Speaker suggestions

[paulf]

Hi,

I have been doing quite a bit of reading and research over the last few days as I would like to put together a home theater system in the next couple of weeks.

The receiver I have my eyes on is the Yamaha RX-A1000 and for now since I am on a budget I will most likely just go with two RF82 II as the front speakers and the RC62 II as the center speaker (I have also been looking at the WF-34/35 series which would be better in my case since as I could get 12 months to pay them off from newegg, however as I understand the RF82 are supperior to these - any suggestions)? My budget for right now is around $2k which would include the $500 receiver.

In time I will be adding two surround and two back speakers and a sub, what would be a good choice for these to go with the above setup?

Any thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul

[willland]

Paul,

Welcome to the forum.

Good choices with the RF-82II/RC-62II combo. Better choice to add only when $$$'s become available.

My budget for right now is around $2k which would include the $500 receiver.

For $2000.00, you could also go the used route and find some speakers that you probably will not ever want to upgrade. You should be able to find an RF-83/RC-64 combo for around $1500.00 and still have $500.00 for the receiver.

Where are you located? Let us help find some used deals in your area.

Bill

[cornfedksboy]

Welcome to the forum! I have both systems! You can't go wrong with either, but if you want to put a system together over time, it will be more difficult to do so with the Icon Ws. They were discontinued this past year, but it appears Klipsch was able to sell a large order to newegg. I can give you additional thoughts later when I have a real keyboard and not my iPad.

[paulf]

Thanks for the quick feedback, I am in Jacksonville, FL.

The Yamaha will be from newegg as well (it is on sale for $579) - I assume this will work fairly well with either the rf 82 or 83 or will I also need an amp? (Since the WF model is discontinued I will most likely not consider them).

In the future when I decide to add the sides and rears, is it ideal for the sides to be the same as the fronts? What about the rears?

I apologies for all these questions which may be trivial to a lot of you []

Thanks,
Paul

[willland]

Paul,

Glad to see a new Florida forum member.

I am steering you towards used gear because of the better performance/price factor.

Take a look at these in Lake mary, FL.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/ele/2588515664.html

http://orlando.craigslist.org/ele/2588550251.html

The seller may be a forum member.

Bill

[Youthman]

Welcome Paul. Bill also found a guy on Audiogon selling a pair of RF-7's for $600 obo and an RC-7 for $325 obo in Sarasota, Fl - Link

The obo tells me you might could buy both of them for $850? That would even a sweet deal for a sweet system.

[paulf]

Thanks Bill and Youthman.

At this point I'm thinking I would like to go with new speakers. I was looking at Vann's and they seem to have a free sub with the purchase of two RF82 II, two RS52 II and a RC62 II ($2.5k total) - unless you guys feel that this combo is overpriced.

If I decide to get a second pair of RF82s would I be using those as sides and the RS52s as rears or vice versa?

Thanks again for all the help!

[cornfedksboy]

Thanks for the quick feedback, I am in Jacksonville, FL.

The Yamaha will be from newegg as well (it is on sale for $579) - I assume this will work fairly well with either the rf 82 or 83 or will I also need an amp? (Since the WF model is discontinued I will most likely not consider them).

In the future when I decide to add the sides and rears, is it ideal for the sides to be the same as the fronts? What about the rears?

I apologies for all these questions which may be trivial to a lot of you

Thanks,
Paul

Well, looks like this thread has taken a new direction since my last post, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway. First of all, your questions are good ones, and the same question, or variations on them, are asked regularly by myself and others and there is not definative answer. Here are some general concensus answers to your questions.

The Yamaha looks like a good receiver. 110 watts and 7 channels should be good to go to power RF-82s or Icons. It will be okay for RF-7s, RF-63s, or 83s. All of those speakers could use an amp to improve sound, but it can be added on later and isn't necessary right off the bat (or ever, depending on what you need/want from your speakers).

It is IDEAL for the surrounds and rears to be the same as the front three, but not necessary. The timbre matching is great, but not horribly noticeable (in contrast to the front three, which should be voice matched or very close to it). I'm a little anal and want all of mine matched.

