edc Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 In my first thread in the forum I asked a bunch of basic questions as surround sound is new to me. You all answered and I have formulated a plan. The old thread "Some basic questions" seemed to be getting kind of large so I started this new one. I now have a stereo amp with two Klipsch Forte speakers. I plan to: 1) buy a 70" Sony wall mount TV 2) buy a good surround sound amp (search and research in progress) 3) buy a klipsch RC-62 II and use with my two Forte's for an initial 3.0 config (to see how my dialogue issue does etc.) 4) later add some ceiling/wall speakers and possibly a subwoofer All of your advice helped to formulate the plan. I learned that another Forte for the center speaker would be ideal but I then would have to make some changes in my cabinet to use it and I would have to deal with ebay etc. to find a used one etc. It seemed your second choice was the RC-62 so that is the path I am on. (again one of my primary goals is to improve my ability to hear dialogue without blasting my wife out of the room). It now looks like Klipsch may be stopping production of the RC-62 as several suppliers are out of stock and not expecting any more. I am thinking of quickly buying one prior to them completely going away (other than used of course). Does grabbing an RC-62 while I figure out the amp sound like a good decision? Thanks, Ed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Sounds like a fine decision. Try Also making a wtb add for forte on craiglist. There was a guy around here looking for some heresy and got offers for them as well as forte so they are out there. And local Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Ed, you could be one of the first to try out the new Reference Premier line. They announced this today: http://ces.klipsch.com/reference-premiere.html Prices are about the same as the stuff you were looking at, and there isn't a person in this forum that has one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Interesting suggestion Mustang Guy -- but somewhat scary. I have several on the forum suggesting that the RC-62 would be a decent center for my two Forte's, so to buy a speaker that none of you "guru's" have tried yet is a little risky. I assume the RP440C would be most like the RC-62. I do like the reduced height (5.67" vs 8"). The price mentioned is $550. I think so pricing is close (RC-62 is about $400). Interesting option. I think the listed sensitivity is 96db which is the same as my Forte's I believe. Doesn't bode well with my desire to stop the planning and start the buying and implementing. Any other opinions? Thks, Ed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I say "yes" to getting a quality center speaker, even if you don't have the AVR yet. The RC-64ii is discounted 20% right now, so that makes it an even better buy. The RC-62ii is a proven performer, and you can't go wrong buying quality. The RP-450C (5" woofs x4) would be most similar to the RC-64ii (6.5" woofs x4). If the new hot-off-the-presses Reference Premier is in your budget, why not try that? Then you can tell us what is better than what. Edited January 7, 2015 by wvu80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hey Veteran, between my audio knowledge and my hearing you would not want to listen to my advice on speakers . I did not find the RC-63 at the stores, I keep getting sent to RC-62 or RC-64. On my first thread "some basic questions" some forum members seemed to think the RC-62 was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-64, RC-63 was not discussed. I could go to one of the Ref Premiers I guess, I would feel more comfortable doing that if some of you forum vets based on your experience felt that the 440C or 450C was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-62 is. I am uncomfortable with making that call with my limited knowledge on speakers. Thks for the comments, Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I say "yes" to getting a quality center speaker, even if you don't have the AVR yet. The RC-63ii is discounted 20% right now, so that makes it an even better buy. The RC-63ii is a proven performer, and you can't go wrong buying quality. The RP-450C (5" woofs x4) would be most similar to the RC-63ii (6.5" woofs x4). If the new hot-off-the-presses Reference Premier is in your budget, why not try that? Then you can tell us what is better than what. Hey Veteran, between my audio knowledge and my hearing you would not want to listen to my advice on speakers . I did not find the RC-63 at the stores, I keep getting sent to RC-62 or RC-64. On my first thread "some basic questions" some forum members seemed to think the RC-62 was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-64, RC-63 was not discussed. I could go to one of the Ref Premiers I guess, I would feel more comfortable doing that if some of you forum vets based on your experience felt that the 440C or 450C was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-62 is. I am uncomfortable with making that call with my limited knowledge on speakers. Thks for the comments, Ed There is no RC-63. I believe he meant the RC64II / RC64 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Welcome to this Forum ED. Do you want or mind spending a lot of money? Is your primary concern (concerning the audio part of your questions) hearing and being able to understand dialogue? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I say "yes" to getting a quality center speaker, even if you don't have the AVR yet. The RC-63ii is discounted 20% right now, so that makes it an even better buy. The RC-63ii is a proven performer, and you can't go wrong buying quality. The RP-450C (5" woofs x4) would be most similar to the RC-63ii (6.5" woofs x4). If the new hot-off-the-presses Reference Premier is in your budget, why not try that? Then you can tell us what is better than what. Hey Veteran, between my audio knowledge and my hearing you would not want to listen to my advice on speakers . I did not find the RC-63 at the stores, I keep getting sent to RC-62 or RC-64. On my first thread "some basic questions" some forum members seemed to think the RC-62 was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-64, RC-63 was not discussed. I could go to one of the Ref Premiers I guess, I would feel more comfortable doing that if some of you forum