Howdy all,
I am finally building up a smallish home theatre/music room/living room, after having my friends home theatre (Denon AVR-987, B&W 600 series, Velodyne CHT-12) next door to my house for two years, and having my dad's home theatre (Yamaha higher end receiver with Velodyne 661 (I think that is the model) speakers, SVS Sub) and his music setup AV123 Onix 0.5 powered by an Onix tube amp nearby.
Unfortunately my setup is going to have to be on a tight budget... yay for super cool but low paying non-profit job! Looking at a 42" 1080p LCD TV and a decent 5.1 setup.
So after some research, both reviews and pricing, I've narrowed down my speaker choice to
Acoustic Research ARXP62 with ARXP242C (center channel)
Ive read a few reviews and they seem to be really positive, and the price for two pairs and a center is very tempting ($325 to my door). The use of the aluminum woofer reminds me a lot of my dad's Velodyne 661, which I enjoy theier sound, and they seem to hold up well to a test against the B&W 600 series in the main review on avs. Only downfall is that I have no way of listening to them before they get here.
Mirage Omni 150 with C150 (center)
I would need to run these for my four main speakers with the C150 as my center, due to my budget, but haven't found any reviews of people using these for their main speakers. I love how they look, and people seem to really enjoy the design and spacious sound of the Omni range, but most people on here (with their larger budgets) have been using these as rears only, and even then they don't really review the sound quality coming out of them. Anyone ever used these as front L/Rs?
KEF KHT 2500II
Reviews seem to be strong for a home theatre speaker system, and the price is nice. I am however worried that this is the first time most of the people who bought these speakers have had a home theatre at their disposal, and I'm worried music wont be the greatest on them and I think I might be able to get better sound for just a bit more if I go with one of the ones above.
>>>Two darkhorses (pushing my budget) Athena WS-100/WS-60 and possibly the X-LS from AV123<<<<
The room is aproximately 11"x14" with an arched opening on the right wall. The TV is in the center of the front wall with a couch approximately 7" to 8" away.
If I go with the AR's or the Mirage's I will most likely run without a sub for a month or three as I save up for more than likely a HSU. The KEF's of course come with one.
As for what I watch/listen to, both are very varied. I have a rather diverse 300+ DVD collection of independent films (some very very independent and some fox searchlight independent), foreign, and big hollywood action films, plus access to tons of independent films and now a netflix account. Music will be a mix of Indie-Rock, Singer Songwriter, Minimal and Detroit techno (CD's, MP3s, and Vinyl), and the occasional duty of being my main speakers for my twin Technics 1200 and mixer when I put together DJ sets.
I'm not expecting miracles from the speakers, but would like something that sounds clean and I can be happy with my purchase. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
cheers
.josh.
