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Looking for opinions on this 5.1.4 HT setup

2719 Views 56 Replies 11 Participants Last post by MilkMee69, Jul 14, 2021

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2021

Hey everyone,

I currently own a Sony 5.1 home theater in a box system that is coming up on about 15 years old and the speakers are starting to crackle during certain situations so I am looking to upgrade. I currently live in an apartment, but this setup will be for a future home as I do not want to rattle the entire complex.

So here are the speakers and receiver I have bookmarked and am looking to buy when I move in around 6 months:
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-8060FA Dolby Atmos Floorstanding, Pair
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-504C 2.5-Way Center Channel Speaker
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M Bookshelf, Pair
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-500SA 2-Way Dolby Atmos Surround Sound, Pair
Klipsch SPL-150 15" 800W Subwoofer
Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver

Is this receiver too weak for the speakers and subwoofer? If so, do you recommend any kind of amp or another receiver? Current total price if I bought today would be $4,200, but I am looking to spend at least $4,000 so I can get a new credit card member bonus to save a thousand bringing it down to $3k. Is there another Dolby Atmos setup that is comparable for cheaper? I am new to this and have always wanted a Klipsch system as I have always heard good things although I've read the Reference series can be too bright which is why I am going with the Reference Premier ones. I'd like the receiver to have HDMI 2.1 as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

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1 - 20 of 57 Posts

Zorba922

· #2 · Jun 28, 2021

MilkMee69 said:
Hey everyone,

I currently own a Sony 5.1 home theater in a box system that is coming up on about 15 years old and the speakers are starting to crackle during certain situations so I am looking to upgrade. I currently live in an apartment, but this setup will be for a future home as I do not want to rattle the entire complex.

So here are the speakers and receiver I have bookmarked and am looking to buy when I move in around 6 months:
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-8060FA Dolby Atmos Floorstanding, Pair
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-504C 2.5-Way Center Channel Speaker
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M Bookshelf, Pair
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-500SA 2-Way Dolby Atmos Surround Sound, Pair
Klipsch SPL-150 15" 800W Subwoofer
Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver

Is this receiver too weak for the speakers and subwoofer? If so, do you recommend any kind of amp or another receiver? Current total price if I bought today would be $4,200, but I am looking to spend at least $4,000 so I can get a new credit card member bonus to save a thousand bringing it down to $3k. Is there another Dolby Atmos setup that is comparable for cheaper? I am new to this and have always wanted a Klipsch system as I have always heard good things although I've read the Reference series can be too bright which is why I am going with the Reference Premier ones. I'd like the receiver to have HDMI 2.1 as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

That receiver is fine, don't pay a dime more for the electronics than you need to because it makes diddly difference. Klipsch RP are not hard-to-drive speakers by any stretch.

Skip any "upfiring Atmos" speakers --- pure marketing rubbish, they are useless. Best Atmos options: in-ceiling, on-ceiling, followed by "height" speakers.

Your sub does NOT EVER need to be from the same brand as the speakers. Speaker companies generally make mediocre subs.

Much better bang for your buck would be to hit Crutchfield.com and get their current specials on the RP series, with $75/pr flat rate return shipping for towers and $10/pr for everything else.

RP-450C center, $400
RP-280F towers, $800/pr
RP-160M surrounds, $375/pr
RP-400M for Atmos height speakers, $274/pr

For the subs, get a pair of SVS PB1000 Pro, $1200 shipped and with free return shipping.

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sigpig

· #3 · Jun 28, 2021

RP-280F x 2 = 800
RP-450C = 399
RP-160M x 2 = 374
RSL C34E x 4 = 500
HSu VTF-15H x 2 = 1829
Total = $3903

Reactions: 1

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 28, 2021

Zorba922 said:
That receiver is fine, don't pay a dime more for the electronics than you need to because it makes diddly difference. Klipsch RP are not hard-to-drive speakers by any stretch.

Skip any "upfiring Atmos" speakers --- pure marketing rubbish, they are useless. Best Atmos options: in-ceiling, on-ceiling, followed by "height" speakers.

Your sub does NOT EVER need to be from the same brand as the speakers. Speaker companies generally make mediocre subs.

