What's my next move (upgrading)

[2channel lover]

Tried to take a picture of my setup but the file size was too large to upload. I could do stands for the left and right but there is a large center console underneath a wall mounted tv, so there wouldn't be room to put one in the middle. Was thinking two floor standing towers and then I could put a center speaker on top of the console (or mount it under the TV). Started looking at the PSB Imagine X2T and the Imagine XC, but wonder if I could get an equally good sound from a lower priced brand.

I see...not with floorstanders for sure...the CC idea is good. If sound quality matters I would opt for that over a sound bar, but I get it...My wife likes clean lines and open space so all speakers on the main floor are in ceiling. I was fortunate to have a listening space in the loft area upstairs.

 

[Crazy8s846]

This doesn't have anything to do with your problem, but I have a great wife, I have lord of the rings swords an staffs all over my living room. Our 55inch tv went out my wife wanted to buy a smaller tv, but i asked her what do we do most and its sleep an watch tv so shouldnt we get really good ones. We already have the bed so we got the 75in 4k tv i wanted. So i went an bought a avr an put old pioneer speakers on it . I told her there wasn't enough bass response because we live in a house thats raised off the ground with hard wood floors. So i went an got four cender blocks an sat the speakers on them, she came home and said ugly bricks. I told her i could get rid of the bricks by buying newer speakers with better bass response, sense we had a big tv we should get towers, now I have klisch rp280f towers. Next will be the dragon coffe table an the dragon castle end tables .

 

[pbatty]

So I'm leaning towards getting another pair of PSB XB Bookshelfs for the Front Left and Right and the PSB XC for center. However, I'm torn because I actually prefer the look of tower speakers for the front. But I'm not sure I can justify the extra $$$ they cost.

 

[Pogre]

This doesn't have anything to do with your problem, but I have a great wife, I have lord of the rings swords an staffs all over my living room. Our 55inch tv went out my wife wanted to buy a smaller tv, but i asked her what do we do most and its sleep an watch tv so shouldnt we get really good ones. We already have the bed so we got the 75in 4k tv i wanted. So i went an bought a avr an put old pioneer speakers on it . I told her there wasn't enough bass response because we live in a house thats raised off the ground with hard wood floors. So i went an got four cender blocks an sat the speakers on them, she came home and said ugly bricks. I told her i could get rid of the bricks by buying newer speakers with better bass response, sense we had a big tv we should get towers, now I have klisch rp280f towers.

Same here. I have big beautiful towers and 2 15" ported subs on either side of the tv. She picked the gloss over the oak veneer in fact, lol.

Clean lines? Did you look at the piano gloss black speakers I linked? I have their big brother, Ultras and I love them. The Prime Pinnacles aren't nearly as imposing with a slimmer look and nice clean lines. I think they're... "strikingly beautiful and would complement the decor of the room nicely"... (wink). Oh, and they reviewed really well here too.

 

[Pogre]

So I'm leaning towards getting another pair of PSB XB Bookshelfs for the Front Left and Right and the PSB XC for center. However, I'm torn because I actually prefer the look of tower speakers for the front. But I'm not sure I can justify the extra $$$ they cost.

I just nudged you toward towers again... lol.

Going with PSB XB's and matching center would do very well also. I think either solution is a good one for you, whichever works best.

 

[pbatty]

I just nudged you toward towers again... lol.

Going with PSB XB's and matching center would do very well also. I think either solution is a good one for you, whichever works best.

I love the look of the Prime Pinnacles! They cost a little bit more than I was looking to spend, but I could pull it off. What center would you recommend with those? And do you know how they compare to some of the PSB X line of towers? Looking specifically at the X2T.

 

[Pogre]

I love the look of the Prime Pinnacles! They cost a little bit more than I was looking to spend, but I could pull it off. What center would you recommend with those? And do you know how they compare to some of the PSB X line of towers? Looking specifically at the X2T.

All I know about PSB is what I've heard from others, which is pretty much across the board they make good speakers. I looked up the PSB XB's and they're a nice looking speaker. I wouldn't be upset if I owned them. Those X2T's just made my mouth water, lol. Also very nice looking speakers.

