Speaker debate: do they really matter?

[CreasyBear]

I personally love Klipsch. Horn speakers are a lot of fun to listen to and their RP line is just terrific. They're also super efficient and don't require a lot of power to play loud and clear.

Option 1:
Front L/R: Klipsch RP-250F - $600 (Pair)
https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-25.../dp/B075JNR4BV

Center: Klipsch RP-250C - $369
https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-25.../dp/B00S4HA4GQ

Surround: Klipsch RP-250S - $500 (Pair)
https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RP-25.../dp/B00S4HE1QA

Option 2:
Front L/R: Polk Monitor 70 Series II - $530 (Pair)
https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Mo.../dp/B00631YX62

Center: Polk CSI A6 Center - $260
https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Ce.../dp/B000V2SEYQ

Surround: Polk FXI A6 - $300 (Pair)
https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Su.../dp/B000V2SEZU

You can likely find better prices for these speakers or equivalent.

[JBowen]

Sweet. I will research these and hound the wife for money :-D what about a sub? Do you recommend utilizing both sub channels or is just one the best

*I just noticed these are not bookshelf. I really like the look of the bookshelf model, but if I can’t get the great sound of it a wall mounted speaker I guess I’ll be stuck with the floor speakers

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

Sweet. I will research these and hound the wife for money :-D what about a sub? Do you recommend utilizing both sub channels or is just one the best

*I just noticed these are not bookshelf. I really like the look of the bookshelf model, but if I can’t get the great sound of it a wall mounted speaker I guess I’ll be stuck with the floor speakers

"Stuck with floorstanding speakers?"

Floorstanding speakers generally give you more "full" audio, especially for music, though there are fine bookshelf speakers and some prefer those. If your goal is mounting them, perhaps you should consider in wall speakers, especially if you're looking at running speaker lines in the wall.

As for subwoofer, SVS, HSU, and Rythmik are great. Depending on room size you might only need one, but eventually getting two would provide more well balanced bass.

[CSM101]

If you like bookshelf speakers, I’ve heard really good things about Chane, who are very budget friendly. RSL speakers have a very good reputation and are pretty budget friendly as well. I’m strongly considering the CG25’s from RSL for my front sound stage. They are $425 a piece, but they have cheaper options.

[smithb]

I have bookshelf speakers. While they could be mounted, they are fairly heavy so would require a strong mount. I have them on stands behind a false wall. Bookshelf speakers also rely more on having a decent sub.

[JBowen]

I’ve done some research and think I’ll be going with the klipsch speakers for sure. I’m going to save for the RP6000F/Rp600C/rp502sa. From
What I see, it’s just an upgraded version of your recommendation. With this amount, is there a different line of klipsch I could go for?

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

"Stuck with floorstanding speakers?"

Floorstanding speakers generally give you more "full" audio, especially for music, though there are fine bookshelf speakers and some prefer those. If your goal is mounting them, perhaps you should consider in wall speakers, especially if you're looking at running speaker lines in the wall.

As for subwoofer, SVS, HSU, and Rythmik are great. Depending on room size you might only need one, but eventually getting two would provide more well balanced bass.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by JBowen

If I have a 5.2 surround sound setup and a decent receiver, do the surround speakers actually matter? Or is it fully dependent on the receiver output? I believe the subwoofers matter for the bass, but can the brand or quality of the 5 regular speakers sound any better, clearer, louder, or sharper? I’m rocking some cheap Boston speakers that came with a Denon sound system about 6 years ago. Looking for to an education lesson! Thanks

There's an old notion still flying around that surround speakers don't matter much. 10 years ago that might of been true, but today with the ATMOS mixes, they matter very much. There's a lot of information being sent to them now.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

I’ve done some research and think I’ll be going with the klipsch speakers for sure. I’m going to save for the RP6000F/Rp600C/rp502sa. From
What I see, it’s just an upgraded version of your recommendation. With this amount, is there a different line of klipsch I could go for?

Great choice! The model numbers change, but the speakers are pretty much the same.

[smithb]

I have a three speaker setup (Klipsch KSF 10.5) in my family room that are still going strong after 22 years. So, while speakers can be a financial investment they can last a long time. The only caveat with Klispch by some is the brightness (common to many speakers brands that use horns). I've tended towards Denon and Marantz receivers, which some say tend towards the warmer side when it comes to amplification, and have never had a problem with the sound. I noticed you have a Denon receiver, so it should be a decent match. Also, Klipsch tend to be very efficient so you don't need a lot of power to drive them.

[Natrix1973]

You have already received some good advice. I would also focus on replacing the center and fronts first if you are budgeting. In a 5.1 system, the speakers you have mounted on the rear wall should be on the sides of the listening position so making that adjustment might help out in the mean time but I will add another recommendation for speakers.

Check out the Infinity Reference line. https://www.harmanaudio.com/home-aud...t&prefv4=false They are great speakers for the money when you can get them on sale which they have fairly frequently. They have a couple different towers, centers and bookshelf speakers that might work for you. You also get free shipping and 30 return policy so you can try them and return them if you don't like them. I am still rocking 15 year old Infinity IL-36 center/IL-60 front towers for my main system and have bought new surrounds and also a center and towers since they were on great sales. On sale prices, I spent $850 for 7 speakers so you could do a similar 5 speaker set up for $715. The 263 models are the bigger versions of the towers/centers so you could even get the 253 models and probably save more money there. The new center and towers will be for a surround set up in the basement eventually and I used the surrounds for replacements on my main system. There is a pretty sizable thread about these speakers on AVSforum. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/inf...hread.1595817/

R263 towers on sale for $200 each, regular price $500 each. Bought 2 for $400 total
RS152 surrounds on sale for $135 a pair, regular price $450 pair. Bought 2 pairs for $270 total
RC263 center (refurbished as new are not in stock) on sale for $180, regular price $500. Bought 1 for $180


If you are in no hurry to upgrade also get on Slickdeals and set up notifications for the speakers you are looking at. There should be some good deals coming up for Labor Day sales. I would also make sure to check the measurements for the size of the speakers you are looking at to make sure you have space for them. If you are looking at bookshelfs, add to your budget for either wall mounts or stands.

