7.1.2 Home Theatre for Large Room size

[shrav919]

I'm looking to build a home theatre set up at my new house in a room which is 20' by 29' (Yup, quite a large room) in dimensions, to be used as a living room. You can assume the space used for the System will be 3/4th of that.

 

Right now I am looking at a 7.1.2 configuration with

 

2x RP-260Fs as front L/R,

1x RP-440C as centre

4x RP-240S' for surround,

1x R-112SW subwoofer,

and 2x R-1800-C as ceiling speakers

powered by a Denon X-4300H

 

Would this configuration suffice for the room, or would it be too underpowered? I was also given the option of the RP280Fs, RP-150S, RP-450C with R-115SW, but this seemed a bit pricey for my liking. Also wanted to know if upgrading the subwoofer from 112 to a 115 is recommended.

 

Please give do give your suggestions.

[Paducah Home Theater]

Definitely get the 15, two if possible, or at least plan on adding a second one later.  A single 12 in a room that big isn't going to dig very deep.  Some of those items like the subs are on promotion this month so keep that in mind.  

 

If you were on a strict budget maybe consider ditching the two surrounds in the rear for awhile and spending more on the larger speakers, better ceiling speakers, and/or 4 channel atmos, especially considering some of those items are on promotion while the surrounds are not.  You can wire up the rear surrounds for now and easily finish it out later.  Same with the ceiling speakers, you can add those later.  Way easier and cheaper to simply add stuff later as money and time allows than to upgrade existing stuff.   

[K5SS]

I would up the center to a 450C and go with dual R-115's. If budget is an issue, I'd skip the surround speakers for now and add them later. 

 

Looks like Metro and myself were typing at the same time but he gives solid advice. Also, contact him for a great deal. I have ordered many speakers from him and his prices and service can't be beat. 

[derrickdj1]

That is a large room for HT.  No less than two 15 in. subs, even if one has to be added later.  The larger towers will also make a difference with the largest center channel.  Budget may be tight but, having to replace some of the speakers down the road will end up costing you more in the long run.  Many of us tried to get buy without having to spend as much and had to upgrade anyway.  Getting it right the first time will add to your enjoying the system.  Welcome to the forum and ask all the questions that cross your mind.

[shrav919]

27 minutes ago, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

Definitely get the 15, two if possible, or at least plan on adding a second one later.  A single 12 in a room that big isn't going to dig very deep.  Some of those items like the subs are on promotion this month so keep that in mind.  

 

If you were on a strict budget maybe consider ditching the two surrounds in the rear for awhile and spending more on the larger speakers, better ceiling speakers, and/or 4 channel atmos, especially considering some of those items are on promotion while the surrounds are not.  You can wire up the rear surrounds for now and easily finish it out later.  Same with the ceiling speakers, you can add those later.  Way easier and cheaper to simply add stuff later as money and time allows than to upgrade existing stuff.   

Hey! Thank you for your reply and warm welcome!

I will definitely look to switch to the 15s and add another later for sure. The problem though is that I live in India and everything is atleast twice the price in the USA and there are no festive offers here as well. This is also the reason for my price crunch.

My primary concern was regarding the Center and Tower speakers. Would you say the 450C is significantly better than the 440 and similarly is the RP280F significantly better than the RP260F,  especially for this room? Or would the latter in each case be enough?

Also an acoustic expert i asked mentioned that using the (RP280Fs with the 450C) or (RP260Fs with the 440C) is recommended rather than mixing and matching  (RP280 with 440C for example). He told me something about Sound Pressure which I barely understood. Is this true?

Also you suggest ditching the back surrounds. If I did this, I could accommodate upgrade the center and towers, converting a 7.1.2 to a 5.1.2. Would this lessen the experience I would get?

 

PS: My knowledge is this regard is minimal, so do forgive any mistakes

 

Thanks Again!

 

@derrickdj1 @K5SS

[RoboKlipsch]

I agree a larger sub is fix #1, a 2nd should be priority #2, and then the 450C vs the 440C should be 3rd (imo)

The fronts can always be larger but those are enough actually imo.

If you're a big music guy you may want larger fronts, in which case I would prioritize that as #2 after the sub

 

I like atmos a lot but would rather have the surrounds that atmos as a starting point 

 

Denon I think has Audyssey XT32 which is great should help a lot with dialing it in, especially if you end up with 2 subs at some point

 

Can't stress enough that #1 is the sub...get the 15 if you change nothing else that will make you happiest.  

