floor standing or bookshelf for H.T.?

[photoeye]

Hi,

I am curious as to your thoughts
on speaker preference for home theater.

Would you rather have floor standing or
bookshelf speakers for the fronts?

Ideally would you want floor standers
set to Large or bookshelf's set to small.
Both of course would use a subwoofer.

Any advantages of one or the other. I hear
bookshelf's will always produce a better image.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[Sheep]

Hi,

I am curious as to your thoughts
on speaker preference for home theater.

Would you rather have floor standing or
bookshelf speakers for the fronts?

Ideally would you want floor standers
set to Large or bookshelf's set to small.
Both of course would use a subwoofer.

Any advantages of one or the other. I hear
bookshelf's will always produce a better image.

Thanks for your comments!

I use Bookshelfs simply because I like how they blend with a subwoofer. I had towers and felt there was always to much overlap.

Also, Just because a speaker is a tower does not mean you would set it to large. A large speaker should reach 20hz at -3dB. If it can't I would set it to small and cross it out around 60hz or so, depending on your personal tastes.

SheepStar

 

[Jack Hammer]

Hi,

I am curious as to your thoughts
on speaker preference for home theater.

Would you rather have floor standing or
bookshelf speakers for the fronts?

Ideally would you want floor standers
set to Large or bookshelf's set to small.
Both of course would use a subwoofer.

Any advantages of one or the other. I hear
bookshelf's will always produce a better image.

Thanks for your comments!

Bookshelves were designed to be used with a subwoofer. They offer more options for placement due to their size, that doesn't mean they are better or worse. I don't believe one style will always produce better imaging, I think it depends more on the speaker design, quality, placement, and setup.

I've heard both floorstanding and bookshelf HT systems that were very impressive. Again, it depends on what you use and how you set it up.

You may want to post the different speakers you are considering and what you will be powering them with and your room size where they will be used. Many here will be able to help you decide for youself what may be better for your particular setup.

Jack

 

[photoeye]

Thanks for your replies. I guess my question is pretty subjective.

I understand speakers are purchased on budget, size of the room, cosmetics,etc...

One example would be a pair of Energy Veritias 2.2 bookshelf's vs. the 2.3i or 2.4i towers. But this could really go for any brand. I guess it comes down to wanting more bass and the size limitation of the room. Ultimately how it sounds but one really does know for sure until they are purchased and set up.

 

[Sheep]

Thanks for your replies. I guess my question is pretty subjective.

I understand speakers are purchased on budget, size of the room, cosmetics,etc...

One example would be a pair of Energy Veritias 2.2 bookshelf's vs. the 2.3i or 2.4i towers. But this could really go for any brand. I guess it comes down to wanting more bass and the size limitation of the room. Ultimately how it sounds but one really does know for sure until they are purchased and set up.

I fine example.

Towers CAN also be a little louder, and handle more power.

SheepStar

 

[Nick250]

My suggestion, if you have not already done so is to audition as many speakers as you can, both bookshelves and floor standers. The more you listen the better your understanding of speakers and the big picture. Not to mention you will have a frame of reference for discussions here with other members.

Nick

 

[Sounds Good]

personally i would get floor standing speakers, i currantly have a set of Energy Take 5.1 system.. dont get me wrong... i love it, i use it for movies, music, and 5.1 A-DVDs

but ive found there are limits to the small satilites... i dont evan know how the stack up to a bookshelf either...

but i am going floorstanding next for sure... just for the vast range.... and it would be nice to have a floorstander with a unpowerd woofer in it, some music i dont really like the boomy bass....

good luck with what ever you do..

 

[Sheep]

personally i would get floor standing speakers, i currantly have a set of Energy Take 5.1 system.. dont get me wrong... i love it, i use it for movies, music, and 5.1 A-DVDs

but ive found there are limits to the small satilites... i dont evan know how the stack up to a bookshelf either...

but i am going floorstanding next for sure... just for the vast range.... and it would be nice to have a floorstander with a unpowerd woofer in it, some music i dont really like the boomy bass....

good luck with what ever you do..

Just to note, the Take Sats are VERY bass shy. A normal bookshelf is walk circles around on as far as full sound goes.

SheepStar

 

[billnchristy]

I have a full, knock em out tower system downstairs and a more laidback bookshelf system upstairs.

Both deliver WOW, but the downstairs system cost about twice as much. If you bought equal speakers, ie same line just one bookshelf and one tower I think you would recieve similar results. If you are placing them on stands you really might as well go with towers because youre doing the same thing.

