speaker suggestions

[sonicpower]

hi to all.i recently began the journey into quality sound components.i began with a denon avs 5600 reciever/amp.i am currently using a samsung cd/dvd player for input.my speakers are;2x klipsch klh10s for fill and a klipsch sub12.my dilema is i am leaning towards jbl l890s for my stage presence.i have read many reviews on this speaker and there seems to be as many pros as cons.i will consider all suggestions for my system as it is now comprised.please keep in mind i want to spend no more than $1200.00.....that my amp puts out 140 watts/channel....that i have a very large room ...and that i want as much range variance as possible.i would like your advisements before i make this leap.thanks sonic.

[02audionoob]

Are you planning to mix JBL L-series with Klipsch KLF-series?

[poppachubby]

Are you planning to mix JBL L-series with Klipsch KLF-series?


Expanding on this question, will the JBL's be used as main speakers?


my dilema is i am leaning towards jbl l890s for my stage presence.

Please explain what you mean with a little more detail here. Again, is this to say you want The JBL's as mains for 2 channel?

[sonicpower]

yes,its what i am working with.when i said large room i meant a 30x30 space.

[sonicpower]

i plan to biwire the a channel and the klhs on the b channel.

[poppachubby]

Hmmmm, If your intent is to run all four speakers together, I am not a fan of that plan.

But, the first thing you should consider is placement in your room. Do you have any knowledge in this area? If not I will provide you with a couple of links, there is also excellent stuff archived here in the forum.

I haven't heard these JBL's. Is it a situation that you can audition them?

[sonicpower]

i paln to purchase a spl meter.i have every intention of placing all speakers along the same wall.i have read the denon literature for placement and will use that as a beginning point.

[02audionoob]

What are you trying to achieve with all these speakers? In my opinion, two speakers sound better than four when you're playing 2-channel sound. Four speakers muddies up the soundstage. For home theater, the speakers ideally should all be from the same series so the tones and frequencies across speakers are as seamless as possible.

[rob_a]

I agree, two speaker are better then four when it comes to home audio. Plus when you split between A and B you cut the power to each speaker in half.
$1200, I think their are many good speaker option out there that will give JBL and Klipsch a run for there money. I would give Axioum, PSB, DCM, Paradigm a look.

[harley .guy07]

Another thing to concider is the fact the Klipsch speakers as a whole are much more effecient in design than almost any JBL speaker I have seen for home use. If you run both of these speakers like you want to you might run into the issue of the Klipsch speakers being way higher in output in comparison to the JBL's and the JBL's will not add much to the overall sound of things. I do agree that adding speakers to you main speakers for more sound usually will not work very well. the results usually mess up soundstaging and imaging and completely destroy the tonal quality of the sound. I would look for a speaker in your price range and power output that will give you what you want and run only 1 speaker for each channel. I know this is a big room to fill but I do know that there are speakers out there capable of filling such a room. The only thing is that you will probably want to concider a pretty efficient design deeing that 140 watts in a room of that size is not that much if dynamics and volume concern you.

[sonicpower]

my klipsch sub12 is due to arrive tomorrow.from the sound(pun intended)of your suggestions maybe i should wait till i have my sub to determine if i am happy with my system.if i am not i should consider speakers other than the klfs.the klfs are very lacking in bass.thanks for the help.

[sonicpower]

i appreciate the info.will use the 2x klipsch klf10s.used a slightly bigger(better?) rca cable between the c d player and the amp.the speakers went from harsh highs and non-existant lows to toerable highs and muddied lows.i have ordered what i hope is a better cable.any advice on this front will be conidered.i would like good overall definition and as much warmth as possible.i have taken note connection are critical.thanks again

[farfromphile]

I have a buddy that was using two sets of speakers off his pioneer receiver, 2 JBL's and 2 old Sansui's. Neither speaker was bad on its own, but sounded like crap together. You hear the worst qualities of each speaker, and the receiver wasn't too happy either, it kept shutting down too much( They probably aren't even the same impedance). I use 2 sets of speakers on one of my systems, but I think it's probably one of the best situations to do it: 2 small energy take classics per side stacked on top of each other. The top ones upside down so the tweeters are close. Splitting the receivers power in this case is great because they are such small speakers. Sounds really good actually, with the energy sub.

[poppachubby]

i appreciate the info.will use the 2x klipsch klf10s.used a slightly bigger(better?) rca cable between the c d player and the amp.the speakers went from harsh highs and non-existant lows to toerable highs and muddied lows.i have ordered what i hope is a better cable.any advice on this front will be conidered.i would like good overall definition and as much warmth as possible.i have taken note connection are critical.thanks again

What are you using to connect your speakers? Yes, IC's will make a difference up to a point for your source. Speaker cable should be your biggest consideration....

[sonicpower]

i thought that might be the case with the speaker wire,so i have installed acoustic research pr221 speaker wire.i made the wire lengths as short as possible.the wire is 12 gauge.this may be a little overkill given th 140 watts/channel.i would also appreciate inputs on sub equalizer....i am looking at adding the behringer feedback destroyer.i find my ear becoming more discerning and encouraging me to strive for audio nirvana.this could be addictive.

[poppachubby]

this could be addictive.

Let me assure you, much to your wife's chagrin, it is!! I'm no doctor but I'm pretty sure I'm onto something with this diagnosis. LOL!

