Need advice on purchasing speakers please

H

hookem28

Audiophyte
I am about to purchase a Denon 3310 receiver and need advice on speakers. My goal is to to have a Center, 2 fronts then eventually full surround. Since I want really good quality, and I am not rich, please advise on the following.
Would it make sense to stagger out my purchases in the following order to get started.

Buy the center, wait a 3-4 months then buy the fronts. Again wait then add the satellites.

Or, should I purchase the fronts first, then add the center and satellites?

The speakers I am considering will most like be either MartinLogan's or PSB's.

Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated,
AudioNewb
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
What is the most that you can spend at once? What is your room size?
 
H

hookem28

Audiophyte
Excluding the money I will be spending on the receiver..... $1200
 
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B

Boerd

Full Audioholic
I am about to purchase a Denon 3310 receiver and need advice on speakers. My goal is to to have a Center, 2 fronts then eventually full surround. Since I want really good quality, and I am not rich, please advise on the following.
Would it make sense to stagger out my purchases in the following order to get started.

Buy the center, wait a 3-4 months then buy the fronts. Again wait then add the satellites.

Or, should I purchase the fronts first, then add the center and satellites?

The speakers I am considering will most like be either MartinLogan's or PSB's.

Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated,
AudioNewb
Buy the mains - then see if you still want full surround :)
This way you can still listen to music/watch movies while you decide. You might say a 2.1 system is enough then you invest in beer/wine...
BTW - I like the Martin Logans electrostats much better than PSB - but that's my 2c.
 
H

hookem28

Audiophyte
Are the electrostatics worth the extra price over the motion 12's?
 
B

Boerd

Full Audioholic
Are the electrostatics worth the extra price over the motion 12's?
Hard to say - which ones (ML) exactly? The "worth" depends on you. Now I am curios - please tell me which PSB vs which ML and what is the price difference you are facing...
 
H

hookem28

Audiophyte
I am considering the PSB T5 or T6.... Imagine T's are a little too much $$

As for the ML.... about $250 a piece more
 
B

Boerd

Full Audioholic
I am considering the PSB T5 or T6.... Imagine T's are a little too much $$

As for the ML.... about $250 a piece more
Well - again - your choice. I'd go for electrostatics but you should know they do not have the same dispersion as the "normal speakers" nor they play as loud; on the other hand they are "faster" and supposedly less distortion since they have to move less weight...
Choices choices choices
BTW - Magnepan makes some cheaper planar speakers - MMG - I like those too.

Anyway always listen to them first if you can ...
 
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zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Put NHT into the loop also. Check them out at nhthifi.com
Magnepan has a 60 day return policy.
 
B

Boerd

Full Audioholic
Put NHT into the loop also. Check them out at nhthifi.com
Magnepan has a 60 day return policy.
Oh yes - glad you mentioned NHT :) Just didn't want to sound like I am NHT fan-boy.
On a second thought - I actually am :) I own NHT - love them.
 
J

jcl

Senior Audioholic
Take a listen for yourself to the ML motion 10 & 12. I didn't care for them at all. I think for ML you need to start with Sources, which are about 1k ea so out of your budget.

Maggies are great, but take plenty of power to get loud. Also, their centers tend to start rolling off pretty high requiring slightly unusual setup. The planar speaker asylum is a good place for info on magnepans.

I'd add Paradigm as a brand to listen to. There are plenty of others, go to dealers in your area and listen to all that you can to get an idea of what you like the sound of.

You don't mention the size of the room. That will impact your speaker choice.

You also don't mention a sub. I would try to work a sub or two into your plans as well.

If you buy the mains first you can use the phantom center channel of the avr. Probably best to start this way and add a center later, and you might even find it unnecessary.
 
Rickster71

Rickster71

Audioholic Spartan
I'd go listen to as many speakers as possible first, before picking a receiver.
If you happen to really like a 4-ohm speaker; you'll need to match it to a receiver that's capable of driving them.
Try to find the impedance curve of the speaker you choose, because many speakers labeled 8-Ohms really dip down much lower.
I wouldn't even attempt to power Maggies with that Denon.
 
H

hookem28

Audiophyte
I will attempt to respond to the many good responses and questions all at once:

Room size: I will start shopping for a house in March, so it will be hard for me to say. However, I am NOT expecting any cathedrial style ceilings.

Ohms: I am lost here.

"Maggies are great but need plenty of power to get loud": I am not looking for window shattering loudness.

This will be my first purchase of receiver/speakers...... ever. The only thing I know is, you get what you pay for. My basic desire is to have a good set up that should last me more than just a year or 2. Combine that with a quality sound and I will be most happy.

