upgrading from 5.1 to 7.1

[mcube]

Hi all,

I am upgrading my existing 5.1 system to a 7.1 system. I currently have yamaha HTR 5560 receiver and I just upgraded to Onkyo HTRC160 which supports 7.2. My current 5.1 setup has kliipsch SB1, SC1 and SS1 speakers with klipsch subwoofer. I am looking to buy 2 new speakers to upgrade to 7.1 setup. What speakers would you folks recommend?

I was looking at Klipsch S1 surround speakers, bose 161 and TSS-B 5.25" Dipolar 2 Way Surround Sound(from thespeakercompany.com) Speakers but I am open to any recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bandphan]

Unless you have the TOL Klipsch sub, id sell yours, skip the 2 additonal speakers and put the money towards a good sub. That will have the most impact for your HT aside from new mains.

 

[Halon451]

+1 on that sub upgrade idea. I have a 7.1 receiver, but currently only using 5.1 speakers (mainly due to space constraints in my living room), and with a good sub connected, I would take that in a heartbeat over two additional surround speakers which will only provide minor enhancements in the 'surround effect'. It will be easy to get the speakers later as they are cheaper than a good sub and therefore much more attainable from a financial standpoint.

 

[mcube]

Thanks for the reponse, guys. my current sub is this:
klipsch.com/na-en/products/synergy-sub-10-overview/

Whats your take on this?

 

[Halon451]

Meh - I've listened to those before and I wasn't all that impressed. For the price you paid for that, plus a few more dollars you could have gotten something like this:

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

or any other number of good subs from Hsu, Velodyne, etc. It's really up to you, and if you go that route, you'll have more than enough suggestions from folks here to get you a REAL subwoofer - but thanks for sharing. More so than ever I cast my vote on a sub upgrade.

P.S. - on that whole Synergy line...some energetic young salesman at Best Buy sure got a hold of you didn't he? Come on, be honest!

 

[mcube]

hahahahhaha It was actually a tweeter rep .. wonder how they became bankrupt with customers like me.

I will be upgrading my subwoofer soon. Once i upgrade my sub, what speakers would you recommend for the 5.1 -> 7.1 upgrade?

 

[Halon451]

Are you happy with the Klipsch Synergy's? If it were me, I would strive to keep them all consistent, but that's up to you. I've auditioned several brands of speakers, but don't have much experience owning a wide variety. Of those you mentioned in your OP, I've heard positive things about The Speaker Company - great bang for the buck on their products. Someone here a long while back (struggling to remember who) did a very detailed review of their speakers, but I've been away from the site for about a year now - those details are foggy at best, sorry.

And no discussion on speaker suggestions is going to get very far without knowing what your budget is - how much are you willing to spend?

 

[mcube]

Actually, I dont have klipsch sub-10 .. I have KSW-10.

klipsch.com/na-en/products/ksw-10-overview/

No big difference, I guess.

I just saw someone selling Velodyne VX-10 for $100 locally. Do you guys think its a major upgrade?

As far as budget is concerned, I was not planning on spending more than 200 on the speaker pair. The same guy is also selling Sapphire SSSB dipole surrounds for $225. I have heard that Dynaudio speakers are good but I could not find many reviews on this. Whats your take on it?

 

[TRT]

http://emotiva.com/erd1.shtm

http://www.definitivetech.com/Products/products.aspx?path=Subwoofers&productid=SuperCube I

 

[Halon451]

Huh..

Haven't heard Dynaudio so I can't speak for them...

Incidentally because I own SVS speakers I was just poking around on their website, and found that they are having a closeout sale on their SBS-01's - $149 will get you a pair of these:

I know it's cliche for people on forums to suggest stuff they own and all, but I'm doing it anyway - SVS rocks and for the price, you're likely not to find better quality right now. These little speakers are built like miniature tanks and sound incredible. Plus they have both keyhole and omni-mount mounting capabilities, as you plan to use them for surrounds, giving you plenty of options with placement.

 

[Halon451]

Sorry, forgot the actual link to the website:

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm

As for reviews on these babies, that's not going to be difficult - they're ALL over the place and nearly unanimously positive. Here are some links to reviews to get you started...

Sound & Vision Review

Home Theater Sound Review

A review from our very own Audioholics c/o Mr. Tom Andry

End user reviews posted on the SVS website

It's not that I own these that I'm pushing them hard, but because of the incredible sale price they're listing for right now.

 

[mcube]

Thanks !! I will surely check them out.

Any comments on Velodyne VX-10 subwoofer?

 

[Halon451]

Sure, but honestly - when it comes to subs (I learned this the hard way a long while back), it is SO much better to 'wait and save, wait and save'. That Velo-10 is a decent subwoofer, but I doubt you'll see much of a difference over your current Klipsch for what it's worth. If you want REALLY awesome low-end in your system, employ a little patience and spend the bucks to get you to that level. I ran through a series of lower end subs back in the day and ended up spending much more money than I would have, had I just waited and saved for the right sub. Trust me, you may have to sacrifice not having one for a while, but it will be so incredibly worth it when you finally pull the trigger and get one.

 

[mcube]

OK .. so, I ordered a pair of SBS-01s yesterday. Can't wait to hook it up and listen to it next week.I am thinking about replacing my existing klipsch SB1s with the SVS bookshelfs.

So, I am still looking around for the surround pairs. Have you folks listened to PSB alpha minis? A friend of mine is selling it. Whats your opinion on using these as surrounds?

 

[Halon451]

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought you were buying these as your surrounds in the first place? I'd suggest waiting until you get them, hook them up and listen. At the price they're selling for right now, you may want to consider going the same brand all the way around. I think you're going to be extremely pleased with the SVS line. Up to you though.

 

[mcube]

no no .. u are right. That was the initial plan but since these are bookshelf speakers, I thought I'd replace my existing klipsch SB1s with these. Primarily because bookshelfs are more important than the side surrounds. But, I will wait till I get to listen to them. I will try them out both as bookshelfs and surrounds to see if I like them better as bookshelfs than the klipsch. If I do, my klipsch bookshelfs will be on craigslist pretty soon.

 

[Halon451]

no no .. u are right. That was the initial plan but since these are bookshelf speakers, I thought I'd replace my existing klipsch SB1s with these. Primarily because bookshelfs are more important than the side surrounds. But, I will wait till I get to listen to them. I will try them out both as bookshelfs and surrounds to see if I like them better as bookshelfs than the klipsch. If I do, my klipsch bookshelfs will be on craigslist pretty soon.

Ah.. 10-4 bud. Well, as I said, see if you like these when you get them (which I think you will no doubt). They aren't the "prettiest" things around, but where they sacrifice in looks they make up for in quality (a much more important factor, IMO and one that allows the cost to remain low). Having them for a while, I now have learned to appreciate the minimalistic appearance of those little black boxes.