 

[Charles M]

On 12/23/2016 at 11:25 AM, derrickdj1 said:

That is a large room for HT.  No less than two 15 in. subs, even if one has to be added later.  The larger towers will also make a difference with the largest center channel.  Budget may be tight but, having to replace some of the speakers down the road will end up costing you more in the long run.  Many of us tried to get buy without having to spend as much and had to upgrade anyway.  Getting it right the first time will add to your enjoying the system.  Welcome to the forum and ask all the questions that cross your mind.

 

[Charles M]

I have a Klipsch P312w  my room is 36 by 32 

and if I had two I am sure it would crack the basement walls !

[TImeBandit]

EDIT: WHHOOOOPS!  I see you did share room size, not sure how I missed that - with that size of a room, you are going too small .... upsize. 

 

Original reply:

Without sharing room size, it makes it tough to make a definitive recommendation.

 

I just went through the same process - upgrading my 10-15 year old home theater, and cycling out my Denon 4806 (which is a wonderful AVR) and Def Tech speakers for something a little more beefy.

 

My room is 25 x 16 x 8.5 ft ceilings, and I opted for RP280F front, RP-450C center, and TWO R112SW subs.  If I was going to purchase just one sub it would have been the R115SW.  I plan on upgrading my surrounds to RP-450S soon, and even adding Atmos front height RP-140s to get to 5.2.2.   Let me tell you they sound wonderful. 

 

***EDIT - you would need at least 280F, 450C and 15in sub(s) IMHO for your room size, and consider 7.2 with 250S surrounds.  That is a great space, do it justice.  What I have is a tiny bit of overkill for my space, but would be great in yours.  In fact - if I had that size room, I would change one thing - Get the RF7's for the fronts if you like to listen to music in two channel.  Otherwise the RP280 is fine...  I know, I know, your wallet is screaming in pain right now - but read the bottom of my reply.  Deals are out there if you are patient.

 

I will say the RP's surprised me - I am an old closet audiophile that has been down the "separates" road in past years, but has been relegated to AVR / HT solutions because of time, space and budget.

 

The Denon 4300H - while not underpowered, this is Denon's Made in China line, and although still technically a "good" receiver, it is not geared as much to music / 2 channel quality as, say the 6300H or 7200W would be  IMHO.  Even the x5200w, or the x6200w would be a great choice - both now discontinued and deals still to be had on those.  The higher end Denons are still made in Japan - and have a little better components, if that matters.

 

But if you are mostly HT, then the 4300H will serve nicely IMHO.  Something to consider - if DTS:X, HDR and 4K are not a big priority, the Onkyo 1030 is on Amazon right now for $999, and the 3030 for $1100.  These came out about 1.5 years ago, discontinued in June '16 but are absolute power houses for music and HT.  Note these are throw backs and 45 or 48 lbs respectively, but are great if music is a priority.  Only bringing it up because they are in that "state" of final inventory being cleared, folks have moved on and they represent great value.  Note the WILL do HDCP 2.2, are HDMI 2.0 (not 2.0a) - but the 2.2 is only on one input / output HDMI port.  (I just bought the 3030 as I plan on keeping my VT60 plasma for a number of years, plus the 4K dust needs to settle - let others fix the bugs and the standards settle out - I never like to be on the bleeding edge when it comes to HT).

 

As far as price - consider this - I picked up my two R-112SW's at Fry's for $219 per sub, the RP 280's for $419 a piece and the center channel for  $430 - all at Fry's on deals / promos, and all about a month ago.  So, "price" is relative, and if you are patient, wait for deals, you can actually do quite well.  I am sure that gives a "no way" reaction - but I actually stumbled on the SW price when the sales guy put the promo code in and told me I just saved 230 per sub... that was a good day.  I took my wife out to dinner with the savings ;-)

 

Cheers.

Edited December 31, 2016 by TImeBandit

[shrav919]

On 12/31/2016 at 10:34 AM, TImeBandit said:

EDIT: WHHOOOOPS!  I see you did share room size, not sure how I missed that - with that size of a room, you are going too small .... upsize. 

 

Original reply:

Without sharing room size, it makes it tough to make a definitive recommendation.

 

I just went through the same process - upgrading my 10-15 year old home theater, and cycling out my Denon 4806 (which is a wonderful AVR) and Def Tech speakers for something a little more beefy.

 

My room is 25 x 16 x 8.5 ft ceilings, and I opted for RP280F front, RP-450C center, and TWO R112SW subs.  If I was going to purchase just one sub it would have been the R115SW.  I plan on upgrading my surrounds to RP-450S soon, and even adding Atmos front height RP-140s to get to 5.2.2.   Let me tell you they sound wonderful. 

