Rate my beginner home theater

[snakeeyes]

Well like everything, your budget will determine your options. The center and mains should match brands and tweeters ideally.

Good luck!

 

[BMXTRIX]

What I don't get is the sub isn't a cheap sub why is it so bad

This is the wrong line of thought.

Expensive doesn't mean good. And 'cheap' and 'inexpensive' are extremely subjective terms.
But, if the sub is about $300 retail, then that's in the bottom 15% or so of what is generally out there. That's based upon going to the Best Buy website, looking at their subwoofers and seeing that they only have about a dozen of their 100+ subwoofers which are priced under $300.

When you have 85% of the product which is priced higher than what you have, then you have a pretty entry level unit. It's neither 'cheap' not 'bad', but there is a lot more out there which hits a lot harder and a lot deeper... and they cost anywhere from a little bit more to a LOT more.

That doesn't mean that ever subwoofer over $300 will outperform what you have. You likely have a solid product for the money spent. But, spending $300 is more likely to move you sideways rather than forward. You will want to look for great deals on very high quality subwoofers and save your pennies so that when that deal comes up, you will be ready.

In my case, I was able to buy used, resell at a similar price, and then upgrade along the way. I think I spent about $300 on my first subwoofer (used) as well, but I sold it for $300 later on, then got a $800 subwoofer. Which I did the same thing to and bought a $1,400 model. This one, I still use, is a Velodyne HGS-18, and is a beast. It hits hard, and is still tight due to the design. Top shelf. There are less intense units out there and certainly more within budget, but you want to scour the used market and read reviews and ask opinions. Lots of love for companies like SVS out there. Their cheapest is $500.
www.svsound.com

I still have a lot of love for Velodyne as well as JL audio. But, only at the right price.

 

[everettT]

If you wanna know what you are missing... go to the next big audio show and see what is out there.

I'm not interested in speakers $60K.
(OK... there is this one pair at 50... but... no.)

(And then there is this $10K pair... more realistic... but is it worth the upgrade? ('K, I'd like to think yes, but... no.))

On the other hand, there are many great speakers at even less than a 20th of that last one.

But Subs do not come that cheap. Hsu is your best Value at cost-to-performance.
Unless you go the DIY route. And the same can be said for speakers. There are kits for all, that you can build, with Flat-Pack Cabinets that will outstrip anything retail by far... You just need a little know-how and craftsmanship.

And the only reason I brought up the AVR is to get you better features for Room Correction and the ability to control what is going on. Not a priority... just a possible path forward when you get a better grasp on the other variables.

Address your room and placement options (free, or inexpensive if approached smartly).
Subwoofer.
Speakers.
Electronics.

I used to say that the sub should cost as much as your front three, capping at $1500 the thought.

 

[Pogre]

I used to say that the sub should cost as much as your front three, capping at $1500 the thought.

That's actually right about where I'm at, almost to the dollar. Not intentionally, mind you. It just worked out that way.

 

[Swerd]

I know the center is run of mill but I feel like the klipsch rf63s are pretty damn good speakers.
I eventually want all klipsch or polk
can't decide
leaning towards klipsch

There is an easy and cost-free way to compare the Klipsch sound to the Polk sound. In movies, dialog dominates the center channel. A good center channel speaker must do human voices convincingly.

In your AVR's setup menu, switch off the center channel. It will redirect all center channel content to the left front & right speakers. Your Klipsch RF63s will do the dialog. Then switch the center channel back on, and listen to the same movie passage, but with voices coming through the Polk CSI A4. Repeat this comparison, until you know which you prefer.

The denon x2400h is brand new.

There's nothing about your AVR you should worry about. Make it the last thing to replace, not the first.

 

[everettT]

There is a easy and cost-free way to compare the Klipsch sound to the Polk sound. In movies, dialog dominates the center channel. A good center channel speaker must do human voices convincingly.

In your AVR's setup menu, switch off the center channel. It will redirect all center channel content to the left front & right speakers. Your Klipsch RF63s will do the dialog. Then switch the center channel back on, and listen to the same movie passage, but with voices coming through the Polk CSI A4. Repeat this comparison, until you know which you prefer.
There's nothing about your AVR you should worry about. Make the last thing to replace, not the first.

Good idea! Maybe have someone do the switching to remove the sighted biases, to make it fun..

 

[bradley0001983]

Ya well I never pay retail that's for sure I kinda buy sell upgrade keep what i like .. I really have peanuts invested into my set set up . I paid
Denon x2400h plus the sub for 280
Klipsch rf 63 175
Polk csia4 20
Klipsch r51m 150
2 sets polk lsif/x 200

And that's canadian funds
I.also have spare
Energy rc minis
Onkyo 585
Denon 3805
Harmin 3550
Marantz 5004
AMD a couple garbage onkyo subwoofers that came from theater in a box 590 and 593 I think

But my next hunt is deffinatly a different subwoofer now and a center I may go for center first

I will deffinatly play with the settings i think thata half or more of my enjoyment is playing with it all . One thing throws me off is using the set up mic it sets everything so low between -9 amd -12 db
I think I fail really short in understand correct db levels as well as crossover levels should rf63 be full brand rest speakers large or small

 

[Merkules2001]

I think matching Klipsch with any other type is always going to sound a bit off. To me I tried paradigm, polk, b&w, and the horn tweeter is an apple, the others are oranges. So go one way or the other. For my ears.

