Surround Sound speaker question... - Blu-ray Forum

z24lucifer · 05-28-2008, 09:15 PM

I currently have a 5.1 setup, but am thinking of swapping out my two rear speakers for something that produces "better" surround sound (by better i mean directing the sound in a better fashion for my current system).

Right now, I have Infinity Primus 150s as my rears. These speakers are not angled ideally, given the way my room is setup (please see pictures attached). I find that I don't get as much rear sound as I might be able to get. So, I thought I'd ask for some opinions here...

So, my question is, if I changed the rears to something like one of the following, would i get significantly "better" surround sound from my rears?
(ideally i would like to keep the rears on the same side of the wall to hide holes I left

)

- Klipsch RS42 - http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rs-42.aspx
- Klipsch RS10 - http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rs-10.aspx
- Polk Audio FXIA4 - http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/fxia4/

Pics of my current rears setup:
DSC00844.JPG

DSC00848.JPG

MPDIEHL · 05-28-2008, 09:32 PM

I would go with the Klipsch... you pick the size.
Best placement: Move them to the back wall facing forward and then place them off the corners of the room by 6 inches or so.
Second choice: Leave them on the sides as you have now but... move them forward a bit as above. NOT tight in the corner.
The Klipsch are ported in the small area on the sides and need some room to vent.
Good Shopping

second note RS10 Back wall
RS42 back or side wall

slap_yo_mama · 05-28-2008, 09:41 PM

what are you using for fronts?

This makes a huge difference.

z24lucifer · 05-28-2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slap_yo_mama

what are you using for fronts?

This makes a huge difference.

Fronts: Infinity Primus 360
Center: Primus C25
Subwoofer: Veldyne CHT-8

z24lucifer · 05-28-2008, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MPDIEHL

I would go with the Klipsch... you pick the size.
Best placement: Move them to the back wall facing forward and then place them off the corners of the room by 6 inches or so.
Second choice: Leave them on the sides as you have now but... move them forward a bit as above. NOT tight in the corner.
The Klipsch are ported in the small area on the sides and need some room to vent.
Good Shopping

second note RS10 Back wall
RS42 back or side wall

Do you think that I will notice a signficant difference in the quality of my rear sound? Or will it be just a bit better?

hagar852 · 05-28-2008, 10:16 PM

I have a cheap solution...

Is the surround level in the receiver turned up? Maybe they are set to low...

If that isn't the case.. You might want to look at a different receiver possibly...

You could change your speakers but if the receiver is putting out a weak signal to the surrounds.. new speakers won't make any difference..

Check your sound levels first... that is my suggestion..

z24lucifer · 05-28-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hagar852

I have a cheap solution...

Is the surround level in the receiver turned up? Maybe they are set to low...

If that isn't the case.. You might want to look at a different receiver possibly...

You could change your speakers but if the receiver is putting out a weak signal to the surrounds.. new speakers won't make any difference..

Check your sound levels first... that is my suggestion..

I have a Yamaha HTR-5660, and just cranked my surround up to the max, which did help. I guess i'm wondering if in my specific situation, if those other speakers would make much of a difference in the rears.

hagar852 · 05-29-2008, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z24lucifer

I have a Yamaha HTR-5660, and just cranked my surround up to the max, which did help. I guess i'm wondering if in my specific situation, if those other speakers would make much of a difference in the rears.

Is this for movies? What format are you playing the movies at? Dolby Digital? DTS?

Usually the DD is kinda weak in the surrounds.. .DTS is a bit stronger in the surrounds...

Ofcourse the new codecs are spectacular in the surrounds...

slap_yo_mama · 05-29-2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z24lucifer

Fronts: Infinity Primus 360
Center: Primus C25
Subwoofer: Veldyne CHT-8

What is weak sauce to me is that Infinity is going through this redo of all its speakers, so you can't find the old alpha or beta series bipole/dipole speakers.

