THX Ultra 2 (1 Viewer)

[jw5453]

Hi all

May I ask, if I were to get Klipsch THX Ultra 2 (7.2 set up), is it sufficient for a 12 meters x 6 meters
(roughly 700 sqft) dedicated home cinema?

Do take note that the room will be purely for cinema.... with projected screen, cinema chairs, etc etc...

Also, do take note that we want to achieve a cinema sound effect (you guys should know what I mean.. rumbling of the ground... vibration on the chair...)

FYI, i've auditioned the THX Ultra 2 and i simply love it... but the showroom I went was pretty small and the speakers were right in my face..
so what worries me is that I wouldn't get that same effect in a larger room...

Please advice..

Thanks all and have an excellent day =D

 

[gene c]

You're kidding, right? (so am I ). Klipsch speakers are very effecient so they provide a lot of sound pressure at the same power levels as most other brands. Just don't confuse louder with better. The Klipsch-Ultra-2 speaker/sub woofer package looks pretty impressive, if you like the bright sound Klipsch is known for.


The THX-Ultra/2 spec is for rooms up to 3000 sq ft so I think you'll be alright in your 700 sq ft room. But keep some ear plugs handy.

 

[jw5453]

Thank you gene c...

I am so relieved to hear that. Went to JBL today and auditioned the JBL synthesis and it was pretty awesome. But the price was way over my budget...

Looking at those huge speakers made me worry about Klipsch. But since you said Klipsch can blow up to 3000 sqft... I am glad =D

What amp/receiver would you suggest for the THX Ultra 2?

Also, if we were to buy the B & W 804's for pure music purpose, which amp/receiver would you suggest so that it can also be used with the THX Ultra 2

Thanks again =D

 

[CB750]

Any of the receivers on the market from the major players would work well with the THX ultra 2. Receivers add very little if any color to a set of speakers. Your decision should be based on the receiver features you are looking for.

Your your second question of teaming up your one receiver with as set of music speakers such as the B&W. 804's. I assume you would do this in a different listening room. The only way you can do this is to purchase a receiver that has a Zone 2. When you turn on the Zone 2 speakers your 7.2 speakers will revert back to a 5.2 system.

If you like the sound of the B&W's why don't you put a 5.1 system together for your HT around them. Speakers that reproduce music to your ear's will also do a great job on Video.

One thing I find a bit odd is you like both Klipsch and B&W speakers. I own B&W's and my ears found a major difference's in how they sounded compared to Klipsch. The Klipsch were much more lively with a lot more emphasis on the high end frequencies. I know that Kipsch sells a lot of speakers and many folks like that kind of lively sound but I found them fatiguing after 10 minutes of listening.

 

[jw5453]

Hi CB750,

As you can tell by now... I am very new to this...

I was intending to place the 804's in the cinema too but just for CD playing and nothing else...

So it would be like... Movies - Klipsch THX Ultra 2.... stereo CD music playing - 804's..

Do let me know if it is not advisable to do such a thing...

As for the odd part as to why I like both Klipsch and B&Ws...

Firstly, Klipsch has that extra punch in movies such as Transformers 2, which is mostly the kind of movies me and my family will be watching...

Secondly, we did not get the chance to test out the 804's for movies... but we really loved it's stereo playing...

The reason why I did not consider 804's for movies is because, the salesman quoted me a high price of around $80,000 USD for its HT package... which is way out of my budget...

So the next thing that came to my mind was to have THX Ultra 2 purely for Movies and 804's for music...

Please let me know if my idea is total crap and I should drop it.. haha

Thanks alot CB750, I really appreciate your inputs... =D

 

[gene c]

I'm one of the very few (perhaps the only ) but you get to listen to them in your own house instead of the store.


If you're going to spend that kind of money then take your time and explore as many different products as you can.


Here's a long but informative (and entertaining) thread on How-to-buy-new-speakers?.

 

[CB750]

It's your money and far be it to tell you how to spend it. However, on one hand you seem to be on a budget for your surround system, yet (according to a B&W catalog) the 804S list for $2,250 each. So are you on a budget or not? I really think you would be better served to pool all of your money together and buy a 5.1 system for both jobs. My feeling is that speakers should be neutral as possible but be able to deliver whatever is contained in the audio tracks you are listening to be it CD music or Transformers 2. They should be able to perform the job when called upon but should not be over bearing the rest of the time.

