Large room speaker and amp recommendations

[Irvrobinson]

My original comment was tongue in cheek. Mostly.

 

[BrianC]

It's probably about 12-15 ft from couch to tv, with the couch in the middle of the room, facing a long wall.

 

[jcparks]

12 to 15 foot from couch to TV in a 30x40 foot room. How are you going to fill the rest of the room?? Is this room going to be exclusively used for the home theater? Any chance we can see pictures or some sort of lay out diagram?
As for system recs... check out this system that is listed on the website.
$6,500 Recommended Home Theater System - Great Looks & Performance | Audioholics
sure the grand total is 7000 dollars, but it includes a TV, DVD player, ceiling speakers. Cut that stuff out and you can easily hit your 4k number. Another thing you may what to change is the EMP tek 1010i subs which don't exist anymore. While I cant speak from personal experience 2 of the SVS PB-2000 subs seem to be the most widely recommended subs on this site for a large room price vs performance wise.
Dual PB-2000 - SVS
As far as the WAF, my wife finds the EMP's finish to be very attractive and doesn't mind them at all. Subwoofer wise, if you want performance in a room that large, I don't know if there is a WAF sub that exists.

 

[ahblaza]

Might look into a pair of those subs myself. The espresso finish might be close enough to my towers.

Probably throw an Oppo 103 in as opposed to the Crown, if "your buddy" needs a player.

Hey Johnny, I don't know if you're talking about the PSA XV15SEs or another sub, I highly reco them, I have four XV15SEs and could not be happier, well maybe. I'm sure I'm going to get some flack for reco'ing PSA but I'm a grown man and can take it. Five year bumper to bumper warranty and made in the USA, they have free shipping both ways now to boot. Give them some serious thought.
Cheers Jeff

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It's probably about 12-15 ft from couch to tv, with the couch in the middle of the room, facing a long wall.

Yeah, for speaker size, what matters is the listening distance, not the room size. Most people sit about 12 FT from their TVs in their living rooms.

My family room is 18' x 20'. But it is open to the formal living room (another 16' x 18'), kitchen (another 14' x 16'), and dining (another 16' x 16').

 

[BrianC]

Sorry, I can't do pics anytime soon, but it is a large house(obviously), and this room has a dining table, breakfast nook, and bar. Then wraps around opening into the kitchen. It's just a big ol room! Do these EMP's excel for HT use? I'm fatally unfamiliar. Also, Waf is perhaps not as huge a factor as its received attention here. They just can't be crap in appearance. For example, Polk monitors would probably not pass, but wouldn't be far off. They needn't be works of art...

 

[ImcLoud]

So it is essentially the first floor of the house with an open floor plan?
As far as the WAF situation, my wife didn't care what i put in our family room since it only really gets used by us, so ascend acoustics were perfect, but in our formal parlor where guests have to work through to get to the rest of our house she gave me some "guidelines" no black speakers, nothing taller than x amount of inches, no more than 2 speakers, ext. Which I kind of conformed to, end result we were both happy and she listens to it just as much as me... Happy wife = Happy, uh, well... Wife"

There are tons of nice looking speakers out there, I would stay away from vinyl if it is going to be critiqued or treated like furniture, stick to something piano or veneer...

 

[GranteedEV]

Do these EMP's excel for HT use?

IMO Yes. They have solid dynamics and create IMO a believable center image. They sound awesome on brass and handle complex sequences well. They are never sibilance on vocals and the clarity is high. Their biggest weak point is a lack of deep bass, which isn't an issue for HT as you ought to be using a pair of subs.

 

[ahblaza]

One thing I can say they are very attractive speakers to look at and the price is reasonable as well with free shipping both ways. I can not attest to this but I have known friends who have owned these and when played at very loud levels there is a fair amount of strain and distortion. Pleas don't let me sway your decision, I'm just quoting what was told to me. I have owned these speakers and they can really play loud and clean and can fill a large space, they should be available soon with the 3rd gen planar magnetic tweeter. They play well beyond their asking price, this I can attest to and expect the next generation model A5rx-c to be better yet, you can get a 5.0 system with plenty left over for AVR and subs. Hope this helps, read some of the owner and prof. reviews.
Chane A5rx-c
Cheers Jeff

 

[BrianC]

Ha, yes happy wife=......happy wife. Well said! Ascend would be my rec, but illi'll have her look and compare all recommendations.

All in agreeance with high power Denon or marantz for powering all recommended speakers? I personally would go separates, but I don't expect my buddy to go for that.

 

[JohnnieB]

Hey Johnny, I don't know if you're talking about the PSA XV15SEs or another sub, I highly reco them, I have four XV15SEs and could not be happier, well maybe. I'm sure I'm going to get some flack for reco'ing PSA but I'm a grown man and can take it. Five year bumper to bumper warranty and made in the USA, they have free shipping both ways now to boot. Give them some serious thought.
Cheers Jeff

Yes I was reffering to the PSA. Im looking at the XS15se. I believe I have made up my mind on going with sealed subs. I can't find a sub to match, or come close to matching, my Ascend Sierra towers in esspresso finish. When I saw PSA offered esspresso finish I emailed them. At this time they don't offer it on this model. All things being equal, i'm still leaning toward Rythmik, I like the adjustment options.

 

[agarwalro]

All things being equal, i'm still leaning toward Rythmik, I like the adjustment options.

On the subject of adjustment options, the E15 amp (also used in the F and FV15 unless you go with the XLR version) has a peculairity. The power 'Auto' on position is combined with Limiter on. To have limiter off one has to use the power on setting. In effect, if I want the sub to go into low power standby, I have no choice but to use the limiter. WTF!

