vinceisvince Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Okay guys, earlier today I bought a WC-14 on NewEgg for $200, which seemed pretty good for me and not much money to spare. I did this because I have a quintet set (with 10inch sub) and the center on that set is pretty awful in movies! I cannot hear anyone speaking, always have to use sub-titles! If I turn it up, I just hear more explosions or music but the speech is still muffled. I've seen others have this issue so I dropped some serious cash for a new center! I have a pretty mid-range price onkyo receiver (maybe 8 yrs old now). Unfortunately, newEgg is teasing with a pretty sweet black friday deal. A pair of nice looking, wb-14 speakers for $200. My question will I have MUCH improvement on wb-14? I am trying to research as fast as I can before the deal ends! From what I can tell the center will server its purpose but will new bookshelf speakers? I plan on building up slowly when I get more money but that will be a few years. I was a believer ever since I got my PC klipsch promedia 2.1 system, amazing speakers for the price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Okay guys, earlier today I bought a WC-14 on NewEgg for $200, which seemed pretty good for me and not much money to spare. I did this because I have a quintet set (with 10inch sub) and the center on that set is pretty awful in movies! I cannot hear anyone speaking, always have to use sub-titles! If I turn it up, I just hear more explosions or music but the speech is still muffled. I've seen others have this issue so I dropped some serious cash for a new center! I have a pretty mid-range price onkyo receiver (maybe 8 yrs old now). Unfortunately, newEgg is teasing with a pretty sweet black friday deal. A pair of nice looking, wb-14 speakers for $200. My question will I have MUCH improvement on wb-14? I am trying to research as fast as I can before the deal ends! From what I can tell the center will server its purpose but will new bookshelf speakers? I plan on building up slowly when I get more money but that will be a few years. I was a believer ever since I got my PC klipsch promedia 2.1 system, amazing speakers for the price! Welcome to the forum! You are on the right track. The WB speakers would be a timbre match for the center you have ordered, however, the WF-34 is a better choice for mains. The WB-14's are very small, and would make adequate rear speakers. The 34's are on sale for $249. The original retail on the WF-34 was $1,199. The original retail on the WB-14's was $599. The 34 is a much better value, and you will have a much larger smile. They are beautiful speakers. Oh, and yes, you would have MUCH improvement with the WF-34's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 Sounds like an amazing deal. Is it worth going into a little more debt for those wf-34? I am not too pleased with the quintets, they can be pretty loud but other than that. The great thing about the deal is the free shipping on such a large item. Says they originally were $600 now are $250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 pick up a pair of RW12d's at 299ea at newegg also! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 I'm poor! I have a sub, I heard icons just don't have a bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Sounds like an amazing deal. Is it worth going into a little more debt for those wf-34? I am not too pleased with the quintets, they can be pretty loud but other than that. The great thing about the deal is the free shipping on such a large item. Says they originally were $600 now are $250 Newegg says that, but the retail on them is $1,199. Here is Klipsch's site for the WF-34 speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 Are the bookshelf speakers intended as fronts or tears?. I am on the edge of getting the floors though. My living room is quite small.I'd say 18 ft long but the speakers wood be about 5 ft apart since its a small wall they could fit on. This is my starter home so I will eventually move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Fronts are also known as mains. There is a reason. You want the best soundstage in front of you that you can afford. The left/center/right speakers. Bookshelf speakers to not match that criteria IMO. Did you read my post? The floor speakers retail for $1200. They are on sale for $250. They should be your left and right, not the bookshelves, unless you don't have the room. They would be substantially better than the bookshelf speakers. One other thing. Speakers tend to do better on the long wall. I know this is hugfely different than you are set up, but look and see if you can turn your entertainment system 90 degrees. Just my opinions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 I bought the wf-34s! I really hope its worth it, some friends and family don't think its worth it even though its a very good deal with no tax and free shipping. Out of curiosity I went to hhgregg and they had kf series floors speakers for $190 (employee at cost rate cause my bro works there.). These were the cheapest kf series, synergy I think. So after realizing its only $120 more (before taxes) for icon level I jumped on it. I cannot move the speakers along the long wall. The tv is mounted. Also I have a synergy 10 in sub , should that still be used on my setup? Onkyo receiver at KC-24, 2 kf-34, 2 rear synergy satelittes from quintet, 10 in synergy sub. My receiver is a onkyo tx-sr504 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Congrats on the purchase! You made a good decisionand I'm sure your friends and family will agree when they hear (and see) the system. Beautiful speakers. Yes, you will still use the sub. The receiver you have is plenty for your system. Let us know how it sounds when you get it running. Send a picture or two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 It says recommended power on the center is 100 watt. My receiver is 7.1 and 75 waitt per channel. Should I upgrade? What would be a good amp with hdmi for cheap if I should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 The recomended power is not that important. The difference in 75 watts and 150 watts is only 3 db. The difference in 75 watts and 100 watts is more like 1 db. It isn't even a perceptable difference. The only thing a bigger amp will give you is some headroom at high listening levels. I doubt you will even watch movies at reference levels, let alone the full volume. I think you should stick with the receiver you have. When the time comes to upgrade, look into pre-pro, and get your 100 or 120 wpc amp. Emotiva sells some great gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Just got them and man are they awesome! I watched batman on bluray and it was amazing! Makes me want to watch all my movies again. Now I have some questions. My sw doesn't seem to be kicking in when listening to a cd? Thesse wf-34 have some awesome bass sound... I wasn't expecting it cause I kept hearing the bass isn 't