moomoo Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Hi everyone, I'm looking to build a new surround sound system, but since I am rather new to this, I am unsure of what would match well. As a college student, I really shouldn't spend a lot, but I would like to get myself off to a solid start and slowly build off of that later. Most likely, I'm looking to buy a nice set of front speakers and a receiver to begin with, and then slowly add matching speakers around it when I can afford to. So with a starting budget of under $1000, I am considering the RB-61 II speakers. I really enjoy the look and sound of the reference line speakers. For the receiver, I was thinking about the new Marantz NR1403 receiver. I've read really great things about Marantz and the quality of their products; I've also heard they match Klipsch speakers very well. So I am just wondering if anyone has better suggestions for me, speaker or reciever wise; would these be a good fit? Would I be better off starting with the lower end reference speakers and getting a center or sub too? I could use some input from this very knowledgable community. I will mostly use this system to listen to music and play ps3/watch movies. Thanks for any help you can give me, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 first off let me say welcome to the forum!! [H] second off let me say to you since you are getting into this hobby that you will save your self alot of time and money if you piece togehter a system and buy what you want as you go you will be much happier in the long run. with that being said, always try and future think everything as much as you can. are bookshelves what you ultimately want? or just fitting that into your budget first? cause you will want some good stands if you buy bookshelves. almost always end up spending the same for the same size but in a tower version of it (rf-62). also dont look at msrp for klipsch stuff. you can give mike a call at acoustic sound design and you can get stuff below retail. rb-61ii's should be able to be delivered to you for 399.00, and i believe i was quoted for 779.00 for rf-62ii. one thing you dont want to skimp on is center channel and subwoofer. but you also dont want to buy the biggest center and then only get rb-61's to match. try to pick a good set and shoot for aquiring the whole thing. as far as the marantz stuff goes, i can't chime in on those. i am an onkyo man myself. but someone will chime in soon for ya. welcome once again! if anymore questions just ask us!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomoo Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Thank you! You've definitely given me something to think about. I would really like towers at the front, but I don't think they really fit my budget well at the moment...but I will definitely consider this now. The reason I picked the bookshelves was because they do fit my budget and I figured I could always get towers in the future and move the bookshelves to the back. Those prices you listed are pretty good though, I'll have to give them a call and see what they can do. Maybe I could add in a center channel with the price of the 62's. You said I would need some good stands if I got the bookshelves...are they necessary for these speakers? Or could I get away with having them sit on the TV stand for awhile? I actually like Onkyo, that's what my current HTIB is. It's worked rather well, but I just felt it was time to upgrade. OH! Does anyone have thoughts on open box items? Would you trust them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I have a set of RB-81 II's, and they don't compare to my Heresy's. If you buy a pair of Heresy's for $400 or so, that leaves a lot of budget for a receiver. When it is time to upgrade, you would be looking at other Heresy's, Forte's, Cornwalls, Chorus, LaScala, and Klipschorn's. Another speaker you should seriously consider are the KG 5.x's, and the KG 4.x's. You can get into a pair of these rather large speakers for around $300 a pair. Great speakers, and a great bang for the buck. IMO, they are underrated in these forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 10, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2012 Welcome to the forums. My advice is take your time. It took me around 2 - 3 years to get my system the way I have it now. If you are patient and build it over time, you can find MUCH better deals, save a TON of money and get a MUCH nicer system than making sacrifices to stay within a certain budget. Overall, I have saved close to 75% off retail on my entire system which includes a $2500 projector that I paid full retail for (ouch). Still some great deals to be had on your local Craigslist. That just to say that other gear I was able to find for more than 75% off. To me, the journey has been just as fun as the end result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanhurd Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 also dont look at msrp for klipsch stuff. you can give mike a call at acoustic sound design and you can get stuff below retail.+1 You can probably afford more speaker if you shop around. That's not a bad idea tho to get the RBs and then move them to the surrounds in the future when you get the fronts you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmassey Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Try and figure out what you see you having when you are finished, and work towards that. If you do eventually want towers, figure out which ones you like. Whatever your choice is will have a pretty big impact on the receiver to use. If you plan on sticking with bookshelfs, that receiver would be great, but it wouldn't be very future proof. It only has 2 preouts and not a whole lot of power to work with, and you would be limiting yourself to a 5.1 setup. Check this one out. That would be a lot more receiver than your Marantz and be a little less money. Pioneer VSX-23txh on Audiogon Specs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotog Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 1. I think you are on the right track starting with 2 speakers. You can always run "phantom or ghost" and split the center channel for the time being. 2. Towers typically will provide more natural base - due to cabinet design - than bookshelfs, so you can forego a sub for a while. 3. Receivers change so much and so fast that in 5 years you'll likely want to upgrade it anyway. Who knows how many HDMI ports you'll want or even if HDMI will be the choice then. (I'm still running a tube TV and gold plated RGB cables [H]) 4. A solid receiver with a pair of decent towers would be a good first step. Simply decide which Klipsch system your ears like, then begin building that system. A basic set of towers could easily work now, be moved to surrounds later and rears (in a 7.1) even later. Upgradeitis is an affliction I've suffered from for some time now - ever since my first set of Bose 201's, then Polk Monitor 70's, then Klispch KLF-20's and finally now KLF-30's. WOW!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomoo Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thank you all for your input; you've helped me out tremendously. I called up acoustic sound design and got some pretty good quotes on the line of rf-6x speakers, so thank you Scrappydue for the lead. Now, it's just a matter of me deciding whether i want the towers or the bookshelves/center to start off with. I'll be looking at a new receiver now too; I should get something that I won't want to upgrade soon. With that said, I have one last question. Which receiver brands tend to pair well with Klipsch speakers? I keep reading mixed reviews on Yamaha with Klipsch, stating that the sound is too high and fatiguing. Or would it really depend on what the person enjoys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 No problem moomoo! Make sure whatever you end up going with rb-61 or rf-62 that you get the rc-62 to match it. As far as receiver matching, klipsch has a very efficient horn driven tweeter. So with that being said, you want to look for something "warm" sounding vs something too "bright". I'm not sure where Yamaha rates on that scale. Like I said I'm an onkyo man. They are great for home theater. Not so much for music. Good bang for your buck in my opinion. What are you wanting to have in the long run? 5.1, 7.1? Wanting the rf-62 up front with the rb-61 in the rear? More movies and video games or more music? Let us know a little more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomoo Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 In the long run I'd like the RF-62's u the bacp front, with the RB-61's ink. My current HTIB is 7.1, which I enjoy, so in the end I would probably want something like that...or at least have the option to go for that. I would mainly use this system for music and video games. I really had my eye on the Marantz SR5006 Marantz SR5006 the whole time, but the price wasn't really in my range. I've heard Marantz produces a very warm sound, and this receiver has many of the features I really would like. Plus, this thing looks very slick. I was told that they could do a package deal of the RB-61 II, RC-62 II, and the Marantz SR5006 for $1367 delivered. Or, I believe I could get Marantz SR5006 and the RF-62 II's for $1270. These both sound like good deals. What do you think? Which route would you go first? My only concern is that I do not see them listed as an authorized seller of Marantz products. Should I be concerned about that at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomoo Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 *edited this into post above* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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