speaker recommendation for home

[LT4play]

I have recently bought a Denon AVR-2105 for use in my family room as a surround sound receiver. This will be used primarily for surround sound with movies.

I am looking for speakers, And for a recommendation.

I have wires for six speaker locations in my room (two front, two side, two rear). Looking to do bookshelf , wall-mount for all.

I previously had looked at and like the NHT SB-2, which has now been discountinued. I have looked at pricing for the new NHT Classic Two, but at ~$450/pair it is a little more than I want to spend.

Yawa recommend me:
PSB Alpha C

Can anyone give me any recommendations, or comment on the PSB? I would be most comfortable spending in the range of $300 per pair.

Thank You for your help. Andy

 

[Deathwish238]

MB Quart tends to have a bright sound. Very accurate, but they can be too bright if not setup properly. Atleast this true for their car audio and should still remain somewhat true for their HT

The best thing to do is to go to several a/v stores and listen to speakers in your price range. Bring music you're familiar with if you plan to listen to music and movies you're familiar with as well. Listen to various speakers and finds the one you like the best. You'll find out what type of sound you like the most. Any decent A/V store(not Best Buy, Circuit City, etc) is going to carry only good name brands generally. If you see Bose head for the door.

The most important thing speaker wise is the center channel and sub when it comes to movies. Nearly all voices come from the center channel and we all know how much a sub can make a difference. The front two speakers are important as well for movies but are even more important for music as you should be listening to it in stereo mode.

I recently listened and was very impressed by two brands...Epos and Dali. Both had an excellent sound...I actually liked them more than a set of KEFs which I had for a couple years thought to be my preferred brand.

 

[zumbo]

Forget about MB Quart. $899.00 a pair. And 4ohm.

Found a better deal on PSB: http://audiophileliquidator.chainreactionweb.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=34&page=2&osCsid=28e7b232a2bdc643a46b8da8900ab476

 

[LT4play]

Forget about MB Quart. $899.00 a pair. And 4ohm.

Found a better deal on PSB: http://audiophileliquidator.chainreactionweb.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=34&page=2&osCsid=28e7b232a2bdc643a46b8da8900ab476

Besides..I think MB is out of my budget.

I am now looking at six PSB Alpha B's or six PSB Image B15's ? I am probably leaning more to the Alpha B an the Image.. Image B15 looks like its getting a little big for wall mounting , and doesn't seem like it offers all that much more speaker for the additional cost.

Should I get more creative? (Use Alpha Bs or even Alpha Cs for front , and maybe Alpha S's in the rear ) What do you think of the Alpha line?

Any other brands to look at besides PSB? How does the sound of a PSB sound compared to an NHT SB-x series? (I have only heard NHTs...)

 

[zumbo]

I would give NHT the knod.(IMO)

 

[LT4play]

I would give NHT the knod.(IMO)

I agree.. I really liked NHT SB-2 for sound, quality, cost when I heard them.....
......but NHT SB-x are discontinued. The new NHT Classic Two series (replacement for SB-2) is ~$450/pair... Has gone from the speaker I want to over budget.. Thus looking for a new manufacturer.

Found these manufacturers in a write-up I was reading this morning..
What do you think of these? (Paradigm , Athena , Axiom , PSB ?)

 

[gellor]

Found these manufacturers in a write-up I was reading this morning..
What do you think of these? (Paradigm , Athena , Axiom , PSB ?)

I keep hearing good things about all of those. A couple more things you might look at:

Phase Tech Teatro (you could actually do teatro 6.5's all the way around)
Audioholics Speaker Faceoff IV (all sub-$300 bookshelf speakers)
SVS SBS-01 - I'm surprised no one here's mentioned them, yet. People here seen enamoured with them.

 

[Tex-amp]

Ascend Acoustics is another great value to look at.

Word I'm hearing is the new NHTs go for style, size, and accentuating what is pleasing to the ear instead of the accuracy they've been know for.

 

[LT4play]

OK, After digging through a number of links, I have narrowed it down to these.. (Still have to go listen , of course , but since my nearest audio stores are 60+ miles away, I'd like to narrow it down before I go in quest of listening.)

Any futher opinions or insight?