 

***EDIT - you would need at least 280F, 450C and 15in sub(s) IMHO for your room size, and consider 7.2 with 250S surrounds.  That is a great space, do it justice.  What I have is a tiny bit of overkill for my space, but would be great in yours.  In fact - if I had that size room, I would change one thing - Get the RF7's for the fronts if you like to listen to music in two channel.  Otherwise the RP280 is fine...  I know, I know, your wallet is screaming in pain right now - but read the bottom of my reply.  Deals are out there if you are patient.

 

I will say the RP's surprised me - I am an old closet audiophile that has been down the "separates" road in past years, but has been relegated to AVR / HT solutions because of time, space and budget.

 

The Denon 4300H - while not underpowered, this is Denon's Made in China line, and although still technically a "good" receiver, it is not geared as much to music / 2 channel quality as, say the 6300H or 7200W would be  IMHO.  Even the x5200w, or the x6200w would be a great choice - both now discontinued and deals still to be had on those.  The higher end Denons are still made in Japan - and have a little better components, if that matters.

 

But if you are mostly HT, then the 4300H will serve nicely IMHO.  Something to consider - if DTS:X, HDR and 4K are not a big priority, the Onkyo 1030 is on Amazon right now for $999, and the 3030 for $1100.  These came out about 1.5 years ago, discontinued in June '16 but are absolute power houses for music and HT.  Note these are throw backs and 45 or 48 lbs respectively, but are great if music is a priority.  Only bringing it up because they are in that "state" of final inventory being cleared, folks have moved on and they represent great value.  Note the WILL do HDCP 2.2, are HDMI 2.0 (not 2.0a) - but the 2.2 is only on one input / output HDMI port.  (I just bought the 3030 as I plan on keeping my VT60 plasma for a number of years, plus the 4K dust needs to settle - let others fix the bugs and the standards settle out - I never like to be on the bleeding edge when it comes to HT).

 

As far as price - consider this - I picked up my two R-112SW's at Fry's for $219 per sub, the RP 280's for $419 a piece and the center channel for  $430 - all at Fry's on deals / promos, and all about a month ago.  So, "price" is relative, and if you are patient, wait for deals, you can actually do quite well.  I am sure that gives a "no way" reaction - but I actually stumbled on the SW price when the sales guy put the promo code in and told me I just saved 230 per sub... that was a good day.  I took my wife out to dinner with the savings ;-)

 

Cheers.

Hey! Thank you for such a detailed reply! I will be going ahead and buying a 7.1.2 system with 2xRP-280Fs, 1xRP-450C, 4xRP-250S, 2xR-1800C and R-115SW for subs. The RF7's are extremely costly in India and way over my budget. Regarding the A/VR, since I'll be using the setup mostly for movies I've decided on the Denon 4300H.

 

I will be shelling out more than twice the amount you paid as I live in India and there are no offers here, but I do realise that this will be investment which will last me for years.

[wvu80]

I know you want 7.1 but I agree with others that your money is best spent on the L/C/R.

 

The surround speakers usually play ambient sounds, birds chirping, random gun fire, distant explosions.  The BACK speakers usually play what the surround speakers do.

 

MOST of the content will come from the L/R.  With movies 90% is dialog, and 90% of the dialog comes out of the centre speaker.  Get the best centre speaker you can afford.

 

I also agree that a 15" sub is much better than a 12" because it pushes more air.  That's what your consultant was trying to tell you about pressurizing the room.  If you have a larger room then you need to push more air to get that "feeling" of sound, or chest thump.  The larger subs will give you more of that feeling than the smaller subs, in general.

+++

 

Welcome to the Klipsch Forums.  It is nice to have someone posting here from India.  Ask all the questions you want.  Sometimes it takes some time for thinking, then re-thinking speakers before things finally fall into place and you figure out which exact speakers you need.

[shrav919]

7 hours ago, wvu80 said:

I know you want 7.1 but I agree with others that your money is best spent on the L/C/R.

 

The surround speakers usually play ambient sounds, birds chirping, random gun fire, distant explosions.  The BACK speakers usually play what the surround speakers do.

 

MOST of the content will come from the L/R.  With movies 90% is dialog, and 90% of the dialog comes out of the centre speaker.  Get the best centre speaker you can afford.

 

I also agree that a 15" sub is much better than a 12" because it pushes more air.  That's what your consultant was trying to tell you about pressurizing the room.  If you have a larger room then you need to push more air to get that "feeling" of sound, or chest thump.  The larger subs will give you more of that feeling than the smaller subs, in general.

+++

 

Welcome to the Klipsch Forums.  It is nice to have someone posting here from India.  Ask all the questions you want.  Sometimes it takes some time for thinking, then re-thinking speakers before things finally fall into place and you figure out which exact speakers you need.

