Upgrade speakers or AV receiver first?

[William Lemmerhirt]

Here's another recommendation get two of these. I know slightly over your budget and then save for a center you can run with a phantom Center for now

Prime Pinnacle | Tower Speaker for Home Theater & HiFi | SVS

Audiophile refinement, breathtaking home theater dynamics. World class audio for everyone.

www.svsound.com

FWIW maz the room is 10x12 and as much as I’m a tower guy, I think those would hog too much space. Plus, I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the prime/pinnacle tweeters. Haven’t heard them but I’d put money the RSL’s he’s asked about already will sound better.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

I wonder if Pogre sold his SVS towers?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

@Pogre!!!!!!!
I think he still has his BS’s too. Imo that would fit better.

 

[mazersteven]

FWIW maz the room is 10x12 and as much as I’m a tower guy, I think those would hog too much space. Plus,

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the prime/pinnacle tweeters.

Haven’t heard them

He already has Towers in that room. And Bookshelf on stands verse Towers I don't think they take up that much more room just my opinion

And I like the Pinnacle towers.

I haven't heard the RSL's either myself but would like to

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

He already has Towers in that room. And Bookshelf on stands verse Towers I don't think they take up that much more room just my opinion

And I like the Pinnacle towers.

I haven't heard the RSL's either myself but would like to

Good point as far as the footprint!
I’d also like to hear the pins so I can decide for myself about the tweeter. Not in the market though...
probably buy Revel anyway lol.

 

[KEW]

I’d say my budget for LCR is $1000. I have a 2nd sub to match my existing RSL Speed Woofer 10s

How big is your room and how far away from the front speakers do you sit?
I know it is just under $600, but two 570's and a 520 is better than anything I can think of at $1000 for the front 3! (Consider that the MSRP for these would be $1550). It is hard to compete when you are getting such deep discounts (on good quality speakers).
The only hesitation on the 570's is they will not play as loud as the 590's. However the 530 bookshelf only uses one of the 5-1/4" drivers and has long been a favorite of people who have heard them! The 570's are more efficient and will go louder than the 530's so I doubt it is an issue unless you really like to crank it!
I should mention that lovinthehd, who responded to your post several times above is big-time into this stuff and he has the 590's and 520 (?) as his long term solution!

 

[Kleinst]

How big is your room and how far away from the front speakers do you sit?
I know it is just under $600, but two 570's and a 520 is better than anything I can think of at $1000 for the front 3! (Consider that the MSRP for these would be $1550). It is hard to compete when you are getting such deep discounts (on good quality speakers).
The only hesitation on the 570's is they will not play as loud as the 590's. However the 530 bookshelf only uses one of the 5-1/4" drivers and has long been a favorite of people who have heard them! The 570's are more efficient and will go louder than the 530's so I doubt it is an issue unless you really like to crank it!
I should mention that lovinthehd, who responded to your post several times above is big-time into this stuff and he has the 590's and 520 (?) as his long term solution!

Maybe wait till the 580s are on sale?

 

[lovinthehd]

I moved my bookshelves to the 10x12 room (altho a bit larger) after using the 590s in a 33 x 15 room....in the smaller size room the 570 does sound like it would be a better fit....

 

[primalspy]

Thank you for all the comments guys! Not ignoring you at all. I just haven’t had the time to read them yet due to working but I’ll check them out this evening. I appreciate it.

Hello everyone! I'm new here and I purchased a very entry-level 5.1 system based on Gene's suggestions from one of his recommended systems.
Here is the list of gear.
AV receiver: Sony STRDH590 5.2 145w RMS x5 channels
SUB: RSL Speedwoofer 10s (I have a 2nd one on pre-order so I will have stereo subs)
Center speaker: Sony SSCS8 MTM (has x2 4" drivers)
Twin Towers: Sony SSCS3 3 way (has x2 5.25" drivers each tower)
Rear surrounds: Micca OoO's (MTM with 3" drivers 4 ohms, is it a good idea to be mixing speakers of different ohms ratings?)
Room dimensions: 12 x 10, couch is against back wall, 9 feet from front speakers & television

My issue is that it seems like I have to crank the Sony receiver up to 30-35 to get decent volume. It doesn't seem like it's high-output & the movie dialog don’t doesn’t sound as clear & crisp as I would like.
My thoughts: I was thinking upgrading either the receiver or the speakers one at a time and I'm not sure if this receiver is getting the most out of my speakers or if the whole system sucks. It sounds pretty good but not powerful from the front soundstage.
I was thinking of upgrading my receiver and getting something like the Denon X3500H or the X3600H. I wouldn't mind having a receiver that has 2 sub outputs that are NOT in parallel but that sounds very expensive. Anyone know the best and least expensive receiver that has the capability of calibrating each sub independantly? My receiver budget is around $800.00 and my Sony was on special for $179 and currently sells for $279
As far as speakers goes, it is a small room so I want quality without having to go too big so I was thinking about starting off by upgrading the LCR's to RSL CG25's or CG23's to go with my x2 Speedwoofer 10s. My speaker budget is around $1,000.00

Thank you all in advance.

 

[mazersteven]

Thank you for all the comments guys! Not ignoring you at all. I just haven’t had the time to read them yet due to working but I’ll check them out this evening. I appreciate it.

LOL

 

[mtrycrafts]

...and get my foot tapping....

And, I am tapping my foot just from reading all the posts.

 

[mtrycrafts]

OP, I would also make sure your speakers are properly level matched.
Also, what program/s that center is not clear? Do you have this setup connected to cable TV channels? If so, how does it sound on a news program.
I find that on many programs the recording quality if bad, music too high compared to voice, too much mumbling, etc. But, interestingly news channels are crystal clear along with commercials.

