Need speaker help: which floor standing speaker can I use with my current av receiver?

[ludwigjohann]

I have an old Pioneer VSX-915 whose continuous power output (surround) is 110 watts/channel. I'd like to replace the two front bookshelf speakers I have with the Klipsch RF-82II or the RF-62II. Does anyone know if my AV receiver will be powerfull enought to drive either of these models? If yes, which one? If not, which model speaker would you recommend?

All thoughts and comments will be very much appreciated.

LudwigJohann

[JasonJCarney]

Well.... In full 5 channel mode your avr is probably only putting out 70 watts per channel max. Either set will sound great cause klipsch's are do sensitive. Your choice of speaker should also be based on your room size as well. The 62ii's are great. I had them and moved then for rf63's. Probably should not have as they were pretty much exactly what I needed for a room my size. The 82ii's should put out a little more bass but that is also dependent on you providing them enough power. At 70 watts per channel I doubt you'll notice too much of a difference. Also if your crossing them over at 80hz then you'll notice no difference at all.

[mustang guy]

Welcome to the forum LudwigJohann. You have plenty of power for both those rf speakers. However; have you looked into timbre matching? Just throwing bigger speakers into your home theater may not be the best thing.

Tell us the following:

1. What are the center and rear speakers and sub you are keeping?
2. Is this mostly a home theater, or is it mostly a music listening?
3. How big is the room or listening area?

Going from bookshelf speakers in the L/R position as you are planning, there is usually a consideration of at least upgrading the center channel too. With the previous questions answered, perhaps we can steer you in a good direction.

[ludwigjohann]

Mr. Mustang,

Thanks much for the response. Answers:

The room is a curtained off section of my basement (at the

end) and is 13’ by 9’. I only use it for watching movies and TV, not for listening

to music. Got a 50 in Pioneer Plasma TV, Cable/DVR; DVD & a Roku Netflix

box with all B & W speakers - DM600 S3 front; LCR3 center; ASW300

sub-woofer and little M-1’s for rear. All purchased about 5 & ½ years

ago. I’m not getting really good dynamic

surround sound so I thought that by replacing the M-1’s with the DM600’s and

getting the Klipsch RF-82 or 62 for the front, it would greatly improve the

situation without having to replace the AVR. Since I’m a neophyte at all this

and I’m terrified of having to rewire and reprogram a new AVR, I was hoping the

speaker switch would do the trick. I’m all ears for whatever advice you can

impart.

Thanks again,

LJ

[ludwigjohann]

Jason,

Thanks for responding. I replied to Mr. Mustang with more

details about my setup. If you can take a look at that maybe you could make more

pointed suggestions. And thanks!

LJ

[mustang guy]

Here are the specs on those 600's you have (all Kevlar drivers):

LCR 600 S3 3-driver, 21/2-way, ported-box, magnetically shielded speaker
Drivers: 1" alloy-dome tweeter, two 6.5" woven-Kevlar bass/midrange cones
Frequency response: 58Hz–20kHz, +/-3dB on reference axis
Frequency range: –6dB @ 48Hz & 30kHz
Harmonic distortion: <1%, 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB/m), 70Hz–20kHz
Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (minimum 3ohms)
Crossover frequencies: 300Hz, 4kHz
Recommended amplifier power: 25–150W into 8ohms
Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m
Dimensions: 21.5" x 8" x 12.2" (WxHxD)
Weight: 27.5 lbs
Price: $500 each

As for the AVR, if it has hdmi, then you don't need to worry about getting rid of it, as it will already have the best soundstage avaialble unless you are wanting 3D tv.

I will let others chime in who have first hand experience with the RF series.

One last question, do you have a budget?

[ludwigjohann]

The AVR does not have any HDMI ports, HOWEVER, nothing but speakers are plugged into it. All the other components go into the Pioneer's TV receiver which is a separate component from the TV (it's a Pioneer PDP-5060.) There are only two RCA type cables going from the Pioneer receiver "monitor out" to the AVR "tv input". So all the AVR is doing is sound. It is not controlling any of the components. No idea if that configuration is good, bad or if it has any effect on the sound.

