Opinions about current vintage setup and jumping from 5.1 to 7.1 - Blu-ray Forum

captainsolo · 07-09-2016, 01:58 AM

Hi all, lately I've been thinking about finally jumping to 7.1 and wondered if it was practical with my current vintage speakers.
Right now I have Klipsch kg .5 bookshelfs for my mains and surrounds along with the matching kv-1 center and swv subwoofer.
I had often wondered how they would perform with modern equipment and I have to say try do admirably paired with my Onkyo nr626. The only issue is that the sub doesn't get quite low enough to match modern LFE so I'm thinking its time for an upgrade.

In terms of 7.1, I had though of moving the other kgs to the back and finding some towers to match but I have no idea what would be both affordable and relatively the same.

Any suggestions are welcome. I really have no idea about modern speakers other than the Andrew Jones pioneer line and a few others.

Krelldog1977 · 07-09-2016, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsolo

Hi all, lately I've been thinking about finally jumping to 7.1 and wondered if it was practical with my current vintage speakers.
Right now I have Klipsch kg .5 bookshelfs for my mains and surrounds along with the matching kv-1 center and swv subwoofer.
I had often wondered how they would perform with modern equipment and I have to say try do admirably paired with my Onkyo nr626. The only issue is that the sub doesn't get quite low enough to match modern LFE so I'm thinking its time for an upgrade.

In terms of 7.1, I had though of moving the other kgs to the back and finding some towers to match but I have no idea what would be both affordable and relatively the same.

Any suggestions are welcome. I really have no idea about modern speakers other than the Andrew Jones pioneer line and a few others.

Hi Solo,

I'd say hold on to your speakers for now, and unload the subwoofer for a better one. what is your budget?

enjoy!

BobbyMcGee · 07-11-2016, 08:17 PM

Maybe you could buy another pair of the same speakers you currently own if you are happy with them. Perhaps a used pair off of eBay. Then you would continue to have a matching set for your 7.1 set-up.

If you feel like you need / want a new subwoofer there are plenty of nice ones available at various price ranges.

Gravy4547 · 07-12-2016, 05:24 PM

To keep with the Star Wars themed avatars...

I am chiming in from the Atmos crowd. Keep your 5.1 as is and consider adding two height/ceiling speakers. You will not regret it.

Do some research on Dolby Atmos and see if its right for you.

I am also of the minority opinion that voice matching is overrated. I have polk mains and a Def Technology center, and it sounds great. Better than when I had a polk center. So I say, get whatever you want, don't limit your options. Amazon and Newegg have killer deals on speakers every so often.

captainsolo · 07-13-2016, 11:34 PM

Thanks for the advice guys. Upgrading isn't really a huge issue for me right now but it is something I had considered for some time. I had long feared my old klipsches would be scoffed at by most but they still do a remarkable job.

I guess my big question would be then: are the Pioneer towers a good investment? My budget is practically tiny. I could then rotate my mains to the rear.

Gravy4547 · 07-14-2016, 12:38 PM

Yeah Solo, if you are going from bookshelf mains to tower speakers, then that will be a big leap. You will be pleased. I recently replaced my wall mounted mains for some tower mains and the towers just fill the room with sound. Even my wife, who was at first annoyed about me bringing in towers, will now freely admit she was wrong and they sound awesome.

You looking at the Andrew Jones for around a hundred bucks a pop? I considered that option when shopping for a set of towers. Never heard them, but I bought the Polk equivalent Monitor 65T's out of brand loyalty, and I can say you will be pleased with the result.

And as I stated, I don't care about voice matching. However, voice matching is usually between the mains and center, not so much the mains and rears. So you might want to plan ahead and get the set of main towers that you want to match with a future center channel. Or if you want to subscribe to my madness, just get whatever sounds good!

Jim Hawkins · 07-27-2016, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsolo

Thanks for the advice guys. Upgrading isn't really a huge issue for me right now but it is something I had considered for some time. I had long feared my old klipsches would be scoffed at by most but they still do a remarkable job.

I guess my big question would be then: are the Pioneer towers a good investment? My budget is practically tiny. I could then rotate my mains to the rear.

