Help choosing Front Speakers

[Sheep]

I don't own any yamaha speakers, I have Energy.

If you think about it, you could say yamaha makes electronics to back up their motor bikes and water craft. But, yamaha electronics are of good quality. Same with their Motorbikes/water craft. Kinda makes your point unvalid now. If you think of it that way of coarse.

What yamaha Models have your heard BTW? Just curious.

I know that you are trying to help the guy spend is money wisely, but Until there is some solid opinions on a product, you should not say that many harsh things about it, regardless of past performances.

SheepStar

 

[BMXTRIX]

Isn't Axiom Canadian based? I would definitely take a look at them as they ship them to your door free and give you a 30 day test drive to see how you like them. Good price for a good product.

www.axiomaudio.com

 

[Onabudgetguy]

Agree with Sheep

I don't want this to becom a thread of back and forth about the merits of company x vs. y or mass market vs. specialty speaker makers. But the 13thGryphon's comments seem to mirror other comments I have seen throughout this and other boards.

The Yamaha speakers you asked about Rocky are not some throw away line that comes in a box w/ yamaha's lower end electronics. They are part of their own line, one of quality speakers. They NS-777s retailed for about 300 or so each when they were new (not that price is an indication of quality). Yes the "piano" finish may be plastic (still not sure if it is or not, I have seen some people say it is), but they are nice looking, nice sounding speakers for a good price nowadays. I own them and cannot see how someone could say they couldn't stand listening to them for any length of time. GoldenEaritis runs rampant through these boards and I just think that is a snobbish comment. Yes, most of the low-end stuff you can pick up at the big boxes is crappily made and sounds the same. My rears were a pretty cheap pair picked up while in grad school, and for the time being are doing a decent job as rears. I don't use them much for music, but when watching a kick-butt action movie, they work to let me know something just flew by or something is sneaking up behind the hero.


As Sheep indicated, blanket statements do no good on either side.

So Rocky, go out, listen to what you can, stay within your budget, and welcome to the world of audio/visual entertainment. The speakers you mentioned in your initial question are all good choices, but hey, I wouldn't pass up the yamahas if you can get them in your budget (and maybe save a little for some silver speaker cables--you know those make all the difference)

 

[MacManNM]

I don't own any yamaha speakers, I have Energy.

If you think about it, you could say yamaha makes electronics to back up their motor bikes and water craft. But, yamaha electronics are of good quality. Same with their Motorbikes/water craft. Kinda makes your point unvalid now. If you think of it that way of coarse.

What yamaha Models have your heard BTW? Just curious.

I know that you are trying to help the guy spend is money wisely, but Until there is some solid opinions on a product, you should not say that many harsh things about it, regardless of past performances.

SheepStar

Sheep,
No one calls them motorbikes anymore! What, is this the english mystery hour?

 

[Takeereasy]

I've heard those Yammie speakers and they sounded just OK IMO. They look great, especially from a distance, until you remove the grill. The drivers looked really cheap to me and the bass is nothing special from two 8" woofers. I wouldn't buy those speakers for $400 a pair, maybe at $200. I will say this about Yamaha subs, the upper end models are pretty darn nice with deep bass and great looks, but they were pretty expensive at the place I saw them, not out of line, but still a little costly. For $500 a pair CDN look to Energy, especially because models are switching like someone already said. I own PSB and love them but I think you'd be looking at more than $600 after tax. Also check out some Athena floorstanders, The ASF-2.2 is a good speaker, fits right into your budget, and is made by the same company that makes mirage and energy.

You can pick up some high value used speakers on sites like canuckaudiomart or audiogon.

 

[The13thGryphon]

Glutton for Punishment

Okay, I know that I'm probably going to get blasted once again. But I went down to Best Buy this morning to listen to the new Yamaha speakers personally. I was there at 10:00 a.m. then the doors opened, and I spent over an hour listening to them.

Undoubtedly my comments will be seen as being biased. Certainly I will be accused of not really giving the Yamaha speakers a chance. So be it.

I heard the NS-777's and NS-555’s for myself. They didn’t have a pair of NS-7390’s. Both sets of speakers were hooked up to a Yamaha HTR-5990 receiver, and fed by a Yamaha DVS-5750 DVD/CD player. I don't know how good the disk player is, but the receiver looked like one of their upper end units. Not the very top, but a ways up their line.