Now this is a personal feeling on my part. I have my old vintage stereo music system set up in a separate listening room, as I felt I wanted that special sound for music only. To tell you the truth I hardly use it any more and use my 5.1 system for most everything. I know some would disagree with me but after 40+ years of stereo music I kind of like listening to two channel music in a Dolby surround even if it is faked. It tends to give you the reflected sound that you get in live music events.


As far as logistics go I wonder how you would set up both your front stage for your surround HT system as well as your stereo music as they will be fighting for the same prime locations. Perhaps it would be better to put the bulk of your money into quality Left, Right, and Center speakers and a sub and cut back on your two surround speakers for now. This would give you the a great front stage for both music and videos, and cut down on clutter in your room.

 

[jw5453]

Gene C, Thanks for the wonderful articles... I've read them... very nice...

And 100% not doubting your professionalism... may I know where you got the info that Klipsch THX Ultra 2 is for 3000 sqft? The THX website did says 3000 cubic feet... but my room would be more than 6000 cubic feet... (given 750 sqft floor area * height of 3m)

CB 750, My answer to your budget question is this...

The guy in B&Ws quoted me like $80,000 (USD) with all the high end AV Receivers, pre amps, surround speakers, etc etc...

I have no idea if it is neccessary or not... still need time to check it out..

As for THX Ultra 2 + just 804s would cost us less than $40,000 (USD)... So i thought it would be the best of both worlds..

But I have no idea it would be such a hassle in terms of logistics... gotta reconsider my options now... Thanks for the heads up

 

[gene c]

Originally Posted by jw5453 700 sq ft is an awfully big room. This has now ventured past my level of knowledge but I bet most good quality speakers, with proper amplification, would fill that room with sound. It's the sub woofer(s) that would have me worried. Might want to e-mail SVS for their opinions on how much (or how many) sub woofer(s) you'll need.

 

[dmiller68]

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 13.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {font: 12.0px Helvetica; text-decoration: underline ; color: #44708c} span.s2 {font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #d2d947} span.s3 {font: 12.0px Helvetica}

I would give a look at Definitive Technology speakers for the answer to your home theater. I know many people have move on from these guys but I personally think they still make fantastic speakers for home theater. They just released the BP-8080ST which would be a killer fronts and it looks like they recommend a nice setup using SR-8080BP's and CS-8080HD. I would guess it would be able to fill up the room very nicely.


On the receiver front I like the Pioneer Elite 35/37 I think it would be a good match for which ever speaker you chose. For your listening room why don't you look at some nice McIntosh Gear maybe a C50 preamp and MC452 amp.

I would look at SVS for subs for sure they should be able to fill the room.

 

[jw5453]

Thanks for the recommendation Dmiller...

I've actually auditioned the DefTech Mythos STS... and it was pretty nice too... The showroom came with one of those SVS cylinder subwoofer...

But I think the salesman probably did not tune it up and thus, it lacked that cinema punch... I am pretty sure it would do the job though... probably I should give it another test...


Right now I am so confused... could use a little help from you guys...

I've actually auditioned Deftech, B&Ws, and Klipsch... and, I do not know what i like...

Ignoring my previous posts regarding my budget and another listening room... if you were me, which would you choose for movie purposes?

1. Klipsch THX Ultra 2 (7.2)

2. Deftech - as recommended by Dmiller, BP-8080ST, SR-8080BP's, CS-8080HD, SVS Subwoofer, Pioneer Elite 35/37

3. B&W 804D (Front Left and Right), B&W HTM2D (Center), B&W DS3 (Surround Left and Right), B&W DS 3 (Surround Back Left and Right), B&W PV1 (Subwoofer), B&W PV1 (Subwoofer), Arcam AVR600 (To Drive, Center, Surround Left, Right and Surround Back Left and Right)

The B&W setup was a re-quotation by the salesman as i requested for a lower price range..

I know I should really choose what I like rather than listening to others... but hey, this could help me in the psychological struggle I am suffering right now..

Thanks alot!

 

[CB750]

Originally Posted by jw5453

You are going to want to follow this guide as close as possible.