Newbie Question!

[Aayush]

Hey Guys!

I'm planning on setting up a HT for myself and since I stay in India, my choices (in terms of brands as well as product ranges) is quite limited. Hence, I wanted to make sure I had a chat with you guys before getting started!

Here goes:

I haven't read much about Jamo speakers in this forum (then again, i started just yesterday!) but I heard a demo over in their store and they sounded fantastic to me!

Can someone point me in the right direction about these speakers? I'm looking particularly at the E680 floorstanders at the moment. I plan to purchase the components over a period of time since the costs involved are quite high! I plan to use the speakers 70% music - 30% movies. The other speaker options available are Onkyo, KEF, PolkAudio, B&W (Outrageously expensive!) Martin Logan, Magnepan, Wilson Audio and maybe a couple more!

Keeping that in mind, is it wise to spend on a Denon receiver to go with the Jamos? Denon, fortunately, is easily available here and from what I hear is one of the best receiver manufacturers out there. The other choices I have are Onkyo, Marantz and Pioneer. Would the AVR-2807 be a good intermediate choice?

I'm not looking to for a multi-room setup. The room I'll be listening in is reasonable in size. My current requirement is a receiver coupled with good floorstanding speakers which will later become my fronts on a 5.1 (or more!) setup.

Hope I haven't bored you guys! Any help will be appreciated!

A

 

[AVRat]

I would prefer a Polk RTi 8 setup over the Jamos, but if they sound good to you that’s all that matters. The Denon 2807 would be a good choice either way.

 

[Seth=L]

I believe Jamo is part of the API group in Canada. API makes Energy, Athena Technologies, and a few other brands.

 

[Aayush]

I believe Jamo is part of the API group in Canada. API makes Energy, Athena Technologies, and a few other brands.

Jamo is a Danish brand according to their catalog...

Anyway, I'll take a look and see if I can find the PolkAudio speakers...Thanks!

 

[no. 5]

personly, I would say KEF (look at the sig!), but I agree that good sound can be had with PolkAudio.
Magnepan may be a bit much for home theater.

...B&W (Outrageously expensive!)... Wilson Audio and maybe a couple more!

is Wilson Audio less expensive than B&W over there?

 

[robot]

How expensive are the B&Ws? The 603 S3 should retail for around $1000 US, and in my opinion they are a fantastic deal in that price range.

 

[Aayush]

is Wilson Audio less expensive than B&W over there?

u got me there!
i cant find the WA price-list online so i'm guessing they're really really outrageously expensive!

@ robot - the 603 S3 are close to $1500 exclusive of 12.5%tax so they turn out to be about $1700 odd...(after conversion from rupees to dollars) if my math is alright...u can see the entire range of available pricing here:

http://www.audiovisionindia.com/price_bw.htm

i'm gonna check out the PolkAudio and KEF speakers on Sunday...will let you guys know what i thought...then maybe you can help me make a final decision...

the Monitor70 review states that the tweeters can blow after a short timeframe...is this a really true? the 70s seem to be very popular as well...

later i will need your advice on whether i should go for a polk subwoofer...

till then

thanks and cheers!

 

[Aayush]

how will a 110W per channel receiver power a 260W sub?

 

[robot]

Yeah $1500 US is a bit much... I haven't looked at that website, but are they really that out of proportion compared to other manufacturers? Maybe they will give you a deal? The place that I bought my speakers from lists them as $1700 Canadian per pair, which is quite outrageous. Everyone else in British Columbia has a sticker of $1500 Canadian for them so I offered them that and they took it. I probably could have haggled some more but I was too impatient. They threw in some fancy cables, banana plugs, and feet things.

Anyways, the point is that maybe you can make them an offer.

how will a 110W per channel receiver power a 260W sub?

As far as I know all stand alone subs are self powered...

 

[Aayush]

ok! the results are out!

i heard the monitor60s, rti8s and rti10s today...also the psw12 sub...

personally, i thought the monitor60s gave the best performance for their price...the sound was quite impressive for speakers that are not particularly large especially when compared to the rtis...

there wasnt much to choose from between the rti 8s and 10s except in the low end where the 10s were better for obvious reasons...

currently i have an offer for about $920 for the monitor60+psw12...i think its a good deal...what do you guys think?

 

[AVRat]

Did you hear them as a HT setup with a good movie demo? What was your impression? The Monitor 60s ($560) are okay, but the PSW12 sub is a stinker! A PSW505 would be preferred if you can’t find anything better that you can afford. Polk subs in general aren’t very good. Do you want a sub that gives you a good, visceral feeling, or one that provides decent bass into the 25 Hz region? I don’t know if Velodyne has a presence over there, but they are generally a good option.