BIC Venturi DV62si
43 Hz-20 kHz
3/4" poly dome tweeter
6" poly/graphite woofer,


Phase Tech Teatro 4.5
58 Hz -20 kHz (±3 dB)
1" soft dome
5.25" Vapor Deposited Titanium


SVS SBS-01
68Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB
(1) 1" (25mm) ClearSilkT diaphragm
(1) 5.25" (133mm) polypro. cone


xPhase Tech Teatro 4.5
58 Hz -20 kHz (±3 dB)
1" soft dome
5.25" Vapor Deposited Titanium


Paradigm Atom:
±2dB from 70Hz – 20kHz
19-mm (3/4 in) CMC™ dome
140-mm (5-1/2in) polypropylene cone, die-cast chassis

Paradigm Titan:
±2dB from 60Hz – 20kHz
19-mm (3/4 in) CMC™ dome
165-mm (6-1/2in) polypropylene cone, die-cast chassis

Paradigm Focus:
±2dB from 60Hz – 20kHz
25-mm (1 in) CMC™ dome
165-mm (6-1/2in) MPC™ cone, GRIP™ chassis


PSB Image B15
On Axis @ 0° ±3dB 50-23,000 Hz
Tweeter(Nominal) 1" (25 mm), Aluminum Dome with Ferrofluid
Woofer (Nominal) 5 1/4" (133 mm), Injection Molded, Metalized Polypropylene cone, Rubber Surround

PSB Alpha B
On Axis @ 0° ±3dB 65-21,000 Hz
Tweeter(Nominal) 3/4" (19 mm), Aluminum Dome with Ferrofluid
Woofer (Nominal) 5 1/4" (130 mm), Polypropylene Cone, Rubber Surround

 

[Sheep]

I would recommend the SVS system. Comes with a great sub.

Also look at Athena and Energy.

SheepStar

 

[LT4play]

Any other opinions on this list?
Recently a buddy has told me to look at Epos ELS-3. I find those to be very interesting..

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

BIC DV62si

IMHO, you can't beat that speaker dollar for dollar.

Lots of guys here have purchased them, and not one has complained. Some say they are a little on the bright side - but some prefer a little more crispness to their music/movies. I don't know of any bookshelves with better low end response.

There's a popular mod done on these to make them even better. Hopefully Jaxvon will put in his .02 - he has them with an HSU STF-1 sub. I've owed a pair since 1989, and they're still in the family.

35 Reviews:
http://audioholics.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/bookshelf-speakers/bic-america/PRD_124289_4290crx.aspx

Here's 19 more from Amazon users:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JPDI/ref=sr_11_1/102-7895393-2919341?_encoding=UTF8

3 more at epinions:
http://www.epinions.com/613536_Bic_America_Venturi_DV62si_2_Way_Speakers/display_~reviews

 

[patnshan]

I have the teatro 4.5's as rears currently. I like them a lot and think they are quite clear. I tried them out in front with and without a sub first. I think they actually sound great with the sub, but are totally unacceptable as mains without a sub IMHO. The highs are very clear, but not bright. The midrange is decent and I really like the sound of the titanium coated woofers.

For mains, I would maybe take a look at the 6.5's or 7.5's if you want phase tech. The paradigm's, EPOS, and Epos are also very highly regarded around here and elsewhere. So are aperion, axiom, and ascend if you want to go internet direct (only aperion of these pays shipping there and back if you return, axiom makes you pay the return only, and ascend has you paying both ways).

I am also considering trying the HTD level 3's as they pay shipping both ways if you don't like them. They seem to be a bit bigger and have better cabinet materials including real wood veneer. The others are vinyl. I have seen the wood samples and they look really nice.

Pat

 

[3db]

PSB would be my 1st choice over all of the,

Any other opinions on this list?
Recently a buddy has told me to look at Epos ELS-3. I find those to be very interesting..

I have a HT sytem entirely built from PSB and I have the Image1Bs as my surround speaker. I would go for Image 1Bs if you can get close to the same price as the Alphas. They will play louder, and clearer than the Alphas. Its not that the Alphas are bad. They are amazing for the money. It's just the Image1Bs are better.

The PSB 1Bs are a very detailed speaker without sounding bright, throwing out huge soundstage. The mids are just so life like. You won't find a speaker that will image better in that price class. They will need a sub which is no surprise given their size.

