center channel would accomplish this, however if not please advice)
Rears: Klipsch RS-52 II Surround Speakers or RS-42 II (I've never had surround speakers hooked up before so I'm not sure what to go with here)
Subwoofer: Klipsch RW-12d
Reciever: Onkyo TN-NR414 5.1 Channel (I like the built in features that Onkyo provides and I've read nothing but positive reviews on this receiver. I would opt for a 7.1 receiver but I've already determined that this will always be a family room sound system and I dont think it'll ever be practical for it to be 7.1)
Power: Monster HDP-1800 8-Outlet Power Center
Thanks in advanced for any critiques or comments.
Cheers,
Sundevil
Proposed System
in Home Theater
Posted
Just thought I'd provide an update. It appears that being patient has paid off. Was cruising the web today and stopped by the Emotiva website to see that they were having a sale. Decided that I wanted a proper foundation for whatever speakers I end up choosing and I picked up a UMC-1 and I treated myself a littl e bit and got an XPA-5 as well. Pretty happy that I was able to snag some good deals!