Quintet or Reference

[jbebko]

I have recently purchased Yamaha HTR 5280 receiver, Toshiba 3750 DVD player, and the awesome RF 3II series Klipsch speakers. I finally had a chance to "Crank It Up" the other day (The wife is out of town) and I was totally suprised by the quality of sound.

This is the first time I have ever view movies on DVD and was very impressed but, it seemed like I was missing something. Surround Sound. I would like to stay speaker matched by either buy a set of RS 3II, RC 3II, and RSW 10 sub-woofer or the Quintet series. The only difference is the surround speaker. My question is which one is better?

Thanks

[M6 Driver]

Reference

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"FULLY LOADED"

J

[HornEd]

Jbebko, congratulations on diving into the Klipsch waters on this web and bringing the "true voice" of RF3 II into your home. 5.1 sound was founded on the premise of having five identical speakers plus a good subwoofer to handle the specialized chores in the non-directional sound range below 80Hz.

Specialized surround speakers are engineered more for the old "ProLogic" standard and most specialized center speakers might match the tweeters and the horns... but skimp on the woofers and cabinet volume of the mains. Since upwards of 75% of all 5.1 sound comes from the center speaker... I submit that is no place to skimp!

The second most important speaker is the subwoofer... because it carries the ball for all speakers below 80Hz... and that fulfills the bottom dwelling dimension of the "live concert" character that makes horns in general, and Klipsch in particular, a consistent winner of most of the posters on this board.

Oh, and don't forget the popcorn for the little lady! HornEd

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Brain MUST Be Engaged Before Shifting Into EAR!

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"Where Klipsch Legends Cavort Six Ways to Someday!"

FOREGROUND SOUND STAGE:

KLF 30's: Left Main, Center Main, Right Main

SB-2's: L & R Front Effects on 5' sand filled columns

BACKGROUND SOUND STAGE:

KLF 30's: Left Surround, Rear Effects, Right Surround

LARGE MOUTH BASS:

Twin SVS CS-Ultra subs, Samson Megawatt Amp

KLIPSCH SPEAKER SUPPORT SYSTEMS:

Mitsubishi RPHD1080i 65", Yamaha RX-V3000 Receiver

Toshiba Pro Scan 6200, Toshiba Pro 6-head SVHS W808

in constant homage of the Eternal Tweak!

Music Respite Room: Vintage Cornwall's in Transition

Klipsched Class "A" Motorhome: On the road testing

[TheEAR]

HornEd has this right,dont and I say DONT skinp on the center channel speaker.Get the RC-7 if you at all can.

The RC-7 had the goods to keep up and best many tower speakers.It was designed to fit in a RC-7 system,it sounds less compressed then the RC-3.

Next the sub(s),Paradigm PW2200 is a great choice.Real sub bass and output to match.All Canadians sould have two,in Canada the PW2200 can be had for peanuts(I paid $700 canadian for my unit some time ago!this is around $400 US...value you cant deny)

My next fave choice would be two SVS CS-Plus(very close to the famous Ultras)with a Samson 1000 amp.More expensive but more output and even lower sub bass!!

TheEAR(s) Now theears

[John0392]

I am also seriously thinking about the reference series; however, due to space considerations and budget I am looking at the RB 5II for mains RC 3II for center; however, my question is can I get by with either the quintets or KSB 1.1 for rears. The exact matching for the rears is shooting my budget way out of line. My room is only about 13'x13'

[Deang]

John,

If you are dealing with budget limitations don't be afraid to skimp on the rears - but whatever you do, don't skimp on the mains and center.

In other words - don't go all Synergy just to get timbre matched 'everything'.

Get the RB5 II's and RC3 II and feel good settling for KSB 1.1's for rears.

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deanG

[John0392]

Could I feel good about using my Quintets for rears? And thank you for your tangible response. So many responses I see here are theoretical in nature and don't help much in making any decisions.

[Guest BobG]

Quintets use very small drivers and have a more restricted dynamic range than our larger speaker. Trying to use Quintets as rears for your system will not give you good results. Even if you match the volumes properly at some reference level, as the sound level rises and falls the Quintets will not stay properly level matched with the rest of the system. The money you would spend on the Quintets would be poorly invested. I suggest you deal with a store that offers a 100% tradeup policy (if yours does) or you wait till you can afford the properly matched rears. I know this is hard but it's good advice.

