home theatre setup

[mrj]

Hello-

I'am new to the forums, as well as new to high end audio setups. I'am wondering about seting up my home theatre system. I currently have a sony surround sound setup that comes with speakers and amp.It works allright, but after finding this forum i want more( go figure?) I originally came here looking for info on a pair of Khorn's i have that i wanted to sell, but after seeing all of your HT setups i want to start on mine.I am pushing the Khorns with luxman hybrid amp. Would these speakers be beneficial in a HT setup? HOw do i go about doing so , and what kind of electronics would i need to have a Ht system that pulls dual duty? Are these speakers worth putting into a ht setup, or should i start from scratch? I think by finding this site i got a bad case of keeping up with the jonses! LOL Thanx for the help

Jason

[westcott]

Hello-

I'am new to the forums, as well as new to high end audio setups. I'am wondering about seting up my home theatre system. I currently have a sony surround sound setup that comes with speakers and amp.It works allright, but after finding this forum i want more( go figure?) I originally came here looking for info on a pair of Khorn's i have that i wanted to sell, but after seeing all of your HT setups i want to start on mine.I am pushing the Khorns with luxman hybrid amp. Would these speakers be beneficial in a HT setup? HOw do i go about doing so , and what kind of electronics would i need to have a Ht system that pulls dual duty? Are these speakers worth putting into a ht setup, or should i start from scratch? I think by finding this site i got a bad case of keeping up with the jonses! LOL Thanx for the help

Jason

First, welcome to the forum. Many people incorporate Khorns into their home theater. Obviously, you have to have the space and the cash to buy a complete set, or go with a smaller center channel and surrounds. If you give us a budget and what your priorities are, audio and video wise, I am sure we can provide some guidance. Some room dimensions and potential layout would be helpful. Photo are best.

Once again, welcome. You have come to the right place. A lot of VERY knowledgable people here who are friendly and know how to behave on a forum.

[mrj]

Westcott-

Thanks for the welcome and the reply. Unfortunately room size is up in the air due to us looking to buy our first house. However I would like to start building a system. Currently All i have is the khorns and luxman pieces (which probably wont be used?). I will soon be buying the 50 or 60 inch sony bravia flat screen. So I guess i need eveything else. I am amovie junky so i would like a first rate system, but i would also like to listen to music as well.I would like to start building my setup and not have to replace electronics later as i add more components.Budget i guess is dependant on function i like having the best, and that character flaw bites me in the *** everytime LOL. Can I aquire HT Components without having to taylor them to a specific room? Will i be able to configure my Ht setup into different spaces as we move about or should i taylor specifically to a specific room? Thanks again

Jason

[mas]

Within reason, you should be able to move your equipment from one space to another without a problem.

The only problems you might encounter are with specialized equipment such as the KHorn that requires a particular placement. And even with the corner placement requirements, it is usually possible to construct false corners, etc., to satisfy your needs.

So, within reason, you should be just fine.

(And in anticipation of the many who will suggest this, the other issue you might encounter in the future will be the desire for more bass, and thus you might anticipate investing in the most capable subwoofer initially rather than discovering this 6 months after your initial investment.)

Oh, and regarding the hybrid stereo/HT setup.

You can try this, although I might suggest going with a separate setup with a receiver such as a Denon (or Outlaw- depending on your budget). But personally, I find a separate setup easier to manage. I would keep the Luxman for the stereo setup.

The speaker demands for a HT setup are not as critical (as the majority of the reproduced spectrum is voice and FX, and the surrounds are bandpass limited, requiring less bass capability), although you will enjoy a substantial sub.

[westcott]

A lot of VERY knowledgable people here who are friendly and know how to behave on a forum.

Speaking of which.............[8-|]

[mrj]

I would like to hear your suggestions on components (amp , and speakers ) that would compliment the khorns. All ive seen til now is BEST BUY, and After coming here i feel my best buy would be to ask the pros. ? Lastly being that my Khorn's are 1986 models should i upgrade thier crossovers? They seem to rock as is but i dont know? Thanx for your time

Jason

[westcott]

I would like to hear your suggestions on components (amp , and speakers ) that would compliment the khorns. All ive seen til now is BEST BUY, and After coming here i feel my best buy would be to ask the pros. ? Lastly being that my Khorn's are 1986 models should i upgrade thier crossovers? They seem to rock as is but i dont know? Thanx for your time

Jason

Jason,

I think everyone here would like to help but there are some things that always causes forum friction. One is suggesting equipment.

