Mismatched speakers - Klipsch - Blu-ray Forum

Jello · 11-28-2008, 05:58 AM

I am currently running all Klipsch speakers from a Yamaha V1800 amp in a room about 16 X 25. Because I live in an apartment, I started out with the cheapest in the Reference line namely RC-10 and RS-10. I decided to upgrade my front speakers and found a super deal for some RF-83. Now how important is timbre matching if I rarely turn the sound up loud? I thought about getting the matching center RC-64 but HOLY! that monster is huge and I really don't have room for it. Will I notice a big difference upgrading the center channel? I do have a few SACD's

but mostly watch movies at low volume (Blu-ray of course). My main concern is to hear dialog better as the 100's of concerts have affected my hearing a bit. I know all about DRC but don't like it. What other center channels can I get that are timbre matched or is that just for purists?

Cheers

Lapse of Reason · 11-28-2008, 06:33 AM

You really should be okay. At least listen first and see if it makes a difference to you. Ideally you should match, but you are at least using the same brand and line.

*** I just looked up the differences of the center speakers after reading below, and they are right. If it was maybe one step up my above comment would apply, but you are going from small to huge on your mains. You need to bump up the center too.

H9k_ · 11-28-2008, 09:39 AM

It is important.
Here is some info for you : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre

http://www.hometheatersound.com/letters/2001_01.html

"Speakers, more than any other piece of equipment, sound different from one another. You want your surround system to have a cohesive and consistent sound. For example, in particular, you don't want your front left and right speakers to have a distinct sound, and then the center channel to sound different. Vocals, as they move from one speaker to another as the actor moves across the stage would sound very odd as a result. Timbre matching, therefore, generally refers to matching the sound of each speaker."

The bigger issue for you is that you have "monster fronts" and a tiny center. And that is what it will sound like. Even from the Rc-52 to rc 64 there is audible difference espessialy on female voice. The rc 64 is also way more open and natural sounding and not so mutch of that "sound comming from a box" sound that smaller centers usualy\always have.

The center channel in a multichan setup is THE most important speaker where about 80% of the sound is comming from and is the channel that is "always" active.

Why would you want high quality from RF 83 then low quality from the center?
Imagine a plane going accros the soundstage and it sounds like a plane in the left chan then a angry bee in the center and then a plane in the right chan.

And if sound quality is important for conserts and sacd i would imagine you would want singers voice and instruments to sound the same.

Also how loud is loud?

crazyBLUE · 11-28-2008, 09:50 AM

Well put ! good post - good ADVICE !!!!!!

Jello · 11-29-2008, 07:42 PM

Thank you very much H9k_
You have convinced me to go and get the matching center RC-64...I guess I'll have to do a wall mount on the TV to do it so I don't block the view
I consider loud to be when the neighbours complain

Cheers

Jello · 01-03-2009, 06:55 AM

Wow what a big difference...I don't have a problem understanding dialog anymore. Movies sound so good that the wow factor is there all the time...especially the ones with uncompressed PCM or HD sound.

sandman6662 · 01-03-2009, 02:14 PM

I agree with all of the above , My 1st Klipsch Reff speakers were these,,

RB-51- front L & R
RC-10- Center
RS-10- Surrounds
RW-10- Subwoofer

The sound was amazing for a small system, But as we all know the upgrade curse..

So new system was this

RF-82- front L & R
RF-62- Center------They were out of stock on the RC-64 Had to order one,
RS-42- Surrounds
RW-10- Subwoofer

Now this really rocked , Movies & Music ,Very happy , But still wanted the RC-64 , why? Just because..

Plus my wife made the mistake and said she had a hard time hearing the dialog..( My excuess) So when the RC-64 came in the Hi FI Shop my dealer traded the RC-62 back in on for full price, so it worked out great , When my wife saw that thing she said where's it going ,I said under the TV.. she said why , I said you could'nt hear the voices..LOL any ways heres the set up & its awesome..

