Suggestions needed for first system

[oscar6036]

Well, where to start. I'm a college student who's recently had to take up a full time job to cover expenses. With this fulltime job I've actually been able to free up some money and I really, intensely want to build a decent system. A former roommate had a home theater in a box system and being surrounded by the sound blew me away.

I used to be a car audiophile.. 9 years ago so I knew a little about what sounded decent in that respect, the knowledge has long since gone. At anyrate, roommate moved out and I had to have something of my own. I did some research and picked up a Sony STRDE997B as my receiver. It was fairly inexpensive and seemed to have a lot of options and overall good bang for the buck. They're paired up with some old JBL towers that have long since blown under the strain of 110w a channel.

Back to the point of the matter. I would like help on what speakers I should go for. My budget is roughly $1200. I have a TV and I'll have a DVD/SACD player soon enough, so I'm only curious on the speaker front. Tommorrow I go to the big city (Dallas) to actually listen to some speakers, but I was wondering what I should get for that price. I do want a full 7.1 system, even though I realize that I might be stretching it with that. As for the 7.1, I don't watch a whole lot of movies as a direct result of the college and work thing, but when I do I like to enjoy them. I say this because I do do a lot of music listening. This would mean I'd have to have probably a set of towers so that I could listen in stereo format. Currently I had planned on a set of Infinity Primus 360's, 4 Primus 160's, an Infinity PS12, and a Primus C25 for my center. I'm pretty much just leaning this way because I had always liked Infinity and they're voice matched and fall within my budget. If I'm doing wrong here I would love some feedback. Thanks guys.

 

[oscar6036]

By the way, I would be up for Ebaying off this receiver for something else if I did a mistake by getting it. Although I'm a huge fan of its connectivity and abundance of power.

 

[Bevan]

oscar, i wrote a reply to this thread in the 'Philosophers & Wisemen' forum.

also i could add, i would consider buying used for surrounds but not for mains unless i knew the seller. if i had $10 000 to spend i might buy used as one would likely be buying from an audiophile with a bit of knowledge about how to break in a speaker and that one should switch off the amp before unplugging wires and cables etc. but at lower price points you run the risk of buying from someone who has used the speakers to dj at hiphop or heavy-metal house parties. discretion is advised.

b

 

[jaxvon]

What kind of volume level are you looking to have?

Also, with the 7.1 thing, I think you'd better stick to 5.1. There's basically nothing out there that is recorded in 7.1, and besides, you'll be able to spend more on each speaker with a 5.1 setup. And since basically every reciever today supports 7.1, you can always add the other two speakers at a later time.

 

[oscar6036]

Well I'll be living in an apartment complex so having large volume isn't really my goal. I'd much rather fidelity and clarity over boom, but to have clarity at higher volumes is always good too. Does everyone else pretty much agree that going for the full 7.1 is a waste of time at this point?

 

[jaxvon]

I'd personally budget around $400 for the sub. That leaves you with $800 for your 5 main speakers. At that price point, BIC is a good option. The Axiom Epic Master system (minus the sub) will run a little under $900. Paradigm, B&W, all great options. The Rockets from AV123 are another good option. Very pretty speakers, too.

 

[oscar6036]

So going for fully voice matched isn't that good of an idea? Mixing up the brands is going to be my best bet, Jaxvon?

 

[MDS]

Not to speak for Jaxvon, but I don't think he was suggesting mixing brands. He was just giving you a list of good speakers to audition. You do want to keep all the speakers from the same company with the exception of the sub. Buy the best sub you can get for your money and at the $400 price point, IMO that is the SVS PB10-ISD.

 

[jaxvon]

My thoughts exactly MDS.

 

[Bevan]

o.k i'll suggest two more speakers worth checking out if you get the chance(if you think your receiver is up to it).

dynaudio audience 42
magnepan mmg

also worth a listen: spendor s3/5, von schweikert vr 1, quad 12l

and other subs worth considering apart from the svs i mentioned would be anything from hsu or velodyne that you could find within you budget.

and as i'm sure youve read if you spend enough time on these forums, only take others recomendations as suggestions and opinions. if you can demo speakers beforehand with your intended amp, which i strongly recommend, let your own ears and judgement be the final arbiter.

b

 

[silversurfer]

I would also look at Ascend Acoustics.

