Updating system with 5.2 speakers

[gonzospice]

About a decade ago I bought a pair of 5.2's and have trekked from New Hampshire to California with them in tow. In college and grad school I never had a TV so I didn't purchase a center channel or rear speakers. Now that i've got a place to settle down, I'm wondering what my options are regarding my 5.2's.

My humble questions are as follows:

1. Am I limited to using a KG 2.2 or KG 1.2? Or can I purchase a different Klipsch model (or any other model) center speaker? (i have had difficulty finding them on eBay). Also, am I free to use any type of rear surround speakers or will i have trouble matching the levels of my surround sound?

2. I am using a Harmon/Kardon AV receiver. It seems like I have to turn the volume way, way up to get decent home theatre sound. I was told that Klipsch speakers were very efficient and did not need a lot of power. Is that true, or should i consider purchasing an amp to increase my power?

Thank you for your help,

David

[STL]

1) You can use a KV-2 or KV-3 as a matching center too. Those models were made to match the KGx.5 series which use the same tweeters KGx.2 series (respectively across the models). But a better choice might be to find a lone KG5.2 (or KG4.2 which uses the same tweeter) then build (or have someone build) a new enclosure for it. That would get you the BEST possible match -- bar none!! That's what I'm doing. I found my lone KG4.2 on eBay. I could help you design the enclosure too. As long as you use a KG series speaker for the rear surrounds you should be okay. Timbre matching for the rear isn't as crucial.

2) I would need more info about your rec'r (like model number, wattage rating, etc.) before I could help you out on this one. Also more info about you HT setup (like if you listening using DD 5.1 or just ProLogic) might also help.