[John0392]

I am sure you are right; however, I neglected to mention that I am upgrading from a Quintet System and already have the Quints.

[maxg]

Sell the Quints - buy Reference.

Or buy 2nd hand Heritage speakers (Heresy, Forte, Chorus, LaScalas....)

Did I mention sell the Qunits? They were my first Klipsch speakers and very good they were too - but not in the class of the rest. I sold mine and have never looked back (along with the KSW10 sub).

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2 * Heresy 2 (mains)

2 * Homemade horn speakers (rears)

1 * REL Strata 3 sub

Accuphase E211 amp.

Tube monoblocks with separate pre-amp (solid state).

Marantz CD6000 player

Sony NS900 SACD/DVD player

Stax Headphones

Humax 5400 digital satellite receiver

Sharp Video

32" Sony flat screen 16:9 TV

Mogami interconnects

Silver Synergistic speaker cable

[HornEd]

John, what a Forum this is! BobG, a paid member of the home (Klipsch) team lays the truth on the line in no uncertain terms... and from Greece comes the echo of MaxG's experience to lay down those Quints and move on to glory.

And they are right of course... full-range 5.1 discrete sound was designed for 5 identical speakers and nothing can be gained when you have speakers of designed for such different purposes as the ones you propose. As MaxG indicates, Quints are great for their specific purpose... and masking as full-range side surround speakers to actual full-range mains and center in a 13'x13' room is not one of them.

Granted your next step may not be one of great budgetary solace... so maybe your best bet is to buy the best used Klipsch speakers you can... and move up a convenient tweak at a time. Just remember, 5.1 is a full-range speaker environment... ProLogic wasn't. More than a few folks on this Forum started their full-range Klipsch experience on the cost-effective stepping stones of used speakers. It's a great way to learn what works and what doesn't... and it brings up a pragmatic old saw, It is not the destination... it's the journey! It's time to sell your old rocks and roll on! HornEd

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"LEADING 8 LEGENDS INTO THE 6.1 GENERATION!"

FOREGROUND SOUND STAGE:

KLF 30's: Left Main, Center Main, Right Main

KLF C7's: L & R Front Effects on 5' sand filled columns

BACKGROUND SOUND STAGE:

KLF 30's: Left Surround, Rear Effects, Right Surround

LARGE MOUTH BASS:

Twin SVS CS-Ultra SubTower, Samson Megawatt Amp

KLIPSCH SPEAKER SUPPORT SYSTEMS:

Mitsubishi RPHD1080i 65", Yamaha RX-V3000 Receiver

Toshiba Pro Scan 6200, Toshiba Pro 6-head SVHS W808

in search of the Eternal Tweak!

Music Respite Room: Vintage Cornwall's in Transition

Klipsched Class "A" Motorhome: On the road testing

This message has been edited by HornEd on 02-15-2002 at 07:42 AM

[John0392]

I'm going to be in enough trouble just getting the RB 5II and RC 3II as it is. Laying out an additional $375.00 + is something I just cannot do. I will be put out of the house and thus wouldn't be able to hear them anyway; Now if someone wants to buy my quints system (minus woofer)? I might just have to scrap the Reference (really wanted those RB5s) and settle for the synergy stuff. How about using the 1.1 for rears with the Reference? I'm getting very discouraged by all this.

Reading, Reading, Studing on and on. Most say you cannot compare the synergy with the reference and "you won't be sorry" seems the end game etc. Now "scrap the quints". I could probably scrape together enough to get the 1.1s.

Where does one find used RS speakers at a price I can afford?

Thanks for all you help

[Audible Nectar]

John0392, I am in a similar situation with my HT. I have Cornwall II's as mains with an Academy center, and am currently skimping on the rears with a set of Quintets. I'm here to tell you, it's a no-go. The Quintets "play" - they do work better than nothing - but it's only temporary. I picked up a cheap set on ebay, until I can afford and locate a set of oak Fortes or Chorus. So, the Quintets will stay for now, but they are not what you ultimately want in a system such as yours.