A couple of questions that will help you decide, and help us point you in the right direction:

How big is your room (length, width, height)? Is it a family room or is it "hidden away" like a spare bed or in the basement? Is it open to other connected rooms? Do you live in a stand alone home, or do you share fllor/wall/ceilings with neighbors? Is this YOUR space, or do you share it with a significant other that might have a say in the appearance and location of the speakers?

What do you want to use your system for? Movies, music, gaming, all three? If you will use it for music, what type of music do you listen to and what format do you prefer (5 channel surround or 2 channel stereo)?

My thoughts on your original proposed systems and some of the other options out there:

The Icon Ws: Just to clarify, these speakers WERE discontinued, but are currently back in production as a newegg exclusive. They could, of course, go back on the discontinued line sooner rather than later, and they are sold in a far lower quantity than the Reference so finding used surrounds might be an issue if you don't buy in the next 18 months. With that out of the way, these are gorgeous speakers and my wife (and I) loves the looks of them and likes them in the family room. The cabinets are a huge upgrade over the Reference line and the slim footprint gives for a much more refined look. I had originally intended on using these in my HT room, but my wife asked to keep them upstairs and move the Reference speakers (RF-25s and RC-3 at the time) down. After hours of A/B listening with the RF-82s (not RF-82 IIs) and the WF-35s, I much prefer the WF-35s, espescially for 2-channel use. The highs aren't quite as bright and the bass isn't quite as deep, but the mid-range really comes alive and it gives an overall uniform presentation on the Icons. This is espescially noticable with classical and accoustic music where the strings tend to disappear in the 82s. I listened casually to the WF-34s once, and I found them to be too light in bass to really enjoy. The WF-24 center channel (the only center available) sounds very good with the towers and makes for a seemless front soundstage, but it is NOT NEARLY as good a center as the RC-62. The 62 has much more presense and dynamics and also really keys in on deep male voices in movies. For home theater use, the center is the most important speaker. I am hopeful that they might an upgrade run and offer a bigger center. The WS-24s are very comparable to the RS-52s and I have no preference between the two.

The RF-82s give you a ton of bass and really sound good with rock and electronic music, but are too muddy for my liking with technical pieces when used with 2-channel listening. That said, when I switch my system over to THX music for 5/7 channel listening, they do VERY well. The RC-62 covers the weak mid-range and the presentation becomes very lively. Also, for HT, The 82s really excell. The extra power, bass, and dynamics really excite the action on the screen! Also, I love the aggressive look of the gold cerametallic cones all staring back at me!

I've not heard the old RF-7s, but they, along with the RF-83s and RF-63s (which I've only heard casually) are a major upgrade over the RF-82s. The cabinets and components are much nicer and the sound is more balanced. I wouldn't hesitate to get a pair of any of the above, and you will save a bundle going used. Remeber though, the above speakers are HUGE and are not great for every space, but if you have the space and can find the deal, I doubt you will ever look back!

[cornfedksboy]

Thanks Bill and Youthman.

At this point I'm thinking I would like to go with new speakers. I was looking at Vann's and they seem to have a free sub with the purchase of two RF82 II, two RS52 II and a RC62 II ($2.5k total) - unless you guys feel that this combo is overpriced.

If I decide to get a second pair of RF82s would I be using those as sides and the RS52s as rears or vice versa?

Thanks again for all the help!

See above (long winded post)...depending on how you answer some of those questions, I would really steer you towards the Icon Ws from Newegg. You can get the 7 channel WF-35 system for $1850.00 AND get a GREAT sub for $300-500.00.

[willland]

At this point I'm thinking I would like to go with new speakers. I was looking at Vann's and they seem to have a free sub with the purchase of two RF82 II, two RS52 II and a RC62 II ($2.5k total) -

Paul,

I perfectly understand the brand new thing. You get shiny and unblemished, warranty, and peace of mind with new in box gear.

On the flipside, with good condition used, you can get flagship pieces for a fraction of the cost of what they were new, tried and tested models, and a peace of mind that you saved a ton of $$$. I bought my used 1 year old "mint" condition cherry RF-63's back in 2008 for $1000.00 delivered and they were listed at $1900.00/pair new.

We all want the Klipsch company to survive and thrive and for people to buy their new speakers, but also want to pass on good deals, new or used, along the way.

I was looking at Vann's and they seem to have a free sub with the purchase of two RF82 II, two RS52 II and a RC62 II ($2.5k total) - unless you guys feel that this combo is overpriced.

