Niles vs Bose

[Jonessmj]

I'm putting in a new 5.1 system. I currently have a Bose acoustimass 6 III system in another room and am looking for something a little better in my new room. Would the setup below sound better or worse than my Bose?

Niles HD6R - L/R
Polk TSi CS10 - center (I looked at Niles, but I need something low profile)
Monoprice 104103 or JBL SP8CII - rears
Sub TBD

If you have alternate speaker options let me know, but I need to stick with the same type (i.e. In-wall, in-ceiling, etc). Any comments on the setup are welcome, but I really want to know how people think it will compare to my Bose system.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

you have whole bunch of vague requirements and I am honestly not sure of what drives you with such mismatched system - why go with in-wall L/R but then change to regular (and honestly bad) center?
and then even worse go with in-ceiling surrounds ? - Let me ask you - do you listen to church music a lot? Since this is the practical effect - angeles will sing to you from above - or in your case more like mall music....

It's not hard to improve on Bose system since they are overpriced junk, but I recommend you stop. throw out your current idea and re-think everything.

I get that you want very "invisible" system - but there are drawback too - it's a b1tch to upgrade or repair. These will be the speakers you install and never touch again regardless if you like the sound or not.

My suggestion is low-profile ON-wall speakers or at-least in-WALL for all channels.

NHT makes pretty good speakers - I'd contact them directly for discounted price for a package deal

 

[Jonessmj]

My room is 20x20. Here is my rationale for the different types of speakers. The tv will be over the fireplace mantle. The fireplace is flanked by built in book cases. My wife does not want bookshelf speakers. As you mentioned, she wants invisible. My thought was to put a traditional speaker on the mantle for the center speaker. I planned on putting in-wall speakers in the book shelf. I was going to use in-ceiling for the rears because I dont have a rear wall (it is all open to the kitchen). I'm open to any suggestion on speaker brands/models. I'd like to spend $900 or less on the 5 speakers. If you think all in-ceiling would be better that is an option too. I'm new to all of this so any specific speaker model suggestions you could provide would be appreciated. Also, would a good sound bar be a better option???

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My room is 20x20. Here is my rationale for the different types of speakers. The tv will be over the fireplace mantle. The fireplace is flanked by built in book cases. My wife does not want bookshelf speakers. As you mentioned, she wants invisible. My thought was to put a traditional speaker on the mantle for the center speaker. I planned on putting in-wall speakers in the book shelf. I was going to use in-ceiling for the rears because I dont have a rear wall (it is all open to the kitchen). I'm open to any suggestion on speaker brands/models. I'd like to spend $900 or less on the 5 speakers. If you think all in-ceiling would be better that is an option too. I'm new to all of this so any specific speaker model suggestions you could provide would be appreciated. Also, would a good sound bar be a better option???

Ugg, whatever you do - don't do all in-ceiling...
Your original choice of speaker types makes some sense now, but still - try to stick to same brand for LCR - this is crucial.
$900 for 5 speakers and such strict restrictions - you're obviously not going to get top products
Like I said - in-wall/in-ceiling speakers can not be upgraded reasonably easy - so it's probably better hold-off till you have more budget to spend on such product.

My specific recommendation does exceed your budget a bit, but like I said you might come closer to it, if you contact the vendor for a package deal also they should be tell if AiW-ARC does in-deed matching with TwoC center - which I think it does.

2x NHT AiW-ARC - Absolute In-Wall Speaker - in-wall L/R
1x NTH TwoC Center Channel Speaker - Center

Surrounds are not as critical for movie watching - as used for effects only - so you could save more than few bucks and go with cheap Monorpice surrounds.

 

[KenM10759]

A bit off-topic but I guess I'll never be able to wrap my head around this fascination with TV's over a fireplace. It just seems so uncomfortable to be looking up all the time and if the fireplace is being used which gets more attention, the flames or the TV? And then there's mixing heat with electronic devices. and so often there's no place for a center channel.

I wish folks had options (or at least creative thinking) to get the entertainment separated from the truly relaxing environs of a warm fire and just sitting back to mindlessly study it. That's what fireplaces are all about, to my mind.

 

[Jonessmj]

Thanks! Would the speakers BoredSysAdmin mentioned work with my Pioneer VSX-1021 receiver from a power output perspective?

 

[everettT]

Thanks! Would the speakers BoredSysAdmin mentioned work with my Pioneer VSX-1021 receiver from a power output perspective?

you should link the first thread you started as not to jumble the process. Anyway here is the response curve for a bose system, whatcha think?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Thanks! Would the speakers BoredSysAdmin mentioned work with my Pioneer VSX-1021 receiver from a power output perspective?

yes, but depends on how loud you'd need it to be

 

[Jonessmj]

Do you have a response curve for any of the other speakers mentioned? I don't know a lot about this kind of technical data and what it means.

