I wonder if any of you good folks can assist me? I have got myself into a bit of a state. My hi-fi system that I purchased over 40 years ago is sadly no more. By my own admission I am not technology savvy. I was not sure if it was the amplifier that stopped working, or the speakers blew up. I thought that I would start with the speakers, after having read several reviews on Amazon decided on some Klipsch Dolby Atmos speakers, which has some very positives reviews. When they arrived I noticed that there were two ports on the back of each speaker. After researching on The Internet I thought that I had bought speakers that needed bi-wiring, whatever that is! I have since read a lot about bi-wiring and the speakers that I have purchased are not bi-wired but have Main and Height ports to connect cables to.
Having researched several amplifiers I narrowed it down to either a Yamaha or Denon, neither of these two amps have a Dolby Atmos feature to them. After looking at several amps that have the Dolby Atmos feature built into them, everything seems so complicated when trying to set everything up.
Sorry for all the rambling. My question is: if I connect the speakers to either the Yamaha or Denon without Dolby Atmos, will I get sound coming out of both sets of speakers in the cabinet? Both the Main speaker and Height speaker on the top of the speaker? I appreciate that it will not be with the Dolby Atmos surround sound. But it has got to the point that I do not want all the hassle of trying to set up something so complicated with the amps that have Dolby Atmos, and then having to tune everything in my TV. I just want a simple life.
If it is feasible to have sound coming out of the Main and Height speakers. Can I connect the speakers to the amp using a bi-wire cable? Or will I have to connect two separate cables into the back of the amp. The Yamaha has two sets of speaker inputs on the back of it.
I really should have paid more attention as to what I was buying and noticed the two ports on the back of the speakers. I just want a comparable hi-fi system to the one that I purchased over 40 years ago. Life really has got more complicated these days.
If you can tell us the exact model number of the speakers you have bought we can help more, but here are some initial thoughts.
It sounds like you have bought the front pair of a set of speakers designed for full-on Dolby Atmos surround sound, aka âhome theatreâ.
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound format that can carry height information as well as front and back - so that (for example) the sound of a helicopter flying overhead in a movie is reproduced more accurately.
However, to get the full Dolby Atmos experience you will need the ârest of the setâ so to speak - a centre channel speaker for dialogue, and two or more rear surround speakers, probably a subwoofer for deep bass, plus an amplifier or receiver that has a Dolby Atmos decoder built in as well as amplifiers and speaker terminals for all the various speakers.
Such systems are usually designated by the number of speakers e.g 5.1 = five surround speakers and a subwoofer; 7.1 = seven surround speakers and a sub.
Currently it seems you have four of the â7.1â setup - front two plus two height speakers.
As to the âportsâ on the speakers (which i take to mean the binding posts that accept cables to connect them to the amplifier) - most likely these are simply to connect the speakers to the correct sound channels on the amplifier - front left and right and âheightâ left and right.
They are not for âbiwiringâ which is something different - thatâs where a single speaker has two sets of binding posts to allow the treble and bass drivers to be connected by individual cables to the amp, for a small gain in sound clarity. Itâs not usually applicable to home theatre setups.
You can tell if a speaker is designed for biwiring if it has two sets of red and black binding posts on the back, which by default are linked with a removable cable or metal strip.
So - what to do. You mentioned that you essentially want a more up to date version of the stereo system you had years ago, not have a full-blown home theatre system, for which I donât blame you!
If thatâs the case, I would suggest you return these speakers to Amazon for a refund and start again, as there is no need for âheightâ speakers in a normal stereo setup, and a stereo amplifier will not have any terminals to connect them to.
Klipsch are fine as a brand but there are many others to choose from.
What you need for a decent stereo system is simple: two front speakers (which neednât be large), a stereo amplifier or receiver (the latter has a radio built in), and a source of some kind - a turntable if you have vinyl records you want to play, or a CD player, or perhaps a âstreamerâ - a device that connects to the internet and allows you to play music from one of the online music subscription services such as Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz.
A CD player is probably the simplest solution as a âfront endâ - a turntable is nice if you already have a collection of records but buying new music is quite a lot more expensive on vinyl than CD nowadays.
