THX Ultra2 Electronics Recommendations

[jmdore]

I am about to commit to 3 KL-650's, 1 KA-1000, 2 KW-120's, and 4 KS-525's (for the rear and the L and R surrounds) for a home theater (mostly movies). If I were to budget ~$2500 - $3500 for related electronics (exlcuding the TV/Projector/Screen/DVD player) what are the recommendations (budget is $2500-$3500, HDMI/1080P/7.1 configuration)?

Should I go with a higher quality, fully intergrated (amp/preamp...) AV receiver or separate amp(s?) and preamp... (specfic brand/model recommendations would be preferred if possible)? Or should I just go with a mid-level AVR for now, and upgrade down the road when the budget might be a bit higher?

Note - separate from the budget above, I am looking at the Sony VPL-VW50 front projector with either a DaLite or Stewart screen in the near term, along with a Blu-ray or HDDVD player later.

[Angel33]

Hi,

My name is Angel Lebron (owner) of Simply-Remote. The Sony VPL-VW50 is a great projector. I have the same one in my show room. If you get the 3 KL-650's, 1 KA-1000, 2 KW-120's, and 4 KS-525's (for the rear and the L and R surrounds) and you don't want to jump right in to pre-amps, Denon is the way to go. Tweeter is no longer in the Denon picture. Circuit doesnt have access to the CI line. Magnolia doesnt sell much above the $1000 price point (and stocks accordingly). below is the new lowest model of the Denon CI line avr. I can get you a good deal on your home theater needs. Here is my email sales@simply-remote.com

Thank you

AVR-2308CI Late August MRP $849.00

Dolby Digital Surround EX decoding, including Dolby Pro Logic IIx Cinema, Game and Music modes dts decoding, including dts

96/24 5.1 for DVD-Video, dts ES Discrete 6.1, ES Matrix 6.1, and Neo: 6 Cinema & Music modes 7 channels equal power

amplifier section 100 watts per channel (8 ohms, 20 20kHz, <0.05% THD) 2 Source/Zone Audio 1080p Compatible HDMI

1.3a Deep Color (2/1) switching 7.1 24/96 Uncompressed Audio Compatible Analog Video to HDMI Scaling (1080p) featuring

Faroudja DCDi Processing (FLi2310) Video conversion to Component Dedicated iPodTM /Network Client compatible port (for

use with optional ASD-3N/W Dock, with on-screen display and remote control Audyssey MultEQ, calibration microphone

included RS-232C third-Party controllers and PC setup and control Power Amplifier Assign XM Satellite Radio Ready

XM-HD Neural Sound Decoding Serial IR ports +12v Trigger New S-Series Simple Pre-programmed Remote Control

Second, Multi-Zone Remote included 2-Way Remote Control Ready (RC-7000CI/7001RCI) UPC CODE 081757507790

[Zen Traveler]

I am curious to read other's response about powering your Awesome THX ultra II set up with a lower end Denon. It would be great to see that you could get away with spending less than $1000. [8-|]

FWIW, I have driven my HT below with several AVR's from different companies and like Denon mid to upper end AVRs. I would check on the availability of the Denon THX ultra II AVR 4806 (without the "ci" if you don't need it) for the best bang for your buck if you can find a discontinued price on it.

[rmlowz]

Hello,

A $10,000.00 MSRP speaker system with a $850.00 Denon receiver will not do your system justice at all IMHO. I have this sysyem and believe it or not the more power you give this system the better it sounds. Simply remote will not be in businees long recommending entry level recivers with the best system for movies the industry has to offer. I would recommend using Outlaw or Sherwood New Castle seperates This is a forum for all the forum friends to share their opinions and experiences with their home theater system. IMHO This is not a place for dealers to try and sell their wares and give very bad advice which simply remote just did. Just my two cents.

rmlowz

[Angel33]

Hi,

I am not giving him bad advice. Denon is a great unit. If he want to step up to the big boys he'll pay$$$$$. You didn't read what he had for a buget!! Read the posting CAREFULLY, then reply!!!

Thank you

[Zen Traveler]

... IMHO This is not a place for dealers to try and sell their wares and give very bad advice which simply remote just did. Just my two cents.

FWIW, I would like to see more people who sell Klipsch speakers come here and learn more about the products they sell and then possibly build local clientele with the members. :-)

I did read the OP and agree that the lower end AVR would not be sufficient to drive the Klipsch Ultra II's but feel my recommendation fits within his budget and THX ultra II specifications. I have heard the Klipsch ultra II's driven by the Denon AVR 5805 and imo, if a person didn't need the "extras," Denon AVR 4806 would be a sound investment (pun intended) especially with a sub $2500 price tag.

