I have too many speakers, which speakers should I keep and which to get rid of? (1 Viewer)

[jeff a]

Hello all. This is my first post, although I'm hardly new here as I've been lurking for quite some time now. I also put this post in the receiver/amp forum as it equally applies there as well, so please pardon if this is the second time you've seen it. Need some opinions and feedback please.
Here is my situation. I've got 4 complete surround sound systems, as well as 2 different 2 channel stereo systems. That's just too many as you can't use but one at the time. So, I'm going to consolidate and do away with at least one of them, if not 2.
First, let me tell you what I have, and how I have them matched up together. To keep it simple, I'll only list audio equipment, along with DVD players. No TVs, VCR's, etc. All speaker wire and interconnects are Monster, unless otherwise indicated.

A/V System #1:
B&K avr101 receiver
Klipsch ksp c6 center channel speaker
pair of Klipsch ksp 400 speakers (with built in subs)
pair of Klipsch ksp s6 surround speakers
Sony dvd-s7000 dvd player
All were bought in late '97, except receiver in early '99.


A/V System #2:
Harman Kardon 520 receiver
Harman Kardon dvd player (can't remember model #)
Infinity interlude IL36c center channel speaker
Infinity interlude IL50 speakers (w/ built in subs)Infinity interlude IL120 subs (2 of them, yes, I know 4
total subs in this system is probably a little
overkill, but I have them all set with Infinity's
RABOS, room adjustment bass optimization system,
which really works as advertised)
Infinity Interlude IL10 speakers for surrounds (I
have 2 pairs of them in case I eventually add an amp
to the HK receiver for 7.1, I also have an additional
pair of IL50s, more on them later, however, I
could conceivably use them for rear surrounds in this
system set up for 5.1 and it would virtually be
almost like biamping every speaker in the system
since they all would have built in self powered subs,
except for the center, then this system would have a
total of 6 subs!)
All were bought this year, actually, stolen from
ubid.com.


A/V System 3:
Pioneer Elite dvl 91 dvd/laserdisc player
Denon 3802 receiver
Polk CS400i center channel speaker
Polk RT1000i speakers (w/ very small built in subs)
Polk f/x300i bipole/dipole surrounds (2 pairs, one on
side wall, other on back wall)
Polk RT35i speakers (*note*-in addition to side wall
surrounds, 3802 allows for hook up of 2 different
pairs of rear surround speakers, but you can only run
one pair at the time, you simply switch the receiver's
rear amp power between them, this way you can have
the best of both worlds, bipole/dipoles for movies
and monopoles for music).
No sub for this system, other than the ones built in
on the RT1000i's, but they are too small for movies.
However, I do have options. I could take one of the
Infinity IL120s from system #2 to use with this one.
I also have 2 Klipsch KSW300s brand new unopened in
factory sealed boxes that I've never used yet.

Except for dvd player, which was bought in early '99,
these were all bought this year. 3802 from 6thave.com
and Polks at close out prices from Circuit City,
almost ridiculously cheap.


A/V System #4
Yamaha cdc 765 5 disc cd changer
Yamaha 2092 receiver
M&K S85C center channel speaker
M&K S85 satellite speakers, 2 pairs
M&K S75 satellites (*note*-Yamaha 2092 allows for hook
up of an additional pair of front "effects" speakers
that are spaced further apart and higher up than main
front L & R, these could also concievably be used for
rears with a newer 7.1 receiver)
M&K V90 subwoofer
I don't have a seperate dvd player for this system, I
was using the Sony in system #1 also hooked up to
this one. I have this system in the bedroom for
movies only.
These were all bought in late '97, except for sub in
late '93



Audio only system #1:
Dual turntable w/ Ortofon cartridge (model #s ???)
Adcom 5 disc cd player
Adcom 565 preamp
Adcom gfa4000 power amp, biamped with
Adcom gfa5000 power amp to a set of
Klipsch KLF30 speakers (yeah, I know all that power to
such a set of highly, highly efficient speakers is
overkill, but man, you should hear it!)
NAD cassette deck (model # ???)
Kimber Kable speaker wire, both sets for biamp
All Adcom equip. bought in '96, speakers in late '97,
turntable/cartridge, cassette deck, and speaker wires
in '92.


