Harmon Kardon or Klipsch?

[Lenard90]

I have a "loft area" on the second story of my house. I am interested in putting a home theater system in this room, but I am not sure as to which one to purchase. I have looked at and researched the Yamaha/Klipsch Quintet 950W 5.1-Channel XM-Ready Audio Advantage Package which is sold at BestBuy. I would upgrade to the 12'' subwoofer in lieu of the 10''.
I am also considering the Harmon Kardon CP 65. I have sought the advice of two friends of mine both of whom have extensive experience with electronics. They both prefer Kplisch. As far as things go, for Blu Ray playback I was considering just purchasing of the PS3.

 

[mudrummer99]

I also like the Klipsch, for what it is worth. I would definitely check to make sure the 12" sub is available, though, since it seems to be in a very limited supply. I thought I had heard a rumor that Klipsch was going to quit production on it, but I have not heard anything solid. Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker budget

What is your budget for the receiver and speakers? Some decent bookshelf speakers would sound much better than the Yamaha, HK, or Klipsch satelites. Also, the Klipsch subs are not that great.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

You really have to listen. The Klipsch sound is like licorice: you either love it or hate it.

 

[Halon451]

I agree with jcpanny and Joe Schmoe - check out some other quality bookshelf systems and dont' get wrapped around these two. For the money you would spend I think there are far better options out there. And yes, the Klipsch subs are not all that impressive for what it's worth.

Best Buy has traditionally set up a Klipsch quintet HT as a demo in many of their stores - they crank the sub up to god-awful levels and play the system at or near full volume in order to attract attention to it. Any normal sane person would not set their own HT up this way, but BB figures it to be a great marketing ploy for those who don't understand the finer nuances of a properly tuned HT system - they go for the initial "bang and wow" factor, but underneath the hood is another story...

Be patient and keep your options open.