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What do you guys think of this AV combo?

IndyColtsFan

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Newegg has a 48 hour sale and has the combo below (plus an iPod dock) for $599. Individually, the components are about $1100.

1. Klipsch HD 500 5.1 High Definition Theater system

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-82780018-LM2A

The center looks like it is fairly small, which would help with the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).


2. YAMAHA 7.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver RX-V567

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-82115240-LM2A

Good? Bad? Ugly? Does it have some sort of Audyssey equivalent?

I've been debating a receiver for a while now and have gone over several different models from Denon, Pioneer, and Onkyo. I was favoring the Onkyo HT-RC260. Key requirements:

1. Decent sound
2. Speakers are as unobtrusive as possible (aforementioned WAF factor)
3. My receiver budget was about $400.

Thanks!
 
sounds like a decent deal. I have not personally heard either pieces though so I can't comment on their audio quality. Can you go to BB or something and listen to Klipsch sound first? It is forward sounding and it really is a taste issue.



There is also this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-013-_-Product


Klipsch also owns Mirage.


You do get a better deal with the Klipsch combo. The Klipsch has 8" sub while the Mirage is 6.5" with 2 passive radiators.


Reviews of the Klipsch seem reasonable enough so maybe you should just jump on the deal.
 
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LOL, IMO it is ugly but not so bad. I just have never liked Yamaha receivers, from an aesthetic and ergonomic point of view, although I have to say that the model in particular looks better than the older Yamahas that I have been used to. I also dislike the shiny plastic on those Klipsch speakers, but that is alleviated somewhat by the grilles.

But like I said, I wouldn't call it "bad" and I think that it is a pretty good deal overall. The receiver has YPAO, which is somewhat of an Audyssey equivalent, although it does not look as sophisticated. The speakers ought to be about as good as such tiny speakers can get, but with low frequency drivers less than 3" in diameter they will necessarily be limited. It will still be a big upgrade over plain TV sound, and the price leaves you room to upgrade to a bigger sub if your room is too large for the Klipsch to handle.

I would probably go for the Energy Take 5.1 Classic speaker system ($400 at NE) and a different receiver. Probably the Onkyo TX-SR607 refurb'd for $250 at Accessories4Less.com. IIRC, Energy is owned by Klipsch, but the Take 5 series has been award-winning for a number of years, and I would trust that more than a Klipsch set that nobody's ever heard of.
 
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Thanks, I'll take a look at those speakers. I should probably mention that I do have a 150/200 W Infinity sub that I could use instead of the included sub.
 
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IndyColtsFan said:
Thanks, I'll take a look at those speakers. I should probably mention that I do have a 150/200 W Infinity sub that I could use instead of the included sub.
Click to expand...

what the hell does 150/200 W mean? .75 watt? :biggrin:


Not sure you wife will let you put the Infinity sub in the system, it doesn't match the speakers....

How adjustable is the crossover point for your sub? I would imagine with the puny midrange on these things, you may have to move the crossover up a bit.
 
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sdifox said:
what the hell does 150/200 W mean? .75 watt? :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Nah, it means I'm old and can't remember for sure if it is 150 W or 200 W. 😀

Not sure you wife will let you put the Infinity sub in the system, it doesn't match the speakers....
Click to expand...

The sub can be hidden behind the entertainment center cabinet, fortunately.

How adjustable is the crossover point for your sub? I would imagine with the puny midrange on these things, you may have to move the crossover up a bit.
Click to expand...

I don't recall to be honest.
 
YPAO is just auto parametric eq, without any of the time domain corrections you get from Audyssey or Advanced MCACC. If you already have a decent sub, I'd look at the Take Classic 5.0 that places used to have for $200 and get either a low end Denon or a refurb Onkyo 707 AVR.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
Nah, it means I'm old and can't remember for sure if it is 150 W or 200 W. 😀



The sub can be hidden behind the entertainment center cabinet, fortunately.



I don't recall to be honest.
Click to expand...

Oh nose, it has come to this? a computer geek educating an engineer or proper notations? :biggrin: 150 ~ 200W :awe:

not a good idea to put the sub near the cabinet, it will rattle.
 
sdifox said:
Can you go to BB or something and listen to Klipsch sound first? It is forward sounding and it really is a taste issue.
Click to expand...