vets based on your experience felt that the 440C or 450C was a better center for my Forte's than the RC-62 is. I am uncomfortable with making that call with my limited knowledge on speakers. Thks for the comments, Ed There is no RC-63. I believe he meant the RC64II / RC64 Tas is correct, my "RC-63" reference (since edited correctly) is incorrect. I was hoping to get through 2015 without making any mistakes the entire year. Rats! Now I'm waiting for 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Welcome to this Forum ED. Do you want or mind spending a lot of money? Is your primary concern (concerning the audio part of your questions) hearing and being able to understand dialogue? Keith, like most, I don't like spending lots of money. However, I do not upgrade this stuff often (my TV is 10+ yrs old and my stereo amp and Klipsch speakers are about 30 yrs old) so I am not against spending more for a better product. You are correct, I have strolled into this surround sound world to try and get to a point where I can understand dialogue more easily in TV shows and movies. I think (based on this forum and other input) with a good amp and speakers and especially a good center speaker all set up properly I will improve my dialogue issue. However, in doing this I also am trying to get good quality in the rest of the audio and video functionality of my new system. I have had strong advice that my current Forte speakers will make good front R and L speakers. I was also advised that the RC-62 would be a good center spkr (even over the RC-64) to use with my Klipsch. Now some have mentioned the new RP series as a center speaker. I want to now decide between the RC-62 and the RP-450 (or 550?) and buy something. In parallel I am reviewing amp info both on and off this forum. Lots of info, and decisions. I do appreciate everyone's input and suggestions. The forum has been a valued resource for me. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Keith, like most, I don't like spending lots of money. What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Welcome to this Forum ED. Do you want or mind spending a lot of money? Is your primary concern (concerning the audio part of your questions) hearing and being able to understand dialogue? Keith, like most, I don't like spending lots of money. However, I do not upgrade this stuff often (my TV is 10+ yrs old and my stereo amp and Klipsch speakers are about 30 yrs old) so I am not against spending more for a better product. You are correct, I have strolled into this surround sound world to try and get to a point where I can understand dialogue more easily in TV shows and movies. I think (based on this forum and other input) with a good amp and speakers and especially a good center speaker all set up properly I will improve my dialogue issue. However, in doing this I also am trying to get good quality in the rest of the audio and video functionality of my new system. I have had strong advice that my current Forte speakers will make good front R and L speakers. I was also advised that the RC-62 would be a good center spkr (even over the RC-64) to use with my Klipsch. Now some have mentioned the new RP series as a center speaker. I want to now decide between the RC-62 and the RP-450 (or 550?) and buy something. In parallel I am reviewing amp info both on and off this forum. Lots of info, and decisions. I do appreciate everyone's input and suggestions. The forum has been a valued resource for me. Ed As you probably know Ed there was no matching center speaker made to be used with your Fortes. They preceded the surround sound phenomena, which Klipsch was slow to embrace anyway. I don't know why others recommended the Reference center to you unless simply because it is a good center speaker to meet your needs. There are other, earlier, Klipsch center speakers that will work well for much less money. Of course you would have to buy used. Using due diligence you could accomplish the task easily. When looking at used speakers you should note the horn size and orientation. The horn will affect directivity which will limit to some degree the dispersion of sound. I would recommend you look for a Klipsch KSP-C6 center speaker or even a Klipsch KSF-C5 center speaker to use with your Fortes. Even better, but nearly impossible to find, a Klipsch KT-LCR. The surround speakers that were made to work with the C-6 and C-5 centers would work well also with the Fortes. You can find pictures and specs of these speakers on this site. Cost for any of these center speakers should be around $100. I find myself turning the volume up too loudly myself in an effort to hear dialogue in most movies. More speakers will not necessarily guarantee better dialogue intelligibility but they will ensure more racket. That's because of the way movie soundtracks are mixed, often times with ambient sounds so loud that those sounds cover voices. The center speaker will not necessarily fix that although it may improve dialogue intelligibility. If you primarily want a surround sound system my advice would be to start over. Your plans are to buy a new TV, receiver, center and surround speakers now so why not include matching new front left and right speakers to go with the other speakers you already plan to buy. If you don't care to spend that kind of money and your desire is better dialogue intelligibility I would recommend one of the speakers I mentioned above. If you bought and liked one of the aforementioned center speakers you could always later find and buy the matching surround speakers. There is little money and much reward built into the purchase of used Klipsch speakers so long as you're careful with the seller involved. You can post a want-to-buy (WTB) in the garage sale section here and members here will be glad to help you find what you need. My final answer for you if you are primarily interested in improved dialogue intelligibility would be to buy a good soundbar. If you don't care for soundbars why not buy a $100-$150 used center speaker and wire it to your current receiver (thought I remembered you saying there was an allowance for that with your receiver). Although your current receiver will not direct dialogue to the center speaker you will get an idea of how the new/used center speaker will sound with your setup. I'm getting a headache now and I'm tired of thinking about it. Hope this helps some and is confusing less. I'll come back later. Keith http://www.klipsch.com/kt-lcr/details http://www.klipsch.com/ksp-c6/details http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEAR-MINT-KLIPSCH-KSF-C5-CENTER-CHANNEL-SPEAKER-8-Ohm-Black-/231419383234?