I took along several disks that I am quite familiar with: Eric Clapton, Unplugged; Eagles, Hell Freezes Over; Nora Jones, Come Away With Me; Santana, Supernatural; and the Holly Cole Trio, Blame It On My Youth.

I'm sorry, but to my ears the speakers sound okay at best. They are thin in the lower bass, a tad muddy in the mid-bass, and harsh and glaring in the upper registers. The mid's are fairly nice, and overall I did manage to listen to them for more than just a few seconds.

However, I WOULD NOT spend my money on them. But that’s me… not necessarily any of you. I understand that. My preferences are not yours and visa-versa. Once again -- that's only one person's opinion. If you like them... great. If you think they sound good... cool. If you're happy with them it's no skin off my nose.

Rocky - don't let a cranky old cuss like me, who according to some has GoldenEaritis, talk you out of them if you like them. Don't even let me talk you out of listening to them. If you like them then I know you can get them at a very good price, and you'll have a few bucks left over for something else. All I’m suggesting is that you listen to some other, non mass-market speakers, prior to making a final decision. Personally, I know you can do better... but don't let me stop you from getting them if you’ve listened to other speakers and you like the Yammies. Or even if you've listened to other brands and you don't hear much of a difference.

In closing there is at least one thing that I can agree with Onabudgetguy about... go out and listen to them yourself. You are the one who will have to live with them; and only you can decide whether you like them, and whether you believe you got a great deal on them.

Whatever your decision, enjoy!

 

[Sheep]

Okay, I know that I'm probably going to get blasted once again. But I went down to Best Buy this morning to listen to the new Yamaha speakers personally. I was there at 10:00 a.m. then the doors opened, and I spent over an hour listening to them.

Undoubtedly my comments will be seen as being biased. Certainly I will be accused of not really giving the Yamaha speakers a chance. So be it.

I heard the NS-777's and NS-555’s for myself. They didn’t have a pair of NS-7390’s. Both sets of speakers were hooked up to a Yamaha HTR-5990 receiver, and fed by a Yamaha DVS-5750 DVD/CD player. I don't know how good the disk player is, but the receiver looked like one of their upper end units. Not the very top, but a ways up their line.

I took along several disks that I am quite familiar with: Eric Clapton, Unplugged; Eagles, Hell Freezes Over; Nora Jones, Come Away With Me; Santana, Supernatural; and the Holly Cole Trio, Blame It On My Youth.

I'm sorry, but to my ears the speakers sound okay at best. They are thin in the lower bass, a tad muddy in the mid-bass, and harsh and glaring in the upper registers. The mid's are fairly nice, and overall I did manage to listen to them for more than just a few seconds.

However, I WOULD NOT spend my money on them. But that’s me… not necessarily any of you. I understand that. My preferences are not yours and visa-versa. Once again -- that's only one person's opinion. If you like them... great. If you think they sound good... cool. If you're happy with them it's no skin off my nose.

Rocky - don't let a cranky old cuss like me, who according to some has GoldenEaritis, talk you out of them if you like them. Don't even let me talk you out of listening to them. If you like them then I know you can get them at a very good price, and you'll have a few bucks left over for something else. All I’m suggesting is that you listen to some other, non mass-market speakers, prior to making a final decision. Personally, I know you can do better... but don't let me stop you from getting them if you’ve listened to other speakers and you like the Yammies. Or even if you've listened to other brands and you don't hear much of a difference.

In closing there is at least one thing that I can agree with Onabudgetguy about... go out and listen to them yourself. You are the one who will have to live with them; and only you can decide whether you like them, and whether you believe you got a great deal on them.

Whatever your decision, enjoy!

Good stuff.

I have never been able to listen to them, I can't find any neer me. Anyone heard the HX line?

SheepStar

 

[zumbo]

I have thought about coming in here, and maybe I shouldn't, but here I am. Yamaha speakers suck. Sorry, I know thats a bad word. But, they do. I am not too crazy about their motorbikes either. They do, however, make great musical instruments and electronics. In order of cost, I would say Athena(best budget), Energy(best mid-fi), and Polk(upper end models). But, thats just me.

 

[Rocky]

I went into my local audio store, and demoed everything from PSB to Quest audio, energy, infinity and JBL inbetween. I settled on a set of Sinclair SB2600T which are made by the same company as infinity and JBL, Erikson audio. They compared very closely to the PSB Image T-45's which I was seriously considering. I got a very favourable price as well, They were going for 699, and 599 at some places for boxing day. I got them for $350, all prices funds in canadian dollars. I also received my Polk audio R-15 rears, and CSi25 center. This system is kickin. Pictures to come soon. For a highschool kid I'd have to say I've done pretty well for myself. What do you guys think?

