Putting together a new system

[dseng]

Hi folks,

I'm a raw beginner, but I've learned a lot so far from this site and the forums. I've just ordered a Yamaha RX-V659 and have a pair of Klipsch RB-15 bookshelf speakers. As I slowly acquire the rest of the speakers to complete our HT, how important will it be to keep the speakers "coordinated" from a sound perspective?

I'm thinking about a HSU STF 2 for the subwoofer. We have a fairly large room (~ 2875 cu ft), but we very rarely turn the volume up very high on either music or movies. Will want to add a center speaker and two surrounds, but I'm not quite sure what will match up well with what we already have. I'd like to keep my speaker costs for the sub, center and surrounds around $1000. Would I be better off trying to stay with Klipsch (soundwise) or can I mix and match fairly easily?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hi folks,
I'm a raw beginner, but I've learned a lot so far from this site and the forums. I've just ordered a Yamaha RX-V659 and have a pair of Klipsch RB-15 bookshelf speakers. As I slowly acquire the rest of the speakers to complete our HT, how important will it be to keep the speakers "coordinated" from a sound perspective?
I'm thinking about a HSU STF 2 for the subwoofer. We have a fairly large room (~ 2875 cu ft), but we very rarely turn the volume up very high on either music or movies. Will want to add a center speaker and two surrounds, but I'm not quite sure what will match up well with what we already have. I'd like to keep my speaker costs for the sub, center and surrounds around $1000. Would I be better off trying to stay with Klipsch (soundwise) or can I mix and match fairly easily? Thanks,
Dave

I would strongly recommend that you try to place another one of those speakers, RB15 as your center if you can do it space wise. That will give you a great front soundstage.

You should try to use Klipsch in the rear as well, but they are more forgiving once the front is established.

 

[dseng]

Appreciate the advice! Just curious - do you think that I'd be better off trying to find another RB-15 for the center (or what I think the current model replacement is, the RB-51) or going with the Klipsch RC-52 for the center?

Thanks for putting up with my newbie questions - my budget dictates that I build this system slowly, but as long as I have a good plan I hope I'll end up with a sweet little system.

 

[AVRat]

Depending on the type of speaker you’re planning for surrounds, you may want to migrate the 15s for surround duty and use the new speaker versions up front. The 52 center is a good start.

 

[Nick250]

Good choice on the sub. As Mtry mentioned, having three identical speaker up front is ideal and that's what I do. That being said, what Rat had to say has merit too. There is no exact wrong and no exact right in audio, but the two choices mentioned above are two of the better ones IMO. I am not familiar with the Klipsch models so I can not comment on them

Nick

 

[dseng]

Bear with me while I learn -

What would be the difference between using say, my rb-15's, as the surrounds vs using speakers designed as surround speakers (or is a lot of that just marketing hoopla?)? (the biggest difference that I can _see_ is the orientation of the individual speakers in the surrounds (often oriented in multiple directions)... I know that a lot of this is probably hard or impossible to quantify, but I need to use the net for as much research as I can - way up here in the "boonies" of Alaska we don't have a lot of choices when it comes to quality audio components (our local AV store carries only one line of speakers, so it's impossible to do a lot of real-world testing).

 

[AVRat]

The room layout really dictates what type of speakers you can use. Some rooms are capable of using mono- or multi-polar surrounds, while others are only setup for mono-pole use. The multi-polar surrounds provide a more diffuse effect and require space and room boundaries to reflect the sound and they are generally more expensive. It will help if you can provide an idea of your room layout.

 

[dseng]

Ah - so the room layout should influence the _type_ of surrounds. Gotcha. These forums rock - I learn new things every day!

It's a strange space for a home theater - it's a totally open floor plan. Timber-framed with lots of exposed beams and posts and a ton of windows on the exterior walls.

As you can see from the embedded image (aka - a crude drawing) we don't have an ideal HT layout, but it's what we have to work with... Not a biggie - we watch TV and listen to music this way all the time. We often watch or listen from in the kitchen or while sitting at the bartop too - so we may have a hopeless case in trying to tune the system for the best sound. We usually sit on the couch in the middle of the room while watching movies.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Bear with me while I learn -

What would be the difference between using say, my rb-15's, as the surrounds vs using speakers designed as surround speakers (or is a lot of that just marketing hoopla?)? (the biggest difference that I can _see_ is the orientation of the individual speakers in the surrounds (often oriented in multiple directions)... I know that a lot of this is probably hard or impossible to quantify, but I need to use the net for as much research as I can - way up here in the "boonies" of Alaska we don't have a lot of choices when it comes to quality audio components (our local AV store carries only one line of speakers, so it's impossible to do a lot of real-world testing).

Surrounds are designed for that duty. You don't really want a front type speaker in that mode, a direct firing speaker.
If you have room in the center and can find a matching speaker, that would be the best. Then, a center designed for that operation from the same company.

 

[dseng]

So...based on what I've learned thus far -

New Center - Klipsch RB-15 if I can find it, RC-52 if I can't
New Sub - HSU STF-2
New Surrounds - Klipsch S2's

Anybody want to sell an old RB-15?

Heck - if I can put this together and then pick up a new 42" LCD this summer along with a HD-DVD/BluRay something or other once the dust settles we'll be looking good!

I got a skookum deal on the RB-15's earlier this year from a dealer down in Bellingham, WA - I doubt if I'll be able to find a deal like that again!

Thanks!

 

[AVRat]

That is a tough space! My first thought would be to use mono-poles/direct-radiators. Placement would be roughly off to the sides and behind as you’re facing the TV. One sidenote: the surrounds don’t necessarily need to be from the same manufacturer. If you can place those surrounds, you might consider this: http://www.sounddistributors.com/buynow.asp?action=detail&prid=160&crid=56&cat_name=Surround+Speakers

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You may want to consider some in-ceiling surrounds. They will provide decent sound and be 2 less items in your living area.