New System Advice

[warparty]

All,

I have been reading for a while, and am still overwhelmed with options. I'm wanting to buy sub and two speakers now. I will want to add a matched center and 2 surrounds later. I plan to use a new Yamaha, probably the RX-V475 receiver to stay within available funds. I'm living in an apartment for another 4 months, and then moving to a house with normal 9" tall size family room, wood floors, and leather couches, etc. I live classic rock (70s), jazz, and current hits.

So the first is sub-woofer. I have read repeatedly that I need to spend about $500 to avoid any future unhappiness and that getting a good sub-woofer will make bookshelf speakers sound much better. These three keep coming up everywhere as.

Rythmik LV12R -- free shipping $549.00
HSU VTF-2 MK4 -- with shipping is $596.00
Outlaw LFM-1 Plus -- with shipping is $629.00

The speakers I see recommended a lot are the
Ascend HTM 200SE ($298/pair at their website)
Pioneer BS22-LR ($120/pair at best buy)
BIC Formula FH-65B 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers 175 Watts ($120 each)
Fluance XL7S $179 a pair.

I see the Pioneer PK52FS recommend a lot, but I was hoping not to go with that big a speaker in the family room.

So QUESTIONS
0) I have about $800 bucks for speakers. Are there better sub/speaker combos for those dollars?
1) Does it make sense to spend that much on a sub, and a lot less on 2 speakers.
2) Will I be unhappy if I don't buy the $500 sub? Are there cheaper sub-woofer options that won't disappoint.
3) Are there other speakers that I should consider. And I want to add a matched center and 2 surrounds in the future when $$ are available.

Thanks for the advice. Never purchased this quality of speaker before, so would like to optimize my dollars.

 

[j_garcia]

Welcome Nice first post.

Unfortunately you missed out on the introductory pricing on the LV12R. It is $589 now, but not too much more. Those choices are good, you might add the SVS PB-1000 to the list and it is a little less than all of those before shipping and even less if they have one in the clearance area. I'd personally stick with that list. You can still get something decent under that price range, but I think you'd be selling yourself short. That said, the main speakers are definitely important so I wouldn't cheap out on them at the expense of getting a better sub. IMO, get the speaker portion settled first.

The BS22LRs are $89/pr at TigerDirect.com - Electronics, Tablets, Phones, Office Supplies & Video Games A no brainer at that price and Best Buy WILL price match them.

The HTM-200s are going to be solid as are their CBM-170SEs. I can't say either of them will be head and shoulders better than the BS22s.

 

[warparty]

j_garcia: Ok, I lilke the SVS PB-1000 recommendation which is available in the outlet section for $450 with free shipping which frees up some money for main speakers. That makes about $400 available for 2 mail speakers. You comment on main's shouldn't be expensive caught my attention. Don't want to skimp now and spend more later. So with $400 for a pair of mains what mains should I consider? Can I get to a better sound by spending a bit more?

Thanks again.

 

[theJman]

So with $400 for a pair of mains what mains should I consider? Can I get to a better sound by spending a bit more?

For speakers check out the Arx A1b. They may not be much to look at, but they have excellent sound.

 

[j_garcia]

I honestly would not say you are skimping with the BS22-LRs. I own a pair and listen to them almost every day. I am extremely pleased with them. They aren't much to look at either though Paired up with a sub, they are a very compelling setup for the price. I have not heard the A1B.

At $570 the Ascend CMT340SE would be a step up in output IMO, but also over your $400.

What will things be powered with?

 

[warparty]

I haven't bought a receiver yet, but was intending to use the Yamaha RX-V475, which I believe provides 80 watts per channel. But if I end up only spending about $550 on speakers ($450 for SVS PB-1000 and $80 for BS22-LRs) then I could probably buy the bottom line Yamaha Atentage receiver which gets better reviews from folks. And that would provide 90 watts per channel.

