John0392 Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 Sorry if I'm a pest - but I have been given the go ahead from my beloved. Now the question is should I get that RC 3 or go with the RS 3 and wait for either of the other one/ones until later. Some say the center is most import while others say get the rears and set to phamtom for the center. (As stated in other threads I have the quintet system now and will be using something out of that system until I can afford whichever one I don't get know. Time on this is moving quickly - I have to seize the moment while it lasts. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 the center is more important IMO, but you still need to have surrounds. So the way to go is to use cheap surrounds and a good center until you can buy good surrounds. ------------------ http://members.fortunecity.com/sebdavid - go laugh at my crappy website/equipment http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mc.asp?alias=Sebdavid - go laugh at my puny little DVD collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aab3rd Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 IMO I would buy the surrounds and use a phantom center. You can test this first before you buy either by trying the phantom mode first. If it sounds good buy the surrounds. Also, I hate to see people buy something that will only be used for a little while(i.e. cheap surrounds). Just wasting money IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John0392 Posted February 23, 2002 Author Share Posted February 23, 2002 I haven't got the RB-5s yet and am going to buy as a package either the RB-5s & RC=3 or RB-5s & RS-s either or not both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 John---I agree with the man from Tennessee. Often a center speaker is not needed, I used one and then took it out. It depends on your room, where you sit and the characteristics of the main speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John0392 Posted February 23, 2002 Author Share Posted February 23, 2002 Particulars are: 13'x13' room with 7.5" ceiling, no windows to speak of in basement HT room. H/K 500 receiver, 53" Sony Rear Screen. Speakers getting as stated RB 5 MarkII - Presently using Quintet surround with KSW 12" sub. Anything else needed to give informed opinion thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 John0392, it is good to see that you are so full of questions and desire to find the right path. The right answer is a mix of gear, the acoustics of the room where it will be put and the psychoacoustics of the people who will listen. You are on the right wavelength by buying Klipsch... but you might find some insights from Floyd Toole's White Paper to be found at http://www.harman.com/wp/index.jsp?articleId=default in which the basic answers to your questions come from a source highly regarded by this industry. With your intended in an agreeable frame of mind, it's a good time to look to the pro that the pros look too. Enjoy. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 If you have a Quintet system now (4 satellites and center), I would suggest upgrading your left and right main speakers first. If you just have two Quintet satellites, just move them to the back and add new front speakers. Although the center channel speaker, when there is one in the system, carries the brunt of the load in a HT system, you can always use phantom mode and get by without a center quite well unless the left and right front speakers are very far apart. BTW if you have a Quintet center, you ought to be able to sell it for a good price. They are in high demand and hard to come by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John0392 Posted February 23, 2002 Author Share Posted February 23, 2002 My fronts will be about 9 to 10 feet apart (can't be closer because the rear screen itself is 4'across and I have built into the wall equipment next to the big screen which takes up another 2ft). Everything except for the speakers are built into the wall. I have seen the RS-3s and they are large buggers for a small room like mine (was wrong before only maybe 7' high) of course that RC=3 is rather large for a center also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 John, if you sorted through the link to which I referred you, you would find support for your matched set of Reference speakers. Set them up with a RS SPL meter and enjoy. That is, of course, if your room is more than 4' deep LOL! In the bygone days of 50's stereo, having your speaker more than 8' feet apart was looked upon as ideal. Use the meter first and your ear second... and you and your intended should have much happiness. Enjoy!! HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 that's a problem w/ the phantom center. then you wanna start moving your fronts closer together than they should be. ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John0392 Posted February 23, 2002 Author Share Posted February 23, 2002 I know the quints center is not ideal for this set up; however won't it add enough fill to bridge the gap? ALSO Ed, I read your thread that you pointed me to and I must say now I am a little bit more confused than before. Let say the TV is 12 o'clock and my couch is against the wall at 6 o'clock (no I can't move the couch) should the rears be at my 5 & 7 o'clock positions sightly forward on the side walls from the seating position? Right now I have the rears directly to the side of the ears about 1 foot higher than ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jperrewe Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 Come on guys, buy the RC-3II center channel speaker. Use the quint's in the rear. You'll get more sound out of that RC3-II than you ever herd out the Quint's and then you won't be pissed at youself because you can't hear the dialouge. What do you have for the front main speakers? That could make a diffenerence where to spend money. But if the mains are ok for now and you have that itch to scratch, get the center... Later, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 You can use the Quintet center with the RBs if you bump up the center level by about 6 dB. But there will be a distinct timbre mismatch between the center and the RBs that may drive you batty. The center channel speaker, where there is one, in a HT system is the most important speaker. Most of the dialogue and other on-screen sound comes from it. If it is not timbre matched to the left and right front, you are likely to be disappointed. FWIW, because of the limited frequency range and mono signal, rears did not seem to have to match all that well in the days of Dolby ProLogic. With Dolby Digital, DTS, etc., because of the full range, discrete signals, timbre match of the rears is a lot more important. But center match is still the most important. If I were in your situation, I would go for the RBs and the RC now and get the RSs later. BTW you will want a good sub, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted February 23, 2002 Share Posted February 23, 2002 Since DD5.1 and DTS have 6 discreet channels rather than "matrix'd" 2 channel stereo, can you even GET accurate phantom center channel reproduction? Seems to me like you'd be limiting yourself to your receiver's best attempt at creating a 'phantom' Pro Logic which, even at it's best IMHO pales to the 'true' 5.1 digital experience. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Edwardre, your point is well made... and I am a strong advocate of robust centers as my conversion of a KLF-30 to being a center amid five other KLF-30's tends to indicate... and I am no fan of ProLogic. But, I think you can learn something about your rig and 5.1 by running a phantom channel experiment. Most folks have two strong mains and a smaller, weaker center speaker... supposedly timbre matched. Since 80%+ of 5.1 sound comes through the center speaker... and a relatively modest portion through the mains. As I recall, you have K-horn mains and a Belle center... an ideal match... so you will not notice what less endowed speaker owners will. For most folks who try a phantom center, when the huge volume of discrete sound shifts from the center and is apportioned to the mains, the mains then become empowered with far more material... and the phantom is created with truly matching timbre. Unfortunately, one has to be sitting exactly in the middle of the sweet spot... having an actual center allows one to roam about the room and get a good imaging over a wider area. When shopping for a center, let the sound quality of your rig with a Phantom be the standard that the new center should have to beat. HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John0392 Posted February 25, 2002 Author Share Posted February 25, 2002 Well, I purchased the RB -5 and RC-3 and will wait to see what kind of improvement over the quints I am getting. I will use the quints rears for the time being and hope that in the near future I can upgrade them also. HornEd, I am still waiting for your answer to my questtion regarding the placements of the rears. I was a little confused reading the thread you listed. Should they be set, If I am setting at 6 o'clock, at the 5 & 7 o'clock positions? Right now I have them directly to the sides of the ears. Additional question. I also got speaker stands for the mains, as well as, the center. The main stands will be 24" and the center 18" (couldn't go higher here because of the TV). The center stand will allow to point on angle upward. The are WoodTech stands. Will this be OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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