Klipsch THX Ultra 2 vs. Atlantic Technology 8200 THX Ultra 2

I also would love to hear from owners of either of these systems. I'm leaning towards the 8200e system. I've read great reviews and I like the look and style of the speakers, except the AT center speaker looks bulky.

I have the AT 8200e system in my HT along with two JL Fathom113 subs. My AV Receiver is a Denon 4308.

The ATs sound very good in my 3000 cubic foot dedicated room. Sound reproduction is extremely accurate to my ear. The center channel is bulky but has to be to match the floor standing speakers.

With respect to the 642 sub, I would suggest that you look elsewhere. One 642 was totally inadequate to fill my space and two just barely produced what I would characterize as acceptable bass (I am a bass head). One JL did a very good job and two provide superb bass.

Just because the speakers are put together in China or America doesn't really tell you much. Even on the AT speakers most of the parts come from overseas. They aren't MADE in the US, they are assembled and tested in the US. Big difference.

The biggest advantage that the Klipsch system has in my opinion is that all 3 front speakers are exactly the same, thus pans going from one speaker to the next will sound more natural. Also you probably should be comparing the Klipsch Ultra 2 THX system to the AT 6200e speakers since those are the ones closest to price point and performance to the Klipsch.

I'm also looking at both the KL-650-THX and the AT 6200e speakers to replace my current fronts. Right now I'm leaning towards the Klipsch based on rave reviews they've gotten here and elsewhere and also how they fit just a little better into my room.

I'm partial to having vertical center channel and it's just easier to do this with the Klipsch than with the 6200e (and impossible with the 8200e).

I ordered 3 8200e LR speakers from my dealer so I have three matching speakers across the front (perf screen). It's no problem to have an 8200e system with a verticle center.

I'm sorry...I should have said "in my cabinet with my current set up...It's just not feasible right now for me to do things as you have them in the pic.

Nice set up btw!

Have you considered any other speakers? I haved owned the klipsch and thought they were exceptional, but I think the JTR triple 8's are in another league. You get that huge dynamic sound but with much more resolution and more neutral sounding. You should try them. You can have them vertical or horizontal. they measure 27 inches tall(or wide with horizontal) and with the money saved you can get a really nice sub.

Question for you. You say you've seen this first hand, I never have, so that's interesting. Lets see, what exactly is the population of China now? Is is 1.4 BILLION or something like that? What exactly do you know about these sweatshops. Are the people working in there slaves? Or, are they making (in their terms and their country) enough money to support their family? If we didn't buy these speakers, and these factories would shut down, would these people now be able to feed themselves and their familes, or would they starve to death?

Hey, I'm not flaming, or trying to turn this into a political thread. I've seen too many "It's made in China" comments (btw - just about EVERYTHING is made in China just about nowadays, and most of the software you use is written in India) but until now I've not read here that they've been there and seen it first hand. I really don't know myself, but the way I see it, you can just send money to the country so that millions don't starve, or you can allow them to make their own living by working and just buying the products they make. Furthermore, you can invest in the companies that are using them as it is the American (and Canadian, and European, and South Amercian, but you get it now) Investor that is driving this practice anyway. It's the way of the world.

As to which to buy - buy the one you think will fit YOU best, and don't get hung up on where it is made. Last I checked around here, everyone is looking for bargains, you don't get many 'bargains' from US made (or Canadian made for that matter) products. For some reason, our labour force wants to earn too much money.

Just my take

edit: One final point - I only brought this up as your reason for not buying in China is "sweatshops". There are people that won't buy products made in China due to quality. That to me is a valid argument. For instance, I won't buy an American or Candian made car - has to be made in Japan or Germanyf or me, otherwise, I'm not interested. I don't like the quality of the product. If you don't want to buy the Klipsch because you think the quality will be lacking, then by all means don't.

In my case I'm limited to about 22" as that is how much space I have in my cabinet rack for a center channel. And my requirement is for all 3 fronts to be the same and have the same orientation. And no I couldn't use the speaker horizontally either as I'm limited to 19" that way.

Well, I agree with you to have all 3 identical for HT. Like I said, the Klipsch are fantastic Ht speakers. If you ever can go bigger, try the JTR. To the OP, Which krell gear did you hear it on? That could make a difference.

Do you have a website for those speakers?

Thanks!

Alex

You heard the Atlantic's in one room and the Klipsch in another. Hard to make a valid comparison there.

But now that you've narrowed it down to two speakers, can you possibly take them both home so you can audition them in YOUR listening environment. It's really the only way to tell which one you will like better.

No problem. My top 3 HT systems so far are the JTR triple 8's, M&K S-5000THX(much better than the S-150's), and the Klipsch THX ultra 2's. Of course this is my opinion. The OP mentioned that he heard the Klipsch on sherbourn equipment and the AT's on Krell, well if it was the better krell gear then that would make a difference. I had Klipsch THX ultra 2's on mcintosh, sherbourn, and Gemstone amps. The Gemstone was the best followed by mcintosh(MC-7106).

lwien, great advice, then everything would be equal except the speakers.

