# Need help picking my new project



## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

i need help picking my new lcr setup. I currently have klipsch rf82s and rc62 and would like a substantial upgrade for under 2500. the speakers will be used for 90% ht at relatively high levels. I have been looking at the clearwave dynamics or the elusive 1099s from diy soundgroup. Are there any other speakers i should be looking at? My room is 13x24x8 i have 2 si18s in martycubes for bass.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

Seriously? nobody has any input?


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

My experience .. call Parts Express and start designing your own speakers... Its not hard and the reward is extremely satisfying.... These wound up costing about $1000 each ... Just to give you an idea


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

What is it you find lacking with the current setup?


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

the center channel mostly. sometimes i find it hard to here the dialog over the other sounds.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Have you adjusted the level of the center channel up ?


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

RTS100x5 said:


> Have you adjusted the level of the center channel up ?


^^^ +1


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## thucker (May 25, 2012)

JBrax said:


> ^^^ +1


+10000!! I'm currently running RF-82s with a RC-64, I have the center running a couple DBs hot over the LR speakers.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

thucker said:


> +10000!! I'm currently running RF-82s with a RC-64, I have the center running a couple DBs hot over the LR speakers.


Same setup here.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

i have the center +5db now and it just doesnt sound like i think it should.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Have you tried different surround modes ?? If it sounds distorted or flat - have you checked the tweeter to see if its blown ?


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Is this something that's just recently started or have you felt the center wasn't up to par from day one? I've also had the RC-62 II in my setup and thought it was a great center channel.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

JBrax said:


> Is this something that's just recently started or have you felt the center wasn't up to par from day one? I've also had the RC-62 II in my setup and thought it was a great center channel.


Its the original rc62. Its always sounded the same and thought it was good until I heard a couple of other setups recently


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

kbclamper said:


> Its the original rc62. Its always sounded the same and thought it was good until I heard a couple of other setups recently


Other setups within the same price range as what the Klipsch cost you? I've heard other setups that made me a bit envious but also cost considerably more. You've got a pretty nice setup for movies and the law of diminishing returns might be applicable. Maybe focus on your room and maximizing what you already own?


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

Could you try out a rc-64 to see if you luck that better? I never had anything to compare mine to but a similarly sized Energy center channel. When I switched speakers I went with the rc-64 to avoid the what if effect. I run rf-63's with the rf-64 center a little hot as well and have always been satisfied with it.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

theres no where around me that will let me do an in home audition.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

so to try to get back to my original question, im looking for a diy solution to upgrade what i have. i want tall towers and a horizontal center. any suggestions?


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

kbclamper said:


> so to try to get back to my original question, im looking for a diy solution to upgrade what i have. i want tall towers and a horizontal center. any suggestions?


RTS5X100 provided a suggestion did you not like that idea? I believe it was post #3.


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

i do like those but a little above my 2500 budget


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

kbclamper said:


> i do like those but a little above my 2500 budget


I would imagine $500 could be shaved off the price by selecting cheaper drivers. Maybe give them a call as suggested and let them know your budget.


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

The QSC SC-1120 is about $800 if you want to get something off the shelf. It would provide the dynamics and peak levels you're looking for. I wonder if you could DIY a similar design in the form factor you're looking for...


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## natehansen66 (Feb 20, 2011)

JBrax said:


> I would imagine $500 could be shaved off the price by selecting cheaper drivers. Maybe give them a call as suggested and let them know your budget.


Designing your own speakers is not a trivial exercise. It takes a long time to learn how to build a good speaker. I'm not trying to drag anyone down but telling the op to roll his own and then expect it to be better than a commercial offering is a bit of a stretch......

IMO the 1099 is technically speaking a much better design..... especially for the center channel.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

natehansen66 said:


> Designing your own speakers is not a trivial exercise. It takes a long time to learn how to build a good speaker. I'm not trying to drag anyone down but telling the op to roll his own and then expect it to be better than a commercial offering is a bit of a stretch...... IMO the 1099 is technically speaking a much better design..... especially for the center channel.


I believe it was RTS5X100 who had suggested that route and I don't recall eluding to the process of building a speaker as being a trivial exercise or easy.


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## natehansen66 (Feb 20, 2011)

It was RTS and I didn't mean to insinuate that was your meaning. I was just picking up on your comment about using cheaper parts.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Thats correct - The MOREL drivers in that build are expensive - Parts Express will be happy to help you select speakers that are well within your budget ...

