Help getting 5.1 setup started

[kzr750r1]

Getting ready to update from 2.1 to 5.1. Looking for advice on next steps.

My current list of gear includes the following.

Onkyo TX-NR801

Bose 901

Bose 301

Polk Audio PSW350 powerd sub.

Planning to pick up a pair of La Scala.

Need a center channel speaker

My thoughts are the following and hope I can get some advice. I understand your all Klipsh centeric but budget limitates make my next step crucial.

The plan as it stands is to use the La Scala as the new mains and connect them with a seperate power amp. Question is how big should the amp be?

The 901 as I see it would be good for the surround or rear. Same goes for the 301 could be either surround or rear. Question is what position would be best for these two. The 901 could also handle more power and will probably mate another power amp for this as well. If I keep them for the system.

This leads to a good matching center for the La Scala? I only have 8" on the bottom shelf of my TV stand. Would like to place it inside the stand as opposed to floor in front of the stand.

The room is a rough one as it's L shaped with 12' ceiling. Living toom is one side and dining room is the other. Windows and furniture pretty much force all speakers to floor standing.

Planning to rack mount most of the components on the wall. PS3 Center speaker and a couple of other components will live in the TV stand. Should I be worried about vibration with a DLP projection TV?

Any advice would be appriciated.

[wuzzzer]

Need a center channel speakerThe plan as it stands is to use the La Scala as the new mains and connect them with a seperate power amp. Question is how big should the amp be?

The 901 as I see it would be good for the surround or rear. Same goes for the 301 could be either surround or rear. Question is what position would be best for these two. The 901 could also handle more power and will probably mate another power amp for this as well. If I keep them for the system.

This leads to a good matching center for the La Scala? I only have 8" on the bottom shelf of my TV stand. Would like to place it inside the stand as opposed to floor in front of the stand.

Planning to rack mount most of the components on the wall. PS3 Center speaker and a couple of other components will live in the TV stand. Should I be worried about vibration with a DLP projection TV?

1) If you only have 8" height on the bottom shelf of your TV stand there isn't any center speaker that will be any kind of a match for LaScala mains. I'd recommend not getting one as your LaScalas are incredibly capable on their own and if you angle them in slightly towards your main listening position the pinpoint imaging you'll get will make you swear you have a center speaker hooked up even though you don't. Another LaScala, a Belle, a Cornwall or a Heresy would be center speakers that mate well to LaScalas.

2) You could use your 301/901 combo as surrounds but keep in mind that the LaScalas are probably going to be at least 15dB more efficient than your Bose so you're going to need a ton more more to create the same SPL levels with your Bose as you will with your LaScalas. If you do use them I'd use the 301s as side surrounds and 901s as rear surrounds.

3) You won't need a big amp as LaScalas are incredibly efficient speakers. But, you'll want high quality. Don't look at the total watts as much as the total build quality and sound quality. A high quality 50 watt amp will sound a million times better than a low quality amp outputting several hundred watts.

[kzr750r1]

Yeah there are other challanges involved as well with the 901 as I'll need a seperate amp to drive them (with my receiver) to use the EQ they say is a must.

Good point aboout the center.

I'm already scheming a Klipshorn DIY build. I have two sets of speakers for my fender bassman cab. May be able to use the spare 15" speakers on this project... Well see.

You have elluded to somthing I was thinking about and that is angling the LS into the listening area. Now you have me thinking about dualing subwoofers.

No for the amp I'l like to stay with Onkyo but will take any advice you can offer on a clean amp. Meaning your looking for a low distortion rating at max db?

I was eyeballing a couple of these at the moment. One for the Main. One for the rear. Run the Sub and surrounds L/R through the receiver.

http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=M-282&class=Amplifier&p=i

[kzr750r1]

Ok now I'm hooked. Visions of Klipschorn (F), Belle (S), La Scala ®, Dual Heresy © with a sub in the rear dancing in my head.

[kzr750r1]

Well a couple of weeks ago found some matching numbers WO Heresy vintage '82. Good nick other than some water spots and seems the covers are not factory. Has the emblems.

For lack of a better place to put them they are in the rear (for the moment). I did get the power amp but that is so I can run the EQ on the 901.

The comparison is striking. The 901's must have the sub to really dig deep.

Using all channel stereo there is a comparable difference between the two sets.

Oh and they both blow the 301 out of the water so I'm completely mis matched. Looking to change that.

[Bill H.]

Buy the LaScalas

Sell the Bose, because you could most likely get a good price. (All the Bose Hype).

Use the money for your other upgrades...............(which is a foregon conclusion).

[kzr750r1]

Agreed. The 901's are for sure going on the block soon. Been looking at Craigs list at least twice a week for more heresy or any other heritage speakers that need some help. Will still have an issue with R&L surrounds as the furniture arrangement floor standing speakers are not going to work. Need a wall mountable low profile speaker in that position. Of course good ones cost an arm and a leg. Or cut a shelf into the wall for another set of heresy.

Edit: Looks like I'll loose some money as the high price for used VI 901 is around 600 bucks. Oh well.

[kzr750r1]

Well the quick update is my friend has agreed to deliver the La Scala to the house when we move them into town. I'll be able to go through them and ensure all the components are in working order. Probably order some caps to get the cross overs back in order. Hope no drivers are bad. The wife is going to freak but after she hears this not sure what she will say.

