Hi everyone! I'm very excited to be posting here on Klipsch :) This coming spring will finally be time to upgrade my home's surround sound in a big way, and quite a long time ago I decided Klipsch was the only way to go (especially after hearing an amazing demo at Best Buy from a very 'sub par' Klipsch setup that i will surely trump in my final purchase). 

I was very upset to find that both Crutchfield and Best Buy online have pretty limited choices of Klipsh, and my only options from what I see for authorized full-selection dealers would be to buy directly from this site, or perhaps from Amazon.

I have a lot of questions, and a lot of learning to do from the great people and members here, so I will be making this thread my 'Surround Sound Sounding Board' until around April this year when the purchase time comes! 

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
Well like the title says, I'm going to completely overhaul the dated setup I have at home, and go with a 5.1 setup (because my living room is only around 18x15 feet, and I can always expand to 7.1 in the future if we move or feel the need), all Klipsh speakers, subwoofer, and I'll also be needing a new Surround Sound Receiver that can product at LEAST 110 watts or more per channel (140 or more is preferred, but I WON'T pay over $800 for a receiver, and that limits me at least with the current offerings and technology in the market).

WHAT MY THOUGHTS ARE RIGHT NOW STARTING OUT
It looks like the Klipsch F-20 5.1 system under the "Synergy Line" is perfectly suited to my living room, however I'm not entirely sure the large front channel floor speakers would be the right size or not (http://www.klipsch.com/f-20-home-theater-system) or if I should go with something more space efficient like the included S-20 surround speakers, as my front speakers as well (since I believe the B-20 speakers simply don't pack enough 'punch' to serve as my primary dialogue front channel speakers). Also, I LOVE the SW-450 woofer that comes with that package, and I believe I save a great deal of money buy purchasing it all together (but what if I switch to FOUR of the S-20 speakers instead of having the main F-20 Floorstanding Speakers?) The entire F-20 system is $1,399 on Amazon, from an Authorized Dealer.

WHAT ABOUT THE RECEIVER?
Well, although I won't be using all 7 channels, the receivers pretty much all offer 7.1 capabilities now, and I am also thinking about future upgrades, so the 3D-HDMI pass through and switching is also necessary (also, something I really want, is Blue Tooth, Internet, and Wireless capabilities; which I think can call be added with little adapters after the purchase). The receiver I have chosen at this point, is the Onkyo TX-NR809 (See it HERE) I hope it's ok to post a link to Crutchfield since they are an authoried Klipsch dealer, and Klipsch also doesn't make receivers so there's no conflict of interest (although it is on Amazon for $608 right now)! It has 135 watts per channel!

QUESTIONS
1. Can the F-20, or more specifically the S-20 surround speakers included in the set, be made into wireless speakers with any adapter by chance with ZERO distortion or loss of audio quality/signal/crackling??
2. Can I convert the SW-450 subwoofer into a wireless unit as well, with ZERO distortion or loss of audio quality/signal/crackling?
3. Does/will Klipsch perhaps match any of their authorized dealers pricing, so I can buy directly through their website, knowing I am going to the source and getting the best customer service and experience?
4. If I am able to get the matched pricing and go through Klipsch, will they still perhaps honor a 'package discount' since I'm still buying everything for the 5.1 system together, if I swap the F-20 speakers, for the S-20's?

Lastly... if anyone has any advice, direction, research links, videos, or tidbits to get my started on the right path, please let me know! I'm here to learn, and I am very excited about all the power, clarity, and realness Klipsch will soon be adding to my home's audio, blu rays, and PS3 gaming! 

What is your budget?  By letting us know this, we can help you by suggesting sets that work for the best.

Try www.vanns.com as they are authorized, extremely reputable and there is no sales tax and they run deals all the time.

If you want to run things wirelessly, that means the speakers on your back wall or wherever they are must have an amplifier attached to them which means you buy selfpowered speakers, install amps in a wall (probably not a good idea) or you have amps near by.  Subs are most often self powered and you could buy wireless kits for them.  Generally speaking, if you buy a reputable brand that makes a quality product, you shouldnt have crackling or distortion as long as you stay within the prodcuts parameters.  You are going to spend a lot of your budget to make things go wireless and thats a fact.

