Need sound system help

[Maximite]

Short of AV 123 can you all please help me find a 5.1 system that must have a Dark wood finish. My Budget is 3000 to 3500 for Speakers and I'll be powering that with a new Onkyo 705 Av reciever. I'd love the Rocket 123 but they are having production problems with lack of power and heavy floods at their facility in China. Any sugestions would help me greatly as I have the cash and want to pull the trigger but I don't want to make a mistake. I'll be using this for 50% music 50% Hiome theatre. Thanking you all in Advance.
Max

 

[mazersteven]

Patients can pay off in the long run. Something to think about.

Swan Diva 6.2
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_22&products_id=29

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/products_new.php?cPath=21_22

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/products_new.php?cPath=21_30

 

[mazersteven]

Bowers & Wilkins

600 series
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=2375&sc=ht

CM series
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=816&sc=ht

700 series (Stretching the budget)
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=817&sc=ht

 

[ParadigmDawg]

For that amount of mney, you owe it to yourself to audition a pair of Paradigm sig 6's. The color may not be dark enough for you but the sound will make up for that.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/reference/fronts-signature-signatures6-model-2-17-1-67.paradigm

 

[AVRat]

Energy RC-30/LCR/10,R (Rosenut) http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-line.php?id=264
SVS PB12-Plus (Rosenut) http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-plus1.cfm

 

[mazersteven]

http://www.salksound.com/gallery-avail.shtml

 

[Maximite]

Thanks everyone, I'm on my way to listen to some 600's and 700's from B&W tomorrow. Also have a Paradigm dealer not to far away so I'll try to get down there and listen to some speakers in a similar price range.

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks everyone, I'm on my way to listen to some 600's and 700's from B&W tomorrow. Also have a Paradigm dealer not to far away so I'll try to get down there and listen to some speakers in a similar price range.

Please post your thoughts about what you audition.

Remember to take notes and bring your own material to audition.

 

[Warpdrv]

Thanks everyone, I'm on my way to listen to some 600's and 700's from B&W tomorrow. Also have a Paradigm dealer not to far away so I'll try to get down there and listen to some speakers in a similar price range.

Good job on getting right out and auditioning speakers...

Although I think the Sig series from Paradigm will stretch your budget, the Studio's are amazing speakers but don't come in a dark wood finish..

The B&Ws 700 series is a pretty good speaker, but I think they concentrate more on the look of the cabinet then the sound quality... Comparing them to the Paradigm Studio's, I found they didn't sound as good to me... but costed more... I also agree with AVRat about the Energy's... great speakers... or Monitor Audio, they have some darker wood, and sound fantastic...
As Mazersteven already said, please come back and give us your thoughts on what you listened to ... We all love subjective reviews..

Good Luck bring tons of music your passionate about...

 

[3db]

Short of AV 123 can you all please help me find a 5.1 system that must have a Dark wood finish. My Budget is 3000 to 3500 for Speakers and I'll be powering that with a new Onkyo 705 Av reciever. I'd love the Rocket 123 but they are having production problems with lack of power and heavy floods at their facility in China. Any sugestions would help me greatly as I have the cash and want to pull the trigger but I don't want to make a mistake. I'll be using this for 50% music 50% Hiome theatre. Thanking you all in Advance.
Max

From PSB;

http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Image-Series/Image-T65-Tower
and
http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Image-Series/Image-S50-Surround
or
http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Image-Series/Image-B25-Monitor
and
http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Image-Series/Image-C60-Center

 

[Maximite]

Today was my first listen to the B&W 704 and the 684. I spent about 1 half hour with each set in two different rooms. I'm going back to listen to both in the same room next week. So far my ears fell for the 684's which made my pocketbook happy as well as my ears.... Then I added a sub with the 684's and really liked it even more. I will go back and do the same with the 704 next week. The one thing i did very much like about the 700 series is the wood work. For those of you that have listened to both or either any insight would be nice. Beacuse so far out of those two I'm leaning toward the 600's. However at the same time I wonder if I missed something with the 700's as for the difference in Price I expected to like the 700 series more before walking into the room. My room size is 12x 15 with a seven and a half foot ceiling. Lots of Hardwood, windows and a fire place.

 

[mazersteven]

Don't let the price of a speaker confuse your ears.

Example here is a set of speakers that is supposed to sound better then the B&W 805's. The 805's are $2500 a pair. They are $439.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_25&products_id=32

 

[gus6464]

Don't let the price of a speaker confuse your ears.

Example here is a set of speakers that is supposed to sound better then the B&W 805's. The 805's are $2500 a pair. They are $439.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_25&products_id=32

Just how I personally think that the CM1's own the 805S and I find their CM7 to be their best speaker until you get to the 802D range which are uber expensive. The new 6xx series are awesome speakers and I was told by a dealer that B&W is phasing out the 700 series entirely in favor of the CM series.

 

[Maximite]

My B&W experience is done and so far it's the CM series that is working on my ears, and in my budget. Well maybe a little over. I'm looking at CM7 Fronts, CM1 rears and a CM centre.
Now it's on to listen to a set of Paradigm studio 60's, a CC 590 and the adp 590 surrounds. Both systems fall within what I'm willing to spend with the para's being about 600 more. Any thoughts or comparisions between the two would be great? My only problem with the Paradigm is the center is a little big for where i would like to put it. Where as the center for the CM series would fit perfectly in front of the TV on the entertainment console.

 

[mazersteven]

Both are awesome systems.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

My dealer told me that you have to get way up the food chain in B&W to compete with the Studio series and he is a big B&W dealer. But...we all know it only matters how it sounds to your ears....

 

[Maximite]

Both are awesome systems.

Which would you prefer?

 

[mazersteven]

Which would you prefer?

That is a hard one to call. For HT they will both do a fine job. Maybe with a slight edge to the Paradigm Studio's. But for music the CM's are excellent, smooth, and really detailed.

The CM cabinets are nicer, and they really look nice. Paradigms aren't ugly by no means.

IMO I would drop to a set of Studio 40's over the 60's.