Help me spend 5k the right way. The tale of a suburban husband.

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uncola

Enthusiast
That's a great deal on the svs ultra towers. Anthem receivers are pretty expensive for what you get. Maybe check out a refurb marantz flagship receiver from accessories4less? Like 8012
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
He has a close out on the Anthem 1120 for $2,900.

The Anthem 1120 is enticing but I really want the new tech in there new line up. Thoughts?
The Anthem 1120 is not enticing at $2,900 not for the speakers you have and not for the speakers you're thinking of what a waste of money in my opinion

 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Well I have started my project in the basement. I have a lot going on moving everything around. Installing new wiring and lighting. I actually found a local dealer that sells everything I have been looking into. Actually the owner is a former customer of mine. Wish I knew he owned a audio store when I was pricing his work out. Anyway, he has a few interesting items.

He has a close out on the Anthem 1120 for $2,900.

He also has a pair of SVS Ultra towers that he used as a demo for $1,200 a pair. After some research I noticed Pogre you have some experience with these. I am not sure how they would work with my Mirage OMD 15s though. I was wondering if I could use the SVS for fronts and the omd 15s for rears. There is also the issue of my Mirage center. Those Ultras and possibly a PB 3000 should definitely help my large room fill with more bass. The Anthem 1120 is enticing but I really want the new tech in there new line up. Thoughts?
I think Anthem is overpriced for what you get. I'm still gonna say I think subwoofage is where your biggest opportunities lie. A PB3000 is a great start tho!

1200 for the Ultra Towers is a smoking deal if they're in good shape. I advertised mine for 1500 and sold them within a week of posting the ad. I'm a big fan of SVS' Ultra speakers, but looking at your current speakers I'm not real sure how they'll work together. Are you planning to use a Mirage center with the Ultra towers? I'd want the Ultra center or an Ultra bookshelf for my center if using the Ultra towers up front. Matching surround speakers is not as critical so I think that part if your plan would be fine. That said, great speakers. I loved mine and it took some pretty special speakers to get me to want to upgrade.

I've not heard anything from Mirage and it looks like they're not your typical speaker design so I'd expect the Ultras won't have the same type of dispersion pattern. They're more your traditional design with typical dispersion characteristics that come with it. Audition them closely to make sure you like them before you plunk your money down. Not that they're in any way bad speakers. They'll behave a little differently than the Mirages tho.
 
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AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
...About 11 years ago...I picked up a Yamaha RX-V2050...

...My original thought was to go blow 5 grand or so on the best pre amp and amp I could make fly. Like the Yamaha CX-A5200s pair. Then I started wondering if I really “need” that much hardware. So I started looking into the new Anthem MRX 740/1120.

Is it a bad idea to buy say the Anthem MRX740 then down the road buy an Anthem 3 channel amp?
Some people would get a one-box solution AVR, even if the AVR costs more than a pre-pro + amp combo.

Why did you think about getting the Yamaha CX-A5200 Pre-pro and MX-A5200 11Ch Amp?

Have you "always" wanted a pre-pro + amp, but just didn't buy them because of the cost?

Does it matter at all if it is an AVR or Pre-pro + Amp?

As others have said, the Anthem 1120 AVR alone is already $2,900 (close-out deal). So it's definitely not cost effective.

If you don't really want the pre-pro + amp, why not get an AVR like the Yamaha RX-A3080 or RX-A2080 or Denon X4700 or X6700 or Marantz equivalent?

Either way, talk to your dealers and see what kind of deals they have for a pre-pro + amp combo vs AVR.
 
R

RyanMN

Audioholic Intern
Thanks guys. I have been considering the real value of the Anthem series considering all the other things I could improve. The dealers store owner actually does need some contracting work done. So he is going to come check out my space and situation and give some recommendations. Then I'm going to look at his project. Hopefully I can work a deal.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Thanks guys. I have been considering the real value of the Anthem series considering all the other things I could improve. The dealers store owner actually does need some contracting work done. So he is going to come check out my space and situation and give some recommendations. Then I'm going to look at his project. Hopefully I can work a deal.

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He may or may not nudge you into some of the more expensive stuff, but my rule of thumb is speakers and subs first, then the electronics. Sufficient (or even a li'l more) power to drive your speakers and capable of handling 4 ohms is a good start. Most manufacturers like Denon, Marantz and Yamaha are producing good, mid tier receivers with transparent DACs in the 1k to 2k price range that are just as capable and sound great. Some equipment will measure better than others but when you realize they pretty much all fall outside the range of human hearing, those differences are so small as to be inaudible.

For speakers your most important ones are the front 3 and you really should timbre match those for a seamless blend. The effect channels don't see as much action and are pretty much just for, well, effects anyway. So going off brand there isn't too big a deal. The OMDs I'm not familiar with, and they have an interesting design with almost 360° dispersion. Reviews and comments seem mostly positive and they look nice. I'd like to give those a listen sometime.