Budget - $1k - 1.5K

[mustang guy]

Looks like that receiver does not have HDMI. TOS fiber optic is good, but IMO HDMI is noticeably better. That can be a later upgrade.

As you still have no responses on the speaker question, both the 62 and the 82 are much more efficient than what you have. They are both a nice upgrade. IMO, the 82 would be most noticeable, but I would suggest buying a rf-62 center to put between the 82's. As for the rear's, I will let someone else chime in. They are very different in timbre from the RF's, but rear timbre isn't as important, IMO.

[JasonJCarney]

I thought I addressed the speakers. They are both nice sets. I had the 62ii's for fronts and then as surrounds. My friend uses the62ii's as fronts with an rc3 center and it sounds great. They are very clear and he has a great sub so that helps. If your going to set your fronts to "small" on your avr then don't waste the money on 82ii 's. The tweet is a little bigger but no way you would notice in home theatre.

[BluBitRates]

I am an advocate for rf-82. I loved mine. Your receiver can drive 82s just fine but they could really use more power. If you eventually want to get a better receiver then i say get the 82s

[mustang guy]

I thought I addressed the speakers. They are both nice sets. I had the 62ii's for fronts and then as surrounds. My friend uses the62ii's as fronts with an rc3 center and it sounds great. They are very clear and he has a great sub so that helps. If your going to set your fronts to "small" on your avr then don't waste the money on 82ii 's. The tweet is a little bigger but no way you would notice in home theatre.

Sorry Jason, I missed that! My bad...

[elitedemo]

budget of 1500 you should strongly consider something like a emotiva umc and xpa-5 combo, wiring is very easy the only difference is youll just send all of the speaker wire to the xpa-5 amp and then run rca cable from the amp to the umc, your sound will improve dramatically with the 82s

[ludwigjohann]

That leaves me no $$$ for the speakers. Checking Emotiva's prices, the amp & preamp will eat the whole $1,500. Any other ideas?

[ludwigjohann]

Hey, EVERYONE... Really

appreciate all the input. THANKS!

What I think I need to do is to find out first if my

current AVR will suffice should I get better speakers for the front L&R. I could move my current front speakers to the

rear, like I’m planning, and “borrow” some other speakers for the front just to

see if there is any improvement in the surround sound. I own a really old pair

of Boston Acoustics A150’s so I could move ‘em down to the AV system just as a test. I also own an old pair

of Thiel’s CS2.2 but I doubt the AVR can drive those. Does all

this sound really stupid?

[JasonJCarney]

Go to accessories4lesd.com and check out the onkyo HT-rc180. It has preouts so in the future if you find it's not enough power for you then you can add an amp. At $350 shipped it's a great deal. Then go to acoustic sound design and grab a set of rf82's for $930. Or shop the garage sale section of hhis forum. Alot of good deals to be had on reference speakers. I know there are rf83, rf63, and rf.'s all for sale right now in the garage sale.

[Ironsave]

I suggest looking in the Garage Sale section as well as your local Craigslist.

Are you stuck on reference; or is Heriitage an option.

Klipsch Fortes are a kick arse 3 way speaker that is an all around great performer.

Lots of options; KLF series; CF series; Heresy; Forte/ Chorus; even Cornwalls can be had for $600 or under.

The same applies for receivers.... CL is your friend.

OP.... Good Luck.

[Louis Bartay]

I have mixed Cornwalls I (front L&R) with Klipsch Reference RC62-II center and RS3-II for rears with two Klipsch Sub 12 300/650 Bash in my small den and they sound Great. I set all of them "Small" on my AVR after running the Yamaha verison of Audessey and purchased a Radio Shack hand held Db meter to tweak the Eq.and had to raise the gain on the rears for Bluray movies. I was suprised and Very happy with the results. Just a thought if you like stereo music as the Cornwalls have much better BASS the Reference Towers by them selves witout a sub.