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Home Theatre Upgrade Discussion

I’m a little confused as to why you think you need any changes. ( At the beginning you said “I’m not unhappy with the setup”.) Do you run Audyssey on your Denon 3700 ? You can change the “sound signature” by applying a custom room curve in Audyssey. Also, how did you integrate your SVS 1000 subwoofers? This can have a tremendous impact on your perception of sound. Maybe, just maybe, you don’t need new speakers to make significant improvements in sound quality of your setup ?
It's true i'm not unhappy but to use an analogy, i'm not unhappy with my Ford Focus but wouldn't say not to a Porsche 911 GT3 RS :) i've not had the chance to listen to a wide array of different speakers but I know general consensus is that Klipsch are considered generally mid-tier and with an acquired taste element to them at that! Regarding audyssey i always run through the process anytime i make any changes and it's done a very good job, for 2 channel i also use Dirac live via the MiniDSP also good but a bit more complex so I probably can make some improvements there! For sub integration i use audyssey/dirac then run a sweep with umik & REW and adj EQ in the SVS app for any big peaks/nulls in my room. I did try using MSO before but was quite confusing so abandoned it but will definitely give it another try in the future as I hear it's the best way to do sub integration if you get it right
 
I came across some information on the Dali Rubikore (Erin review), and based on that, which I should not do given the price difference but I will anyway....

The ribbon tweeter is likely elevated, and I would personally high shelf it down. If my room were less reflective I might not, given aging ears. The vertical dispersion is likely not great. So if you had stacked seating, they would be a bad idea. If you have one level of seating, and can set them up so the listener is below the ribbon tweeter, then I think they might be a good fit for your room.
 
Well, I can say with personal experience the RF7 speakers are big, mean and brutish. The seem to excel at home theater. A cannon shot or an F-1 car screaming by at 20 feet turned up loud will rip your face off. I also don't think you probably need to get new speakers but fine tune what you have. I don't know if you can EQ the treble with your AVR or not. If you can you could tame some of that sometimes harsh treble on Klipsch speakers. All in all, there is no way anyone online can tell you what is going to really audibly improve your system in your room and your speaker position and set up. You would have to try the actual speakers out and see what you think. You will have a lot of advice but most of it is shooting from the hip. Only you can hear which speakers you like. Let us know what you end up doing. Also, having a free return policy on any new speakers is a big deal. If you can get that you can try them and see what you think. Good Luck!
Yes this is the challenge it's all highly subjective and couple that with different acoustics in every room it makes deciding which way to go quite difficult. I think ultimately I want a more balanced system as the Klipsch are enjoyable but they are very bright (even post EQ) and the mids could be much better.
 
i'm not unhappy with my Ford Focus but wouldn't say not to a Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Which option makes your heart flutter? Maybe just from how they look, or the finish options?

You have no bad choices listed, so allow emotion into the equation.
 
I came across some information on the Dali Rubikore (Erin review), and based on that, which I should not do given the price difference but I will anyway....

The ribbon tweeter is likely elevated, and I would personally high shelf it down. If my room were less reflective I might not, given aging ears. The vertical dispersion is likely not great. So if you had stacked seating, they would be a bad idea. If you have one level of seating, and can set them up so the listener is below the ribbon tweeter, then I think they might be a good fit for your room.
The rubikore are a bit of a step up in price, the towers retail at £6K so probably a bit much for me. Thinking about the Arendals and the question of towers vs bookshelf/monitors, one potential option i was thinking is instead of stands to explore the idea of placing monitors directly on top of the subs? This would help achieve a setup where the LCR tweeters are at the same height so panning would be good and would allow me to push the subs more into the corner instead of their current position inbetween the L/R, what's the consensus on this idea? Just to add, it would possibly be the 1723 LCR instead of 1723 S
 
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Which option makes your heart flutter? Maybe just from how they look, or the finish options?

You have no bad choices listed, so allow emotion into the equation.
I'm definitely leaning towards the Arendals - their build quality looks insanely good, they measure well, supposedly well balanced with a good compromise between music & HT, the company ethos seems good with reputable customer service with excellent returns policy....etc, aesthetically pleasing to me and they have a full HT package; monitors, towers, height speakers....etc it's not a light decision though as not cheap but is definitely the way i'm leaning. I didn't include Revel in my list because of how difficult they are to get hold of in UK but is the other brand i'd love to have a listen to given how well reviewed they are
 
The 4 ohm setting on an avr will only limit power. It's generally recommended to leave it at the higher impedance setting. If you really need external amplification get something more significant than the Audiolab amp, it isn't even as powerful as two ch of the 3700 (let alone being a power amp). Plus it's an integrated amp so just a waste of a pre-amp section. Use a proper power amp instead, one with significant power if worried or you have speakers or spl levels that need it. The Klipsch higher sensitivity (even though Klipsch overstates it) can be an advantage with lower power amps, tho.

Can't help with speakers, altho Arendal sounds like a good suggestion. Not familiar with Dali. I'm not a particular fan of most Klipsch speakers in any case. JBL HDI might be a consideration.
 