I'm contemplating reaching out to Rythmik to see if they'll ship me the XLR version of the amp (shipping and upcharge is acceptable since this was my oversight).

 

[JohnnieB]

I was thinking the E15 with H600XLR2 amp upgrade. I know, the XLR probably won't make a 40$ + cable cost difference in sound, but, I would like the XLR connection nonetheless. Good looking out on the standby/limiter feature tho. Thanks.

 

[ahblaza]

Ha, yes happy wife=......happy wife. Well said! Ascend would be my rec, but illi'll have her look and compare all recommendations.

All in agreeance with high power Denon or marantz for powering all recommended speakers? I personally would go separates, but I don't expect my buddy to go for that.

The speakers redco'd will do well with a decent receiver, especially the Ascends, very good speakers as i have owned them myself, they play loud and clean and can fill large rooms, I'm talking about the 340s, what ascends are you referring to?

 

[billy p]

Yes I was reffering to the PSA. Im looking at the XS15se. I believe I have made up my mind on going with sealed subs. I can't find a sub to match, or come close to matching, my Ascend Sierra towers in esspresso finish. When I saw PSA offered esspresso finish I emailed them. At this time they don't offer it on this model. All things being equal, i'm still leaning toward Rythmik, I like the adjustment options.

Although the cordovan cheery veneer I selected for my XS30 comes very close... its still not an exact match for the espresso found on the Sierras. Even if you use the same stain on cherry & bamboo you will not get 100% matched results because of the wood grain. PSA was kind enough to sent me all the different premium samples they have available. Here is a picture with 3 of the samples swatches atop my STC showing some of the contrast. The cordovan is on the left, followed by the espresso and American cherry on right....I know JSalk will build custom Rythmik but that will certainly come at $$$.

Fwiw...I believe PSA use Cherry wood Ply on their premium finishes products.






PS: The color on the XS30 has darken some.... that picture was relatively new when it first arrived. It smelled like it was freshly stained. I like it and I'm pleased with my selection...

 

[ahblaza]

Although the cordovan cheery veneer I selected for my XS30 comes very close... its still not an exact match for the espresso found on the Sierras. Even if you use the same stain on cherry & bamboo you will not get 100% matched results because of the wood grain. PSA was kind enough to sent me all the different premium samples they have available. Here is a picture with 3 of the samples swatches atop my STC showing some of the contrast. The cordovan is on the left, followed by the espresso and American cherry on right....I know JSalk will build custom Rythmik but that will certainly come at $$$.

Fwiw...I believe PSA use Cherry wood Ply on their premium finishes products.






PS: The color on the XS30 has darken some.... that picture was relatively new when it first arrived. It smelled like it was freshly stained. I like it and I'm pleased with my selection...

Billy, PSA does indeed use cherry wood ply on their custom finishes, Jim told me the interior of the cabs are also finished as this prevents any type of warping on the outside.
Take care my friend.
Cheers Jeff

 

[JohnnieB]

Ahblaza, the cordovan does look close. I wonder if birch wood wouldnt be a closer grain match to bamboo.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

On the subject of adjustment options, the E15 amp (also used in the F and FV15 unless you go with the XLR version) has a peculairity. The power 'Auto' on position is combined with Limiter on. To have limiter off one has to use the power on setting. In effect, if I want the sub to go into low power standby, I have no choice but to use the limiter. WTF!

I'm contemplating reaching out to Rythmik to see if they'll ship me the XLR version of the amp (shipping and upcharge is acceptable since this was my oversight).

I wonder what the power rating is on those woofers?

The RBH SX-1010 subs are rated for 500W. My ATI AT3000 amp (Lexicon ZX-7 clone) is 500W into 4 ohms @ 0.1% THD 10Hz-50kHz.

But many of the big subs have like 1,000-2,000 watts onboard, and if the woofers are only rated for 500 watts, then they would definitely need limiters.

But I don't like limiters either. They remind me of Dynamic Volume control. A lot of times, you won't even notice. So you are really just fine most of the time. But on a few cases where the music is very dynamic (Dark Knight Soundtrack for example), I can tell a huge difference.

 

[billy p]

Ahblaza, the cordovan does look close. I wonder if birch wood wouldnt be a closer grain match to bamboo.

I doubt it...I think bamboo is different from most normal types of wood because of its density & being a hardwood. IIRC the grain patterns can vary with bamboo ply because its pieced together using glue and they often lack the same consistency as normal ply.

I know, in talking with Jim during my visit at PSA...they use a local wood shop for all their custom cabinet work & why they keep costs relatively low. He told me...back when Svs offered serveral types of finish options they would need to order dozens of each finish from overseas supplier and why cost due to overhead crept in. Some sold quicker than others like the Black & PB and why they dropped the
others...whereas PSA now builds all their cabinets with a very elegant cherry ply in smaller batches(ie: 8-12units) and just apply the stain upon request locally.

GL with your next sub purchase DIY or ID...

 

[agarwalro]

I'm contemplating reaching out to Rythmik to see if they'll ship me the XLR version of the amp (shipping and upcharge is acceptable since this was my oversight).

Brian Ding and Rythmik subs rock!

I used the Rythmik website to put in the request for amp swap. This was 5:40pm PST yesterday. Today at 6:30am PST Brian replied! Now that is fast!

I was thinking the E15 with H600XLR2 amp upgrade. I know, the XLR probably won't make a 40$ + cable cost difference in sound, but, I would like the XLR connection nonetheless. Good looking out on the standby/limiter feature tho. Thanks.

Brian said the XLR2 version is out of stock but the XLR3 is available.