Looking for speakers, 3g budget, stuck between 3.1 and 5.1

[karl.all90]

I'm stuck, mainly because the only thing I've ever listened to is the Klipsh reference line. I'm big on music and listen to music more often then I watch tv. I want to go full surround but I'm a car audio guy and much rather prefer front stage only, then surround. I'm thinking that I'll just upgrade my towers, center and sub, then add surround later on if I feel like it. My receiver is ok, but that will get upgraded next, first I want to get rid of these JBL speakers I got at good will.

I just don't know what to pick or what home theater brands cater more to home music listening and if I should just go ahead and suck up and get rear speakers as well. Right now I'm looking at the Klipsh but that is all I know. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I do plan on driving to Atlanta to go and look around and do some listening but I would like to have a list of things to listen to instead of just driving to ATL blind to figure something out.

 

[ImcLoud]

Welcome to the forum, I recommend id companies, they have free 30 and 45 day trials that allow you to listen to the speakers in your house...

I personally don't like Klipsch {I feel they are too bright and sound thin and too forward, this is on purpose so they jump out in the showrooms, BUT casuses fatigue in short order when they are set up at your house}... I also don't like mixing ht and critical listening music systems but I realize this is a must for most users...

So that all being said here is what I do like and as you already know what I and others think sounds good you may not...

Bookshelfs and a capable sub set {3.2} over a pair of towers is the first thought, in your budget this will be the best bang for buck setup, since towers only positive is having lower response, it is a moot point since you are going to be crossing them over around 80hz to the much more capable subwoofers, so you will actually get a better high and midrange minus the cabinet resonance that comes with towers, and more of your money is going towards the speakers vs shipping and larger cabinets {some people say "shipping is free' but believe me you pay for it, nothing is free...}

If it were me I would go with...
Dual SB-2000 - SVS for the subs, dual sealed for tight fast musical bass, two of them evens things out and lets them have more output at less power per sub...

now for bookshelfs I would be between a few different ones, Carnegie csb1 and cst1 center On sale marked down from $1500 to $750, the PSB Imagine B and C set available for around $1550, wharfedale diamond 10.2 and 10cs or cm for around $700, and a few others there are tons of options...

 

[slipperybidness]

since towers only positive is having lower response,

Towers also tend to be more sensitive than the BS counterpart, lower response isn't the only advantage.

I like both towers/subs and BS/Subs, each has its own merits.

 

[karl.all90]

I'm not very familiar with home audio, but I do know a good bit about car audio and I hope it transfers over. I didn't know that about the bookshelves and towers. I was stuck between towers and bookshelves but my wife likes the way the towers look better in the living room so she said to get towers. Now that I know that about bs then I guess I should start looking around at those. I was thinking of going sealed sub, I just like the way sealed sounds and I listen to music about 70% of the time and maybe watch tv or movies for an hour or so a day. I have noticed that the klipsh are kind of bright, they make me think of Focal speakers for cars. I hate them, but klipsh was all I had listened to.

I've also been looking at the Energy v-6.3. I've read nothing but good things about it.

 

[slipperybidness]

I'm not very familiar with home audio, but I do know a good bit about car audio and I hope it transfers over. I didn't know that about the bookshelves and towers. I was stuck between towers and bookshelves but my wife likes the way the towers look better in the living room so she said to get towers. Now that I know that about bs then I guess I should start looking around at those. I was thinking of going sealed sub, I just like the way sealed sounds and I listen to music about 70% of the time and maybe watch tv or movies for an hour or so a day. I have noticed that the klipsh are kind of bright, they make me think of Focal speakers for cars. I hate them, but klipsh was all I had listened to.

I've also been looking at the Energy v-6.3. I've read nothing but good things about it.

Spend the majority of your budget on the front 3 and a sub (or 2).

You have many great options with your budget.