[rmlowz]

Hello Simply,

I did read carefully he has a budget of 2,500 to 3,0000. You can get entry level seperates for that buget. tkamerica may be on to something here. I think you simply may need to hang out here and let us teach you how to sell before you give more bad advice.If you are interested in paying someone for some Klipsch sales training contact me I can get you a good deal.

rmlowz

[Angel33]

Hi rmlowz,

I don't need training i am a Klipsch Dealer, LOL[]

[rmlowz]

Hello Simply,

If you are a dealer it is one the does know your product very well, which leads to giving out bad advice in your case.

rmlowz

rmlowz

[Zen Traveler]

I don't need training i am a Klipsch Dealer, LOL[]

I couldn't find you as a Klipsch Authorized dealers in Plainville...[^o)] ( edit: zip code 06062)

[kde]

I am running the THX Ultra II with a Pioneer Elite receiver (model 54X or something). I think it sounds great, however I haven't had a chance to listen to it being run with "separates". How much of a difference will I notice? Will it just go louder or will I get more play out of the surrounds? The subs would still run off of the Klipsch Amp, right? Therefore, I shouldn't expect the bass to change, right?

[wstrickland1]

where's getech when you need him

[jmdore]

Just for clarity, I was seeking to spend ~$2,500 to $3,000 for the AVR or the preamp and amps. The mid/lower end Denon was not on my radar screen. Went to Best Buy (had to pick up a laptop in for repair) Barrett's, Tweeter and Sounds Deluxe today (all in the Aurora/Naperville, IL area - Audio Consultants in Hinsdale is also on the list to visit, as is another Klipsch dealer in the area, but they are not open on Sundays), and searched online for reviews and recommendations. As there is so much out there, it will take some time. However, it is disappointing that Barrets did not carry the Ultra's despite what the Klipsch website indicaites. In addition, it seems that as models are about to change over, much of what was suggested could not be seen (new Denon for example) nor heard.

The Anthem preamp (~$4500) and amps (~$1800), no firm quote for either, seemed quite nice (the gennum? video scaler when used with the VPL-VW50 looked fantastic - better than the upscaled 1080p within the VW50). The preamp is a bit high for my target investment though. BTW, I was told that the VW50 will be replaced by the VW60 ~October for the same price, with yet even better contrast.

The following all appear to approach the $3k range: Sherwood (P-965, A-965, HSB-600), Outlaw (990, 7700 or 990, 2200), and Emotiva (DMC-1, MMC-1, LMC-1). Outlaw does not appear to have HDMI, and the Sherwood seems to have less power on a comparative basis. Outlaw and Emotiva only sell on-line, so this would require a leap of faith (though they do have 30 day evaluation periods). Emotiva is also related to AV123 (speakers) - though I am not familiar with these and am predisposed to the Klipsch THX Ultra2's, I figure this factoid might at least generate some feed back from those in the know.

Any and all meaningful comments on the above would be appreciated.

[rmlowz]

Hello,

Maybe you already have checked out the reviews on the Sherwood. In my opinion it is a sleeper.

Thanks,

rmlowz

[DrWho]

If you are a dealer it is one the does know your

product very well, which leads to giving out bad advice in your

case.

You know...the advice really wasn't that bad.

Have you actually heard the Denon with these speakers in an

acoustically treated environment? I am certain that you have not,

otherwise you would be commenting on the impact your acoustical

treatment made. A few hundred bucks spent on the acoustics will make a

far larger difference than spending an extra $8k on amplification.

Fancy amplification is going to get you around 1% less distortion

inside a system that is exhibiting distortions on the order of 5-10%

depending on how you look at it. Would you rather spend thousands

improving 0.5dB swings or would you rather spend hundreds improving

60dB swings? Which do you think will have a larger impact? I am not

saying that improvements won't be realized with better amplification,

but there are much bigger problems that need to be dealt with first.

I don't want to pound it down anyone's throat, but if you guys want to

talk acoustics I would be more than willing. I'm from the

Aurora/Naperville area so would have no problems helping out on the

practical side too.

The nice thing about Denons is that they have great preamp sections

which makes them work real well as a pre/pro. The HD market is in a

flux right now making it risky to invest a lot of money into the

front-end electronics. Good amplification never goes outta date so

there is better incentive to concentrate the funds there. A base line

receiver would be more than adequate to drive the system right now - I

think you might be surprised actually. You would easily be able to

realize the benefits of moving to seperate amplification too. And then

when the market settles down you could invest in a quality pre/pro. But

before moving to the amplification, you would have plenty of funds to

put towards dramatic improvements with the acoustics.

