Buying a new home theater

[Rblaster85]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I am graduating with an engineering degree in a few weeks and as a graduation gift to my self I am going to upgrade my HTIB. I have been looking at klipsch online mainly because they look "pretty" however I have been reading reviews about them and it seems like people either hate them or love them, also a lot of professional reviews say that they aren't very neutral and are lacking in the midrange.

I have been into headphones for quite a while and currently I have a pair of beyerdynamic dt770 250 ohm, paired with a triad audio L3 amp and an Ibasso dx100 music player. I like this setup because you can hear little details in the music and it seems very transparent. I am looking for a home theater system that will not only be very good for watching movies and playing video games, but will also reproduce music with the fidelity of my headphone setup (Not sure if this is doable with a reasonable budget).

Currently I have a system picked out but really have nothing to base the decision on other than I think the speakers look nice and I have read some reviews online.

Klipsch RF-82 II
Klipsch RC-52 II
Klipsch RS-52 II
Klipsch SW-110
Denon 4520CI

I am also playing around with getting something like

Klipsch RF-7 II
Klipsch RC-64 II
Klipsch RS-62 II
Klipsch SW-112
Denon 4520CI

I know there is a big difference between those to systems in terms of cost, I would say my max budget is about $6000. I would like to spend closer to $4000.

I want a 5.1 or 5.2 system

I have picked out the Denon 4520 because it has xt32, but again I don't know if thats really necessary (When using my headphones I stay from any type of equalization).

I have been looking at marantz separates (AV7701 and MM7055) because my headphone setup is a preamp/amp setup. However the AV7701 doesn't have xt32 (Again I don't know if this matters). I have also read that people cannot hear the difference between an integrated amp and separates at this price point.

So I am looking for suggestions on a system that I will be happy with and won't be looking to upgrade right away. My biggest priority is accuracy with the sound.

 

[zieglj01]

I think you need to audition the Klipsch, then you will need to
decide the next step. With a 4 to 6 thousand budget, audition
is important.

 

[shadyJ]

Klipsch is great for accuracy in terms of dynamic range. They will not compress the peaks nearly as much as ordinary dome speakers. You should audition some somewhere, but because they are widely available, that shouldn't be very hard. Some people don't care for them but personally I like Klipsch. The RF-7s are absolutely killer. I would definitely skip the Klipsch subwoofers though. Their subs are not the best value, although they are a better value than many other subs from popular speaker companies like Polk and B&W. A Klipsch sub that doesn't look too bad is the SW-115, but there are others I would still prefer over it. The sub companies to look at are Rythmik Audio, Hsu Research, Power Sound Audio, SVS, and Funk Audio. There is also Seaton Sound and JTR, but I think they are just out of your price range.

For the receiver, I would go for the Denon. I am pretty sure Audyssey will not attempt to equalize through the headphone output. XT32 is too sweet to skip out on, it will especially be a big assist with a dual sub setup, and that will be a big benefit to your overall sound.

If it were me, I would go with the second setup with the RF-7s, replace the RC-64 with an RC-62, and replace the RS-62's with RB-51s, and replace the SW-112 with either a pair of Power Sound XV15's or Hsu VTF3 mk4 subs. In this system you cut some corners that don't really benefit you much, and you get a big upgrade in an area that will be immediately and tangibly beneficial- the subs.

 

[agarwalro]

I am graduating with an engineering degree in a few weeks and as a graduation gift to my self I am going to upgrade my HTIB.

Welcome here!

First things first, don't graduate with debt or frivolous expenses. The system can wait till you have a few good paychecks tucked into the account. In the meanwhile, audition at stores, ask forum members to give you demos and basically, understand what you like what you don't like (acoustically). Moving up from an HTIB means, pretty much anything decent will be a step up. So, educate yourself on what constitutes good sound, value for money, find deals, etc.

I have been looking at klipsch online mainly because they look "pretty" however ... My biggest priority is accuracy with the sound.

Sending mixed messages here .

Is your budget $4000 or $6000? Pick a number and stick with it. Believe me, I can happily ring up a $10000 system and make you feel like anything less is a POS. And conversely, a properly set up $2000 system can be more than sufficient and make you question the need for a bigger budget. A good rule of thumb on budget is 70% on speakers, sub, 30% on receiver/ pre-pro+amp and as little as possible on cables (avoid the $150 HDMI cables, $5/ft speaker cables, etc.). In speakers, spend the max on main L, R and subs. If the room is large, you will need two subs to get even bass.

First select the speakers and then the receiver, not the other way around. This is because the capabilities of the speaker drive the necessities of the receiver or amp.

 

[mtrycrafts]

....

I have been into headphones for quite a while and currently I have a pair of beyerdynamic dt770 250 ohm, paired with a triad audio L3 amp and an Ibasso dx100 music player. I like this setup because you can hear little details in the music and it seems very transparent. I am looking for a home theater system that will not only be very good for watching movies and playing video games, but will also reproduce music with the fidelity of my headphone setup (Not sure if this is doable with a reasonable budget).
....

Welcome indeed.

Just a comment. Hard to compare headphones to speakers Headphones reduce a lot of room noise so you will hear lower level audio signals whereas in a room you have lots of noise, especially if street noise comes into the room as well.
Good luck in auditioning speakers, a most critical part of audio. If at all possible try to borrow the candidates you pick to audition in your own listening room as the store's acoustics will not be the same as yours, guaranteed.

 

[Rblaster85]

Ok so I finally pulled the trigger and purchased a home theater system. I am going to use RF-82 II for the from mains, RC-52 II for the center and RS-52 II for surrounds. and a SW110 for a sub. For a receiver I went with a Marantz SR5007, and I am toying with adding an external amp, maybe a XPA-5 in the future if I feel I need more head room. However I live in an apartment right now and I believe what I have coming will make the neighbors wet the bed.

I will say that I got the RF-82 speakers because I plan on listening to 2 channel stereo a lot, and even though the RC-52 isn't "Voiced matched" I believe that I can balance out the sound with the receiver settings.

I have a question about bi-amping the RF-82. The SR5007 allows you to reassign two of the amplifiers so that you can BI amp a set of speakers in your system. I have read some posts that say doing this with the RF-82 will have no effect, however Klipsch has included dual binding posts to allow for this, which makes me think that there should be some type of benefit? will this at least allow more power to the speakers, 200 watts vs 100 watts?

Thanks

Ryan

 

[jeremy2013]

Seems like a very good gift for yourself. Reading more reviews and actually walking in audio and home theater outlets is really necessary for your given the list you have. It would really help to try the system out before deciding. I used to play in a band and now I own my own studio for bands to rehearse. It took me a while to find what i needed for the studio. Reading some of the best home theater reviews aided me a lot but it still pays to go canvass compared to just reading.