For the amplifier yes Denon and Yamaha are reputable brands, but I would also look at some newer makes that you probably wonât have heard of, such as Cambridge Audio, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Marantz, and Argon Audio.
I donât know what your budget is so canât suggest specific models. if you can I would suggest going to a proper specialist hifi store (not an electronics chain store) so as to get some professional advice and demonstrations of the actual devices you are considering. Speakers in particular vary a lot in the kind of sound they produce. Itâs also going to depend on the size of your room - big tower speakers look impressive but only work well if you have a decent amount of space, and then they need a powerful amplifier to drive them.
Take a look at the website of British hifi magazine What Hifi? - they have tons of reviews and articles that may help you, and they do have annual âbest buy listsâ.
Hope that helps - come back with questions!
Gosh, thanks for the swift and very comprehensive reply Chris.
The speakers in question are: Klipsch R-625FA.
You are quite right I meant binding posts, not ports, I have watched so many youtube videos and read so much online, I am reeling with all the new terms that I have learned in the last few days.
It looks as if I have made an expensive mistake in buying these speakers, I would have preferred to have purchased them from a shop, like it did back in the UK. But there are no shops like that around us unfortunately. The purchase was on the Amazon site, but a marketplace seller. Unfortunately I have opened the boxes and attached the feet, so I am guessing that the seller will not take them back.
I do not want a full blown home theatre system, just a stereo system that I can connect easily to my TV. I have looked at amps that have the Dolby Atmos feature, a Pioneer that I looked at seemed the least complicated, of all the ones that I looked at.
As I asked in the initial post, do you think that the Yamaha A-S301 amp that has two sets of speaker inputs would work, just to play my TV through it if I ran two separate sets of speaker cables from the binding posts on the speakers into the two separate speaker inputs on the back of that amp?
Once again many thanks for you reply.
You could just use the front facing speakers as normal speakers, I suspect.
Ideally return them and get some half decent bookshelf speakers.
But you can simply treat them as speakers. Wire the main up first - listen to something.
Then just connect both speakers/connectors in parallel and see how that sounds.
Theyâre speakers - the processing for 5.1 is in the âampâ - what their sound is like is another question.
May I suggest then that any amp you purchase has an HDMI ARC or eARC connection, this means you can control your tv provided it has an HDMI ARC or eARC out connection. If not buying a new amp with that feature would allow any new tv purchase in the future to connect easily to the hifi and the sound can be controlled by the tv remote control.
OK thanks for the info. Those are monsters! How big is your room? My gut feeling is that they may be unsuitable as they are very much designed for reproducing the whooshes and bangs of movies - they may be a bit unsubtle when it comes to music - though not having heard them I could be wrong! I donât know how much you paid but the roughly equivalent R-605FA retail for almost ÂŁ1000 in the UK so they may require more than budget amplification to sound good. And being an American brand with horn loaded tweeters they may sound a bit âbig and brashâ which might not be to your tatseâŚ
What size room do you anticipate putting the system in? Big floor-standing speakers work best in largeish rooms, because they produce quite a lot of bass and this is problematic in a small space. IN a small to medium sized room itâs better to use âbookshelfâ sized speakers which are not so bass-heavy mounted on stands, and then add a separate subwoofer if you feel the need for more bass later. A separate sub can be positioned in a suitable spot to avoid causing a boomy sound in a smaller room, while the bass drivers in tower speakers obviously canât be moved.
Check the Amazon listing - as long as you have not damaged them, can put them back in the boxes with all the packaging pretty much the same way they came, and itâs less than a month since you bought them, they should be returnable.
Ok good that gives us a baseline. Do you have an overall budget in mind for the whole system?
The Yamaha AS-301 is a reasonable budget amp - there is a WhatHifi review of it here:
It is an old model though (2019). It sells for ÂŁ379 here in the UK at the moment, though may have been discontinued as Amazon UK doesnât list it.
Whether it would be suitable depends if you are going to have to keep the Klipsch speakers or not. Itâs a 60 watt amp so may be OK - I think Klipsch speakers are fairly sensitive.