Klipsch doesnt really match prices since they are the parent company, they are selling to retailers and making money that way.  Klipsch also only retails some items on their website and not all of their lines.  You could call and ask but i am 99% positive that they wont price match.  Klipsch is an extremely accomodating company IMO as far as helping customers and keeping replacement parts and honoring warranties and even listening to what their  customers want.

if you are going to spend 800 on a receiver, you may want to consider a bit more to get into separate amps and peamp/processors.  The benfit is that a quality amp should last you the better part of 20 years as long as you take care of it and processors get outdated the day after they are made, same goes for receivers (manufacturers are constantly coming out with new ports, firmware, hardware and audio codecs).  Receivers are also notorious for overstating their rated power alot of the time by 40-60 watts, some times more.  There are a few cases where you can pay top top dollar for a receiver that puts out more power than stated like some older harman kardons but those only occupy, if i had to give it a %, about 5% of the market.

If you can build your setup in stages like buy your 5 or 7 speakers and reciver or prepro/amp combo and buy your subs later. You could also buy a receiver that has multichannel preamp out on it, this would allow you to add an amp at a later date.  The trick here is not to overpay for the receiver but you have to pay enough to get the multichannel preout option, your system would work to get you by in the meantime and the money you save by not splurging on a receiver with more power can be allocated towards your amp.

I think i have become notorious for pushing separates on people but it is such a good investment if you plan to enjoy home theater for the long haul.  Receivers have their place in the market and they are quite useful there.  Just my .02.  I say this all too since it appears you have a discerning ear for quality.

Don't use a speaker designed to be a surround speaker as a front main speaker. If you need something small use a bookshelf speaker.

What an awesome post SuBXeRo! Thanks so much, very helpful and some very stimulating food for thought! 

Using separate amps for speakers... VERY interesting thoughts. I really don't want this entire venture to exceeed $6,000 including the new TV I want to upgrade from 46'' to 60+'' so that means $2,000 TV, $3,000 speaker system/adapters/wires, and $1,000 receiver. Hmmm......

Wuzzzer, excellent point, I think you're saying that because the tweeters wouldn't be front firing, right? I don't THINK I can afford anything over/above the Synergy line, although some of the Reference line are still around the same price range... I just don't want to 'trust' the two front channel speakers to a bookshelf speaker if I don't have to.

I agree on the Vann's, I bought my RF-62II's, RC-52, Pioneer VSX-1120, and a Panamax Power Conditioner. All were returns except for the RF's, and I bet I didn't spend over $1500-$1800 on all that. I bought my RB-51's from One-Call-also an authorized dealer, B-Stock, but about half price. My Sub off of E-bay-new for almost half off. These all have the factory warranties intact. They are came in orig boxes and were perfect. Just keep checking these places for returns/deals, they have them all the time. PS, also got my 50 inch 3-D Panasonic Plasma and a free blu-ray player from B&H Photo-plus 3 movies and 4pair of glasses for $1500 shipping included, no sales tax. The Deals Are Out There!!

 Teresa, now that's what I'm talking about!! Saving a lot of money, STILL getting the quality, and seeking out the deals! Thank you so much :)

Hi everyone! Been quite a while, but I've been scouring the 'net for more research on Klipsch and coming to terms with what I'd like to do regarding my home theater setup. I'm going to do a TOTAL OVERHAUL later this year, and I'll post what I've decided on below for everyone's input and insight. All of this will begin to take shape as soon as I receive word in the next week or so whether or not the promotion that's in the works goes through successfully.

Speaker System (one of the following - depending on the final price I'm able to find, and space I'm working with)
1. Klipsch RF-62
2. Klipsch Gallery G-28 (love the fact the speakers are wall-mountable for perfect placement and space efficiency, but don't want to sacrifice amazing sound especially since they are the same as the Reference models RF 62/82 basically)

Surround Sound Receiver
- Onkyo TX-NR809 THX Certified (I love the power output per channel, as well as the high-end features and dependability of Onkyo, for so little comparatively)
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR809-Certified-7-2-Channel-Receiver/dp/B00505F01E/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2RKSJ7GB2KRE6&colid=348SZ4N8KA3C

TV
- Sharp LC-70LE735U 70'' Internet Ready Smart 3D-HDTV
http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-LC-70LE735U-70-inch-Internet-Ready/dp/B004OCW9B8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2TM8S2C2CAGJ&colid=348SZ4N8KA3C

Really love the nice upgrade in size and 3D capabilities of the TV, and also looking forward to adding a dedicated subwoofer and experience LOSSLESS AUDIO via BluRay for the first time ever!!

