Thanks all.
So, consensus seems to be:
B&W 703 package
Sonic Boom Audio Sub. or possibly the B&W Sub.
I wish they had 'polls' on this site so I could see how many people say what.
I'll be trying to get good prices through the week on the equipment. If anyone knows a good internet reseller, just let me know...
Many thanks again everyone,
Mike
Umm Its Ok to listen to opinions but remember that they are just that. opinions and said with the listener's ears. Their ears are not your ears and you really do have to listen for yourself. The speakers you have mentioned are all very reputable manufacturers. All have their strengths and weaknesses. The diffiucluty is to have a best fit of the strengths and weaknesses of the speakers with your hearing and room acoustics. So here's a little suggestion;
What I would do is to take a pad of paper with you, write down the make and
model of each speaker you audition and what you liked and disliked about the
speakers you were auditioning. Was the bass tight and deep or was it boomy and loose sounding? Were themids life like or were they hollow or just too pronounced? Was the trebleirritating and harsh or were they dark and not revealing or were they smooththat made you want to listen for more? How was the imaging?
Bring music with you that you are very familiar with and know quite well. To
make it easier to audition HT speaker systems, listen to the main speakers in 2
channel mode with music. Music is much harder to reproduce acurately then amovie soundtrack so if the speakers do well with music, then they will do well
with HT. Speakers that do HT well may not do well with music. When auditioningthe center channel of the same brand and series as the main speakers, pick adifficult source like an announcer that mumbles alot. If you can makeout what the mumbling announcer has to say, then you have a good center channel.
I would go to speciality stores first and start auditioning speakers first
instead of going to the internet first. Once your likes are determined, you can
mention them here and fellow members can make internet brand recommendations based on your likes/dislikes. The specality stores are better setup acousticaly then the big box stores which will make auditioning a little easier. It will give you an idea of what you like in a speaker.
Keep track of what amp or receiver is powering the speakers you're auditioning. Try to get a receiver/amp that closest resembles what you have or want to get. It just reduces another variable when audtioning speakers.
One thing to keep note off. When auditioning speakers, make sure the volume
levels are matched between the diiferent speaker pairs because the louder
speaker pair will always sound better. Listen to levels that you think you
would listen to most of the time because thats how you are going to be using
them most of the time. .
