$1500 Speaker Set - Questions

[Flyinace2000]

Hello all,

Right now i have a fairly basic Onkyo TX-SR304 that came w/ basic crappy speakers. Well i got a new job and its time to UPGRADE. My budget for speakers is approx $1500. Here my preliminary setup goals

Fronts - EMP E5Ti (or E55Ti depending on intro pricing) $500
Center - Open to suggestions - EMP? $$200-250
Sub - Velodyne Starfire-12 - $369
Surrounds - Emotiva ERD-1 $349

Most of these came as recommendations from Tom (AVRant Podcast). Some questions though.

Center channel:
Right now my tiny little center is in front of my TV. This won't w/ a real size centerchannel. The TV is currently on a TV stand. Where can i put the center that would work? Is there some sort of shelf that would hold the center on the top of the TV?

Also, what center should i get? Match it w/ the EMP's?

Surrounds. The ERD's are wall mountable but i do not want to do that. Can you recommend a stand for them or another bi/di-pole speaker for surrounds?

My room is a living room that opens into the kitchen. So its about 15x15 square that the kitchen opens up on the right.

Thoughts and ideas?

Thanks!

 

[bandphan]

skip the surrounds for a month and get this sub instead

 

[Flyinace2000]

That sub is like $1500!!!!

haha

I also live in a condo/apartment. SO i can't GO NUTS.

 

[sholling]

yes the center must be timbre match for the two mains and that usually means the same brand and product line. I also agree with holding off the surrounds and getting a better sub. I'd look at a Hsu VTF-2 as about the right sized sub for a room that size. That assumes nobody under you (down firing sub). If you have someone under you look at a SVSound PB12NSD and isolate it from the floor.

 

[Flyinace2000]

I am on the top floor so i do have nieghbors below me.

So you really think i should skip surrounds all together or just get some cheaper to hold me over?

 

[Flyinace2000]

Also what about mounting. Do they sell a shelf to elevate the TV and so i can put the speaker under it or some sort of shelf for the top of the TV?

 

[bandphan]

That sub is like $1500!!!!

haha

I also live in a condo/apartment. SO i can't GO NUTS.

they have been running it @799 special

 

[sholling]

I am on the top floor so i do have nieghbors below me.

That eliminates downward firing subwoofers and rear ported subs. A rear port will hammer the back wall and drive that neighbor crazy to.

Here is where some have a philosophical difference. For apartment use you can invest in near full range-towers and a matched center and skip the surrounds (for now) and the subwoofer (for now). You give up the deep room shaking rumble that the neighbors hate but as long as the two mains go down to 35-40hz you're getting most of the music. You can then add a sub when money allows for use when the neighbors are at work.

The other option is going with 3.1 or 5.1 bookshelf speakers and using a front firing sub that is either sealed or front ported like the SVSound PB10NSD or PB12NSD and placing it on something like a SubDude. The SubDude won't let you get away with blasting the sub but it should help some. You'll still need to turn the sub down when the neighbors are home.

So you really think i should skip surrounds all together or just get some cheaper to hold me over?

Surrounds are nice to have but the front 3 plus the sub are doing 90% of the work. That's why I've always put as much money into those 4 as I could in the initial purchase and then added decent surrounds when money allowed.

EDIT: I'd also start saving for a pair of really exceptional headphones for those days that you really need to blast your music. Something like Grado SR-225i/SR325i for rock or Sennheiser HD600/650 for classical. Good cans kept me sane during my apartment years.

 

[Flyinace2000]

Well the wall where the sub is going to be located (and currently is) is the structural wall between buildings (so a layer of sheetrock, wood, insulation, stone). So i think a rear port will be fine (tell me if i am wrong).

So what about just getting some sub $200 bookshelf speakers for the rears for when i am just looking to do apartment filling music? I would think leaving the cheap Onkyo speakers would just be weird to match up with way nicer everything else.

So right now it looks like the EMP's for the front 3 and SVS PB10NSD or PB12NSD for the front. that puts me at just about $1400 shipped with no upgrade to my rears.

 

[Flyinace2000]

EDIT: I'd also start saving for a pair of really exceptional headphones for those days that you really need to blast your music. Something like Grado SR-225i/SR325i for rock or Sennheiser HD600/650 for classical. Good cans kept me sane during my apartment years.

Way ahead of you there. I bought a pair of Grado SR-80's back in college (about 5 years ago) and I would say they started me down this path of Audio and Video.

When i said whole room music i was thinking for more when we entertain.

 

[sholling]

Well the wall where the sub is going to be located (and currently is) is the structural wall between buildings (so a layer of sheetrock, wood, insulation, stone). So i think a rear port will be fine (tell me if i am wrong).

