Speakers - What can I get between $1000 and $1500

[audionewb]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum and am purchasing a new home theater system. I think I am going to go with the Yamaha RX-V2500 receiver (I am open to other ideas though).

I have been looking at the speaker reviews on this site and am having trouble deciding which ones to go with. I would like a compromise between size and performance...basically I don't think my girlfriend will like any speakers that are TOO big. Anyway, good surround and base are important to me...Also, the Yamaha supports 7.1 so I think I will want to take advantage of that. As I said in the title, my price range for speakers is between $1000 and $1500. What do you guys recommend?

What do you think of the "RBH Sound CT-7.1 System"?

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Shawn

 

[dloweman]

newb,

I just purchased the paradigm monitor 7 version 3, and the cc370, you can probably get them on sale somewhere since paradigm is coming out with version 4...they are great speakers, you can get the mini-monitors for surrounds and you have a GREAT system since they match very well with your yammie since they are laid back and yammies are a little thin. Give them a listen, you can probably get all 5 for around 1500 possibly a little less, giving you alittle money for a sub which is a must for home theatre. Good luck
derek

 

[sCiEnT]

I have to agree with dloweman. The paradigms are very good for the money. If 7.1 is not all that important you might also what to research the Cambridge Audio Azure 540R. Its a good amp, was considering it for my speakers (Studio 100's).

 

[audionewb]

Thank you so much for your replies. I have a number of questions for you, they are probably very elementary, sorry in advance. So are you suggesting that I would get:

1 Paradigm center (cc-370)
2 monitor 7 front speakers
2 monitor mini surround speakers
2 ADP-370 rear speakers
1 subwoofer (what type do you recommend for home theater?)

This is for a 7.1 system (compatible with the Yamaha 2500). I am sorry if this is way off...please advise.

Also, what do you guys think of the cinema series?

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[Vancouver]

I assume you are talking about USD$? Take a look at these. i started off with them and they were great for the money! and look pretty good too.


http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.ranges/label/Range DM300 Series

 

[Vancouver]

here is a better link to get a good look at them.


http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.photolibrary/label/Model DM303

 

[nova]

What do you think of the "RBH Sound CT-7.1 System"?

-Shawn

The RBH CT series are a great way to go if you need small speakers. Build quality is outstanding, and for a small speaker you can really crank up the volume. They do like a powerfull amp or receiver, but you'll be hard pressed to get any distortion out of them. Imaging and tonal balance are very good, dialog is excellent, and the bass is clean, tight, and accurate. Though don't expect that huge earthshaking bass, but with a little tweaking and positioning your HT experience with a CT system will be very satisfying.
Thats just my opinion,.... find a dealer and listen for yourself ;-)

 

[audionewb]

Rbh Ct

Thanks for the responses.

Vancouver - I will check those speakers out... What do you think about their small bookshelf version?

Nova - In your opinion, are these the best small speakers? Could I create ground shaking bass by using a different subwoofer (if I understand correctly, the bass should be redirected to the subwoofer via the receiver and should not bleed into the surround speakers, right?)? The Yamaha RX-V2500 should be plenty powerful to power these speakers, correct? Do you know how well they complement yamaha receivers? Finally, how do you think they compare to the Paradigm that others in the thread are recommending? (sorry that's a lot of questions for you).

Thanks again for your time and help.

-Shawn

 

[nagraj55]

Speakers for your home theatre

Hi

Why dont you visit www.klipsch.com? I bought the RF-25 SETUP
AND USE THEM WITH THE yAMAHA RXV-540. yOU WILL NEED THE RF-35 SET UP WITH THE CENTRE SURROUND AND SUB FOR THE 2500 YAMAHA YOU PROPOSE TO BUY.

AWESOME IS THE ONLY thing I can say at the moment. My search ends here.
You will need to experiment with the placement though. These speakers are very efficient and do not need high power amps. Let me have your views after you audition them. They sound terrific on most music platforms.

Nagraj

 

[nova]

Well,... no, I think the RBH MC-4C is the best small/mini speaker I have heard. The CT is very similar, I beleive they both use the same 4" drivers, but the CT's use a 1" fabric tweeter and the MC's use a 1" aluminum. The MC's will about double your budget.
Back to the CT's,... if you want more bass you may want to upgrade to the new MS-10.1, I don't know how much better it would be as I have not heard it yet.
I really, really like the TS-10AP sub for music, it also holds it's own in HT.
I would suggest some CT speakers with maybe a TS-12AP sub if you wan't a little more oomph on the bottom. That route will still likely take you out of your budget. Another option may be to go with an SVS or HSU sub to bring the price down.

I think the Yamaha would do nicely. I have never heard the RBH's with a Yamaha though,... only Mitsubishi, Onkyo, Denon, Sony and Acurus,.... to my ears they sounded fantastic with the Acurus set-up, followed by the Denon (which I think the Yamaha will be very comparable),.... but they even sound very good with the Sony.

Finally, I have not heard the Paradigm's that the others have recommended, so I won't comment other than to say; I have read many threads and reviews on Paradigm's and they seem to also be a good choice.

See if you can get some of these (RBH, Paradigm, maybe Rockets or Mordaunt-Short) speakers into your home for a test drive

 

[audionewb]

Any idea where to buy or test RBH? I can't find them anywhere, and RBH has not responded to my email... strange that a company would make it so hard to purchase their product...maybe I am missing something.

 

[nova]

Try the toll free number 800-543-2205. They have some of the best customer service around. They'll be able to get you in touch with a dealer close to you.

 

[Vancouver]

audionewbie...