Just watch that you don't get too carried away. What I mean is, there are sonic limits based on the quality of your gear. No sense in spending money for connects and cables that your amp/speakers will not respond to.

I personally use 12 gauge wire myself. Alot of chaps prefer 10 gauge. I would say if you are trying to maximize potential consider 10 gauge, this way "no stone is unturned". Another suggestion with the speaker wiring is, if possible, use only bare wire on either end. If the gauge is too much for either end, look at some proper gold termination. Between all of my speakers and gear I have the need for bananas, spades, rings and pins! If I am able to go bare I usually will.

Also, allow some time for "burn in". This topic is debatable but I think at least 24 hours of usage will make some improvement.

Keep in mind with bare wire you should probably cut it back once a year to avoid corrosion. I am a big fan of heat shrink also when using termination. You can get a length of heat shrink for next to nothing and this will help with corrosion.

With termination, use a plastic coupler to avoid shorting. If one isn't available, simply wrap each plug with some electrical tape.

I have some AR HDR-250 12g. I am using it with some sattelite speakers for a digital application. Not bad stuff. I'm not familiar with yours specifically. If it's like mine, there's not much in terms of dielectric protection. Try not to have them muddled in with a bunch of other cords.

I have pulled out a cable from my main system. Lucky you! You've caught me in the right mood. Ultralink Challenger 2, 12 gauge. Terminated with AR Pro Series II banana plug for the speaker and Excellerator Cable pin plug for the amp. Both are gold obviously. The pins have a plastic coupler for avoiding shorts.

[poppachubby]

Close Up of the coupler...

[sonicpower]

i am no guru when it comes to electronics but i do have some automotive (dc) experiance.just enough to be dangerous(lol).i do own wo organized copartmentalized tool boxes of various electrical connectors and tools(i am a firm believer in shrink tubing and dielectric grease).to this end in the future i may replace all factory connections in my klf10s with better wire and soldered connections.i find myself having the urge to reconfiquire items not buy-a-fix.thanks for the info and the great photo.as an aside i went back and did clean up my wire routing.no money outlaid(priceless).

[poppachubby]

i am no guru when it comes to electronics but i do have some automotive (dc) experiance.just enough to be dangerous(lol).i do own wo organized copartmentalized tool boxes of various electrical connectors and tools(i am a firm believer in shrink tubing and dielectric grease).to this end in the future i may replace all factory connections in my klf10s with better wire and soldered connections.i find myself having the urge to reconfiquire items not buy-a-fix.thanks for the info and the great photo.as an aside i went back and did clean up my wire routing.no money outlaid(priceless).


Great, sounds like you're on your way. You say you're not a guru, well that's probably a good thing. Guru's tend to box themselves in with their unmovable beliefs. I would say your electrical experience will lend alot to your audio hobby, making you more "guru-ish" than you think.

Most guys on here will tell you, with speakers, and with subjective tweaks, the best thing is to experiment and try things out for yourself. Good luck and keep us posted, hey how about a photo yourself?? Let's look at this set up...

[sonicpower]

great suggestion on the photo.....will do soon.luckily i have an older brother ( i am 50 he is55)who has oldschool guru.he has built(successfully)amps and speakers.midrange stuff mostly.right now our next goal is to remove the muddiness in th klf10s bass.

[poppachubby]

our next goal is to remove the muddiness in th klf10s bass.

Most certainly bypass the port and hardwire to the speaker. You will get clearer and tighter bass response.

Again, keep us posted. There are some DIY enthusiasts on here who would love to see the results. Fire up your camera and start a thread in the DIY section for that project.

In the meantime yes, I would love to see your system.

[sonicpower]

the klf10s are already hardwired.i am really hoping the rca cable change will help.my brother is thinking we should replace the samsung c d player.it is a $100.00 unit and new...but i will replace it if needed.my arguement for the rca cable and its expence was that we would need it anyway given the current on is an el cheapo set.when i do send the photo(s) keep in mind i have the system in what was once an automotive shop and is mostly used to piddle in.the shop is 35x70 and in the middle of nowhere(should be advantagious if ever get the chance to crank it up.i will not turn it up till i am happy with the bass.sounds great at just above talking level.there is no sond proofing.someday. the system resides two thirds the length of one long wall.directly across from the system is a floor to ceiling brick fireplace my brother and built two years ago.i mention this as this makes that wall very firm.we usually listen to the music sitting mid way bween the system an the fireplace.

[blackraven]

Replace the $100 cd player! If your on a budget check out the Marantz SA5003 or this great bargain from emotiva, the ERC-1. Its on sale right now and a real bargain, It shoul greatly improve your sound, especially if you pair it with some decent IC's like those sold by bluejeancables.com

http://emotiva.com/erc1.shtm

Using a $100 player with a 5000 series Denon amp is a waste of an amp.

[sonicpower]

thanks for the link.i have been researching most of the afternoon and came to the same conclusion you stated.the units you pointed out are way above my current unit.prices look to be in my budget.i found two NAD units on ebay.one unit is the M55 universal disc player.a little out of my budget,but it does play sadc and the thd is.0035%.the sampling rate was not listed but must be better than most given the price.you are right about the denon avr 5600.i bought it for $200.00 and it was the best $200.00 i have spent in a long time.

[blackraven]

If you can afford that M55, do it.

Thats a great find on that Denon for $200. It used to sell for about $2800.