Cart b4 the horse

[tnr]

I am a new Klipsch owner and find this BB very interesting and loaded with helpful info. I just purchased the Klipsch Reference Series (RF7 fronts, RC7 center, RS7 surrounds and RSW15 sub). I have a very small log home (full logs, inside and out). My original thought was to set up the HT in the great room (approx. 17x27), but a fireplace, windows, doorways and lack of wall space are all challenges limiting speaker placement, and forcing me to consider setting it up in my basement. The great room is vaulted (gabel)with a center height of about 22'. There is also a 2nd story loft on one long side of the room which opens to the great room.

My basement is already finsihed (with drywall), which is restricting my options, and will require some wall moving and rework. With few alterations, I can have a rectangular room approximately 14'x20', however the room has a funky ceiling where they boxed around duct work with drywall. The ceiling height at the highest points are about 8', but the lower points are about 7' and these low spots are in the center of the room.

Given these two choices, I am interested in getting some opinions as to which location would be preferred, for accoustics for a home theater setup. Thanks for your help.

Klipsch RF7, RC7, RS7, RSW15

Mitsubishi 45"

Harmon Kardon 5.1 surround receiver

[WMcD]

With a new real estate purchase, I'm a bit in your situation of wondering what to do, also. The physical setting is different. Essentially, I have to set things up on the diagonal, or canted, in the main room.

I'm about to close on a one bedroom apartment. The main room is oblong and has a floor to ceiling window at a narrow end facing east which can't be blocked, the other, west, end is a pass through to the kitchen. The view of Lincoln Park from the window is the main attraction, plus there is a combination heater and a.c. at floor level in the window. I'll have to post the layout.

I'm going to buy a big screen TV which will have to go in a corner by the window. (Were are you going to put yours? Not in the basement, I'd think.) This makes sense to me because my window isn't centered. It is more to the north, leaving some wall at the south, facing east, to form a corner.

In any event. This puts my viewing / listening position on a diagonal in the main room. A classic set up would have the tube in the center of a long wall with speakers in the corners on either side. I don't have that. It seems that you don't either. It may be that you have the fireplace as a center of attraction which dictates the tube being put someplace else, perhaps in a corner.

Anyway, I'm going to just live with the cludgy set up of the tube in a corner and experiment with placements of the Quartets as flanking speakers.

I'm a little bit puzzled about you considering moving the equipment to the basement. In my experience, most "living" goes on close to the kitchen, wherever yours may be in relation to the living room, which is probably close, given the size of things. I'd want my main music source there, even if compromised in layout.

We may share a common concern that the geometry of the main room will require some odd placement, even if mounted up on the walls at odd angles. I'd think that the virtues of the midrange horns of your speakers will still allow good performance and "soundstage". The use of the sub avoids some issues of putting bass speakers in corners. You can tuck it next to a couch or the like.

I'll keep people informed of my problems and solutions.

Gil

[artto]

TNR, the first thing you have to do is determine your priorities.

It seems to me that your great room is of a much better size & shape to deal with acoustically. Plus, those convex surfaces of the logs should do a great job dealing with sound diffusion & absorption.. Basements can be a problem if you suspect any possibility of potential flooding or continued dampness. And yours, with that low area in the center of the room, is not desirable visually, especially for home theater (IMO) & may be detrimental acoustically to some extent.

As Gil mentioned, most of the living goes on around the kitchen to which most great rooms are connected. On the other hand, depending on your priorities, this may or may not be a good place for a sound system (home theater, being a more visual thing, is more compatible with a great room/kitchen area IMO). Kitchens generate lots of noise. Running water, refrigerator, sometimes fluorescent lighting, dishwasher, ice cube maker, etc, as well as more household traffic. For me, it was a priority to eliminate as much noise & interruption as possible. But my room is also a dedicated listening room, not a home theater (although eventually it will become that too).

I think in your situation Id try it in the great room first.

[WMcD]

Looking back, TNR's subject is "putting the cart before the horse" which pretty much sets out his appreciation of the issue. Moving to the basement may well be that. I'd agree.

We have a lot of descriptions about what an optimum room and set up might be. The main living space is not like that and one gets to thinking whether a wholesale relocation is necessary to acceptable performance. The downside (ahem) is that now the system might work better, but it is less likely to fill our life with music on an hour by hour basis.

My thougth is that the Ref system is more likely to work well in a cludgy room than a lot of other equipment.

Gil

[fini]

Gil,

I have my HT system set up in an odd room, too. It is part of a large, mostly open space: family room/ dining room/ kitchen. I'm using KSP-400's, a C-6, and S-5's, set up on the longest wall, but not symetrical in the room. There is a fireplace on a perpendicular wall, centered only about 4 feet from the corner. The way the gear and furniture are set up, everything looks jammed-in. I, too have been considering a diagonally centered layout. Oh, the ceiling is a half-vault, too. I've been scratching my head over this one for a couple of years.

fini

[WMcD]

BTW, I've wondered.

What is a cabbage roll. A normal pastry in form of a cabbage, or a pastry made from cabbage?

There is no cabbage in the coffee, right?

Gil

[fini]

Gil,

A cabbage roll is not a pastry. It is usually meat and stuff like potatoes and onions, rolled-up in a cabbage leaf, then steamed or baked. I'm not sure...I've never cooked one, and can't remember the last time I had one. The line-and my avatar- come from a segment of one of the funniest tv shows of all time: Canada's "SCTV." The show launched the careers of many of today's best known comedians: Eugene Levy, John Candy (both of whom appear in my avatar, as Stan and Yosh Schmenge, "The Happy Wanderers"), Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, and many others. Unfortunately, because of copyright laws (they apparently did not pay music royalties when they originally produced these shows, and doing so now would be very costly), these are not commercially available on tape or dvd. That is truly a shame. Pirated tapes of varying quality exist. If you get the opportunity to see a few episodes, take it!

fini

[WMcD]

Thanks for the info.

It may be that SCTV made it to Chicago in the original broadcast series. The end of the opening sequence had folks throwing TV sets out the windows of high rise buildings in reaction to the opening sequence. The gag was used again someplace recently.

Gil

[fini]

Do they like comedy in Chicago?

fini

[fini]

Man, Gil, I've been waiting an eternity for a come-back...

fini

[dougdrake]

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On 4/7/2003 1:27:36 AM William F. Gil McDermott wrote:

Thanks for the info.

It may be that SCTV made it to Chicago in the original broadcast series. The end of the opening sequence had folks throwing TV sets out the windows of high rise buildings in reaction to the opening sequence. The gag was used again someplace recently.

Gil

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I believe it was originally used in the movie "Network" circa 1976.

[Invidiosulus]

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On 4/8/2003 7:45:03 AM fini wrote:

Do they like comedy in Chicago?

fini

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They like it so much they had to build a second city to house it all.

Peace, Josh

[fini]

Now, see? There ya go...

fini

[WMcD]

Sorry Fini, I didn't hear my name being called. I don't check this section very often.

Of course we like comedy here. There are several comedy clubs (the two drink minimum type). These have some good stuff, some mediocre. Second City is still going strong from what I understand and is generally considered the best of the clubs.

I suppose TV became the home of comedy for many decades. It has only been in recent years that the live clubs had a comeback when TV devolved to 24 hour info-mercials.

Gil

[fini]

On the subject of The Second City, I recently picked up a "remaindered" book on the esteemed comedy club. It even included two CD's! Pretty good deal for something like $10 at Border's. Here's a link to the book at Amazon.

fini