Is it ok to piece together a system with different brand speakers, some older, some new?

[mazersteven]

Home Audio Subwoofers and Speaker Systems | Power Sound Audio

Discover the best Home Audio Subwoofers and Speaker Systems from Power Sound Audio. Designed and assembled in Ohio.

www.powersoundaudio.com

 

[Pogre]

PSA know how to make good subs. Definitely legit. I always forget about them.

 

[lovinthehd]

PSA know how to make good subs. Definitely legit. I always forget about them.

I think they get passed on often because they don't have a particularly low cost entry level sub like the others that get more frequently mentioned. Similarly JTR, Seaton, Funk, Deep Sea Sound etc at significantly higher price points....

 

[Mpsafranski]

Jesus, that TV42...is there even content that goes down to 8hz? Can’t imagine how much fun that thing must be.
I’m happy with the performance of my dual PB2000 pros. OP you can get (as mentioned) duals from the SVS outlet at good deals right now. My wife doesn’t like ANY of my stuff and still claims she’d rather listen to the TV speakers...she doesn’t like it loud. She hated the way my bookshelves looked on stands but when I got my Ascend Towers in black bamboo she was a bit happier and made me laugh because she said she likes the way the phase plug looks. Go figure.
The thing is like what was already said, when you get two (and you should: this is not for louder bass but for evenness) you’ll be able to stick one in a front corner and another beside or behind a couch, for example. It might be a tough sell, in which case the cylinder subs might be a good compromise.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Jesus, that TV42...is there even content that goes down to 8hz? Can’t imagine how much fun that thing must be.
I’m happy with the performance of my dual PB2000 pros. OP you can get (as mentioned) duals from the SVS outlet at good deals right now. My wife doesn’t like ANY of my stuff and still claims she’d rather listen to the TV speakers...she doesn’t like it loud. She hated the way my bookshelves looked on stands but when I got my Ascend Towers in black bamboo she was a bit happier and made me laugh because she said she likes the way the phase plug looks. Go figure.
The thing is like what was already said, when you get two (and you should: this is not for louder bass but for evenness) you’ll be able to stick one in a front corner and another beside or behind a couch, for example. It might be a tough sell, in which case the cylinder subs might be a good compromise.

Sorry, I actually LOl’d at the phase plug thing. Ahh, good stuff. Still laughing...
My wife loathes my gear, but definitely hates the sound our plasma speakers more. So everything from judge Judy, and wheel of fortune to the avengers and Godzilla is in 7.3.4, and with extension to 14ish HZ. I agree with the cylinder subs too. 2/3 of mine are and I actually like their appearance. Save for fallic, and water heater jokes lmao!!!
And while additional subs are essential for smoothing the response, the additional 6ish dB of headroom is beneficial too.
Nice job on the bamboo!

@Pogre. Nice work.

 

[Zim444]

Thanks again, all, for the schooling. A couple more questions. Regarding the sound and experience of two subs...how much is too much? I‘m hoping for a good overall home theater experience with great, lifelike sound. I want it to sound great without it just being loud. I currently have an old Bose Accoustimass 10 Series 2 subwoofer. It came with the house and is wired in to the Bose cube surrounds. It’s weird in that the speakers run both to the subwoofer and the receiver. If anything, there’s too much base. I feel like I need to turn the volume up high to hear dialogue but the bass drowns everything out and gets distorted. The Bose sub doesn’t have a volume non or it’s own power source, so I’m guessing that’s part of it.

Will getting one or two high quality subs add more than just booming base? My guess is yes, but I’m not looking to break my windows here .

Next, if I were to just pull the trigger on the SVS Prime towers, center, satellites and subs, would that be badass? And would one PB-2000 and one cylindrical PC-2000 sound great or is it best to have both subs the exact same? Trying to please the wife here. The cube can get hidden In a back corner and the round will be more prominently displayed.

And lastly, receivers. If I go with 2 subs I’ll need a 5.2. My Dennon AVR E300 5.1 wont cut it anymore. What do I need to power all this stuff? How is the Denon AVR S540BT 5.2 receiver? Would an additional amp help with it? What about the DENON PMA 600NE amp? I could get both of these essentially for free.

Just so you folks don’t think I’m a thief on all this ”free” stuff, through my job I have one of those award merchandise programs and I’ve accumulated some points and there is quite a bit of A/V stuff in there. Nothing super high end. There are also a few Yamaha receivers, but they are 7.2 or 5.1. And there is an opportunity cost to choosing A/V stuff vs a nice watch for the wife. Or some power tools.

loving this forum so far. Thanks.

 

[Pogre]

I currently have an old Bose Accoustimass 10 Series 2 subwoofer. It came with the house and is wired in to the Bose cube surrounds. It’s weird in that the speakers run both to the subwoofer and the receiver. If anything, there’s too much base.

