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Questions from a noob - bookshelf vs towers


JDMezi

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Hey all,

 

My wife and I are beginning the process of renovating and finishing our whole basement.  In the main open area we were initially putting in a family room/game room with a TV and sound bar; nothing super high end or fancy.  Then,  in a stand-alone room, the plan was to do a full on designated home theater with some nicer equipment.  However, life and the pandemic has changed a few things for us and we have scratched the designated theater.  The plan now is to do a larger home office space and an at home gym.  Seeing as the designated home theater has been scratched from the plans, I wanted to beef up the system a bit that will be tied to the family room space.  I was initially just going to pick up the full Sonos Arc system, with sub and two One SLs for rear surrounds.  My wife (the boss) isn’t all that fond of having a huge system in that finished space.  She’s not totally against it, but is for sure a harder sell.  She was fine with a larger system being in a standalone designated theater, but not in the main area.  This is how I landed on the Sonos system.  I heard that system at a buddies house and thought it sounded pretty solid for something lower profile, but I’m still not totally sold, especially for the price.  I’m thinking I want a bit more out of the system down there than what that Sonos system can offer.  I mean in the end it’s just a sound bar.  I felt the overall Dolby Atmos effects to be a bit lackluster, as a anticipated.  

 

So that brings me here, back to where I was initially, with Klipsch.  The hope is that if I move towards somewhat smaller bookshelf speakers that we can set on the built in cabinet counters instead of the larger and more expensive tower/floor speakers, she will be good with it.  

 

I’m in the US.  The dimensions of the family room area is as follows:  12ft wide x  22ft long, x 7.8ft or so high once finished.  The space will be somewhat open to the adjacent game room.  The TV, a 65 inch LG CX, will be mounted on the wall above a mantle.  I know that isn’t ideal, but that’s what I’m working with. 

 

For the moment I’m leaning towards the RP-504C for center.  I want to make sure that front speaker is a good one.  Initially I was leaning towards towers/floor standing speakers, but am now looking at the RP500M or RP600M for front left and right speakers.  I would like to say pricing isn’t an option, but with the current cost of framing lumber and construction materials it no doubt is.  Here are some questions for you folks, as I’m a total noob when it comes to this stuff:

 

  1. What speaker, the RP500M or the RP600M pairs better with the RP-504C, especially for a room that size?  These will go on (not in) built in cabinet counters to the left and right of fireplace.  Is the improvement with going with a tower such as the RP6000F that significant? I am planning on picking up SW as well. 
  2. What about for the rear surrounds - RP500M, RP600M or the RP502S?  I realize the 502S are meant to be surrounds, but have also read when Atmos is desired a more directional speaker may be a better choice. Thoughts?
  3. What about an accompanying SW?  I prefer to keep aesthetics similar and stick with the matching Klipsch SW.   
  4. I would also like to add some Atmos speakers, perhaps wired in the ceiling, before we sheetrock.  I’m thinking at least two initially for a 5.1.2 system.  Any suggestions?  We may do this at a later date, or add two more for a 5.1.4 system, but was hoping for some suggestions.  

 

I apologize for all of the questions, as I said I’m a noob when it comes to this stuff.  I appreciate everyone’s time and any feedback/input offered. 

 

Cheers!

 

-JD

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I think you're making a wise choice under the circumstances... while home gyms aren't for everyone and most get neglected after the novelty has worn off, I can attest that for me, building my home gym in January 2020 (totally unrelated to the pandemic that followed shortly afterwards), turned out to be one of the best investments I've made in recent years. I consistently hit it a minimum of twice a week, and it has done wonders for my kitesurfing and overall strength and fitness... 🙂

 

Now over to your questions:

 

16 hours ago, JDMezi said:

What speaker, the RP500M or the RP600M pairs better with the RP-504C, especially for a room that size?  These will go on (not in) built in cabinet counters to the left and right of fireplace.  Is the improvement with going with a tower such as the RP6000F that significant? I am planning on picking up SW as well. 

 

The RP-600M's are one of the best reviewed bookshelf speakers in their price range, so you can't go wrong with these. If it were me, I'd go with the 600's over the 500's so that you don't feel like you are missing anything later... but I'm sure the 500's are great as well. Both will pair well with the 504C (excellent center speaker btw), but again, I'd go 600 and be done with it... I can't say what the difference would be to the 6000F's, but if it were me, I'd skip the 6000's and go straight to the RP-8000F's for floorstanders. But you are totally fine starting with the 600M's for now... see below...

 

16 hours ago, JDMezi said:

What about for the rear surrounds - RP500M, RP600M or the RP502S?  I realize the 502S are meant to be surrounds, but have also read when Atmos is desired a more directional speaker may be a better choice. Thoughts?

 

RP-600M's if you can afford them, otherwise go with the 500's if it makes a big difference to your budget... not sure what the price difference is. Direct firing is indeed better for a Dolby Atmos setup, although there's nothing stopping you from using the 502's if you prefer.

 

16 hours ago, JDMezi said:

What about an accompanying SW?  I prefer to keep aesthetics similar and stick with the matching Klipsch SW. 

 

SPL-150 which is their 15 inch sub... then later if you want to invest more to get more even bass distribution, I'd get a second SPL-150, but see how you do with one for now.

 

16 hours ago, JDMezi said:

I would also like to add some Atmos speakers, perhaps wired in the ceiling, before we sheetrock.  I’m thinking at least two initially for a 5.1.2 system.  Any suggestions?  We may do this at a later date, or add two more for a 5.1.4 system, but was hoping for some suggestions.

 

I've got a 7.2.2 setup which works great, but I can't help wondering what I'm missing without the additional two Atmos speakers, so if I were you, I'd go straight to the 4 atmos height speakers from the get go for a 5.1.4 setup. That way you won't find yourself cutting new holes and patching existing holes in a years' time... 🙂

 

Now, once you've got your 5.1.4 setup using the 600M's as front L & R and surrounds, you can see how all that works in your space. If you find you want a bit more down the line, you can move the front 600M's to rear surrounds and replace the fronts with RP-8000F's for a kick *** 7.1.4 setup, provided you invested in an 11 channel receiver or processor. You might also decide to add a second subwoofer before upgrading your front L & R... lots of choices, but at least no wastage along the way...

 

I hope this helps.

 

Brendon

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@JDMezi,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

21 hours ago, JDMezi said:

12ft wide x  22ft long, x 7.8ft or so high once finished.  The space will be somewhat open to the adjacent game room.

With that size room(2060+ cu.ft.), I think the RP-600Ms will be just fine with the RP-504C.

 

21 hours ago, JDMezi said:

I am planning on picking up SW as well. 

Don't skimp on the SW by getting a 10" or 12", a 15" at minimum will have a much greater impact when those action movies are played.

 

21 hours ago, JDMezi said:

I apologize for all of the questions, as I said I’m a noob when it comes to this stuff. 

No need to apologize, our forum is not here for just complaints and "opinions", we are here to help also.:P:D

 

 

Bill

 

 

 

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