You really really really want to try to at least match brands, or else youre speakers are going to sound weird, IMO. I understand the purpose of what youre doing right now is to get them to stand out more, but you don't want them to stand out for the wrong reasons.

That being said, the klipsch are probably your best bet, as they are the best speakers on your list.

Zaphod · 05-29-2008, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MPDIEHL

I would go with the Klipsch... you pick the size.
Best placement: Move them to the back wall facing forward and then place them off the corners of the room by 6 inches or so.

Probably not the best choice...for the way his room is set up now. His sofa seems to just be off the back wall and when sitting down the listening point is almost up against that back wall. Mounting them on the back wall would cause the sound to travel right over their heads.

I would go with something like these (if you can still find them on ebay)...

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rs-25.aspx

The Klipsch RS-25's

Mounted on the side walls 6-12 inches off the corner. That way the tweeter is reflecting back against the walll and also towards the front. And the mid-range driver is perfectly positioned towards the primary listening area. Just a thought of course.

I would like the RS-42's better against the back wall like the OP stated but you would need to bring your sofa up maybe 12-18 inches.

MPDIEHL · 05-29-2008, 03:45 PM

I stand by my original statements... The Klipsch are far more efficient than the speakers now in use and there will be a volume level increase. The shape of the Klipsch (42's) will also help aim the sounds forward as well as bouncing the sounds off the back or side walls depending on placement.
The wire looks fairly heavy so that should not be an issue here, I dont think the resistance is making a change in your volume level. We have to assume all the internal settings on the receiver are correct and your getting full power to the surrounds.
The HTR 5660 is a 6.1 receiver. The HTR Series is a step down from the RXV series. They offer smaller power suplies so feeding all the chanels at once is a issue. Some one else mentioned a receiver up grade the Yamaha RXV663 will give you a lot for the money. I have installed this piece for many of my customers as of late and everyone is very happy with the results. It will also set you up for uncompressed audio feeds.

Memnoch71 · 05-29-2008, 04:00 PM

I would Suggest the Infinity Beta 250's. They are Bi-Pole or Di-Pole selectable and you can still find them Brand New on Amazon or e-bay. They would also allow you to use them for either 5.1 or 7.1 surround out of the same speakers.

olds403 · 05-29-2008, 05:47 PM

Have you actually calibrated the channel levels with a meter? This will do wonders for the sound quality if you have not done it yet. I recommend getting the radioshack analog sound meter 33-4050, setting it up on a tripod at ear level in your seating position, angled slightly forward, and balancing all channels to the same level. There isn't alot of surround information usually sent to the rears, but having it balanced correctly with the fronts makes a huge difference. You may not even want to buy new speakers after you calibrate your system.

z24lucifer · 05-30-2008, 04:15 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions.

After reading what you guys have posted, I think I will just leave the rears as is, although I was kinda getting the itch to get another speaker set.

I have tweaked the system quite a bit, and do notice the rears a lot more. I will also be upgrading to a yamaha htr-6180/RX-V863 Receiver within the next few weeks. I have read that this receiver comes with a mic to help calibrate speaker settings.

olds403 · 05-30-2008, 08:21 PM

You can calibrate them yourself using the test tones and a sound meter. You don't need to buy a new reciever. You just need to make sure that ALL the channels are adjusted to the same level(db) at your listening position. Using a tripod and sound meter it is pretty simple. You just adjust each channel with the test tone so that they all match.

05-28-2008, 09:15 PM	#1
z24lucifer Member Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Toronto Blu-ray collection:26 Trading Score:7	Surround Sound speaker question... I currently have a 5.1 setup, but am thinking of swapping out my two rear speakers for something that produces "better" surround sound (by better i mean directing the sound in a better fashion for my current system). Right now, I have Infinity Primus 150s as my rears. These speakers are not angled ideally, given the way my room is setup (please see pictures attached). I find that I don't get as much rear sound as I might be able to get. So, I thought I'd ask for some opinions here... So, my question is, if I changed the rears to something like one of the following, would i get significantly "better" surround sound from my rears? (ideally i would like to keep the rears on the same side of the wall to hide holes I left ) - Klipsch RS42 - http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rs-42.aspx - Klipsch RS10 - http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rs-10.aspx - Polk Audio FXIA4 - http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/fxia4/ Pics of my current rears setup: DSC00844.JPG DSC00848.JPG

