Home Theater Help...Please...

I have had for a little over a year now the following for my home theater:
Outlaw Audio 950 PrePro
Outlaw Audio 7100 Amp
Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Sub
Klipsch Heresy Mains 96dB 50-17
Klipsch Academy Center 96dB 65-20
Klipsch KSF-S5 Surrounds 90dB 60-20

I don't really hear a lot of oooomph in my movies...I listen to this system for movies almost exclusively as I have other 2 channel music systems to use.
I have the crossovers set at 60Hz for the Mains, 80Hz for the Center and 80Hz for the Surrounds with all speakers set to Small...Sub crossover at about 65Hz...

It had been suggested on the Klipsch Forum that perhaps I emasculated my Mains by compensating for the relative inefficiencies of my WDST surrounds and that I should replace them with a more efficient speaker...I have now placed another set of Heresys at the rear set identical to the Main Heresys.
I tried the Radio Shack SPL meter but have now gone back to 0dB settings all around until I (hopefully with your help) can get this settled...I cannot believe these speakers cannot deliver more "Beef" than they have been...especially since they sound great for music...my buddy's seemingly inferior Sony system with no SPL tweaking whatsoever seemed to have more beef and my speakers are larger and more efficient and the LFM-1 sub is, well you know...beefy too...
Please help me out to get the most out of my Outlaw/Klipsch system.
Thanks,
Bill

I'm not real clear about the comments from the Klipsch forum. Just because your surrounds are only 90dB efficient (which is fairly respectable until you compare it to the 96dB efficiency of your mains) doesn't mean you're detracting at all from the mains - the 7100's giving them 100W each, which is a lot for a 96dB speaker. I would expect to see the surrounds needing a higher setting during calibration (or the others needing something a fair bit lower) due to the efficiency difference, but once they're calibrated it shouldn't make any difference.

Two questions do come to mind. First, have you tried higher crossover points all around (perhaps 80Hz for the mains and 100Hz for the center and surrounds)? Second, where is the sub crossover set? If it is set at the sub's amp, try disabling that crossover entirely (since the 950's already doing bass management) - you may be throwing away everything above 65Hz that's being sent to the sub (including some of the LFE channel and a piece of the data coming from center and surrounds). That sub crossover setting alone could be weakening your low frequency "oomph."

gonk...as always I appreciate your insight...I agree that once calibrated the efficiency should be compensated for in the set up...NOT lowering my mains efficiency but BOOSTING my surrounds...I have changed all the crossovers to 80Hz but may try the center to 100Hz...I have the LFM-1 on bypass (so the 950 IS doing the bass management, right?) and changed the switch for phase to "0"...this has made a slight improvement alone...I will keep tweaking and report back...thanks for taking the time...
Bill

The 950 is handling the bass management (as long as you've set the speakers to small, at least), so bypassing the LFM-1's crossover is the proper aapproach. Tinkering with the phase switch is also a good idea (could help alleviate some bass cancellation).

gonk, I tried the center at 100Hz and the rest at 80Hz...I may move the surrounds to 100Hz as well...making progress here...just listened several times (at different crossover settings) to The Matrix...lobby shooting spree scene (a favorite of mine) and it sounded VERY nice...I think this is dialing in...I hesitate to do the Radio Shack SPL thing again as this is a tweak that didn't turn out so well but...
thanks for the help.
Bill

I'm glad to hear you're getting things working better. The SPL meter is a great tool - I consider it essential - but you are also free to tinker a bit to "adjust to taste" if you aren't satisfied. The goal, after all, is to have the system sound the way you want it to.

well last night I had to listen to "Spiderman II" just to compare...very nice sounds...even turned the LFM-1 back a bit (6-7)...then I listened and watched "Man on Fire" with Denzel Washington...EXCELLENT movie and sounds...now THAT's what I'm talkin' 'bout...sounds great and thanks gonk.
Bill