Help with Speaker Purchase - **PLEASE**

[Takeereasy]

Yeah, I'm sorry you didn't like the PSBs as well, and now you see why everyone says to audition. I'm sure you'll like the Monitor Audios as well, they do make some really nice stuff. Jamo makes some pretty neat stuff as well, but I've never seen any of it very cheap up here in Canada. The Sony Store up here used to carry them and it was around $900 for what I thought was a really chintzy HTIB. They had floorstanders that were $700 ea. that sounded great, but at that time I couldn't conceive of spending that kind of dough on speakers (still have trouble). Make sure to post back and let us know how the next auditioning session goes. Also if you are sold on SVS make sure to contact them and give them your room size and dimensions. They'll help you pick out the right sub for you and provide placement ideas etc. From what I understand they don't try to upsell you too much. Sorry again the PSB didn't do it for you.

 

[vdefrancjr]

Ok, listened to the Paradigm's today. WOW these things rocked. Here is the setup:

Monitor 7's (maiN's)
Atom (surround)
cc-370 (center)
ps1200 (sub)

I have to say music was like i have never heard before. Granted i don't know if this is because they had a special room all setup versus going to a more retail place to purchase other brands of speakers. That whole package without the sub was $1327. Hands down these speakers blew away Polk and Jamo which where both on my list. Everything about these speakers just screamed natural. I mean it sounded so pure and real!

for $150 more i could step up the Mains to the Monitor 9's which even sounded better!

Tomorrw is the last stop in my journey. I will be listening to the Monitor audio's and see what they sound like. I really like the Axiom's based on there site, just afraid to by something whithout listening to it.

Any thoughts on the ps1200 sub compared to SVS subs?

 

[3db]

Its funny how 2 people hear totally different

IMO, I thought PSBImage T45s and the Paradigm Monitors were close. The PSB's had deeper,tighter authoratative bass, the mids were equal on both but the PSBs held advantage in the treble department . It was less in your face than the Paradigms. I also thought that T45s through a wider deeper soundstage then the Monitor 7s revealiing more nuances especially in 2 channel music. Thats what I ended up buying .

There was a review done in Audioreview.com where one person hated the T55 and liked the smaller T45s much more..

 

[Takeereasy]

I've heard the Pdr12 and it is a really nice deep sounding sub that is the little brother to PS1200. It is stated as going down to 24hz on the Paradigm site whereas the PS1200 is rated down to 21 HZ and weighs 30lbs more. 21hz is pretty darn good imo. If you can get it cheap and it does the trick for you and you want to avoid going the route of buying sight unseen it should be a contender. It really depends on the price you can get it for. Make sure you get a deal if you buy a package. If you are buying a package that has an MSRP of $2000 for the whole deal you can get at least 10% off. That's $200 you can either invest in the system elsewhere or take home to show what a good barginer you are. I'm really glad you found something you liked, there is something out there for everyone. I really like the atoms myself, never heard any of the monitor series stuff by Paradigm though. Congrats again, I'm still sure you'll like Monitor Audio as well. You've a tough choice ahead you lucky guy.

 

[Takeereasy]

Sorry to post so much in your thread, but rememer how I told you SVS subs were big? One of the posts on this site will give you an idea of what I mean. The "little" infinity sub the SVS is next to is a 12" sub! Superman's System

 

[HTFUN]

I'm a newbie to the AV world and went through the same battle as you when I was auditioning speakers. You are doing a good job of auditioning a variety of products but as you already stated, keep in mind room acoustics are critical in sound quality, so take your comparisons with a grain of salt.

I have the Paradigm Monitor 7's v3 and the cc370 centre channel. I have mini monitors for rears and am still searching for a sub. Like yourself, I was really impressed with this setup when I was auditioning speakers for my home. Value wise, I belive this speaker setup is quite good and I am sure you would have no regrets with it. I havn't heard the PS-1200 but I have listended to the PS 1000 and PW-2100 and I liked the PW series sub more and would suggest taking a look at their PW line of subs. I think I am actually going to get an HSU sub, I am all for picking up a sub from a reputable manufacture that strictly makes subs. That is what they do and from what I understand, they do it quite well. HSU is carried by a Canadian distributor while SVS is not making it relatively more expensive for us.

Good luck with the hunt!!