Don't be afraid if you can't get everything you want at once. Rome wasn't built in a day. My advice is to stick to your guns on the RB5II's and RC3 center - use something cheap and obtainable for rears until you can get what you really want. Ultimately you will be happier with your system if you get the better speakers now - even if you can't have all of them now - you will be less likely to desire an upgrade down the line.

I sold audio for a number of years, and the biggest mistake audio buyers would make is that they "want it all now" - so they settle for less quality in an effort to do so, especially in the speaker purchase. Get the speakers you really want, even if it takes you more time to complete the system. There is no other place in a system that you get more bang for the buck than the speakers. Spend more on them - you won't regret it.

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First we Rock, then we Roll!

[t-man]

I think what may also be critical here is the WAF. Sound like my wife. Even though I want to be economical, and put together my system slowly with used components, sell, upgrade, etc...

My wife only sees it as wanting more, and never being satisfied. She doesn't understand that I'm spending relatively little money to get large improvements over time. This is hard for my wife to understand. I would be better off to just blow several grand at once, and be done with it.

If you have the quints, use 'em. Get the Reference center and main. Tell your wife that you are NOT DONE. Don't EVER promise that you are DONE. Tell her new rears are on your wish list, and that someday you will have them when you find a good deal, and can afford it. Just don't ever promise her that you are DONE. That's a big mistake.

Better yet, Get the RB5s and WAIT on the center. If you are sitting mostly right in between the mains, you can run your system in Phantom mode, and get very good results. The money spent on the RC3 could be used to buy a good set of rear speakers.

T-man

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KG 5.5 (mains)

KLF-C7 (center)

KG 1 (rears)

SVS 20-39CS+ (sub)

Aura Bass Shakers (pair)

Kenwood amp for sub and shakers

Denon AVR 681/1601

[HornEd]

John0392, you are getting some great advice here from folks who have built great systems by starting a little bit at a time. Don't be afraid to post what you need on this Forum... there are a lot of Klipschers who are on the upward climb and will likely sell you something that they are about to upgrade... something that will please you and your pocketbook.

For example, I posted "Horn Ed needs a KLF C7" and within 72 hours I picked one up from a Klipsch Board member just 8 miles from my house at a tremendous savings in base price and freight. And that's the fourth time I have bought Klipsch speakers that way... although a couple did require shipping. And, frankly, I have no hassle paying cash at the local dealer (as he will readily tell you)... but there is a certain adventure to putting it together a piece at a time.

T-man's right about not saying your done... even to yourself... like "stuff" happens! Fortunately a lot of it can be good "stuff" if you follow a well reasoned and orderly plan.

While the center is the most important speaker in 5.1, dropping back to a phantom channel puts that center speaker load on your two mains... and you will have better sound and imaging that you might realize... particularly in a smaller room. It is better to have a good Phantom than an under-whelming Real Center. Four used Klipsch speakers of similar characteristics, with the center set to phantom (no center), and a reasonably good sub will bring you and your partner a wealth of enjoyment... at the least amount of money.

Sometimes you can get fabulous speaker deals on "open box" specials... just have them demonstrated before you leave the store. I bought an "Open Box" pair of KLF-30's from a dealer for a little over $500... and repaired a slight defect in a couple of hours... by simply knowing what to do. The nice thing about this Forum is that if you get an opportunity like that... you can ask how to do it... and chances are you will have some quality answers in a day or two.

Keep your focus on what really fits and what really sounds good together... rather than whether they are old or new... make it a cost effective adventure that you both can enjoy... rather than your personal obsession... and better days and happy ears are sure to follow. Be cool... HornEd

[Guest BobG]

What a great example of what this board can do. I love it!

[John0392]

Thanks for the great advise. I will post the need for my speakers on separate post as see what happens.

Thanks,

[Audio Flynn]

I agree the "all at once" premise would be a bit disatisfying.

If possible; get Momma used to the tweaking as a hobby. Here in Michigan there are people with $ 10k -20k invested in their snowmobile habit they only use less than 15 days a year.

My RB5 based music and HT rig gets used 35-45 hours per week(probably only 6-8 hours of HT per week). Agreat investment in my perception.

I hardly ever sell my used equipment all of the old stuff goes in the kids rooms.

They get no TV, Video Games, or telephones in their rooms; BUT they have music. I think it helps with their imagination, school grades and avoidance of bad habits.

Happy Klipschin'