Not doing 5.1 sound ... how about 2.1?

[Radmanna]

Hello.

Considering Klipsch sound for my television, located on the south wall of our living room. The lving room blends into the kitchen. There is no wall between living room and kitchen, so these two areas are essentially one large room.

It is not practical to have surround sound for my television. Plus, the reason behind considering Klipsch speakers for our television, is to also use fhe speakers for music only (stereo). So ... all sound will be coming from one row of speakers on the south wall of the living room.

For now, let me propose Heresy III speakers for the left/right positions of the south living room wall. I am confused on the terminology between 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, and 3.1 sound systems. I don't want the system to be too complicated, but I do want the ability to have home theater sound, and with a flip of a switch, to have stereo sound.

With my L/R Heresy III speakers, what would be good recommendations in regards to additional Klipsch speakers, to improve the home theater sound, and also improve the stereo sound? Would it suffice to just add a woofer, and would this be creating a 2.1 sound system?

What would be a good Klipsch woofer, for L/R Heresy III speakers, to improve the home theater sound and also the stereo sound?

Along with the above questions, are there recommended websites, where I can get information about the differing Home Theater sound systems, such as 2.1, 3.0, and 3.1?

Thanks

[dtel]

I am confused on the terminology between 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, and 3.1 sound systems.

Welcome

The first number is the normal speakers, the .1 is the sub. 2.1 is front L&R and a sub, that may be best for you right now, weather you need a center channel is partly to do with how far apart your front R&L speaker is, if far you may need a center.

The best center is an exact match of the front L&R, there really is no Heritage center that's why many use three of the same speakers across the front if there is room. The Heresy lll is very nice but could use a little help with a sub especially if you want to also watch movies.

Another idea is if there is a way to use " in ceiling" speakers for the rear, it would be better than no surround speakers. The rear speakers are not nearly as important as far as a perfect match.

You could start out with front L&R and add a sub later, then decide if you want anything in the rear.

Others will also give you some ideas.........Welcome.

[vacumancsm]

If you are planning a home theater setup, allow me to make a few suggestions. First you need a center channel. It does much a the work for movies and TV sound. A subwoofer, (the .1) will take the sound to a much lower Hz level and remove the burden of playing bass from the other speakers. I just bought a Klipsch XW 500-D and recommend it highly. Flush mount ceiling speakers in the kitchen wouldn't take up any space and would greatly improve the sound quality. Most Denon amplifiers have a "switch" that will take the sound from Cinema type sound to 2,5, or 7 channel stereo with equal sound in all channels---perfect for music applications. The better ones even have a 2nd or 3rd zone capability where different source can be played in another area at the same time. Lastly, try Vanns.com on the net. They have reps that can provide good advice on what would work best. They are an authorized Klipsch dealer and their prices are hard to beat. Good luck.

[Radmanna]

Thanks for the reply, gentlemen. Further information about the room geometry follows:

* The south living room wall is 18 feet apart. The Heresy III L/R speakers are 15 feet apart.

* The television is centered between the speakers.

* We would listen to the L/R speakers from a couch that is in front of the television.

* Our ears would be 10 feet in front of the south living room wall’s center.

To accommodate both home theater quality, and Hi Fi stereo music (radio, SACD recordings, etc), please provide advice on the following questions:

1. What would be a good Klipsch woofer (or is it called subwoofer) to use with Heresy III’s as the L/R speakers?

2. With the L/R Heresy speakers being 15 feet apart, and with the listeners being 10 feet in front of the television, is there a significant improvement in using a center speaker, and would the best addition to the L/R Heresy III speakers be a Center Heresy III speaker?

3. If I used three speakers in a 3.1 system configuration for the television, and when I switch from home theater to stereo music, does stereo music go through the center speaker?

4. If I had a 3.1 system, and while listening to stereo music, would the quality of the left/right stereo sound be compromised by piping some of the (radio or SACD) music through the Left & Center & Right speakers? It seems there would be less distinction between the left and right channels … if music was coming through a third center channel.

Thanks,

Steve

PS: If recommending I use a 3.1 sound system, please keep this in mind when recommending a Klipsch woofer (or is it called subwoofer).

[Olorin]

Thanks for the reply, gentlemen. Further information about the room geometry follows:

* The south living room wall is 18 feet apart. The Heresy III L/R speakers are 15 feet apart.

* The television is centered between the speakers.

* We would listen to the L/R speakers from a couch that is in front of the television.

* Our ears would be 10 feet in front of the south living room wall’s center.

To accommodate both home theater quality, and Hi Fi stereo music (radio, SACD recordings, etc), please provide advice on the following questions:

1. What would be a good Klipsch woofer (or is it called subwoofer) to use with Heresy III’s as the L/R speakers?

2. With the L/R Heresy speakers being 15 feet apart, and with the listeners being 10 feet in front of the television, is there a significant improvement in using a center speaker, and would the best addition to the L/R Heresy III speakers be a Center Heresy III speaker?

3. If I used three speakers in a 3.1 system configuration for the television, and when I switch from home theater to stereo music, does stereo music go through the center speaker?

4. If I had a 3.1 system, and while listening to stereo music, would the quality of the left/right stereo sound be compromised by piping some of the (radio or SACD) music through the Left & Center & Right speakers? It seems there would be less distinction between the left and right channels … if music was coming through a third center channel.

Thanks,

Steve

PS: If recommending I use a 3.1 sound system, please keep this in mind when recommending a Klipsch woofer (or is it called subwoofer).

Welcome to the forum and a lot of enjoyment with your audio gear.

1) Not to be flippant, but it's the one that fits your space and budget and sounds good to you. If you are pretty easy on your gear, whatever the current Reference-line 10" sub will probably make you smile, and if you like to travel at Ludicrous Speed, you'll need to go bigger.

2) Maybe, and yes. It's all about what you like and what fits all your factors, so I'd try it with just two and see what I think. If it's not satisfactory -- and that's not the same as wondering if a third speaker would be better, hehehe -- add a third and check it out!

3) That's a function of your receiver setup; you should be able to configure things so that you're only using LR + sub during music listening.

4) If I understand you correctly, this is answered by 3.

Enjoy!

[Radmanna]

Thanks again.

For subwoofer, the priority is more on sound quality and much less on sound volume.

Neither the Heresy III speakers nor the subwoofer would ever be played loud. Usually our lving room & kitchen windows and glass door exits are kept open. But even if the windows are all shut, 90 percent of the east living room wall is simply plate glass from floor to ceiling. Volume is definitely not a priority.

Would the requirement of always using low volume, help to make a better recommendation for a subwoofer, to work in concert with Heresy III speakers in a 3.1 sound system?