New guy,..take it easy on me!

[Blazer1]

Hello guys,

Let me tell you a little about my adventure into this addicting hobby. It all started when my wife mentioned that our 8 year old Sony HTIB was not worthy of audio for our newly purchased Panasonic 50" Plasma, funny how spending money leads to spending money! The old Sony HTIB was my first venture into "home audio" and I am embarrassed to say I was blown away by the htib when I first purchased it. So I was on a mission to replace the tired Sony HTIB. I jumped on the Internet and kept hearing talk about "The Speaker Company" blowing out some decent speakers,..sure enough I checked their site and found what I wanted,..4 TSB 5.25" and a T2 Center (refurb) for $210.00 to my door, pretty good yea? I followed this up with a new receiver Onkyo RC160 and a budget sub,..Bic F12.

After a few hours of set-up I get to hear my new system,...holy crap?? So much more information, crisp, powerful sound, sounds like I am happy right,..well maybe not?

As much as I enjoy my new "budget" set-up it left me wondering,..how much better does it get? Seeing how i spent a little over $200 on my speakers I can find another use for them. Don't get me wrong, the TSC sound great, I would buy them over again in a heart beat, I just want to know what else is out there. Maybe if I had spent $600 or $800 on the TSC speakers I would be more content?

So, after a long first post I apologize for, I still feel the need to shop for better(maybe??) speakers. I would love to hear from someone who has heard many different speakers and The Speaker Company's speakers how do they compare? I am seriously considering purchasing either the SVS 5.1 system or the HSU 5.1 system but would feel like a fool if I liked the TSC speakers as well or God forbid better!

So,..someone tell me that the SVS or HSU speakers are not going to be any better so I can end this madness and maybe, just maybe my child will get to attend college after all.

 

[kmad61]

I would say the Svs and Hsu are better and there are a Sh#@tload of great speakers out there.Take a look at the Psb's they will rock your world in a bookshelf.

 

[smitty78]

So,..someone tell me that the SVS or HSU speakers are not going to be any better so I can end this madness and maybe, just maybe my child will get to attend college after all.

Just enjoy your speakers for the time being. Yes, there will always be better speakers out there but if you are content with what you have, why bother just yet?

I started out with a $1500 budget looking for an A/V receiver and a 5.1 system. I made the mistake of auditioning over 20 different speakers over the last 8 months and now the amplifier I will need to power the speakers that I lust after cost as much as my original budget, maybe even a bit more.

Sorry dude, it never ends.

 

[highfigh]

Hello guys,

Let me tell you a little about my adventure into this addicting hobby. It all started when my wife mentioned that our 8 year old Sony HTIB was not worthy of audio for our newly purchased Panasonic 50" Plasma, funny how spending money leads to spending money! The old Sony HTIB was my first venture into "home audio" and I am embarrassed to say I was blown away by the htib when I first purchased it. So I was on a mission to replace the tired Sony HTIB. I jumped on the Internet and kept hearing talk about "The Speaker Company" blowing out some decent speakers,..sure enough I checked their site and found what I wanted,..4 TSB 5.25" and a T2 Center (refurb) for $210.00 to my door, pretty good yea? I followed this up with a new receiver Onkyo RC160 and a budget sub,..Bic F12.

After a few hours of set-up I get to hear my new system,...holy crap?? So much more information, crisp, powerful sound, sounds like I am happy right,..well maybe not?

As much as I enjoy my new "budget" set-up it left me wondering,..how much better does it get? Seeing how i spent a little over $200 on my speakers I can find another use for them. Don't get me wrong, the TSC sound great, I would buy them over again in a heart beat, I just want to know what else is out there. Maybe if I had spent $600 or $800 on the TSC speakers I would be more content?

So, after a long first post I apologize for, I still feel the need to shop for better(maybe??) speakers. I would love to hear from someone who has heard many different speakers and The Speaker Company's speakers how do they compare? I am seriously considering purchasing either the SVS 5.1 system or the HSU 5.1 system but would feel like a fool if I liked the TSC speakers as well or God forbid better!

So,..someone tell me that the SVS or HSU speakers are not going to be any better so I can end this madness and maybe, just maybe my child will get to attend college after all.