Audio system #2:
Adcom CD player (model # ???)
Adcom gtp400 tuner/preamp
Adcom 535 power amp
Nakamichi cassete deck (model # ???)
Infinity Interlude IL50 speakers w/ built in subs
I also have this system in the bedroom for music only
All bought in '91, except speakers this year, tape
deck in '93.

Also have various equip.:
2 Klipsch KSW 300 subs, unopened, bought in early '99
3 pairs Polk Atrium 45 outdoor speakers, this year
Klipsch outdoor speakers, bought in '97 (model # ???)
Klipsch KSB 1.1 bookshelf speakers bought in '98
Boston Acoustics old pair of bookshelf speakers,
bought in late '93 (model # ???)
Polk RT25i bookshelf speakers, this year
Polk Rt15i bookshelf speakers, this year


OK, here's what I've decided so far for sure: I'm booting the old Yamaha 2092 receiver out. It just has 5.1 dolby digital, and it can't be upgraded. At the time I got it, it was Yamaha's flagship receiver, and second to the top of the line in their whole catalog. Only the flagship integrated amp was higher up. I doubt I could get much for it if I sold it now, so I'm taking it and the yamaha cdc 765 cd changer and switching them to only power a pair or two of my outdoor speakers.
I'm also going to boot at least one, if not both of the cassette decks out, as I simply never use them anymore. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep at least one. Probably couldn't get much out of them anyway if I tried to sell them.
I think I'm going to sell the 2 unopened in factory sealed boxes Klipsch ksw 300 subs on ebay. I've researched what they have been going for, and I could easily at least get my money back out of them, as I got them at close out prices in the first place. Truth is, the 15 inch subs built into the Klipsch KSP 400s will probably outperform them, and I very seriously doubt that they are as good as the Infinity IL120s with their RABOS engaged.
As for the B&K101 receiver, it just has 5.1 dolby digital just like the Yamaha 2092, however, it can be factory upgraded to DTS, 7.1 formats (non THX though, only dts es and dolby digital ex), and (I think) pro logic 2 for a cost of $1000. Plus, it would still need an additional 2 channel power amp (like maybe one of my Adcoms?)
What's really going to be the hardest decision of all for me to make though is which speaker set (or 2) to boot out. I really like them all. That's going to be a tough, tough choice. I've noticed on this board that while there does seem to be a lot of Klipsch fans here, there just doesn't seem to be very many Polk, Infinity, and M&K fans/owners. I do probably need to keep the M&K set for sure, as they are the only set out of the bunch small enough to keep in the bedroom system. Keep in mind that the M&Ks are 4 ohms. I love the Klipschs, but they are about 5 years older than the Polks and Infinitys and have many mour hours on them than any of the others, so therefore it would be reasonable to assume that they would have about 5 years less of life/use left on them than the others, would it not? I guess this also goes for the M&Ks as well (although the M&Ks have far fewer hours on them than the Klipschs do. What is the life expectancy of use for a speaker, 10 years? 15 at the very most before foam surrounds start dry rotting? Based on that, it would seem to make sense to keep the newer Polks and Infinitys, would it not?
Obviously, I have many, many options here (such as upgrading the B&K receiver and using one of the Adcom amps for the 2 extra channels, and/or using one of the adcom amps to make the HK 520 7.1 capable).
What would you guys and gals do here if you were in this situation? Everyone please feel free to weigh in with your opinions, suggestions, advice, etc. on what you would do with all this equipment. How would you use it and match it all up, and what would you sell off of it?
Thanks very much in advance if you do reply, and sorry this was so long.


P.S. I plan on taking those bookshelf speakers and doing a "shoot out" here pretty soon with all of them, along with my cousin. The combatants will be:
M&K S85
Klipsch KSB 1.1
The old pair of Boston Acoustics
Polk RT15i
Polk RT25i
all of the above are of similiar size and price
(except for the M&Ks, which were MUCH more expensive)
Infinity Interlude IL10
Polk RT35i
Both of the above are similiar size to each other, but somewhat bigger than the first group. My preconcieved opinion is the either of the bigger speakers, the Infinity IL10 or the Polk RT35i will win for music and the M&K S85 for movies, also the clear loser will be the old pair of Bostons, but we'll see. I'll post the verdict after we've done it, probably in a couple of weeks.