 

[vdefrancjr]

See this is where things get difficult. All the speakers i auditioned sound good, but the paradigm's stood out. One reason i beleive this - is because that dealer had the right idea, they had 1 room setup with this system and it was laid out text-book for speaker possitioning. the chair he had me sit in was right in the middle of the room and the layout was perfect. This is normally not achived at home nor in other stores, so i think this is whay they sounded stunning - besides the fact they are an awesom speaker. as stated above, pricing with the Polk RTi series, PSB and axiom all all right in line (minus the sub across all brands).

 

[Takeereasy]

Ask for an at home demo. Many dealers will allow this. You may need to leave a deposit (make that you will need to leave a deposit) or at least credit card info, etc. That way you can try them at home and see for yourself. Another thing you may want to be careful of is the equipment they are letting you audition the speakers with. You said you are getting the Yamaha 2500 which is a really good receiver, but what did the dealer use? Most likely it was something comparable, but many dealers have access to equipment that can make a $60 pair of radioshack speakers sound like gold. Ok, that's an exageration, but not a big one. The dealer I reccomend by my house uses Denons to power the entry level Paradigms, but switches to Arcam stuff for the Reference series speakers. In addition to simply setting up the furniture and speakers in ideal locations the odds are very good that the room you were in was also treated to provide the best listening experience possible. On the other hand I've seen a pair of PSB 2Bs run off a Marantz 7400 receiver and an upper level Marantz DVD player sound like crap because they were being played in the mddle of a huge showroom floor. I have the same speakers and they sound awesome run off of my Sony receiver and panasonic DVD player in my basement HT. My equipment is nowhere near as good as the Marantz stuff, but the acoustics are better in my room. I'm not going to post anymore in this thread because I feel like I'm hijacking it, but I do hope you'll keep posting so we can see what you decide and how you reach the decision, as well as how well the final product sounds. I don't think you have made one wrong move yet, and I hope it all comes together for you. Good luck.

 

[HTFUN]

Well, for what it's worth, the Paradigms sound great at my home, and beleive me, it isn't a textbook layout.

Unless you are able to demo different sets of speakers within the same room at the same time (not 2 months later), using the same source components..... or have the ears of Mozart, it is almost impossible to accurately compare speakers within the same price and quality range. I can't but some claim they can. However, there are a couple of advantages to going around to shops and demoing their lines. Dealer knowledge and price comparisons. I bought my paradigm setup for a couple of reasons over some other setups I was looking at. I liked the dealer I was dealing with so I felt confident if I had a problem, he would be a good person to deal with. Secondly, the Paradigms sounded great to me, maybe not much better than the other speakers I listened to, but at least as good. Finally, I bought them becasue of Paradigm's reputation for making such great bang for your buck products (and being from Canada, the fact that ALL the parts are made here was a bonus).

Again, good luck and have fun with the whole searching process. As frustrating as it is (becasue we are talking about a lot of money), it is a lot of fun to talk to other enthusiasts and see all the products that are around.

 

[claudermilk]

I just went through this process recently and had the same experience with the Paradigms (Studio 20's however). They really stood out from everything else I listened to. The salesman even insisted I wander around the room to prove the speakers held their sound wherever you are in the room. I went back later to compare with some Tannoys & got to listen to them on a couple of different amps & receivers--still sounded great.

Now that they are at home on $600 equipment instead of a showroom on $3k equipment they still sound awesome. I can't wait to get the rest of the system together.

 

[hrtbeat2]

I'm like you and just started getting into the home audio/video . I bought some Bowers and wilkins (B&W) DM302 used off of ebay for about $200 and the matching center CC3 for about the same. Now I know that these speakers are around 5-8yrs old but the sound that is produced is UNREAL!!! I can't even think what there top of the line speakers sound like. All your choices for speaker you posted are good but do not leave out B&W!

 

[vdefrancjr]

*********** Speaker update ***********
I went to listen the Monitor audio's last night - well as it turns out they didn't have the bronze 4's in stock

BUT they did have some Vandersteen 1C. OMG - for $870/pair these speakers were something i have never experienced in my life! Even at very low levels, the detail, claraty and soundstage made me feel as if someone was in the same room playing. OUTSTANGING. Forget about deep bass or ultra-crisp "terms" in explaining how these things sound. i mean if you want natural sound these babies are IT! I am not sure i like how they are wrapped in faberic though. I think it could rip easily .......

