barjohn

The problem with using TosLink with the SoundSend is that you lose control of volume because you don't have CEC available. I have SoundSend, Axiim Q UHD and Hub-1. Yesterday when running a test with the Axiim I discovered that lip sync is an issue with it when I tried it with two different streaming devices not being connected to its inputs but into the TVs inputs. It has been a while since I tried the HUB 1 but I recall having issues with it. In my experience, the SoundSend connected via HDMI 2.1 eARC provides the best experience. However if you want Dolby Atmos, as of my last test and before the most recent app update, you need to insert an HDFury Arcana in the loop. Next week I will do more testing.

This is an electric fireplace. While it can produce some heat if one turns on the heater, it is nothing like the heat produced by a gas or wood burning fireplace. The insert that I had made for the center channel speaker is a cabinet box (A cabinet maker made the whole fireplace structure. It houses my electronics in another side cabinet at the same level as the speaker as it is a shelf that extends the entire width of the fireplace and then there is a hidden cabinet at the bottom to house additional electronics. All my speakers are wireless simply requiring power.

I don't have the soundbar so I am making some assumptions, but if the volume can be controlled via CEC using the TV's remote, then just use black electrical tape to cover the sounder's IR sensor. It can't react to a signal it can't see.

I have now worked with the SoundSend, the Klipsch RP Hub1 and the Axiim Q-UHD. The SoundSend is in most ways the best of these WISA transmitters. It isn't perfect yet and it has a few shortcomings but compared to the others offers more bang for the buck. The RP Hub1 is the worst of these but with the last software update that Klipsch released does work. Axiim has not updated the Q UHD in a couple of years so no Dolby Atmos support. If you have a Smart TV, plugging in your Apple TV 4K, Fire TV, Roku, etc. makes them cumbersome to access and use with far too many steps with no real advantage to having all the HDMI ports. If you don't have a smart TV and are only using the TV as a video monitor then it makes sense but it is over priced. It does have a few nice features such as a white noise generator to set speaker levels. The biggest issue I have seen with the SoundSend and it applies to Samsung 2020 TVs has to do with the fact that the TV does not recognize the device as being Dolby Atmos capable. For some reason it seems to ignore its EDID value. If you insert an HDFury Arcana into the loop the issue is solved. As an added bonus you can then get the Samsung to support Dolby Vision.

I knew it was old but I thought I would try anyway. You never know.

I'm looking for the RP-440WF are they still available?

In my setup, a Samsung 2020 65" Frame TV, it would not produce sound from the ARC output, only from the HDMI input on the HUB1. Video came through without HDR support but 4K only on port 1. There is no support for Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos. The one positive aspect is that it does allow updating the speaker software if your speakers support it and need it. The older HD RP series do need this done if they are not current. I can't say whether the newer R series do. The WISA SoundSend does support many features but requires HDMI eARC to optimally perform. While it supports optical TosLink, this is not a good solution. You are severely limited by your TV that does not support HDMI ARC at a minimum. Then, an expensive solution would be the Axiim Q UHD Hub. It would give you 6 full 4K inputs, an HDMI ARC output and expanded capabilities including optimized tone curves for Klipsch speakers 10 band equalizer (either global or on a per channel basis), test tones and much more.

Here is my latest update to my living room home theater setup:

I'm looking to purchase a pair of RP-440WF WISA tower speakers. Please PM if interested in selling with price, condition and approximate location. Thanks, John

Why do you say that? It says that it is removable and it is sort of like clay in feel. I just didn't want to risk the speakers falling and hitting someone. It is too bad that Klipsch didn't have mounting screw holes or mounting plates for various kinds of mounts. Because the base is actually recessed from the edges anything that is too thin would not make contact with the base and the platform.