 

[Merkules2001]

I think matching Klipsch with any other type is always going to sound a bit off. To me I tried paradigm, polk, b&w, and the horn tweeter is an apple, the others are oranges. So go one way or the other. For my ears.

You got the rf63 for a song. Hold.

 

[Leemix]

Ya well I never pay retail that's for sure I kinda buy sell upgrade keep what i like .. I really have peanuts invested into my set set up . I paid
Denon x2400h plus the sub for 280
Klipsch rf 63 175
Polk csia4 20
Klipsch r51m 150
2 sets polk lsif/x 200

And that's canadian funds
I.also have spare
Energy rc minis
Onkyo 585
Denon 3805
Harmin 3550
Marantz 5004
AMD a couple garbage onkyo subwoofers that came from theater in a box 590 and 593 I think

But my next hunt is deffinatly a different subwoofer now and a center I may go for center first

I will deffinatly play with the settings i think thata half or more of my enjoyment is playing with it all . One thing throws me off is using the set up mic it sets everything so low between -9 amd -12 db
I think I fail really short in understand correct db levels as well as crossover levels should rf63 be full brand rest speakers large or small

Until you get a nice sub it might be good to run the front L/R as large but try small also with a 60 or 80hz crossover. The rest should be small with at least an 80hz crossover(most likly)

If its set at -12dB you cant know what it should be because -12 is max. Are your speakers a bit close to the wall/corner? -if so pull them out.

 

[bradley0001983]

You got the rf63 for a song. Hold.

Ya I cant believe I got them.so cheap I loaded.them up brought them home nervously and excitedly hooked them up and was ecstatic was a police seizure auction I will keep then for a long time I had all polk before and now slowly making switch to klipsch

 

[bradley0001983]

Ya it's a strange shaped room so speaker placement is not ideal

 

[Kingnoob]

Ya I know the center gets lost now I think my next upgrade be reciever to a 9.2 or 11.2 not sure how it would sound but have another set of the polk lsif/x I think would make interesting front hights for Dolby atmos

Would need atmos or a very large room for 11.2 but could be amazing
Upgrade to better speakers before going past 7ch


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[Kingnoob]

It's in my bedroom it's a pretty big room about 400 square feet I do have two subs going though so that helps placement is not perfect as the lsif/x are not placed perfect but doesn't really fit in room where the need to be but it all basically around my bed

My bedroom is super tiny 11’ x 11’
I got a monstrous 4.5-5 cubic foot stereo integrity in my bedroom so I don’t need two subs.its too powerful already
Two smaller ones can be more even bass .


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[Pogre]

My bedroom is super tiny 11’ x 11’
I got a monstrous 4.5-5 cubic foot stereo integrity in my bedroom so I don’t need two subs.its too powerful already
Two smaller ones can be more even bass .


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I'll bet you can fit a couple more tvs and a death ray in there tho...

 

[bombadil]

Having been down this road and "wishing I had known" so many times, I'll add this to the mix. There's no doubt that speakers/sub are at least 1/2 the battle, the other half is your room. When you are considering your next move, ESPECIALLY if it involves a new receiver, get one that has proven room correction. You're laying out the money anyway, why not get the huge added bonus of room eq? Look into Anthem, they have ARC which is excellent, or one of the products that uses DIRAC, those are the two best systems. With Anthem you have the choice of one of their receivers or the AVM 60 processor. The biggest improvements I have noticed in my HT experience came with high quality dual subs and room correction. Happy trails!

 

[everettT]

Having been down this road and "wishing I had known" so many times, I'll add this to the mix. There's no doubt that speakers/sub are at least 1/2 the battle, the other half is your room. When you are considering your next move, ESPECIALLY if it involves a new receiver, get one that has proven room correction. You're laying out the money anyway, why not get the huge added bonus of room eq? Look into Anthem, they have ARC which is excellent, or one of the products that uses DIRAC, those are the two best systems. With Anthem you have the choice of one of their receivers or the AVM 60 processor. The biggest improvements I have noticed in my HT experience came with high quality dual subs and room correction. Happy trails!

If you are serious about EQing below 300hz, I highly recommend external EQ if you dont want to spend more on an AVR. The denon x3xxxx is the base for sub eq.

 

[lovinthehd]

Having been down this road and "wishing I had known" so many times, I'll add this to the mix. There's no doubt that speakers/sub are at least 1/2 the battle, the other half is your room. When you are considering your next move, ESPECIALLY if it involves a new receiver, get one that has proven room correction. You're laying out the money anyway, why not get the huge added bonus of room eq? Look into Anthem, they have ARC which is excellent, or one of the products that uses DIRAC, those are the two best systems. With Anthem you have the choice of one of their receivers or the AVM 60 processor. The biggest improvements I have noticed in my HT experience came with high quality dual subs and room correction. Happy trails!

Some say Trinnov is even better....

 

[Kingnoob]

I'll bet you can fit a couple more tvs and a death ray in there tho...

I could had gotten away with a 10” to 12 or two 8! My bedroom it’s so small
Yeah no more tube tv not worth the hassle even if it works


Reptilians invading in year 2025
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[Kingnoob]

Reciever demon x2400h
Fronts klipsch rf 63s
Center polk csi a4
Surrounds polk lsif/x
Surround backs klipsch 51s
Subwoofer paradigm pdr 80

Very nice better then my bedroom someday

I’ll post pictures at some point.
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