SVS make 2 center channels and both are voiced to work with any of their speakers. Prime center. Ultra center. I think you'd be fine with the Prime center channel.

Hang out and see who else replies. We have some members here familiar with PSB. I wish I could say more on the sq, but I'll bet they're a nice sounding speaker. If it was me I'd probably go for the X2T's since you already have the surrounds. Plus they're a great looking speaker. Any chance you listen to a pair at a dealer or something?

 

[ryanosaur]

PSB X2Ts are supposed to be pretty decent in their price range. I researched them pretty hard early on in my process last year... they were a step above what I started looking at... then next thing I knew, I had doubled my budget!

Might want to start a thread asking about the PSB X2T and XC... In fact as I say that, I think there is a PSB owners thread here, too. Might look that up and post your questions.

 

[Pogre]

... they were a step above what I started looking at... then next thing I knew, I had doubled my budget!

That happens a lot around here... my budget grew in exponents... lol.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Man that’s a tough room!!! What’s on the left side, next to the opening? I’m also a tower guy and love my monkey coffins! But I don’t know where you’d put them unless it was on the outsides of the doors. The problem with being too far from the side of the screen (which is way too high btw) is sounds can teleport from the screen(center channel) to the outside speaker. To me, this is a horrible distraction. I also don’t think it would work to put them under screen either.
With that in mind, I would consider flipping the room 180°. That would allow good tower placement and the surrounds could wall mount outside of the door openings. One BIG problem with that is, no room for the couch. Bummer...lol

 

[vader540is]

Hi all, new to the world of home theater and looking for input on the weakest link in my set up. It is mostly for movie watching and gaming.

I currently have:
AVR - Marantz SR5007
LCR - PSB Imagine W2 Soundbar
Surround L/R: PSB XB Bookshelf
Sub: JBL 550P

The room dimensions are 16' X 20' X 8'. I have a sectional sofa opposite the tv on the back wall, with a foot or two of room behind it that I can play with.

Most of this equipment was gifted to me years ago. I feel like there are a few directions I can go in but not sure which would give me the biggest value for dollar.

1. Atmos? I know for 5.x.4 I will need to upgrade to an Atmos capable 9.2 receiver. I'm looking at the Marantz SR6013.
2. Replace the soundbar with individual fronts? The soundbar sounds great to my ears but I can't help but feel I'm missing out on a better experience with real fronts/larger fronts.
3. Upgrade or add additional subwoofer? At first I considered getting a second JBL 550P, but I'm starting to feel like these are not powerful enough for the effect I want in my room. Looking at SVS PB2000 or the Monolith 12".

Currently my budget only allows for 1 of these steps. So, if you were in my shoes which would you choose? Or is there another option I'm not thinking of?

Advice greatly appreciated!

IMHO

1.Definitely get rid of that sound bar. Get matching LCR.

2. Upgrade your sub. My living room is similar to yours and I bought a SVS PB12-NSD in their outlet for $450 ( great sub for that price, )however I had a bass null, so I called SVS and they recommend I get a 2nd sub, a PB3000. I wanted to get a PB2000, the PB12-NSD is the older version of the PB2000. So I was committed to a budget of $1300 and I started shopping around and came across Power Sound audio and gave them a call. Spoke with Tom V ( he is the V in SVS) & he is a wealth of knowledge. I ended up buying a One V1510 and sold my PB12 and my bass null is gone!

http://imgur.com/a/N4di4rd

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[shadyJ]

IMHO

1.Definitely get rid of that sound bar. Get matching LCR.

2. Upgrade your sub. My living room is similar to yours and I bought a SVS PB12-NSD in their outlet for $450 ( great sub for that price, )however I had a bass null, so I called SVS and they recommend I get a 2nd sub, a PB3000. I wanted to get a PB2000, the PB12-NSD is the older version of the PB2000. So I was committed to a budget of $1300 and I started shopping around and came across Power Sound audio and gave them a call. Spoke with Tom V ( he is the V in SVS) & he is a wealth of knowledge. I ended up buying a One V1510 and sold my PB12 and my bass null is gone!

http://imgur.com/a/N4di4rd

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Replacing a sub doesn't fix a bass bull, only moving the subs does, or moving the listening position. Or adding another sub in a different location.