First, there are multiple WISA transmitters from different vendors. The one from WISA is called the SoundSend, there are also 2 from Axiim, the Axis (which requires a 2019 or later LG TV or an X-Box to act as the HDMI switch via a USB connection to the Axis. The AXiim Q-UHD Hub does not require the X-Box as it is a hub. Klipsch also made but discontinued the RP-HUB1, a hub for their prior HD speakers. Additionally, Enclave makes a transmitter but it will only work with their speakers and they don't sell it separately. The same is true of Bang and Olufson. All WISA transmitters have a 30' range. They are intended for use in a single room. Only the SoundSend has any Dolby Atmos support or eARC HDMI support. None support DTS. The big advantage to a hub design setup is that you only use the TV to display video and you are not constrained by the TV's handling of the audio stream, whether it passes through the signal or processes it first and sends it as something else (usually a Multi-Channel PCM) is avoided. The disadvantage is that some of your smart TV capabilities may not work as well as you would like. Your input devices, Roku Ultra, Shield TV, Apple TV 4K, etc. are plugged into the hub and the hub is plugged into the HDMI/ARC/eARC port on the TV. The hub has to have ARC and CEC support to allow you to control the devices, volume control and the TV from the TV's remote. Without a hub you must have a smart TV where you can control your inputs and stream the audio to the transmitter. Depending on the device, I have found the sound quality to be excellent when everything is connected and being processed correctly but it can be bad with frequent drops and shifts in the wrong setup. See my attached spreadsheets for more information. Audio Results for SoundSend 1.21.pdf Audio Results for SoundSend 1.21-Settings Changed.pdf

No, Thank you. However, I think I have most of the answers I need for now. There are some issues occurring with the sound, especially when using the Roku Ultra based apps like Netflix and Prime Video but I haven't yet identified the source of these issues and I need to do more testing to positively identify whether the issue is the speakers, the SoundSend, the Roku, Netflix or the Samsung TV. Smart TVs are so stupid. I wish the default was pass through the audio from the source without processing unless going to the TV's speakers. Get rid of auto where we have no idea what is being selected and allow us to process the audio where we chose, AVR, SoundSend, HUB1, Soundbar, etc.

@Charles m, Thank you!

Well, some of these are very elaborate and have a dedicated space. My home theater setup is in my living room and has to have a high WFA (Wife Factor Acceptance) so it is not as elaborate as these. I have gone the wireless route so it have 4 RP-140WM speakers as fronts and surrounds, an RP-440WC as center channel, an RW-100SW sub with a SoundSend hub, a ROKU Ultra and a 2020 65" Samsung Frame TV. Where you see our equipment console, will soon become a fireplace and everything will look different. Once that is built and installed I will update the photo.

As an aside, I tried out two other complete wireless packages, the Platin Monaco 5.1 and the Enclave Audio CineHome II. The Enclave was the better performer as it used their own hub design and they only let it work with their own speakers. Since they make it all, they can ensure the integration is solid and everything plays together as it should. The Platin Monaco works well with the SoundSend and appears to be reliable though not quite as solid as the Enclave. I think Plain has a close relationship with WISA. Where it starts to get tricky is when you try to integrate a host of different speaker vendors and each implements their speaker receiver and amps a little differently but to what they think is the same standard. I think WISA has the right idea from a technical viewpoint but they should probably produce the receivers for each speaker too in addition to the transmitter hub. Then their system could be made to work with a large host of legacy speakers with a small dedicated amplifier and many of the communications issues could be easily resolved.

By the way, as an engineer I understand acoustics and speaker design but like any other profession when you have been doing it as long as Klipsch, unless it is a radical departure from your past designs and requires a significant amount of testing in an anechoic chamber, you generally build on your past knowledge including knowing and understanding how the drivers and crossovers you have used perform and how to build cabinets with low resonance and how your port designs behave. Where things are changing is in the use of a lot more electronics and digital signal processing that is being used today and working with the issues of wireless, various audio encoding and decoding formats and streaming audio. It appears to me that Klipsch is struggling in this area based on what I have read concerning the RP-HUB1 and their surrendering it for the Axiim puck.

Unless the products are experiencing a very high rate of problems, a handful of CS personnel should be able to handle the calls. Back in the 80s and 90s I ran a company that produced a software product to remove copy protection from copy protected software (it was legal ) and we sold thousands of copies all over the world. It required some computer knowledge to utilize so we had a staff of 4 to handle customer calls and complaints (yes we had some) however, we managed to keep up with the calls and respond mostly in the same day, next day worst case. With the right people and attitude and giving your CS people some authority to resolve issues it can be done. If a manager has to make every decision, then you will have a bottle neck that will slow you down and the money you save you lose in reputation. We were cranking out new products every week so it can be done.