[kzr750r1]

So here is the deal. I have the La Scalas at the house in all their raw birch glory. Mainly dings and a couple veneer corner crunches so far, grill labels missing for some reason, they may turn up after the move. Well see what happens when I get into the components. I'm sure There will be some questions along the way.

As expected the wife was not too pleased. I told her to wait for the results when these are in the house. She's right though, these units are big. But I told her they are not near as big as the Khorns, didn't help my argument.

These were handed over with one stipulation. If I like them and keep them they are mine. If I'm not satisfied and don't intend to keep them in service they go back to the original owner and he will pay me for parts replaced. Either way these are going to see some love soon and fired up.

[Fotog]

If I were working with this set of particulars, I would phantom the LaScalla mains and use the 901's as surrounds. Regardless of the comparison (Klipsch to Bose), 901's can sound pretty good and certainly in a surround capacity could fill that role. You would not take a bath on resale as you would still be using them.

Reads like you are already bitten by the Klipsch upgrade bug (K Horns etc [Y][H][Y]) so it is likely just a matter of time before you need to make room for more. The nice thing about Bose speakers is that someone always wants them. Family, friends, neighbors...just don't let them listen to your Klipsch system before they take them home.

[Islander]

Ok now I'm hooked. Visions of Klipschorn (F), Belle (S), La Scala ®, Dual Heresy © with a sub in the rear dancing in my head.

A Klipsch Belle makes a great TV stand and its sound matches really well with La Scalas. If you can't find a single, you can get a pair and use the second one for centre rear in a 6.1 configuration. It works for me!

[kzr750r1]

You are reading my mind. It's one option at the moment to consider. The 901 could also be suspended. Only issue in that is they are the black units and will look like warts hanging over the walls.

Did some driver tests on the la scala. Bad tweeter in one and bad woofer in the other. I know the capacitors (just old and used up) need replacing so that was a given. You should have seen the dust cloud blowing our the back of the cab.

I'm assuming these drivers are not salvagable as they offer an open OHM reading. This means the voice coils are shot, Right?

[kzr750r1]

Ok now I'm hooked. Visions of Klipschorn (F), Belle (S), La Scala ®, Dual Heresy © with a sub in the rear dancing in my head.

A Klipsch Belle makes a great TV stand and its sound matches really well with La Scalas. If you can't find a single, you can get a pair and use the second one for centre rear in a 6.1 configuration. It works for me!

This is all going to be very hard for the wife to understand. She wants (now) something like the Bose Lifestyle cubes.... I asked her when we bought the AV receiver. We can go one of two ways. Little discrete speakers or we can shake your booty. She said "shake her booty". But now she's understanding what that takes and not very happy. The way it is now. Too damn bad I'm going this direction, no looking back now.

[Islander]

There's something I've mentioned a number of times before, and other owners have found the same thing. La Scalas, black ones especially, seem huge at first, but over time they seem to shrink until they really become part of the room. Meanwhile, the sound doesn't get any smaller, it's just that every other speaker you listen to no longer seems very good.

It was even weirder with the Belles. La Scalas are roughly the size of washing machines, but Belles have the height and width of a typical kitchen stove, so they should be really noticeable. However, when I got my Belles last fall and put one under the TV and the other one up on the previous TV stand directly behind the sofa, they seemed to become invisible.

A number of times, I asked visitors, including old friends, what they thought of my new speakers, and the response was, "What new speakers? Where are they?" I actually had to point to them, "See, that one under the TV, and that one over there!"

"Oh, those are speakers?" The oiled walnut Belles seem to look like pieces of furniture of unspecified purpose, part of the landscape of the room.

The other constant is that anyone watching a movie on the system is highly impressed with the reality of the sound, sometimes looking around to see if a creature or person really did just walk past them.

The system will likely grow on you and your wife, until you look back and wonder what you did before you had it.

Although the Heresies are the size of typical microwave ovens, they'll look small next to the big boys, so they'll seem unobtrusive as side or rear surrounds.

It even happens with Jubilees, which are the size of small refrigerators. "Great sound! Where are your speakers?" Their different look means they often don't register as speakers in new visitors' minds, they're just those big black bookcases or whatever in the corners of the room.

[kzr750r1]

Kind of kicking myself as there have been a couple of local Belle pairs go via craigslist recently. Should have bit the bullet and at least looked at them. Being that money is always tight it's again hard to get the female unit to understand the expence. I hope your right in that after I get this moving she will be happy with the sound.

[Islander]

Kind of kicking myself as there have been a couple of local Belle pairs go via craigslist recently. Should have bit the bullet and at least looked at them.

If you want to put together a great system on a budget, patience is the key. That, and having the cash on hand to grab a bargain as soon as it shows up. It's amazing how much you can save if you keep looking out for the stuff you want.

[kzr750r1]

Well much have changed since I started this thread. The LS are working now as mains. I moved the 901 to a shelf getting ready to sell. The heresy are now sitting in the L/R surround position, soon to move to rear. Last Friday found a decent pair of '85 Cornwall II for $400. These are now sitting in the rear L/R at the moment. I took the 301 and daisy chained them to the center channel for a 4ohm load. So now I have all positions covered including the baby sub. Adding the center channel changed the entire sound scape. More so than I figured it would. Really enjoying movies more now. Of course the wife is looking at me like I'm nuts as the living room looks like my old band studio minus the drum kit.