Best Klipsch Atmos speakers for RF7-III

[RF72023]

I currently have a 5.2 system: 

 

AVR: Yamaha RX-A6A

Amplifier: Parasound HINT 6 Halo Integrated Amplifier.  It powers fronts only, and I'll probably upgrade this and move to the basement soon. 

Fronts: Klipsch RF7-III

Center: Klipsch RC-64 III

Rear: Klipsch RP-280F (not sure if it timber matches, but they sound really good for rears) 

Subwoofer: Dual PB16-Ultra

 

I've never been interested in more than a 5.2 system, but I keep hearing people talk about how great Atmos is, so I'm looking for the best Atmos speakers to add to my RF7-III setup. I want to use Atmos for movies (obviously), and then I also listen to a lot of music. I want to experience the Atmos Albums that I see on Apple Music (I have an Apple TV). For listening, it's a combination of everything, Regular TV, Music, Movies, and Xbox gaming. 

 

So based on my system, what's a decent set of Atmos speakers to pair with everything? I believe in buy once, cry, so about a $1,000 budget for them. I can either hang them on the wall above my RF7-IIIs or place them on top of the RF7-IIIs, but anything ceiling is a no-go. 

[sixspeed]

Just my 2 cents here being into HT for a long time. Here's a number of things to consider since you yourself mentioned you have been very content with a 2 sub 5.1 layout.

 

IMHO I wouldn't even worry about Atmos If you can't do point source ceiling installed speakers. For the Reference line, the 5800s or RPC180s would be the way to go in your case running the flagships of the reference line but since ceiling is out of the question than your options are pretty limited.

 

You have a really, really good 6ch system as it is.

 

I've never been a fan of the "bouncy" reflection speakers at all and the effect they provide can be negligible especially in rooms with curved ceilings and even best case scenario rooms the effect is subtle to diffuse at best. A lot of what people hear is interaction with their mains and depending how good their surround speaker height and placement is to begin with.

 

If you were just to add a pair for 5.1.2 (5.2.2 in your case) you'd ideally want the height channels roughly half way between your listening position, if not closer to your listening position. Or a reflecting speaker that you want to try angled to reflect down (if the ceilings cooperate) around that area which requires titling of the bouncey speakers or adjusting your mains to get it right. I wouldn't expect miracles or anything gamechanging compared to what you have now, which is already outstanding.

 

Front high channels up high on the walls above the mains aren't what you want for Atmos but that works ok for DTS:X or Auro3D. Better for the latter than the former but not what you want at all for Atmos and Auro is a rapidly dying format at this point (Sorry Auro guys but it's the truth). Even DTS:X is in rapid decline as well and the only saving grace for it was the recent limited IMAX Enhanced partnership for demo like/nature UHD Blu-ray titles which are few and far in between. Dolby has monopolized all the studios for Atmos. So unless you have a good amount of the early 2018-2019 DTS:X UHD titles when Universal was making a big push with Xperi (DTS parent) to enjoy, then you really want a setup ideal for good Atmos playback if Atmos is the goal above all else.

 

The last gen of A/V units of the early 2010s prior to Atmos had the final revision of Dolby Pro Logic II which was called "PLIIz" and supported extracting ambience for elevation channels... essentially "high" channels for the front or back above the mains or rears high up on the walls (not the ceilings). DTS' version of that was called "Neo:X". They actually did a nice job of adding an elevation element especially for people that couldn't have their surrounds high enough above ear level. Both upmixers were retooled for the "3D" codecs circa 2014/2015 in Dolby DSU upmixer and DTS Neural:X respectively. The Monoprice Atmos Pre-Pro had a good section from my recollection in its manual about a jack of all trades but master of none speaker layout for "good enough" coverage of Atmos that can handle the other 2 dying 3D formats fine.

 

Another important overlooked factor is ideal surround speaker placement, particularly the surround pair or pairs, depending on if the "2D" plane is a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1ch layout  -- which as-is can reproduce much of the elevation and height cues in the channel based mixes of major motion pictures. Especially anything made pre-Atmos as well, and even Atmos titles the height effects just go to the nearest adjacent speaker (on non-Atmos systems) of the highest channel based substream the system can support, the 6ch version in your case.

 

The key to retrieving and getting this is speaker placement for the surrounds (Atmos system or not), you ideally want them at least 1ft - 2ft above your ear level at the MLP for most HT rooms and them being roughly the same height above the front channels. For 5.1 I always liked 115/120 degrees for a single surround pair, toed in towards the MLP to get good "phantom 6.1" rear imaging for common panned L/R surround effects.

 

With the surrounds at the adequate height it will provide fantastic up/down coverage and things like sound effects and flyovers sound like they're going right over your head as it pans from front to back depending on the onscreen action without Atmos needed. Just look at the height of surround arrays in commercial theaters, they are up at least half way up the walls and back angled slightly towards the audience. For whatever reason in home theater this was always overlooked even by a lot of "experts" with many people putting their surrounds at or even just below ear level and below the front channels and the result is a lot of the elevation ambience/reverb component gets lost in translation.

 

Lastly just a reminder that the Atmos titles you see on music streaming services are lossy and pretty intensively normalized Dolby Digital Plus encoded tracks and they are back compatible with conventional 5.1. Infact, the DD+ codec streaming Atmos variety uses, both music and movies has a 5.1ch substream that contains the entire mix just in a conventional 5.1 presentation with the Atmos extension ignored. Some people love the Atmos music, others don't care much for it. I've heard a good amount at friends houses with good systems and honestly I only felt like a handful were particularly interesting. Mostly generic/odd experimental stuff. Many of the oldest Atmos music titles were haphazardly automatically upmixed in a huge Dolby marketing campaign push and often have awkward forced panning sort of like the wonkiness or early Quad titles in the 70s. Each to their own really, but I've heard far better 5.1/conventional surround mixed albums on SACD or DVD-A and unlike streaming Atmos is lossless with MUCH better dynamic range and fidelity.

 

I would stick with channel based audio unless you go for the ceiling speakers. The reflection speakers won't blow you away and running just a pair of front highs, even assigned as such in the processor won't revolutionize your HT listening experience. In a minimalist Atmos system, the most effective use of the 2 extra channels are as a top middle pair essentially above or just infront of the MLP, for 5.1.2 or 7.1.2. In that case then yes, the Atmos makes a decent difference for discretely panned overhead effects.

 

Hope that helped you out and anyone else reading that has Atmos fomo or upgraditis.

 

Six

[Paducah Home Theater]

Don't have much choice other than the rp-500sa ii.  However, two doesn't do much with upfiring.  If you want to do four and are able to position them right, they can work.  If you can use them as elevation speakers high up on the wall it would be better.