Feedback Requested

[Fedaykin]

So I'm upgrading my 5.1 system. I won't bother saying what I currently have -- it'd just be embarrassing (hint: I was only able to find the specs by looking at archived catalogs from defunct companies!)

Anyway, I've already bought a receiver:

* Yamaha Adventage RX-A800 (7.2)
* 95Wx7
* 2x sub outs
* Lots of extra features I'm not using right away


Now I'm looking at the following speakers:

Front:

* Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II
* 4x 6.5" drivers
* 1" tweeter
* 30Hz-25kHz / 90db / 8oh
* 20-275W suggested

Center:

* Polk Audio CS2 Series II
* 6.5" driver + 1" tweeter
* 50Hz-25kHz / 90db / 8oh
* 20-175W suggested

Surrounds:

* Polk Audio OWM3
* 1 4.5" cone + 1 1" tweeter
* 80Hz-25KHz / 89db / 8oh
* 20-100W suggested

Sub:

* Polk Audio DSWPRO 660wi 12" Wireless Ready Subwoofer
* 12" down firing
* 20-160Hz
* 500W RMS 1000 peak

(You'll note my theme is purchasing last years/discontinued gear so I get it at 40-60% off, yay!)


This is a system for a great room that's about 35'L x 18'W x 18'H and will be used about 60/40 for music/movies. In sound tests I've found I like Klipsh speakers better than Polk, but not enough to drop 2-3x the $$$. That said if anyone knows of any good deals (I can get all of the above for $900 currently) >.>

Primarily I'm wondering if I should upgrade the surrounds and if the sub is too much and/or if I should go with a 2 sub setup with two smaller subs instead. Anyway, any feedback would be good, though I understand it's a very subjective thing.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Welcome, Fedaykin!

Speakers are subjective...You like what you like and don't let someone else tell you different. There have been studies that can predict what something like 80 percent of people will prefer in a speaker but what about the other twenty percent? (ruff percentages from a not so great memory) If you like them that's all that matters. I would suggest getting out to as many AV stores as possible with a CD of very familiar music so you get a good base line for what kind of sound you like. Then report back and let the brethren here point out similar brands and help look for deals.

The sub is probably the week link there. Polk is not known for there subs.

 

[lsiberian]

So I'm upgrading my 5.1 system. I won't bother saying what I currently have -- it'd just be embarrassing (hint: I was only able to find the specs by looking at archived catalogs from defunct companies!)

Anyway, I've already bought a receiver:

* Yamaha Adventage RX-A800 (7.2)
* 95Wx7
* 2x sub outs
* Lots of extra features I'm not using right away


Now I'm looking at the following speakers:

Front:

* Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II
* 4x 6.5" drivers
* 1" tweeter
* 30Hz-25kHz / 90db / 8oh
* 20-275W suggested

Center:

* Polk Audio CS2 Series II
* 6.5" driver + 1" tweeter
* 50Hz-25kHz / 90db / 8oh
* 20-175W suggested

Surrounds:

* Polk Audio OWM3
* 1 4.5" cone + 1 1" tweeter
* 80Hz-25KHz / 89db / 8oh
* 20-100W suggested

Sub:

* Polk Audio DSWPRO 660wi 12" Wireless Ready Subwoofer
* 12" down firing
* 20-160Hz
* 500W RMS 1000 peak

(You'll note my theme is purchasing last years/discontinued gear so I get it at 40-60% off, yay!)


This is a system for a great room that's about 35'L x 18'W x 18'H and will be used about 60/40 for music/movies. In sound tests I've found I like Klipsh speakers better than Polk, but not enough to drop 2-3x the $$$. That said if anyone knows of any good deals (I can get all of the above for $900 currently) >.>

Primarily I'm wondering if I should upgrade the surrounds and if the sub is too much and/or if I should go with a 2 sub setup with two smaller subs instead. Anyway, any feedback would be good, though I understand it's a very subjective thing.

I recommend

Front:

* Infinity Primus p362(better speaker overall their drivers have lower distortion than the polks.

Center:
Primus

Surrounds:
Use old speakers this need not be a full range huge speaker.

Sub:
2x Dayton Sub 120s (big step up from the Polk IMO. ) Put extra budget here if you have some. Let me know how much you can put here with the speakers above. at 300

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk3.html at 500

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-sb12nsd.cfm at 680

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/empire.html at 800


If you can go higher let us know.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

forget anything polk, especially their really bad subs.
4x Infinity Primus P163 - $85 /ea
1x Infinity Primus PC261 center about $150
1x Rythmic FV12 sub - 500+ shipping
option b: HSU VTF-2 MK 3 - currently on sale for $509 + ship

 

[Cruise Missile]

+1 on the forget Polk recommendation.

This come with experience, check my home theater thread in my sign if you need proof.

I own the second from the top polks and can tell you they require a LOT of placement attention to tune the sound to a room. The center channel has given me fits since I got it. For your money there are better options.

Happy hunting, remember it's the journey not the destination!

 

[Fedaykin]

So based on two people suggesting the Primus' I spent all day looking for a place that I could sound demo _any_ infinity speakers. Alas, apparently I still live too far in the boonies! The local "specialty" shops were all stocked with Klipsh, BA, DT and pretty much everything but Infinity. The local best buy was also useless.