Anyways, that's just my take. I usually recommend purchasing towards

the final goal, but the flux of the market right now makes that more

difficult. Heck, they've already come out with Display Port...

[Frzninvt]

The receiver choice is not the problem have four (4) of those god awful RS (Sound Sprayer's) in the back is! I would only run two (2) and at the rear center/effects position and put standard matching speakers at the rear position.

Denon's actually sound very, very good and are plenty potent with the efficiency of the system and the bass being handled by the very competent Ultra subwoofer system that receiver should handle the task pretty easily. I started with a Denon 3300, then on to a 4800 and then eventually seperates.

Using the logic that you have a $10,000 speaker system and using a $1000 receiver is convaluted, you don't need $5000 worth of electronics for it to sound good.

[rmlowz]

Hello DrWho,

I have heard all including the 5805CI series of last years Denons connected to the Ultra II system in a THX cerified theater. Which really does not mean anything to me but it was certified way back in 1994. Last years 2307 receiver was not the ticket for the Ultras either will the 2308. It does not have the steam. I have not heard the 2308 it will start shipping from Denon on the 15th.The pre amp and amp section will be not much different than the 2307. I have heard the new shipped last week 4308 with the Ultras it sounded pretty darn good.I work in the industry and went to the training last week. And no I do not work for Denon. I guess what started this is me, it bothers me that a so called Klipsch dealer gets on the forum and trys to sell his wares. I do not think this is right and really do not think Klipsch should put up with it no other forum does. Just my 2 cents

Frzinvt,

The forum member is not looking for $5,000.00 worth of electronics his budget is 2,500.00 to 3,000.00

rmlowz

[IndyKlipschFan]

Why not grab this asap...

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/ShowThread.aspx?PageIndex=2&PostID=951975#951975

THX Ultra II specs... Denon.. for 400 dollars too.... I am serious, will do great with what you have..

[jmdore]

I saw the thread previously and was concerned over the lack of HDMI, while recognizing that the component video input up to 720p and 1080i is available. With this is mind, will I be unable to reap the benefits of an HD-DVD or Blu-ray 1080P DVD player? Should I skip the player for now, and stick with my current Panasonic upscaling player (I am not at home at the moment and don't know the model number, but know that it upscales standard DVD's to 720P) and further rely on the Sony VPL50-VW50 (or VW60) to upscale to 1080P? I am a little apprehensive about reyling on multiple upscaling algorithyms/technologies working in concert with one another.

The Denon appears to be a good value at that price. I could use this as a stepping stone, and should (when?) I go to separates down the road, the Denon could be used to drive the in-ceiling speakers (Speakercraft) on my first floor, as well as my back yard (wired, but no speakers planned until next Summer). Thoughts?

Separately, while I have a dedicated home theater room, and intended to use it entirely for this purpose, if I have a bunch of people over and want to run a high def broadcast (such as the superbowl) in the room, what else will I need to do from an equipment perspective? I currently use Comcast analog cable, but I pick up the high def (limited number of channels) signal through my Olevia even though the specs indicate that the tuner is for NTSC/ATSC and not for QAM.

[IndyKlipschFan]

Could you no just go direct from your DVD player to the projector.. HDMI use a splitter for cable TV and be done with it? Personally this might even be better so it is lossless in your signal path? I go straight from my Samsung DVD player upstairs to the 61" DLP Samsung HDTV with great results and send the audio to (by optical cable) my Aragon Stage One. (Also no HDMI) You can do the same here.. (Your not really sending the audio to your projector anyhow through the HDMI cable. lol) Then, you can get a high end 1080p DVD player if you wish, pay more for movies, too! Btw, like 1080i or 720p, with 1080p, some movies will seem fantastic some will suck.... LOL.

Seriously your getting a 2000 dollar or so receiver (or whaterver it was at that time) with all the belles and whistles, and it is Ultra 2 so LOTS of power for medium to large sized rooms.. 7.1 sound with all the formats to date.. (Personally this is one of those no brainers...to me, and I do not know "agent eagle" just off of this board like you... so I have no agenda here.)

Go 4 it! And upgrade top the HD comcast box with tivo too.. it is amazing!! (Also realise your only gonna get 720p and a few 1080i broadcasts too.. but it will seem fantastic !)