Need 5.2.1 purchase advice please

[Michael Jagacki]

I have what most would consider a medium sized room 13x20, 8’ dropped ceiling. 4K panel on 13’ wall with sofa about 15’ away leaving 5’ behind. Use will be 60% movies 40% vinyl-centric music. I’m torn between a Klipsch or Elac speaker set-up. Klipsch: R24F towers, R14S surrounds, R25C center, R1650C heights. Considering a BIC PL-200 sub instead of a Klipsch. Alternatively, Elac: F5 towers, B5 surrounds, C5 center, same heights and sub as above. I know speakers are a very personal choice but still interested in comments.

Second and more important question is will a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX102 be sufficient to drive them, and is entire system appropriate for that space? Alternatively considering Yamaha RX V683. Budget = ~$1500. Please help

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Hi Michael and welcome to AV NIRVANA...

If you like your overall movies on the relatively reference side of the volume scale... I'd probably lean towards the Klipsch with the higher sensitivity, which will put less strain on the AVR, which would in turn mean an AVR will suffice for powering the speakers. IIRC... the Elac's need more power to perform appropriately... considerably more to get to the same level of the Klipsch.

I would personally prefer an AVR with Dirac Live... and second to that, one with Audyssey. IMO and experience they are both superior to MCAAC and YPAO... especially in the critical bass area.

 

[Michael Jagacki]

Thanks for the quick response. The Elacs are 6ohm vs the Klipschs 8. I thought the conversion formula put them on par with each other in terms of power needs?

 

[GFOviedo]

I agree with Sonnie comments. I have had Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz, and Denon, and I like the Audyssey XT32 over MCAAC. For your budget, I would look on craigslist or offerup for any used deals. Adorama usually has 50% off deals on Polk Audio LSiM products. Last week they had the Polk Audio LSiM705 for $800 for the pair shipped. Adorama had the LSiM702F/X for $400 for the pair shipped.
I would also recommend looking at accessories4less.com--i've got no association with that site!

 

[ddude003]

Thanks for the quick response. The Elacs are 6ohm vs the Klipschs 8. I thought the conversion formula put them on par with each other in terms of power needs?

The key word is _Nominal_ impedance... The real question is where is the range... To be more clear impedance varies with frequency...
The other thing to note is Sensitivity... The Klipsch are better and have a long history of innovation and support...

The next question is the Power Supplies and output stage of the AVRs and build quality... In my opinion the Yamaha is better... The drawback is YAPO vs Dirac Live or Audyssey... I feel that most of these "automagic" room correction things never seem to work that well and need manual tweaking anyway... Time to dig into REW ;^)

And you may also want to consider some room treatments... 8^)

 

[Todd Anderson]

Yup, @ddude003 makes a good point: sensitivity. Klipsch is going to be way easier for your system to drive. The bigger question then becomes, are you a fan of speakers that are on the brighter side? That brightness, IMO, definitely would play well to movies, perhaps not so much when it comes to long music listening sessions. But, it's all personal preference.

As for AVRs... my opinion, again, room correction is certainly one variable to consider. Ultimately, your room and speaker deployment are the most important factor in driving your sound. Pioneer AVRs run fairly cool, which is nice if you're gear stack isn't in a well ventilated area... and from my experience deliver on power. Yamaha also can power a great show, always impressed with Yamaha gear. Room correction offered by Yamaha and Pioneer is underwhelming on the sub front (but depending on your room and how you position your sub, that might not be a non-factor for you).

 

[Michael Jagacki]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I have another rookie question. I see that a lot of AVRs can upscale Blu-ray to Atmos. Can they upscale music from a CD to height channels too?

 

[Todd Anderson]

Dolby Surround and DTS Neural :X both process traditional stereo tracks, using available speaker arrays, including height channels. So does Auro-matic if you have Auro-3D capable gear.

It’s definitely an acquired taste, but can inject some interesting life to your favorite music!

 

[Michael Jagacki]

Thanks for all the feedback. I wound up going with the ELACs but upgraded to an Onkyo NR777. I’m very happy .