Yup, that's the idea. If he makes this a precondition of his purchase, they should accommodate him.

The 8200's are a lot different than the 8200e's. Among other things, the 8200's had a powered woofer in the base. The e's don't:
http://www.atlantictechnology.com/up...No18-print.pdf
If you are looking at 8200's, they are probably either leftover stock or they are used. Either way, you should be able to get a better price on them than a new Klipsch system.

If you want 8200e's, contact jason Turk at the AVS Store. He gave me a *very* good price on the 8200e's. I have three 8200e's set up like Adam_G's, behind an AT screen, plus 2 of the 8200e SR surround speakers.

For comparison, I have owned several Klipsch systems, most recently a Reference system. I've also heard the Klipsch THX Ultra2 system in several different rooms. It's a fantastic system. In a good room, (good dimensions, good acoustic treatments and proper speakers setup), it can sound incredible. The bass is simply spectacular.

The 8200e's have all the dynamics of the Klipsch, but sound a little more mellow and laid-back on music, (this is relative to the Klipsch, not relative to a lot of other speakers.) The big thing the 8200e system gives up to the Klipsch system is the bass. I, (and others) have simply substituted better subs with the 8200e speakers. I have JL Audio F112's (2) mated with my AT speakers. You could even mate the Klipsch subs+amp with the AT speakers. They're both Ultra2 certified, so they should work well together.

Bottom line, either way, you can't go wrong.

Craig

Hello,

If you are close to Austin? I welcome you to come and listen to the JTR Triple Eights, Slanted Eights and Growler combination. Once you listen I believe you will take the other two speaker packages off you list.

rmlowz

I heard that Jeff at JTR will be making single 8's for smaller rooms. That could be a great option for people with cabinets and such. The triple 8 is a big bookself(3 8 inch woofers).
I have been a huge M&K fan and owned most of their passive speakers with the best being the S-5000THX system. The jtr takes the s-5000 to another level. I also thought the S-5000 was slightly better than the Kl-650 but would be happy either way. You guys with dedicated theaters should really audition the triple 8's. I had 7 M&K s-5000THX speakers for my 7.1 system and tried 3 triple 8's and ended up ordering 4 slanted 8's for the surrounds. I thought I would never give up my M&K's.

No problem. I can't wait to crank them up. I have a Denon preamp and an outlaw 7900 amp on order.

This was always an (expensive) option on the 8200. You could always get the 8200 w/o the powered woofer in the base, and get a standalone sub. You are correct in that the pedwoofer is not available with the newer 8200e system.

Adam_G,

In your picture I see the speakers sitting on black stands, are these part of the speaker?

No they are optional pedestals. Not cheap, but very well built. They are hollow and come with a bag to fill with sand, have rubber or spiked feet, a metal bracket with 8 bolts that attaches to the speaker and a 1/8 inch rubber gasket fits between the speaker and the base. They also have speaker wire management.

Wow, your post was 4 years later! having said that the OP now has submersives, catalysts, and terraforms ordered. I knew going the JTR route would open up some options.

Interesting thread. Clearly music is not the priority, but these^^ speakers seem to have superlative movie performance.

I wonder what the price difference was between AT, Seaton Sound and JTR?

As you see in the thread title the OP was asking about two THX certified speaker systems which means movies. Music speakers can not do what these can for movies, and vice versa. The OP has Catalysts now and they do well for both. The Catalysts is a powered speaker so amps are not needed but these days amplification is cheap. The Seatons are more money than both as well. I think they are $4000-$4500 each, the JTR's are $1700 each(T12), and I am not sure what the AT goes for these days. Again, the Seaton is an active DSP'd design. The one cheaper speaker that comes to mind that is designed with dsp power are the QSC K12's.

MKtheater, thanks for your wisdom and $4500 with the amps is a decent price. Is there any system that can do music and movies? to the same degree? or are we all better off with making a dedicated Home Theater and a dedicated 2 channel music system?

Thanks!

Bill

So far the closest I have heard are line arrays or DIY type stuff. The speakers I have now I like better for music and movies than anything else BUT I could not play my favorite music speaker loud enough to really compare. DIY wins to me because we can put anything together for our individual needs. The BFM's I am using sound great to me but I could even put better drivers in like ribbons to see if that makes a difference or not. Since I am a HT guy there is no need. For music, maybe, who knows.

BFM?

I saw that Craigjohn went from Atlantic Technology to Triad. I think I have see your theater on some thread many years ago. What are you using for Movies and and what/where do you listen to music? Regardless. It's good to hear from a HT guy on this.. thanks.

www.billfitzmaurice.com

I have arrays of these for my speakers with an array of sealed 12's for my subs(12 of them). It is the best system I have owned as far as clarity, dynamics, and impact are concerned.