Much better bang for your buck would be to hit Crutchfield.com and get their current specials on the RP series, with $75/pr flat rate return shipping for towers and $10/pr for everything else.

RP-450C center, $400

RP-280F towers, $800/pr

RP-160M surrounds, $375/pr

RP-400M for Atmos height speakers, $274/pr

For the subs, get a pair of SVS PB1000 Pro, $1200 shipped and with free return shipping.

Thanks for the info. I've heard the upfiring ones weren't the best compared to in-ceiling or separate bookshelf ones. My old Hisense TV had built in atmos speakers and they sounded surprisingly good so I figured these wouldn't be so bad. I was trying to keep the front of the theater space as clean as possible since my fiancee is already not the happiest about me getting such large speakers. Would the RP-500SA speakers be okay instead of the RP-400M as they are a little smaller and would look cleaner either on the ceiling or on the wall? With those two subs, would I place one in front and one in the rear or both in front left and right side?

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 28, 2021

sigpig said:
RP-280F x 2 = 800
RP-450C = 399
RP-160M x 2 = 374
RSL C34E x 4 = 500
HSu VTF-15H x 2 = 1829
Total = $3903

I am not sure if I'll be able to do in-ceiling speakers yet, but I will keep those RSL's in mind. Thank you. You pretty much matched up what Zorba said so I will look into those.

Zorba922

· #6 · Jun 29, 2021

MilkMee69 said:
Thanks for the info. I've heard the upfiring ones weren't the best compared to in-ceiling or separate bookshelf ones. My old Hisense TV had built in atmos speakers and they sounded surprisingly good so I figured these wouldn't be so bad. I was trying to keep the front of the theater space as clean as possible since my fiancee is already not the happiest about me getting such large speakers. Would the RP-500SA speakers be okay instead of the RP-400M as they are a little smaller and would look cleaner either on the ceiling or on the wall? With those two subs, would I place one in front and one in the rear or both in front left and right side?

Sure, the 500SA would work...a bit overpriced imo but it's your money.

If you want to make your fiancee happier, instead of the RP-280 towers you could use the smaller RP-5000F towers which Best Buy actually has on sale at the moment.

But don't budge on the center speaker, though. THAT is worth getting into a fight over.

If you're ok with a slight VISUAL mismatch, you could get the smaller Infinity RC263 center speaker instead of the RP-450C.

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 | 3-Way Center Channel Speaker

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 dual three way center channel speaker accommodates with any home theater system & has crystal clear sound quality with low distortion.

www.harmanaudio.com

You could also grab a pair of the similarly slim towers, the Infinity R253 which are on a gob-smacking discount at the moment and have a similarly slim profile as the RP-5000F:

Infinity REFERENCE 253 | 5-1/4" Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Infinity REFERENCE 253 three way floorstanding speaker has powerful sound, deep bass response and elegant design that accommodates any home theater system.

www.harmanaudio.com

The Infinity speakers would give you plenty of extra budget for a pair of those Hsu VTF-15H that sigpig mentioned previously. THAT is the other area you need to dig your heels in and fight her if you need to, since women of course will want you to get some small useless little sub like an SVS SB1000 instead.

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sigpig

· #7 · Jun 29, 2021

If you can't do in-ceiling speakers, then two pairs of Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE speakers on articulating mounts would both be less expensive than the Klipsch R-500SA modules and out-perform them to boot: HTM-200 SE Home Theater Monitor

Reactions: 1

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 30, 2021

Zorba922 said:
Sure, the 500SA would work...a bit overpriced imo but it's your money.

If you want to make your fiancee happier, instead of the RP-280 towers you could use the smaller RP-5000F towers which Best Buy actually has on sale at the moment.

But don't budge on the center speaker, though. THAT is worth getting into a fight over.

If you're ok with a slight VISUAL mismatch, you could get the smaller Infinity RC263 center speaker instead of the RP-450C.

