Suggestions for new front speakers

[Mark Duncan]

Hi all,

I bought a new 250W powered subwoofer for my HT, and now I am disappointed with the rest of my speakers. What should be a good set of speakers for a 100W per channel receiver? I have a JVC RX-9010 receiver, and I am using a set of 5 cube speakers that came with another receiver. I want to be able to feel the helicopter fly through my room in the Pink Floyd "The Wall" album. I thought the subwoofer upgrade would do this, and it did help, but not enough.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Shinerman]

You said that your speakers came with another receiver so I am guessing they are part of a HTIB system. Speakers in these systems are often the weakest link and are generally no where near as good as other speakers that are sold seperately. I bet that upgrading your speakers will have a dramatic effect on your sound. You need to get out and listen to some speakers. Depending on your budget, you might start by listening to Polk, Klipsch, Infinity, Boston Acoustic, Athena, JBL, Paradigm, Energy, PSB and Mirage to name a few. There are many others but these will be a good start. All these companies have speakers in many price ranges. The key is to get out and listen to a bunch of different speakers and choose the ones you like the best. Simple as that. A lot of people end up making it harder than it needs to be. Do look at reviews as they are a good source of info, but in the end go with your ears. Also, you might look at some of the online retailers. You won't be able to listen to them before buying but most online speaker companies have good 30 return polices. Some to look at are Rocket, Axiom, Nohr, Ascend and Swan. These are pretty popular. There is a ton of online info. on these companies as well as others.

Also, one thing to consider when looking at speakers. Try and stay with 8 ohm speakers. These are easier to drive. Your JVC is a decent receiver but it might have problems driving 6 or 4 ohm speakers. Now, if you want to upgrade your receiver? Hmmm?

BTW, what sub did you buy?

Shinerman

 

[smith101]

A couple of tradeoffs to keep in mind. For economical speakers, those with just one woofer and one tweeter can sound fine. Most of the sound is handled by the woofer, and larger diameter woofers can play louder while smaller diameter ones disperse better and can improve imaging. Adding a second small woofer vertically adds power without hurting horizontal dispersion. With your (hopefully) 100 wpc you should be able to get plenty of volume in a normal sized room with systems having only a 6" or greater woofer and a tweeter. Check the specs to make sure the range goes down to at least 80Hz, which is where many receivers set their bass management crossover.

Shinermans advice is generally good, but going out and listening (he gave you a formidable list) can be frustrating. Mass merchandising stores may put you into a room full of speakers--and that won't sound at all like your room at home. Inactive speakers are great sound absorbers and too many can make the listening room too dead and you won't be able to hear the ambient effects of better dispersion in a typical room at home. Some boutique stores will provide a proper listening environment, but their prices will reflect that xtra overhead.

My advice: use an online seller with return priveledges, or a retailer that lets you try the speakers at home. Start with modest size 2-way (woofer and tweeter) systems and see if they satisfy you. If not, try moving up.

 

[Mark Duncan]

Thanks for your input. The sub I bought is a Harman/Kardon HKSUB12. I thought I would try the rest of the set, so yesterday I ordered the HKB6's for my fronts, an HKC for my center, and a pair of HKB4's for my rear surrounds. I don't know if they are that great, but I would imagine that they are gonna sound great compared to the HTIB speakers that I have currently. The HKSUB12 is 150W, I think I typo'd 250. It is much better than my old 60W Sub that came with the HTIB. The only thing I don't like about the new sub, is that when I change sources, there is a loud pop that I don't know how to get rid of. Any suggestions on that. One good thing about these speakers, (besides the price) is that I can return them within 30 days for a full refund. That should let me test them sufficiently.

Thanks,
Mark