Thank you all again for your input,
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
Ohms: I am lost here.
Ohms are the unit of measurement used in describing a speakers nominal impedance. The term impedance is used when referring to the resistive effect on AC as opposed to DC which would be referred to as resistance. Both are measured in Ohms. This is all subject to correction by one of our many resident brainiacs but the take away message is that the nominal impedance of home audio speakers is typically 4, 6 and 8 Ohms. The 8 Ohm ones are a much easier load for an amplifier to drive. The 4 Ohm ones require an amplifier that is stable with a 4 Ohm load. The 4 Ohm speakers are more difficult for an amp to drive.

As has been mentioned getting an impedance curve for the speakers of your liking is of benefit because regardless of the nominal impedance specified by the manufacturer all speakers operate at different impedances at different frequencies. So if you get a frequency response graph and see that a speaker dips below 4 Ohms and even worse with a high phase angle you need to choose your amplification accordingly. Even speakers with nominal impedances of 8 Ohms often spend a lot of time below 4 Ohms. That's why the graph is important.

Spend some time reading up on speaker choices in your price range and listen to the ones you can get to. Whatever you choose, make sure you like it better than the Infinity Primus 362. Like some women they are cheap and ugly but can really put a smile on your face. ;)
 
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3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I am considering the PSB T5 or T6.... Imagine T's are a little too much $$

As for the ML.... about $250 a piece more
ML makes some very impressive high end speakers but their budget stuff leaves alot to be desired. I've read mixed reviews of their budget stuff, some poeple liking them, some people absolutely hating them. Out of the two choices listed, I would definately go with the PSBs. The T5/T6s have garnered extremly positive results from all the audio rags out there unlike of the mixed reviews of the budget ML speakers.

However.. everyone's hearing is different so if I were you, I would do is to take a pad of paper with you, write down the make and model of each speaker you audition and what you liked and disliked about the
speakers you were auditioning. Was the bass tight and deep or was it boomy
and loose sounding? Were the mids life like or were they hollow or just too
pronounced? Was the treble irritating and harsh or were they dark and not
revealing or were they smooththat made you want to listen for more? How was the imaging?

Bring music with you that you are very familiar with and know quite well. To
make it easier to audition HT speaker systems, listen to the main speakers in 2
channel mode with music. Music is much harder to reproduce accurately then a movie soundtrack so if the speakers do well with music, then they will do well with HT. Speakers that do HT well may not do well with music. When auditioning the center channel of the same brand and series as the main speakers, pick a difficult source like an announcer that mumbles alot. If you can understand what the mumbling announcer is saying, then you have a good center channel.

I would go to speciality stores first and start auditioning speakers first
instead of going to the internet first. Once your likes are determined, you can
mention them here and fellow members can make internet brand recommendations based on your likes/dislikes. The specality stores are better setup acousticaly then the big box stores which will make auditioning a little easier. It will give you an idea of what you like in a speaker.

Keep track of what amp or receiver is powering the speakers you're auditioning. Try to get a receiver/amp that closest resembles what you have or want to get. It just reduces another variable when audtioning speakers.


One thing to keep note off. When auditioning speakers, make sure the volume
levels are matched between the diiferent speaker pairs because the louder
speaker pair will always sound better. Listen to levels that you think you
would listen to most of the time because thats how you are going to be using
them most of the time.


As far as what speakers to start with, I would go with the towers first, followed by surrounds, sub, and then center. The T5/T6 image so well that the center channel isn't required if the seating position is 30 degrees or less off center. They also produce bass down to the high 30s so it will take care of some of the bass. This leaves you time to save up for a good sub, mathcing surrounds and then center channel.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I've listened to the MartinLogan Vantage (powered by a 110WPC Pioneer AVR) in the same dealer as the Dali Euphonia MS5 and Krell Resolution 1.

I thought the ML sounded the best of the 3.

As far as "enough" power is concerned, I think that is "over-rated".:D

The Denon 3310 has the 7.1 pre-outs just in case you feel like the power is not enough.

I think ML or Magnepan (like the $600/pr MMG) Plus a Subwoofer (like Epik) would be nice. Then later add a matching Center + Surrounds.
 
C

cantonguy

Junior Audioholic
See if there is a Canton dealer near you, go give them a listen. I'm telling you... they are a forgotten brand that I feel many people wrongly overlook.
 
S

Shike

Audioholic Intern
Oh yes - glad you mentioned NHT :) Just didn't want to sound like I am NHT fan-boy.
On a second thought - I actually am :) I own NHT - love them.
I'm jealous of your setup. I have a bunch of SZ XU for HT and Classic 2 for my stereo setup. I'd love a set of xD . . . shame they're discontinued.

As for Magnepan, power really depends on listening distance. Magnepan at their main office only uses a 35w or so receiver into 4 ohms. I used a 20w receiver with the SMGa's I had before I sold them, then again I was only 6' away.

Match the amp to the speakers and distance and you'll be fine.
 
H

hookem28

Audiophyte
Alex2507 and 3db,
Thank you for such detailed responses. Looks like I have much more research in front of me.
 
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