New to Klipsch and HTs

[Jon Sharp]

So I traded some work for an Onkyo TX-SR393 and 2 klipsh R51M's and a Sony SSCS8 center channel.  I also recently bought a house that I set up my home theater in my living room 16 x 21 with vaulted ceilings, so probably not ideal.  Listening to this setup I really liked the Klipsch speaker's so I went out and purchased 2 R-620F's and got a great deal on 2 used R-120sw's and moved the R51M's to my surround.  However I am really struggling with calibrating the setup in this area and I don't know what I need to do next. So my question is should I just upgrade my center and my receiver or should I focus on calibration and placement?  I made my purchases without any research and now I feel like I should have had a plan in mind but on the other hand I am new to this.  I get things set where I like them on certain movies and then other movies I feel like its off balance and then music varies so much, is this normal?

[HenrikTJ]

Hi

Yes, getting a klipsch center would be a good upgrade. Since you've already started on a reference line setup, I would suggest continuing doing so, at least for appearance sakes. Getting another receiver might be a good move for you too. Onkyo's AccuEQ isn't the best of room correction softwares out there. However, before making any quick purchases, I would recommend trying out different receiver brands to get to know what you like the most. I'm assuming this Onkyo is your first avr, so getting to know what else the market has to offer will only be good for you.   

 

In addition to getting a klipsch center, speaker placement should also be a focus. Since all of your speakers are rear ported, it is important to not place speakers too close against a wall. We're talking at least 15 inches between speaker and back-wall. All speakers should also point inwards towards the main seating area. If space is a problem, surrounds doesn't have to be directly to the side of the seating area. Don't remember the recommended angles, but they can be a bit off axis. 

 

Calibration wise, you can run AccuEQ and do some tweeks later on to crossovers, db levels, distances and such. A common thing with all room correction softwares is underpowering of the center channel. Most people choose to up the db lvl on the center to make it more present. On the other hand, you could also do everything manually. It will take considerably more time, but your understanding of your own system will be a lot better. Most people just run the software program and call it a day, thinking they're getting the best the avr has to offer. 

 

Now onto what you're saying about your systems inconsistency of sound. Having to move speakers around based on what movie you're watching seems bizarre. Can't actually think of any reason why that is. Someone else will have to figure that one out i'm afraid, though correctly calibrating your speakers whilst they are placed in the correct positions in the room should help. As for your music, is it possible that you've been listening with different sound modes? For music, I recommend "pure audio". This may also be called "pure direct" or "music optimizer". It should be a button on the left side of your Onkyo's front panel. This setting shuts down everything going on with the receiver that can't contribute to getting the cleanest sound out of your receiver. It basically turns your surround receiver to a 2ch amp. Subwoofers usually don't work when this setting is on. Pure direct is supposed to only support the front left and right, but sometimes it gives signal to the sub too.