My gut tells me not to buy anything that I can't actually listen to, so I'll take this tact:

I'm willing to spend 350-500 (ea.) on the best quality fronts I can get. What might you suggest at that price range? Hopefully you can suggest something I can demo locally (or at least demo something similar from that manufacturer).

The upper end price assumes I keep the surrounds and centers I have right now -- they at least "work" so maybe I can defer replacing them for a while and invest more in replacing my poor, poor fronts (one of which has it's 10" creased from my wife putting her knee (accidentally) through it, ha!

As far as the subs recommended. Here's what I want out of a sub: I want to be able to toss my favorite "bass demo" music tracs at it and have it reproduce the tones reasonably well. The specific tracs I use are from a CD copy of groups similar to this:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ultimate-woofer-test-vol-1-r263974

(no, I don't listen to that for "fun" ha!)

Also, how important is it to get a sub that will do ~20Hz? Back in my more active "phile" days that was the "standard" of bass -- though perhaps incorrectly, ha!



Sorry for the lengthy post. >.>

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

So based on two people suggesting the Primus' I spent all day looking for a place that I could sound demo _any_ infinity speakers. Alas, apparently I still live too far in the boonies! The local "specialty" shops were all stocked with Klipsh, BA, DT and pretty much everything but Infinity. The local best buy was also useless.

My gut tells me not to buy anything that I can't actually listen to, so I'll take this tact:

I'm willing to spend 350-500 (ea.) on the best quality fronts I can get. What might you suggest at that price range? Hopefully you can suggest something I can demo locally (or at least demo something similar from that manufacturer).

The upper end price assumes I keep the surrounds and centers I have right now -- they at least "work" so maybe I can defer replacing them for a while and invest more in replacing my poor, poor fronts (one of which has it's 10" creased from my wife putting her knee (accidentally) through it, ha!

As far as the subs recommended. Here's what I want out of a sub: I want to be able to toss my favorite "bass demo" music tracs at it and have it reproduce the tones reasonably well. The specific tracs I use are from a CD copy of groups similar to this:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ultimate-woofer-test-vol-1-r263974

(no, I don't listen to that for "fun" ha!)

Also, how important is it to get a sub that will do ~20Hz? Back in my more active "phile" days that was the "standard" of bass -- though perhaps incorrectly, ha!



Sorry for the lengthy post. >.>

Your best Front for $300-550 range would be Primus P363 - about $200/ea
basically next to none, but if willing to go a bit higher I'd strongly rec CMT-340 Mains+Center.
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

Regarding sub - 20hz is where a lot of movies effect are - the subs I suggested above - are very solid choices - both of them.
If I were you today - I'd rather get smaller bookshelfs, than tower fronts and get one good sub..

 

[jonnythan]

My gut tells me not to buy anything that I can't actually listen to, so I'll take this tact:

Minor nitpick: it's "take this tack," not tact. Expression comes from sailing, where "tack" basically means the orientation the boat takes to the wind and hence the direction of sail.

 

[GranteedEV]

I'm willing to spend 350-500 (ea.) on the best quality fronts I can get.

Then Forget Polk or Klipsch

What might you suggest at that price range?

They're ever so slightly more but these:

http://www.accessories4less.com/index.php?page=search&search_query=Q900&x=0&y=0

Are what I would be looking at.

The measurements and reviews tell me they are very accurate, and pretty dynamic and to me that's what matters, not what has the most bass (which can be EQed if you really care so much about bass) or treble or any of the stuff that an audition might trick me into thinking. I just want accuracy. I have no clue what you want. Those KEFs are accurate, and have a narrow, consistent dispersion pattern making them very room-independent of how they sound, unlike some speakers that sound how they feel depending on the room.

The upper end price assumes I keep the surrounds and centers I have right now

The surrounds are probably fine but the center right now might now may need to be scrapped because it may not match (or it may, ya never know). Since centers aren't important, you can run a phantom center and barely know the difference. With narrow directivity speakers like the KEFs, you can have a wide stereo sweet spot by toeing them in IN FRONT of you.

As far as the subs recommended. Here's what I want out of a sub: I want to be able to toss my favorite "bass demo" music tracs at it and have it reproduce the tones reasonably well. The specific tracs I use are from a CD copy of groups similar to this:

If you want accurate bass, just picking a sub won't cut it. You're gonna want good bass traps, especially covering every inch of corner in the HT room. This will take care of the bass from 80hz to 200hz. Below 80hz you need more than one source of bass - multiple spaced subs rather than one.

Also, how important is it to get a sub that will do ~20Hz? Back in my more active "phile" days that was the "standard" of bass -- though perhaps incorrectly, ha!

That's up to you.

20hz is considered meaningful, because it's essentially the bottom limit of what we can hear. But I don't really consider it a "musical" frequency. There's content there in movies though. If you wanna chase all the content in a movie though, you probably want like eight equalized, sealed 18" woofers with 35mm+" of xmax, because there's movies can have infrasonic content down to 5hz even - content we can "perceive and feel as pressure but can't hear". Arguably, music doesn't have much content below 28hz at all. Low distortion is generally what I aim for.

If you really want a killer system, two or three of these:

http://funkywaves.net/catalog.cfm?item=fw_18_3

Might do the trick.

 

[Fedaykin]

Minor nitpick: it's "take this tack," not tact. Expression comes from sailing, where "tack" basically means the orientation the boat takes to the wind and hence the direction of sail.

I was actually just being lazy and not spelling out tactic =) However, good to know!