 

[Phil Mays]

All I can say is ....Damn

 

[Geoff L]

Jeff

Im not going to even attemp an educated guess as what to do with what!

You simply need to CHILL on buying or selling for awhile. And think some more, allot more.

Good lord man, how dose one allow himself get to this point! Certanly not ment in a bad way, just holy moly.....

Best of luck
Geoff

 

[Yuli]

How about sending something my way?

 

[Mitch E S]

#1 Have an electronic yard sale... sell EVERYTHING!
#2 Get some medication for whatever is wrong with you
Actually I'm probably not far behind you and I think there are a lot more like us. Seriously I would try to get rid of everything and simplify. Get one really nice system to handle everything. Whatever you do... don't spend the money to upgrade that old B&K... it won't even be close to what the new ones can do. I have the B&K ref30 and if I wanted to upgrade to the new ref50 (which I understand is coming out soon) I would just sell the ref30 and buy a new ref50 (but I'm not - very content with the ref30 - at least today )
BTW, I still have the first speakers I ever bought (over 25 years ago - from Radio Shack - all real wooden enclosure) and they work as well as the day I bought them (which is to say poor). Those klipsch were actually what I liked the most of your equipment. I also think that Denon is probably a keeper (the klipsch should run great off of it). Those amps are really overkill unless your getting new inefficient speakers (can you say Dynaudio )
Well, that's all that I can think of without my head exploding.
ps. I have 3 HT systems and 3 stereo systems,
Good Luck, Mitch

 

[John F. Palacio]

When I look at somebody listing a lot of gear, very expensive gear or both and asking for opinions I somehow get the feeling that they do not really want anybody's advise.

Am I the only one with this gut feeling? :wink:

 

[peter a]

yeah.. i used to steal a lot of stuff too. where did you jack this stuff from? damn..
p

 

[chung_sotheby]

My advice would be to sell everything you got on ebay or audiogon, for those are the places where you would probably get the fairest market price. People at this forum are just too damn smart, and are always looking for a deal, myself included Here is what you would probably get if sold through ebay etc.
B&K avr101 receiver ~500
Klipsch ksp c6 ~250
Klipsch ksp 400 speakers ~1300
Klipsch ksp s6 surround speakers ~500
Sony dvd-s7000 dvd player ~300
Harman Kardon 520 receiver ~450
Harman Kardon dvd player ~250
Infinity interlude IL36c ~200
Infinity interlude IL50 speakers ~600
Infinity interlude IL120 subs) ~300 x 2
Infinity Interlude IL10, ~200
Pioneer Elite dvl 91 ~200
Denon 3802 ~500
Polk CS400i ~300
Polk RT1000i ~600
Polk f/x300i ~300
Polk RT35i speakers ~200
Infinity IL120s ~800
Yamaha cdc 765 5 disc cd changer ~100
Yamaha 2092 receiver ~200
M&K S85C ~175
M&K S85 satellite ~325
M&K S75 satellites ~200
M&K V90 subwoofer ~500
Dual turntable w/ Ortofon cartridge (model #s ???) ~350
Adcom 5 disc cd player ~300
Adcom 565 preamp ~200
Adcom gfa4000 ~200
Adcom gfa5000 ~250
Klipsch KLF30 speakers ~850
NAD cassette deck (model # ???) ~50
Kimber Kable speaker wire, ~100
Adcom CD player (model # ???) ~75
Adcom gtp400 tuner/preamp ~75
Adcom 535 power amp ~150
Nakamichi cassete deck (model # ???) ~50
Infinity Interlude IL50 ~600
2 Klipsch KSW 300 subs, unopened, '99 ~400 x2
3 pairs Polk Atrium 45 outdoor speakers ~100 x2
Klipsch outdoor speakers ~100 x2
Klipsch KSB 1.1 bookshelf speakers ~75
Boston Acoustics old pair of bookshelf speakers ~200
Polk RT25i ~125
Polk Rt15i ~75
So a grand total of $14475 using my very conservative estimates of the value of your equipment. With this kind of money, you could set up one killer HT and one killer Music system from scratch. And you would lessen the burden of having roughly 15 pairs of speakers around the house. It sounds like you had two rooms, each with its own HT and Music system, maybe when you decide to redo your system you can have one primarily for HT and one for Music. In the HT room you can get a very good preamp with ssp passthrough so you can also do some music listening in it, and for your music room maybe you can keep either the 3802, the 520, or get another AV receiver (like the Denon 3803) when it comes out, so you can also do some HT stuff in that room. It just seems you have too much stuff to deal with, so I would suggest getting the best possible quality, not quantity, components you can manage given your budget after you sell all your stuff. Good luck

