Queston about home theater setup.

[Asclep]

Hi Guys,

I am new here and just purchased some ML's. I had a question as to what you guys think the best way to set up my system is:

My old receiver was an Onkyo 989 (7.2) and my new one is a Yamaha RX-A3010 (9.2, 11.2 with external amp).

My old speaker system:

Fronts: NHT 2.9 x2
Center: NHT SuperCenter
Rear: NHT SuperTwo x2
Back Rear: NHT Super One x2
Subs: Klipsch Sub-12HG x2

New Speakers:
ML Vantage x2
ML Ascent I x2
ML Fresco x2
ML Cinema I
ML Descent

I eventually want to go 9.2 So should I go:
7.1 ML only (and wait to get ML Rears + another ML Sub)
7.2 ML + 1 Klipsch sub (and wait to get ML Rears)
9.1 ML + NHT 2.9/SuperTwo as rears (and wait to get ML Sub)
9.2 ML + 1 Klipsch Sub + NHT 2.9/SuperTwo as rears (and replace as time goes on)?

I will mainly use this for Home Theater but I do not want the NHT/Klipsch to downgrade the sound significantly.

One more question: I read somewhere that if you have the wrong speaker settings set on your receiver you could damage the speakers.

For the speakers I purchased and the configuration you recommend, what settings should the speakers be set to on the Yamaha? Small, Medium, Large?

Thanks!

Don

p.s. pictures to come as I get the speakers in. The Ascent I's have shown up and they are amazing can't wait until next week when everything else arrives.

 

[Hocky]

Personally, I think 7.x is almost a waste and 9.x is gimmicky, so I won't comment beyond that.

That said, I would run all speakers as small and let the descent take care of the bass. You won't damage any of the floor standing speakers running them as large. Your receiver is probably going to have a hell of a time trying to power 5 ESLs. Consider an external amp or two for best performance and peace of mind.

 

[mopar04]

That receiver doing all that work is going to be a major, major weak point in your system. Like Hocky said, your next upgrade should be a seperate amp for at least the front 3 channels. 7.1 is cool, but not a big difference from 5.1, 9.1 is completely matrixed (aka guessed) by the reciever so make of that what you will.

 

[Asclep]

Thanks for your responses.

I have decided to get rid of all my old speakers and just go with the 7.1 ML system.

In the past I would always buy the best all in 1 receiver I can buy, and run with it. It sounds like with the new speaker upgrades I have to start looking at amps. Unfortunately I am not made of money so new amps will have to wait for a bit. Will keeping the sound down to a reasonable level protect me from blowing the Yamaha RX-A3010? What about keeping the speakers as all "small".

Sorry for all the newb questions I tried searching for similar questions but didnt find any.

 

[Hocky]

Lower listening levels will protect it to some extent. It should have overheat protection - if it starts going into those protection modes, you're pushing it too hard.

 

[mopar04]

Keeping speakers set to small will keep more bass going to the sub, which will reduce the power demands of the speakers a little bit but restrict the range of your speakers. Lower volumes will also help, but the Yamaha is a smart receiver and should go into protection mode before it comes close to damaging the speakers or itself. The sound quality is going to suffer quite a bit though, AVRs can't reach the same level of clarity of even budget brand separates in most cases. Try looking at a brand like Emotiva or Outlaw amps to start, or even just browse audiogon for some used gear. You can probably get an amp to at least power the Vantages for about $500-$600 and it will totally change their sound. Resale value on Emo amps in particular is really high so if you want to go higher-end later you can easily sell them and get most of your money back on audiogon.

 

[Asclep]

Thanks for the responses

I will being to look for an Emotiva / Outlaw amp... do I need 1 amp per speaker? What is the minimum specs I should be looking for? (I will search the website for this information).

Each response brings up additional questions....

Should I change the speaker impedance on my receiver to be 6 Ohms. (This allows the fronts to be 4 Ohms according to the manual). I don't think it will cause any issues since the ML website says they are all compatible with 4, 6 or 8 ohms.

From the ML Website:

Fresco: 5 Ohms. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Ascent I: 4 Ohms, 1.2 at 20kHz. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Vantage: 4 Ohms, 1 at 20kHz. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Descent: RCA Line Level In: 20,000 Ohms. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Cinema I: 6 Ohms, 3.7 at 20kHz. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.

Thanks!

 

[jmschnur]

Outlaw 750 will drive 5 speakers but you still need to keep volume limited with it. The 7500 should work fine. Key issue is the less than 1 ohm impedance at higher frequencies.

 

[Asclep]

Thanks Jmschnur

After reading up on amps, I have decided to try out the Emotiva XPA-5 for the 5 front speakers.

Next question is.... is there any reason to get an additional XPA-2 to power the rear Fresco's or just a waste of money?

THANKS!

 

[Hocky]

Thanks Jmschnur

After reading up on amps, I have decided to try out the Emotiva XPA-5 for the 5 front speakers.

Next question is.... is there any reason to get an additional XPA-2 to power the rear Fresco's or just a waste of money?

THANKS!

Run the Fresco's off of the receiver.

 

[mopar04]

If you got an XPA-2 you would use it for your front left/front right, and use 2 channels off the XPA-5 2 run the Frescos. The XPA-2 is higher power and higher sound quality than the XPA-5. I have an XPA-2 running my Theos and XPA-5 running my center and surrounds. A UPA-2 would be perfect for the Frescos if you wanted to do separates for the surround channels, but I think they're sold out. The receiver can easily power them though because it's not doing any work for the other 5 speakers and would only have to worry about powering the 2 Frescos. Just make sure you run MCACC or whatever Elite's auto-calibration system is called now, because you're using speakers with much different sensitivities and you'll need to level them all out.

 

[asindc]

Thanks Jmschnur

After reading up on amps, I have decided to try out the Emotiva XPA-5 for the 5 front speakers.

Next question is.... is there any reason to get an additional XPA-2 to power the rear Fresco's or just a waste of money?

THANKS!

The receiver will handle the surrounds just fine, especially since it will not be driving any other speakers.