 

[zumbo]

They look good. You say they sound good. I say superb job.
http://www.sinclairaudio.com/products/brighton_sb2600t.html

 

[Sheep]

I went into my local audio store, and demoed everything from PSB to Quest audio, energy, infinity and JBL inbetween. I settled on a set of Sinclair SB2600T which are made by the same company as infinity and JBL, Erikson audio. They compared very closely to the PSB Image T-45's which I was seriously considering. I got a very favourable price as well, They were going for 699, and 599 at some places for boxing day. I got them for $350, all prices funds in canadian dollars. I also received my Polk audio R-15 rears, and CSi25 center. This system is kickin. Pictures to come soon. For a highschool kid I'd have to say I've done pretty well for myself. What do you guys think?

I know someone who was looking at those speakers. Good to see they worked out for you.

I am also a highschool kid (well, just graduated).

SheepStar

 

[bsodmike]

Hello!

I've got the B&W DM602 S3s for my fronts and 601 S3s as my surrounds. What do you guys think of these? I'm thinking of shifting the 602s to the surround position, 601s to the rear surrounds (7.1 config) and getting better fronts later on. Any comments?

--Mike

 

[shokhead]

Hello!

I've got the B&W DM602 S3s for my fronts and 601 S3s as my surrounds. What do you guys think of these? I'm thinking of shifting the 602s to the surround position, 601s to the rear surrounds (7.1 config) and getting better fronts later on. Any comments?

--Mike

I have 601's for my surrounds and for multi-channal music,i kinds wish i had gone one more up to the 602's so 603's for mains and 602's for surrounds and 601's in the rear should sound pretty dang good along with a big center and a nice sub,your houses on either side of you will love you.

 

[scotty11]

as was mentioned Axiom may be a good choice.

they are in canada and the shipping is free

30 day trial at no cost other then return shipping which for fronts would be less then 20 bucks for the M50's

i should have my axioms by tuesday(M60) and ill post my thoughts on them soon after setting them up.

 

[The13thGryphon]

Congratulations!

Way to go Rocky. I'm pleased that you found something you like; and for a very reasonable price as well.

I also got a kick out of the fact that you chose speakers with soft dome tweeters. I happen to be a big fan of soft dome tweeters. To my ears they sound much more musical and smooth than metal domes. Enjoy the music!


P.S. Just saw this review of the Brighton series home theater speakers by Sinclair Audio. Thought you might get a kick out of it as it features the same family of speakers that you purchased.
http://www.torontohifi.com/review22.php

 

[shokhead]

Way to go Rocky. I'm pleased that you found something you like; and for a very reasonable price as well.

I also got a kick out of the fact that you chose speakers with soft dome tweeters. I happen to be a big fan of soft dome tweeters. To my ears they sound much more musical and smooth than metal domes. Enjoy the music!


P.S. Just saw this review of the Brighton series home theater speakers by Sinclair Audio. Thought you might get a kick out of it as it features the same family of speakers that you purchased.
http://www.torontohifi.com/review22.php

What are some other soft dome speakers?

 

[The13thGryphon]

Soft dome speakers are typically made out of doped silk, though there are newer fabric and polymer dome tweeters available as well.

Some of the brands that I've listened to that utilize soft dome tweeters are: Vienna Acoustics, Sonas Faber, Soliloquy, Acoustic Energy (Aegis line), Quad, Snell, Mission, Joseph Audio, Polk, Dali, and Dynaudio (Audience line) to name a few off the top of my head.

Others will disagree, but I find the sound of the vast majority of metal dome tweeters to be harsh and grating. They may sound impressive initially, but try listening to them for a few hours. If you grow fatigued, it may just be the tweeter that is causing it.

In my experience aluminum dome tweeters are often the more listenable of the metal domes. Other (harder) metals seem to be difficult to tame (again, in my opinion), and are usually only listenable on mondo-expensive products. Therefore, not being a millionaire, I've always gravitated toward fabric domes (another name for soft dome).

Hope that's helpful.

 

[shokhead]

Interesting,i'm throwing around the idea of selling off my B&W's and getting 4 RTi6's and a CSi5.