Good luck but I am sure you will be happy with what ever you decide on over what you have now. Save some money on the speakers and then you can start saving up to get better subs!

[JBowen]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. This really was informative. Now to start saving. First speakers should be coming next week and those will
Be the two front towers. Thanks again!

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

Wow! Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. This really was informative. Now to start saving. First speakers should be coming next week and those will
Be the two front towers. Thanks again!

Sweet! Be sure to post some pics!

[JBowen]

So, I got all my speakers and will be posting pics shortly. I'm trying to configure my setup little by little. First step is, what do I set my front, center, and surround speakers at? Large or small? I researched a little bit and it said something about the speakers producing good sound at 20hz. I mean, these were kind of expensive so I' think they would do it, no? Also, my subwoofer settings are a bit complicated. I think I will do a new thread in the subwoofer section or research there for answers. Thanks guys!

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

So, I got all my speakers and will be posting pics shortly. I'm trying to configure my setup little by little. First step is, what do I set my front, center, and surround speakers at? Large or small? I researched a little bit and it said something about the speakers producing good sound at 20hz. I mean, these were kind of expensive so I' think they would do it, no? Also, my subwoofer settings are a bit complicated. I think I will do a new thread in the subwoofer section or research there for answers. Thanks guys!

First thing's first, you should run Audyssey and get a good place to start. You'll want to keep the distances and EQ as it does a pretty good job. I would disable Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. Your RP-6000F towers are rated to 34hz, but that doesn't mean they play terribly well down in that territory. I have a pair of RP-250F towers and they are surprisingly strong on their own, but below 80hz, a powered subwoofer is going to handle those frequencies with much more authority. And that takes the load off of your speakers and receiver and allows them to play cleaner above 80hz. You could maybe adjust the towers down to 60hz, but I wouldn't set them any lower than that. All of the others should be set at 80hz. You'll also want to set your speakers to "Small". All of them. Below are the settings you'll want to change after running Audyssey:

Crossover - 80hz for all speakers
Dynamic EQ - Off
Dynamic Volume - Off
Speaker Size - All set to Small

And congrats! Surprised you went with the whole system at once.

[JBowen]

Ran the Audyssey. But something is messed up. All the speakers are configured decent except the subwoofer. It says the subwoofer is 22 feet away, but is really about 10 feet away. I’ll adjust the other settings accordingly to what you spoke about. Bye the way, my subwoofer settings are all factory. I have to read up on the sub settings in the sub thread here, very informative. Thanks for the tips

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

First thing's first, you should run Audyssey and get a good place to start. You'll want to keep the distances and EQ as it does a pretty good job. I would disable Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. Your RP-6000F towers are rated to 34hz, but that doesn't mean they play terribly well down in that territory. I have a pair of RP-250F towers and they are surprisingly strong on their own, but below 80hz, a powered subwoofer is going to handle those frequencies with much more authority. And that takes the load off of your speakers and allows them to play cleaner above 80hz. You'll also want to set your speakers to "Small". All of them. Below are the settings you'll want to change after running Audyssey:

Crossover - 80hz for all speakers
Dynamic EQ - Off
Dynamic Volume - Off

And congrats! Surprised you went with the whole system at once.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

Ran the Audyssey. But something is messed up. All the speakers are configured decent except the subwoofer. It says the subwoofer is 22 feet away, but is really about 10 feet away. I’ll adjust the other settings accordingly to what you spoke about. Bye the way, my subwoofer settings are all factory. I have to read up on the sub settings in the sub thread here, very informative. Thanks for the tips

Turn the volume up on the back of the subwoofer to 50% and run Audyssey again. It's likely you had the volume too low on the subwoofer so Audyssey thinks it's farther away than it really is.

[JBowen]

I don’t have volume. I have a gain knob and a low pass (Hz) knob (both are in the middle) with a phase switch

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Turn the volume up on the back of the subwoofer to 50% and run Audyssey again. It's likely you had the volume too low on the subwoofer so Audyssey thinks it's farther away than it really is.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

I don’t have volume. I have a gain knob and a low pass (Hz) knob (both are in the middle) with a phase switch

Gain = Volume. Set it to 50% when running Audyssey.

Turn the LPF to 120hz.

Phase should be switched to 0.

[JBowen]

Thanks for the tips. Set it up and configured all the speakers. Sounds great! pictures coming soon. Only negative is I was told with the a decent set of speakers, I shouldn't have to crank my volume up, but I still have to put it at 65-70% of volume to hear it and then up to 80-85% for that theater feel. Appreciate all your inout so far. Thank a lot!!!

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Gain = Volume. Set it to 50% when running Audyssey.

Turn the LPF to 120hz.

Phase should be switched to 0.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by JBowen

Thanks for the tips. Set it up and configured all the speakers. Sounds great! pictures coming soon. Only negative is I was told with the a decent set of speakers, I shouldn't have to crank my volume up, but I still have to put it at 65-70% of volume to hear it and then up to 80-85% for that theater feel. Appreciate all your inout so far. Thank a lot!!!

Increase the speaker levels if you need to, just never above 0db. Klipsch are very efficient speakers. Not sure what you mean by "theater feel". Good sound is about more than just being loud.