I would definately do this. Personally I do not like their sound at all and would not want a Klipsch speaker system (Not saying they aren't a good brand just that I don't like their sound)

sdifox said:
Oh nose, it has come to this? a computer geek educating an engineer or proper notations? :biggrin: 150 ~ 200W :awe:
Click to expand...

:hmm: Isn't that 'between 150 and 200w'. I thought there was a different notation for 'either 150 or 200w'
 
Exterous said:
I would definately do this. Personally I do not like their sound at all and would not want a Klipsch speaker system (Not saying they aren't a good brand just that I don't like their sound)



:hmm: Isn't that 'between 150 and 200w'. I thought there was a different notation for 'either 150 or 200w'
Click to expand...

150 and 200 are both covered in the 150 ~ 200 range. Besides, he's senile, it might be 175 :whiste:
 
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Hey now, I am pretty sure it is 150 W. It is boxed in my garage at the moment, or I'd check.

I'll have to look at S44's suggestion as well.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
Newegg has a 48 hour sale and has the combo below (plus an iPod dock) for $599. Individually, the components are about $1100.

1. Klipsch HD 500 5.1 High Definition Theater system

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-82780018-LM2A
Click to expand...

I don't know how you can get good sound out of tiny plastic speaker boxes but CNet gave it 3 1/2 stars here.

There are better speaker packages for the same price according to CNet.

The receiver has some decent reviews:

Yamaha Receiver review,

Other review

I think this package is a really nice deal and you would be hard pressed to get anything better at this price.
 
I hope you are putting that setup in a small room like a 10 feet by 11 feet, but that is pushing it. That setup is not worth it if you can not place the subwoofer in between the front left and right channels. The crossover that you have to set for the subwoofer is about 150 Hz or 200 Hz because of the 2.5 inch woofer in the satellites. The subwoofer will not have enough air displacement to handle bass at a high loudness level. It is not a good deal because it depends on your room size and if you have the room to place the subwoofer between the front left and right channels.

The AV receiver that you picked does not output what it advertises. The maximum wattage for 5 channels will be around 15 to 20 watts. This is not loud enough for a family room size.

What you selected is a good setup to replace a computer speakers, but it is too low of a performance to give you a good movie experience. Having good sound does matter for movies more than good visual.

Subwoofers with a passive radiator are good for infrasonic and not for the main subwoofer. Passive radiators delays the sound that the subwoofer is producing. Also it reduces the loudness of the subwoofer by 3 dB or cuts the power in half.

For any AV receiver, always check if you have to buy from an authorized dealer. If you do not, the warranty will not be valid. This means any problems you have will have to be fixed out of your own pocket. It is something you will have to decide when buying cheap for these electronics.

Sure you can review the speakers in the store, but how they sound to you depends on your day. Some days any speaker will sound like crap and other days speakers will good. It is best to abuse the 30 day return policy. You should break in any new speaker for a week or two and then do listening tests. Finally decide to take back the speakers.
 
electroju said:
I hope you are putting that setup in a small room like a 10 feet by 11 feet, but that is pushing it. That setup is not worth it if you can not place the subwoofer in between the front left and right channels. The crossover that you have to set for the subwoofer is about 150 Hz or 200 Hz because of the 2.5 inch woofer in the satellites. The subwoofer will not have enough air displacement to handle bass at a high loudness level. It is not a good deal because it depends on your room size and if you have the room to place the subwoofer between the front left and right channels.

The AV receiver that you picked does not output what it advertises. The maximum wattage for 5 channels will be around 15 to 20 watts. This is not loud enough for a family room size.

What you selected is a good setup to replace a computer speakers, but it is too low of a performance to give you a good movie experience. Having good sound does matter for movies more than good visual.

Subwoofers with a passive radiator are good for infrasonic and not for the main subwoofer. Passive radiators delays the sound that the subwoofer is producing. Also it reduces the loudness of the subwoofer by 3 dB or cuts the power in half.

For any AV receiver, always check if you have to buy from an authorized dealer. If you do not, the warranty will not be valid. This means any problems you have will have to be fixed out of your own pocket. It is something you will have to decide when buying cheap for these electronics.

