Want opinions on HT system >$500

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sat Dec 15, 2001 11:28 pm

I want your guy's opinion on a nice speaker setup for under $500. Don't know too much except for that I'd really like some impressive sound when I setup my new room. I've looked at the Klipsch Quintets and they can be had for ~$480 or so on ebay. But I just don't know. I figured with a name like Klipsch, you'll be payin' more than you have too. I'm just curious if there are any cheaper/better systems out there. Thanks

[edit]
That price not including the reciever--or you can name a system under $500 including a reciever, that'd be nice too

I really just don't want to spend too much more than that.

Viperoni · Post by **Viperoni** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 9:26 am

DIY for the speakers and sub and save yourself a TON of cash, and get better sound at the same time!

$43 each to build satellites
$200 sub that'll shake your house

I used the bigger brother of that sub driver, the 15inch Dayton DVC, for my own HT sub.
32mm stroke (magnet is so strong it will actually push the cone out that far, so you can literally shake the whole house with that much air movement)....5 year warranty rocks too

Pic of my 15inch Dayton DVC

Seriously, consider DIY. You'll NEVER regret it

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 12:43 pm

You wanna build 'em for me?

I don't know the first thing about it but I'll definitly look into it. Thanks for the links!

Viperoni · Post by **Viperoni** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 1:04 pm

I'm in Canada, so shipping would be expensive

I'm halfway done building a dual woofer center channel version of the satellites.....
pic

Another pic of the sub at half of its max stroke

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 1:09 pm

How hard is it to make the enclosers? And don't certain designs sound better? I figure it's more with the sub rather than sats, but are those effected by the enclosers design as well? I think I could build some decent sat enclosers but as far as subs, I don't know. I'd be scared it'd shake apart

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 2:05 pm

buy my d@mn quintets!!!!

hehe.

we can work out a better price if you're interested in them...i saw your post over on the klipsch forums (which i HIGHLY recommend...the guys there know their stuff).

email me if interested---> paradigm@wi.rr.com

thanks-

Viperoni · Post by **Viperoni** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 2:08 pm

Not too hard actually. I got my local lumberyard to precut all the pieces on their huge table saw, and I just took them home, predrilled all the holes, then put glue on the edges, screwed the panels together, and let them dry. Pretty simple

the 2 main kind of enclosures, sealed and vented, depend on the application....like the sats, since they're never going to see any bass (you should set the receiver to filter out bass from them), they dont need the extra bass that a vented box would give off...but for the sub, you want as much bass as possible, so you would usually try to make a vented box. My own sub is a 4.75cf sealed box, but it still has more than enough bass (115db @20hz..... room shaking to say the least

)

Actually, you'd be surprised how much work the glue actually does; when it dries, it's stronger than the wood itself!

I have 3 braces inside of my sub box, and the panels barely vibrate at all even when I have it cranked hard. I can't get over how much bass this thing puts out...it's nuts! And it's sweet quality too, very sharp and hard hitting. Bullet shots hit you right in the chest, even in my huge room.

It took me a bottle of glue (2/3 of a liter) just to build the sub and center channel boxes

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 2:12 pm

viperoni-

those sub pics of yours look sweet.

i wish i was better at working with wood! you'd probably hear about me in the darwin awards if i tried to build something myself. hehe.

maybe i'll build a sub as a 2nd sub so i can have 6.2 sound. mwuahahaa.

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 2:36 pm

YGM b-man1

Viperoni - See, thats what I want in a sub. Something that really hits hard and sounds good overall. I listen to lots of muic and will watch a lot of DVD's in the room this system is going into. Here's the skinny, really. I still live with my parents (hey, I'm only 16

) and I wanted more room, so along with the redesign of the house, I'm going to have two "rooms". One which I sleep in and one which will be my multimedia room (has my HT system, nice blue sofa their givin' me, and my computer system). The other room will be my sleeping room, with my bed and my backup computer. It'll be nice

Anyway, so what would you guys recommend on a reciever capable of 5.1 DD?

[edit]
looks like I can buy a Klipsch KSC-C1 center for ~$120 from ebay. No idea how good it is or how well it'll match up with quintets..... hehe. I really hate not knowin' anything about this stuff!

poop · Post by **poop** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 3:00 pm

DIY is probably the best choice, but we all don't have the time/patience/space to do it. I live in an apartment, so I don't exactly have the space to tinker (though I really wanna get around to building a 12" or 15" sealed sub).

If you don't wanna DIY, go to best buy and check out these sony and yamaha bookshelf models. They are both $100/pair. They are both magnetically shielded, which is nice:
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=16 - $100 (sony)
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=16 - $100 (yamaha)

Both sony and Yamaha have smaller, 2-way versions of the above speakers:
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=16 - $60 (sony)
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=16 - $80 (yamaha)

Centers that match the above mains/surrounds:
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=19 - $100 (sony)
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=19 - $150 (yamaha)

I would personally go for the Sony's. There really isn't a $70 difference between them. You also have $240 left in your budget for a sub if you go with the sony setup. You can pick up the sony 12" sub for $200, which puts you right under budget, if you include sales tax.
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... 15&scat=18 - $200 (Sony)

All of these speakers should be on display, so you can go check them out. Given that you are on a tight budget (audio is expensive stuff), I don't think you can go wrong with the sony's.