Hey Dave! Thanks for your reply and your warm welcome! I will be going big up front with RP-280s and the RP-450C and will be going with the R-115SW and will look to add another soon (if only it feels like its needed)

Thanks again! 

Cheers!

[Charles M]

On 12/30/2016 at 10:04 PM, TImeBandit said:

EDIT: WHHOOOOPS!  I see you did share room size, not sure how I missed that - with that size of a room, you are going too small .... upsize. 

 

Original reply:

Without sharing room size, it makes it tough to make a definitive recommendation.

 

I just went through the same process - upgrading my 10-15 year old home theater, and cycling out my Denon 4806 (which is a wonderful AVR) and Def Tech speakers for something a little more beefy.

 

My room is 25 x 16 x 8.5 ft ceilings, and I opted for RP280F front, RP-450C center, and TWO R112SW subs.  If I was going to purchase just one sub it would have been the R115SW.  I plan on upgrading my surrounds to RP-450S soon, and even adding Atmos front height RP-140s to get to 5.2.2.   Let me tell you they sound wonderful. 

 

***EDIT - you would need at least 280F, 450C and 15in sub(s) IMHO for your room size, and consider 7.2 with 250S surrounds.  That is a great space, do it justice.  What I have is a tiny bit of overkill for my space, but would be great in yours.  In fact - if I had that size room, I would change one thing - Get the RF7's for the fronts if you like to listen to music in two channel.  Otherwise the RP280 is fine...  I know, I know, your wallet is screaming in pain right now - but read the bottom of my reply.  Deals are out there if you are patient.

 

I will say the RP's surprised me - I am an old closet audiophile that has been down the "separates" road in past years, but has been relegated to AVR / HT solutions because of time, space and budget.

 

The Denon 4300H - while not underpowered, this is Denon's Made in China line, and although still technically a "good" receiver, it is not geared as much to music / 2 channel quality as, say the 6300H or 7200W would be  IMHO.  Even the x5200w, or the x6200w would be a great choice - both now discontinued and deals still to be had on those.  The higher end Denons are still made in Japan - and have a little better components, if that matters.

 

But if you are mostly HT, then the 4300H will serve nicely IMHO.  Something to consider - if DTS:X, HDR and 4K are not a big priority, the Onkyo 1030 is on Amazon right now for $999, and the 3030 for $1100.  These came out about 1.5 years ago, discontinued in June '16 but are absolute power houses for music and HT.  Note these are throw backs and 45 or 48 lbs respectively, but are great if music is a priority.  Only bringing it up because they are in that "state" of final inventory being cleared, folks have moved on and they represent great value.  Note the WILL do HDCP 2.2, are HDMI 2.0 (not 2.0a) - but the 2.2 is only on one input / output HDMI port.  (I just bought the 3030 as I plan on keeping my VT60 plasma for a number of years, plus the 4K dust needs to settle - let others fix the bugs and the standards settle out - I never like to be on the bleeding edge when it comes to HT).

 

As far as price - consider this - I picked up my two R-112SW's at Fry's for $219 per sub, the RP 280's for $419 a piece and the center channel for  $430 - all at Fry's on deals / promos, and all about a month ago.  So, "price" is relative, and if you are patient, wait for deals, you can actually do quite well.  I am sure that gives a "no way" reaction - but I actually stumbled on the SW price when the sales guy put the promo code in and told me I just saved 230 per sub... that was a good day.  I took my wife out to dinner with the savings ;-)

 

Cheers.

 

[Charles M]

TWO RF7 II
RC 64 II CENTER 
TWO RP250S REARS
KLIPSCH P-312 SUB

and  two  Heresy 

with TX -NR  Onkyo 747 

[Charles M]

This is what I am running, if you played  enter the Sandman and you were bald , you would think you are growing hair ! Lol 

[Charles M]

On 12/23/2016 at 11:13 AM, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

Definitely get the 15, two if possible, or at least plan on adding a second one later.  A single 12 in a room that big isn't going to dig very deep.  Some of those items like the subs are on promotion this month so keep that in mind.  

 

If you were on a strict budget maybe consider ditching the two surrounds in the rear for awhile and spending more on the larger speakers, better ceiling speakers, and/or 4 channel atmos, especially considering some of those items are on promotion while the surrounds are not.  You can wire up the rear surrounds for now and easily finish it out later.  Same with the ceiling speakers, you can add those later.  Way easier and cheaper to simply add stuff later as money and time allows than to upgrade existing stuff.   

 

[Charles M]

TWO RF7 II
RC 64 II CENTER 
TWO RP250S REARS
KLIPSCH P-312 SUB

plus.  Two Heresy 

and the NR TX 747 

thats what I am running also I just put up a wall to make the room 25 by 22