Call Mike at Acousticsounddesign.com. Many have got better prices over the phone. For ref, I got my front 3 for just under 3k shipped to my door.

Beechnut:

Call Mike at Acousticsounddesign.com. Many have got better prices over the phone. For ref, I got my front 3 for just under 3k shipped to my door.

+1

Beechnut:

Call Mike at Acousticsounddesign.com. Many have got better prices over the phone. For ref, I got my front 3 for just under 3k shipped to my door.

 

That's both extremely helpful and ironic... just this moment and last night both, I was researching authorized dealers online and on Amazon, and Acoustic Sound Design as well as Sound Distributors Inc kept popping up constantly as basically the ONLY reputable authorized dealers with awesome prices. I will absolutely take your advice in the future without a doubt. 

Here is the RF-7II on Ebay from Sound Distributors for $5,799 and free shipping with the Factory 5 Year Warranty intact (Free off-brand subwoofer and blu-ray player). http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-Speakers-RF-7-II-Home-Theater-System-FREE-SUB-FREE-BLUE-RAY-PLAYER-/140729055132?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item20c41af79c

The same RF-7II system is about $4 less on Acoustic Sound Design here: http://acousticsounddesign.hostedbywebstore.com/Klipsch-Reference-Theater-System-Black/dp/B004F1LRX4?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

ONE THING I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CONFUSED ABOUT... is why all the Klipsch systems come with subwoofers on their website (home theater) but on Amazon, Ebay, and independent websites, they either don't come with the Klipsch subwoofer or they offer some sort of "free"subwoofer usually from BIC Acoustech PL-200, which has decent reviews on Amazon and supposedly handles 600 watts, BUT I'D RATHER STICK WITH AN ENTIRE MATCHED Klipsch system withwoofer.

You need to CALL Mike at Acoustic Sound Design to get the best deal.

Hi again, I am just searching Vann's clearance outlet and they have the Onkyo TX-Nr809, actually have 2 of them for just over $600. Good deal, with full warranty. They don't have too many Klipsch speakers right now, some bookshelves and a couple of subwoofers. But, keep checking, or maybe you have already purchased all you need. Just FYI

I knew I wanted to do the full top reference system. I got my front 3 and used old satellites as surrounds for quite awhile. Then grabbed some older RF-3s of CL for $120, used those for several months. Next was the sub. Was gonna go SVS PB-13 Ultra but size was an issue for the lil lady so I compromised with a RSW-15 (she's still iffy). The next came the surrounds. Lastly will be an external amp. Bout a year and a half till system is where I want it.

So, upgrading over time to get a higher level system is an option. Mike will set you up without subs, without recievers etc. custom package to meet your desires but ya gotta pick up the phone. Doubt you'll be disappointed.

Tasdom:

You need to CALL Mike at Acoustic Sound Design to get the best deal.

 

I will, without a DOUBT! Also, after seeing the SMALL price difference and doing research here on this forum and seeing the favorable reviews of the RF-82 compared to the lesser RF-62, I have decided when it is time and I finally receive word of the promotion, I am going to opt for something that may be "too" good for our home and needs right now, BUT can grow with us as we move both into the future and into a new home(s).

I am all about expansion, and someday I will no longer be searching for TVs, but will be going with a true home theater, and a projector. By that time... I'd estimate 4 years from now, I shutter to think of the breathtaking technology they'll have out at that time. 

Until then, I just can't really excuse to find a real justification for making the BIG step up from the RF-82, to the RF-7II (plus, I'll need to spend thosuand(s) more in the form of external amplifiers to truly squeeze out the true performance that system is meant for). Of course, someday much later in life as I approach 'career actualization' and have reached the top pay-grade in my field, the THX will be on the order-form! :)