Man in the Box

Update: I went to the store. They sell Klipsch, Yamaha and B&W speakers and subs, among other things. The place is kind of a showroom (it was a spacious hall) and isn’t optimized for music listening. Perhaps this is the reason why I was unimpressed with what the 12 inch Klipsch sub added to the 260s I demoed there. The 260s of course were great. Then I got the saleswoman to play their Yamaha record player, which had a John Coltrane and Miles Davis record on. I was blown away. Made me consider buying a record player instead of a sub. But it seems to entail a plenty of running costs. I really want to splurge but can’t figure decide where my money would be best spent. Perhaps a sealed SVS sub in room would add more than what I’ve experienced in the store?

Your room is a lot bigger than mine. Ever tried running the 160s with your subs alone? It’d be great if buying a sub will offer all I need from the system, given the limited space in it.

Yes, I meant the way in which record labels engineer the track or how a flac file is extracted from a CD. I don’t have much knowledge about either, but I think I can tell there being clear differences in quality between different files. I’ve heard mp3s that sound better than some flac files. Thanks very much for your thoughtful post. Had to look up some of the things you’ve discussed. Hope I understood you correctly: When you say x plays at a certain peak decibel, does that mean the volume I’d set would be set at a lower level than the set volume, and that the speakers will briefly exceed it by x number of decibels when listening (vs continuous listening volume)? If so, is my receiver capable of such a performance?

Interesting. What’s the size of your room?

Yeah youtube is pretty bad. Does anyone here stream high res audio for convenience? Which is the preferred service aside from Tidal? I found Primephonic to be pretty decent (though quality does vary from record to record). I shared a couple of clips above. Let me know what you think, if you get around to listening to them — though you won’t be very impressed with the streaming quality. I don’t know even have a CD player or any CDs in the house anymore. I’ll try to borrow one to see if it’s worth the hassle and cost. They take quite a bit of space, too, all those CDs. I think leaning toward the 10 inch SVS makes the most sense at this point. Thanks for the advice!

This only comes to prove that I need to buy both the towers and a subwoofer. Can't wait until I have both! That's pretty cool, I enjoyed that. Brass sounds amazing on these speakers. What’s the source you normally use? I listen to music from the romantic era, mostly, starting with late Beethoven through Brahms up to Tchaikovsky and Shostakovitch. Here's a couple of examples of what I've been listening to. I find the slow third movement of the Brahms concerto (@ 28:41) to be beautiful, as is Kissin's performance of Mikhail Glinka's material in the second link: Your setup looks neat and so carefully proportioned! Very efficient use of space. Do you move the 600s to the back when watching movies or are they permanently stationed there? What's your rationale for stacking them on top of each other?

Good question. I've been using the following sources: 1) a flac library on a USB stick, 2) streaming Primephonic (great app, btw) via a lightning cable from my iPad/ iPhone and 3) streaming Apple Music via Airplay (which is built into the receiver). The latter seems to be a slight compromise in quality in return for convenience, but the first two sound good to my ears. I find that music really varies from source to source. Some will be bass-heavy while others will over-emphasize treble. I've tweaked the default settings on my receiver to increase bass and slightly decrease the treble, thanks to the stuff I've learned from this thread. Sounds like an overall improvement, even if it's not optimal across the board. I haven't considered using CDs with my system. There's a plenty of cheap used CDs in the market, if I learn where to look, but I'll have to buy a CD player too. Would you recommend it?

Yeah didn't mean aesthetically. I'm not a fan of their squatty stature, myself. But I bet they sound sweet!

Thanks a lot, wvu80. I think you nailed the problem: increasing the bass on the receiver a bit further, which I tended to avoid because I don't want to disturb others, makes classical music to sound more "full," if you know what I mean. But when I play bass-heavy material, it can be a little too much (makes my king-size bed and mattress vibrate). This seems to suggest that I configuration problem (vs. a bass problem). It's interesting that you find a 15 inch sub not to add much to what you already have. If that's the case, especially given the genres you listen to, I imagine a 10 inch sub may not add much either. Also, the 160s and 600s can go as low as ~45 Hz. An SVS sub goes down to 19 Hz. Does that make a difference, in your experience? I'm interested to see what you find after adding your sub. I won't make a purchase within the coming couple of weeks, at least. Also, my receiver spec sheet says "dynamic power per channel" is 105 W for 8 ohm speakers, "maximum power per channel" is 105 W and "maximum effective output power" is 115 W. I have no idea what this stuff means. Is it underpowered for these speakers?

In that case, I think I’ll start with the 10 SVS. Those have rave reviews, so it should be decent. I spent some time moving the speakers around and cranking up the bass by ~40%. It made quite a difference. I imagine it could still sound better with a sub, but this isn’t bad for the time being. Thanks! I’ll try different receivers if I get a chance. Your Klipsch speakers look great! I’m jealous. Then SVS it is. I think I’ll get the 10 inch after all.

This is very helpful, this order of priority. Would a 10 inch sub be overshadowed by the combination of the 160s and the 260s/ 6000s, in your opinion? The SVS-SB line has great reviews and seems to be precise (or tight or whatever the correct audiophile adjective is lol). Was considering the 12 inch SVS SB 2000, but if its 10 inch sibling will do, that'll bring me closer to the day I buy the towers. EDIT: no stores dedicated to used audio here I'm afraid. It'll probably come down to paying retail price.

Would you say that the difference between the Heresys and the RP line is substantial? It seems to be the most affordable (for lack of a better term!) of the ones you suggested. I could save up for them, if they’re worthwhile. But it’ll take time. I’m afraid there isn’t much in the way of used upscale audio equipment on offer where I am (Bahrain). It’s a small country/ market, which means slower circulation of used products. I did miss out on a bargain on a 5.1 system with four RP 820s, though. Not having discovered Klipsch yet, I scoffed at the price. Who in their right mind would drop a full grand on a bunch of speakers? Yet, here I am.

Thanks for replying. Given the size of my room and my planned purchases in the future, if I buy a sub, would the 12-inch SVS 2000 be suitable? Too small/ big? I'm not looking to shake the room; just to better enjoy music first and foremost.

Hello everyone. I'm new to this place, to Klipsch and to the world of hi fi altogether. I bought a pair of RP-160s and am in love with the Klipsch sound. What I'm chasing is getting a fuller sound when listening to classical (especially orchestral) music, because the current setup is underwhelming in this regard. What should I buy next to address the issue? Factors to consider: current setup: Yamaha R-N602 RP-160F room details: 13.6 x 13.4 x 10 ft (1,822 cubic ft) ceramic floors with rugs to reduce reverb musical preferences classical and jazz classic rock and trip-hop, though to a lesser degree budget: ~$1,000 for new a product options I'm considering: RP-260 (local store -- I'm not located in the US) RP-6000 (+ hassle of ordering from abroad. Worth it?) SVS SB-2000 future project: building a 5.1 system by adding a central speaker and a 5.1 receiver (though music will remain a priority) In light of the above, I have these questions: Which is a better solution: a subwoofer or tower speakers? I imagine both will add more body, as it were, albeit in different ways. If tower speakers, which? The prices of both are almost identical. I prefer dealing with the local store in case something goes wrong down the line. Is the RP-6000F more future-proof than the RP-260F? Significantly better? Or is it a matter of preference? Any other suggestions on how to better enjoy classical music through Klipsch products (barring exorbitant purchases I can't afford) are welcome. Advice on any of the above would be great. Enlighten me!