About to buy my first Klipsch speakers, and could use some help please

[KillerGurt]

Hi guys,

 

For years I have been using B&W speakers and Onkyo receivers in my HT systems. I was lucky to own the Nautilus 802, 803 and 804 series which I powered with various Onkyo receivers and Rotel amps.

These days my setup is much more modest and I currently have an Onkyo 803, CM8 mains, CM center and 2 LM1 backs. I only run 5.1 at the moment.

I have been unhappy with my system for a long time, I feel that both music and movie content sounds anemic and dull. I am bi-amping my mains with the Onkyo but it really does not help.

I decided I want to make a change and after a talk that I had with one of my friends I turned my attention to Klipsch. I always knew of Klipsch but I never thought that they could match the quaity of B&W.

 

To make a long story short, I have decided to buy a pair of the RF-7ii and the RC-64ii center and had a few questions that I wanted to ask:

 

1. I was considering buying an Emotiva XPA-1 amp to power up the RF-7ii's, that is a 600W per speaker.

2. I then thought to maybe get the Emotiva XPA Gen 3 and bi-amp all 3 speakers (mains and center), that is 2 x 225W for each speaker.

3. Or I could just leave it as is and let my Onkyo 838 do the job.

 

Since I am just learning about Klipsch speakers and their incredible efficiency, I am not sure which route to take. Is powering up the main speakers with 600W each too much? Is it going to create an unbalanced listening experience if the center is powered by the Onkyo and the mains by the Emotiva amp?

 

I was planning on keeping my small B&W surround speakers and my PV1 subwoofer in the name of saving money for the time being, is this doable? Do you think I should have all the speakers by Klipsch?

 

Thank you in advance for helping, I know that those are a lot of questions, I really want to make the right move here, it's a lot of money...

 

Cheers,

KillerGurt.

[Youthman]

Welcome to the forums Killer!

 

The RF-7ii and RC-64ii are great speakers.  I owned them for years until I bought a pair of LaScalas on a whim and somehow my HT spiraled down the Heritage Rabbit hole of no return.  LOL 

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

1. I was considering buying an Emotiva XPA-1 amp to power up the RF-7ii's, that is a 600W per speaker.

Great amp, but IMO overkill.

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

2. I then thought to maybe get the Emotiva XPA Gen 3 and bi-amp all 3 speakers (mains and center), that is 2 x 225W for each speaker.

That would provide more than adequate power to your front sound stage.  I think it would be a great choice.

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

3. Or I could just leave it as is and let my Onkyo 838 do the job.

I've had the privilege of driving RF-83 / RC-64 and RF7ii / RC-64ii with receivers and adding 200w / ch power amps (Parasound, B&K, and Sherbourn) and I did notice a difference with the amp vs with just a receiver.  Better separation of musical instruments, better bass even at low volume and you can crank the speakers to extreme levels without distortion.  Was it absolute night and day difference?  No.  Was it noticeable difference?  Absolutely.  Once I purchased my first 200 w/ch amp I have never gone back until purchasing the LaScalas. I simply heard zero difference with and without an amp due to their high efficiency.  If you are questioning buying the amp, you can always try it without an amp and then if you feel you are missing something or just need to know first hand how much difference it will make, you can add it down the road.  Emotiva offers a 30 day Money Back so if you don't feel it's worth the investment, you can always return it.

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

Is powering up the main speakers with 600W each too much?

I think so.  The law of diminishing return is at work here.  Also, it takes 2x the power to gain 3db in volume.  So you have to go going from a 300w / ch amp to a 600w / ch amp will give you a whopping 3db gain in volume.

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

Is it going to create an unbalanced listening experience if the center is powered by the Onkyo and the mains by the Emotiva amp?

I always had my RF-83 / RC-64 with either a receiver or 200w to each speaker....I never tried using power amp on the mains and receiver for the center.  Will it be unbalanced?  Not as far as levels as your receiver can balance the volume.  My hesitation is if you are going to give your mains power, why skimp on the center which is a critical role in movies.  If you are going to get an amp, I would at least power the mains and center.  Surrounds would be fine being driven by your receiver.

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

I was planning on keeping my small B&W surround speakers and my PV1 subwoofer in the name of saving money for the time being, is this doable?

Absolutely, most of us build our system over time.  We often use what we have until something better comes along down the road. 

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

Do you think I should have all the speakers by Klipsch?

Not necessarily.  I ran Velodyne subs with all of my systems for years until I bought a Klipsch RSW-15 and it performed as well as a pair of Velodyne HGS-15's  Sold the Velos and now I have 4 RSW-15's. 

 

1 hour ago, KillerGurt said:

I know that those are a lot of questions, I really want to make the right move here, it's a lot of money...

.  That's what this forum is about.  Feel free to ask all the questions you want.  We are here to help (spend your money). 