I suggest you do some lurking around and see what other people are using. I promise you that some of the same receiver names will come up over and over again. There are also some great discussions on different amps and preamp combinations. Set out a budget and see what fits in that budget. The Klipsch gallery has some awesome photos of different set ups and a great place to start. Signatures or user profiles are another good source to see what people are using with Khorns and the like.

If you have specific questions about a certain component, then I am sure we will not hesitate to clarify.

[Strabo]

Welcome to the forum. []

There are a lot of different opinions on this site with many different frames of mind. For instance, the Architectural section may suggest better room set-ups. The stereo section would probably suggest a great stereo tubed pre with HT bypass and a cheaper HT receiver (because stereo is more important to them). You may find more answers specific to HT questions by starting a thread in the HT section where the TV and the Sub and center channel seem to be the most important.

Ultimately, once they are done, you will find yourself back here. [*-)]

[InVeNtOr]

hello and welcome.

as for your question, there will be many different opinions and approaches. the key first step has already been stated....your budget. if you have $30,000 to spend all at once, then you can start looking now for receivers, amps, stuff like that. if you don't this is my advice.

first off, find the house with the media room. then ask yourself how big the media room needs to be or even how big it must be. the size and shape of your room could have an impact on which speakers you can have or would want to have. my media room is big enough for a 3 curved chair orientation. the chairs are also 2/3rd into the room for speaker orientation.

second, after you are into the house and the media room, start looking for your speakers and deals on them. spend the most money you can on the speakers because you will have them for a long time. electronics will come and pass, but speakers last a life time.

third, after you have the media room, all the speakers you want (5.1/6.1/7.1), go out and buy the furniture that goes into the room. more specifically the chairs or couches, what ever you had in mind. get the room almost completely furnished.

forth, speakers and furniture are in the room, now find all the right electronics you need. pre/pro, amps, projector, dvd players, sony playstation, e-box, stuff like that. (by doing electronics last, you may save hundreds of dollars because the older technology gets the cheaper it gets). there could also be a new technology debuted, the new "must have."

fifth, everything is in the room, set up, and ready to go. get the right screen to fit the projector and room, and seating distance. (you may also want to do the projector and screen at the same time in this stage).

sixth, find or make the right et center and hook everything up. (if you were building a room from scratch you would want to figure most of this out first and run all the cables, buy you said you were buying a home with a media room already there).

i hope this can give you a good time line, and budget set up.

[mas]

Welcome to the forum. []

There are a lot of different opinions on this site with many different frames of mind. For instance, the Architectural section may suggest better room set-ups. The stereo section would probably suggest a great stereo tubed pre with HT bypass and a cheaper HT receiver (because stereo is more important to them). You may find more answers specific to HT questions by starting a thread in the HT section where the TV and the Sub and center channel seem to be the most important.

Ultimately, once they are done, you will find yourself back here. [*-)]

Be careful not to get too caught up in minutia. And do not start out thinking about mods to equipment you do not yet have or have not yet listened to!

Speakers have the most impact on the character of the system, and the interaction of the speakers and the room should be thought of as an additional component that will make the most dramatic difference in the overall sound quality.

Beyond that, you can deal with the electronics. There are many choices, and different subjective impressions. I would take any 'suggestion' in this area with a grain of salt. It is like walking into Baskin Robbins and asking the customers what flavor is best. You can of course get what they suggest, but you are simply following what they like. It may or may nor be what suits you best.

The best you can do in this regard is to sit down and analyze what your priorities are, the formats and anticipated use patterns, the amount of hands on fussing, maintenance and continuing ongoing expense you want to make (as some equipment is like having a tinker car and other equipment like having a Toyota that you simply plug in and it runs well seemingly forever.) Also, what source formats do you plan to use in the hear term or in the not too far off future, as reasonable anticipation can certainly save you some money in the long run.

Once you have determined your needs, then you can start to go listen to the equipment, either at various stores (good luck!), or perhaps at the home of others who have the equipment where you may listen. You might read reviews, but again, I would also take them with a grain of salt, focusing on the basic functional issues - complaints and compliments, balancing them against your priority 'list' you made earlier.