The PB10 & 12NSD are front ported anyway so this won't matter.

So what about just getting some sub $200 bookshelf speakers for the rears for when i am just looking to do apartment filling music? I would think leaving the cheap Onkyo speakers would just be weird to match up with way nicer everything else.

You could try them and see how it sounds. I made do with a air of used Klipsch Quintet satellites until I could afford better. The surrounds really aren't doing that much work.

So right now it looks like the EMP's for the front 3 and SVS PB10NSD or PB12NSD for the front. that puts me at just about $1400 shipped with no upgrade to my rears.

Dont forget a SubDude or similar to keep the neighbors happy.

 

[Flyinace2000]

The PB10 & 12NSD are front ported anyway so this won't matter.


You could try them and see how it sounds. I made do with a air of used Klipsch Quintet satellites until I could afford better. The surrounds really aren't doing that much work.


Dont forget a SubDude or similar to keep the neighbors happy.

Based on the location of the sub would it make sense to go back to Chrysalis? Or is SVS a better sub?

The sub dude is about $50 but it looks like i could build it for about $10. Is it simply a piece of covered plywood suspended on foam blocks?

Of course the lazy option would be to just get the EMP system they sell for 1345.

 

[sholling]

I haven't heard the Chrysalis but generally you get more bang for the buck with an Internet direct company like SVS and SVSounds makes a heck of a sub.

I don't own a SubDude so I can't tell you what materials are used just that a lot of people on here swear by them. Run a search and/or start a SubDude thread. My 250lb SVS PB12Plus/2 sits on thick carpet and I'm in a house so I don't have to worry about floor resonance or neighbors. But if they are using the heavy acoustic foam that I suspect they are it's not cheap.

 

[shadyJ]

Deep frequencies are deep frequencies. Porting won't matter, subdudes and grammas will absorb some mechanical energy but not the noise. If you have neighbors and you buy a serious subwoofer, you will bother them if you playback anything at any kind of loudness you would enjoy. The only way around this is if your buildings construction is thick and solid, and there is a firewall between you and your neighbor. The situation sucks for you, I am sorry to say, but don't kid yourself, you can't be a good apartment/condo/townhouse neighbor and rock out with a good subwoofer.

Perhaps if you know your neighbors, you can talk to them and reach an understanding, like its cool with them if you rock out during the afternoon, but not late at night. If it were me though, I would just get full range tower speakers and forget the sub for the time being.

 

[Tungsten06GT]

Honestly, just go with the EMP's for a solid 3.0 system for now. As I was putting my system together, I purchased the EMP 5.0 system and initially only set up the front 3 speakers. I was extreeemely happy with the sound quality. Then, I installed the rears and gained the extra ambiance in movies. I could have been happy without a subwoofer, but ultimately I knew I needed it so I went with eD's A3-300.

So, what I'm trying to say is just the front 3 speakers made a killer system, all the others were just the icing on the cake. And, when/if you get a sub, you can always keep the gain lower until you know your neighbors won't be around

 

[Flyinace2000]

Regarding the sub:

I have already spoken to both neighbors i share a wall w/ and told when i got the 5.1 system to let me know if the bass/sound was to loud. That was a year ago. Granted it was also with crappy speakers. Other other thing is the the nieghbor on the same floor as me works all day and isn't home until 8 or so. So i can get in my gaming and TiVo'ing before she gets home and then turn down the gain when needed. The other wall is a firewall between buildings so that should cut out any noise going that way. The only other person is downstairs from me.

Another factor is that my new job will be 100% travel so i won't be home from monday to thurs/Fri.

So i am still leaning towards gettings something as a replacement sub but i know to limit it due to apartment living.

What about the center channel.

How can i mount that either above/below my plasma?

Hardware list:
TiVo HD
Onkyo Reciever SR304
xbox 360
MacBook w/ remotebuddy to launch plex/xbmc/boxee/itunes
PowerMacG5 w/ 2TB raid to server media throughout the house.

 

[sholling]

What I did was buy something similar to this. That clears up some room under the TV for the center.

 

[Flyinace2000]

What I did was buy something similar to this. That clears up some room under the TV for the center.

I am trying to avoid buying any new furniture. I was hoping for a stand to put the TV on that would fir the center under it.

 

[Flyinace2000]

Something like this might work for me.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60103750

I would mount that above the TV. Plus this gives the lady friend a nice place to put pictures and other lady friendly decorations. WIN WIN

 

[krzywica]

I am trying to avoid buying any new furniture. I was hoping for a stand to put the TV on that would fir the center under it.

Just build a little cabinet without a back on it to elevate your TV.