Need a change? or just add a SUB- Current setup=Harman Kardon and Athena

[Maximo]

Receiver- HK AVR525. My speakers are all Athena. Fronts- ASF-2, Center- ASC-1, Surrounds- ASB-2. I recently sold my subwoofer due to living in an apartment. I didn't feel comfortable using it even though it sucked. lol. I may be buying a house soon (well, could be a while). I want to start putting my system together early. I researched forever before buying my current set up and am very pleased so I may keep it; however, I really want a Hsu VTF-3 HO, SVS PB12-Ultra, PB12 Plus or Axiom EP500 so upgrading my entire setup at the same time may happen as well. I'm not really sure which speakers or receiver to go with. I've been looking at NAD receivers for some time or possible seperate components.

Should I just stick with what I have and simply add an awesome subwoofer? I like my current setup (besides the center channel) but have never experienced it with a nice sub. I wish somebody could chime in who has compared my speakers with some other nice models. I also wish that I had a better center channel, but I'd hate to change brands and keep my other speakers due to sound not matching properly.

 

[warpdrive]

Buy a sub first, and calibrate/place the sub carefully and see how you like the sound. If it's still lacking, then go with better speakers.

Athenas are good low budget speakers but there definitely better to be had if you are willing to spend a bit more, even moving to something like Energy RC series would make a HUGE difference.

 

[Maximo]

Buy a sub first, and calibrate/place the sub carefully and see how you like the sound. If it's still lacking, then go with better speakers.

Athenas are good low budget speakers but there definitely better to be had if you are willing to spend a bit more, even moving to something like Energy RC series would make a HUGE difference.

If I did decide to upgrade my speakers to something like Paradigm, Axiom or B&W, etc..., should I consider changing my receiver as well?

 

[Sarius]

Truthfully, while buying stuff is fun The trend is for things to keep getting better with more bang for the buck. Considering you don't have a sub now, nor do you have the house and hence the room the final system will be going into, I'd suggest waiting.

As you pointed out, in an apartment running a sub won't get you any good neighbor awards. Further, what components you'll want will be very dependent on where they're going, and it's unlikely that your final home theater room will be much like where you are now. I would suspect that you'll be happier in the long run by keeping in touch with what's what, but postponing your audio upgrades until you've upgraded your living situation.

 

[Maximo]

I don't see how people use loud subs in their apartments even in the day time. I didn't get complaints, but knowing the way that low frequencies travel, I'm sure that it was heard.

 

[Maximo]

Would there be a huge difference moving from my current speakers to the Axiom m60ti, vp150, qs8. I really wish that I could demo these and many others somewhere. I've found some speakers at the local shops, but hardly anywhere carries the brands that I would look at. I found a store that carries Paradigm about 60 miles away. lol

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker upgrade

Yes, those Axioms should be a big performance upgrade from you Athena's. Check the Axiom boards to find someone nearby for an audition. I would take advantage of their liberal return policy and A/B test the M60's against your current system before purchasing the rest of the speakers. Obviously, for the best HT experience, you will also want a good subwoofer. I think that your current receiver is a solid performer and that you will benifit more from the speaker or sub upgrade then a new reciever with features like HDMI switching.