In need of expert advice!!

[heetmyzr]

I am definitely not an audiophile but I love great sound! I'm starting to build my home theater with a 51" plasma tv, Blu-Ray player, receiver, and two front floor standing speakers. Sound is in the ear of the beholder so everyone will have their favorites. I'm really leaning toward Vienna Acoustic's Mozart or B & W's CM9. What I don't know is what receiver and Blu-Ray will allow these speakers to perform at their best. Any suggestions??

Local dealer is pairing Mozarts with Anthem MRX310 receiver and Integra DBS-30.3 Blu-Ray.
Best Buy is pairing BW's with Yamaha Aventage receiver (not sure which model).

 

[tmurnin]

The speakers will sound great with any decent receiver. Both the Anthem and Integra are great AVR's. I don't have personal experience with Yamaha, but they have a good reputation and plenty of people are fans of their products. In general, I would advise you not to "overbuy" electronics and focus your available budget on the best speakers you can buy. Pick a receiver that has the features you want and a decent output (keep in mind that, despite what a store owner says, there is very little sonic difference that you will notice in a receiver that outputs 100 watts/channel and one that outputs 125 watts/channel). There are some people (and audio store owners are usually in this group) that will swear that a particular set of speakers "pairs" better with one AVR over another. I think that is crap. The AVR is responsible for translating the audio signal from the source into an electric signal to the speakers - it has no idea whether it is outputting to Viennas or B&W's or whatever. You will get the most audio for your money focusing on great speakers and room treatments. The only other thing to consider is whether you want room correction (Audyssey, Anthem, YPAO on Yamaha, etc.) or not. If you do, the Denon X4000 can be picked up for $1000 or so and has Audyssey XT32 which many people swear by. Others love Anthem's ARC system. If you're not going to use room correction, then it doesnt matter.

Same thing with the Blu-Ray player. If you need something that will handle multi-channel audio (SACD and the like), then you probably need a high-end player like an Oppo or something comparable. If you're just going to watch movies, I'd pick up a Panasonic in the $100-150 range.

One other thing - you haven't mentioned a subwoofer. If you love great audio, I would recommend swapping your speaker choices to some bookshelves and pairing them with a great subwoofer from SVS, Hsu or the like. You can usually get more bang for your buck from bookshelves than towers and the sub will do a better job with the lows than the woofers in the towers anyway.

Good luck!

 

[Alex2507]

What I don't know is what receiver and Blu-Ray will allow these speakers to perform at their best.

I'd say skip the CM9s and for the Mozarts you need a rec'r that is 4 Ohm stable. As a condo dweller I liked the Mozarts because of their small form factor and their sound at moderate levels. If you live in a house and think you might like turning the music up from time to time there are better options.

I had no idea Integra made a $700 Blu-ray player. If it was my money it would definitely be going in a different direction.

To get the best help around here start by stating your budget and room size. Also let them (the experts) know if the room is open to other areas. You said that you were starting to build a home theater. I think getting the very best front left and right speakers within your budget is the correct first step. I did like the Mozarts a lot but that's because max SPL isn't very important to me and small form factor is. However their price tag put them out of consideration for me (not that I was in the market anyway). There is just so much more to be had at that price point.

Welcome to the forum. I found the Stereophile review of the Mozarts.
Here is the measurement section:

Vienna Acoustics Mozart loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com



Happy hunting.

 

[shadyJ]

Those measurements are not very encouraging, however I would assume they shipped with fixed crossovers by now. For the same price as those you could get Philharmonic Slims or Ascend Sierras.

 

[zieglj01]

I would try to audition more speakers if possible - to compare some of the
midrange sounds

I am not a fan of speaker automatic calibration on the Avr's > I do not
like something messing with a well-built speaker. However your call.
I do not know of a receiver or Amp that can so-call sing. However, I do
like something that can drive most speakers and have good clean power.

Your option/choice - enjoy the adventure.