RF-82-Front L&R
RC-64-Center
RS-42-Surrounds--Like to upgrade to the RS-52 . last on list..
RW-10-Subwoofer --Next upgrade is to the RW-12-Subwoofer, Just because

So in all the sound is amazing and could'nt be happier,

Now I'd like a pair of those RF-83 like you got if I win the LOTTO

Enjoy the setup . sounds like you'r happy ,,Klipsch ROCK ON >>>>>>>>>

FIDDYPOP · 01-03-2009, 02:32 PM

I never thought about timber matching when I purchased my HT toys. Any suggestions on how my stuff matches up? I thought that it was all from the same manufaterer would suffice.

FIDDYPOP · 01-03-2009, 02:43 PM

Oh and how do you timber match?

I Bleed Blu · 01-03-2009, 02:50 PM

Hey,

I have the RC-64, and let me tell you. Wow, i love it. I have RF-62's which I just sold and am getting ready to order the RF-63's so they will all match. I wish I could get the 83's but they are a bit out of my range unfortunately. You cant go wrong with the RC-64 though, make room for it!!

Jello · 01-03-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIDDYPOP

Oh and how do you timber match?

Well when it comes to Klipsch, you go to their website and it tells you what matches...for instance if you look at the rf-83 floorstanders...it lists the matching center as rc-64

Jello · 01-03-2009, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Bleed Blu

You cant go wrong with the RC-64 though, make room for it!!

Yup 61 lbs and massive...

sandman6662 · 01-03-2009, 09:16 PM

I BLEED BLUE... Have you listened to the RF-63 yet ? Just curious , as from what I read they sound really good , Of course the RF-82 Do sound awesome from Experience I have these with the RC-64. Together they are made for each other. Now The RF-83 Sound even more like a fire breathing Dragon. because of the 8" woofers. Now what I have read and reserched the RF-63 dont compare to the RF-83 Or the RF-82 , theylack alittle in the low end so you have to go with the bigger subwoofer to make that up , If I was you I would check out the RF-82 for a heck of a price savings . Of course this is my Opinion. , Just something to think on . LMk how you make out . good luck.

11-28-2008, 05:58 AM	#1
Jello Active Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Toronto Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:40	Mismatched speakers - Klipsch I am currently running all Klipsch speakers from a Yamaha V1800 amp in a room about 16 X 25. Because I live in an apartment, I started out with the cheapest in the Reference line namely RC-10 and RS-10. I decided to upgrade my front speakers and found a super deal for some RF-83. Now how important is timbre matching if I rarely turn the sound up loud? I thought about getting the matching center RC-64 but HOLY! that monster is huge and I really don't have room for it. Will I notice a big difference upgrading the center channel? I do have a few SACD's but mostly watch movies at low volume (Blu-ray of course). My main concern is to hear dialog better as the 100's of concerts have affected my hearing a bit. I know all about DRC but don't like it. What other center channels can I get that are timbre matched or is that just for purists? Cheers

11-28-2008, 06:33 AM	#2
Lapse of Reason Active Member Member since:Jul 2008 Blu-ray collection:3 Trading Score:10	You really should be okay. At least listen first and see if it makes a difference to you. Ideally you should match, but you are at least using the same brand and line. *** I just looked up the differences of the center speakers after reading below, and they are right. If it was maybe one step up my above comment would apply, but you are going from small to huge on your mains. You need to bump up the center too. Last edited by Lapse of Reason; 11-28-2008 at 03:44 PM.

11-28-2008, 09:39 AM	#3
H9k_ Active Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Vikingland	To bee or not to bee. It is important. Here is some info for you : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre http://www.hometheatersound.com/letters/2001_01.html "Speakers, more than any other piece of equipment, sound different from one another. You want your surround system to have a cohesive and consistent sound. For example, in particular, you don't want your front left and right speakers to have a distinct sound, and then the center channel to sound different. Vocals, as they move from one speaker to another as the actor moves across the stage would sound very odd as a result. Timbre matching, therefore, generally refers to matching the sound of each speaker." The bigger issue for you is that you have "monster fronts" and a tiny center. And that is what it will sound like. Even from the Rc-52 to rc 64 there is audible difference espessialy on female voice. The rc 64 is also way more open and natural sounding and not so mutch of that "sound comming from a box" sound that smaller centers usualy\always have. The center channel in a multichan setup is THE most important speaker where about 80% of the sound is comming from and is the channel that is "always" active. Why would you want high quality from RF 83 then low quality from the center? Imagine a plane going accros the soundstage and it sounds like a plane in the left chan then a angry bee in the center and then a plane in the right chan. And if sound quality is important for conserts and sacd i would imagine you would want singers voice and instruments to sound the same. Also how loud is loud?