An old Boss Acoustimass... oh boy. I'm actually glad you have that as a reference because you're in for a huge eye opener if you go with a PB2000 and PC2000 combo. Oh boy are you in for an eye opener! In a good way!

Will getting one or two high quality subs add more than just booming base? My guess is yes, but I’m not looking to break my windows here .

Absolutely! Your Bose sub seems like "too much bass" because it's awful, distorted, bloated, uneven bass. Noisy bass. Ugly bass. I tell this story all the time... when I got my first pair of good subs I didn't think they were working properly because even tho they were bigger than the old ones, they sounded quieter! After I adjusted to it I realized that they were quieter because all of the distortion I had gotten used to was gone. Everything was cleaner. Even my main speakers sounded cleaner. All of a sudden I had clean bass just supporting my system instead of taking it over.

Dirty bass has a way of permeating through the whole spectrum and you don't notice it until it's gone. You are a prime candidate for more powerful subs. It's not just about being loud or boomy. A sub with good power can play much more accurately across the frequency band with much less distortion. That Acoustimass is a bloated, dirty one note wonder. I'm not surprised at all with your impressions.

Next, if I were to just pull the trigger on the SVS Prime towers, center, satellites and subs, would that be badass? And would one PB-2000 and one cylindrical PC-2000 sound great or is it best to have both subs the exact same? Trying to please the wife here. The cube can get hidden In a back corner and the round will be more prominently displayed.

If you can swing it and want to go with SVS I'd suggest going with the Prime Pinnacle towers. They're worth the extra dough. Very nice speakers. And yes, the PC and PB2000 should play very nicely together. If you can sell her on that then it's a win!

And lastly, receivers. If I go with 2 subs I’ll need a 5.2. My Dennon AVR E300 5.1 wont cut it anymore. What do I need to power all this stuff? How is the Denon AVR S540BT 5.2 receiver? Would an additional amp help with it? What about the DENON PMA 600NE amp? I could get both of these essentially for free.

Since you're likely not co locating your subs I think a true .2 AVR with separate sub outs would be the way to go. For Denon that'd be the X3***H series and up. Marantz, SR6*** series and up, and I forget where you'd want to start with Yamaha, but they're good too.

Just so you folks don’t think I’m a thief on all this ”free” stuff, through my job I have one of those award merchandise programs and I’ve accumulated some points and there is quite a bit of A/V stuff in there.

Suuuurrre... we believe you. *wink, wink*.

 

[Mpsafranski]

Good to know! My company has the bravo rewards program, too, that I used to pick up my 4K player. So while those speakers would t cost you any money, they would cost you being able to get something different (I now use mine to get 4K Blu rays).
You could do a lot worse than the Prime Towers, but I auditioned the prime pinnacles and they were pretty great. Since it’s tough these days to get out and listen, going through SVS for a whole system is a great option because A) while preferences may be different and speakers in that price range are a crowded market, you can rest assured if you get them and like them, you are buying a quality product commensurate with the price. Leading to B) if you don’t like them, they will arrange a pickup to take them back from you no questions asked. There are a LOT of speakers in the price range, and even more if you look at used. It’s overwhelming, believe me I was there all of 2019 hahaha. It can be paralyzing trying to decide especially when you can’t afford to have 3 sets in your home at the same time to compare.
My guess is, though, if you go 5.2 through SVS, you’re going to keep them and they will keep you smiling for years to come.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Just to add to @pogres excellent points. You’re struggle with the acousti-ass is real. First of all what you’ve already noticed is ZERO midrange. That’s why you’re turning it up to hear vocals/voices, and as you also noticed that makes the bass obnoxious. Another part of that whole thing is the acoustimass module plays very high in frequency to bolster the useless little cubes that have no extension, but this intrudes on the midrange negatively because voices shouldn’t come out of a “subwoofer”(the AM module is definitely not a proper one).
Short version, if you don’t have much experience with a quality system, buckle up. You’re gonna be floored. 2/3 of my subs are older bigger brothers of the PC2k and I have no doubt you’ll love the PB/PC combo. They’ll perform identically.

 

[Zim444]

Great insight folks. Thank you! Check out this receiver, if you don’t mind. I know it’s 7.2. Can you just use it for 5.2 and add 2 more surrounds down the road if desired? This is one of the “free” options. Do you think this would get the job done?

RX-V685 - Overview - Yamaha USA

Unrivaled Experiences. This 7.2-channel AV receiver boldly explores entertainment possibilities for an advanced home theater with the latest in video and audio including Dolby Atmos®, DTS:X™, wireless streaming, dual HDMI® outputs and more.

usa.yamaha.com