Newbie needs help !!

[Malakei]

Hey guys, i'm relatively new to the home theatre world but i'm putting together a cool little theatre in my bedroom that will serve as my entry level system for a few years until I can afford to upgrade. Currently I am running a yamaha HTR-5750 which seems to be a mid range reciever and i would like some mid range speakers to go with it. I have been researching for weeks abd looking at reviews constantly, however it doesnt look as though everyones review is necessarily legitamite. Needless to say I have looked at a few of the "white van" speaker companies such as theatre research which I even saw in person at my buddy's store. There wasnt much in the way of specs and he simply said they retail for 2000 how bad can they be. He was selling them for 500cdn haha. So obviously i was sceptical, thank god I recently joined this forum and have been reading up on companies such as these. Anyway, ive looked at a few speaker packages that caught the eye and were either well reviewed or ridiculously cheap and these are what I have so far, what do you think? And any other inputs in similar price ranges would be appreciated

1. Onkyo SKS-HT510
2. JBL SCS180.6
3. Harman Kardon HKTS14
4. Acoustic Research HC4 or 5
5. KINIMA Bi Polar RFX Speakers [local company, pretty nice specs from what i saw]


there were a few other from better companies like klipsch but im not personally impressed buy klipsch because altho inexperienced, i think they charge too much for their merchandise.

Someone please help newbie in distress.
Oh 1 more thing... when i first started looking at speakers, i thought wattage was what you wanted... i quickly found out otherwise, then i thought sensitivity and max SPL .... now i dont know what to think... what should i be looking for. ... I dont care about speaker size or look really but i just want good sound.
2.

 

[Zarg]

Think Canuck

Oh 1 more thing... when i first started looking at speakers, i thought wattage was what you wanted... i quickly found out otherwise, then i thought sensitivity and max SPL .... now i dont know what to think... what should i be looking for. ... I dont care about speaker size or look really but i just want good sound.
2.

You're in Canada, think Canadian. Think Axiom, Paradigm, PSB, just to name a very few great speaker manufacturers. I don't know why, but Canadia speakers seem to be quite popular here, and elsewhere. Guess they must do something right in Ottowa.

Zarg

"There's nothing so bad in Canada, that Quebec can't make worse."

(Wasn't me who said that....)

 

[plhart]

IMHO Canadian speakers have such a good reputation for value for three reasons:

1. The Canadian government allows small speaker manufacturers to use the Canadian Research Council's test facilities for free. This facility was originally set up by Dr. Floyd Toole who has been at Harman International (HK, JBL, Infinity, Revel) since 1991.

2. The Canadian Research council under Dr Toole always has promoted flat, wide-bandwidth frequency response with a flat but declining polar response as frequency increases. This dictum has been proven to be preferred by both trained and untrained listeners in Harman's Multichannel Listening Lab which is true double-blind testing.

3. The very favorable and stable exchange rates with the US.

Re: Low priced, flat response, great sounding little speaker system>> The Infinity TTS450 has received (deserved) rave reviews by most AV publications. For great sounding, honest, flat, single bookshelf speakers look to the Infinity Primus 150 or 160.

 

[dloweman]

Agree with the Canadian speakers recommendation. I would go with paradigm as they sound great with yamaha and are a great value at all price levels. Try for the monitor line or better if possible, but the performance line is also very good for the price. Depends on what you are looking for and what your budget is.

 

[calgarianperson]

i also am looking at paradigm speakers.... the company that will most likely hook me up with everything here says there great and you can't go wrong with how great they are priced!

 

[woodman]

Let's make it a unanimous hurrah for Canadian speaker mfgs. I especially like Paradigm, as I think they offer a tremendous amount of value for our dollars. Get the best (highest priced) Paradigms that you can afford - then just sit back and enjoy!

One other thing ... you don't mention whether you're trying to acquire a full-blown 5.1 speaker system all at once, and just what your budget for such an acquisition might be. Depending on the latter, it might be your best move to start with just the front pair plus a subwoofer, then add the center and surrounds as your finances dictate. In any case, check out both Paradigm and Axiom for the best and most economical speaker offerings currently available.

Hope this helps you

 

[Malakei]

thanks alot

I actually have a large paradigm setup in my basement running off my 2000 yamaha natural sound receiver ... they are pretty good sounding.... i have the larger of the centers and titans for my rears and monitors for my fronts... however does paradigm offer a good 5 speaker setup for less then 500cdn? Ive seen allot of well reviewed companies here with great deals.. such as onkyo HK etc...
Im still a little on the fence wether or not i should go with paradigm.. they do sound good thats true but i also find that their speakers might be a bit bulky for a bedroom..hmmm any other suggestions? for under 500cdn? My receiver is a 6.1 so 6.1 would be great altho im sure i can deal with having a 5.1 and buying a seperate rear/center later.