First Time Home Audio Setup Recommendations

[Pogre]

Plus you get bass management, room correction, eq and processing all in one. Separate/integrated options are often pretty pricey (due to economy of scale) and a lot of 2 channel rigs don't have proper bass management.

 

[2channel lover]

Indeed not. If your goal is just music, I love 2CL's suggestion of putting surround speaker money into a pair of Ultra towers The Ultra bookshelf speakers are pretty fantastic too if you have good subwoofage. I know from personal experience.
View attachment 22185
2 Hsu VTF-3 MK5's
Ultra tower speakers
Ultra bookshelf speakers for surround and center channels
And gobs of power to throw at everything.

I have a separate amp and the towers because (according to my wife) I've lost my mind. I did use the bookshelves for quite a while with just my receiver first and they did fantastic as main speakers with my subs. My receiver is very comparable to the 4300. Maybe in between the 3300 and 4300. They're from the same parent company and have the same room correction software. I love mine. It works wonders in my room

The Ultras are fantastic sounding speakers and I love mine, but there are many other options just as good and a few even better. If you can, just getting out and listening to different speakers can help you find the sound that you like.

As for suggestions, of course I'm gonna say the Ultras! They image very well, are pretty neutral speakers with surprising bass and clean, clear highs. They're serious speakers and they look beautiful too.

Pogre...how have you been my AH friend?

Hadn't seen you in a while. System is looking good...really cleaning looking and the way you crank it, I know it sounds good.

I'm coming down the home stretch with the Salks now...I haven't looked at the progress the last few days, but I see some of the guys that ordered about a month/6 weeks ahead of me are getting deliveries now. Initial expectations were end of Sept/Early OCT...I'm going with mid OCT to keep my sanity.

The OP...yep, I would ditch the surrounds (for now), bump up to the Ultras Towers with a nice AVR and build from there.

 

[Pogre]

Pogre...how have you been my AH friend?

Hadn't seen you in a while. System is looking good...really cleaning looking and the way you crank it, I know it sounds good.

I'm coming down the home stretch with the Salks now...I haven't looked at the progress the last few days, but I see some of the guys that ordered about a month/6 weeks ahead of me are getting deliveries now. Initial expectations were end of Sept/Early OCT...I'm going with mid OCT to keep my sanity.

The OP...yep, I would ditch the surrounds (for now), bump up to the Ultras Towers with a nice AVR and build from there.

I'm doing pretty well, my friend. Been keeping busy obsessing over measurements and tweaks. I finally busted my mini out figured out how to use it with some great success. I just bumped my thread about it earlier today. It was a hell of a journey, lol.

I'd be on pins and needles if I were you too. That's a bit of a wait. Just makes delivery day that much sweeter.

 

[2channel lover]

I'm doing pretty well, my friend. Been keeping busy obsessing over measurements and tweaks. I finally busted my mini out figured out how to use it with some great success. I just bumped my thread about it earlier today. It was a hell of a journey, lol.

I'd be on pins and needles if I were you too. That's a bit of a wait. Just makes delivery day that much sweeter.

I'll have to check that thread out. I'm still an infant when it comes to room eq.

The wait...the summer has really gone by fast, so I haven't been laboring over it much...plus I'm out on the golf course passing time every weekend.

Now NFL is starting up so I've got that to occupy my mind for a while too...I'm sure time will come to a crawl as well get towards the end of this month. I'm anxious to hear the difference in the B&Ws to the Salks, but if I didn't have the B&Ws I'd be going nuts with the whole system completed waiting for the speakers.

 

[biljohns]

I believe the Denon 4300 or 3300 looks to be a good choice.
Ultra Towers paired with the PB2000s would put me out of budget. : (
However, Ultra Towers paired with PB1000s would put me back in budget.
Would I sacrifice much subwoofer/bass wise moving down to the PB1000s?

@ Pogre
How do you like the gloss finish of the Ultra Tower? Finger Prints? Dust? Scratches from moving?

 

[shadyJ]

The Ultra towers look like they already have very capable bass, so if I were to add a sub to them, it would have to be something more substantial than SVS's entry level subs. I wouldn't consider anything less than the 2000 series, and ported subs at that.