 

[stevenassco]

I am in the same dilemma that you are in - I am upgrading my 5.1 system and also are debating between bookshelf VS. floorstanders

I am leaning toward bookshelfs right now due mainly due to the cost vs. performance ratio. The sub is going to be doing most, if not all of your very low Hz HT and music work (although I am not sure in "pure direct" or pre/pro if the sub is used during music as I have neither?).

You will be able to purchase better quality bookshelves as a result. For example you could get Paradigm Studio Reference bookshelf instead of a Pardigm Monitor Floorstander - the studio's being clearly the better speaker.

What size is the room going in? M&K, Paradigm, Acsend, B&W, Canton, Monitor, Snell all make really good bookshelf size speakers that will sound IMO better in a room that is anything but huge for HT, and comparable for music to a floorstander. I have heard some M&K small speakers in a 400sq ft room with a sub and they were still incredible!!!!

 

[photoeye]

Thanks to all. I got a pair of used Energy Veritas 2.2's. They produce plenty of bass for their size. very power hungry though.

I'm in aprox. 12'x12' room. is this considered small or medium?
I tried to do a search on small, medium, large rooms for h.t. but did not see any guidelines. what's considered small,medium,etc...?

I think full towers are the way to go but money and size of room is what limits some of us.

 

[shokhead]

What do you call plenty of bass?

 

[Wafflesomd]

The right amount of bass that sounds good to him.

 

[shokhead]

The right amount of bass that sounds good to him.

So he might not need a sub or even a pair of bookshelfs of more then 100 bucks apair.

 

[billy p]

Thanks to all. I got a pair of used Energy Veritas 2.2's. They produce plenty of bass for their size. very power hungry though.

I'm in aprox. 12'x12' room. is this considered small or medium?
I tried to do a search on small, medium, large rooms for h.t. but did not see any guidelines. what's considered small,medium,etc...?

I think full towers are the way to go but money and size of room is what limits some of us.

Very good fronts such as yours powered with the right amp should fill your room with ease. Most if not all bookshelfs need a sub for H/T. Your room I'd consider as small. Subs are rated (imo) to fill a cubic area LXWXH your looking at 1500 cubic feet the veritas should do the trick because any 10" or 12" sub would be overkill. Although overkill is fine as long as you live in a single home dwelling.

Damn nice choice in speaker!!!!

 

[Sheep]

So he might not need a sub or even a pair of bookshelfs of more then 100 bucks apair.

Yeah... The only thing is those speakers are about 2 grand a pair where I live.

That is a small room, but having a subwoofer is never overkill. You can turn it down. In todays world, overkill is just headroom.

Those speakers are plenty good for what you're going to use them for, however a matching set will cost you a pretty penny.

SheepStar

 

[photoeye]

I have a full, knock em out tower system downstairs and a more laidback bookshelf system upstairs.

Both deliver WOW, but the downstairs system cost about twice as much. If you bought equal speakers, ie same line just one bookshelf and one tower I think you would recieve similar results. If you are placing them on stands you really might as well go with towers because youre doing the same thing.

when you use full towers, do you set the receiver settings to Large?
This probably depends on the receiver, or by default the LFE will only
work when speakers are set to small, you can't have both(?)

or would you set it to small and change cross over freq. from default 80hz to the limit of your towers?

 

[Sheep]

when you use full towers, do you set the receiver settings to Large?
This probably depends on the receiver, or by default the LFE will only
work when speakers are set to small, you can't have both(?)

or would you set it to small and change cross over freq. from default 80hz to the limit of your towers?

You can set the bass on most reciever to fronts, sub, or both. I don't recommend both or fronts unless your fronts can ACTUALLY play deep. Like, 20hz -3dB deep. If not, cut the towers at 60Hz, or whatever sounds right, and let the sub take over from there.

SheepStar

 

[xboxweasel]

when you use full towers, do you set the receiver settings to Large?

I played around for a bit....and I prefer listening to CD's in a 2.0 configuration with my towers set to large. They go low enough to sound just right.

However, in a movie application I revert back to 5.1. No tower can match the performance of a powered sub. Well, maybe a $2500 set of towers can match a $200 sub. You know what I mean. Keeping things within the same ball park....you need a sub to get the shakes.

With my Yamaha receiver I can set the bass out to the sub or the fronts or both. If I go with fronts or both, then the fronts are set to large by default. Small and 80Hz is a good setting to start with. It depends on your speakers and amps/receiver. I look at all my speakers. My surrounds only go to 80Hz (+/-3dB), so I set my crossover to 80Hz. My towers and centre go lower though.

 

[billnchristy]

With HT they are set to small, crossed over to 60hz.

For music they run straight 2.0, no sub. The 760s play into the 30s and do it very well, they can even play miami booty bass with no issues.

I found that the subsonic stuff really hurt on HT so the LFE Xover was necessary.