To answer your question they only make bookshelf sized speakers in that series (300). You wont be dissapointed. I had them before I upgraded to the 601's. If you have money left over perhaps consider upgrading the center chanel to the 601.

I think I paid about $1,500 CDN for the 5 speakers and the sub...so you should be able to get 7.1 for $1,500 USD.

 

[cstanley]

give NHT a listen...

althought they aren't talked about on this message board alot,
give the NHT speakers a listen, they are pretty accurate
and sound very good, esp for the $$.

a setup for SB3's, SC1, & SC1 or 2's in the back should be around
that price range.

upgrading to M5 or M6 in the front will also help.

-carl

 

[audionewb]

Thanks to everyone for all the detailed info...It has been very helpful to say the least.

I am seriously considering the Paradigm Atom's at this point. I auditioned them and liked the sound very much. The general consensus seems to be that they perform like speakers 3 times the price. Does anyone know of any reason I shouldn't choose the Atom's? Will they sound good with the Yamaha receiver?

Also, I am hearing some conflicting info on speaker setup. A number of people have told me that it is best to have all speakers be exactly the same (i.e. with my 7.1 setup, I would have 7 Atom speakers). However, whenever people describe their high-end setups they've got different speakers all around (though they are the same brand and class). For example they would have a special center speaker, maybe a couple floor speakers for the front left and right, different presence speakers, and then special rear speakers. What do you guys think? Am I better off getting 7 Paradigm Atom's (or whatever brand I choose) or should I get different speakers all around?

Thanks again for your help!

-Shawn

 

[Nick250]

Thanks to everyone for all the detailed info...It has been very helpful to say the least.

I am seriously considering the Paradigm Atom's at this point. I auditioned them and liked the sound very much. The general consensus seems to be that they perform like speakers 3 times the price. Does anyone know of any reason I shouldn't choose the Atom's? Will they sound good with the Yamaha receiver?

Also, I am hearing some conflicting info on speaker setup. A number of people have told me that it is best to have all speakers be exactly the same (i.e. with my 7.1 setup, I would have 7 Atom speakers). However, whenever people describe their high-end setups they've got different speakers all around (though they are the same brand and class). For example they would have a special center speaker, maybe a couple floor speakers for the front left and right, different presence speakers, and then special rear speakers. What do you guys think? Am I better off getting 7 Paradigm Atom's (or whatever brand I choose) or should I get different speakers all around?

Thanks again for your help!

-Shawn

First, I think the Paradigm Atoms are one of the best buys the speaker universe. Second, having five identical speakers is generally considered by many the best way to go if that fits your budget and available space, but that is not set in stone. Folks get different rear speakers than fronts for many reasons. In my case it was a financial decision. I have 3 Paradigm Studio 20s as my center and left/right fronts and Paradigm Mini Monitors as my 2 surrounds. The Studio 20s are about $300 each and the Mini Monitors about $150 each. The fronts do most of the work so I was decided to spend more of my total speaker budget on fronts and less on the surrounds. Hope this provides a little perspective on the speakers issue.

 

[audionewb]

Very interesting... So aside from budget issues, is there any other reason to go with different speakers in different locations?

Reading through the paradigm brochure, I see that they recommend a special (ADP I think they call it) speaker for the rears and surrounds because it creates a more unified sound field or something. This is especially a concern for me because of the layout of my room (I will try to draw a diagram below). Basically the couch is pushed up against one wall, the fireplace is on the opposite wall (the plasma and front speakers will be mounted above it). I am afraid that if I get atoms, because the rear speakers are going to be RIGHT behind the couch where I will be sitting, that the sound will not be very full...I have attached a JPG to represent it.

If you imagine cones representing sound emanating from each of the speakers, because the couch is so close to the rear speakers, the cones at that point will be very small, and therefore I am guessing that it will sound like there are holes in the back. Maybe I could mount them up high and point them down, to create more distance so they will cover more area, but then won't it sound like the sound is coming from above, not behind? This makes me think that the other speakers, designed for a more full sound, will be better. What do you guys think?

In addition, because I am mounting my plasma over the fireplace, I am rethinking the atom's and looking at the on wall monitors...What do you think of these?

I had dreams about speakers last night...I must be thinking about this too much .

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[quadlog]

Speaking of Paradigm I had the wonderful opportunity to test drive the Cinema 110 CT package at a audio shop in Regina, SK. All I can say is that I was blown away and I'll be buying this for $1095.00 taxes included.

It's a brand spanking new system so Paradigm hasn't even included it in their website yet but you have to hear them to believe this sound is coming from this inexpensive package.

He paired them to the Denon 2805 (which I bought last night) and they were clear, crisp, with no disortion that I could hear, even when cranked up. I took about a 1 hour listen with movies, cd's and I was just blown away. Hell, the sub they include is damn fine as well.

Do yourself a favor and check it out before you buy.

 

[audionewb]

Ok I decided to go with the following setup...thanks for all your help.

Receiver: Yamaha KX-V2500
Center: Paradigm CC-370 On wall
Fronts: Paradigm mini monitors
Surround: Paradigm Atoms
Rear: Paradigm Atoms

I am wondering where I should place the speakers now...I posted a picture of the room in this thread. Specifically, should each speaker point directly at the ideal listening position? What about the two rears that are right behind the couch (see picture)? And how high should I mount the speakers, ear hight, or above and angle them down? Every setup I see seems to have them up high angled down...

Thanks again,
Shawn

 

[nm2285]

See the tutorials on this website for speaker placement. They can be very helpful.

I think your best bet would be to have the surrounds facing the couch. The fronts, play with in terms of angle, see which creates the best sound field. All should be about ear height.