I'm definitely leaning towards the Arendals - their build quality looks insanely good, they measure well, supposedly well balanced with a good compromise between music & HT, the company ethos seems good with reputable customer service with excellent returns policy....etc, aesthetically pleasing to me and they have a full HT package; monitors, towers, height speakers....etc it's not a light decision though as not cheap but is definitely the way i'm leaning. I didn't include Revel in my list because of how difficult they are to get hold of in UK but is the other brand i'd love to have a listen to given how well reviewed they are
It wouldn´t be this forum if someone didn´t tell you to check out the KEF R series. A bit more expensive than Arendal and also, superb speakers. Since you´re in the UK, it was also worth to look home. ;)
 
It wouldn´t be this forum if someone didn´t tell you to check out the KEF R series. A bit more expensive than Arendal and also, superb speakers. Since you´re in the UK, it was also worth to look home. ;)
TBH i've not listened to either the R or reference series of KEF only the lower tier stuff which I wasn't sold on but would love to hear the higher end gear. I see that on ebay there's a pair of used R7 Meta going for £2,800 which seems like a good deal & also a pair of R11 (non-meta) for £2,300
 
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I'm definitely leaning towards the Arendals - their build quality looks insanely good, they measure well, supposedly well balanced with a good compromise between music & HT, the company ethos seems good with reputable customer service with excellent returns policy....etc, aesthetically pleasing to me and they have a full HT package; monitors, towers, height speakers....etc it's not a light decision though as not cheap but is definitely the way i'm leaning. I didn't include Revel in my list because of how difficult they are to get hold of in UK but is the other brand i'd love to have a listen to given how well reviewed they are
Revels are definitively great. Did not compare value against Arendal in this class, but know they are on sale here:


Never looked at 206 which would be in your budget, was lurking at 328s but car upgrade is a priority so will temporarily pass on 328s. Revel makes some of the most praised speakers. I own their big 426 center and it is truly the best center i have ever heard at any price. Not perfect, but kind of close.
 
TBH i've not listened to either the R or reference series of KEF only the lower tier stuff which I wasn't sold on but would love to hear the higher end gear. I see that on ebay there's a pair of used R7 Meta going for £2,800 which seems like a good deal & also a pair of R11 (non-meta) for £2,300
Give them a try if you can. Their centers are among the best and they are very gentle speakers to integrate.
 
Give them a try if you can. Their centers are among the best and they are very gentle speakers to integrate.
Yea i'm off work over Christmas/NY so will do some research on local retailers with stock to demo! I would love to demo some Perlisten too but they're a bit too pricey for my budget
 
Can you listen to any Arendals in person? I would like to hear your opinion.
 
Any thoughts on the idea of placing monitors directly on subs as an alternative to towers?
Can you listen to any Arendals in person? I would like to hear your opinion.
I don't think it's an option but their return policy seems the next best thing as shipping free in both directions with 60 day return period
 
The entire THX line will be amazing. The center speaker size is figured by your room size. The small one (the S model) will be more than enough for your room. The entire system will fill a room twice as large as yours with massive sound. I think you will be very surprised. Might even knock your socks off. I wish I could come over when you try them out. Ok, I am jealous. :)
 
Yea i'm off work over Christmas/NY so will do some research on local retailers with stock to demo! I would love to demo some Perlisten too but they're a bit too pricey for my budget
That's why I thought about the R series. The other part is that you do not have to buy all at once, so you can add more channels with time.
 
The entire THX line will be amazing. The center speaker size is figured by your room size. The small one (the S model) will be more than enough for your room. The entire system will fill a room twice as large as yours with massive sound. I think you will be very surprised. Might even knock your socks off. I wish I could come over when you try them out. Ok, I am jealous. :)
I don't share the enthusiasm for 1723 centers. They are undersized compared to S or regular towers by a large margin and that was and remains their problem. By the book, LCR should be "the same".

They fixed that with the 1528 series but the evaluation of their performance is still underway. The LCR combo is huge though and twice as heavy as arguably comparable Perlisten or Revel offerings. Some 250kg for LCR.
 
The entire THX line will be amazing. The center speaker size is figured by your room size. The small one (the S model) will be more than enough for your room. The entire system will fill a room twice as large as yours with massive sound. I think you will be very surprised. Might even knock your socks off. I wish I could come over when you try them out. Ok, I am jealous. :)
Haha all i ask is you bring the beers! :)
 
I don't share the enthusiasm for 1723 centers. They are undersized compared to S or regular towers by a large margin and that was and remains their problem. By the book, LCR should be "the same".

They fixed that with the 1528 series but the evaluation of their performance is still underway. The LCR combo is huge though and twice as heavy as arguably comparable Perlisten or Revel offerings. Some 250kg for LCR.
Would you still suggest to go with the non-S center regardless of whether i get the S or non-S towers or monitors for L/R? Regarding LCR, if i were to add an Emotiva XPA-3 to the X3700H would there be any discernable improvement in sound from the extra headroom or not really?
 
Would you still suggest to go with the non-S center regardless of whether i get the S or non-S towers or monitors for L/R? Regarding LCR, if i were to add an Emotiva XPA-3 to the X3700H would there be any discernable improvement in sound from the extra headroom or not really?
I would pick non S center in both cases.

For amps you need to do the math and estimate if you are short of SPL at your MLP. Many calculators out there that will estimate the impact. Investing more in speakers generates better returns in most cases.

Some people size the HT setup to reference either because they use it that way (which is REALLY loud), or just because they want to have it or perhaps for the demos to larger audience. Setting a system for -10 reference is easier and cheaper and generally loud enough.
 
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