The Heavyweight Center: A Setup Guide for the Klipsch RC-64 III

You have unboxed the beast. At 35.8 inches wide and weighing in at a crushing 55 lbs (25 kg), the Klipsch RC-64 III is not a soundbar. It is a piece of acoustic furniture.

For many enthusiasts, the excitement of arrival is quickly replaced by logistical anxiety. Will my TV stand collapse? Do I need a separate power amplifier? Can I put it inside a cabinet?

Unlike the theoretical acoustics discussed in previous analyses, this guide focuses on the physical reality of integrating a flagship center channel into your living space. The RC-64 III offers a unique feature—Acoustic Suspension (Sealed Enclosure)—that solves more installation problems than you might expect, provided you respect its mass.

The Placement Advantage: Why “Sealed” Matters

Most high-output speakers feature rear firing ports. These holes allow air to escape to tune the bass response, but they create a nightmare for placement. If you shove a rear-ported speaker against a wall or inside a media cabinet, the escaping air creates turbulence and “boominess,” muddying the male vocals you paid so much to hear clearly.

The RC-64 III is completely sealed. This is a game-changer for installation flexibility.

1. Cabinet Friendly: Because there is no rear port exhaling air, you can place the RC-64 III inside a media console niche or directly up against a wall without artificially bloating the bass.
2. Transient Snap: The air trapped inside the sealed cabinet acts as a spring, pulling the Quad 6.5” Cerametallic Woofers back to neutral instantly after a bass impulse. This results in tighter, faster bass that integrates easier with subwoofers.

The Engineering Constraint: While you can place it in a cabinet, you must ensure the cabinet is built like a tank. * Warning: Do not underestimate the 55lb weight. Standard IKEA-style particle board stands often have a weight limit of 30-40 lbs for the center shelf. The RC-64 III will bow these shelves over time. * Pro Tip: Use Sorbothane isolation pads under the speaker. This decouples the speaker’s massive energy from your furniture, preventing the wood from rattling during intense action sequences.

The Power Myth: Do You Need an External Amp?

A common misconception in the audiophile world is that “big speakers need big power.” With the RC-64 III, this is functionally incorrect due to its efficiency rating of 99 dB @ 2.83V / 1M.

Let’s do the math: * At 1 Watt of power, this speaker produces 99 dB of volume (which is already very loud). * At 32 Watts, you are approaching 114 dB—levels that can cause hearing damage.

The Reality: You do not need a $2,000 external monoblock amplifier to drive this speaker to reference levels. A quality mid-range AV Receiver (AVR) putting out 80-100 Watts per channel has more than enough headroom to drive the RC-64 III without clipping.

However, “Quality” is the keyword. Because the horn-loaded tweeter is so revealing, it will expose a noisy or grainy signal chain. * Recommendation: Focus on an amplifier with a low noise floor rather than raw wattage. The high sensitivity means the speaker will pick up “hiss” from cheap electronics just as easily as it picks up subtle movie details.

Timbre Matching: The “Front Stage” Cohesion

The final step in setup is ensuring the RC-64 III plays nice with your Left and Right speakers. This is known as Timbre Matching.

The RC-64 III is voiced to match the Klipsch RF-7 III floorstanding speakers. They share the same compression drivers and Cerametallic woofer materials. If you pair this center channel with soft-dome tweeter speakers from another brand, the soundstage will disconnect. As a car pans across the screen (Left -> Center -> Right), the sound of the engine will change pitch or texture as it passes through the center.

For the best experience, ensure your front three speakers (L-C-R) share the same Horn-Loaded Technology. This creates a seamless “Wall of Sound” where the speakers disappear, leaving only the cinematic image.