At a similar price the Denon PMA-600NE or Cambridge Audio AXA35 or Rotel A11 Tribute are worth reading up on.
I recently bought a Musical Fidelity M2si amplifier which cost me ÂŁ375 as an âopen boxâ unit - normally these are ÂŁ800! Itâs a minimalist amp that has no phono stage or digital inputs and just does the job of being an amp. - for less than half price it was a steal. There are bargains around but you have to know what you are looking for and what you need - I donât have a turntable and use a CD transport with separate DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) so a âbare-bonesâ but high quality amp is what I neededâŚ
If you can send the Klipsch speakers back I would look at models from Q Acoustics, Wharfedale, Monitor Audio, Dali or Bowers & Wilkins. Each have their own âsoundâ so reading reviews and ideally hearing them in person will be important.
As mentioned I think that âbookshelfâ speakers placed on stands will be a more flexible option than big floorstanders like those Klipsches.
Yes any stereo amp will work - you would hook up the speakers to the left and right terminals on the amplifier with a set of speaker cables. Most decent amps and speakers will accept cables that are terminated with banana plugs, which you just push in stead of having to fiddle abut with bare wires.
Something like this:
Then you will need a cable to go from your TV to the amplifier.
If the TV is a modern one it may have an optical digital output (AKA âToslinkâ) - if the amp has a similar Toslink input then thatâs a good way to connect the two without having to worry about electrical interference.
@Corona 's suggestion of connecting the two with an ARC (HDMI) cable is also a good one for convenience - however ARC-compatible HDMI ports tend to be found on AV receivers (which will give you all those extra channels that you donât need) not on stereo-only amplifiers.
On an older or cheaper TV there may only be a 3.5mm âheadphoneâ socket in which case a 3.5mm to dual RCA phono cable will be needed.
Let me know if you plan to use CDs or vinyl records and if you want suggestions for a turntable or CD player (and an idea of your budget).
And again I would emphasise that if at all possible, going to a reputable hifi store is likely to give you the best setup for your needs, rather than buying stuff online, even with our help. A good dealer can make sure the whole system is more than the sum of its parts, and you get to listen before you buy.
I realise you were trying to offer relevant info, Mr @Porridge but I would pay no attention to that YouTube review, Iâm pretty sure itâs got an AI generated commentary with a bunch of stolen video clips! YouTube themselves have flagged it thus;
Altered or synthetic content
Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.
Itâs also talking bollocks most of the time, and shows the speakers shoved into corners where they will sound awful!
Thats the only part I disagree with, I connect mine to my streamer pre, and in my case the Bluesound node 130, there is the node amp as well if simplicity is the aim. there is also the Wiim ultra offering with good reviews but not quite as good as the Bluesound.
I have the Q accoustics concept 20 models which can be picked up for ÂŁ150-250 on the deficated stands (recommended) which have a great sound, still impressed and much better than B&W which have boxy cabinet resonance, sold mine. Dali are also beautiful sounding.
Well yes fair comment you could use a streamer or streamer-amp - but we donât know yet if the OP is interested in using (and paying for) streaming services or just wants to play vinyl and/or CD.
The request was to âreplace a 40-year old systemâ, hence I left out the idea of streaming for now. 
I agree that firms like WIIM produce very nice streaming devices at a reasonable price. Although unless you go really upmarket streamers don;t sound as good as CDs.
I will also concur with you on Q Acoustics speakers - I have a pair of Concept 30s and love them to bits.
I had a B&W 602 S3 home theatre system when I was in Turks & Caicos which were very good in their day, but yes I think Q Acoustics have a more natural sound these days.
As you mentioned, they do need the matching stands. I think the Concept series are discontinued but Q Acoustics have a big range - the 3000 and 5000 series have had some good write-ups.
Again, hearing them in person is advisable if poss!
Edited 
Thank you sir! 
Actually there a number of good hifi reviewers on YouTube - John Darko, A British Audiophile, cheapaudioman, Steve Guttenberg, to name but a few. Even then you have to take what they say with a pinch of salt sometimes. Everyone has their own biases and preferences.