 

[Aayush]

Did you hear them as a HT setup with a good movie demo? What was your impression? The Monitor 60s ($560) are okay, but the PSW12 sub is a stinker! A PSW505 would be preferred if you can’t find anything better that you can afford. Polk subs in general aren’t very good. Do you want a sub that gives you a good, visceral feeling, or one that provides decent bass into the 25 Hz region? I don’t know if Velodyne has a presence over there, but they are generally a good option.

i did hear them in a HT setup with the monitor30s as surrounds and a cs2 centre channel on Saving Private Ryan's opening beach landing scene...the sound was quite impressive though i have to say none of the polks are a patch on the jamos i heard in dec...
the psw505 is in a different league altogether when compared to the psw12 no? not a fair comparison but i agree that the sub could have been a lot better! i will have to take a look around for velodyne but i doubt ill find them very easily...any other options for a sub?

also, have u personally heard jamo?

 

[Aayush]

well, to make matters better (or worse!) i have found dealers for DefTech, Yamaha, Klipsch, Bryston, MS, Thiel and REL...

now can u guys suggest any alternatives to Jamo?

 

[Tomorrow]

Aayush,

There are some fine European speaker manufacturers that may offer a preferred value pricing in India. Before making a suggestion, may I ask for the size/volume of the room you intend to house your home theater? Also, do you have a budget in mind?

 

[AVRat]

Yes, I’ve heard the Jamos but they didn’t float my boat, they may be your cup o’ tea. Looks like you may have more listening to do to find the right speakers for your ears.

 

[Aayush]

Aayush,

There are some fine European speaker manufacturers that may offer a preferred value pricing in India. Before making a suggestion, may I ask for the size/volume of the room you intend to house your home theater? Also, do you have a budget in mind?

hallelujah! finally the AV market over here is maturing with a slew of manufacturers now available thanks to some efforts by the local audiophiles! Most of the stuff is currently only available in Mumbai (im in Bangalore!) but im going to start a detailed research!

@ tomorrow - the room would probably be under a 1000 sqft...

i do have a budget in mind (esp since the speakers are available at direct currency converted rates only at present - meaning im earning in rupees but ill be paying dollar rate!) - currently i'm only looking for floorstanders (for music) which i will gradually turn into fronts for a 6 channel (or more) setup for about $1000...(is that too little? )

oh the agony of choices!

 

[Tomorrow]

oh the agony of choices!

Jean-Paul Sartre would tell you that with absolute freedom (of choice) comes absolute alienation. (Damn Existentialists! ) Yeah, we get siezed up with TOO many good things, lol.

That's quite a small room you'll be loading with equipment, so bookshelf speakers (and a decent subwoofer) should be adequate for your needs. With your budget, you can move into some very nice acoustic company. From Great Britain you have several wonderful speaker options in Monitor Audio and Mission. Dali from Denmark offers some fine equipment. Italy offers a few choices, with Sonus Faber being the Ferrari of the bunch. (You'd have to stretch your budget just a smidgeon.) IMHO, I'd nudge you to especially audition Vienna Acoustic speakers from, where else, the home of Mozart. They will provide you with a high performance monitor in a timeless design and under your budget (with a bit of negotiation).

I have nothing to say about Jamo, as I've not heard them. They have received both good and not-so-good reports here on Audioholics. Nevertheless, I'd counsel that you should not buy them to satisfy that want-it-now urge we all get. You'll be living with these speakers for some time, and you'll maximize your pleasure if you do your research and find what most appeals to you.

You're quite a ways from Mumbai, and even further from Delhi. Be sure to research the internet dealers. You will lack the ability to audition before purchase with many of these speakers, but most will let you return equipment (without charge, except for shipping) for 30 days after delivery.

As for those I mentioned:

http://www.viennaacoustics.com/flash.html#
http://www.sonusfaber.com/index.html
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/
http://www.mission.co.uk/
http://www.dali.dk/
(Dealer networks are available on all manufacturer websites.)

There are, of course, many more from which to choose. But these are grand performers.

 

[WeAreSurrounded]

It has nothing to do with the reciever, the sub powers itself with its own amp.

 

[JoeE SP9]

personly, I would say KEF (look at the sig!), but I agree that good sound can be had with PolkAudio.
Magnepan may be a bit much for home theater.


is Wilson Audio less expensive than B&W over there?

Since when is Magnepan to much for an HT? I use 4 full range ESL's and 3 subwoofers (no center speaker) for HT.

 

[Aayush]

That's quite a small room you'll be loading with equipment, so bookshelf speakers (and a decent subwoofer) should be adequate for your needs.

firstly, thanks for the insightful post...i have really struggled against the "want-it-now" feeling you spoke about...

i was looking to go for the floorstanders (and a sub - no question) because i need some flexibility in my planning...i'm getting married in 7 months time and will be shifting to a new home so need to plan ahead for that...the new house will have a larger listening area and i wouldn't want the bookshelves to sound inadequate after sounding great in my presently small room...

the listing u've provided is invaluable and apart from the top two choices the others are now available in India - i will probably make a trip down to Mumbai (which has EVERYTHING!) before I buy so I should be able to get a demo!

there are some floorstanders which are within my budget that have received respectable reviews - i will compose a list of them and post them here soon...