I have it all narrowed down to the following: Amps 1st followed by speakers:

HT Receivers:
Marantz SR-7500
Yamaha RX-V2500
Integra 7.1

Speakers:
Paradigm Monitor 9's, CC-370, PW-2200 And Titan's
Vandersteen 1C, Vcc-1, 2W, and a pair of spares i have for surround.

Only think i am a bit confused on in regards to the Maranzt/integra vs. Yamaha and other mass marketed receivers is this:

Marantz & integra both clain that there ratings are more true as far as output (wattage) than other mass marketed receivers (such as the yamaha) They say while the yamaha (for example) is rated at 130watts, it only puts out like 60, where as the marantz is rated at 105 watts and actually puts out that much. Is this true? They also said the internals including powersupply are bigger, better, etc .... run cooler.

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[zumbo]

Did you audition the Vandersteen speakers on a mid-fi receiver such as you listed? If not, you may be very disappointed once you get them home. Some will argue, but a very big part of that detail is the seperates.

 

[vdefrancjr]

Ah yes, You do bring up a good point. The vandersteens where very much using seperates to power them. Tube seperates in an amp that was probablly $6K

Either of the receivers i listed should be able to handle that speaker tho. It is my understand that so long as your in a receiver class of around $1K you start to pay throught the roof for hifi gear with diministing returns on sonic quality? Meaning one is spending more and more money for smaller amounts of inrease.

I love both Receivers and both speakers so i am sure i cannot go wrong either way. just trying to weed through all the sales crap. I always thought Marantz was a high-quality receiver (more so than the mass-merchant types), but the more i read, the more it looks like they are fairly equal in class?

Just wish i could talk to someone who had experience with both!

 

[mulester7]

......take what a salesman says with a grain of salt....some salesmen push certain brands because they bring a higher sales commission....this is strictly between the management of the store and the salesmen. and no one would admit such except at gunpoint....correct, let the ears decide.....

 

[claudermilk]

*********** Speaker update ***********
I went to listen the Monitor audio's last night - well as it turns out they didn't have the bronze 4's in stock

BUT they did have some Vandersteen 1C. OMG - for $870/pair these speakers were something i have never experienced in my life! Even at very low levels, the detail, claraty and soundstage made me feel as if someone was in the same room playing. OUTSTANGING. Forget about deep bass or ultra-crisp "terms" in explaining how these things sound. i mean if you want natural sound these babies are IT! I am not sure i like how they are wrapped in faberic though. I think it could rip easily .......

I have it all narrowed down to the following: Amps 1st followed by speakers:

HT Receivers:
Marantz SR-7500
Yamaha RX-V2500
Integra 7.1

Speakers:
Paradigm Monitor 9's, CC-370, PW-2200 And Titan's
Vandersteen 1C, Vcc-1, 2W, and a pair of spares i have for surround.

Only think i am a bit confused on in regards to the Maranzt/integra vs. Yamaha and other mass marketed receivers is this:

Marantz & integra both clain that there ratings are more true as far as output (wattage) than other mass marketed receivers (such as the yamaha) They say while the yamaha (for example) is rated at 130watts, it only puts out like 60, where as the marantz is rated at 105 watts and actually puts out that much. Is this true? They also said the internals including powersupply are bigger, better, etc .... run cooler.

Anyone have any experience with this?

If your budget will allow those Vandersteens, have you listened to the Paradigm Studio 20s? Close to the same price & a step up in their line from the Monitors. I had the same experience as you describe when I first listened to them. My SR5400 is driving the Paradigms just fine.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Ah yes, You do bring up a good point. The vandersteens where very much using seperates to power them. Tube seperates in an amp that was probablly $6KQUOTE]

Be careful here. A $6000 tube amp can make a lot of speakers sound wonderful. I have a 1970's Pioneer receiver that absolutely sounds fantastic with anything it drives. There's a reason they don't have a Sony receiver driving those Vandersteens.

 

[JP_Silver_S2k]

Polk LSi's are some sweet speakers. and the PSB Image's are nice

 

[vdefrancjr]

Final thoughts????

Ok folks, i am close ..... lol

This is what i am thinking:

Marantz SR-7500 (a deal i cannot pass up and cheaper than the Yamaha 2500).
Vandersteen 1c with vcc1 center.
A spare pair of rears which i own.
SVS sub (working with Erik from there to determine which one)

I can actually get all the stuff used (but not abused) - locally - execpt the 1c and the SVS (which i will buy new).

Any thoughts?

The whole system can be had for approx. $3k

 

[Rex]

Axiom has a 30 day money back garantee.