 

[Pogre]

I believe the Denon 4300 or 3300 looks to be a good choice.
Ultra Towers paired with the PB2000s would put me out of budget. : (
However, Ultra Towers paired with PB1000s would put me back in budget.
Would I sacrifice much subwoofer/bass wise moving down to the PB1000s?

@ Pogre
How do you like the gloss finish of the Ultra Tower? Finger Prints? Dust? Scratches from moving?

You could always go with the Ultra bookshelves. Combine them with a good pair of subs and you're not missing anything. If it were my choice with your budget that'd be my route. You don't want to skimp on subwoofage.

Personally I love the finish. Some folks aren't into piano gloss black but they look very nice in my living room. Fingerprints aren't a big deal because everyone in my house knows not to touch them. I wear white cotton gloves when I handle them. The dust tho... I do dust my equipment about every other day. I live in the desert so we get a lot of dust. I use a swiffer and it takes me all of 5 or 10 minutes. Not bad, especially when you consider it's a labor of love.

 

[biljohns]

Confirming if I have a knowledge gap...
There are 4 types of speakers:

• Tweeter
• Mid-Range
• Woofer
• Subwoofer

Is this correct or are woofer/subwoofer one in the same? If that list is correct, going the route of Ultra Bookshelfs, would I be missing my woofer speaker range? Bookshelfs only house a tweeter and mid-range...
Not that a speaker type dictates a sound frequency range...

@ Pogre
My worry would be it getting scratched for whatever reason. I am single no kids, so the worries of scratches are low. If it, however, ever did get scratches, it would stick out, a lot...
The black wood ash finish I would think would hide a scratch a bit better due to texture, but obviously not as sexy of a finish lol

 

[Pogre]

Confirming if I have a knowledge gap...
There are 4 types of speakers:

• Tweeter
• Mid-Range
• Woofer
• Subwoofer

Is this correct or are woofer/subwoofer one in the same? If that list is correct, going the route of Ultra Bookshelfs, would I be missing my woofer speaker range? Bookshelfs only house a tweeter and mid-range...
Not that a speaker type dictates a sound frequency range...

@ Pogre
My worry would be it getting scratched for whatever reason. I am single no kids, so the worries of scratches are low. If it, however, ever did get scratches, it would stick out, a lot...
The black wood ash finish I would think would hide a scratch a bit better due to texture, but obviously not as sexy of a finish lol

Well, just be careful around your speakers! I agree tho, black oak won't show scratches or prints like gloss will.

I ran the bookshelves for months before I got the towers. I only bought those because I came into a little windfall and upgrade-itis was gnawing at me. I really didn't notice that big a difference if I'm being completely honest. You won't miss the additional drivers if you get some capable subs.

The difference between a woofer and a subwoofer is bass extension. The "sub" part means extension below our ability to hear (~20hz). Great for movies or music that have a lot of deep bass you can feel, if not hear.

 

[biljohns]

Well, just be careful around your speakers! I agree tho, black oak won't show scratches or prints like gloss will.

I ran the bookshelves for months before I got the towers. I only bought those because I came into a little windfall and upgrade-itis was gnawing at me. I really didn't notice that big a difference if I'm being completely honest. You won't miss the additional drivers if you get some capable subs.

The difference between a woofer and a subwoofer is bass extension. The "sub" part means extension below our ability to hear (~20hz). Great for movies or music that have a lot of deep bass you can feel, if not hear.

Thanks for the clarification. That last bit about the sub 20hz was what I was missing...
Why is the Ultra Bookshelf "better" than the Prime Tower? The loudness it is capable of?
The low-end of the frequency spectrum the subs will catch...

 

[Pogre]

Thanks for the clarification. That last bit about the sub 20hz was what I was missing...
Why is the Ultra Bookshelf "better" than the Prime Tower? The loudness it is capable of?
The low-end of the frequency spectrum the subs will catch...

I've never heard the prime tower so I can't really give you my impressions. I will say I was between the prime towers and Ultra bookshelf speakers and got the Ultras. You're getting better build quality and higher quality drivers, parts and crossovers. If you're running subs the gain in bass extension you get with towers is kind of rendered a non issue.

I believe you will get better quality sound with the Ultra line. And trust me, they will get plenty loud enough. I've yet to bottom them out and I've put them through their paces. Excellent speakers.

