Any 2.1 or 3.1 setups

[AcuDefTechGuy]

When I get the money together, I'll invest in the ADP-590 surrounds to match my system equally. In the meantime, the 3.1 is fantastic, and though I don't get true surround sound when I watch movies like Saving Private Ryan I definently feel as though the bullets are flying past my head. Time is your friend, haste is your enemy. Invest in the best possible initial setup and work your way up to 5.1, it'll be worth the wait.

Surround sound is great. Can be distracting, but great. I don't know how many times I have to run to the master bedroom to ask my wife, "Honey, did you say something?" Or ask my 4 & 5 yr old daughters if they had called for me. Surround sound can be very distracting, but great. Or when I'm watching "The Unit" on SD DVD. The surround sound is constantly going. And I ask myself, "Is the surrounds suppose to be going all the time?"

But QUALITY over quantity is the key. A GREAT OUTSTANDING 3.1 is always better than a "good" 7.1 IMO.

 

[Davemcc]

I ran with a 3.1 system for a long time it was just fine. Even 2.1 with a really good set of speakers would still be good. I'll throw in another vote for building the best 2 channel system you can and build on it as you can afford it.

 

[3db]

I ran with a 3.1 system for a long time it was just fine. Even 2.1 with a really good set of speakers would still be good. I'll throw in another vote for building the best 2 channel system you can and build on it as you can afford it.

I agree. Get the main speakers right and save for the rest.

 

[bdogfish]

Hello guys, I first want to say thanks for all the input and recomendations. I do however have a question as to mains.
First I have settled on the Onkyo SR 605 or a Denon 3805. I am leaning towards the Denon as I have always liked their A/V's but I still have to check out the Onkyo. So I have some choosing to do on that. The other thing is I am now looking into some kick A** R/L mains. I can spend about $1700-$2000on the mains. I have had great experiences with Def Tech but I want to see what else is out there. I am more interested in music so I need these to sound great, but as I can save more money I do plan on going 6.1 or 7.1 So please recomend some great mains that fall within my budget. Thanks...

 

[Thaedium]

Well I would go with your past experience. Especially since you are more interested in the music aspect of things. I'll beat acudeftechguy to the punch on this one and recommend the Def Tech super towers. The built in subs are simply wonderful, and they have the option to run a lot of power to them.

I'm a Paradigm kinda guy myself, but I'll definently give the "nod" to other companies whose products are equally, if not even better then what Paradigms offer, lol.

 

[obscbyclouds]

I almost fell out of my chair when i read this, but AV123 has their Rocket RS1000 signature speakers for $1399/pr (normally $2500). Their only catch is you need to buy at least 3 speakers. These are really high quality speakers for a very reasonable price! Just another option for you. Here's a Link. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[krabapple]

I must disagree; for I feel the phrase "blows X out out of the water" relates to sound quality, and number of channels does not relate to sound quality.

Yes, it does, actually, all other things being equal, though there is a point of diminishing returns (IIRC Tom Holman stopped at 12.1)

Of course, finding material that actually benefits from that, may be an issue.

 

[gus6464]

I would like to add the B&W CM7 towers. You might also like the Dali Ikon 5, Paradigm Studio 60, Monitor Audio GS20.

 

[Davemcc]

I might as well add my favorites in this range, the Focal.JMLabs Chorus series.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...I'll beat acudeftechguy to the punch on this one and recommend the Def Tech super towers. The built in subs are simply wonderful, and they have the option to run a lot of power to them...

This is what happens when I'm off work for one day.

I think in terms of midrange/upper bass and high frequency, almost all speakers within the same price range will have more in common than not. I think the biggest difference is in the lower bass frequency.


When I look at the ultra high-end speakers, the one thing a lot of them have in common is the built-in powered subwoofer. This is how they can produce bass down to 20 Hz or below.

Now if I were rich, I would get the Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 (18 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 3dB, $8,000 ea). This baby not only has a built-in 1,000 watts powered subwoofer, but it also has a built-in 1,000 watts powered upper bass, a built-in 250-watts powered midrange, and a built-in 250-watts powered tweeter.

Oh yeah, I love my BP7000SCs & their 1,800-watts RMS built-in 14-inch subwoofers. People have to actually listen to these babies to believe the kind of bass they can produce.

I can get the BP7001SCs (22 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 3dB) for $1,200 each at my local HT store. They are similar to the BP7000SCs, except they have the 1,500-watts 10-inch subwoofers.

The Aperion Intimus 533-PT speakers (30 Hz +/-3dB, $600 ea.) also have a built-in powered subwoofer.

But what is interesting to me is the Def Tech BP10B. These babies don't have a built-in powered subwoofer. And yet Julain Hirsch & the Stereo Review Lab measured their frequency response as 25 Hz @- 3dB, & 20 Hz @-5dB. How on earth can they produce bass down to 20 Hz @-5dB without a powered subwoofer? And the price? I can get these for $400 each at my local HT store. Are you kidding? Imagine having a pair of these for $800 plus a SuperCube I subwoofer (20 Hz @-3dB/$800 at my local HT store) for $1,600?

