Help picking out "full range" stereo speakers. $600 Budget.

[tc21]

Hey guys,

While I have begun to nurture an ever-growing love of fidelity, I am no audiophile. So please excuse any ignorance that I may spout.

My dad recently gave me a Pioneer VSX-39TX receiver.
According to the specs:
7.1 Rated
120 rms wattage / channel
6ohm impedance

The receiver is no longer able to hook up to a TV as the video/monitor output is broken.
However, I intend to use the receiver solely for music; so this is not a problem.
The goal is a "full range system" with a HUGE emphasis on clarity, rather than decibel level.

I am open to either:

1) Two bookshelf speakers with a sub (sub most likely to be purchased at a later date, however suggestions are still very welcome)

2) Two towers with the ability to produce the lows that one would expect from a sub (would be willing to do $1000 for the pair, providing no external sub would be needed)

And, if possible, I would like the ability to upgrade the receiver and keep the speakers.

A question/concern I have:

Am I able to use 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers even though the 39TX is only rated at 6 ohms? (keeping in mind that I will never be driving past a 2 ch or 2.1 ch setup)


Bookshelf speakers that I am currently looking at

PSB Image B6's
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-HABHoUPDCDF/p_760IMGB6C/PSB-Image-B6-Dark-Cherry.html

Wharfedale Diamond 10.2
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15479-wharfedale-diamond-102-bookshelf-speaker-pr.aspx

I have not begun researching tower speakers yet, so suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[zhimbo]

Two things to ignore: VividTHUNDER guy, and the 6-ohm figure with your receiver. The receiver isn't "rated at" 6-ohms; rather, it's listed power rating is specified for a 6-ohm speaker. Don't worry about that. I think most people will recommend a bookshelf + sub arrangement for a <$1000 budget, certainly if one wants " the lows that one would expect from a sub". That kind of bass in a tower is expensive.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

You'd never get subwoofer level bass out of $1000/pr towers, not ever; but 2 bookshelves and sub are pretty easy do on your budget
How big is your room and is it open to other rooms spaces?
btw: Don't worry too much about matching speaker impedance 39TX Elite Series avr - at 2.5k retail price, I am sure Pioneer used very high quality components and many speakers which state NOMINAL impedance of 4 to 8 ohm can be far from truth - speaker impedance is not flat.

I'd recommend Ascend Acoustics bookshelfes and HSU subs

 

[tc21]

The size of the room is subject to vary... I am in a 10x10 college dorm room right now. However will be moving to a 15 x 15 to 20 x 20 room in the future. But never a "huge" room.


Also, I am much more into warm sounding speakers than dynamic sounding FYI.

 

[fuzz092888]

Also, I am much more into warm sounding speakers than dynamic sounding FYI.

So it would seem, by your description, that you have something in mind when describing this. What are "warm" speakers that you like, and what do you mean by "dynamic sounding"?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

No tower speakers under $60K will have bass like a great dedicated subwoofer - not the $30K KEF Blade, not the $25K B&W 800D2, not the $22K Revel Salon2.

Unless the towers have actual subs as part of the system.

For example, the RBH SX-T2 & SX-T3 "towers" use the actual RBH SX-1010 subs as part of the tower system.

The $50K RBH 8T tower use an actual RBH subwoofer w/ 3 x 10" woofers as part of the tower system.

Whether you get towers or monitors, you will want dedicated subs.

 

[tc21]

OK. After reading a few responses, I am going to scratch the prospect of getting dedicated towers.

And by "warm," I mean no brightness, very easy to listen to. I want to be able to hear all of the different parts of the song, clarity is key.
And by "dynamic," I mean I'd rather not have booming base and sharp highs.

That being said, still looking for suggestions as to a pair of bookshelves.

Looking at:

Wharfedale Diamond 10.2
PSB Image B6
Bowers and Wilkins 685

and MAYBE the Paradigm Studio 10's (although I am worried that the relatively small woofer size as compared to the Studio 20's, which are out of my range, will not be able to bridge the woofers and the mids) that and they are a bit outside my range so I would have to be really sold on them

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

have you heard B&W 685? -From what I heard it's hardly good example of what you are looking for.....
Don't limit yourself to B&M brands - Ascend are much better than most speakers 2-3 times the price

 

[Steve81]

A couple other bookshelf ideas to mate with a sub would be the NHT Absolute Zero ($440/pr) and KEF Q100 ($550/pr).

 

[bikemig]

With a $600 budget, you might want to think about blowing the budget on a good pair of bookshelf speakers and buy the sub later as funds permit. I really like the PSB B-6 speakers but that is most of the OP's budget. Or you could go for a 2.1 set up from an internet direct dealer like HSU. Value 1 Packages Or you could look for a pair of good quality bookshelf speakers that don't cost a lot so there is room for the sub. You can pick up a pair of the cambridge s-30s from accessories4less for $169: CAMBRIDGE AUDIO S30 4½" 2-way Bookshelf Speakers Pair Dark Oak | Accessories4less. Then you can get the SVS PB 1000 from the outlet page for $449: https://www.svsound.com/outlet-specials?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=240&category_id=5.

With a $1,000 budget, there are clearly more choices available (assuming that this is what the OP is willing to pay).

 

[tc21]

I heard the paradigm studio 10 and 20's today hooked up to my 39tx. Sounded very impressive, matched pretty well and I actually preferred the 10s over the 20s, especially due to my lack of space. However a little too dynamic (looking for warm) to be considered ideal, if anyone has heard them and can use that as a point of reference. And also at $1100 for the pair, a little outside my range.

In addition to the 10s and 20s, after hearing some other "higher range" speakers today, I am willing to do $800 for the bookshelf pair.

and yes, the sub would be purchased at a later date for an additional sum yet to be determined.

 

[Jeff R.]

Get the Carnegie Acoustic csb-1s that are available at a bargain of $400 a pair see the thread started on them. That will give you about $550 for a sub. Check out SVS or HSU and you can't go wrong.


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[zieglj01]

Check out Focal 806
FOCAL CHORUS 806V BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS (PR) at Music Direct

 

[JonnyFive23517]

Get the Carnegie Acoustic csb-1s that are available at a bargain of $400 a pair see the thread started on them. That will give you about $550 for a sub. Check out SVS or HSU and you can't go wrong.

Having a similar design by Dannie Ritchie, I'll second this recommendation. Those CSB-1s are a heckuva value.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Only way is to audition the speakers and buy the speakers that sound good. Don't buy based on other people's opinions alone.

Other companies like NHT & Aperion offer risk-free 30-day free return shipping. They will charge your CC. If you return (free prepaid label) they will credit your CC. I think KEF direct also offers risk-free returns.

So go out there and audition.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Have you tried the AVR's room correction feature and see if that will make the sound "WARM"?

 

[Mkegreg]

Personally, I'd concentrate most on a pair of bookshelves and maybe buy a less expensive used subwoofer a bit later down the road. There are a lot of great bookshelves out there in your price range. I personally like Paradigm's Mini Monitors (sticking to the $600, money left over for a sub) but I would give a lot of brands a listen and see what you really like. B&W, PSB, Polk, KEF, the list goes on and on. Here's my old man speech (I'm 42)...."Sonny, back in my day, you didn't have all these great bookshelf speakers everywhere, heck, back in my day, for $600 (adjusted for inflation), you had Baby Advents, and that's about it. You should consider yourself lucky to have so many great choices!"