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05-28-2008, 09:32 PM	#2
MPDIEHL Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Sarasota, FL USA	I would go with the Klipsch... you pick the size. Best placement: Move them to the back wall facing forward and then place them off the corners of the room by 6 inches or so. Second choice: Leave them on the sides as you have now but... move them forward a bit as above. NOT tight in the corner. The Klipsch are ported in the small area on the sides and need some room to vent. Good Shopping second note RS10 Back wall RS42 back or side wall

05-28-2008, 09:41 PM	#3
slap_yo_mama Member Member since:May 2008 Location:Chi-City	what are you using for fronts? This makes a huge difference.

05-28-2008, 10:16 PM	#6
hagar852 Senior Member Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:5 Blu-ray collection:107	I have a cheap solution... Is the surround level in the receiver turned up? Maybe they are set to low... If that isn't the case.. You might want to look at a different receiver possibly... You could change your speakers but if the receiver is putting out a weak signal to the surrounds.. new speakers won't make any difference.. Check your sound levels first... that is my suggestion..

05-29-2008, 03:45 PM	#11
MPDIEHL Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Sarasota, FL USA	I stand by my original statements... The Klipsch are far more efficient than the speakers now in use and there will be a volume level increase. The shape of the Klipsch (42's) will also help aim the sounds forward as well as bouncing the sounds off the back or side walls depending on placement. The wire looks fairly heavy so that should not be an issue here, I dont think the resistance is making a change in your volume level. We have to assume all the internal settings on the receiver are correct and your getting full power to the surrounds. The HTR 5660 is a 6.1 receiver. The HTR Series is a step down from the RXV series. They offer smaller power suplies so feeding all the chanels at once is a issue. Some one else mentioned a receiver up grade the Yamaha RXV663 will give you a lot for the money. I have installed this piece for many of my customers as of late and everyone is very happy with the results. It will also set you up for uncompressed audio feeds.

05-29-2008, 04:00 PM	#12
Memnoch71 Senior Member Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Somewhere between here and there 4K collection:34 Blu-ray collection:252	I would Suggest the Infinity Beta 250's. They are Bi-Pole or Di-Pole selectable and you can still find them Brand New on Amazon or e-bay. They would also allow you to use them for either 5.1 or 7.1 surround out of the same speakers.

05-29-2008, 05:47 PM	#13
olds403 Active Member Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Michigan	Have you actually calibrated the channel levels with a meter? This will do wonders for the sound quality if you have not done it yet. I recommend getting the radioshack analog sound meter 33-4050, setting it up on a tripod at ear level in your seating position, angled slightly forward, and balancing all channels to the same level. There isn't alot of surround information usually sent to the rears, but having it balanced correctly with the fronts makes a huge difference. You may not even want to buy new speakers after you calibrate your system.

05-30-2008, 04:15 AM	#14
z24lucifer Member Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Toronto Blu-ray collection:26 Trading Score:7	Thanks for all the suggestions. After reading what you guys have posted, I think I will just leave the rears as is, although I was kinda getting the itch to get another speaker set. I have tweaked the system quite a bit, and do notice the rears a lot more. I will also be upgrading to a yamaha htr-6180/RX-V863 Receiver within the next few weeks. I have read that this receiver comes with a mic to help calibrate speaker settings.

05-30-2008, 08:21 PM	#15
olds403 Active Member Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Michigan	You can calibrate them yourself using the test tones and a sound meter. You don't need to buy a new reciever. You just need to make sure that ALL the channels are adjusted to the same level(db) at your listening position. Using a tripod and sound meter it is pretty simple. You just adjust each channel with the test tone so that they all match.

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