Sure you can review the speakers in the store, but how they sound to you depends on your day. Some days any speaker will sound like crap and other days speakers will good. It is best to abuse the 30 day return policy. You should break in any new speaker for a week or two and then do listening tests. Finally decide to take back the speakers.
Click to expand...

We're not audiophiles, but I would definitely want to listen to the speakers. I am probably going to pass on this deal and get a separate speaker set and receiver due to the WAF mentioned before. The W in WAF is content with just the TV speakers. 🙁
 
electroju said:
I hope you are putting that setup in a small room like a 10 feet by 11 feet, but that is pushing it. That setup is not worth it if you can not place the subwoofer in between the front left and right channels. The crossover that you have to set for the subwoofer is about 150 Hz or 200 Hz because of the 2.5 inch woofer in the satellites. The subwoofer will not have enough air displacement to handle bass at a high loudness level. It is not a good deal because it depends on your room size and if you have the room to place the subwoofer between the front left and right channels.

The AV receiver that you picked does not output what it advertises. The maximum wattage for 5 channels will be around 15 to 20 watts. This is not loud enough for a family room size.

What you selected is a good setup to replace a computer speakers, but it is too low of a performance to give you a good movie experience. Having good sound does matter for movies more than good visual.

Subwoofers with a passive radiator are good for infrasonic and not for the main subwoofer. Passive radiators delays the sound that the subwoofer is producing. Also it reduces the loudness of the subwoofer by 3 dB or cuts the power in half.

For any AV receiver, always check if you have to buy from an authorized dealer. If you do not, the warranty will not be valid. This means any problems you have will have to be fixed out of your own pocket. It is something you will have to decide when buying cheap for these electronics.

Sure you can review the speakers in the store, but how they sound to you depends on your day. Some days any speaker will sound like crap and other days speakers will good. It is best to abuse the 30 day return policy. You should break in any new speaker for a week or two and then do listening tests. Finally decide to take back the speakers.
Click to expand...

How did you come up with 15 to 20 W per channel X5? Power consumption for the unit is rated at 270W. Divide this by 5 and you still get about 50W.
 
Don't put too much stock in anything electroju says. However, he is probably right that the Yamaha receiver will output significantly below its 90wpc rating. E.g. here is a review of the RX-V863:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/content/yamaha-rx-v863-av-receiver

The tested output with 6 channels driven is 41WPC, while it was rated to 105WPC. I doubt that much has changed, amp-wise, in the RX-V lineup since the 863 was current. Onkyos in the same price range test much better, e.g. the TX-SR605 which showed 80Wx7, which is reasonably close to its rated 90Wx7:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/te...1988/12/test-bench-onkyo-tx-sr605-av-receiver (I have no idea why the site shows a date of December 1988 -- the 605 came out in 2007.)

Of course, there are the usual caveats: most recordings will not create extremely loud peaks for anything more than milliseconds at a time; and usually not in all channels simultaneously. The lab tests show worst-case scenarios, but they are consistent from one test to the next and do show real shortcomings in rated power.
 
slashbinslashbash said:
Don't put too much stock in anything electroju says.
Click to expand...

I may be mistaken, but I think he was the one that insisted I should spend $800 on a receiver even though my budget for it is only $400.

However, he is probably right that the Yamaha receiver will output significantly below its 90wpc rating. E.g. here is a review of the RX-V863:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/content/yamaha-rx-v863-av-receiver

The tested output with 6 channels driven is 41WPC, while it was rated to 105WPC. I doubt that much has changed, amp-wise, in the RX-V lineup since the 863 was current. Onkyos in the same price range test much better, e.g. the TX-SR605 which showed 80Wx7, which is reasonably close to its rated 90Wx7:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/te...1988/12/test-bench-onkyo-tx-sr605-av-receiver (I have no idea why the site shows a date of December 1988 -- the 605 came out in 2007.)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had pretty much narrowed it down to the Denon AVR-1611 and the Onkyo HT-RC260. I didn't know that the Yamaha units were below their rated specs, but I had found another deal with a Pioneer and was told that they also put out way below their rated values.

