3kish budget for ht speakers

[Loophole]

*I already have an Denon AVR 3312CI and an epson 8700ub. *Theater room is dedicated with total light control. *The room is 20'6" wide and 32'9" long. *The stage will be 3' deep and with be covered by acoustically *neutral material. *The screen will be about 140 diag (120" wide). *The first row of 4 seats will have the people heads around 13' from the screen, *the second row of 5seats on a 12" riser will have the peoples heads around *19'6" from the screen and the final row will be a bar table with tall bar stool with the peoples head at around 24' from the screen used only for special occasion aka the superbowl. *The room is concrete block with a tile floor ( it's in the Caribbean)

My budget for the speakers is 3k but I could go to4k if it really would make a noticeable difference to an average Joe. *The front speakers and bass can be big and ugly as they will be hidden in the stage. *It would be nice if I could roof mount the rear channels. *The side channels could be wall mounted or standing.*

I am confused as to where to spend my money. *Some people have suggested spending the bulk the budget on 2.2 components, forgetting about the center channel and get a set of pairs monitors for a 4.2 system. *I really have no clue.

I will also need base traps, etc but we can deal with that in a separate post.

Your help is much appreciated.

 

[GranteedEV]

I am confused as to where to spend my money. *Some people have suggested spending the bulk the budget on 2.2 components, forgetting about the center channel and get a set of pairs monitors for a 4.2 system. *I really have no clue.

I second this!!!

Well, you could get a center channel speaker - but only if it's a great centre speaker that has wide, uniform radiation and doesn't sound boxy or localizable. Most do IMO, even if the mains are awesome.

If you're willing to do some assembly, maybe put together a pair of Geddes Nathan speakers!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would buy the Infinity Classia 336 for $220 each (retail $900 each) immediately because the sale ends today:
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542899516/infinity-classia-c336bk?s_c=site_search

I would get 3 of those for the front L/C/R = $220 x 3 = $660 (retail is $2,700).

Get two of the Infinity Classia dipole speakers for $100 each (retail $400 each) x 2 = $200 (retail is $800):
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/548499472/infinity-classia-c255esbk?s_c=site_search

One Emotiva XPA-3 amp for $699 shipped (front 3 speakers):
http://emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm

Four BIC PL-200 (HSU 12" subwoofer clone) for $1,116 shipped.

Total = $660 + $220 + $699 + $1,116 = $2,695 delivered to front door (retail ~ $4,500).

 

[Beatmatcher247]

I don't mean to sound snarky, but if you are spending $3k-4k on speakers, wouldn't you feel a lot better dropping that wad knowing full well whether or not you are going to like them or not? I'd imagine that you can demo a lot of speakers in your price range with just a little bit of driving time in Ohio. AVS is a little bigger community. Sometimes if you can't audition something locally at a store, a forum member on AVS or here might be willing to demo something for you. What I like and what other people like, you may not. I just want you to enjoy your speakers and not be kicking yourself for not auditioning them before pulling the trigger.

I'm from Bismarck, ND and had some difficulty demoing speakers where I live. With a few hundred dollars invested in a couple of weekend road-trips to Fargo, ND and Minneapolis, MN, I was able to hear quite a few different speakers. I arranged ahead of time so they were ready to demo their stuff when I got there. You'll be best served by doing this.

To me that few hundred dollar investment in auditioning speakers was the best money I ever spent on my whole system. I'd suggest you talk to intheindustry, a fellow audioholic that is a system integrator in the Ohio area. He does a great job getting his hands on whatever it is you may need for a price that is almost too good to be true. Very knowledgeble guy that is a pleasure to work with. PM me and I can give you some other forum member's names that have worked with him in the past and can vouch for him.

 

[zieglj01]

"The room is concrete block with a tile floor ( it's in the Caribbean)"

Based on this, and your proposed set up - get some advice, as suggested
by Beatmatcher247. Good Luck.

 

[Davemcc]

Based on this, and your proposed set up - get some advice,

It seems to me that this thread, nay this forum, has been created to provide advice. Telling a member to seek advice, after he has posted asking for advice, is less than helpful.

To start with, that's a big room. Acoustically treated, it's going to need some serious speakers to fill with sound. To get the bass performance you'll need and keep costs reasonable, I'd suggest a pair of the SVS PC12-NSD DSP subwoofers.
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-pc12_nsd.cfm

Finding speakers to fill the space within the budget may present more of a challenge. However, you may be able to combine the SVS subs with an SVS speaker package and take advantage of package discounts. I have found SVS incredibly easy to deal with in person. If you call them directly, you may find they will put together an affordable package that meets your needs. I'd suggest to start with the MTS-02 Full Size Speaker System \http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-mts02.cfm
along with the dual subs. It will be at the top end of the budget but with discount for the package and discount for buying two subs, it starts to bring it in line.

 

[Beatmatcher247]

If I had your budget to work with, I would look at some PSB Imagine T series products. IMO, those are the best bang for your buck speakers that I've personally heard. There is a lot I haven't heard out there as well so don't stop there.

When you look at speakers for a certain budget, don't look at what you can get for full MSRP. Look at what you can get for a good street price. 30-40% off MSRP. It does you good to audition speakers both a little above and below your budget so you can see if the improvement in quality is worth the higher premium to you.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Okay I changed my mind. This never happens. But I'm going with the KEF Q900 speakers for front L/R, Q600c for Center, Q300 for surrounds.

Q900 is $1,140/pr:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFQ900CH/KEF-Q900-Q-Series-8-inch-Cherry-Floorstanding-Speakers-Each/1.html

Q600c is $400:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFQ600CCHY/KEF-Q600C-6.5in.-3-way-Cherry-Center-Channel-Speaker/1.html

Q300 is $400/pr (but I would have to see if they can get as cherry):
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFQ300WLN/KEF-Q300-Q-Series-6-1/2-inch-Walnut-Bookshelf-Speakers-pair/1.html

The Q900s have been reviewed on HTMag. They are being reviewed now by Stereophile.

AJinFL told me he has listened to the new Q-series drivers and he liked them and can recommend them.

 

[zieglj01]

See if you can stretch the budged a little.
Look at the JBL, to put behind the screen
http://www.performanceaudio.com/media/pdf/100/21301_s.pdf
http://www.performanceaudio.com/buy/JBL/3677/21301
Also at full Compass
http://www.fullcompass.com/search.php?search_simple=true&txtAll=jbl+3677
A little cheaper
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/246461.html

More JBL
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/368395.html
http://www.fullcompass.com/search.php?search_simple=true&txtAll=jbl+speakers

Contact HSU, to help with the right subwoofer
http://www.hsuresearch.com/subwoofers.html

And look at Chase Home Theater Subs
http://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=103&vmcchk=1&Itemid=103

They also have the PRO 10 and Show 10 speakers
http://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=28&Itemid=53&TreeId=1