ldl01031 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi folks – looking for some knowledgeable advice… My system has been ‘collected’ over time and I’m wondering if I’m making any faux pas – or if I can quit spending money for a while J The list is: Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD Monitor Pioneer Elite SC-57 Receiver Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray Klipsch RC-62 II Center speaker Klipsch RF-82 II Front speakers Photon-10 Subwoofer (2) Triad Silver speakers (front wide) JBL P-50 speakers (2 surround and 2 back surround) The Triads are great speakers and I assume they won’t ‘clash’ in any way with the Klipsch, especially after calibration. They are about 10 years old though. The JBLs were somewhat decent speakers in their day – but that ‘day’ was almost 20 years ago. They are of course far larger than today’s surround speakers (they are floorstanding) but I’m ok with that. I assume that they are perfectly decent in fulfilling the backup roles they play today. So – any issues with this mismatch of stuff? My main concern is the JBLs and the Triads of course. When I play music in Extended Mode (using all speakers), am I doing an injustice to the RF-82s? (actually, the RF82s won’t be here for a couple of days L). Thanks in advance for any feedback. -ldl- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Welcome to the forum! Nice equipment you have there... Timbre matching is most important in the front. For that reason, I have a notion you shouldn't use the Triad speakers in the wide position. IMO, none would be better than mismatched voices. The JBL's in the surround and rear positions won't be very noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldl01031 Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thanks. When you say 'voice' do you mean that literally (i.e., dialog), or 'personality'? I ask because I haven't seen a lot about exactly how the wide speakers are used. Are they sound effects halfway between the fronts and surrounds? Anything else? And the only time they will be engaged is in the 'Neo:X' modes? Pardon all the questions but is there a new 9.1 standard that will slowly make its way onto Blu-rays? The other option I've struggled with is moving the Triads into the bedroom and bi-amping the RF-82's; but I like the extra wrap-around sound I get from the front wides when playing music (I've been using a pair of JBL P-40's to play around). Another option I've toyed with is adding a couple of RB-81 IIs to replace the Triads. So - I guess my question is - how much will the 'wide' option add to my experience versus what improvement I might get through bi-amping. At least those are the only questions I have the guts (read $$) to ask right now. Thanks again, -ldl- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldl01031 Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 For what it is worth - I went the front-wide route and ordered a couple of RB-81 IIs to replace the Triads. This should keep me for a good while. Thanks, -ldl- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thanks. When you say 'voice' do you mean that literally (i.e., dialog), or 'personality'? I ask because I haven't seen a lot about exactly how the wide speakers are used. Are they sound effects halfway between the fronts and surrounds? Anything else? And the only time they will be engaged is in the 'Neo:X' modes? Pardon all the questions but is there a new 9.1 standard that will slowly make its way onto Blu-rays? The other option I've struggled with is moving the Triads into the bedroom and bi-amping the RF-82's; but I like the extra wrap-around sound I get from the front wides when playing music (I've been using a pair of JBL P-40's to play around). Another option I've toyed with is adding a couple of RB-81 IIs to replace the Triads. So - I guess my question is - how much will the 'wide' option add to my experience versus what improvement I might get through bi-amping. At least those are the only questions I have the guts (read $$) to ask right now. Thanks again, -ldl- Voice is timbre. It means when something moves from the left speaker to the center to the right, it sounds seemless. If you have a timbre mismatch, the sound will change, and not seem realistic. The RB-81's are awesome bookshelf speakers. As far as the question about wide's compared to bi-amping, I haven't a clue. It would definitely be cheaper to bi-amp, as your equipment has that built in. THX.COM has many of the answers to these types on inquiries. Audyssey's website also has info on it. If you figure it out, let us know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldl01031 Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Thanks again. I'm clearly new to all this (or at least not far past 'spend money and hope/assume it all works'). I freaked myself out today reading an article that said you need between 1.6x and 3x the wpc your speakers are rated for. I have 140 wpc and my speakers are 150W. A little math told me that I don't have 3x or 1.6x - I have 0.9x. No! I couldn’t stand the thought of four new speakers arriving (the new center is already here) and have them disappoint. I started doing research (for hours) and in a true 'he knows just enough to be dangerous' mode, decided I could use one of my old receivers to power a few channels, removing at least that burden from the main receiver. I never got the guts to experiment with it and kept reading (did I mention for hours?). I now understand what they are doing with the 9.1 format (Interesting though that Dolby specifically supports FH but never mentions FW). And I understand the possible/probable benefit of a separate amplifier (and its resistance to being outdated too quickly). So I ordered an Emotiva XPA-5. I think this forum is bad for me. So - critique - did I do well, did I waste money in overkill, something in between? Room: 13x19x9 (70-80% movies) Pioneer Elite PRO-141FD Monitor Pioneer Elite SC-57 Receiver Emotiva XPA-5 Amplifier Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray Klipsch RF-82 II Front speakers Klipsch RC-62 II Center speaker Klipsch RB-81 II Front Wide speakers Photon-10 Subwoofer (2) JBL P-50 speakers (2 surround, 2 back surround) XBOX 360 / Kinnect (tv tuner, cd player, monster power, vcr, computer hooked up to the 141FD, ...maybe I should drag out the pioneer phono player while I'm at it...) By the way – I will answer (umm, give an opinion on) the question of ‘front wide versus bi-amp’ within the next few weeks (maybe January). It seems like an apples versus oranges question, but I’ll check it out! -ldl- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 You can find more information on the whole wide or high fronts here: http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/audyssey-dsx As for the Emotiva, you will be happy. Lots of people here use it. You can't beat the price/performance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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