 

[shadyJ]

The additional wattage from the aventage isn't going to make any perceivable difference whatsoever, so don't concern yourself about that. Better speakers will make a far greater difference in your system than a better receiver. Here is something I might do for 800. For the sub, check out the Premier Acoustic PA-150. It is far more powerful than the PB1000 and will even beat the Rythmik, Hsu, and Outlaw subs in mid and upper bass output. And it costs less than any of them. That leaves you well over $300 for speakers, some speakers I would look at in that range are the Ascend CBM-170s, Hsu HB-1, and HTD Level Three Bookshelf speakers. I think any of those will be a lot more capable than the Pioneer bookshelfs. The PA-150 and any of those larger bookshelf speakers will have a great deal more dynamic range than the system you are considering.

 

[warparty]

Great, thanks for all the great advice and options. Will research and read reviews over weekend.

 

[macddmac]

Welcome and great choices!, I would strongly recommend getting your center channel speaker as well while you are at it. You never know when they will change the models. Voicing of your front stage is very important and not getting them now could leave you with less than satisfactory timbre matching up front.
In the case of the pioneers, ( I have the bs-22's as well) the cost is minimal and will future proof you for some time to come.
cheers, Mac

 

[afterlife2]

For the sub, check out the Premier Acoustic PA-150. It is far more powerful than the PB1000 and will even beat the Rythmik, Hsu, and Outlaw subs in mid and upper bass output.

That good eh? for 15 inch looks like a great deal. Seems like they go on sale often for 350$ and once for 299$ on slickdeals. Do you have one shadyJ?

 

[shadyJ]

That good eh? for 15 inch looks like a great deal. Seems like they go on sale often for 350$ and once for 299$ on slickdeals. Do you have one shadyJ?

No, but it has been reviewed by Josh Ricci, and it has some very good output above 30 hz and massive output above 50 hz. It even matches the Rythmik FV15HP's output at 60 to 80 hz, which is a feat considering how powerful the FV15HP is. I haven't seen it for $350, but at that price it is a steal. If that was a frequent price for it I am sure it would easily take the Klipsch RW-12D's spot as THE budget sub.

 

[Pyrrho]

j_garcia: Ok, I lilke the SVS PB-1000 recommendation which is available in the outlet section for $450 with free shipping which frees up some money for main speakers. That makes about $400 available for 2 mail speakers. You comment on main's shouldn't be expensive caught my attention. Don't want to skimp now and spend more later. So with $400 for a pair of mains what mains should I consider? Can I get to a better sound by spending a bit more?

Thanks again.

Here is something to consider for $400:

Pair LSI7 Cherry Bookshelf Loudspeakers Polk Audio 047192108671 | eBay

The only concern is that they are 4 ohms, so your receiver will need to be okay with that. Otherwise, they will be hard to beat at that price, both in looks and in sound.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Pioneer speakers + SVS sub seems good to me.

 

[warparty]

I have read more, and realized my furniture doesn't provide the speaker separation I need. So I realized if I get bookshelf speakers I will need to get speaker stands, so why no just go with a tower.

So I went by best buy and listened to the Pioneer SP-FS52 towers with a good subwoofer ($400 klipsch on the floor), and they sounded very good to me. I have minimal experience listening to quality speakers, but I was very happy with the sound and was way better than anything I have ever owned (Bose years ago and currently a higher end Sony 5.1 speaker system). So with the comments of a couple of folks here who like the pioneers also, they seem like a great value. At the price of the speakers I can also get the BS22-LR surrounds and matched center. And buy a better sub as follows:

For the Sub-woofer, I'm leaning towards the Rythmik LV12R. While I don't understand all I read, the Premier Acoustic PA-150 is well liked and rated very good for a $300 sub, but drops off at lower frequencies. The PB1000 is rated well, but not as high as the Rythmik. So not knowing what is important, the posts I read suggest the Rythmik is better than the other two options, so it makes sense to buy the Rythmik which I should be happy with for a long time. And I can afford the Rythmik, so unless I am wasting money, I would rather go that way.

Am I missing anything. Does anybody who is familiar with the speakers think I will be dissatisfied with the Pioneer speakers or the Rythmik sub?

Thanks again, Your comments have been very helpful in focusing my reading.