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item35e1ab8dc2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 First of all thank you Keith, you put a lot of time and thought into your post and I appreciate it. You made some interesting points: 1)maybe I am too optimistic about my new system helping with my dialogue issues--you may be right, I think I have to try it and go from there 2)If I am spending all of this money why not get new matching L and R speakers instead of trying to use my Forte's--- others have thought the Forte's would be great L and R spkrs and I have them and hate to get rid of them, I guess I can try them and if not satisfied I can later replace them with the spkrs that match what I use for a center. However, I am not sure I am sophisticated enough to know if they are good or not, they will probably sound fine to me so maybe all of this speaker concern is wasted on my part. 3) You pointed out some prior model spkrs that I can buy used. Thanks for that. I looked at the one of ebay and it sounds like a good buy. However the speakers you suggested have a slightly less than ideal size (too much height) compared to the new ones I am looking at. This is not a big deal but with my current cabinet and desired TV height on the wall, a lower height on the center speaker (8" or less) is better. I guess I would really like to know what speaker (the rc-62, the new rp440 or rp550, the used models you mentioned) is likely the best to use initially with my Forte's regardless of cost. I do not have a clue how to determine this, so if any of you have a thought on this please comment. Thanks again to all of you for your time. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 I found a KFS-C5 that I can buy for about $125. and I can buy a new RC-62ii for about $400. Any quick votes on which would work best as the center with my two Klipsch Forte's? I would appreciate the guidance. My budget covers either one (and to tell you the truth I might be too audio-deprived to tell the difference). I am trying to build my first surround sound system and also improve dialogue understandability (if that is a word) in movies and TV shows. Thank You, Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnzbd Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I would think the C5 would be a better match. I did own one several years back and the dialog was solid. I can understand about the size issue but if you could get past that the Academy would be a great match. As mentioned before the KT-LCR would also shine in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Single Heresy II; bought mine off eBay for about $190, Delivered. 'course a Single Forte would be best... Oops, just read "size issue"; had a size issue, too & made room. I am very glad I did... Edited January 9, 2015 by Sancho Panza Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hey Ed. I was not encouraging you to not use your Fortes, but suggesting alternate speakers that would work well with the Fortes and accomplish that which you are seeking at a lesser cost. Note the tweeter orientation on the center that you choose. An Academy, for example, placed horizontally will have a narrower horn dispersion than say a KSF-C5. That big horn on the KT-LCR yielded a wide sound field and would be great for dialogue with your Fortes. I own now or have owned all these speakers with the exception of the Fortes. I did own 2 pair of Chorus however. I know it gets confusing. Nevertheless, you can buy a center speaker of your choice and a new multi-channel receiver, if that's what you want, and try out the new center and your Fortes in a 3.0 configuration and you would have some clue as to whether you are getting an improvement in dialogue intelligibility and then go from there with surround speakers. An alternative plan would be for you to send me round trip airfare and lodging for 2-3 days and I can bring a receiver and some center channel speakers and we can try-before-you-buy. It's cold here, btw. Good luck Ed. Take your time deciding what you want. This is supposed to be fun. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Oh, and before I forget. Order your cables from monoprice.com . That's what everyone here does. Saves money for more speakers. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Hi Guys, I know I am trying your patience as I learn about and overthink this speaker stuff. I reread all the threads that have any relationship to this including my own. One piece of advice from you that is consistent is that the best path through this forest is to match the L center and R speakers (not the current path I am on). I can do this by: 1) buying two more Forte speakers, I found a nice set on Craigslist about an hour and a half drive from me. I would then have to build a new equipment cabinet (or two to fit between the speakers) I would end up with a perfectly matched set of speakers and a spare Forte to keep or sell. Cost would be 500-600 dollars for used speakers and wood. 2) I could take a simpler path and buy two RF-62's and a RC-62 and have brand new speakers with a form factor that would work well with my existing equipment cabinet. Cost would be 1000-1200 as these models are now being discounted. Could I please ask for a few of you to advise on what would provide the best speaker set for my emerging surround sound system -- I plan to start with a new high quality amp and a 3.0 config --once I understand that I will later add the other speakers. I really have no idea what offers the best potential and I do know that it depends on my ears etc. but I can't try both and your guess is better than mine. My budget is ok with either path. Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Has anybody here even asked you how large your room is? If I was you, I would pick up the RF-62 ii and RC-62 ii while you still can. You can use your Forte's in a nice 2 channel setup if you have the desire. The Reference ii line is very hard to beat for HT, especially with the close out prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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