 

[Phil Mays]

Damn Chung, that was good!!! I keep going back to this post to see what someone would say. I could hardly read Jeff's post it was so long (no disrespet intended Jeff )and you came up with a working plan. That's impressive!
Jeff, listen to this man. That kind of money would buy you one great system with enough money left over to get some Pabst Blue Ribbon!!

 

[Steve K.H.]

There's gotta be a whack of TV's, E/T stands, cabling, speaker stands, speaker wire, and other crap to sell as well. Should get 16 K for the bunch... UPS will luv ya...
Then run out and get
One Plasma Screen
One Lexicon MC-12 / Sunfire Amp
7 Paradigm Studio or Monitor Audio speakers
Twin SVS'
Two Klipschorns (Zone 2)
CD
DVD
Nice Chairs
(oops, blew the budget again)

 

[chung_sotheby]

PHil, thanks for the compliment, and nothing beats a rack of the PBR on a sweltering hot summer day.

As for Steve, I think that with $16k, Jeff could be looking for some higher end equipment then Sunfire and Paradigm. Even though these are both great companies, with a budget of over 10k, there are better components to be had, like levinson, krell, meridian, B&W nautilus, revel, etc etc......

 

[PomingF]

Jeff, you get the trophy on this one. I know there has to be a few on the forums who over time might have own the same number if not more pieces than your list but all at the same time...
I hope you don't have them all hooked/powered up blacking out the neighborhood.
PF

 

[Philip Hamm]

And I thought I was a freak with all the equipment in my house. (And I am)

 

[Mark Shannon]

Jeff, how long did it take you to acquire this, why would you acquire this much, and how the hell much did it cost to acquire this much?

 

[Brad A]

What did everyone say??? I wasn't listening

 

[Phil Mays]

Denial

 

[jeff a]

