Hey everybody,

I finally got into some disposable income and looking to replace my Tannoy speakers in the home theater. The Tannoy's believe it or not, do a decent job, but I looking for a lot more clarity, and umph! I will be keeping the Tannoys in the rear for now, and the Acoustech sub. The receiver is a Pioneer vsx-921 (specs below) I got $700 to spend and I nailed it down to these three for the front stage. The work will be mostly home theater but I do want to listen to music on occasion as well.

My Pioneer receiver (VSX-921)
Channels 7.1
Power Output Per Channel(20Hz-20kHz,.08%[email protected])
80
Power Output Per Channel ([email protected])
110
Power Output Per Channel (1kHz,1%[email protected])
125


Room dimensions
19'x19 1/2'

Screen dimensions
19.5' Wide

Options:

Emotiva (Total - $630)
B1+ (Front Left and Right)
C2+ Center

Elac (Total - $498)
Debut 6.2 2.0 (Front Left, Center Right)

Klipsch (Total - smidge over $700)
RP-160M (Front left and right)
RP-450c

Of those 3 I'd take the Emotivas.

But I'd also consider two other options:

• Ascend 170SE + 340SE center, $626 shipped
• Chane A1.5 + A2.4 center, $568 shipped

The Emotiva c2 is a great speaker. Very clear. Its large but you definitely have the room for it. One other thing is its rear ported so need about 12” behind it from a wall. Same with the B1. The C2 is also 4 ohms so i would just make sure your receiver can handle it. Someone else might chime in with the avr as most seem to not have issues even though its 4ohm.
If your a veteran emotiva also offers a discount that most dont seem to know about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you have nailed it down to the three you have listed, then I would go with the Klipsch.

As a recent convert to floorstanders, I would suggest a set in those same brands. Emotova T1 towers plus a C1 center will be $50 over your budget for example. The bigger cabinets and the larger drivers will make the most of your amp output for that large room.

Wow, so three votes for the Emotiva's and one for the Klipsch.

Does anyone know if the C2 will overpower the B1's?

Thanks again Fellas.

+1.

I recently upgraded my setup to T1's & C2 and couldn't be happier. My avr is only rated at 50w rms and handles the speakers just fine. Not sure if you need "new" but I shopped around and got the setup used well within your budget.

Klipsch but I would go with the new 600's the horn isn't as harsh and you still get the great sensitivity for easy listening at lower volumes.

R600's would be great but it would put me over my budget. :-(

No. Your receiver's auto-calibration / room correction tools should level-match all your speakers to easily prevent that from happening. (You can also level match manually, using an SPL meter app downloaded to your smartphone.)

The Klipsch's main plus is it will be easier to drive to super high volumes if desired.

However, if you want super high volumes, the Ascend 340SE would be a better choice---much more neutral sound signature, i.e. lower risk of listening fatigue from overly strong treble. Ditto with the Chanes.

If you check eBay you can get B-Stock / Refurbished RP-500C and a pair of RP-500M for <$700.
Your room looks pretty large and you are driving everything with a receiver so I would go Klipsch, Emotiva second..

I've selected Klipsch. I've never seen more positive reviews of anything as I have with Klipsch speakers.

As mentioned, your AVR's room correction will level match. Of course there's nothing stopping you from moving the B1's to surround duty when funds become available for T1/T2's later.

If you like to constantly crank it up to 11, Chane or Klipsch may be better options.

Agreed. I've had my Klipsch's for almost a year and I'm a total convert. I love them!

Orange drivers win again. Make sure they are returnable.

So, it looks like I just might settle on the Emotiva C2+ and B1+. The trick is going to be when to pull the trigger. Especially with Black Friday only a few weeks away.

Thanks for all the help Fellas.

For what it's worth, I have T1s as mains, with small Klipsch rears and heights, a joke of a Polk for a center, and a BIC America sub. The T1s are true beauties. The Klipsches blend well with them for both music and theater. The BIC is decent. The Klipsch horns are sweet sounding, but don't reproduce the full complexity of the original as well as the Emotiva ribbon tweeters. I'll at some point go to an Emotiva center. For the surrounds, Klipsch handles them well at a lower price point than Emotiva can, while as I say blending very well.

I went from a debut 6.2 front 3 to some rp600m’s and a 450c. It’s been a nice upgrade and I totally love them. I went with scratch and dent and scored them all very close to your budget.

That would be a very wise choice! Especially if you get the C2, though the C1 is no slouch either.

Emotiva will be a little smoother and less treble forward, however Klipsch are more efficient, easier to drive and will play louder. If you don't listen at ear bleeding levels, you'll enjoy the Emotiva speakers. Word on the street is that the C2 ( C1 as well ) is unmatched in value/performance.