I have them wall mouted via an adjustable bracket. The model number is BT77 and here is there webpage;

http://www.b-tech-int.com/Welcome.html

 

[johsti]

The BIC's that you're considering can be had for much less than your $300 a pair budget (I'm sure you already know that by now). In fact you can do a full 5.0 Bic setup for a little more than $300. I've had the BIC DV62's and a DV62CLRS for a couple of years now, and I'm very happy with them for the price. I just ordered some DV64 towers a few months ago and moved the DV62's to surround duty.

In my opinion, the speakers sound great for HT/TV and multichannel music. For 2.0 music, the BIC's are ok. They are bright and a little sloppy compared to other higher priced offerings. From what I've heard the efe modifications help considerably. Since I have the day off today, I think I'm going to pull the crossovers out and ship them off to Ed Frias.

For the price that you can get them for online, I don't know what could outperform them. If you plan on spending $300 a pair, you can obviously get better speakers than the BIC's.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker configuration.

The BICs are a good budget offering but didn't fare well against Axiom and Klipsch in the $300 shootout. I guess for 3 times the cost, you should expect a better speaker.

Anyway, I wanted to point out that for a 5.1 HT you will need 2 Fronts, a Center, 2 (Side) Surrounds, and a Subwoofer. For 7.1 you can add 2 Rear Surrounds. Both the center channel (dialog) and sub (low frequencies) are very important for HT.

 

[BassHead]

I have recently bought a Denon AVR-2105 for use in my family room as a surround sound receiver. This will be used primarily for surround sound with movies.

I am looking for speakers, And for a recommendation.

I have wires for six speaker locations in my room (two front, two side, two rear). Looking to do bookshelf , wall-mount for all.

I previously had looked at and like the NHT SB-2, which has now been discountinued. I have looked at pricing for the new NHT Classic Two, but at ~$450/pair it is a little more than I want to spend.

Yawa recommend me:
PSB Alpha C

Can anyone give me any recommendations, or comment on the PSB? I would be most comfortable spending in the range of $300 per pair.

Thank You for your help. Andy

PSB speakers are cheap and made cheap,And for many i heard from they have a night mare down the road when you want service or replacement.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

jcPanny The BICs are a good budget offering but didn't fare well against Axiom and Klipsch in the $300 shootout. I guess for 3 times the cost, you should expect a better speaker.

Just keep in mind, the reviewer (RLA) installs Klipsch speakers (as well as others), and Axiom is a huge player here at Audioholics. Further research on this site shows some feel Axiom and Klipsch are a bit on the bright side. If you go with Klipsch, get the Reference.

I felt the review overall was very good, but keep in mind speakers are the toughest component to review since taste plays a major factor. Just because speakers run $300 a pair doesn't mean they outperform sets for less.

RLA generously provided info on how to turn those BIC's into true competition for the highest priced bookshelves in that shootout - with much better bottom end. It's worth a second read.

Go out and listen to as many as you can.

 

[3db]

Nice troll BassHead

PSB speakers are cheap and made cheap,And for many i heard from they have a night mare down the road when you want service or replacement.

Lets substanciate that with fact Basshead before shooting off like a loose canon.

I've blown a tweeter on my PSB1Bs by using a cheap Radio Shack amp and the dealer order a new one, no questions asked. My speakers were alreay 2 years old at that point. Total cost? $0.00 . They are a nightmare to deal with if the speakers were purchased from unauthorized dealers. No different than any other manufacturer in that respect. As far as I know, PSB does not support any online retailers.

PSB is on par with Paradigm, Axiom, NHT, Klipsh and other speaker manufacturer you care to mention.

 

[LT4play]

Ok, I have narrowed my search down to..

PSB Image B15 and Image C60 center.
http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=16&sId=3
http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=17&sId=3

or

Epos ELS-3 and ELS3C center.
http://www.epos-acoustics.com/products.asp?logging=113&lookup=els3
http://www.epos-acoustics.com/products.asp?logging=119&lookup=els3c

I have price quotes making both sets about the same...I am leaning more towards the PSB Image's, as the center appears to be far superior. Any opinions?


(fyi , as an aside - I was told today that PSB Alpha B line is going to be replaced/updated in two months...)