Thank you for the welcome! I found the answer to one of my questions by actually removing the bottom base from a Kilpsh RP-140wm speaker. That question was can you remove the base (is it just decorative?) or is it part of the speaker. I was hoping to get an answer without taking the base off in case it would somehow damage the speaker. What I discovered is that all of the electronics are mounted to the base so it is not just a decorative piece. The reason I wanted to remove it is that it is not a rectangle, but more of a trapezoid and I wanted to mount the speaker on a wall mount to make my little lady happy. She wanted them up high and not in the direct line of sight. I was able to mount them anyway as the clamps secure tightly enough and I added the Blu Tac for extra security. My other questions had to do with using the RP-140WMs with the SoundSend transmitter and I have since worked with WISA and SoundSend to try and resolve some of the issues that arose when I was trying to use the RW-51M speakers as front speakers and the Platin Monaco as rear and center channel speakers. I wound up going with the RP-140WMs all around with the RP-440WC as the center channel and RW-100SW for the sub (no RP-110WSWs to be found). I would love to go with the RP-440WF as front channels but those too are hard to find. When I find the sub and the towers at the right price I will probably buy them and replace the fronts and the sub. One huge advantage to the RP series for Wireless over the Reference series (besides the sound and build quality) is the ability to designate a speakers position from the back of the speaker and have it remember it even if unplugged. With the Reference series, it depends on the SS assigning the speaker a position and then you dragging it to the right position if it is wrong. Where it gets confusing is when it assigns two speakers to the same location. Trying to identify which speaker to move and move the right one is very tricky. With some speakers you can chime the speaker and then know which one to move but the Klipsch have a bug in their coding that doesn't allow a speaker to chime unless it is receiving audio (not published information) therefore it won't chime unless you first have an audio stream going to it. Normally, during setup you would not have an audio stream going to the speaker. Another issue is that you can't tell what version of firmware is loaded in your speaker with the SS and no way to update it without the HUB1. I just ordered a refurbished HUB1 for the purpose of finding out what software version they are and updating my speakers if needed.

Personally, I try not to do business with a company with poor customer service. I will usually cut some slack the first time but if it happens consistently, they re off my buy list and I quit recommending them to friends and family. I purchased a Klipsch 5.1 wireless system so I have over $2,500 in it. Not a huge sum by audiophile standards but big enough for a movie playback home theater system. In my past I have owned $40K systems but this isn't that kind of system and I don't expect the same performance. However, I do expect good customer service.

I understand that the two day air applies to after it is shipped. The problem is that it hasn't been shipped and has a cryptic status of “Processing Exported." No where is this particular status message defined.

A record year calls for record CS, sadly that is completely missing. Even shipping on orders is SLOW! I placed an order at 4:32am on 2/18 and no sign of it shipping as of today and I paid extra for 2nd day air. No way to contact anyone to find out why the order hasn't shipped and an email sent Friday morning asking for an update only receives an automated response.

I am more than a little frustrated. I have sent two sets of email questions to Klipsch CS via their web site, more than several weeks ago and about 2 weeks apart. No response. I placed an order for an item last week and paid for 2 day shipping, no sign of the item being shipped and a strange message on the order status reads: "Processing Exported" with no indication what that means. I emailed requesting the status of my order and just received an automated message illustrating how ignorant AI systems are when they try to guess what a human is asking. I have purchased a complete 5.1 Klipsch wireless system (not cheap) and frankly, I am starting to wonder if I made a good choice when the company takes weeks to respond, fails to ship product in a timely fashion and ignores customer requests. Please don't lay this on COVID. Whether employees are working mostly from home or not is not an excuse if they are working. I have tried calling but after sitting on hold for over an hour I gave up. I saw the post claiming they are expanding their CS but if true, these people must not being doing much. Many smaller companies, like WISA, Enclave Audio, and large companies like Amazon have managed to stay responsive through COVID, get orders out in a timely fashion and respond to customers. Is anyone here having any luck getting a response from the company and if so, what is your secret?

I haven't seen any new posts since this date (11/5/20) does this mean that the issues have been resolved? I am asking because I just purchased the older RP-140WM bookshelf speakers and the RP-440WC center channel from Amazon. I have a WISA SoundSend that I know should work with these speakers but it doesn't have the ability to update the speaker software so my concern is whether I may need a RP HUB-1 in order to update the speaker software since they may not be up to date. Is there anyway to find out what version of software the speakers have without the HUB-1? I realize the Klipsch is no longer selling these speakers of the HUB-1 but it is available from Amazon and eBay. I hate the idea of spending $500 for a device that may prove inferior. Does the Axiim puck have the ability to update the software? Thanks for any help