 

[primalspy]

Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices!

www.accessories4less.com

CMT-340SE MINI-TOWER PAIR

Uncompromising Performance, Our Best Value! "These speakers’ levels of design, capability, and refinement far exceed what could previously be expected from this price range. Those considering buying far more expensive speakers would be well advised not to ignore the Ascends simply because of...

www.ascendacoustics.com

CMT-340SE CENTER SPEAKER

High Performance Center Channel "Lead vocals through the CMT-340c are clear and natural, and are free of mid-range honk or thinness." -Felix Martinez, DVD Etc. Perfectly timbre matched to our other models, this center will add shockingly realistic dynamics combined with our already renowned...

www.ascendacoustics.com

Or

SIERRA-1 PAIR

Our World-Renowned Reference Monitor Featuring our Exclusive Low Resonance Layered Bamboo Cabinet! "Innovation, performance, intensive quality controls and environmental-friendliness all precisely balanced in a truly unique loudspeaker." Over 4 ½ years in development, the Sierra-1 is the...

www.ascendacoustics.com

SIERRA-1 CENTER

Our World-Renowned Reference Monitor Featuring our Exclusive Low Resonance Layered Bamboo Cabinet! "Innovation, performance, intensive quality controls and environmental-friendliness all precisely balanced in a truly unique loudspeaker." Over 4 ½ years in development, the Sierra-1 is the...

www.ascendacoustics.com

Thanks for the suggestions. I have never heard of this brand. Keep in mind that this is a very small room. My Sony towers are pretty large themselves and have dual 5.25" woofers. I was kind of wanting to stay in that range or smaller.
The center speaker in their Bamboo range seems odd, how it's not an MTM design.

 

[zieglj01]

Canton Chrono center

Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices!

www.accessories4less.com

Canton Chrono SL bookshelf speakers

Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices!

www.accessories4less.com

Use the Sony bookshelf as surrounds

Save for a receiver ... because your Sony tends to be a wimp (specs are inflated) and does not have much headroom

 

[primalspy]

I'd work on the speakers beforer the avr. Might want to look at how well your speakers are positioned for now, too.

Sony uses a volume scale all their own compared to the other major avr brands, and if comparable to my old Sony, 30-35 isn't unusually loud, I need to move into the 40 range on that avr to get fairly loud (but haven't measured but guess around 65-70 dB average) but my speakers with that avr are somewhat less sensitive than your Sonys, too. Not all speakers are capable of their best performance at high volume, either.

Thanks for the info. I didn't learn that it was really important to have the center channel speaker earl level or pointing at an angle towards ear level until after I had already installed my television to the wall but I have something underneath the front of it so that it is tilting up.
I was wondering if 30-35 volume level on a Sony was average. I've seen other high-end receivers in YouTube videos that are negative 0 when turning it up.

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have never heard of this brand.

Ascend Acoustics as a Company, as a Speaker builder are Awesome. Quality components and Drivers. Great Sound Quality

 

[lovinthehd]

MTM designs to begin with are a bit strange

Thanks for the info. I didn't learn that it was really important to have the center channel speaker earl level or pointing at an angle towards ear level until after I had already installed my television to the wall but I have something underneath the front of it so that it is tilting up.
I was wondering if 30-35 volume level on a Sony was average. I've seen other high-end receivers in YouTube videos that are negative 0 when turning it up.

The Denon, Marantz and at least older Onkyo avrs use volume scales with a reference to thx levels, and can go two directions, the absolute volume scale vs the reference volume scale. Typical absolute ranges 0-98 or so, typical reference ranges -80 to +18 with some variance. THX reference level being 82 or so on absolute, 0 on reference scale. Sony didn't do that. Personally I use the reference volume scale and reasonably loud for typical movie watching for me is -20. On the Sony avr that will vary but with the speakers/room its in, usually mid 30s to mid 40s depending on source.

 

[primalspy]

Speakers will definitely be a more noticeable improvement over an AVR. I think looking at RSL is a great idea. They’re a great bunch of guys and offer amazing CS. You can also listen to them for free. But don’t be concerned about matching sub/speaker by brand unless it’s for looks.
A new AVR will potentially give you much better sound, but it would likely be from audyssey xt32 with subeqHT, and the way it handles the room and dual subs. More power could help too, but it depends on many factors like speaker sensitivity, ohm load and listening distance. Since your room is small, imo that won’t be a factor. But the RSL speakers will absolutely be better than the Sony’s.

Ya..thanks for the info. If I could find a small speaker that has great sound, I would go for it. I would go for the RSL CG23's that only have x2 4" woofers in an MTM configuration in a heartbeat if I knew they could compete with the Sony's. The Sony towers hit pretty low. I can listen to music with them in stereo 2.0 and they're great but I thought maybe a receiver could help them sounder better. I think the weak link here in my center channel. I don't think it has the clarity that the towers have. I thought that I read somewher or watched a video talking about how the center is super important and should match the left and right speakers.

 

[primalspy]

1. It's never a bad idea to buy higher-end speakers or AVR.

2. A lot of people have to crank up the volume to get decent volume. It doesn't mean anything. You can easily just increase all the speaker trim levels in your AVR and then you won't have to crank up the volume of your AVR.

3. Increase the Center Channel Speaker Trim Levels in your AVR by 3 to 4 dB louder. There is no right or wrong here. It's not rocket science either. Increase the Center trim level so that you can hear the dialogue better.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have increased the center trim levels. For some reason, when I run Sony's calibration thing, it has the center like 2 db quieter than the left and right speakers. Turning it up doesn't really seem to help it. I wonder if it has something to do with how the center is rear ported and the towers are front ported.

 

[mazersteven]

heartbeat if I knew they could compete with the Sony's.

Not to be an assh_le but your Sony's aren't half the speakers I've suggested.