Nice limited edition, my wife likes too. If only I had wall space. Maybe in the study 
Thank you all for your replies.
I think that I have things clearer in my mind now. I understand that I cannot bi-wire the speakers, as that only splits the signal, if the speakers have bi-wiring. I will need to use two sets of cables, one for the Main binding posts and one set of cables for the Height binding posts. I think that, that is correct! As John mentioned in his reply, I could just use the front speakers and not connect the Height speakers.
Regarding connecting the amp to the TV, I currently use a RCA connector into my amp and connect it to the TV using the 3.5mm jack plug, which works pretty well. I can control the volume using the TV remote control. Although the TV is about 14 years old, it has both an HDMI ARC slot and an optical slot. The Yamaha amp that I have been considering has an optical slot and spare RCA slots for connecting the TV. In the manual for the Yamaha it states that if using the optical connection option the TV must be set to PCM not auto. I have found this setting on the screen menu on the TV, but have left it on auto at the moment, as this works.
Chris, the R-605FA speakers that you quoted are the speakers above the ones that I have purchased. They retail for just under 1200 euros on French Amazon, mind cost 740 euros, so quite a bit cheaper. The size of my room is just over 30 square metres, so hopefully large enough for the R-625FA speakers. I have always been a big speaker man, my existing ones are Mission 737s. I just donât see how bookshelf speakers can give you the same sound. Being an aging rocker I mainly use my stereo system to play my TV through it to watch and listen to my heavy metal DVDs. Sadly now DVDs seem a thing of the past, so I am reduced to try and find concerts on YouTube to download. I take onboard what you say about the output from the Yamaha A-S301 being 60 watts, so I have been looking at the Yamaha A-S701, which is a 100 watt output, so maybe to be on the safe side I will consider this amp. Although just under 200 euros more expensive, it may be worth the extra money. If both the speakers and amp last for 40 years they will both outlive me! I like the simplicity of the Yamaha amps, old school, which is what I am looking for, they all come with bass and treble controls, and a loudness feature, which is meant to enhance the sound at lower volume levels. Just two sets of speaker inputs and lots of RCA slots, as well as the optical slot. Regarding CD players and record deck, I am going to keep my existing record deck, a Rega Planar 3, which I am happy with. I will get around to replacing the CD player, when/if I can get my system back up an running.
I think that I would like to keep the speakers that I have purchased, with the sound coming out of the front and being projected onto the ceiling with the height speakers, which sounds pretty cool to a dinosaur like me. So hopefully after I have purchased a new amp and two sets of speaker cables I will be able to get rocking again.
Once again many thanks for all your replies.
Have a look at Tidal for videos with decent sound quality.
Yes if you want to use both speakers that is correct. The âheightâ speakers will simply be duplicating the audio from the main speakers, you won;t get any Dolby Atmos height effects unless they are connected to the appropriate output of a Dolby Atmos-capable receiver.
And yes if using the height speakers muddies the sound, just disconnect them and use the main speakers alone.
Ok it sounds to me as if using the Toslink optical output on the TV connected to the optical input on the amp will be the best solution. You can get a Toslink cable on Amazon for âŹ8-15 - no need to buy a posh âaudiophileâ cable for this purpose.
The PCM setting on the TV will basically fire âCD qualityâ audio in stereo out of the Toslink connection to your amp.
(Technically itâs 48kHz sample rate rather than CDâs 44.1kHz, but thatâs neither here nor there).
The headphone to RCA cable will also work but analog cables like that can be prone to interference - the optical cable will avoid that.
Fair enough if you like the idea of the Klipsches then go for it! âBookshelfâ speakers have come a long way since your Missions were made in the mid 1980s - my Q Acoustics Concept 30s kick out a ton of bass despite their size. And the idea is that you add a separate subwoofer to them to provide the extra bass âkickâ if needed. The benefit of a separate sub is that you can move it around the room to get the best results, whereas big front speakers are in a fixed position.
But itâs personal preference - I used to have a set of B&W tower speakers when I lived in Turks & Caicos and had a big space for them to work in. As you have a fairly large room you should be OK with the Klipsches - itâs your choice!