I like Vanns very much but I do not think that price is a great deal. Acceptable, maybe but what sub do you get with it?

Bill

[paulf]

A couple of questions that will help you decide, and help us point you in the right direction:

How big is your room (length, width, height)? Is it a family room or is it "hidden away" like a spare bed or in the basement? Is it open to other connected rooms? Do you live in a stand alone home, or do you share fllor/wall/ceilings with neighbors? Is this YOUR space, or do you share it with a significant other that might have a say in the appearance and location of the speakers?

What do you want to use your system for? Movies, music, gaming, all three? If you will use it for music, what type of music do you listen to and what format do you prefer (5 channel surround or 2 channel stereo)?

I will be moving into a house in a month (which is why I'm hoping to get everything in the next couple of weeks, a month max). The home theater system will be in the living room which is about 12'-15' by 20'-25' and the ceiling is around 9' tall (it is connected to the kitchen). Once I get a nice system I will use it for everything: movies, music (generally I listen to rock and trance) and gaming. I'm single, so I will have the whole house for myself - right now I am just using the tv's speakers which are nothing to brag about.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and informative post!

I took a look at the thread in your signature and that is one sweet setup.

I perfectly understand the brand new thing. You get shiny and unblemished, warranty, and peace of mind with new in box gear.

Right, I just love the looks and smell of new shiny toys - I know it may be a little odd compromising on quality and price for aestethics but I can't help it. []

I like Vanns very much but I do not think that price is a great deal. Acceptable, maybe but what sub do you get with it?

According to their website it is the Klipsch SW310 - 10" black 400W. I looked at the RF7 II system which also comes with the same sub, but $5.7k is a little too much even if I were to finance it as it appears that you can only get 12 months from them too.

Paul

[cornfedksboy]

Thanks for the kind words! The SW-310 is supposed to be a very good sub. Based on that, the deal is pretty good IMO. My Icons are in a 13 X 22 foot room with 9 foot ceilings, open to the kitchen, so very similar to what you are looking at. The Icons are plenty big enough, but I need a better sub. Your room is plenty big enough for about any speaker you wanted and the larger RF-82 IIs would fit in nicely. Based on your plans I can easily suggest that you will be very happy with the performance of the Reference or Icon W HT. Good luck and let us know what you do!

[Beechnut]

Quick plug for Acousticsounddesign.com. Call Mike and get a quote of what you're looking for since you want to go new. Phone prices beat his advertised prices. Took great care of me and others on this forum. Shipped right to your door. Beat MSRP for me by 32%.

[willland]

The SW-310 is supposed to be a very good sub. Based on that, the deal is pretty good IMO.

I'll have to agree. With the SW-310 being the sub in question, the package deal just got better.

Bill

[GoFastr]

+1 on www.AccousticSoundDesign.com

I've bought a few things from them and along with their low prices their customer/tech service guys are great!

You can get a BIC PL-200 sub for around $279 shipped.

[paulf]

Thanks for the kind words! The SW-310 is supposed to be a very good sub. Based on that, the deal is pretty good IMO. My Icons are in a 13 X 22 foot room with 9 foot ceilings, open to the kitchen, so very similar to what you are looking at. The Icons are plenty big enough, but I need a better sub. Your room is plenty big enough for about any speaker you wanted and the larger RF-82 IIs would fit in nicely. Based on your plans I can easily suggest that you will be very happy with the performance of the Reference or Icon W HT. Good luck and let us know what you do!

Right now I'm debating between the RF82s and RF7s especially if I can get a good deal on them like Beechnut.

Quick plug for Acousticsounddesign.com. Call Mike and get a quote of what you're looking for since you want to go new. Phone prices beat his advertised prices. Took great care of me and others on this forum. Shipped right to your door. Beat MSRP for me by 32%.

Thank you, I will give him a call this week, a nice discount like you got and I would not be able to pass on it.

Thank you again to everyone who replied, your help is very much appreciated!

I will let you guys know how it goes []

Paul.

[Dandoyen]

Would definitely have to echo that. acousticsounddesign.com hooked me up with a great deal on new khorns/lascala combo. Mike Embers (manager) is GREAT to deal with. and FREE shipping []