 

[shadyJ]

I am only guessing, but the Ultra probably has a more linear response than the Primes, in other words, better sound quality.

As for the deeper extension of towers, there is more reason to get subs than that. The bass response you get is very dependent on where the speaker is. At one location in the room, it might sound fine at your listening position, but at another placement, it might sound boomy and poor. When you have the bass section attached to the speakers as you do with full range tower speakers, you placement is forced and is totally at the mercy of the room modes for standing waves. In other words, you can move the speakers to have better bass, but then it makes for worse mids, and vice versa. With subs, you can place them where ever they will get you the best response, and it will not adversely affect the mids.

What is more, dedicated subwoofers are usually far more suited for bass than towers. They will have much greater dynamic range, much deeper extension, and far less distortion, so they will have a better sound overall.

 

[2channel lover]

Confirming if I have a knowledge gap...
There are 4 types of speakers:

• Tweeter
• Mid-Range
• Woofer
• Subwoofer

Is this correct or are woofer/subwoofer one in the same? If that list is correct, going the route of Ultra Bookshelfs, would I be missing my woofer speaker range? Bookshelfs only house a tweeter and mid-range...
Not that a speaker type dictates a sound frequency range...

@ Pogre
My worry would be it getting scratched for whatever reason. I am single no kids, so the worries of scratches are low. If it, however, ever did get scratches, it would stick out, a lot...
The black wood ash finish I would think would hide a scratch a bit better due to texture, but obviously not as sexy of a finish lol

Woofers are woofers...7", 8", 10", 12", 15"

In the case with most book shelf speakers...they have 2 drivers...a tweeter and mid/bass driver. The better the speaker, the better the drivers, crossover, and cabinets will be.

Obviously the small speaker will not be able to play as low as a tower, but you are curing that with the subwoofer(s).

If this is primarily for music...I want the best sounding speaker I can get for the money. A good pair of monitors (like the SVS Ultra Bookshelf) with quality subs like the PB200 will sound very good...some may argue that combination will sound as good as the Tower by themselves.

Admittedly this is a personal bias, but I'd go with the ultra Towers, and get one sub for now (PB2000) if the budget doesn't allow for two yet.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Wow, lots of ways to go with this. As pogre knows, I'm a tower guy and partially responsible for his plunge. Sorry buddy. Lol. In any case, in your small room, I think the better choice might be the ultra BS, and a pair of subs. Then get towers later if you change to a bigger room. The HSU recommendations are credible for sure, but maybe a pair of cylinders from svs since they carry a smaller footprint. If I read correctly, this system will be more for music? If you have only one seat to worry about, keep in mind one subwoofer can deliver a good experience too(although I'm an enabler so that was hard to type lol).
Sorry in advance for the slightly OT.
@Pogre, you know how in the world of upgrading things, the journey up can seem like the steps are small until we turn around and go backwards? I'm sure you'd have no interest, but since you've had those towers for awhile now and have become quite used to them, I wonder if you've considered trying a pair of the BS back up front just for fun.(except taking them down after the mounting experiment won't be fun lol). Ok that's all.

 

[Pogre]

Wow, lots of ways to go with this. As pogre knows, I'm a tower guy and partially responsible for his plunge. Sorry buddy. Lol. In any case, in your small room, I think the better choice might be the ultra BS, and a pair of subs. Then get towers later if you change to a bigger room. The HSU recommendations are credible for sure, but maybe a pair of cylinders from svs since they carry a smaller footprint. If I read correctly, this system will be more for music? If you have only one seat to worry about, keep in mind one subwoofer can deliver a good experience too(although I'm an enabler so that was hard to type lol).
Sorry in advance for the slightly OT.
@Pogre, you know how in the world of upgrading things, the journey up can seem like the steps are small until we turn around and go backwards? I'm sure you'd have no interest, but since you've had those towers for awhile now and have become quite used to them, I wonder if you've considered trying a pair of the BS back up front just for fun.(except taking them down after the mounting experiment won't be fun lol). Ok that's all.

You did have an influence on my decision to go with towers and I don't regret it. Now that they're here I absolutely love them, but I would still be very happy with the bookshelf speakers. It wasn't a giant step up, but I do think I have a little more mid bass presence now? That could be entirely placebo too, but I'll take it!