 

[zieglj01]

I would for sure look at the JBL Studio 5 towers over Klipsch - they are more smooth
and refined and yet still dynamic - good for both Music and Home Theater. This is not
the so-called average consumer JBL. I much prefer JBL over Klipsch, and you will get
good detail and definition with the Studio 590
On sale with some real good pricing
Amazon.com: JBL Studio 590 Dual 8-Inch Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Each): Electronics

Amazon.com: JBL Studio 520CBK 2-Way Dual 4-Inch Center Channel Speaker: Electronics

Also sold at Harman/JBL

Look at Power Sound Audio and Rythmik for subwoofers, or HSU, plus SVS
http://www.powersoundaudio.com/products/xs15

http://www.rythmikaudio.com/F12.html

 

[ImcLoud]

Energy is also a bright speaker, I would stay away from them as well, lol...

Slip, yes towers usually are a little more sens. but I don't mark that as a positive or negative, kind of like bookshelfs are small, need stands, and can be hung from ceilings and walls, towers are larger, don't need stands and can not be hung from ceilings or walls, or put on tv stands or shelfs... Normally its a difference of 1 or 2 db, take the psb imagine t and t2 vs the b for example the t's are 88db and the b is 87db, is that a plus or neg, not really.. Another example would be the svs ultra series the books and towers are 1db sens apart, as most of the towers and books from the same series, focal, wharfedale, ect.... they are 1 or 2 db apart...

I think towers have more negs than pluses when compared to bookshelfs, if you are using subs.... If no sub is employed and you want full range able, then get towers.. In most cases the wife wants smaller speakers, in the op's case he is lucky and she wants towers....

Plenty for your price range, you can look into the wharfedale diamond towers, focals, psb, EMP, ect all very worthy

 

[zieglj01]

If you do go driving - Look at Focal, PSB Imagine and Boston
Also, look at Monitor Audio Silver
Monitor Audio - Silver Series 6 - Floorstanding Speaker-Audio Advisor

 

[ImcLoud]

the silvers are nice too but may not leave much for a subwoofer... I would split the budget $1500 for subs $1500 for front stage, give and take...

 

[zieglj01]

One can always start with 1 good subwoofer - then decide later about a second sub or not.

 

[Pyrrho]

For speakers, it is a good idea to go listen to all of the types of speakers you can find (e.g., ribbon, horn, dome, whatever), of as many brands as you can stand to listen to, with all of the types of music to which you normally listen, with music with which you are familiar (making a CDR for this is a good idea). Take your time, and do not rush your decision.

I personally am fond of Magnepan speakers, and recommend that you audition them. You should obviously listen to other brands, as your taste may be quite different from mine.

If I were in the market for speakers at the moment, I would also consider auditioning the bookshelf speakers at:

Philharmonic Audio

I would probably go with the bookshelf speakers for all channels, if I went with that brand. And since I would be using a subwoofer or two, it would not matter that they cannot do really deep bass (though their rating for bass is really good for a bookshelf speaker).

With subwoofers, there are several really good brands to consider, but you cannot go wrong with SVS. They make great subwoofers, are all a good or great value, and they have good warranties and good customer service.

Again, take your time and select your speakers carefully. They will affect what you hear far more than anything else.

As for the idea of 3.1 versus 5.1, you can have better speakers if you go 3.1, because you will have more money to spend per speaker. But having rear speakers is nice, and helps "immerse" one in sound. So this is a question of what matters more to you; there is no right or wrong to this issue.

 

[karl.all90]

I do only plan on starting with one sub and then adding one later on. I might have to save up for a few weeks but who cares. My issue with Focal is I really dislike their car audio, specially with the price tag that comes with it. The Focal utopias are junk, the dyn audios that are half their price blew them out the water. However I like a mix of bright with a greater mix of natural sound in there. I'm partially deaf and I have some issues hearing some frequencies in the lower end. If yall say focal home audio is worth a listen then I might have to go and find some. I am going to go and listen to a lot of stuff, I just have to find a day that the wife works so I can go alone. It took me a month to find the right car, she hates going to look at stuff with me that I put a lot of thought into. My wife is really cool though, I just have to get her on board to spend more then this for car audio.

