Rear Surround Replacement Advice

[mwiener]

Hello,

I have been happily using my 7.1 system for 10 + years

now. Purchased/acquired good equipment

Denon AVR4800+external Denon amp, Klipsch Cornwall mains, Academy Center,

Heresey II surrounds, Velodyne Sub, and inwall Speakercraft MIT 6.2 rear

surrounds. I use a Panasonic DMP-BD80

blue-ray player sending 7.1 discrete analog channels into the AVR4800 ext

in. I have it in a decent sized room 18x24, with

the mains and center pointed down the long dimension of the room. Ceiling height is 17ft. It is a two story house, but the HT room does

not have a 2^nd floor. There

is no rear wall to the HT room on the first floor, but there is a rear wall

where the second floor begins. Those rear

surround in walls are on the bottom of the rear wall where the second floor

begins. I still can’t believe how good

this equipment has stood up over the years, still extremely pleased except for

the in wall rear surrounds. With these

really efficient speakers, those in wall rear surrounds get lost. I mean you rarely hear them. They are also 14 ft away from the sweet spot

and as I said at least 10ft up where that rear wall starts. They were rated 92db 1w1m which was one of

the most efficient in walls I could find 10+ years ago. However the Academy/Heresey’s at 96db and the

Cornwalls at 101db, I literally have to set the AVR4800 rear surround channel

to the max, then calibrate the rest of the system around that for speaker

output levels. After doing so, it just

seems to diminish the quality of the overall sound.

I would like to replace those rear surrounds. However, I have a WAF issue to deal

with. I have been told I can only use small

surrounds or in wall speakers they must be in white. I have it narrowed down to the about 6

speakers that I think I can use. Of those

speakers, I think the Klipsch RS-35 at 97db is the best choice. They were made in white, but have been

discontinued for 10 years. No luck

finding them in white on the secondary market yet. Other options include RS-25, RS-3, or SS

3. All discontinued. I think if I try an RS-7 I will violate the

WAF rules. None of the current Klipsch

speakers are available in white.

Does anyone know of a high efficiency small surround speaker

in white that would fit the bill? Anyone have any opinion on using the other

Klipsch surrounds listed above? Given

that I am not going to be able to audition them, I could really use any

information I can get. If there are no

other good choices, I can wait. I

purchased my Cornwalls IIs 10 years after they had been discontinued. It took me a long time to find a pair of

unfinished Cornwalls so I could stain them to match the room they were put in.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[mustang guy]

High efficiency small speaker is sort of an oxymoron. I don't now if you have ever seen RS-62's with the grilles on, but they are quite attractive. They are not white, but in a way they are conversation pieces just because they are so interesting looking.

[mwiener]

Completely understand. That is why I concentrated on horn designs. It is also why I have not been able to find anything other than the speakers listed. You can achieve high efficiency if you trade off bass frequency response. I believe all of the speakers I listed cut off at 80 hz or there abouts to achieve the high sensitivity with a small footprint. What I am looking for is any other horn designs, DIY or otherwise, that would fit the bill. There are not many manufacturers using horns. There are even fewer that can achieve the sensitivity characteristics of a Klipsch speaker. There are some, but not many. There are a lot of DIY projects, but those are almost exclusively large horns. If no one is able to recommend a currently available option, that means I did my homework and there just is not an option today.

I did find a pair of white RS-7s last night. I Have not contacted the seller yet. First I need to have a discussion with my wife to see if I can talk her into those. She barely agreed to the RS-35, but the RS-7 is a much bigger beast.

Thanks

[Budman]

have you tried just going with 5.1 unplug the inwalls and be done with it maybe move the heresys back a little farther

[mwiener]

The 5.1 sound is great. That is essentially what I have because I can't hear the rear surrounds.

In my setup, no room to move the Heresy side surrounds behind the listening position unless they go all the way to the back of the room. They are situated on a 18" span of wall between the fireplace and a large window on the other side.

I am going to build a model of one RS-7 today, paint it white, and see what reaction I get when I tape it to the wall. From the additional reading I have done the RS-7s have a better tone match to the heritage line as compared to any of the other surrounds anyway.

Still looking for DIY options, but finding a small high efficiency design is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not to mention the tone matching nightmares.

Still considering painting a black pair, but not really liking that option.

I think I will just have to be patient for a white RS-35 pair, or hope my wife puts the approval stamp on the RS-7s.

[t-man]

ksp-s6 - also available in white. I think the RB-35 will actually stick out further from the wall and be uglier than a proper WDST wall mount style surround.

[mwiener]

Well, much to my surprise the issue is resolved. My wife, with agreement that I will owe her, will let me get the RS-7s. I may not be happy with what I owe her, but I did get the rear surrounds. They are ordered and on the way.

Thanks for eveyone's help.

[wizop]

You should have no trouble finding in wall speakers in white. if not, read the manuals and see if they discuss painting. I know my in ceilings are white and I remember painting having been an option.