OK gang. First of all, I want to thank anyone who made a positive post here on this, especially Chung, who really had some great potential ideas and suggestions. BTW, do you REALLY think those old Boston bookshelf speakers, circa '93, would bring $200? As for you Mr. John F. Palacio, if I didn't want anyone else's input, do you really think I would have spent all the time it took to type all of this out? That said, you do have a point to a certain extent, as I have noticed on this forum that everyone seems to try to push everyone else to buy the same things that they did, even if it obviously isn't what is best for the particular situation at hand. Why they do it, I don't know, but they do. I'm sure at least some of it is probably because that in their own mind, they are absolutely convinced that what they bought is without a doubt the best, and you can't even have room for argument because it's not even open for discussion. Also, maybe it will make them feel better about themselves and/or their equipment buying decisions by giving them reassurance and helping relieve their own self doubt if someone else also buys it.
I just want to say that I'm sure that I probably don't have anywhere even close to the amount of money in all of this stuff as you might probably think that I do. And no, I didn't steal any of it either (although I was the beneficiary of a big mistake by a mass market dealer on a return). I don't buy anything, much less stereo equipment, unless I'm getting a great deal on it. That's part of my problem, I can't turn down a bargain or a deal, even if I don't really need it. And I'll admit, maybe I do have excessive tendencies. For example, just this week, I went to my local SPCA to adopt 2 dogs, but took home 3. I'm no psychiatrist or anything like that, so please feel free to disregard any character analysis on my part, particularly self analysis, as being highly suspect. However, there are a few things here and there that I probably overpaid for. For example, I bought that Sony DVD player in late '97 when they first came out. They retailed for $1000 then, if I remember correctly, and I think I gave $850 for it. I'll admit now that I also overpaid for that Yamaha 2092 receiver as it turns out that it's pretty much obsolete after only 5 years or so.
Here is my own take on all of this. I sailed along for years pretty much content with what I had, but recently this year got the upgrade bug again. I wanted 7.1 surround sound. My B&K 101 receiver could be upgraded for that at a cost of $1000, plus it would need an additional amp to drive the 2 extra channels. I felt that I would probably be better off just to get a new receiver instead. So, I had narrowed it down to the Denon 3802 or the Harman Kardon 520 as my final choice (even though I realized that the HK would also need an external amp for 7.1). When 6ave.com had the Denon for $699 shipped, that clinched it for me. However, I soon thereafter also got a manufacturer factory refurbished HK 520 with full warranty off of ubid.com for a little over $300, SHIPPED! For just a little more than what the upgrade to the B&K would have cost, I got BOTH the Denon and the HK! As for the receivers, I can not as clearly hear the difference between them as I can between speakers. By that, I mean a/b comparing them to each other with the same speakers (as opposed to a/b comparing speakers against each other with the same receiver or amp). Each speaker does have it's own distinctive sound, whereas the difference between receivers is much more subtle and less obviously noticeable (at least to my ears). And To Mitch E S, I want you to know that I totally agree with you about not getting the upgrade to the B&K. I don't think it would be worth it. I was not all that impressed by it. I don't think that it was really any better than the Yamaha 2092 to be honest. It might be slightly better on 2 channel stereo music, but it is not noticeably better on movies to my ears. I know B&K has a great reputation, but I own them, so therefore I feel that I have the right to criticize them if I want to, and I can honestly say that they aren't so much better than anything else out there. Maybe I was just expecting too much out of them and they simply failed to live up to my high (maybe even unrealistic) expectations of them. I was expecting a dramatic improvement, and it just wasn't there.
Now as for the speakers. I won't be buying anymore, even if I sell some of what I have. The whole point of this was to thin out the equipment I already own. Not to get rid of it all and start over from scratch again. I mean surely, at least SOME of my equipment must be worth keeping. I saw where Steve K. H. suggested I sell everything and get Paradigm studios. Well Steve, I mean no disrespect to you personally in any way whatsoever, so please don't take this that way, but please, give me a freakin' break. I'm not knocking Paradigm as I know that they are a fine speaker, but the fact of the matter is that they would NOT be any kind of a major upgrade over what I've already got. Bottom line, simple as that, case closed. Even you must admit that if you really stop to think about it for a minute. Also, I would never buy super high dollar speakers as I feel that they are not worth the extra cost. There most definitely is a point of diminishing returns, in my humble opinion. Case in point, the highly regarded $10,000 Infinity Preludes. My Infinity Interludes have the exact same drivers and RABOS room adjustment bass optimization system for the subs as the Preludes. Do I think the Preludes sound better? Yes, I do. I think they do sound better enough to be noticeable, but they don't totally put the Interludes to shame. Do I think that they sound 10 times better in direct correlation to 10 times the price? NO WAY! Not even close! They most definitely don't sound all that much better to justify paying an amount many times over for them. For a fraction of the cost, you get most of the same performance, at least to my ears. You have to pay a LOT of extra money just to get marginally better sound, and