Need Some Good Surrounds

[doomguardian]

Hey

I'm looking for some good affordable surrounds (around 300-400$ canadian).

I was wondering if I should just get the athena's to match my center, or just get something else. I realised that their S-R1.2s only go down to 80hz , and I heard that 40hz would be perfect.

Should I just get their AS-B2s, or just something else in the same price range?

Thanks in advance!

http://www.athenaspeakers.com/model-AS-R1-2-specs.htm

 

[Sheep]

40Hz? Who told you that? Surrounds need to go to 80Hz, thats it.

I would get the STYLE speaker you need depending on your music/movie%.

If music is more inportant to you, a pair of B1.2s might be a better option, but if your more into movies, you may prefer the diffused soundfield of the R1.2s.

SheepStar

 

[jordanellington]

got 2 klipsch kpt 250's

i've got the best of the best in surrounds. i need at least $500 american for them, but thats at least half off new. will do $900 for pair. email address is headyjohnnywhippit@yahoo.com phone number is 479 246 9184, names jordan. thanks

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker upgrade

If you have Athena mains, you might consider upgrading the fronts to Axiom, PSB, etc. and moving the fronts to the surround channels.

 

[nibhaz]

40Hz? Who told you that? Surrounds need to go to 80Hz, thats it.

80Hz is really the bare minimum. When most manufactures rate their speakers they often quote their frequency response in the terms of +/- 3dB. As you approach the extremes of a speakers quoted frequency response you’ll have a loss of output. For most speakers rated 80Hz you’ll see a -3dB drop in output at 80Hz and even more loss of output at frequencies below 80Hz. This is important because when you implement bass management you are often using a crossover with a slope of 24dB or 12dB. This means that if you set the crossover point at 80Hz your 80Hz speaker will be required to produce frequencies below 80Hz which we know will suffer in a loss of output, thus we will see a small dip at and below 80HZ when we look at the whole system’s frequency response.

Ideally you would like a speaker that is capable of going slightly lower than the crossover point you want to use that way you are placing the crossover point in the more linear portion of the speaker’s frequency response. In other words, look for something that goes a little beyond 80Hz.

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be technical nor free from logical flaws

 

[doomguardian]

If you have Athena mains, you might consider upgrading the fronts to Axiom, PSB, etc. and moving the fronts to the surround channels.

I have an Athena Center speaker, no mains.

 

[jonnythan]

I'd get mains before surrounds.

 

[doomguardian]

Well I do have mains, duh - there just not Athena branded.

 

[BrewMoore]

Surrounds

I just bought a set of Polk Audio speakers and pleased with them, however, you might stick with your center speaker brand, but not that fam with them..

 

[nibhaz]

Timber match the front 3ch!

Well, depending on what mains you have and your future plans for them in your system, I would seriously consider getting something from Athena to replace them and then move your current mains to surround duty. This will give you matched timber on the front three channels which are the most critical.

Depending on what you have, or have in mind when it comes to a subwoofer I would just go with the AS-B2.2s as your mains.

I complete rundown of what you have, where you would like to go, and what your listening tastes are will result in more informed and helpful response to your query.

 

[Steve42]

This will give you matched timber on the front three channels which are the most critical.

Agreed, matching the LCR channels is most important. Also take a look at phase tech V-surrounds. They are bipole/dipole switchable and are pretty cheap at $450 retail. Polk makes some decent ones as well.

 

[doomguardian]

I have Sony cubed speakers as my mains, Athena C1.2 for center, Sony cubed speakers for my surrounds, and a Athena AS-P6000 for my sub.

I want it 100% for movies, I'm also looking in either Future Shop or Best Buy.

Canadian prices please.

 

[nibhaz]

Priority #1: New Mains

Given that information I would highly suggest you get the Athena AS-B1.2s to use as you mains first. Future Shop has them for 229 CAD per pair. Your mains are really much more important than your surrounds, so this is where you should be investing your budget first.

Now, given that you’re designing a system just for HT, you should really focus on bi-pole designs for your surrounds. This will provide a more diffuse surround experience, which is great for HT, but not as great for multichannel music. For this I would suggest going with the Athena’s AS-R1.2s that you asked about in the first place. Don’t lose any sleep about them only going to 80Hz, they’re a good speaker at this price point, and they would give you a completely timber matched system if you take my earlier advice.

The main reason I’m saying go Athena all the way is because you’ve already invested in an Athena center(the most important speaker in a HT rig) so now it’s important to timber match and build around it. Athenas are a good deal at their price point so you should be quite happy if you go this route.

Just remember when you go to the store…mains first!

 

[Daz3d&Confus3d]

I have to agree with nib on this! Your mains NEED to match your center channel as far as timber goes....you can use your other sony towers temporarily as rears until you can afford them.....having said that I just bought a set of KEF iQ8ds rear surrounds at Ultimate Electronics (a chain store) on sale for $358 when they retail for $600 and let me tell you.....Im amazed at the difference.....absolutely amazed!!! I was using my old polk rt600 towers as rears until I could afford new ones. These KEFS are dipole and they ROCK!!! weighing in around 11.5 pounds each....real solid build quality and better than the Klipsches that match my set and cheaper. My wife hates when I spend money on more sound equipment but she admitted it sounded much better! Also the KEFS will reach 65hz....something to consider if you have a ULt. Elec. in your area.

 

[Daz3d&Confus3d]

Also if your using different types of speakers for HT make sure you get a sound level meter ($50 radio shack). easy to use and will make a BIG difference for your HT experience if your speakers are dB matched from your listening position. Guys dont like to drop the cash on something like a SLM but you really do need pne because different types of speakers require diff. amounts of power to drive them to various output dB levels. e.g. when your receiver is turned up to say -13 at your listening position your towers may be putting out 80dBs while your center is at 77dBs ....that translates into you having difficulty picking up on everything from your center.....like not being about to hear all the spoken dialog.....I had to turn my rear l/r channels up +6.5 on my receiver because the KEFS require alot more power to drive than my Klipsch's do...

 

[doomguardian]

Thanks for the advise nibhaz and Daz3d&Confus3d - very helpful info.

Mind if I ask, wouldn't the AS-B2.2s be the better option, considering that they match the 150 watts with my centre?

 

[nibhaz]

The 150w vs. 125w power handling is pretty much a mute point. In real world situations if you were to actually feed the AS-B1.2s 125w and the AS-B2.2s 150w at most you might see a 1.5dB difference in output in favor of the AS-B2.2s. Unless you actually have an amp capable of putting out 150w RMS with low THD what does it matter?

To be honest, if it were me and my money I would buy the AS-B2.2s just because for me bigger is better and I would rather have the 6 ½ in driver, the extra sensitivity, and the increased frequency response of the B2.2s, and then wait longer as I saved for the AS-R1.2s. But that’s just my opinion. Would the sound quality of the B2.2s compared to the B1.2s really be an improvement in your system and justify the price difference? That’s for you to decide by actually spending some time listening to both sets of speakers with material you are familiar with.

Even more importantly, since you are concerned with HT only, you need to listen to them crossed over with a sub so you have better idea of what they will sound like when you take them home. Crossed over properly with a sub I’d bet that you would be hard pressed to tell a difference between the 2 models. Better yet, if you have a credit card, buy them both, take them home, do some listening, have a friend help you do some DBX test and return the one you don’t like. When it all comes down to it you must trust your ears not our opinons.