Is the RC-64 too much center for RB-61 front channels?

[cinaibur]

Hey guys,

 

I've recently moved out of my apartment and bought my first house. My setup was originally RB-61 fronts with a RC-62 center. Due to some size limitations when mounting, I opted to trade the RC-62 for an RC-52. Now that I have moved, I am considering a new change (the RC-64), I plan in the future to use my RB-61's and purchase RF-82's for the front. That's my reasoning for wanting the RC-64. 

 

My question is, will the RC-64 be too much in the interim (possibly more that a year) paired with my current RB-61 fronts?

[Youthman]

Congrats on buying your first house!  The house we are living in now was our 1st home as well that we purchased 9 years ago. 

 

That's a tough call for me.  You could upgrade to the RB-82's first.  The RF-82 would be a significant improvement over the RB-61's.  In past experience, the RC-52 just can't keep up with the RF-82's.

 

I absolutely love the sound of the RB-61's.  They are fantastic, especially for bookshelf speakers.  Not sure how well they would keep up with the RC-64. 

[wvu80]

Agree with Youthman on the close call, there are good arguments on both sides of this question.  There is a majority opinion which tends to go with "timbre matching", but no clear consensus so don't take my opinion as gospel.

 

1. I don't worry about L/R keeping up with the center.  Any modern AVR with room correction software can match speakers to reference.
2. I like getting the best QUALITY center you can afford.

Edited May 19, 2016 by wvu80

[cinaibur]

Congrats on buying your first house!  The house we are living in now was our 1st home as well that we purchased 9 years ago. 

 

That's a tough call for me.  You could upgrade to the RB-82's first.  The RF-82 would be a significant improvement over the RB-61's.  In past experience, the RC-52 just can't keep up with the RF-82's.

 

I absolutely love the sound of the RB-61's.  They are fantastic, especially for bookshelf speakers.  Not sure how well they would keep up with the RC-64. 

 

Definitely not upgrading to the RF-82's first. I'm already unhappy with the RC-52 with my RB-61's. My choices at this point are RC-62, RC-64, or screw it new sub... Would the RC-62 pair well with the RF-82's?

[Youthman]

Yes the RC62 was designed for the RF82's

[Youthman]

The RC64 is a better speaker but the RC62 is a great speaker as well. I've never liked the sound of the RC52. Pretty unimpressive.

[fuzzydog]

The RC64 is a better speaker but the RC62 is a great speaker as well.

 

 

I would agree with this.  I think your decision should consider the size of your room and typical listening volumes.  

 

I have my RC-64 in a large bonus room where we watch movies at higher volumes while my RC-62 is in a smaller family room where we just watch regular tv.  They both work well for their respective uses.

[K5SS]

How large is the room? What subwoofer are you currently using?

Having owned all of the speakers mentioned in this thread, my vote goes new subwoofer. The RC-62 is a wonderful center speaker and to be honest, I didn't notice a massive difference between the RC-62 and the RC-64 when I was testing them out.

As long as your room isn't the size of a an auditorium, and you don't listen at rock concert levels, the RB-61 and RC-62 is a great combo. With that said, a quality, well placed subwoofer will take a bunch of strain off your relatively small speakers during demanding scenes/tracks.

[Youthman]

Having owned all of the speakers mentioned in this thread, my vote goes new subwoofer.

Wouldn't that mean he would be running RB-61 with RC-52 (which he is unhappy with) and a new sub?  I would think he would want to get the front soundstage to his liking before adding a better sub.

[K5SS]

Totally misunderstood what he was saying. I thought he said he already had the RC-62. My bad!

[cinaibur]

It sounds like the RC-62 is the good choice since this setup is in my family room. 

[derrickdj1]

My vote would be for the RC 62.  It should be a perfect match for the bookshelf speakers and has plenty of presence in the front stage.  Once you get the front stage complete, carefully consider what you want out of the subwoofers, extension(not much good without enough spl behind it), great mid bass(packs the dynamics for movie), and how many you need for the room.

[Frzninvt]

My thought is you can never have too much "center" it is the most important speaker in your HT that all the other speakers are anchored too.  It produces 90% of the dialogue so I would think you would want the most robust one that you can afford.  As previously stated you can adjust it to match the current mains and it allows for future expansion. 

 

However, that being said if it is not the correct timbre' match to your mains I would get the center that is for the best possible performance.

[eth2]

A few days ago, new RC-64's were selling on Audiogon for $485 shipped. They sold out within a few hours. Perhaps a forum member bought them for resale. I would run a WTB ad here to see.

[Scrappydue]

How large is the room? What subwoofer are you currently using?

Having owned all of the speakers mentioned in this thread, my vote goes new subwoofer. The RC-62 is a wonderful center speaker and to be honest, I didn't notice a massive difference between the RC-62 and the RC-64 when I was testing them out.

As long as your room isn't the size of a an auditorium, and you don't listen at rock concert levels, the RB-61 and RC-62 is a great combo. With that said, a quality, well placed subwoofer will take a bunch of strain off your relatively small speakers during demanding scenes/tracks.

yes this! The 62 is a really good center. 64 is barely better performance wise. Looks wise yeah of course. It's veneer. But the performance isn't there in my opinion for the price jump. Get you a 62 if you can find one. Then get our 82's and call it a day. Where are ou located? Maybe someone has one and can give you a great deal

[cinaibur]

Any suggestions on a sub that pairs well with the RB-61's?

[Scrappydue]

Pick your poison. What's your budget? How's big is your room? Size constraint?

[cinaibur]

Pick your poison. What's your budget? How's big is your room? Size constraint?

25x18 family room. All woof paneling with a brick fireplace. Not looking for max power, just trying to balance out the system. Under $400 preferred but I can do up to $500.

[K5SS]

With a room that size and that budget, you are much better going the DIY route.

Serious home theater subwoofers generally start around $1k. 2 of the new Klipsch 15's might suffice but that path would put you at about double your budget, even with a discount.

The center channel and subwoofer are very important parts of home theater. Your money is spent wisely in those sections of your system.

[derrickdj1]

That's a big room for one sub in that price range.  Two vented subs to start with for that size room.  It may be worth saving a bit and then shop for subs.  Many of us started with the hope of not spending much on subs and in a short while , not happy.