 

[vader540is]

Replacing a sub doesn't fix a bass bull, only moving the subs does, or moving the listening position. Or adding another sub in a different location.

Well it worked out in my case.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Well it worked out in my case.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Glad it worked. Wondering if you used rew or any measurement devices to confirm?

 

[vader540is]

Glad it worked. Wondering if you used rew or any measurement devices to confirm?

Unfortunately no. When I had my PB12, during heavy bass scenes in movies, while in the MLP ( far right seat on sofa) both ears would be pressurized.

My wife would sit on my left side (center sofa seat) and she would be in the null.

After upgrading to the V1510 ( same location as the PB12) I could sit in any of the three sofa seats and not be in a null and get equal pressurization in both of my ears, with the PB12... you would only get that in the far right seat.


I will learn REW and buy a umik 1 & mini DSP Soon.


Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[2channel lover]

This doesn't have anything to do with your problem, but I have a great wife, I have lord of the rings swords an staffs all over my living room. Our 55inch tv went out my wife wanted to buy a smaller tv, but i asked her what do we do most and its sleep an watch tv so shouldnt we get really good ones. We already have the bed so we got the 75in 4k tv i wanted. So i went an bought a avr an put old pioneer speakers on it . I told her there wasn't enough bass response because we live in a house thats raised off the ground with hard wood floors. So i went an got four cender blocks an sat the speakers on them, she came home and said ugly bricks. I told her i could get rid of the bricks by buying newer speakers with better bass response, sense we had a big tv we should get towers, now I have klisch rp280f towers. Next will be the dragon coffe table an the dragon castle end tables .

Indeed you do.

My wife wouldn't care about the screen size, but the cinder blocks would never have made past the front door, or the back .

 

[Pogre]

Cinder blocks would be pushing it for me too, but I'll bet I could talk her into it...

I'm not too bad at diy'ing stuff like speaker stands or modifying my tv stand so it can handle the weight of my amp and receiver. I want the stuff to look nice too!

 

[pbatty]

Man that’s a tough room!!! What’s on the left side, next to the opening? I’m also a tower guy and love my monkey coffins! But I don’t know where you’d put them unless it was on the outsides of the doors. The problem with being too far from the side of the screen (which is way too high btw) is sounds can teleport from the screen(center channel) to the outside speaker. To me, this is a horrible distraction. I also don’t think it would work to put them under screen either.
With that in mind, I would consider flipping the room 180°. That would allow good tower placement and the surrounds could wall mount outside of the door openings. One BIG problem with that is, no room for the couch. Bummer...lol

Is the TV too high? I followed this when putting it up (first google search lol). It said for TVs 70" + to have the center roughly 67" from the floor. With the distance of my couch from the TV it does feel natural to watch, i don't find myself craning my neck, which I hate.

But yeah, this room has been tough. Basically those two openings you see open up into the rest of the house. To the left (before the opening) is just another wall. So you think I wouldn't be able to place towers directly under the two corners of the TV? What about bookshelfs... same problem?

Flipping the room is definitely not going to fly lol so I'm stuck working with what I've got.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I made a quasi entertainment center out of blocks once. It was about 6’ wide, 3 block spacing across the front, 2 blocks deep. The first layer was made of shelving boards with another set of blocks. On top of those was the top bridge of an oak entertainment center. It had 4 openings plus the top was flat for my center channel. Probably a horrible description, but it was pretty damn cool. Like hand crafted industrial, or something like that lol.

 

[Pogre]

I made a quasi entertainment center out of blocks once. It was about 6’ wide, 3 block spacing across the front, 2 blocks deep. The first layer was made of shelving boards with another set of blocks. On top of those was the top bridge of an oak entertainment center. It had 4 openings plus the top was flat for my center channel. Probably a horrible description, but it was pretty damn cool. Like hand crafted industrial, or something like that lol.

I'm no stranger to cinder block furniture. When I was single I needed my money for beer and car stereo.

Not mine, but hey. This isn't horrible! Lol