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Deciding on new HT speakers set


G. J. Man

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Hi all, I just joined. I have not bought my speakers yet, but decided to join this forum, ask questions, and educate myself before buying. The part that I have decided already is that it will be Klipsch speakers :)

 

Trying to decide which speakers is very confusing. So far, I have decided to go with Reference series (R Premiere is out of my budget).  The problem is that it is not clear what references are the new ones, which ones are legacy, or even the same reference is listed twice in Klipsch's website with different part numbers.

 

My room is a long mid size rectangle (14.5 x 30 feet). The TV goes in a short side. I got a Denon AVR-X3600H Receiver. Within the Reference family I was planning to get this:

 

First going with a 5.1 system as follow:

R-820F. A pair of these as front left and right

R-120SW  As Subwoofer

R-52C As Center

R-41 As Side surround (Connection already prewired at the top-sides of the back wall, so they will be angled to point mid high - center of the room)

 

In 6 moths or so, switch to a 7.1.2 system as follows:

Switch the pair of R-41S as Surround back in the receiver

Add R-14S as Surround sides (Connection already prewired at the top-middle of the side walls, so angled to point mid high)

Add R-41SA As Surround Atmos on top of the front towers.

** If I find an easy way of wiring in the already finished ceiling, maybe add a coupe of in-ceiling speakers for a 7.1.4

 

The main questions I have are:

1- For subwoofer, is it better 1 R-120SW or dual R-100SW?

2- I might need to switch from R-820F towers to R-620 due to space in the front with the already built-in shelfs in the TV wall. Given the rest of the setup, will this affect the sound drastically?

3- Are these references the correct ones from the current reference family? It is confusing to find R-620, R-26F, R-100SW, R-10SW, etc. And some of these references are not listed when you browse the Klipsch website speakers section. Only if you know the reference and search for it. Or, for example, R-41M are listed twice, but one says All-New. Same with the R-41SA.

4- The side surrounds that I plan to add later, the R-14S, I am not sure if those are discontinued and still on sale as to get rid of inventory. (listed as Limited). If that is the case, what is the current reference replacing it? Due to shape and size, these fit perfectly where I would need them. But if it is better to have the latest generation, I would get those.

5- Is it correct to mix the Reference series I listed here with the R-41SA Atmos? (This is the only one that says Dolby Atmos compatible, or something like that). I believe this is the proper combination but not sure since I read about how you cannot simply mix and match some of the speakers for proper Atmos setup. My guess is that the ones configured to work as Atmos should be the ones properly built for that, but just confirming.

6- The R-41SA reference is found in two designs. Sometimes the speakers are on the longest surface of the Speakers ( the part that is on an angle), sometimes in the second longest (The part that makes the log side if they were a rectangle). Is there a difference? simply year of manufacturing? what is it?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

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Hi there!

I'll be answering your Q1-6 and after there will be a paragraph or five you might benefit from.

 

1. Definitely dual r100sw. The r120sw will for sure give more kick, but what you really want is to weed out all the dead-spots in your room.

 

2. I'd say kinda. With the size of your room and the fact that reference is the limit, I'd go as big as reference can get. Believe me when I say you want that extra woofer. But of course, you wouldn't know what you're missing out on, so in actual fact, it won't make that much of a difference. But I wouldn't want you to get the feeling that whichever speaker you do choose starts to feel weak, so I'd go as big as I could if I were you. 

 

3. All the speakers you have chosen are the newest editions within their categories apart from the r-14s. That one is a side surround speaker from the previous reference line which came out in 2014. Just fyi, had a look at the components of your listed speakers and the r-14s and you wouldn't have any timbre mismatching. Tried to search for the r-41m and the r-41SA myself and only got the one listing, so I don't know what to say about that one

 

4. As said in Q3, the r-14s is a side surround speaker from the previous reference line back in 2014. But, since the components from these two lines of reference speakers more or less match, timbre mismatch shouldn't be a problem. The current reference line don't have a dipole/bipole surround speaker. The only side surrounds for the current reference line would be the bookshelf speakers. 

 

5. If you're asking about wether or not the r-41SA is part of the current reference line, than yes, it is part of the current reference line of speakers. I won't presume to know what you've read but what you might have read about is the new tech feature in atmos speakers that elevate their ability to bounce sound off surfaces. This feature is a load of bs. At the end of the day, a speaker is a speaker. It has tweeter(s) and it has woofer(s). 

 

6. I tried to search around and couldn't really find the different designs. Can only find the first one you described. Sorry!

 

 

First off, nice of you to try to educate yourself a bit before buying! Lord knows not many do and end up regretting it all afterwards. And on that note, are you certain klipsch is the one for you? If at all possible, try to see if any of your local retailers could give you a demo of the speakers you want. They won't sound the same in the store as they will in your own house, but at least you'll have an angle. 

 

I get the feeling it has been a bit difficult finding out which speakers belong and match with each other, which is understandable seeing as klispch's web page setup can be a bit wonky, especially in regards of older models. Just so you know, if you search and click on one speaker on klipsch.com, scroll down and click on the speaker manual under "downloads", you will find a chart of every speaker in the same line as the one you are currently viewing.

 

One thing you have to realize is that the technology of a speaker hasn't changed in about 20yrs. So "old" or "new" has very little to say. You could for example mix the 2014 reference line and the current one and have no problems with timbre. Just have a look at what kind of tweeter and woofer a speaker has and hopefully it matches the rest of your system. But if you are like me, the esthetics do matter, and when I land on a speaker line, I won't budge from it. 

 

You say that the RP line is for the time being out of reach, and that is okay. I myself think the new RP line is waaaaay overpriced. But as with the reference line, the RP line also have an older edition. I have speakers from that line and am pretty happy with them. Since they are an older edition, they will be cheaper, but will perform better than any speakers from the reference line, old or new. On my page on this forum you'll se a summary of my own system.

 

Good luck with your system!

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Thanks for the response. So, regarding your comments:

 

1-  I’ll go with dual 100SW then;

 

2- I’ll go with the 820 towers too;

 

3- some show two different numbers:

R-41M #1066233 (Labelled All-New)

R-41M #1065838

Anyhow, I’ll order and see what I get;

 

4- ok. I even found 2 different pictures for the R-14S (screen is detachable in one). So, I’ll order and see which model I get. As you said, they are part of the reference line, so similar timbre. 

 

5- and 6- ok, I’ll get the R-41SA to place on top of the towers.

 

My only doubt then is switching the surround backs from R-41M to R-51M

 

Thanks for the info about the manual. So it seems all are in the family, even the older R-14S. But that shape will go well where I need it.

 

Btw, regarding previous RP line, I’m getting the reference at 50% off. The RP is way more than than, even for a 3.1 system.
 

cheers

Edited by G. J. Man
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On 1/13/2020 at 2:37 PM, HenrikTJ said:

 

You say that the RP line is for the time being out of reach, and that is okay. I myself think the new RP line is waaaaay overpriced. But as with the reference line, the RP line also have an older edition. I have speakers from that line and am pretty happy with them. Since they are an older edition, they will be cheaper, but will perform better than any speakers from the reference line, old or new. On my page on this forum you'll se a summary of my own system.

 

Good luck with your system!

Actually, I forgot to ask. Sound-wise, would it be better a Reference Premier 3.1 or maybe 5.1 system as opposed to the full 7.2.2 Reference? I’m asking because I might get similar discount on that line too. 

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