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 | 3-Way Center Channel Speaker

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 dual three way center channel speaker accommodates with any home theater system & has crystal clear sound quality with low distortion.

www.harmanaudio.com

You could also grab a pair of the similarly slim towers, the Infinity R253 which are on a gob-smacking discount at the moment and have a similarly slim profile as the RP-5000F:

Infinity REFERENCE 253 | 5-1/4" Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Infinity REFERENCE 253 three way floorstanding speaker has powerful sound, deep bass response and elegant design that accommodates any home theater system.

www.harmanaudio.com

The Infinity speakers would give you plenty of extra budget for a pair of those Hsu VTF-15H that sigpig mentioned previously. THAT is the other area you need to dig your heels in and fight her if you need to, since women of course will want you to get some small useless little sub like an SVS SB1000 instead.

I think I'll try and stick with the RP-280 towers at the moment along with the RP-450C. I just came back from Best Buy to go listen to their Magnolia studio, but their studio with their Klipsch speakers was closed. The other studio had KEF speakers that the tech was recommending over Klipsch, but their price is over my range even after the discounts he was giving me. He played the KEF bookshelf speakers along with a REL HT 12" and they sounded good. He also was able to recommend and sell me the REL HT 10" subs, two for $1,050. Would you recommend those over the two SVS PB1000 Pros for $1,150?

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 30, 2021

sigpig said:
If you can't do in-ceiling speakers, then two pairs of Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE speakers on articulating mounts would both be less expensive than the Klipsch R-500SA modules and out-perform them to boot: HTM-200 SE Home Theater Monitor

Perfect! As of right now, the R-500SA are not on sale and I would not spend full retail price for them. Those HTM's are pretty slim and look like they will match the Klipschs. I really appreciate the insight!

Zorba922

· #10 · Jun 30, 2021

MilkMee69 said:
I think I'll try and stick with the RP-280 towers at the moment along with the RP-450C. I just came back from Best Buy to go listen to their Magnolia studio, but their studio with their Klipsch speakers was closed. The other studio had KEF speakers that the tech was recommending over Klipsch, but their price is over my range even after the discounts he was giving me. He played the KEF bookshelf speakers along with a REL HT 12" and they sounded good. He also was able to recommend and sell me the REL HT 10" subs, two for $1,050. Would you recommend those over the two SVS PB1000 Pros for $1,150?

Those BB clowns will always try to upsell you because their sales commission is a fixed % of the total bill, so if you spend $4K on speakers instead of $2K they earn more money. That's all. They will deliberately steer customers towards B&W and Martin Logan over cheaper models exactly for that reason. Trust them as far as you can throw them.

REL subs are generally known for good music performance, never for HT. I'd take the SVS subs over them in a heartbeat.

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 30, 2021 (Edited)

Zorba922 said:
Those BB clowns will always try to upsell you because their sales commission is a fixed % of the total bill, so if you spend $4K on speakers instead of $2K they earn more money. That's all. They will deliberately steer customers towards B&W and Martin Logan over cheaper models exactly for that reason. Trust them as far as you can throw them.

REL subs are generally known for good music performance, never for HT. I'd take the SVS subs over them in a heartbeat.

Your first three words had me laughing pretty good. The total cost he ended up at was 30% more than what I was looking to spend so not sure why he was even trying to sell me something that was way out of my budget besides the commission like you said. I will stick with the SVS subs since movies is my main reason for getting this setup.

Next thing I need to worry about is the wires. Do you recommend 12, 14, or 16 gauge? Oxygen free? Any particular brand? Banana clips needed? RCA cables for the subs? I use Monoprice for most of my cabling needs, but haven't bought speaker wire from them. Their reviews are good though but also a little pricey compared to some stuff on Amazon. The longest run will be approx 57ft.

Zorba922

· #12 · Jun 30, 2021

MilkMee69 said:
Your first three words had me laughing pretty good. The total cost he ended up at was 30% more than what I was looking to spend so not sure why he was even trying to sell me something that was way out of my budget besides the commission like you said. I will stick with the SVS subs since movies is my main reason for getting this setup.

Next thing I need to worry about is the wires. Do you recommend 12, 14, or 16 gauge? Oxygen free? Any particular brand? Banana clips needed? RCA cables for the subs? I use Monoprice for most of my cabling needs, but haven't bought speaker wire from them. Their reviews are good though but also a little pricey compared to some stuff on Amazon. The longest run will be approx 57ft.

