AVR/DVD player

I'm currently looking around for some vintage Klipsch speakers... missed out on a pair of forte II by a few minutes. So I'm still looking, might go with the Heresey II since my room is kind of small.

Anyway, once I get the speakers, I'll be in the market to upgrade the electronics. Any recommendations on what equipment will go well with these speakers. I'll be running just a 2 channel home theater setup for probably a 50/50 split music and movies. I don't have room for a surround setup, and I don't know if theres such a thing as a 3 channel system, with a center speaker and 2 fronts. Anyway, advice welcome.

How much do you want to spend? If you have an older CD player, you could always get an external DAC and use the CDP as a transport. What kind of amp are you running? Klipsch and tubes are a match made in heaven. I have Forte Is, and run them off of a 3W single ended triode. I know 3W isnt much power, but when youre talking about a highly efficient speaker like Klipsch, youll be deaf before the wattage is maxed out. Klipsch Heritage line speakers image rediculously good...you might not need a center channel. Movies are plenty good in my setup. The room theyre in is 24 x 20.

I don't know... I haven't really commited to a price range as I know very little about the electronics behind audio systems. I don't know what sort of wattage my receiver even puts out, as a dog peed on my instruction manual shortly after I got it. It's a cruddy Sony HTIB system that I got out of box from circuit city for like $300. I should probably google the model no. and see what sort of specs I can find, but I figured since the Klipsch are easy to drive that I'd focus on getting the speakers first, then upgrade the electronics.

But I don't even know what a tube amp is, or solid state or power amp or integrated amp. I've seen so many terms on amplification... I was just planning on getting like a Harmon Kardon AVR or something, and then maybe hook up my old playstation since people say they make good cd players.

Instead of transistors, the amp uses vacuum tubes. Its old technology, but does sound damn fine with Klipsch. Most consumer grade audio gear switched from tubes to transistors in the middle '60s. Now its a pretty niche market. Heres the one I built recently.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6405806&postcount=187

In general, theyre more money than a transistor amp. If you buy something Chinese, you can get alot of bang for the buck. If you want something American, youll need to shop the used and/or vintage market to not break the bank. Vintage stuff will usually need some restoration work, like new capacitors and resistors. You can also build your own. If you can solder and read a schematic, building one shouldnt be hard at all, as most are point-to-point wiring. You can get into tubes cheap with a little DIY. Most of the hifi stereo consoles from the 50s and early 60s had tube amps in them. Theyre easy to modify for standalone use, and use very simple circuits. New caps, resistors...add some RCA jacks and binding posts, done deal.

That's pretty awesome. What kind of equipment do you need to build that stuff? I don't think building amps is for me, as I don't really understand the science behind sound systems nor do I have an ear for hi fi, since I've never really heard it! I'm just trying to break into the world of hi fi. I appreciate and listen to music/movies often enough that I figure it's worth starting to upgrade. I mostly just listen off my desktop right now with a pair of Audioengine 2. The Sonys I have set up in my living room with the tv are atrocious. I just didn't want to listen to the stock tv speakers when I watch movies... gross.

The vintage Klipsch seem like such a good starting point. Quality speakers, low risk because I could always sell them for whatever I paid. I listened to the RF-82 once, and compared to some B&W in the same price range. I like the Klipsch sound, but the RF didn't wow me enough to justify buying them. Seems to be consensus opinion that the vintage speakers are way better than the current reference series, and they're cheaper. So once I get me some speakers, I can start learning about the electronics to bring out their inner beauty.

If you like the overall Klipsch sound, their vintage stuff is the way to go. Klipsch still makes the Klipschorn, La Scala, Heresy, and Cornwalls....all of which have been made over the past 60 years. Since you have a smaller room, look into Forte I/II, KG4, Heresy (youll need a sub), or Quartets. Chorus I/II or Cornwalls may be too big for you.