[Youthman]

I forgot to mention, I have ALWAYS loved B&W and Klipsch.  I used to go into Sound Advice as a teen and drool over them, never dreaming I would one day own any of them.  When I got older and ready to build my first real HT setup, I found that my ears loved the sound of both brands, but Klipsch was much cheaper so I went that route. 

 

There were times that I tried to dip back into B&W to see if I was missing something and although I never owned the really high end B&W, I had a chance to own several B&W from the DM series including the DM603 S3

 

 

 

I loved the sound from the B&W DM603 S3 and had a chance to compare them to a similar level Klipsch Speaker....the RF5 and although there was more bass at low volume with the B&W (which I liked because I did not have a sub in the living room), when you crank them up, they began to get really boomy and did not sound near as clear as the Klipsch so I sold them and went back to Klipsch.

 

 

 

I say that to say I have nothing but love for B&W but have never been dissatisfied with any of the MANY klipsch speakers I have owned over the years including the following (except the Palladiums....I only took photos of them and demoed them):

[KillerGurt]

Hi Youthman,

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Since the XPA Gen 3 is a modular amp, I can buy it in multiple configurations, from 1 to 7 channels basically.

Since I intend to power up the front speakers, should I get 6 channels and bi-amp the fronts and center 6 x 225W), or get 3 channels (3 x 275W) without bi-amping?

I am very excited to get those speakers, I feel like I will finally be happy with my system again and start watching more movies and listening to more music.

 

Thanks again!

[Youthman]

I tried bi-amount with a receiver (not with an amp) and I heard zero difference.  Some claim they hear a difference, many say not.  I'm in the later camp.  I thin you would benefit more by putting your money into a better sub or multiple subs.

[derrickdj1]

As youthman said, 600 watts will be wasted.  Two Hundred is reasonable and about where most of us top out.  I would not waste the time bi-amping the speakers either.  A lot of tried it and most did not hear a difference.  Put any extra money to an avr or subs.  This will bring the most improvement after the RC 64 II and RF 7 II's.  I use an avr with a modest power amp and feel comfortable power wise.  The avr has plenty of power but, I need the amp for Atmos channels.  Surround channels don't need as much power as the front 3.

[Grizzog]

I've got the RF7ii/64ii driven by an outlaw audio 5000. It does 5x120w all channels driven at 8 ohms. This is more than enough power for me to have live listening levels in my 14'x21' family room. 200wpc should be more than sufficient for your needs. 

[KillerGurt]

Thank you very much guys, I know what I need to do now :-)

I'll update and post some pics of my new setup once everything arrives.

[Scrappydue]

Do not waste money on Xpa-6 channel amp. Bi amping is a total waste. Extra power gets burned up in the passive crossover. And Xpa-3 will be plenty. Or if you do a lot of stereo listening just get a killer 2 channel amp and let your onkyo run everything else. 

[KillerGurt]

Thank you Scrappy, I was just about to order the XPA 3, configured with 3 x 275W to power up my fronts and center and let the Onkyo run the surround speakers for now. (I believe the Onkyo does 7 x 140W). The XPA 3 is a modular amp which is great, as if I ever need to add more amplification, I can send it back and add up to 4 more amplification channels.

I do want to amplify the 3 front speakers because I am watching a lot of movies and do want to pronounced center performance and clear dialogue.

 

Should I be looking at another brand than Emotiva? Should be something around the same price range.

I am very tempted to also buy the RP-240S or RP250S and have a (almost) complete set, I am just not sure how I can position them in my living room. Do they have a floor-stand that I can put them on? Not sure I can mount them on the wall.

 

Anyway, I got a pretty sweet deal price-wise and going to make my purchase today/tomorrow.

 

Cheers and thank you again!

[KillerGurt]

I just realized I had a couple more questions about wiring:

 

1. What kind of speaker cables should I use for the RF-7ii and RC-64ii? 16 AWG, pure copper?

2. Do I need a special type of RCA cables to connect the receiver to the power amp?

 

Thank you!

[Youthman]

 Speaker cables is the debatable topic but in my opinion copper is copper I have never heard any difference in sound between one cable to the next .   I buy all of my cables and speaker wire at Monoprice.  

[Scrappydue]

5 hours ago, KillerGurt said:

Thank you Scrappy, I was just about to order the XPA 3, configured with 3 x 275W to power up my fronts and center and let the Onkyo run the surround speakers for now. (I believe the Onkyo does 7 x 140W). The XPA 3 is a modular amp which is great, as if I ever need to add more amplification, I can send it back and add up to 4 more amplification channels.

I do want to amplify the 3 front speakers because I am watching a lot of movies and do want to pronounced center performance and clear dialogue.

 

Should I be looking at another brand than Emotiva? Should be something around the same price range.

I am very tempted to also buy the RP-240S or RP250S and have a (almost) complete set, I am just not sure how I can position them in my living room. Do they have a floor-stand that I can put them on? Not sure I can mount them on the wall.

 

Anyway, I got a pretty sweet deal price-wise and going to make my purchase today/tomorrow.

 

Cheers and thank you again!

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