As far as the Ultra Towers, they are well worth his asking price if they're in good shape. Very close to "jump on those!", but you're already pretty well started with Mirage. In your shoes I would only get the Ultras if you plan to also at least get the matching center or bookshelf to go with them, so I'd factor that into the price and plan to switch gears on the front stage altogether.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Thanks guys. I have been considering the real value of the Anthem series considering all the other things I could improve. The dealers store owner actually does need some contracting work done. So he is going to come check out my space and situation and give some recommendations. Then I'm going to look at his project. Hopefully I can work a deal.

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What I wanna know is. Are you really in MN? Lol
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Yep in the south metro of Saint Paul.
Yes, so am I. We are in Eagan off the Westcott Road. When this chaos of the virus is over we must get together. I will give you a demonstration of this.







The three racks are form Mid Atlantic.
 
R

RyanMN

Audioholic Intern
He may or may not nudge you into some of the more expensive stuff, but my rule of thumb is speakers and subs first, then the electronics. Sufficient (or even a li'l more) power to drive your speakers and capable of handling 4 ohms is a good start. Most manufacturers like Denon, Marantz and Yamaha are producing good, mid tier receivers with transparent DACs in the 1k to 2k price range that are just as capable and sound great. Some equipment will measure better than others but when you realize they pretty much all fall outside the range of human hearing, those differences are so small as to be inaudible.

For speakers your most important ones are the front 3 and you really should timbre match those for a seamless blend. The effect channels don't see as much action and are pretty much just for, well, effects anyway. So going off brand there isn't too big a deal. The OMDs I'm not familiar with, and they have an interesting design with almost 360° dispersion. Reviews and comments seem mostly positive and they look nice. I'd like to give those a listen sometime.

As far as the Ultra Towers, they are well worth his asking price if they're in good shape. Very close to "jump on those!", but you're already pretty well started with Mirage. In your shoes I would only get the Ultras if you plan to also at least get the matching center or bookshelf to go with them, so I'd factor that into the price and plan to switch gears on the front stage altogether.
Thanks for the advice. I think I have to listen to some new speakers including those Ultra's. My issue is you always listen to them in the showroom probably being run by some really nice equipment. After all the positive reviews I'm almost ready to just go pick them up and order the center channel. The Mirages sound good. Very wide sound stage. Very clear vocals and detail. I guess I could say they are good acoustic, or live performance speakers.. However it might be my lack of sub or power but to me they lack "ooomph." Especially for action movies.

I guess my main question regarding speakers first then electronics is how do I gauge how well my current speakers are performing with my current reciver a Yamaha RX-V2065

130 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD

Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD

Is it likely that a new 1-2k reciver will make these OMD's sound significantly better? Will a 5k investment in separates for that matter? Will the new Atmos tech make a big difference?

My debate is do I get 5k worth of separates, try them out with my old speakers, new subs, and new layout, then if not satisfied get speakers in a few months. Or will I be happy just to spend maybe 1k on a reciver and get speakers right away. I know these are questions that have been asked a thousand times, and I have done alot of reading. I'm mostly talking out loud so you understand where I am at.



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R

RyanMN

Audioholic Intern
Yes, so am I. We are in Eagan off the Westcott Road. When this chaos of the virus is over we must get together. I will give you a demonstration of this.







The three racks are form Mid Atlantic.
I grew up in Eagan. We do alot of work in that area. Im in AV off pilot knob and Diamond Path. That set up is ridiculously awesome. Congratulations. Has a real deal feel to it. Alot of home theaters I see these days where thrown together by some builder who knows less than me. I see a ton of them out in Lakeville. I'd love to check it out someday.

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jinjuku

jinjuku

Moderator
I would keep the AVR, the Mirage, and start off with better subs. I think your Mirage speakers are more than adequate given the room size.

HSU has a dual subwoofer package that is $2200 shipped. If you want a little more output on the bottom end there is Rythmik Audio FV15HP would be $3000 for two.

You could start out with a single sub and always add a second. Make sure to put the sub at your listening position and playing a test tone crawl the room. Where you perceive the loudest is where the sub is most likely going to be optimal.
 
R

RyanMN

Audioholic Intern
That's a great deal on the svs ultra towers. Anthem receivers are pretty expensive for what you get. Maybe check out a refurb marantz flagship receiver from accessories4less? Like 8012
Thanks for the recommendation. The price on that 8012 is hard to beat. Its my top contender at the moment. Leaving me room to improve my subs and speakers.
 
jinjuku

jinjuku

Moderator
Is it likely that a new 1-2k reciver will make these OMD's sound significantly better? Will a 5k investment in separates for that matter? Will the new Atmos tech make a big difference?
The OM-15's you have are 87dB efficient so the Yammy 2065 should be able to drive them plenty loud. The only thing that will make your OMD's sound significantly better are new speakers.

