FriscoDesi

@garyrc I am going to print/save those cardinal rules. Thank you for adding to the reply. I already have SVS PB1000 sub which will also move to the media room for 5.1 setup.

@willland, @garyrc - thank you for the great advice. Finding a 36" stand (which will put the tweeter at 1ft above ear level) is a challenge but narrowed down to 3 options Sanus NF36 (wood) - $99 https://www.crutchfield.com/p_051NF36B/Sanus-NF36-Speaker-Stands-Black-lacquer.html?tp=1386&awcr=12166467934&awdv=c&awkw=sanus+36"&awmt=e&awnw=o&awat= Pangea Audio LS300 (steel) - $99 https://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Audio-LS300-Speaker-Stand/dp/B01EVNE96C VideoSecu 2 Heavy duty 26.5" to 47" Adjustable Height Satellite Speaker Stand Mount - $40 https://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Adjustable-Height-Satellite-Speaker/dp/B000VRREPG/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_lp_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9WYCCSA3W2A0J5JBT9VH Last option is tempting because of height flexibility but not too confident that it will hold the 18lbs speakers. Some reviews suggested adding canopy or dead weights to the base to make it more stable. I am still not too convinced. Pangea LS300 has good reviews in AudioAdvisor too.

@teaman, Awesome looking stands. These are 24" tall and the distance between the speaker bottom to tweeter is 12" (for RB-61II) which puts the total height at 36" - exactly at my ear level. So question to you and all the audio gurus here - When using bookshelves as surrounds, is it recommended to put them at ear level or 1-2 feet above? Thanks in advance

Thanks Weziewoo, I did get the Rb-61II bookshelves during the recent Frys sale. Now I need to find a pair of speaker stands that will hold these speakers (almost 18 lbs). I will keep looking for surrounds RS-52II and if I find one, I will move the RBs to the rear surround position and surrounds to the sides.

Thank you RoboKlipsch. I will try moving the couch off the wall by a foot or so.

I am currently using RF-82II (with Cambridge Audio CXA80) as 2-channel setup for Music/TV in the living room. I am planning to move RF-82II to the media room (14' x 14' x 10') and I also bought the matching center RC-62II and SVS PB1000 sub. Looking at Denon / Marantz receivers for 5.1 HT setup. I have been reading about surrounds vs bookshelfs as surrounds and I am even more confused I have 3 options so far... 1. Surrounds R14S - $148 (Fry's weekly deal) 2. Surrounds RS-42II - $180 (Amazon) 3. Bookshelf RB-61II - $250/pair (local CL) The couch will be against the back wall and I will be putting the bookshelf speakers on the stands if I end up with that option. Please help in choosing the best match given my odd room dimensions and setup. If there are options to consider, please do suggest. Thanks in advance!

Thank you all for great feedback. I have finally decided on CXA80 and that will be my birthday self-gift (in a month ). I may end up getting refurbished from A4L for 799.

@Ski Bum Thanks for the reply. Both CA and NAD have subwoofer output though. I understand that it is not the same as AVRs dedicated bass management. I don't plan to watch a lot of movies in the living room (have a small media room with 5.1 setup).

I am putting together my first stereo 2.1 setup (Klipsch RF-82 II, SVS PB1000) in the living room. After much of the research and budget considerations, I have narrowed down my choices to Cambridge Audio CXA80 and NAD C368. Warm sound profile seem to match what I listen to and hence these two choices. Anyone have experience listening to them both? Any recommendations? Much appreciated.

Thanks pbphoto. I will try out your recommendations this weekend and see if it makes a difference. I didn't get the dock YBA-10 and instead use yamaha YBA-11 bluetooth audio receiver with my phone.

Pure Direct did turn off Subwoofer and only 2 channel. I don't have analog inputs and I stream music from my phone to Yamaha Bluetooth receiver connected by digital coax to AV receiver. Will adding an external DAC (connected to Audio 1 or 2) improve sound quality?

For music, I am always on Pure Direct mode while for movies, I put on the Straight mode (treble reduced a notch). I enjoy listening to Pure Direct but is still bright sometimes. I don't know if the room design is adding to that (hardwood floor with rug) Thank you phphoto! I did look at this stereo amp but didn't give serious consideration since the rating is only 25wpc. Isn't this too low for RF-82II? understand. I could add a Y cable to split the signal for sub if I am going with DAC+amp isn't it? Schu, can you please elaborate?

Complete newbie here and my very first post on this forum. I have been reading some of the posts and amazed at the wealth of information here! My current setup is 2.1 (Klipsch RF-82II with SVS PB-1000) powered by Yamaha RX-V567 receiver. I have been reading that Yamaha and Klipsch are not best together (sounding bright etc) and thinking of moving to pure stereo setup. I do feel that they are bright and can't listen more than an hour. So I am leaning towards warm yet detailed sound. All my input will be digital and have no plans to add Phono in the future. Some of the setup combinations I have been looking are 1. DAC paired with Amp (Niles SI-2150 refurbished or Emotiva BasX A300 - both are 150wpc around $300+) a) NAD D1050 b) TEAC UD-503 c) Schiit Bifrost d) Peachtree DAC ITx Only TEAC had volume control and I would have to get passive preamp (Emotiva Control Freak or Schiit SYS) to control volume otherwise. 2. Integrated Amp NAD C368 (80 wpc) or C388 (over budget, will have to wait for refurbished) 3. AV Receiver Refurbished Marantz SR-5010 with Amp mentioned above. Since this is my first stereo setup, I want to stay under $1000 Please help me setup!!!