too good on them. Well the sw bass does come in, its just barely there. On the amp I have crossover set to 80 ? On the bass the lowpass is 80 as well. Maybe its the lows that I head on wf-34. I have center set as small. Fronts large. I'm listening on direct mode right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 .... On the amp I have crossover set to 80 ? On the bass the lowpass is 80 as well... Disable the lowpass on the subwoofer, or turn it up as high as you can. Only use the receiver crossover frequency. Having both is bad. Try different settings here. With the center you have, 100Hz may be better or worse. Also, you can set double bass to 'On'. This will significantly improve the sub performance when playing other than movies. You can also turn up the gain for the sub either in the receiver settings or on the sub itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Yea we got the sub bumping. Hopefully we don't forget to adjust playing movies. Friends keep saying get a new amp but I'm telling them no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Yea we got the sub bumping.... Sweet, what worked? Everything? What most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Alright now I have time to write up about my speakers. I turned up the double bass and at more than half the volume the SW is sounding "normal" with music. Still seems like a lot to turn up! I put the pass over to 40HZ and the amp cross over to 80Hz. Seems like the center should be a tad louder with the voices, most of the time it's pretty clear/cut though, much more often than it use to be. I don't know how to explain but the speakers are like a "pleasant" loud when they are turned up. It's like you HAVE to watch a movie with them turned up pretty loud. I really wish I had some more room to separate the speakers, when you sit right in front you can easily (and pretty excitinlgly) hear a distinction between all 3 channels up front. When 15 ft away (furthest couch) you kind of lose that since my TV is on a pretty small wall. The bass from the floors do not seem to "shake" or anything but seems pretty loud and distinctive. I was listening to Journey on cd and it was pretty great to turn it up pretty high on the amp. It's as if you are surrounded by the speakers. I like the clairty. Back to movies... sometimes it's a little quiet when normal talking is going on or nothing is exploding then as soon as action kicks in, it's a little too loud. I'm looking at my receiver instructions... it shows: This section explains how to specify your speaker configuration.For speakers with a cone diameterlarger than 6-1/2 inches (16 cm),specifyLarge(full band).For thosewith a smaller diameter, specifySmall(default crossover 100 Hz).The crossover frequency can bechanged on page 55. Since the cones on the floorstanders are 4.5" should they be "SMALL" ? Also Crossover, does that mean the range before the sub gets it? Also the manual has: Speaker cone diameter Crossover frequency Over 8 in. (20 cm)40/50/60Hz*6-1/2 to 8 in. (16–20 cm)80Hz5-1/4 to 6-1/2 in. 13–16 cm)100Hz (default)3-1/2 to 5-1/4 in. 9–13 cm)120HzUnder 3-1/2 in. (9 cm)150/200Hz* WF-34 is: FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 50Hz-23kHz +/-3dB The manual also states: • Choose a higher crossover frequency if you want moresound from your subwoofer. I'm not sure if I do or don't, have to listen to it. Anyhow I am loving it! I'll update some more after getting more time with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I have a lot of experience with Onkyo. Those speaker crossover recomendations are a guidline and the mains you have are not standard speakers. The WF-34 frequency response tells you that. Set as large in the configuration, the crossover does not even apply to them. It only applies to speakers set to small. With the receiver you have, the mains as full is likely best. The problem is they overwelm the [small] center due to the wider frequency range. To compensate for that, you need to turn up the gain on the center as much as 3-4db. Note: It is appropriately called a small speaker. I do not understand this statement: "I put the pass over to 40HZ and the amp cross over to 80Hz." To what does the 40hz refer? It sounds wrong. Are you talking about the low pass filter dial on the sub? This is important for me to know, because it may mean you should have your mains set as small, and the crossover set at 60hz. The sub dial should be as high as it will go. eg: 150hz. If you ever upgrade your receiver, the rules will change for you. Each speaker will have a crossover, and instead of the small or large setting, you can say L/R are 60 hz, the center is 80hz, etc. It is much more configurable. The older systems take a lot of reading between the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceisvince Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Yes I put the sub low pass as low as it can go (which is 40). The mains are still set to large and seem to get a good amount of the bass work. So you suggest the sub passover to be as high as it cam go? It would be about what you said.... 140 or so. I will crank up the center a bit too, that should help. Yea I do only have one xover setting for the amp, it'd be nice to configure all speakers individually. I saw that new egg cranked the price back to $600 each! I really want the ws speakers now but I can hold off for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Yes I put the sub low pass as low as it can go (which is 40). The mains are still set to large and seem to get a good amount of the bass work. So you suggest the sub passover to be as high as it cam go? It would be about what you said.... 140 or so. Yes. When you are using a receiver with crossovers, you disable the one on the sub. Once you get everything set up and sounding as good as you can, you can play with the knob, but do not rely on it, as you will hurt movies' soundtracks. They send sound below 120hz as a standard LFE. I will crank up the center a bit too, that should help. Yea I do only have one xover setting for the amp, it'd be nice to configure all speakers individually. For that, you need a newer receiver. Not brand new, just latest enough model with individual speaker configuration. Setting your mains as large, if you have too much bass now that you are diabling the LPF cam on the sub, just turn the double bass off and see how that does. The importance of going to all this trouble is to get movies and music to sound good. If you tune it for one, the other may suffer. An added plus is you learn your system. I saw that new egg cranked the price back to $600 each! I really want the ws speakers now but I can hold off for now. newegg jumps around a LOT! I expected sales on cyber Monday to be great, and they were higher than the Sat-Sun sale. For instance the 12d sub u could get for $299 on Sunday was on sale for $499 on cyber Monday. crazy.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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