 

[Jonessmj]

I don't blast my current speakers. Normal listening volume for tv. Occasionally louder for movies.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Do you have a response curve for any of the other speakers mentioned? I don't know a lot about this kind of technical data and what it means.

Not identical speakers, but similar NHT system measured here:

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/nht-classic-four-surround-sound-speaker-system-measurements

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I don't blast my current speakers. Normal listening volume for tv. Occasionally louder for movies.

you should be fine then

 

[everettT]

Do you have a response curve for any of the other speakers mentioned? I don't know a lot about this kind of technical data and what it means.

For most inwall/ceiling speakers are not gonna get reviewed as its not easy. Here is one of their outdoor speakers with a different 6" woofer

An average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures +2.32/–1.70 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. Per S&V

 

[Jonessmj]

Everett, is that the Niles or NHT speaker?

 

[rojo]

My room is 20x20. Here is my rationale for the different types of speakers. The tv will be over the fireplace mantle. The fireplace is flanked by built in book cases. My wife does not want bookshelf speakers. As you mentioned, she wants invisible. My thought was to put a traditional speaker on the mantle for the center speaker. I planned on putting in-wall speakers in the book shelf. I was going to use in-ceiling for the rears because I dont have a rear wall (it is all open to the kitchen). I'm open to any suggestion on speaker brands/models. I'd like to spend $900 or less on the 5 speakers. If you think all in-ceiling would be better that is an option too. I'm new to all of this so any specific speaker model suggestions you could provide would be appreciated. Also, would a good sound bar be a better option???

Putting in-wall speakers within the book shelf could cause some acoustic weirdness -- reflections that shouldn't be there, diminished off-axis response, maybe a plastic boom box nasal honk sort of timbre, depending on how narrow the shelves are. Know how the sound of your voice changes when you cup your hands around your mouth? Same thing. You might actually be better off with a nice sound bar -- maybe something like the Atlantic Technology OSB-1? As a bonus, that sound bar is amplified, thereby removing your need for a separate AVR. You could apply the money saved there to a nice subwoofer -- something like the reasonably inconspicuous Outlaw Ultra-X12 or the curvy RBH I-12e.

 

[herbu]

I don't know a lot about this kind of technical data and what it means.

For these graphs, a flat horizontal line is best. It means speakers reproduce all frequencies at the same volume.

In the Bose graph you can see there is one big dip and one big peak. It means one section of frequencies will be soft, and one will be loud. Not good. You can also see the NHT graph has much smaller dips and peaks. Much better.

 

[everettT]

Everett, is that the Niles or NHT speaker?

Thats a niles speaker.

Here is the original thread with unfinished pic
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/surround-sound-speaker-reccomendation.103683/#post-1134006

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Putting in-wall speakers within the book shelf could cause some acoustic weirdness -- reflections that shouldn't be there, diminished off-axis response, maybe a plastic boom box nasal honk sort of timbre, depending on how narrow the shelves are. Know how the sound of your voice changes when you cup your hands around your mouth? Same thing. You might actually be better off with a nice sound bar

I assumed that front in-walls won't be mounted within the bookshelf itself - if it's so, then I agree with you - that would be a bad idea.

 

[Jonessmj]

I appreciate everyone's feedback. So if I go the sound bar route, I assume I will not use rear speakers??? Also, any other suggestions on sound bar models? I'd be willing to spend $700 on one if the quality was really that good.

 

[rojo]

That Atlantic Technology speaker bar has virtual surrounds that bounce sound off the walls. Reviews claim that it provides an impressively enveloping sound -- but without a back wall, who knows how it will sound in your room till you audition it? If you want distinct surrounds, you could go with a passive soundbar attached to the LCR channels of your AVR and add surrounds. I'm not too sure about ceiling surrounds to be honest, unless you really enjoy how the music sounds while you're in the grocery store. I'd personally rather have nothing than that. I think wall-mount side surrounds would sound better. Maybe your wife would agree to a pair of Fluance AVBP2? They're pretty inconspicuous. If not, then she might go for a pair of the previously recommended NHT in-walls, or possibly the HTD in-walls if your budget is stretched.

Unless you have to decide on the format prior to making a purchase (e.g. you've got a contractor waiting for you to decide where to cut holes and fish wires), I'd say give the Atlantic Technology speaker bar a chance. Outlaw offers a 30-day in-home trial, and you'll only be out the cost of return shipping (per their FAQ) if it fails the audition.