Don't make this too complex, and most certainly do not get caught up with the tinkeritis at this stage. After all, if simply changing the finish of the screws in a particular speaker will make such a dramatic change, I might suggest looking at another speaker that has been designed and implemented more thoroughly from the outset.

But returning to the room. Many very productive things are possible here, and great improvements can be made - much more substantial improvements than are experienced in changing any component in your electronics, but you need to first identify what the problem is. But simply assuming or knowing that a problem exists is not sufficient (I can do this without even entering a room! And I can specify any number of legitimate cures. But that is not sufficient to effect a specific solution). This small amount of effort to identify the specific problems will result in a great savings in time and money and a much greater return as you can address the specific real problems in a productive way as opposed to simply making assumptions and doing 'things' that simply 'move problems around'.

Think of the process as surgery. Ideally you want to know exactly what the problem is, and effect an efficient and effective solution. You do not want a surgeon who is going to take his time 'looking around', and maybe enjoying a return visit every so often to the operating room. Instead, by having a series of measurements made, either by yourself or a competent pro, you can identify the specific problems, and design or specify specific treatments that will not only address the problems, but will result in a solution with the desired consequences - as there are many treatments for problems - it is easy to absorb or diffuse or redirect. But it makes much more sense to treat a specific problem in a manner with specific desired consequences -and the all too common cure all approach - absorption - is incorrect! Absorption is a very surgical- a very specific treatment for a very specific problem, it is not to be treated like so many do aspirin. And there are many ways to effect each solution, each with advantages and disadvantages. So a little bit of homework and preparation will definitely come back to reward your efforts - and save you some money and effort in the long run.

And so with Helmholtz resonators. There are a number of 'radically' different styles of them. Each have advantages and disadvantages. And all require specific tuning. So it becomes incumbent upon you to accurately identify the real problem that exists. From there real options and real solutions can be proposed. But until then, it is just speculation, and thats not only easy, its worth the price you pay.[]

[garyrc]

Try to find a house with a room that has unequal dimensions to use as your HT and Music Room. The worst is a perfect cube (like all too many of the smaller "Great Rooms"), and the next worst is probably one in which length equals width. Then think about room treatment, and consider the advice of the several people on these forums who are very knowledgeable in this regard, including mas, artto, many others.

In my estimation, fewer than one in ten sales people in a place like Best Buy or Circuit City have any background --- they just memorize talking points. You might try looking up dealers on the Klipsch website, especially under Klipsch Heritage -- I have found those dealers in the two areas I know well, to be likely to be knowledgeable, but you still need to find the one or two people in the store who have the right stuff.

A strange thing happened in the last several decades; Klipsch fell out of favor, and then climbed back up to being regarded as very good indeed. A few of the Golden Ears Dealers (often a sarcastically derogatory term) still don't like them, but often haven't heard them, especially the Heritage series (inc. the Klipschorn) or haven't heard them under good conditions. One turn around was at least one of the people reviewing for Stereophile, which was becoming borderline Golden Ears. They recently gave a rave review to the Klipsch Heritage La Scala (much like your Klipschorns, but yours reach deeper into the bass, when pushed hard into a corner with 5 feet unobstructed wall surface on both sides of the corner), and, just last month, selected it as one of their A grade Recommended Components.

I almost hesitate to mention this, but eventually, if and only if you detect a problem, you may want to replace the capacitors in the crossover networks, because they are getting elderly, and they sometimes get resistive with age. Listen in your new home/room for many months first -- your crossovers may be fine. There are many ways to replace them, from inexpensively with replacements of the same value (if you are handy and have the proper soldering and heat sink tools), to having someone on this forum do it for a fee (e.g., Bec), or to getting a completely new design that is appropriate, to buying from Klipsch (contact parts dept.) an AK-4 upgrade kit, that gives you completely new crossovers, a new mid driver, and a new tweeter (same basic design as your mid/tweet, but made by different parts makers, with a crossover that is suited to the new speakers, and may be a bit better as well). I chose the AK-4 solution, but probably would not have bothered if I hadn't abused the tweeters/mids in a stupid mistake (not with music as the signal, unfortunately).