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11-28-2008, 09:50 AM	#4
crazyBLUE Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Pacific Northwest Home Theater Gallery:89 Blu-ray collection:479 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 38 Trading Score:30	Well put ! good post - good ADVICE !!!!!!

11-29-2008, 07:42 PM	#5
Jello Active Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Toronto Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:40	Thank you very much H9k_ You have convinced me to go and get the matching center RC-64...I guess I'll have to do a wall mount on the TV to do it so I don't block the view I consider loud to be when the neighbours complain Cheers

01-03-2009, 06:55 AM	#6
Jello Active Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Toronto Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:40	Wow what a big difference...I don't have a problem understanding dialog anymore. Movies sound so good that the wow factor is there all the time...especially the ones with uncompressed PCM or HD sound.

01-03-2009, 02:14 PM	#7
sandman6662 Expert Member Member since:Feb 2008 Home Theater Gallery:35 Trading Score:24	I agree with all of the above , My 1st Klipsch Reff speakers were these,, RB-51- front L & R RC-10- Center RS-10- Surrounds RW-10- Subwoofer The sound was amazing for a small system, But as we all know the upgrade curse.. So new system was this RF-82- front L & R RF-62- Center------They were out of stock on the RC-64 Had to order one, RS-42- Surrounds RW-10- Subwoofer Now this really rocked , Movies & Music ,Very happy , But still wanted the RC-64 , why? Just because.. Plus my wife made the mistake and said she had a hard time hearing the dialog..( My excuess) So when the RC-64 came in the Hi FI Shop my dealer traded the RC-62 back in on for full price, so it worked out great , When my wife saw that thing she said where's it going ,I said under the TV.. she said why , I said you could'nt hear the voices..LOL any ways heres the set up & its awesome.. RF-82-Front L&R RC-64-Center RS-42-Surrounds--Like to upgrade to the RS-52 . last on list.. RW-10-Subwoofer --Next upgrade is to the RW-12-Subwoofer, Just because So in all the sound is amazing and could'nt be happier, Now I'd like a pair of those RF-83 like you got if I win the LOTTO Enjoy the setup . sounds like you'r happy ,,Klipsch ROCK ON >>>>>>>>>

01-03-2009, 02:32 PM	#8
FIDDYPOP Expert Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Chi-Town Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray collection:444 Blu-ray reviews:1	I never thought about timber matching when I purchased my HT toys. Any suggestions on how my stuff matches up? I thought that it was all from the same manufaterer would suffice.

01-03-2009, 02:43 PM	#9
FIDDYPOP Expert Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Chi-Town Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray collection:444 Blu-ray reviews:1	Oh and how do you timber match?

01-03-2009, 02:50 PM	#10
I Bleed Blu Senior Member Member since:Feb 2007 Location:Lexington, KY Home Theater Gallery:6 Blu-ray collection:86 Trading Score:23	Hey, I have the RC-64, and let me tell you. Wow, i love it. I have RF-62's which I just sold and am getting ready to order the RF-63's so they will all match. I wish I could get the 83's but they are a bit out of my range unfortunately. You cant go wrong with the RC-64 though, make room for it!!

01-03-2009, 09:16 PM	#13
sandman6662 Expert Member Member since:Feb 2008 Home Theater Gallery:35 Trading Score:24	I BLEED BLUE... Have you listened to the RF-63 yet ? Just curious , as from what I read they sound really good , Of course the RF-82 Do sound awesome from Experience I have these with the RC-64. Together they are made for each other. Now The RF-83 Sound even more like a fire breathing Dragon. because of the 8" woofers. Now what I have read and reserched the RF-63 dont compare to the RF-83 Or the RF-82 , theylack alittle in the low end so you have to go with the bigger subwoofer to make that up , If I was you I would check out the RF-82 for a heck of a price savings . Of course this is my Opinion. , Just something to think on . LMk how you make out . good luck.

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