EMP impression...right for me?

[RPinney]

Hi there,

I'm a bit new to the audio scene, but I've been doing TONS of research and trying to learn as much as I can. At first I wanted a home theater in a box (lol), good thing I came to my senses. Finally I stumbled upon this website (through AVS forums) and I'm glad I did. I am basically looking for a quality system for home theater usage in my bedroom (roughly 17' x 12'. I came to the conclusion that a 3.1 setup was best for me considering my budget and the size of my room, which would allow for upgrades if I ever have the chance to transfer it to a bigger room. I was planning on buying the EMP Impression E5Ti Tower Speakers, along with the EMP Impression E5Ci Center Channel Speaker -- for a total cost of $575, pretty much the MAX I can spend if I were to buy a $325 receiver ($900 budget - almost as much as the 50" plasma I just bought!)

I have a few questions:

Will the EMP impressions be overpowering for my room?

Do I really have to place them 15" away from the wall? (that would look very strange with my setup)

Will these do fine without a subwoofer...for now?

and...This is a big one for me...what type of receiver will power these? I was looking at the Onkyo TX-SR507 -- it looks to be perfect for me -- but I need to know if it will be okay with these speakers. Receivers are very confusing to me, huge selection, but very vague on the differences. I chose the TX-SR507 because it has 4 HDMI inputs, HD audio decoding, and supports an iPod dock.


One last question. This one you might laugh at -- that's fine

How does this speaker system compare to the Polk Audio Monitor series? (ie Polk Audio Monitor 50/60/70, Polk Audio CS1/CS2) They are very cheap on newegg, and if it is a minimal difference, I'd rather take the cash in my pocket for more important things. I can save about $300 if I were to go with Polk's front / center speakers rather than the Impressions - a MASSIVE (over 50%) difference considering my budget -- that would also allow for a subwoofer with room to spare, or a better receiver.

Or...maybe a better question is, what are some good front towers + centers for $300-400 combined? (anything higher and I assume the impressions are just going to crush the price/performance ratio)

Keep in mind I am NOT an audiophile or anything close to it, but the most important thing to me would be home theater performance - if the Polk's will do me fine for home theater performance (iPod / song performance - doesn't matter) then please don't hesitate to say so. Then again, the impressions seem like a much better choice in that they are more future-proof than anything else at a similar price point.

 

[RPinney]

For some reason I can't edit the original post anymore (edit limit?)

Anyways...

What I'm actually most interested in is how do the Impressions compare to the equally priced Polk Audio Monitor 70s / Polk Audio CS2 or CS20?

I'm pretty convinced on spending $600 combined for front left/rights and a center, so I just want to know where is the best place to put my money.

 

[zvardanian]

Rather than stretching your budget, it would probably do you better to save a little longer. It's just a thought.

If you really want to start, go with a 2.1 setup first then build around it. Take a look at bookshelf speakers rather than towers.

Edited: For HT, you really need a sub. Towers will not be sufficient. If you could spend 1000, you could have a very decent 2.1 setup.

 

[RPinney]

Rather than stretching your budget, it would probably do you better to save a little longer. It's just a thought.

If you really want to start, go with a 2.1 setup first then build around it. Take a look at bookshelf speakers rather than towers.

Edited: For HT, you really need a sub. Towers will not be sufficient. If you could spend 1000, you could have a very decent 2.1 setup.

I'm just worried that the deal on the impressions will end soon

 

[Boerd]

I'm just worried that the deal on the impressions will end soon

Please don't worry !!! "They" always say "This is the best deal, etc"
Been around for awhile - the deals only get BETTER, believe me. Take your time and save a bit more, buy something you're not going to upgrade 2 years down the road (and yes I did suffer from Upgradatis myself ...)
Find some good monitors and you do need a sub.

 

[griffinconst]

I have a couple questions for you. Do you want tower speakers in your bedroom? If you got bookshelf speakers, would you need stands?

 

[RPinney]

It would be for my bedroom (about 16' x 16'). I would prefer towers rather than bookshelfs+stand

 

[DJ in TX]

If you are willing to give the bookshelf + sub configuration a try, then I would easily recommend the Paradigm Atoms ($299/pair) for the bookshelves. I just auditioned these over the weekend, and they pack amazingly rich sound for bookshelves (not to mention all the good reviews they have received). I will be picking up a pair myself very soon.

In case it is helpful, I am not an audiophile either and am just starting my system. For my needs and budget, I will be running these by themselves with no sub or surrounds of any kind, as they do a great job. I may decide to add a sub at some point, but I don't feel that it is a mandatory expense at this point.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!

 

[zvardanian]

If you are going to run towers, you'll probably want more power then the onkyo 507 can give, especially with most/all channels running.

 

[m_vanmeter]

towers do not inherently use, or need, more power than bookshelf speakers. Each speaker has a sensitivity rating measured by the manufacturer and that rating is a better gauge of how efficient a speaker will use power from the receiver or amplifier. The higher the rating, 90dB or better, is a good indication the speaker will efficiently use the power available from a modestly priced a/v receiver.

 

[RPinney]

thanks good to know, appreciate it

 

[zvardanian]

"towers do not inherently use, or need, more power than bookshelf speakers. Each speaker has a sensitivity rating measured by the manufacturer and that rating is a better gauge of how efficient a speaker will use power from the receiver or amplifier. The higher the rating, 90dB or better, is a good indication the speaker will efficiently use the power available from a modestly priced a/v receiver."

Not inherently, but commonly, yes. Just because you have "enough" power going to a speaker doesn't mean it will sound good with that amplification.

 

[picture_shooter]

I'm just worried that the deal on the impressions will end soon

Stop the impulsive buying, it's a buyers market.

 

[picture_shooter]

I really, really likes the PSB B25's and in the 16x16 room. It will rock it! I promise!!

 

[Aztec]

almost in the same...

I'm in the same decision/price point as you! I'm also considering the yamaha NS-777, something that is very rare is that there seem to be no pro reviews of the polk monitor 70 anywhere! anyone knows really how good these are?

 

[RPinney]

I'm in the same decision/price point as you! I'm also considering the yamaha NS-777, something that is very rare is that there seem to be no pro reviews of the polk monitor 70 anywhere! anyone knows really how good these are?

I read the NS-777 were great speakers too. I think in this price range it really comes down to personal preference...which I have no preference to my knowledge because I am new to the speaker world. Thus, my preference is aesthetics which I may and up getting the EMPs because I am not picky when it comes to the sound and they might be great anyways.