Matching reciever with speakers

[d9999]

Hey everyone, I am new and looking at getting a new home theater setup. I have a question about matching the receiver and speakers. I read there is a lot about matching the way they sound and some will be too warm etc. So I am thinking of getting possibly Klipsch rf-52 II. What are some receivers that will blend well and what receivers won't? Thanks!

 

[GranteedEV]

I read there is a lot about matching the way they sound and some will be too warm etc.

Lucky for you, that's total B.S.

Just get a marantz SR6004:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6004/Marantz-SR6004-110w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

or SR6005:

http://www.accessories4less.com/index.php?page=search&search_query=SR6005&x=0&y=0

and be done with it

So I am thinking of getting possibly Klipsch rf-52 II. What are some receivers that will blend well and what receivers won't? Thanks!

Blending would be the last of my worries... the speakers themselves would be the first

Have you considered any other brands?

 

[d9999]

Thanks for the response, what other speakers would you recommend and what do you think of the Klipsch rf-52 II series?

 

[d9999]

What speaker brands are you thinking?

 

[GranteedEV]

what do you think of the Klipsch rf-52 II series?

I don't think they're particularily great speakers.

What speaker brands are you thinking?

The RF 52 II will cost about under $800/pr

A few speakers I'd recommend instead include

Magnepan MMG - These will sound outstanding, although they won't have the dynamic range or wide sweet spot necessary for a real badass HT setup, they'll really make you rediscover your music either way. You can still watch movies on them, just not as ear-bleedingly loud as the Klipsches. Adding a sub is a great idea.

EMP e55ti - These will have a balanced response from top to bottom. A sub is necessary to get the deepest octave. They can handle dynamic range pretty well, and have a pretty good sweet spot.

PSB Image T6 - Probably not as dynamic as the EMPs, but i'd suspect they're a bit better in the lower midrange. Just a guess, as I haven't actually heard them.

And, at a higher price point:

JTR Triple 8 - These will be badass. The dynamic range will be endless, and again the voicing will be reasonably neutral.

And of course, I recommend two quality 12" or larger subwoofers from a company like HSU, Outlaw, Rythmik, Funkywaves, SVS, Epik, or Seaton Sound.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

JTR and PSB T6 are "slightly" above budget
I'm not huge fan of EMP towers

My recommendation for $800 2.0 is KEF Q500 ($429/ea)
http://www.accessories4less.com/index.php?page=search&search_query=q500&x=0&y=0

Or two of these: http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Primus-Three-way-Floorstanding-Speaker/dp/B0046A8R3M/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1316811810&sr=1-1
and a sub:
http://emotiva.com/ultra_sub12.shtm

 

[GranteedEV]

JTR and PSB T6 are "slightly" above budget

The T6 I linked to is 849.00/pair

I'm not huge fan of EMP towers

They can sound a bit thin without EQ if they're away from the wall, but add ~2db boost below 700hz and they're great. Or was your issue something else? Which EMPs did you dislike?

 

[Knucklehead90]

I have a nephew with RF-52s with the RC-52 center and the matching surrounds - they play loud as hell with a lightweight Onkyo of a few years vintage. For movies they are very good - for music I think they suck. Too bright by twice or more! Since he's a carpenter he's lost some of his high frequency hearing and it helps him hear dialog and music.

For strictly music get tower speakers - for movies bookshelf speakers are sufficient as long as you have a good sub. Even with towers a sub is needed for good LFE's in movies. Nothing like shaking the whole damned house!

For decent bookshelf speakers take a look at the Emotiva offerings. The 6.2s are a fine sounding speaker - and for $199 shipped are the bargain of the late summer/early fall IMO.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

"The T6 I linked to is 849.00/pair "
My bad, I looked at other number. For $850 T6 is a good option on par with Q500.

Re Emp e55Ti, I guess I confused with EMP's previous and smaller model.
I must admit I never heard them, my opinion is based solely on reviews
On AH reviews Both t55i and T towers measured good, but both have minor issues in frequency sweeps... I guess at this price range its inevitable

 

[GranteedEV]

"The T6 I linked to is 849.00/pair "
My bad, I looked at other number. For $850 T6 is a good option on par with Q500.

The KEF Q series looks good but I'm a bit concerned about the metal cone breakup I saw in the stereophile measurement. it's only around 12db down in the crossover whereas most designers shoot for ~40db down.

On AH reviews Both t55i and T towers measured good, but both have minor issues in frequency sweeps... I guess at this price range its inevitable

I'm not sure about the e5Ti. But I like the e55Ti at least, personally. If there's any high Q peak like that measurement showed, I can't hear it. They definitely sound better though if you go into the receiver graphic EQ and boost 500hz / 250hz / 63hz each by ~1.5db, but that might be the fact I've got them 4 feet from the wall!