To be honest, I preferred the Denon but people here steered me towards the Onkyo instead.

Of course, there are the usual caveats: most recordings will not create extremely loud peaks for anything more than milliseconds at a time; and usually not in all channels simultaneously. The lab tests show worst-case scenarios, but they are consistent from one test to the next and do show real shortcomings in rated power.
Click to expand...

We're not audiophiles. I just want a nice experience, not a perfect one. Unfortunately, I am still battling the wife on this subject. She doesn't want the speakers to be "visible." I can conceal the sub and rear surrounds pretty well, but the center and front surrounds will be a little tougher. I've seriously even thought about putting the center INSIDE the entertainment cabinet and just pulling it out when we are going to watch a show.

She keeps saying "I don't care about a sound system." I've tried to sell her on various receivers due to their iPod docks, but that hasn't worked either. I reminded her last night that she used to complain about my 50" plasma all the time -- until we moved in together, that is, and then she admitted she loved it.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
We're not audiophiles. I just want a nice experience, not a perfect one. Unfortunately, I am still battling the wife on this subject. She doesn't want the speakers to be "visible." I can conceal the sub and rear surrounds pretty well, but the center and front surrounds will be a little tougher. I've seriously even thought about putting the center INSIDE the entertainment cabinet and just pulling it out when we are going to watch a show.
Click to expand...

Well, if you want something good, then man up and just put something in anyway, or designate another room as yours and set up in there.
 
vi edit said:
Well, if you want something good, then man up and just put something in anyway, or designate another room as yours and set up in there.
Click to expand...

I have a man cave, but what's the benefit if I am the only one to enjoy it?

I think I will probably just do it and she'll have to get over it. I'll do my best to meet her wishes of "hiding" the speakers but in the end, you can only do so much. The center inside the cabinet with some longer cable so we can pull it out is an acceptable compromise, I think. I could probably do it with the front surrounds as well for that matter.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
Yeah, I had pretty much narrowed it down to the Denon AVR-1611 and the Onkyo HT-RC260. I didn't know that the Yamaha units were below their rated specs, but I had found another deal with a Pioneer and was told that they also put out way below their rated values.

To be honest, I preferred the Denon but people here steered me towards the Onkyo instead.
Click to expand...

What used to be a lot more common is that they will show what the total combined rating for the channels are and market that - not the wattage the amp puts out. Sure you may have 5 channels that are rated for 100W each but your amp only puts out 400W so you end up with 80W per channel if they are all used. It's a lot less prevelent now but still common in low/mid level receivers

We're not audiophiles. I just want a nice experience, not a perfect one. Unfortunately, I am still battling the wife on this subject. She doesn't want the speakers to be "visible." I can conceal the sub and rear surrounds pretty well, but the center and front surrounds will be a little tougher. I've seriously even thought about putting the center INSIDE the entertainment cabinet and just pulling it out when we are going to watch a show.
Click to expand...

Well the definition of 'nice' varries by person. I don't have enough $ for my opinion of 'nice' since I can't afford a room within a room construction or the complete array of acoutical treatments.

You could always hid the speakers with an acoutically transparant curtain. Of course that might look a little odd with a TV so you should go ahead and upgrade to a projector. Might as well raise the back seats a bit too with a riser. Now that you are building a riser - build a stage so your fronts are closer to ear level (assuming you get floorstanding speakers - which you should!) Don't forget the bass traps in the corner! After this you are on the way to a 'nice' setup :biggrin:

She keeps saying "I don't care about a sound system." I've tried to sell her on various receivers due to their iPod docks, but that hasn't worked either. I reminded her last night that she used to complain about my 50" plasma all the time -- until we moved in together, that is, and then she admitted she loved it.
Click to expand...

To some extent I agree with vi edit about this. Just go ahead and do it. I have been dragging my wife, kicking and screaming, along my audio/visual ride for a while now. Sure there are still issues here and there (Light blue in a home theatre room??!! What's wrong with you woman?!) but we both enjoy my setups - she even got over the front speakers in 'our' room when I found a TV stand to match
 
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All it took for me to get a dedicated theatre all to myself was building her a new house.

Not sure if I'd call that a win or not.

:\
 
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