I think I will go ahead and spend the money of the front three and sub for now. If I decide that I want surround or the wife wants it, then we'll go and find something to put in the back. I had been doing a lot of reading about the SVS subs, once I finish moving and getting settled in I was planning on doing a 45 day trial of one of the SVS subs.

Ported vs sealed? I hate ports in cars, my sub now in the house is ported and sounds like poo but its one of those onkyo bundle box junk subs. I did put a piece of cardboard over the port and sounded much better. What do yall think ported vs sealed. Only one person said sealed.

 

[ImcLoud]

I would go sealed, In my experience sealed is more accurate {less mechanical noises}, faster, tighter, just all around better for sq than ported, while ported may dig deeper and louder I like sealed for music... I do like dual sealed though, having two makes placement easier {kind of}, integration smoother, and will get you the spl's with out playing them beyond their limits... I am hearing good things about the svs sb2000's and I own the previous model sb12 nsd {very very happy with them}... The dual drive saves you a little money over buying two singles, but I think they allow you to upgrade within so many days for the same price...


You definitely need to listen to everything you buy if you have hearing damage... A friend of mine can not tell the difference between speakers sound quality {damaged inner ear in Iraq the first time}, he demos a few things and for the life of him couldn't tell the difference, he could tell the difference in volumes and amount of sound but not quality, he bought a fluance 5.0 and a Pair of polk subs and loves them, I can hear everything they do wrong, but he is the one that matters at his house... You may like something that saves you a ton of money...

 

[karl.all90]

I am more then grateful that my hearing isn't as bad as it could be and one of the first things I did when I came home from overseas was go straight to my buddy's car audio store and listen to some Dyns and morels and then went and listened to crappy stuff just to make sure I could still enjoy great sq. That is part of the reason I'm planning on taking a trip to ATL in the near future or where ever I have to go. I know I'm probably doing this wrong, but I'm still planing on using this crap receiver for now but it will get updated in the near future.

@Loud what do you mean by dual driven? I haven't heard of this term before. I assume it is exactly what it says it is but whats the biggest gain going dual?

 

[zieglj01]

Ported vs sealed? I hate ports in cars, my sub now in the house is ported and sounds like poo but its one of those onkyo bundle box junk subs. I did put a piece of cardboard over the port and sounded much better. What do yall think ported vs sealed. Only one person said sealed.

You answered your own question

For mainly music, I would prefer sealed

 

[karl.all90]

I figured yall would say sealed if I prefer sealed. However having a sealed/ported box in a trunk or under a seat is a lot different then having a sealed/ported sub in a 900 sq ft room.

 

[ImcLoud]

dual drive is just a term for 2 subs, when you use 2 subs vs one you need 1/4 the power to make the same levels {I am probably wording this wrong}, also I have noticed that with dual subs in music and with sealed as well as ported you get much smoother room response, one sub is more noticeable {you notice the sound is separate from the mains and start to notice the subs location} vs with duals they are more' invisible.... Duals is just the way to go IMO, if you have the room and budget..

 

[zieglj01]

I figured yall would say sealed if I prefer sealed. However having a sealed/ported box in a trunk or under a seat is a lot different then having a sealed/ported sub in a 900 sq ft room.

That was not answered based on your preference alone - however, that does not
mean that a ported would not work, or a sub that offers you the option to plug
a port - such as HSU.

 

[karl.all90]

In order to run a 2 sub set up then I have no other choice but to purchase an amp or is that solely dependent on your receiver?

 

[karl.all90]

Correct me if I'm wrong but a preamp is just a signal amplifier? Also how does this work in home audio, with car audio we have pre amp outputs and the best ones have the pre amp outputs with the highest voltage being delivered to the amp itself. I love tube amps, I take it I am very limited on my selection of tube amps for home audio?