 

[oscar6036]

Was wondering if anyone knew a reasonable speaker retailer in the Dallas area? I went looking around yesterday and nothing blew me away. I'd like to actually audition some speakers, but if they're nowhere around here then thats going to pretty hard.

 

[jaxvon]

I'd get together a list of manufacturers you want to hear, then check out their websites. They should have dealer listings so you can find a store in your area to check out.

 

[Spiffyfast]

For the price range you might not be able to beat a Paradigm system. Check out their Recommended Systems Brochure 2005. You can find it here

http://www.paradigm.com/Website/News/Downloads/Downloads.html

In your price range that'll put you with the Performance Series. Originally the new system I'm looking at getting was going to be in that level so I heard a few of these speakers. The Atom and Titan I thought sounded amazing for their size and price, but realistically if your willing to wait a little longer and save some more money you can step up to a Monitor Series system for only a couple hundred more. After hearing those that's what I'm going to do, they blew me away with their sound for the price. Regardless of which way you decide I'd definately at least give the Paradigm's a listen, but it all comes down to personal preference.

KELLUM AUDIO/VIDEO & APPLIANCE
4533 COLE AVE.
DALLAS, TX
75205
214-526-1717

That's the only distributer for Paradigm I was able to find in Dallas, but its huge so there could be more, have to search by zipcode and there are alot of zipcodes in Dallas. Hope this was some help

 

[oscar6036]

Yeah that address is a huge help. I've heard good, good things about Paradigm, friend of mine has a Paradigm setup, they sound great even coupled with his 7 year old receiver. Personally I was thinking with just going for the full-on Axiom Epic Grand Master 175 or Maybe the Master 350. If any of you have much background with Axiom or think I've gone too far choosing either one living in an apartment, let me know. Thanks!

 

[Spiffyfast]

Don't have any experience with Axiom although from things I've heard on this forum they are great speakers. I believe with Axiom you can demo them in your home and if you dont like it just pay return shipping and get a refund so (don't quote me on that though, just think i've heard that before, you'd have to check their website and make sure) it's always an option to try them out. I'd definately want to hear as many options as I could before making a final decision, who knows what you might like the most other might not like at all, but they are your speakers so who cares. Good Luck

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Speakers are everything, but only if...

Well, where to start. I'm a college student who's recently had to take up a full time job to cover expenses. With this fulltime job I've actually been able to free up some money and I really, intensely want to build a decent system. A former roommate had a home theater in a box system and being surrounded by the sound blew me away.

I used to be a car audiophile.. 9 years ago so I knew a little about what sounded decent in that respect, the knowledge has long since gone. At anyrate, roommate moved out and I had to have something of my own. I did some research and picked up a Sony STRDE997B as my receiver. It was fairly inexpensive and seemed to have a lot of options and overall good bang for the buck. They're paired up with some old JBL towers that have long since blown under the strain of 110w a channel.

Back to the point of the matter. I would like help on what speakers I should go for. My budget is roughly $1200. I have a TV and I'll have a DVD/SACD player soon enough, so I'm only curious on the speaker front. Tommorrow I go to the big city (Dallas) to actually listen to some speakers, but I was wondering what I should get for that price. I do want a full 7.1 system, even though I realize that I might be stretching it with that. As for the 7.1, I don't watch a whole lot of movies as a direct result of the college and work thing, but when I do I like to enjoy them. I say this because I do do a lot of music listening. This would mean I'd have to have probably a set of towers so that I could listen in stereo format. Currently I had planned on a set of Infinity Primus 360's, 4 Primus 160's, an Infinity PS12, and a Primus C25 for my center. I'm pretty much just leaning this way because I had always liked Infinity and they're voice matched and fall within my budget. If I'm doing wrong here I would love some feedback. Thanks guys.

