more newbie speaker advice

[billc]

Hi I have little knowledge about receivers/amps/watts etc...other than I love music and I'm poor- I'm trying to add to my system

Currently I have a a sony STR-de698 receiver- it says its 4-8 ohms and 90watts per channel 7.1 channel I have a polk csr center speaker and Bose 301 bookshelves (which are going to the back)- When I'm playing music I want more than I'm getting- not just loudness -I want to feel the music without distortion- not sure if I need to upgrade the receiver too-go to a tuner and amp? can I add an amp just to drive higher end front speakers and if so how-- the room is about 500 sf

I heard Jamo wall speakers once 20 years ago and I can't get the clarity and loudness out of my mind-but I cant demo any I'm considerring E750 E680

Polk's were what I owned prior to divorce- and from what I hear in stores I love their clarity- I'm hoping to demo some tomorrow

anyway my choices are :
The Jamo's I'm looking at are the E750 and E680 any advice? and possibly the Jamo e7sub- though I would need to wait longer on that

Polk RTI 12s but I dont think my receiver will drive them-and they are the absolute high end for my budget which I prefer to keep under $600 but...

used I found LSI25s & RT1000p

the RTI 8 and the monitor 60


--Lastly- the last addition will be a sub - for the size of the room is this needed? I was thinking of a Polk monitor series PSW12 or psw303


Do I need to keep my speakers at 8ohms-Jamo's require 6-

 

[zumbo]

If you want to feel the music, your best bet is to spend your money on a powered sub. I don't see one listed.

If it were my $600, this is what I would do.
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb12nsd.cfm

Granted, your system needs some improvement. But, this will add more to your system than any other item at the moment.

Upgrades will always be in the future. But, you will not need to upgrade your sub for a very, very, long time.

 

[Ryan8886]

If you want to feel the music, your best bet is to spend your money on a powered sub. I don't see one listed.

If it were my $600, this is what I would do.
http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb12nsd.cfm

Granted, your system needs some improvement. But, this will add more to your system than any other item at the moment.

Upgrades will always be in the future. But, you will not need to upgrade your sub for a very, very, long time.

Welcome Billc!

I agree with Zumbo...you need a powered sub to really "feel" the sound. Here's another option: http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-cyl-pcpow3.cfm

This is a little cheaper to purchase and ship than the PB-12 but has the same driver and sound characteristics. The cylinder structure is just cheaper to manufacture and lighter to ship....and SVS passes on the cost savings to us! I'm gathering you don't have a wife to worry about at this point, so if you can live with the eccentric shape, it's an excellent sub.

If you really feel you need speakers now instead, and want to go with towers, I would recommend a quick look here: http://www.audioadvisor.com/products.asp?dept=58
Athena is an excellent name in the "budget" category and the Audition Series-2 just had their prices dropped due to the newer line coming out. Check out the reviews. Extremely efficient. Just about anything will drive them without a problem. A lot of quality speakers these days are internet-direct, so auditioning them can be kind of difficult. It fine to go that route as long as you go with a reputable company through a good retailer with a proper 30 day return policy. Also do some auditioning of marques available in stores. Just remember that no matter what anyone tells you about speakers or anything else, how they sound to YOU is what matters. Go with what you like! Enjoy the hunt!

 

[mazersteven]

While I agree that a nice sub can totally change your listening experience. I feel that the most important part of your system is your mains. It is where your system starts. It is where you spend the most money on your system. After all, your speakers should make up for 50% of your system budget.

 

[Ryan8886]

While I agree that a nice sub can totally change your listening experience. I feel that the most important part of your system is your mains. It is where your system starts. It is where you spend the most money on your system. After all, your speakers should make up for 50% of your system budget.

Mazer is actually right...I'm guilty of being a bass junkie! I purchased my mains first and that IS the better way to go. It's THEN that you'll get hit with the bass bug! I had my new mains about 3 weeks when I figured out they were doing a much better job moving bass by themselves than was my old 8" HTIB "sub"....hence the addition of the SVS to the lineup! It can be VERY difficult to stick to a budget in this hobby!
Still, check out the speaker link above, just to get some ideas. For a bit more cash, you could also get into something like the Energy Reference Connoisseur line(also from Audio Products International)....but you're through the $1k ceiling with those. Again....it's very easy to start viewing the "budget" as having the properties normally associated with taffy!

 

[Yamahaluver]

Mains is everything, also the speaker you select has to match with the rest of your equipment, make sure that the sound that comes from the mains matches your perception of sound and not others or reviewers.

 

[billc]

speakers

Thanks for the advice- I had never heard of Athena, but they seem to have a great frequency range-i'll see if I can find a local demo- I guess I'll stick to an 8ohm speaker since the wattage info from Sony is only given in that- and try to demo as many speakers as possible- I will be getting a sub, but that will be several months from now- with a 400-600 budget for that

 

[nova]

As a side note, if you do buy new mains and plan to use that Sony receiver get some efficient speakers, 93db or higher and make sure they are 8 ohm, that receiver will have problems with a 6 or 4 ohm load.

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks for the advice- I had never heard of Athena, but they seem to have a great frequency range-i'll see if I can find a local demo- I guess I'll stick to an 8ohm speaker since the wattage info from Sony is only given in that- and try to demo as many speakers as possible- I will be getting a sub, but that will be several months from now- with a 400-600 budget for that

Also look into speakers from

www.ascendacoustics.com

 

[Ryan8886]

Thanks for the advice- I had never heard of Athena, but they seem to have a great frequency range-i'll see if I can find a local demo- I guess I'll stick to an 8ohm speaker since the wattage info from Sony is only given in that- and try to demo as many speakers as possible- I will be getting a sub, but that will be several months from now- with a 400-600 budget for that

You're welcome! The Ascend Acoustics mentioned above are also well regarded. I've not had the chance to hear them, but they get a lot of good things said about them.
The Athenas are also pretty easy to drive; right around 93dB, so there should not be a problem with your receiver. If you buy good, quality mains, you will likely be able to live without a sub for a while, you just won't have the room-shaking ability that the sub will add for HT. The Athenas sound great even without one, particularly with music. Enjoy!

 

[ARRAY]

I would encourage you to build a kit speaker - one that has already been proven and built by others. There can be trmendous value in a kit built speaker.