JamesDL Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 I am buying my first hi-fi system ever, and I am starting with 2 RB-75s for my mains and an SVS sub. Eventually I want to get a center and surrounds and my question is whether I should get another RB-75 or the RC-7 for the center channel. A lot of what I've read here says that the center should be the same as the mains, and with the RB-75's this would be easy, and less expensive, than the RC-7. Also, would I be able to turn the RB-75 on its side if I went this way? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinipig523 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 the horn on the rb-75 (and any other klipsch bookshelf for that matter) is 90x60 when straight up... therefore if u lay it on its side - it would be 60x90. this would mostly affect the horizontal dispersion of the high freq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 rc-7.....and don't look back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 The RC-7 would be the superior speaker, BUT if an RB-75 would look OK on top of your video display (that's geek-speak for TV), I would not hesitate to get it instead. I would not lay it on it's side, though. Horizontally oriented "center" speakers almost all have major dispersion anomolies in the horizontal plane. They tend to lobe pretty severely. That is, some frequencies will cancel out at specific angles relative to the axis of the speaker. They actually are horrible at doing exactly what you want a center speaker to be very good at - providing smooth off-axis response in order to keep on-screen sound anchored to the center to listeners seated out of the sweet spot. Now, having blathered on about that, let me say that the Klipsch RC-7 avoids that pitfall, at least to a great extent, by the way they do the cross-over. It is a "2 1/2" way design, where one mid-woofer only operates in the bass, thus avoiding the dreaded interference between two drivers, operating in close proximity, covering the same midrange frequencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Dude, your first ever home theater setup and already you've got an SVS sub and RB-75 mains, looking into another or an RC-7 for your center. That's the level at which most people strive to attain many years after their first home theater...you're very, very lucky. that's a killer "intro" setup. as for which to go with, the RC-7 is your choice. center channels are more than simply bookshelves on their sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 double post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oogins Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 It all really boils down to appearance vs. optimal sound. The RC-7 would look better because of it's horizontal profile. But an RB-75 placed upside down would give you an absolutely seemless front soundstage. However, an upside down speaker placed on top of your TV looks a little odd. But Dolby and THX both recommend using identical speakers all around whenever possible. Look at this system. He uses the same three speakers for his Home Theatre. http://members.aol.com/tbmauifan/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesDL Posted August 2, 2003 Author Share Posted August 2, 2003 Well today was the day... came home with a pair of RB-75's, a Harman Kardon AVR-525, and a Sony 5 Disc DVD changer for $1825 from an authorized dealer in NYC. I hooked it up and have been listening all night except for a break for dinner. These speakers sound awesome! As for getting such good stuff the first time around... I like to do things right and never look back, which I am comfortable that I won't be doing here. Except for maybe the Sony DVD player... when DVD-A/SACD combo players come down in price I will replace it with one of those. Anyway... it will be some time before I get the center and surrounds. I plan to get the sub in a few weeks, and then probably wait a while to get the rest. These speakers are pretty big to stand one on top of a TV, I am thinking of doing the RC-7 - though that one might be wider than my TV, and might also look a bit rediculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 ---------------- On 8/2/2003 10:09:03 PM JamesDL wrote: Well today was the day... came home with a pair of RB-75's, a Harman Kardon AVR-525, and a Sony 5 Disc DVD changer for $1825 from an authorized dealer in NYC. I hooked it up and have been listening all night except for a break for dinner. These speakers sound awesome! As for getting such good stuff the first time around... I like to do things right and never look back, which I am comfortable that I won't be doing here. Except for maybe the Sony DVD player... when DVD-A/SACD combo players come down in price I will replace it with one of those. Anyway... it will be some time before I get the center and surrounds. I plan to get the sub in a few weeks, and then probably wait a while to get the rest. These speakers are pretty big to stand one on top of a TV, I am thinking of doing the RC-7 - though that one might be wider than my TV, and might also look a bit rediculous. ---------------- Get a bigger tv. At least it'll blend in better than a vertical speaker. The RC-7 is big but it'll look OK. Wait until you get the SVS. Talk about big! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Klipsch needs to get us some more icons...everyone is starting to look the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasN00b Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 so use a custom one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesDL Posted August 4, 2003 Author Share Posted August 4, 2003 Well I have a 27inch TV that is about exactly as wide as the RC-7, so that would work. Though such a huge speaker may make my little TV look a bit inadequate... I'm not really into video and I will be moving around a lot in the next couple of years so a large and/or expensive video display isn't an option. I just want the best sound that I can afford right now. Anyway, as I think about it, I may go with an additional RB-75, because based on what I've read here and on other sites, it sounds like that will give me better sound. I don't have a wife, and I certainly don't care about a GAF in my own apartment... (although my girlfriend is in fact thrilled with my new purchase already) so the odd looking upside down speaker is A-OK with me if that will really be the best sounding solution. As for the surrounds, if THX and Dolby reccomend the identical speaker all the way around, what are the advantages of a dipolar or "WDST" speaker like Klipsch makes? Should I get a pair of RS-7's or another pair of RB-75s? It will be a while before I can afford these additional speakers, but I want to plan ahead. And finally - Thanks to everyone, you are all very helpful James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 I don't know what Dolby and THX had in mind, recommending identical speakers all-around. Movies only? Music only? Pop music only? Who knows? All I know is this: I've never in my life heard music in a live setting where the musicians were behind me. They are always more or less together, in front. But what makes live music so enveloping and real is the reflected sound from all around. That, primarily is what makes live music sound so different from canned. So, for two to four surround speakers to duplicate that enveloping spaciousness of live music, something besides a monopolar speaker is needed. This is where Klipsch's WDST comes in. Also bi-pole and dipole radiators. The whole idea is to approximate the way sound is dispersed and perceived in live concerts. But the flip-side, true enough, is the better dispersion you have in the back, the worse the localization will be. Hence the idea to put identical speakers all around, or at least smaller monopoles in the back. That sounds reasonable until you again consider how we humans hear! We can't localize sounds that come from behind us near as effectively as we can sounds that originate in front of us! Our ears face the front, for crying out loud! So, you can get decent surround results with a monopole if it's tucked in a corner where it can bounce sound off the ceiling and/or sidewalls, but it may sound boomy or hooty there, too. The best bet are speakers designed for surround duty, placed where they're supposed to be placed...IMHO, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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