maximilian

I just got a new Toshiba 57HDX82. It has a new stretch mode (Theaterwide 1) that stretches a 4:3 picture mostly on the left and right, leaving the center (where most of the content is) pretty much undistorted. I think it looks great. There is enough 16:9 stuff out there that I think you would miss a lot with a 4:3 screen. With the new stretch mode, I don't think there is really a downside to 16:9 except for price.

The RC-3 II should match fine. From the Klipsch description of the RB-5 II: "It is an ideal choice for a two-channel system, especially in conjunction with our RSW-10 powered subwoofer. Add the RC-3 II center channel and RS-3 II surrounds for an unequalled compact home theater system. "

Probably the main difference is cost and convenience. If you want to listen to several CDs without getting up to change them, you'll need a changer. DVD's with changers are considerably more expensive than without. You might spend less for a separate CD changer. Definitely, if you don't mind getting up to change CDs, just get a single disk DVD player. I just bought a new HT system. I already have a CD changer, a Pioneer PD-M601 with 6-disk cartridges. I have 6 or 7 extra cartridges where I store CDs grouped by type of music or composer. I plan on keeping it for convenience and bought a single disk DVD player. My old CD changer does not have digital output, though. I don't know if the new ones do or not. Once I get things set up, I'll compare identical CDs to see if the DVD digital output makes a difference. If so, I may stick with playing CDs on the new DVD player.

Maybe Klipsch changed them. I just got my RF-3's Tuesday and the spikes fit perfectly. Can't wait to get things hooked up listen to my new system. RF-3 fronts RC-3 center RS-3 surrounds RW-10 sub Denon AVR 2802 receiver Denon DVD-900 crummy old RCA 13" TV (to be replaced by Toshiba 57HDX82 next week)

You can measure the thread on the existing spike. Measure the diameter of the shank and the number of threads per inch. Thread size (in the US) is given by these dimensions, for instance a 1/4-16 bolt is 1/4 inches in diameter with 16 threads per inch. A related question. I just got some RF-3's also. There is not enough space between my entertainment center and the wall for the outriggers. Is there any problem with removing them and putting the carpet spikes in the threaded hole where the outriggers were attached (they fit)? There is no chance of the speakers tipping over.

I'd at least get a surge protector. Make sure the clamping voltage is 330 volts. The joule rating doesn't matter; if the surge exceeds the rating, you're out a surge protector, but your equipment is protected. The main protection is a few $2 metal-oxide varistors. These fail shorted, so your circuit breaker will trip and the equipment will lose power but be intact. Don't spend big bucks. I got an RCA surge protector with EMI filters that protects two coax cables and a phone line in addition to the power. Costs $40. The line conditioning is not needed IMHO. The AC is converted to DC anyway by the equipment power supply.

I use 4 conductor No. 14 600 volt control cable. You can't find it in Home Depot, but if you know any electrical contractors you might get them to get some for you at less than $0.50 per foot. By paralleling two wires of the cable, the impedance, which increases considerable with frequency, is cut in half. Increasing wire size reduces the resistance, but doesn't reduce the total impedance nearly as much. Using four wires instead of two cuts the impedance about in half. For instance, at 20 kHz, the impedance of 50 feet of 2 conductor No. 10 (2.5 times as large as No. 14) is 1.10 ohm. The resistance is 0.17 ohm. The total impedance of 50 feet of 4 conductor No. 14 is only 0.58 ohm, and the resistance is 0.31 ohm. An added advantage is the ease of bi-wiring if the speakers accept it (as do my RF-3 and RC-3 speakers). For shorter lengths, say 10 feet or less, the impedance really doesn't matter much because it is much smaller than the speaker impedance.