Need help upgrading speakers.

U

user73

Audiophyte
Hi Guys,
Currently i own Onkyo HT-S3400 and i am planning to upgrade 5.1 speakers.Main purpose is to watch movies and enjoy Music of-course.
After bit of googling i thought of going with Floor Standing Tower Speaker,maybe KEF R500 or Paradigm Monitor SE 3000F..Don't know much about the technicalities of speakers so plz guide me through.
so just in case ,if u guys advice me for KEF R500, should rest of speakers which are rear ,center and sub should be of same brand KEF.
I'm just a novice and here to seek help from experts. Thx in advance.
Budget is $1500
Room is 19x30
 
Truthslayer

Truthslayer

Full Audioholic
To me it really depends on what your main listening is. You list movies and music. But which one is the priority is the question. If your main goal is great sounding music and you have some basic box building capabilities. I would take that $1500 and build my own. You can add the surrounds later. You will be amazed at what a good 2 channel system can sound like. As far as kef goes, nothing wrong with them except being over hyped and over priced. But they will do fine for a starter.
 
C

CoryW

Audioholic
Have you heard of the RBH Impression series? They are really solid sounding. Love the towers. Give them a call, and tel them your budge. I have also been very interested in paradigm.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Hi Guys,
Currently i own Onkyo HT-S3400 and i am planning to upgrade 5.1 speakers.Main purpose is to watch movies and enjoy Music of-course.
After bit of googling i thought of going with Floor Standing Tower Speaker,maybe KEF R500 or Paradigm Monitor SE 3000F..Don't know much about the technicalities of speakers so plz guide me through.
so just in case ,if u guys advice me for KEF R500, should rest of speakers which are rear ,center and sub should be of same brand KEF.
I'm just a novice and here to seek help from experts. Thx in advance.
Budget is $1500
Room is 19x30
Towers might be nice in that big room, but what subs are you planning on using?
 
U

user73

Audiophyte
Towers might be nice in that big room, but what subs are you planning on using?
thats why i came here for advice.
i am not sure how i divide my budget,how much for subs and surround not sure.
 
U

user73

Audiophyte
To me it really depends on what your main listening is. You list movies and music. But which one is the priority is the question. If your main goal is great sounding music and you have some basic box building capabilities. I would take that $1500 and build my own. You can add the surrounds later. You will be amazed at what a good 2 channel system can sound like. As far as kef goes, nothing wrong with them except being over hyped and over priced. But they will do fine for a starter.
No man ,i don't have time nor skill to build speakers of my own.
If KEF is over prices,which one would u recommend?
 
Truthslayer

Truthslayer

Full Audioholic
No man ,i don't have time nor skill to build speakers of my own.
If KEF is over prices,which one would u recommend?
Depends on what your goal is out of your speakers. Something that just sounds ok, well that might include paradigm. But personally you couldn't give me a free pair of Paradigm, they just don't sound normal. To cloudy and rubbery. I know it might be a bad comparison, but they are like looking out a dirty car window vs that brand new car window, clean and clear. And I admit Kef's are not that bad, but I still think personally they are over hyped and over priced. They don't in my opinion give a you a huge sound stage ( which is a must for me). I still find quality paper, wood pulp cone drivers deliver some of the most accurate sound. If you new someone who could build you some boxes for a few hundred bucks, eminence has so many options to choose from and they will spend all the time you need to help you pick the right drivers to accomplish what you want.
But if you just want to get something to start out with, Maggie's aren't to bad, but you will definitely want a sub or two to round things out. If you focus and spend your money on getting the stereo (left, right, sub) first and add the surrounds later. It will pay of big time, and you will be much happier in the long run.

Another thing to try and remember is, when it comes to speakers, size really does matter. Small speakers will never sound big, they can sound good, but will never sound big IMO. And you wont regret going big, no matter the room size, don't believe in all that room overload crap. These are my just my opinions and 40 years of tried and tested with many mistakes and successes along the way. Good luck on what ever you decide, and remember once you get started, it can be very addicting and expensive. Take all those reviews, videos, and so called recommendations with a grain of salt. When someone is being paid, like it or not, it does influence their opinion.
 
U

user73

Audiophyte
Been searching for a while and I am thinking to buy Front and Center of same brand which i am not sure while subs and surround for different brand.
Polk Audio FXI A6 for surround sound and KLIPSCH R-120SW Powered Subwoofer.I choose Klipshch as i always wanted to buy this brand.But still not sure which speakers i should buy for front and center.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Klipsch is not known for the best quality in Subs... some seem to test out fine while others of theirs are lacking, but there are better Subs on the market. Hsu is probably the Best Value in performance subwoofers.

When shopping for Subs, you need to account for the Volume of the space it will be in, and if an open floor plan, the whole space is at play. Also, investing wisely in a Sub now will save you grief later when you realize you need more woofage.

Depending on the space you are in, another good option may be the RSL Speedwoofer.
 
Truthslayer

Truthslayer

Full Audioholic
Been searching for a while and I am thinking to buy Front and Center of same brand which i am not sure while subs and surround for different brand.
Polk Audio FXI A6 for surround sound and KLIPSCH R-120SW Powered Subwoofer.I choose Klipshch as i always wanted to buy this brand.But still not sure which speakers i should buy for front and center.
Think about the power you have on tap, and I would guess with that receiver you more than likely get about 80 watts per channel in stereo. Not bad, but not great either. With your room size as someone suggested earlier, you should really look at towers. And try to get something that's fairly efficient that can be driven easily. Make sure you have some place that has an easy return policy. It's just to hard to be able to fully judge a speaker in a week or so. When it comes to subs, there just so many to choose from. Some good some bad. Some musical and some just sound dead. I've seen a few EV pro subs that work great for musical listening, but don't go so low for that low end rumble usually found in movie soundtracks. Kind of boils down to what you want it(speakers-sub) to work best at. Music or movies. My own preference is the best sound I cant get for music. Movies come second. Good luck, hope you find what you like.
 
U

user73

Audiophyte
Klipsch is not known for the best quality in Subs... some seem to test out fine while others of theirs are lacking, but there are better Subs on the market. Hsu is probably the Best Value in performance subwoofers.

When shopping for Subs, you need to account for the Volume of the space it will be in, and if an open floor plan, the whole space is at play. Also, investing wisely in a Sub now will save you grief later when you realize you need more woofage.

Depending on the space you are in, another good option may be the RSL Speedwoofer.
I'm from India and here we don't have RSL and HSU,but we do have most of popular brands.Could you advice some more.It really helps.
 
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