Surround Speaker

[ARES24]

I am curious, does anyone know of a good surround DIY project? I am putting together a couple Tritrix builds for some friends and am planning to get something out of the deal (SPEAKERS!!!) I will either go for something like this or just build another sub.

I am looking for something like this in theory. I just like the look of it.
Bipole isn't something that concerns me, should it?

 

[ImcLoud]

cheaper to buy these, Amazon.com: Fluance AVBP2 Home Theater Bipolar Surround Sound Satellite Speakers: Electronics

I have tried them and as far as bi/omni/di pole go they do the job and for surrounds sound as good as most others... I know a few people that built the overnight sensation bookshelfs and love them..

My point is since you like the looks of the bi pole and they can be found very inexpensive already done, why bother? also klipsch makes an inexpensive synergy bi pole surround, and if you want to spend more I prefer the Wharfedale Wh-2's can be found used for short money too....

 

[fuzz092888]

It just depends on how much you want to invest in surrounds. Some advise that surrounds aren't that important, I tend to sit in the opposite camp, but only advise more expensive surrounds if you love movies and watch a lot of movies that are going to make the purchase worth it.

Then on top of that there are the two camps between an accurate standard bookshelf that images really well and the di/bi-pole guys. I've tried both and I love the ones I have (Source Tech RC4s and another pair of ST rear surrounds). For surround speakers I wouldn't bother to build unless you really want another project.

FWIW I highly recommend source technology surrounds if you're a huge movie fan. Otherwise what Imcloud recommend, what you linked, or any bookshelf kit from meniscus will work fine.

http://www.sourcespeaker.com/Onwallist-2.html

 

[j_garcia]

It just depends on how much you want to invest in surrounds. Some advise that surrounds aren't that important, I tend to sit in the opposite camp, but only advise more expensive surrounds if you love movies and watch a lot of movies that are going to make the purchase worth it.

Then on top of that there are the two camps between an accurate standard bookshelf that images really well and the di/bi-pole guys. I've tried both and I love the ones I have (Source Tech RC4s and another pair of ST rear surrounds). For surround speakers I wouldn't bother to build unless you really want another project.

I'm in a different camp than that too. IMO, matching, quality surrounds are more important for multichannel music. With movies, I don't think the quality of the surround has as huge of an impact. That doesn't mean go with the cheapest or something that sounds totally different from your mains, but you can go with something reasonable in most situations and get good results.

 

[afterlife2]

I had these and they got ruined and re-bought them that's how much I like them. There was a scene is Bourne Identity when Jason was chasing a shooter and there were geese flying and it felt like they flew over my head. Just awesome. I use them as surround back and like Imcloud said they are simply a good speaker for the price: Wharfedale WH 2 Surround Sound Speakers for Home Theatre | eBay
or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wharfedale-WH-2-Surround-/200963687269?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item2eca5e8365

Fluance AVBP2 Bipolar Surround Sound Speakers
ONLY $99 with Free Shipping
COUPON CODE: AVBP913
http://www.fluance.com/product/AVBP2_Bipolar_Surround_Sound_Satellite_Speakers.eng-79.html

 

[panteragstk]

You could build a set of Overnight Sensation Surround speakers if you want to go the DIY route. Pretty good price it seems.

 

[ImcLoud]

Fuzz I have tried a bunch of surrounds, and I could never tell the difference, as j says maybe with 5 ch music they would, but I can not stand 5 ch music, lol, I wan't music rite in front of me, close my eyes and have my front left and right disappear as they are blended into one perfect orb of music coming straight down the center of the two... But anyway with movies I find that no matter how much you spend on surrounds you won't notice the difference, and that budget would be better spent anywhere else in the system.. I use 200se's and have had so many speakers mounted up there Mirage omni poles, jamo di poles, psb bipoles, and a bunch of other bi, di omni poles as well as normal bookshelfs... I just can not hear the difference, even with heavy surround movies, the surrounds light so sporadically and for such short periods of time with such immaterial sounds... Its normally a car door, footsteps, wind, rain, ect, never anything that lasts long enough to really analyze it or notice the quality of the sound....

My brother argues with me about this, could be because he spent $900 on a pair of surrounds for his HT, but to prove my point we threw my pair of elcheapo dayton bookshelfs on his stands and he half way admitted that he couldn't tell the difference... Granted his opus surrounds look really impressive, they do the same thing a $25 pair of bookshelfs do... Its an effect speaker, hardly ever voice, music, or anything detailed, that money would be much better spent up front...