Its very easy ...


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

I just did a quick parts list on PE with a 

9 in Morel woofer
6 in Morel Supreme midrange
Dayton Air motion Planar tweeter
Dayton 3 way Xover

$716 each speaker + wood + misc

And these are some of the best parts they offer .. It could easily be brought down in price to 500 per...

The build will be an adventure in itself and is part of my most satisfying experiences as an audiophile.... and it wasn't difficult given that I did have some experience in construction and some of the right tools...The ones I needed to make it much easier were the JASPER circle jig for my router and a descent table saw...


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

what did you do about the xover? is it just an off the shelf? how loud do those get? i like to play it really loud occasionally.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

kbclamper said:


> what did you do about the xover? is it just an off the shelf? how loud do those get? i like to play it really loud occasionally.


The Xover is mentioned - Dayton 3 way preassembled 

These parts I picked based on the fact that I have used MOREL speakers in several builds and they are very good sound quality and handle lots of power...

The exact SPL I dont think can be calculated only estimated but these should play very loud...

The picture Im including - my Flagship Home Theater build - is being driven by a EMOTIVA XPA 3 @ 330 watts.

Combined with the JL subs I built for this project its needless to say - a sonic force . More on that project here... but the point being that this is just a sample of qwhat is possible to build from PartsExpress ...

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/diy-speakers/70542-home-theater-build-1-a.html


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## natehansen66 (Feb 20, 2011)

RTS100x5 said:


> The build will be an adventure in itself and is part of my most satisfying experiences as an audiophile.... and it wasn't difficult given that I did have some experience in construction and some of the right tools...The ones I needed to make it much easier were the JASPER circle jig for my router and a descent table saw...


I wasn't talking about the construction being difficult, but the _design_. I see you used an off the shelf xo which doesn't account for the actual response of the drivers you used, and I doubt that it measures/performs very well at all. Maybe you got lucky, but my experience tells me otherwise.

Depending on your time investment, and willingness to experiment, designing speakers (I'm talking about crossovers here) takes a good amount of time to learn to do correctly. Fortunately things are easier today with various software for simulation, but it's still not easy. You need to know how to measure transducers accurately and how to interpret the results. An understanding of electrical filtering is also necessary. I'm not trying to scare anyone off but this isn't the kind of deal where you can slap a few things together and get an excellent result. Early on I thought all my diy speakers were "excellent" but looking back I realize that's only because _I_ built them. In reality they weren't very good at all but they were a good learning experience. I've been at this for about 4 years, and it's my only hobby, but I often still feel like a noob :sneeky:

To the op, you *do not* want to use an off the shelf xo for anything if you expect to better your current setup. Go with the 1099's!


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Great thing about PE is they offer a full refund of you are not satisfied with your results ....


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## kbclamper (Jun 4, 2014)

RTS100x5 said:


> Great thing about PE is they offer a full refund of you are not satisfied with your results ....


I think im going to preorder some 1099s this week now that they are abailable with black cones


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## dtsdig (Oct 31, 2012)

kbclamper said:


> I think im going to preorder some 1099s this week now that they are abailable with black cones


I'd say skip the PE route with a generic crossover and order yourself some 1099s! The dynamics, volume capability and dialog clarity will not be matched using dome tweeters/planar/ribbons. You will be very happy and you'll know that it was designed properly as a package. For me personally, an LCR of 1099's ends the upgrade path for me. :T

Check my sig for some inspiration!


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## perceval (Oct 17, 2012)

Before you start spending thousands, and if you like the sound of your present L/R system, there may be a solution I have tried and works wonders!

I have no idea what your system looks like, but if you can insert something like the nanoAVR ( http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/nanoavr-8x8 ) costs $300 and, IMHO, a must for tweaking the relative balance and sound coming from a multi-channel event.

I use a similar design, but with a Presonus 1818vsl concert mixer. I am able to route extra levels of the center channel to my mains, thus solving the issue of timbre matching between a different center speaker and the mains L/R speakers. I also add a bit of high end EQ to cut through the sounds coming from the mains, so dialogues come cutting clear from the ambient noise/music! 

It expanded my HT setup and it is a real joy every time!

In the end, you choose what you think you will need, but I thought about offering a different way to go at it, instead of the piling of a bunch of expensive new gear.


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