Bill, yes I've thought about it. Hard. I'm even thinking about calibrating and measuring with the bs, but I dont want to discover that they might actually blend better with my subs than the towers do! My next experiment is going to be with my towers plugged, which may be coming soon. Keep an eye out for my thread bump.

*Edit: I can see me with my bookshelves moved back up front and my towers to the sides. Expensive surround speakers!

 

[Mitchibo]

Indeed not. If your goal is just music, I love 2CL's suggestion of putting surround speaker money into a pair of Ultra towers. The Ultra bookshelf speakers are pretty fantastic too if you have good subwoofage. I know from personal experience.
View attachment 22185
2 Hsu VTF-3 MK5's
Ultra tower speakers
Ultra bookshelf speakers for surround and center channels
And gobs of power to throw at everything.

I have a separate amp and the towers because (according to my wife) I've lost my mind. I did use the bookshelves for quite a while with just my receiver first and they did fantastic as main speakers with my subs. My receiver is very comparable to the 4300. Maybe in between the 3300 and 4300. They're from the same parent company and have the same room correction software. I love mine. It works wonders in my room

The Ultras are fantastic sounding speakers and I love mine, but there are many other options just as good and a few even better. If you can, just getting out and listening to different speakers can help you find the sound that you like.

As for suggestions, of course I'm gonna say the Ultras! They image very well, are pretty neutral speakers with surprising bass and clean, clear highs. They're serious speakers and they look beautiful too.

Nice looking set up. Do you have good windows? I see the ultras are placed in front of them. The one in my room is old and rattles. Piece of crap. I assume glass reflects more than it absorbs.

 

[Mitchibo]

Indeed not. If your goal is just music, I love 2CL's suggestion of putting surround speaker money into a pair of Ultra towers. The Ultra bookshelf speakers are pretty fantastic too if you have good subwoofage. I know from personal experience.
View attachment 22185
2 Hsu VTF-3 MK5's
Ultra tower speakers
Ultra bookshelf speakers for surround and center channels
And gobs of power to throw at everything.

I have a separate amp and the towers because (according to my wife) I've lost my mind. I did use the bookshelves for quite a while with just my receiver first and they did fantastic as main speakers with my subs. My receiver is very comparable to the 4300. Maybe in between the 3300 and 4300. They're from the same parent company and have the same room correction software. I love mine. It works wonders in my room

The Ultras are fantastic sounding speakers and I love mine, but there are many other options just as good and a few even better. If you can, just getting out and listening to different speakers can help you find the sound that you like.

As for suggestions, of course I'm gonna say the Ultras! They image very well, are pretty neutral speakers with surprising bass and clean, clear highs. They're serious speakers and they look beautiful too.

PS: I see you have that airplate on the Marantz. How quiet is it really?

 

[NINaudio]

Honestly if you're going to spend ~$1600 on subs I'd go with just one SVS PC13-ultra or Hsu VTF-15h MK2 for now since your main use is music and it should be fine for one seating position. Then you could expand and add a second one later for more even bass response throughout the room for movies with friends.

 

[biljohns]

Honestly if you're going to spend ~$1600 on subs I'd go with just one SVS PC13-ultra or Hsu VTF-15h MK2 for now since your main use is music and it should be fine for one seating position. Then you could expand and add a second one later for more even bass response throughout the room for movies with friends.

Not sure I will go back and drop another $1700 on a subwoofer...
I have numerous hobbies that eat up coin (computers, cars, home projects, etc).
Only reason I wanted dual subs is to feel rumble from both sides (balance).
Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe a single sub can achieve this (logically speaking)?

I am probably going to pull the trigger on the X4300 today.
What is everyone's stance on extended warranties/insurance plans?

 

[Pogre]

Not sure I will go back and drop another $1700 on a subwoofer...
I have numerous hobbies that eat up coin (computers, cars, home projects, etc).
Only reason I wanted dual subs is to feel rumble from both sides (balance).
Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe a single sub can achieve this (logically speaking)?

I am probably going to pull the trigger on the X4300 today.
What is everyone's stance on extended warranties/insurance plans?

1700 will get you two Hsu VTF-3 MK5's, including shipping...