The Pioneers are great speakers and I like them but they are going to be considerably different from the Klipsch speakers. I would say that the Pioneers are going to have a more laid back sound to them and they are probably going to be less efficient. I would try and get some used Klipsch Reference or Synergy towers on craigslist. They are going to have a more similar sound/efficiency and I see them regularly on Craigslist for the $200 range. If you decide to do atmos or height speakers you can do that with the .5's as well.

captainsolo · 08-10-2016, 11:39 PM

Thanks for the assistance guys. I just found a mint pair of Klipsch KSF 10.5s on a local CL ad, and they're working beautifully.
Now it's time to go about reconfiguring for 7.1....

07-09-2016, 01:58 AM	#1
captainsolo Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jan 2011 4K collection:36 Blu-ray collection:1017 DVD collection:353 Trading Score:19	Opinions about current vintage setup and jumping from 5.1 to 7.1 Hi all, lately I've been thinking about finally jumping to 7.1 and wondered if it was practical with my current vintage speakers. Right now I have Klipsch kg .5 bookshelfs for my mains and surrounds along with the matching kv-1 center and swv subwoofer. I had often wondered how they would perform with modern equipment and I have to say try do admirably paired with my Onkyo nr626. The only issue is that the sub doesn't get quite low enough to match modern LFE so I'm thinking its time for an upgrade. In terms of 7.1, I had though of moving the other kgs to the back and finding some towers to match but I have no idea what would be both affordable and relatively the same. Any suggestions are welcome. I really have no idea about modern speakers other than the Andrew Jones pioneer line and a few others.

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07-11-2016, 08:17 PM	#3
BobbyMcGee Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Oct 2012 Location:Los Angeles, CA 4K collection:500 Blu-ray collection:4495 Trading Score:291	Maybe you could buy another pair of the same speakers you currently own if you are happy with them. Perhaps a used pair off of eBay. Then you would continue to have a matching set for your 7.1 set-up. If you feel like you need / want a new subwoofer there are plenty of nice ones available at various price ranges.

07-12-2016, 05:24 PM	#4
Gravy4547 Active Member Member since:Sep 2015 Location:Glenview IL, Chicago Suburb Home Theater Gallery:15	To keep with the Star Wars themed avatars... I am chiming in from the Atmos crowd. Keep your 5.1 as is and consider adding two height/ceiling speakers. You will not regret it. Do some research on Dolby Atmos and see if its right for you. I am also of the minority opinion that voice matching is overrated. I have polk mains and a Def Technology center, and it sounds great. Better than when I had a polk center. So I say, get whatever you want, don't limit your options. Amazon and Newegg have killer deals on speakers every so often.

07-13-2016, 11:34 PM	#5
captainsolo Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jan 2011 4K collection:36 Blu-ray collection:1017 DVD collection:353 Trading Score:19	Thanks for the advice guys. Upgrading isn't really a huge issue for me right now but it is something I had considered for some time. I had long feared my old klipsches would be scoffed at by most but they still do a remarkable job. I guess my big question would be then: are the Pioneer towers a good investment? My budget is practically tiny. I could then rotate my mains to the rear.

07-14-2016, 12:38 PM	#6
Gravy4547 Active Member Member since:Sep 2015 Location:Glenview IL, Chicago Suburb Home Theater Gallery:15	Yeah Solo, if you are going from bookshelf mains to tower speakers, then that will be a big leap. You will be pleased. I recently replaced my wall mounted mains for some tower mains and the towers just fill the room with sound. Even my wife, who was at first annoyed about me bringing in towers, will now freely admit she was wrong and they sound awesome. You looking at the Andrew Jones for around a hundred bucks a pop? I considered that option when shopping for a set of towers. Never heard them, but I bought the Polk equivalent Monitor 65T's out of brand loyalty, and I can say you will be pleased with the result. And as I stated, I don't care about voice matching. However, voice matching is usually between the mains and center, not so much the mains and rears. So you might want to plan ahead and get the set of main towers that you want to match with a future center channel. Or if you want to subscribe to my madness, just get whatever sounds good!

08-10-2016, 11:39 PM	#8
captainsolo Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jan 2011 4K collection:36 Blu-ray collection:1017 DVD collection:353 Trading Score:19	Thanks for the assistance guys. I just found a mint pair of Klipsch KSF 10.5s on a local CL ad, and they're working beautifully. Now it's time to go about reconfiguring for 7.1....

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