For pure 2-ch music, a pair of BP10B would be fantastic (20 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 5dB). For movies, the additional SC-I sub would be awesome.

 

[3db]

Make sure an auidition as much as you can

Hello guys, I first want to say thanks for all the input and recomendations. I do however have a question as to mains.
First I have settled on the Onkyo SR 605 or a Denon 3805. I am leaning towards the Denon as I have always liked their A/V's but I still have to check out the Onkyo. So I have some choosing to do on that. The other thing is I am now looking into some kick A** R/L mains. I can spend about $1700-$2000on the mains. I have had great experiences with Def Tech but I want to see what else is out there. I am more interested in music so I need these to sound great, but as I can save more money I do plan on going 6.1 or 7.1 So please recomend some great mains that fall within my budget. Thanks...

bring some material with you that you know well and use it to audition the speakers.

My recommendations are PSB's G1 tower or their ImageT65. PSB are phenomenal with imaging and soundstage, and produce life like mids.

Unfortunately I can't recommend their syncrhony bookshelves or Platinum bookshelves becuase they are 4 Ohm, low sensitivity speakers and neither Onkyo or Denon will be able to make em sing properly.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I almost fell out of my chair when i read this, but AV123 has their Rocket RS1000 signature speakers for $1399/pr (normally $2500). Their only catch is you need to buy at least 3 speakers. These are really high quality speakers for a very reasonable price! Just another option for you. Here's a Link. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Not bad for $700 per speaker. It has a built-in 350 watt amplifier for the 8" woofer. Frequency Response: 29 Hz to 20 KHz (± 3 dB). They look good.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would like to add the B&W CM7 towers. You might also like the Dali Ikon 5, Paradigm Studio 60, Monitor Audio GS20.

More info at a glance:
B&W CM7: 62Hz - 22kHz ±3dB on reference axis
Dali Ikon 5: 39Hz - 30kHz ±3dB on reference axis
Paradigm Studio 60: 46Hz - 22kHz ±2 dB on reference axis
Monitor Audio GS20: 47Hz - 20kHz ±3 dB on reference axis (HT Mag)
Focal JMLabs Chorus 816 V $1,000 ea: 47Hz - 28kHz ±3dB
PSB Platinum T6 $2,500 ea: 30Hz - 33kHz ±3dB
PSB G1 Tower $1,000 ea: 38Hz – 23kHz ±6dB
PSB Image T65 Tower $600 ea: 30-23,000 Hz ±3dB

Interesting the PSB Platinum T6 is 4 times the price of the Image T65, but the low frequency response is the same @ 30 Hz ±3dB. The G1 is almost twice the price of the T65, but the low freq resp of the G1 does not LOOK as good on paper.

So what does that mean? Specs don't mean much unless the speakers sound great. You think the T6 sounds 4 times better than the T65? Hmmm...

Okay, I will say again, specs don't mean much unless the speakers sound great to you.

 

[3db]

More info at a glance:
B&W CM7: 62Hz - 22kHz ±3dB on reference axis
Dali Ikon 5: 39Hz - 30kHz ±3dB on reference axis
Paradigm Studio 60: 46Hz - 22kHz ±2 dB on reference axis
Monitor Audio GS20: 47Hz - 20kHz ±3 dB on reference axis (HT Mag)
Focal JMLabs Chorus 816 V $1,000 ea: 47Hz - 28kHz ±3dB
PSB Platinum T6 $2,500 ea: 30Hz - 33kHz ±3dB
PSB G1 Tower $1,000 ea: 38Hz – 23kHz ±6dB
PSB Image T65 Tower $600 ea: 30-23,000 Hz ±3dB

Interesting the PSB Platinum T6 is 4 times the price of the Image T65, but the low frequency response is the same @ 30 Hz ±3dB. The G1 is almost twice the price of the T65, but the low freq resp of the G1 does not LOOK as good on paper.

So what does that mean? Specs don't mean much unless the speakers sound great. You think the T6 sounds 4 times better than the T65? Hmmm...

Okay, I will say again, specs don't mean much unless the speakers sound great to you.

Well I take all reviews with a grain of salt even though they are talking about my fav speaker manufacturer In the S&V review of the PSB Synchrony, they were looking for faults but could only come up with cosmetic one. That tells me they're a pretty awesome speaker. The review for the G1 in HT mag was very positive too, espcially for the soundstaging, mids and highs. I don't recall them mentioning bass so that omission may be a clue that they are not very strong in the bass dept.

Hooking up a Denon or Onkyo to the Platinum or Synchrony series would be a mistake. These speakers are very inefficient and require a very robust amp to drive them