Hey everyone,

Yes, another new member asking for advice.  I am in the process of upgrading my current system and have decided that Klipsch is my speaker of choice.  I have recently purchased the following:

 Receiver:  Pioneer VSX 1016 TXV 

Sub:  KSW 10

Center:  Athena C1.1

DVD:  Denon 1814 Upconverting

Between the cost of purchasing the above equipment, all the HDMI cables and the Monster Speaker cable, the wife tells me that if I spend any more money on this system she will not be a happy camper. 

None-the-less, I have decided that I need to complete the project to ensure that I am getting the best sound I can get.  I am sure my crappy pioneers are not doing the system justice. 

 I have 2 older Pionner floorstanding SH452FK's that I am using for fronts and 2 SH452FK's that I am using for surrounds.  My goal is to convert all the speakers to Klipsch.   I have been combing the web (e-bay, and various other websites offering Klipsch speakers and I am  really confused as to what I should buy.  While I would love the RF-7's, $1000.00 is kinda out of my price range right now.  I would like to focus on the two fronts first, followed by replacing the Athena center and then the surrounds.  Can someone suggest a speaker set-up that would fill my 20' X 15' room and blend well with my system?  Ohh yeah, and did I mention keep me out of divorce court? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My thoughts, (which may be seriously flawed, as I'm a Heritage guy), would lean toward getting whatever bookshelf speakers will match your (future) mains of choice, and use them for the mains until funds allow the purchase of the floorstanders.  Then move the bookshelf pair to surround duty.

This might not work for you, depending on your room, etc.  Just my penny's worth.

If you do go that way, just make sure that SWMBO is aware of the space requirements of the floorstanders.  I'd suggest getting or making some speaker stands that have the same footprint as the future floorstanders, so that you can keep the space clear of other stuff.  Gotta stay ahead of the curve on this kind of thing, 'cause if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Oh, and welcome to the insanity, sorry about your wallet.
 

room size, listening habits music/movies, and budget really helps.

Welcome to the Madness!

Michael 

Thanks for the responses.  The room size is 15' X 20' with an open floor plan with an adjacent kitchen of 12' X 15' and cathedral ceilings.  This is a pretty open area.  My initial thoughts on budget are between $1200 - $1500 for the entire speaker set.  (2 fronts - front center- rear center and surrounds) remember, the sub is done.  Since I plan to sement this purchase, I will probably spend more than I anticipate if the jump in quality is worth the additional investment.  Since you asked about my listening preferences, I would have to say that it is 85% movies (action/drama) and 15 % music.  (Boy, how that has changed over the years.  In my younger days those numbers were reversed.  That being said, I am really wondering if the RF-7s would be necessary?  I welcome your thoughts.

Thanks again for your responses.  This sure does beat firing 20 questions at the sales reps.

How is this going to be set-up in the 15x20 room? are the speakers going to be on the 15 or 20 foot wall, or at an angle?

Remember, this is going to be an investment.  I would say to get the mains now and piece together the rest when the funds will allow.  You can sometimes find the 7 series on AudioGon and the Bay.

James

also, welcome indeed to the madness.

one last thing, were are you located?  Some people around you might offer some listening offers to help you decide what speakers you want.

I am located in Jacksonville Florida.  The front speakers will reside on the 15' wall and project across the 20' span.  At this point, I am considering the F-2's  with a C2 center and the S2 surrounds.

That was my thought.  Matching the system.  I figured that the Synergy series C-2, F-2, S2 was in my price range.  I took the proverbial trip to Best Buy to hear the speakers.  While I was impressed by the C-2, the F3's sounded far better than the F-2's.  A friend who is a beloved Klipsch owner, suggested that I hear the RB-81's.  He says the 8" woofer makes a tremendous difference.  I had also heard that the Reference series is far superor to  Synergy.  While I am trying to be budget concious, I do not want to be upgrading again in the next year.  The problem is, BB does not carry the Reference series, so I had no "point of reference" (Pardon the Pun).

I trust the word of all the Klipsch experts out there and probably will base my decision on feedback received from this Board.  I will take all the advise I can get. 

Thanks,

mrseamus:

I am located in Jacksonville Florida.  The front speakers will reside on the 15' wall and project across the 20' span.  At this point, I am considering the F-2's  with a C2 center and the S2 surrounds.

First thing I would do is return all that monster cable crap and save yourself hundreds of dollars.  Buy all your cables from www.monoprice.com   Its pretty much the same cost at only 1:10th the price.  that should give you a little more money to work with.

 I want to cry every time I see someone spend $120 on a digital HDMI cable when you can get very nice ones with net jackets and gold connectors for 5-15 bucks depending on size....

I agree definately stick with Reference if you can even if you have to go lower in the line.  Stay away from synergy as it will leave you wanting more soon enough.

sethhobrin:

First thing I would do is return all that monster cable crap and save yourself hundreds of dollars.  Buy all your cables from www.monoprice.com   Its pretty much the same cost at only 1:10th the price.  that should give you a little more money to work with.

 I want to cry every time I see someone spend $120 on a digital HDMI cable when you can get very nice ones with net jackets and gold connectors for 5-15 bucks depending on size....

 I agree definately stick with Reference if you can even if you have to go lower in the line.  Stay away from synergy as it will leave you wanting more soon enough.

I do agree with Seth as well, if can return the monster cables, do it!

For the speakers try to go with the reference system, I'm sure you can find a good set of RF3's, RC3's and RS3's in your price range.

I just saw one go on Ebay for less then $700 and the auction also included a KSW sub.Check you PM

mrseamus:

 My initial thoughts on budget are between $1200 - $1500 for the entire speaker set.  (2 fronts - front center- rear center and surrounds) remember, the sub is done. 

 

 

Good luck..... 

falcon20x:

I do agree with Seth as well, if can return the monster cables, do it!

For the speakers try to go with the reference system, I'm sure you can find a good set of RF3's, RC3's and RS3's in your price range.

I just saw one go on Ebay for less then $700 and the auction also included a KSW sub.Check your PM