About the only thing I can critique the Yammy on is it's shortfall in the Room EQ department. It's an older AVR and I wouldn't spend more than $1k -$1.5K on a replacement.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
1. Finally the Onkyo went a little crazy one day and I proclaimed we should move the Yamaha upstairs and buy a new one for down stairs.

2. I feel like my system is lacking some punch and I don’t actively notice my surrounds producing that “what was that behind me” factor. I have toyed with the system a lot. Even buying some mics and trying to run programs that proved over my head and I got frustrated. That's why I was attracted to the Anthem series and their room correction tech.
I feel like my space is not ideal but I should be able to produce better results than I have.
Since your Onkyo needs to be replaced, you will need a new AVR.

You may need new speakers and subs. But have you tried these:

1. Increase the Speaker Channel Levels of your Surround speakers by +1.0, +2.0, +3.0dB so that you can hear more Surround sound effects?

Sometimes it’s just about increasing the speaker channel levels of certain speakers like the Center speaker for dialogue, surround speakers for surround effects, and Atmos ceiling speaker levels for the Atmos sound effects. The #1 complaint I’ve heard about Atmos is that people cannot HEAR anything from the ceiling or Atmos speakers. Sometimes we just need to increase the speaker channel levels.

2. Turn OFF YPAO and use Manual Parametric EQ in your Yamaha AVR?

Increase these 4 bands by +2.0 to +3.0dB, set Q=0.5.

Band#1 39.4Hz
Band#2 62.5Hz
Band#3 78.7Hz
Band#4 99.2Hz

May also increase your Subwoofer channel level by +3dB to +6dB per preference.

See if these manual adjustments help at all?
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Thanks for the recommendation. The price on that 8012 is hard to beat. Its my top contender at the moment. Leaving me room to improve my subs and speakers.
On that (speakers), having not heard them, what I'm seeing leads me to think the OMD-15's are right there with the Ultras. Meaning they're both probably going to have similar great performance with different strengths and weaknesses. IOW, likely more of a lateral move than a significant upgrade.
 
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DigitalDawn

DigitalDawn

Senior Audioholic
Yes, so am I. We are in Eagan off the Westcott Road. When this chaos of the virus is over we must get together. I will give you a demonstration of this.







The three racks are form Mid Atlantic.
You are in the same town as Capitol Sales. A great AV Distributor.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
On that (speakers), having not heard them, what I'm seeing leads me to think the OMD-15's are right there with the Ultras. Meaning they're both probably going to have similar great performance with different strengths and weaknesses. IOW, likely more of a lateral move than a significant upgrade.
I think the ultras would be able to go louder and stay linear and clean. From what I remember of hear Mirage speakers,(long time ago) they were very “wall of sound”, but also a little like bipole mains. Very different. I prefer a more traditional implementation, so I would recommend new speakers/subs with less focus on the AVR. I may have missed(should go back and read) but I’d be curious to what @RyanMN thinks about the mirage sound in general and if there’s a basis for comparison to other speakers. I’ll go read, and edit accordingly if I find that above.
Edit: ok so one thing was he’s missing midrange and punch. Imo the 5.5’s in the mains just can’t deliver that. Those and the super cube need to be the starting point.electronics won’t do anything for the mirages to “wake up” and change their sound.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I think the ultras would be able to go louder and stay linear and clean. From what I remember of hear Mirage speakers,(long time ago) they were very “wall of sound”, but also a little like bipole mains. Very different. I prefer a more traditional implementation, so I would recommend new speakers/subs with less focus on the AVR. I may have missed(should go back and read) but I’d be curious to what @RyanMN thinks about the mirage sound in general and if there’s a basis for comparison to other speakers. I’ll go read, and edit accordingly if I find that above.
Edit: ok so one thing was he’s missing midrange and punch. Imo the 5.5’s in the mains just can’t deliver that. Those and the super cube need to be the starting point.electronics won’t do anything for the mirages to “wake up” and change their sound.
He has a pair of Ultra Towers available to him for $1200. I was saying that's almost a "jump on those" price if they're in great shape, but he's got a start with Mirage, which I'm not at all familiar with. They look nice and seem to review fairly well so I'm not real sure if the Ultras will offer enough of an improvement to justify switching gears on the whole front end. If he likes the OMDs now he could put some more cash into subwoofage, and I know we both agree that's the biggest opportunity.

That said, yeah. I'm pretty sure the Ultras will have some more midrange punch and capable of higher spl without distorting. I've cranked mine pretty hard and never heard them misbehave like, ever. Even full range with some bass heavy material. They can handle a lot of power.
 
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