it's just not worth the money to me. Another thing that gets me is speaker wire and how much some people will spend on that instead of just taking that money and simply upgrading the actual speakers instead. HELLO!!! I know one guy who actually spent damned near as much on monster cable speaker wire as he did for his entire speaker set! As for me, I don't give a damned if some companies $1 per foot speaker wire might not seem to have quite the "inner detail" of that same companies $100 per foot wire. Don't get me wrong, I realize that you can upgrade and make a NOTICEABLE improvement within reason, that some products work together better than others, and that some products may sound better than others to different people (and thus be liked more by that person), but c'mon! I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere. Now, just imagine how many cds and dvds all that money could buy to actually use and enjoy what you've got instead of obsessing over the equipment you want to buy instead (imagine ME of all people saying that!).
I love both the Klipsch and the M&K for movies (even though the sound of those two are about as polar opposite as you can get). The Klipschs are just such a fun speaker to listen to because they are so efficient and dynamic, and the M&Ks are just so dead on accurate. However, I think both are not as good for music. I know that "sound is sound", and that if a speaker can reproduce one thing well, then it should also do the other just as good, but I just don't agree here with that. Admittedly, the Klipsch KSPs might be a little better for music than most Klipschs because they are probably about the warmest Klipsch speakers, if there is such a thing (talk about an oxymoron), but I've never really used them that much for music, mostly for movies. However, I just can't take the KLF 30s anymore for music. They start to hurt my ears now after a few minutes. Maybe Adcom and Klipsch are just not a good combination together and the KLFs would be much better with different electronics. I don't know, but they have started irritating me now. Maybe my tastes have changed as I'm getting older.
As for Polk, I know a lot of people here say that "Polk just ain't what they used to be", but I strongly disagree with that. I challenge anyone here to take an old pair of Polks from say 10 - 15 years ago, and do a direct A/B comparison of them to a similar pair of Polks from today. If they are HONEST (most of all with themselves), I'm sure the new Polks will sound better. As competitive as the current speaker market is today, no company can allow itself to go downhill, at least not for long anyway, as they simply wouldn't survive otherwise. Except for Bose, but that's another issue unto itself. I don't even want to get started on them. I just can't understand how they even stay in business, much less prosper at it. I guess that's just a case of mass marketing at it's best (or worst, depending on how you look at it). I would have had to get 2 more Klipsch speakers for 7.1 surround sound. The closest thing from the current product line up I saw that looked most similar to my KSP S6 surrounds was $600 retail, although I can't remember the model # off hand. Or, I could have used my present M&Ks by just taking the little pair of S75s that I was using as the "front effects" speakers with the Yamaha 2092 and switched them as the rears instead on a 7.1 setup. I just happened to be in Circuit City one day shopping for DVDs when I went into their sound room just out of curiosity. I was surprised to see Polks in there. They were closing out the RTxxxi line for the newer RTIxxx series. I listened to them, and I was very impressed by them, especially for the prices. That put my mind spinning. I was also very impressed by the Infinity Interludes, but CC's prices were just so much higher than the Polks. I thought that the Polks would be better for long extended listening sessions than the Klipschs, and maybe be better for music than the M&Ks, while still being decent for movies as well (the bipole/dipole surrounds they had available really appealed to me a lot) So, I got 'em. Then later also got the Infinities off of ubid.com super cheap (try not much over $200 a pair if the IL50s SHIPPED!). As I said in my first post, I like all the speakers though in general, and it's going to be very hard to pick a set to boot out, much less 2 sets.
I need to cut back to one system for movies, one for the bedroom, and one for 2 channel stereo. I'm thinking now of also giving the B&K receiver the boot out, and the KLF30s too.
P.S. To Mark b k, in the original post, I put the approxamite dates that I got everything.

 

[chung_sotheby]

For some reason, i think jeff actually had more stuff to write, but fate intervened.

"God, here I present to you these 15 .....(crash-break-clink)...... 10, 10 commandments."
-Moses

 

[Jason_Me]

My recommendation is to sell everything except the Denon 3802 and H/K 520. Since you don't want $5000 speakers, you should get a Klipsch Reference set-up for HT, and a pair of Polk LSi 15 for your 2 channel music system (paired with the 520). These new speakers from Klipsch and Polk are better then the older models you have. This is just my opinion, and you really should do what you feel most comfortable with.

 

[jeff a]

Chung, you are absolutely right. I stopped writing because frankly I realized that I had already spent wayyyy more time on this than it's worth to me. I did want input from others, but this isn't turning out as I expected it would. I see now that this thread is pretty much pointless, and please consider it closed as far as I'm concerned. I do appreciate the time you spent on it though Chung. I guess ultimately, it's going to be up to me to just go with my own instinct on this.
Jason, I strongly agree with you about the Polk LSIs. But I also strongly disagree with you about the new Klipsch Reference series. I'll put my KSPs up against them ANYTIME, ANYWHERE! Besides, I'm about done with Klipsch. They are what they are, but I just don't like them as much anymore as I once did.