Surround quality question

[mrsolid]

Rookie surround questions

Hey, this is my first post and I am pretty much clueless in the home audio world... I've been reading up for a couple of weeks trying to narrow down my options for an entry level surround speaker setup and think I have it narrowed down to:

1. AV123 XLS/XCS
2. Axiom M3 v2
3. Paradigm Atoms

I think these would all be more or less in the same price range...

First question
Which of the top 3 would all you audiophiles on here recommend - it is really not easy to find the exact comparisons you're looking for when studying up on this stuff and reading reviews so I decided to post the exact comparisons I'm looking for. FYI, I'd be looking at bookshelf models of all of the above.

Second question
Everyone is probably going to want to kick me off the board for asking this but how much of a difference can I expect between any of the speakers above and, say, a Panasonic HTIB for $600 CDN...??? I'm guessing it's probably a world of difference and the two can't really be compared because the above setups are so much better, but just curious. Pardon my ignorance.

Third question
What would be a good $400-500 CDN receiver with decent sound quality / features that would mesh well with the above systems?

Thanks in advance for any advice / input / info / suggestions.

Also, sorry in advance for what I'm guessing are some of the most rookie questions ever posted on here.

One more thing, I live in a small Canadian city with nowhere to audition home audio. Also, because of the Canada thing, I can't take advantage of the 30-day trials or reimbursable delivery charges offered by some companies because they don't reimburse brokerage / duty fees at the border so I'd be out a couple of hundred dollars for every trial. I'm basically stuck relying 100% on internet advice & reviews for making my final decision ( i know, i know, ...)

 

[ParadigmDawg]

If it was me; I would pick the AV123 however non of the listed is going to handle your HT needs without a sub.

With any of these and a good sub you will notice a night and day change from your HTIB.

It is hard to beat the Yammy 659 for a low cost AVR.

 

[no. 5]

Second question
Everyone is probably going to want to kick me off the board for asking this but how much of a difference can I expect between any of the speakers above and, say, a Panasonic HTIB for $600 CDN...??? I'm guessing it's probably a world of difference and the two can't really be compared because the above setups are so much better, but just curious. Pardon my ignorance.

Think of it this way; the $600 for the Panasonic gets divided up and goes to the retailer and Panasonic, then with the amount that Panasonic gets to keep, a good portion must go to paying the staff (designers, managers, assemblers, ect…), then what is left must go to the design and the actual components of six speakers, an amplifier and a DVD player (if there is one).

In contrast, for say, the Axioms; $330 goes to the design and components of just two speakers, minus the money that goes to the much smaller staff (than Panasonic), and no retailer.

Here is some info on HTiB's.

Which is not to say a person won't be satisfied with a HTiB, just to say that if you spend the time and money, you can have much better.

 

[mrsolid]

thanks for the replies, much appreciated... one thing I was considering, as I'm actually leaning towards the AV123s, was getting a pair of their x-sls tower models and a pair of the x-ls bookshelves because i've heard that the towers deliver some extra bass that the bookshelves do not... hopefully this will be adequate for the short term

incidentally, i'm considering the AV123 x-sub or the SVS PB10 at the moment... any opinions on this? i've heard great things about the svs sub but is there a chance of it not blending well with AV123 speakers or would i just be able to make adjustments on a receiver to take care of this? (told you i was a rookie)

thanks again, looking forward to hearing from everyone

 

[billnchristy]

What size is your room?

That will be a big factor in what sub you need.

I will tell you though, my system is 4 X-LS and 1 X-CS with an X-sub and the other day I plugged the RCA for the sub into the wrong output so the sub would not turn on accidently. I was playing the Matrix lobby scene. Even with the speakers crossed over at 80 there was quite a bit of bass.

If your reciever can do it, while you run without a sub I would still set them to small and cross them over at maybe 60 or 40hz. This way you can still listen at decent volume.

My room is 18x14 or so with an opening to kitchen, hall and 2 story foyer...X-sub does a good job.

Of course my downstairs theater will have dual MFW-15s so my impression of doing a good job is likely to change.

 

[mrsolid]

thanks billnchristy... that sounds like approximately the layout of the condo i'm moving into in a few months - both the size of the main room as well as the fact that the "fourth wall" is actually the transition from living room to kitchen, so basically wide open...

good to know that the x-sub seems like it'd do the trick... i'm guessing that having never heard real high end equipment, i will be really happy with the sound from the xls's

 

[billnchristy]

X sub is a great sub and its real musical, but it doesnt go super low so sometimes movies will give it a fit.

But if youre going to be in a condo you probably wont be able to jam too loud anyways?

I can feel the X-sub in my main seat, about 11 feet away from it and have measured 117dB from the sub at 1m, so its definitely no slouch...but its not a bottom feeder either.

As for the sound of the X-LS, I was using infinity mid-tower reference 2000.4s I bought on closeout in 1998 for $149 a piece...X-LS tromps them, even in the bass department and these were 3' tall bottom ported speakers.

 

[mazersteven]

incidentally, i'm considering the AV123 x-sub or the SVS PB10 at the moment... any opinions on this? i've heard great things about the svs sub but is there a chance of it not blending well with AV123 speakers or would i just be able to make adjustments on a receiver to take care of this? (told you i was a rookie)

thanks again, looking forward to hearing from everyone

Get the SVS sub over the X-Sub. Much more impact and wow factor. JMO.

And it will blend with the AV123 speakers.

 

[mrsolid]

much appreciated everyone, sounds like the direction i was leaning is the way to go... av123 s-series speakers + svs sub eventually...

what do you guys think on whether it's worth it / not worth it to spend the extra on a pair of the x-xls towers (so 1 pair x-ls and 1 pair x-sls) to get a little extra bass until i can afford the sub?

if i got them, should you use towers as rears or fronts? i'm guessing rears just for ease of setup and the fact that they'll pretty much be at the right height for the couch but please correct me if i'm wrong on this...

 

[mrsolid]

bump...

any suggestions on whether to go for the onix towers? are they worth the extra $$$ ?

 

[Rob Babcock]

I've yet to hear the Onix towers, but based on my experience with bookshelves vs floorstanders I'd say it's probably worthwhile to get the towers. If you get the bookshelves you'll still need to buy stands, so the cost difference isn't going to be that great. The floorstander will have better bass due to the larger enclosure and will play louder without strain.

The Onix speakers exhibit unbelievable woodworking for the money! My old Ref1's were simply stunning, far out of proportion to the price. Mark & company at AV123 are also very nice guys and will work hard to make sure you're happy with your purchase. I'm not saying Axiom isn't a good company, though- I simply haven't had any experience with their speakers.