Any 12-16 gauge cable will do, I like this one just because it's easy to work with: Amazon.com: Monoprice - 102819 Access Series 14 Gauge AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor Speaker Wire/ Cable - 50ft Fire Safety In Wall Rated, Jacketed In White PVC material 99.9% Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper: Home Audio & Theater

squared80

· #13 · Jun 30, 2021

I have an all Klipsch setup myself, but I'll tell you this: don't get a Klipsch sub. Go with a company who is dedicated to subs, like HSU, SVS, etc.

sigpig

· #14 · Jun 30, 2021

I will add to Zorba's post.
You can use bare wire if you wish. You just have to insure that there are no stray strands that can come in contact with any other surface. This is true with banana clips/spades/pins/etc.
I use Sewell Deadbolts for my downstairs HT, and will be using Amazon Basics ones for my living room system. To me, they are virtually identical, have a great screw-down locking mechanism (that doesn't use frickin' tiny set-screews), and make it more convenient to connect to speakers and your AVR. For me, most AVRs' binding posts are so close together that my hands cramp up trying to insert and secure bare wire: Amazon.com: Amazon Basics Speaker Connector Banana Plugs - 12 pairs: Electronics
Do NOT think of bi-wiring or bi-amping any of your speakers. They add absolutely nothing to audio quality and just wastes speaker wire and amp channels.
Amazon Basics or Monoprice subwoofer cables are about as much as I would want to spend on them.

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MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jul 1, 2021

squared80 said:
I have an all Klipsch setup myself, but I'll tell you this: don't get a Klipsch sub. Go with a company who is dedicated to subs, like HSU, SVS, etc.

Ok great. I will be going with two SVS PB1000 Pro's as suggested by Zorba. Thanks for the advice!

Reactions: 2

sigpig

· #16 · Jul 1, 2021

IMHO, Klipsch's SPL-series and THX-certified subs are pretty decent, and perform almost as well as ones with similar specs. They are simply over-priced compared to those peers...

Reactions: 1

MilkMee69

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 1, 2021

sigpig said:
I will add to Zorba's post.
You can use bare wire if you wish. You just have to insure that there are no stray strands that can come in contact with any other surface. This is true with banana clips/spades/pins/etc.
I use Sewell Deadbolts for my downstairs HT, and will be using Amazon Basics ones for my living room system. To me, they are virtually identical, have a great screw-down locking mechanism (that doesn't use frickin' tiny set-screews), and make it more convenient to connect to speakers and your AVR. For me, most AVRs' binding posts are so close together that my hands cramp up trying to insert and secure bare wire: Amazon.com: Amazon Basics Speaker Connector Banana Plugs - 12 pairs: Electronics
Do NOT think of bi-wiring or bi-amping any of your speakers. They add absolutely nothing to audio quality and just wastes speaker wire and amp channels.
Amazon Basics or Monoprice subwoofer cables are about as much as I would want to spend on them.

Thank you for the links. I will use banana plugs for the fronts and surrounds and just use straight wire for the Atmos ones since they may be right up against the wall. I'm a big fan of Monoprice, but they have been increasing in price a bit. Their lifetime warranty is still fantastic though, though I've only had to use it once.

Teeeejay

· #18 · Jul 1, 2021

Be careful trying to run the Klipsch RPs off a receiver. The sensitivity rating is a bit optimistic...

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DruShra

· #19 · Jul 1, 2021

Teeeejay said:
Be careful trying to run the Klipsch RPs off a receiver. The sensitivity rating is a bit optimistic...

View attachment 3150103

This is interesting. What is the source please? So that one can have a look at other speakers also.

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

Teeeejay

· #20 · Jul 1, 2021

DruShra said:
This is interesting. What is the source please? So that one can have a look at other speakers also.

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

www.audiosciencereview.com

Speaker Sensitivity: Advertised vs Measured

Speaker sensitivity is an important aspect that can sway potential buyers towards or away from a specific model or brand. Thus, it gives an incentive for manufacturers to fudge their numbers; this fudging can be accomplished via the frequency range, weighting, in-room estimates, etc. I decided...

www.audiosciencereview.com

www.audiosciencereview.com

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