Oscar,

I was in your situation about 10 years ago. I had a Sony STR-DE925 5.1 receiver. It was the flagship model of the STR series back then, and I thought it was the latest and greatest thing since sliced bread. (It was, since I didn't know any better and was satisfied with the sound-and awesome flexibility.) A few years ago, I purchased some mid-level Polk's and hooked them up to my aging 110x5 watt Sony. They just wouldn't be driven by the Sony. They sounded decent with dvd's, but the center channel was abysmal and hard to "dial in". When I upgraded the receiver to my Denon 3805, it was like a light turned on - whoopie for the first time. I had no idea there would be that much difference in the Sony and Denon. Watts meant nothing after that. It's the ability of the power supply in the receiver to offer current when demanding movies or music require it. If you happen to spend any time in the Q/A and info section here at Audioholics, they pay quite a bit of attention to the power supply and "beefiness" of amps/receivers. There's something to that. I've learned that units under 32lbs just don't compare to their larger brothers when reproducing "bursts" in movies and music - even when a powered subwoofer is used. Your Sony is a "good" receiver, but it's not ready to power a $800-$2000 set of Paradigms, Polks, Athena's, Axioms, or even BIC/Acoustechs in my honest opinion. You may be able to get away with a set of less expensive Klipsch speakers due to their higher spl ratings, but anything under 92db on a speaker is going to want a beefier receiver/amp. Sure, speakers are everything, but if you don't have the amp to back them up, you won't realize what they can do. Get your new speakers, and listen closely when demoing. Then take your time and save up for a new higher end receiver. Wait until you have the cash to buy something substantial. Don't settle on just anything.

 

[oscar6036]

I suggested Ebaying off the Sony for something more, I still haven't received feedback for what I should get besides that. Just judging by a receiver's weight doesn't seem very scientific with something I'd do. I hear you on the underpowering of speakers though.

 

[Spiffyfast]

well, depends on how much your willing to pay for a new reciever. Yamaha RXV1500 going for $549 on ubid.com, great price on it. Check out http://www.accessories4less.com/ and they are a Marrantz Authorized Dealer, you can get great prices on factory refurbished units with a manufacturers warranty still on them. For a Entry Level System try a Marantz 4500 or 5500 if you want a current model, they'll run around $350 - $450 respectively.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I suggested Ebaying off the Sony for something more, I still haven't received feedback for what I should get besides that. Just judging by a receiver's weight doesn't seem very scientific with something I'd do. I hear you on the underpowering of speakers though.

You are correct. Judging by a receiver's weight is not scientific, but it works 99% of the time. Most of your entry level units run 18-24lbs. Your mid level units run 25-30lbs. Now look at the offerings above that. When you start to see the type of receivers that fall into this category, you'll notice the huge difference in price, as well as where they fall in their respective model line up. That's not to say you can't get a great system in a mid level unit. Just don't expect it to play like it's flagship big brother, which weighs 2-3x as much. If you take any mfg. and check the weight as the model lines go up, you'll see the weights of the units go up. Two of the most important parts on a receiver/amp are the power supply, and their heat sinks. Larger power supplies coupled with larger heat sinks allow units to play longer, louder, and with less distortion. The major enemy of any amp/receiver is heat. If you can control that heat, you'll control the distortion.

Class D amplifiers, which are so popular now, have higher levles of distortion, and run very cool. They are perfect for powering subwoofers in home and car audio, as well as powering the woofers in a bi-amped tower speaker. Some might say they are the exception to the rule if buying a receiver based on weight. Harman Kardon and Sony have put out class D receivers, and to date have not received high marks. Many say the sound of a class D amplifier lacks the "warmth" or "depth" of the A/B or even class A amps. It very well could be the distortion levels coloring the sound. That's my point on beefier units. To avoid coloration (and possible damage to your system) avoid distortion in your class A/B amp/receiver.