Oh, I almost forgot.... For wire, go to your local hardware store and pick up some 12 Ga. 'zip chord'. I get it at Lowes for $0.24/foot. You might have trouble getting 12 Ga cable into spring clips that are on cheaper speakers/receivers. You can get pin connectors at most hardware stores as well. Don't buy the stuff at an audio or electronics store, as you will pay twice as much. Lowes carries Acoustic Research connectors, which I used to use. They are gold plated, and work just fine.

Viperoni · Post by **Viperoni** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 4:41 pm

bman,

thanks

It is a pretty damm big sub though; 27inches wide, 21 deep and 23.5 tall.
I'm going to paint the amp and driver sides (driver facing down and amp facing a wall), and the rest is going to be done in Mahagony veneer...good thing it's pretty cheap around here.

Like I said before, I got my lumber place to cut the wood, I wouldn't dare cut it myself!
I just assembled the pieces

Believe me, a $300 DIY sub will knock your socks off. You wouldn't even THINK of buying retail again....mine can even put Velodyne's cost $600 to shame muhahahah

Hip,

I think it sounds pretty good, espeically with music. I mainly listen to *gasp* rap/hip-hop, so I do need a lot of bass, and this thing gives it to me. The midbass is pretty tight, and even jazzy stuff like Steely Dan has a good, solid punch to, even when I have it cranked LOUD

I watched T2 in DTS a couple weeks ago... put a nice grin on my face

How much do you have to spend for the receiver?

The quintets use 3inch woofers....so I guess if the center uses the same size woofers it'd likely be identical to the quintets.

poop,

DIY is ALWAYS the best choice

True, even I get lazy.....but the dang winter's stopping me

PE sells precut sub cabinets, all you have to do is glue and screw together and apply a finish....
madisound has a couple of cabinets on sale right now, I believe they have a 3.2cf cabinet for a 12inch with dual 3inch ports completely finished for $120. That'd be sweet for a 12inch Dayton DVC and the PE 250watt plate amp. Room shaker for sure!

Don't forget about the parts express BR-1 monitors, completely prefinished cabinets, all you have to do is assemble, solder and install the crossovers and drivers. 2 hours of work, and great instructions too!

Another good idea for a sub would be a Dayton 15inch Thruster sub ($60) and a 120watt plate amp ($80).....unbeatable for the money.

There's really no point to 12g wire.....I only have it because I love overkill (unfortunately my parents wouldn't let me build a bigger sub :eek

.

PE's Dayton connectors are pretty solid looking too, but they're probably more expensive (a pair of banana's cost $8......)...I used $1.20 Neutrik Gold RCA connectors for my DIY sub cable

A 20 footer using Dayton sub cable (only $0.40 a foot) only cost me around $12 total.....not bad.

I've gotta get all my projects written up soon....over the holidays!

poop · Post by **poop** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 5:05 pm

Prematched cabinets... hrmmmm

Damn you! Now I am looking at madisound and parts express. Here I thought I was going to be good and save money. If the wife starts asking what is up, I am blaming you

Can't find that enclosure at madisound. I'd appreciate a link...
I was just imagining how good a Shiva would sound in a 3.2 cf ported enclosure.

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 5:33 pm

I have a quick question... ...I was looking for a center to match with the quintets and ran across this the Klipsch KSC-C1 which as these specs:

bandwith: 70-20k Khz +-3db
sensitivity: 95db@1watt/1meter
normal impedance: 8 ohms
power handling: 100 watts(400 watts peak)
enclosure type: selaed cabinet
drive component: tow way sustem using one 1"(2.54cm)k-94-s neodymium magnet, aluminum dome compression driver with a 90 degree x 40 degree Tractix Horn and two 5.25"(14.5cm) K-1033-sv magnetically shielded woofers
Dimensions: 6.5"x20"x7.125"

where as the original center that comes with the quintets have these specs:

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 120Hz-20kHz±3dB
SENSITIVITY: 90dB @ 1watt/1meter
POWER HANDLING: 100 watts maximum continuous (200 watts peak)
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms
ENCLOSURE TYPE: Bass reflex via dual rear-mounted ports
DRIVE COMPONENTS: Two-way system using one .75" (1.91cm) magnetically shielded, polymer dome compression driver tweeter with a 90°x40° Tractrix® Horn and two 3.5" (8.9cm) magnetically shielded, poly cone woofers
TWEETER: K-104-KV 0.75" (1.91cm) Polymer dome compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: 90°x40° Tractrix® Horn
HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER: 4900Hz
WOOFER: Two K-1068-KV 3.5" (8.9cm) Poly cones
DIMENSIONS: 4.375" (11.11cm) x 12.125" (30.8cm) x 5.75" (14.61cm)
-------------------------
The KCS looks like a pretty good match except for the frequency reponse--which I have no real clue on what this means. Does this mean how high/low it can go? Which is the better center here?

And about the reciever, I'd really like to stay under $300. I mean, as long as it can handle these speakers and does 5.1 I'll be happy. I'm payin' for all this myself, mommy and daddy don't even know about it

So, the cheaper the better at this point

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 5:49 pm

i have the SC-1 center...using it with my klipsch RF-2's though. the SC-1 is more efficient than the quintets (so it will be louder w/ equal power)...so you may need to adjust the center dB down on whatever receiver you choose.

my g/f just got a quintet system and sony receiver as a xmas present from a friend...the receiver is the STR-DE675. it is low on features compared to my

denon 2802

--- but the DTS and DD 5.1 sound great with the quintets and the klipsch ksw-10 sub.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=110 ... t=3&scat=4

i'm sure you can find this receiver cheaper online somewhere, or one similar.

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 6:18 pm

Awsome, thanks b-man1

I'll check out that reciever too.