Your wife didn't think the HTIB was good enough and that you should buy a new system? Does she have a sister?

If you describe the room, it may reveal that the sound may be less than what you're expecting because of the shape, lots of hard surfaces and other factors. If you can, play with the speakers' location and angle them in a bit. Also, turn the sub off and if it sounds better, move that, adjust the crossover frequency, phase (if that's reversable), etc. If you have boomy notes, make sure the sub isn't in the middle of the length of a wall- that's a good way to have one note that's stronger than it should be and it's easy to become annoyed/confused about how to remedy this.

 

[Blazer1]

Your wife didn't think the HTIB was good enough and that you should buy a new system? Does she have a sister?

QUOTE]

No but she has a bald, over weight but adventurous older brother, want his number?

I may have came off as not being happy with my TSC purchase, that is not the case, I am very happy. I would like a more informed opinion of TSC speakers so I can understand how they compare to others such as SVS.

 

[mcghee33]

take your time

smitty is right there will always be something better, If I were you I would go to some local dealers, or all of them, and listen to what they all have to offer. Talk to people online about your findings and decide what you want. Then start buying slowly piece by piece. I have found this the best way to get what you want by not spending tons of money at once. If keep rushing out and buying the new thing every month.

 

[Davemcc]

Although the SVS and the Hsu may be better than the TSC speakers, I've found that the best way to make this hobby work is to go big early. That is to say, do as much shopping as you possibly can and get the absolute best speaker for you the first time. It saves the time and money of paying for incremental upgrades.

Once you've done some reading and auditioning, sit back and imagine what you want your final system to look and sound like. Once you imagine your dream system, go straight for that. Buy the best speakers, receiver, amp, etc. that will all incorporate into the final design.

 

[Alex2507]

I would say to get some mileage out of your latest upgrade and listen to different stuff over time as has been mentioned. The sky is the limit with how good it can be and what you can spend. Around here a pretty common suggestion for an audio upgrade is room treatments and a Gramma or Sub Dude. Those upgrades are keepers unless you're rmk (a crazy member).

I sort of wait for deals to fall in my lap but a more reasonable approach to upgrades is to establish a budget number first. That narrows the playing field.

 

[KEW]

Congratulations on your tSc's. They represent outstanding bang for the buck, and that was before they ran the close-out specials!

I'm in the "take your time" camp.

Let your ears adapt to your new tSc sound as your listening/evaluation skills mature. Your ears are probably not so discerning today as they will be after a month or so of experiencing your new tSc sound.

We can't tell you which speakers will sound best to you. We can only tell you which speakers sound good to us, or have a generally good reputation. You'll have to spend time auditioning various speakers to find your own best speakers. As you audition speakers, take your time and enjoy the process.

 

[BESLC]

Upgrading HT

I recently retired my old home theater setup ,which had severed me for several years. As you have found there is an amazing difference between a mediocre sound system and taking a jump into quality equipment.

I found, as I am sure you are finding, there is a huge margin in terms of price and quality in HT setups. You can spend as little or as much as you want on equipment. Price does not always equate to quality when it comes to sound.

In my quest I listened to various setups from multiple manufactures, in the end I ordered a system from Aperion, I ordered from Aperion for a couple of reasons. First their speakers are very highly regarded, you can spend much more and get much less in terms of quality and value. Second they have a no risk to you 30 day in home audition, if you are not 100 percent happy they pay for return shipping and you get a full refund. Lastly, if after the first 30 days you decide you want to upgrade, they will give you for the first year 100 percent of the purchase price of your speaker towards the price of another speaker. Their customer service is excellent as well, be it setup.technical or sales questions.

In terms of sound quality, I could not be happier. The sound and finish of the speakers is excellent. With Aperion, there are multiple complete HT setups to address just about any setting, or you can configure your own setup as I did.

 

[Blazer1]

I am very happy with my TSC purchase and I think I am going to take the advice given here and enjoy it while I research and listen to as many speakers as I can.

I would still like to hear from someone well versed in speakers that have listened to The Speaker Companies TSB series speakers to see how they rank with what else is out there.