Getting Back In

[Cmd Cheyd]

Been out of the game for nearly 15 years ever since my wife and I met. Got some spending money and the wife is letting me build up a home theater again. I was just wanting some gear recommendations... I know it will require some room photos, but I need to get my 5 posts in first before I can post them. So, here's post #1.

Objectives: Good quality sound overall, excellent low-end, primary use will be TV/Movies

Challenges: Cats (They used to love charging at full speed up my old speakers and perching. I'm thinking in-walls.); Odd room shape (36ft x 16ft x 9ft; TV is on the 36' wall, couch is against opposite wall.)

Gear Already Purchased:
TV: Samsung UN46C6900 46" LED-LCD
Source: XBox 360
Source: Wii
Source: Sony NSZ-GT1 GoogleTV / Blu-Ray Player
Source: Dish Network DuoDVR VIP-722

Gear Being Considered:
Receiver: Denon AVR-3312
Front Speakers: Axiom Audio M22 In/On Walls
Center Channel: Axiom Audio VP150 In/On Walls
Rear Channels: Axiom Audio M3 In-Walls (Mounted in Ceiling down-firing at primary listening positions)
Subwoofer: TC Sounds Axis 15Q1 in home-build enclosure
Sub Amp: Behringer EP-2500
X-Over: MiniDSP

My personal concerns are over the exact size enclosure the sub will require, and whether the fronts will have a low enough range to pick up adequately from the sub. I'd love to hear from you guys as to suggestions for better gear choices...

 

[j_garcia]

In-walls typically don't have good enough extension to blend well with a sub, and in-walls are almost always a compromise at best if great sound is what you are after. Even the larger M22 On walls only go to 70Hz, which is just borderline what I would consider OK for a good blend to a sub. Something in the 50-60Hz range would be preferred from a bookshelf speaker IMHO, and the bookshelf version of them can do 60Hz. Have you heard the Axioms before? They are very good speakers, but they are also on the brighter side, so your listening preferences should be considered as well. If you like brighter speakers, then you won't have an issue with them IMO.

With the couch against the wall, you are already compromising the sound, and that is a fairly large room. It almost seems like a bit too much sub for the rest of the speakers, not that there is such a thing as too much sub, but I would probably look at the bookshelf M22s and the normal VP150 as well, vs in-wall for the fronts. For surrounds, in-wall/on wall is fine as they are less critical and since this is for primarily movies, it should work well.

 

[Cmd Cheyd]

Is there another set of in-walls (Under $1K/pr) that you'd suggest possibly? I might be able to get bookshelf or floor-standing speakers through, but the WAF may be pretty low.

I can try moving the couch out from the wall some, but it wouldn't be a huge distance.

 

[Seth=L]

Cats: the formidable 2nd greatest enemy of speakers.

Guess what the greatest enemy of speakers is...

 

[dkane360]

Guess what the greatest enemy of speakers is...

Either drunk college kids or just kids

 

[Cmd Cheyd]

Either drunk college kids or just kids

Oh, I have those two... Two daughters, 11 and 13.

Good news, talked it over with the wife, and the WAF for bookshelves or even floor-standing is a lot higher than I expected.

So... Much larger range of options now:
$1000 for sub
$1500 for Mains / Center / Rear
Or I go $1500 on Mains, and save up for center / rears as money allows.

 

[dkane360]

Oh, I have those two... Two daughters, 11 and 13.

Good news, talked it over with the wife, and the WAF for bookshelves or even floor-standing is a lot higher than I expected.

So... Much larger range of options now:
$1000 for sub
$1500 for Mains / Center / Rear
Or I go $1500 on Mains, and save up for center / rears as money allows.

I would go 1500 on mains or 1500 on mains and center. IMO, higher quality speakers you'll keep a lot longer. I wish I had done that when I was buying equipment.

 

[j_garcia]

I would go 1500 on mains or 1500 on mains and center. IMO, higher quality speakers you'll keep a lot longer. I wish I had done that when I was buying equipment.

100% agreement there. You won't regret it in the long run.

Me personally, I felt the Ascend Acoustics CMT-340SE was a better speaker than the M22 and worth the difference in price. They also have an optional pedestal that can make them look like a tower.

 

[AVRat]

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PBIMT5&variation=EACHE
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PBIMC5&variation=CHE
http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Intimus-6-IC-In-Ceiling-Speaker,223,31,699.aspx

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/fv15.html
http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/empire.html
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-15h.html

 

[Cmd Cheyd]

I said I'd post photos. I lied. How about a Visio mock-up of the space? Clicking on the thumbnail will give you a MUCH larger copy of the image. It's not 100% accurate, but certainly close enough for the purposes here.

As you can see, the TV is on the wall opposite the couch. It is an open concept space, so there is a HUGE room volume (36' x 16' x 9' for the "living room" area). If there's anything additional I can post that would help, please let me know...

 

[Cmd Cheyd]

Did some speaker auditioning today.

PSB:
Unfortunately, the PSB dealer no longer has a showroom (shut down last summer due to sluggish economy) so I couldn't audition them. As he's the only dealer in the state, I have to wait till I travel to Texas or mark them off my list.

Klipsh:
Listened to the RF-82 II's. I liked them, but my wife found them too harsh. I didn't listen for excessively long so I don't know if they would have same effect on me over time.

Def Tech:
8020's - Boomy bass due to the on-board sub, even when the sub was turned down. Distracted too much from the rest of the music to give it much more consideration.

Martin Logans:
I forget the model, but I liked them a great deal. Again, my wife found them to be harsh.

Energy:
Listened to the CF-70's and RC-70's - I didn't find them as detailed as the ML's, but wife liked them the most of any. And WAF is a big issue as we all know. And the local dealer is discontinuing Energy, so they're closing them out at 50% off (RC-70's @ $1k/pr). I need to verify the model numbers against web prices still to make sure it's not a "mark up by X so we can discount by Y" deal, but still, without being able to compare the PSB's, I think this is where I"m likely to end up.

 

[AVRat]

The Energy RCs are a good option, they originally went for about $2K/pr. Make sure you can get the RC-LCR for the center.