Reading the specs here:
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-OEIvs7MtCWa/p_714R625FA/Klipsch-Reference-R-625FA.html
They have a sensitivity of 96dB which is a lot - I think a 60 watt amp should be more than adequate.
My Q Acoustics sensitivity is 86dB and I can drive them quite loud with my Musical Fidelity M2si which puts out 72 watts into 8 ohms.
if you like the look of a Yamaha amp and it has the right connections then thatâs fine - they are a very reputable make.
I think the 60 watter would work but if you can afford to go for the 100 watt Yamaha it wonât hurt - the specs say the Klipsches can take up to 100 watts, but at that power I reckon you could fill a stadium! You would have a ton of headroom at normal listening levels!
The Rega Planar 3 is a great turntable so it sounds like you will be all set.
You can still get them second-hand - worth a look on eBay and in charity shops. I bought half a dozen CDs in good condition from our local Oxfam shop this morning for ÂŁ1.99 each!
Worst case scenario, if the system doesnât quite gel together as you hoped, you could sell on the Klipsches or the amp without losing too much money on the deal.
Good luck and tell us how you get on!
I can report that I am now back rocking. In the end Amazon made up my mind for me in deciding between the A-S301 and A-S701, they put the price up 100 euros overnight for the A-S701, so I went for the cheaper A-S301. It is quite heavy, as our postlady can vouch for, as she struggled up the path with it. Unfortunately it is physically a lot bigger than my A&R Cambridge, and will not sit on the the existing shelf that I have.
I connected it to the TV last night, still using the RCA cable into the amp, and 3.5mm jack plug into the TV. The volume on the new amp needed to be turned up into a higher position than my old amp, simililarly on the TV. At first both my wife and I were not too sure on the sound quality coming from the speakers, but as the night wore on, the quality seemed to improve, I have read that they need to be ârun-inâ before optimal quality output is achieved. Although I know that I will not achieve the Dolby Atmos experience, I knew this before I purchased the speakers, but the sound does seem to fill the whole room, using the height speakers. There is no problem with the quality coming out of the height speakers, both sets of speakers are very clear. I could hear a noticeable difference with being able to pick out individual instruments, than I could with my Mission 737s, but they are over 40 years old. I can still use the TV remote to adjust the volume, which is a plus point. We watched a concert by The Night Flight Orchestra, who are a cross between 80s disco and heavy metal, a very punchy band from Sweden. Afterwards we played a mix that I had made from various bands, and Atomic by Blondie came over very well indeed, quite impressive.
I have purchased an optical cable, but have not yet connected it. From what I have read this could improve the sound quality output, but it would appear that I would not be able to adjust the sound with the TV remote, which would be a bit of a pain. If I have to use the ampâs remote it will be quite difficult as we have the speakers and amp behind us, which would make it difficult to turn around to point the zapper at the amp. I have been reading about universal remote controls, but I am not sure if I would be able to tune in the amp, so that I could point the zapper at the TV to adjust the volume. I will connect the optical and see if there is a big improvement in sound quality, and take it from there.
John, I had a look at Tidal, as you suggested, but could not really find a facility to search the site, it appears that I must sign up for a free trial, which asks for card details, which I was not prepared to do. But thanks for the suggestion.
Chris, it is not the difficulty in purchasing DVDs, it is the fact that most bands do not release DVDs anymore. I have all the DVDs from bands that I like, although a German band, Helloween that I like released a brand new DVD just before Christmas. You had to pre-order the DVD, but it did show up just before Christmas. Donât mention charity shops, to she who must be obeyed, a sore point with her that there are not any charity shops in France, at least where we live.
Thanks for all for your help, in a week I have sorted out my new system, thanks to all your assistance.
Putting my old sound engineerâs hat on, the difference in perceived volume between a 60 W and 100W amp is negligible. The only benefit is that the 100W should be less likely to be driven into distortion - a bit more headroom, as itâs called.
If youâre like me and prefer to store your music locally rather than stream it, you might wish to consider 7 Digital. They offer the option to download albums in the format of your choice, including basic MP3, 24 bit FLAC and MQA Studio.