 

[fuzz092888]

My recommendation has and always will be that the person in question spend the money up front first and purchase surrounds afterwards. That being said, for multi-channel music it can be important that everything timbre match. However, I haven't run into much multi-channel music that has sounded like it was recorded very well, but that could just be in what I have and have heard. As for movies, I couldn't disagree more depending on the movie. If I listened at moderate volumes (about -30 to -20 for me) I notice a certain amount of surround content, but it varies from scene to scene and if I only listened at this level I might not have spent more money on better surrounds. Then again I do listen at near reference when I have the chance and when I play back movies at closer to reference (-5 and above) there is a absolute ton of surround content that aids in not only setting the scene and enveloping you the scene, but can change the entire tone of the movie*. Lesser surrounds will strain at this level and start to lose composure, as well as the whole accuracy bit that I know you don't put much stock in. I've tried a few different pairs of cheaper surrounds, higher quality bookshelves, and finally what I ended up with. I can safely say, that I will not be going back. YMMV.

*One of my favorite examples is Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. I've watched this movie more than once, including once in a local movie theater. At the theater, they usually playback their movies well below reference, both because they have extremely poor sound isolation between theaters and because the vast majority of people would find it too loud. I thought the movie was very good, but wasn't overwhelmed with the "experience" of it. However, once able to play it back at home it turned into a movie I ended up really enjoying. Played back at near reference, some of the scenes were darn near epic, not only because of the visceral feel from the soundtrack (escape from the factory), but also aiding in setting the feel of a scene in addition to almost giving it a pace (traveling through the countryside).

I'll also say the same for LOTR: Return of the King. I thought it was a great movie anyways (YMMV), but the grandiose sweeping soundtrack is what I like the most about it.

Not all movies have a soundtrack that plays a large role in adding to the "feel" or "experience" of the movie and likewise many movies won't use very much of the surrounds. However, some will. Some may even make little use of the surrounds all movie and then have a single scene where suddenly the surround content is vitally important to the scene. To use your example, feeling like you're standing there in the rain with the actors during dramatic crescendo.

I'm not saying it's for everyone, and many will think I'm crazy, but hey I love movies and I want to get everything you're supposed to be getting out of them

Fuzz I have tried a bunch of surrounds, and I could never tell the difference, as j says maybe with 5 ch music they would, but I can not stand 5 ch music, lol, I wan't music rite in front of me, close my eyes and have my front left and right disappear as they are blended into one perfect orb of music coming straight down the center of the two... But anyway with movies I find that no matter how much you spend on surrounds you won't notice the difference, and that budget would be better spent anywhere else in the system.. I use 200se's and have had so many speakers mounted up there Mirage omni poles, jamo di poles, psb bipoles, and a bunch of other bi, di omni poles as well as normal bookshelfs... I just can not hear the difference, even with heavy surround movies, the surrounds light so sporadically and for such short periods of time with such immaterial sounds... Its normally a car door, footsteps, wind, rain, ect, never anything that lasts long enough to really analyze it or notice the quality of the sound....

My brother argues with me about this, could be because he spent $900 on a pair of surrounds for his HT, but to prove my point we threw my pair of elcheapo dayton bookshelfs on his stands and he half way admitted that he couldn't tell the difference... Granted his opus surrounds look really impressive, they do the same thing a $25 pair of bookshelfs do... Its an effect speaker, hardly ever voice, music, or anything detailed, that money would be much better spent up front...

 

[panteragstk]

I tend to agree about the surround encoding. The movie has to have a good mixing engineer that understands how the surround effect can bring you into the movie rather than just 2ch listening. If you don't listen at the right volume level those effects can be lost, and missed greatly IMHO. Surround music, well, most of it sucks so I don't listen to it. I do have a few pink floyd DVD-A's that are decent, but I'd rather have 2ch.

Even some (very few) TV shows have great surround tracks. Sports are pretty cool too when done properly. You feel like you're in the stadium.

 

[ARES24]

money would be much better spent up front...

I have already 'spent the money up front' as far as speakers go, ER18's and an ER15 center channel. My next money spending will be on an XPA-3. This was supposed to be another possible project. I think that I would like to go with a bipole speaker due to the shape of the room. (12*24 room with the tv at one end) Bipoles on the sides and bookshelves for rears. Maybe a speaker that has a wide enough listening angle will suffice for sides. I would like to have a wide listening angle for everyone else in the room. Maybe I should be selfish

 

[ARES24]

I totally agree with you Fuzz, movie sound tracks can TOTALLY make the movie for me, I enjoy all Middle Earth movies for this reason

 

[ARES24]

I will just use the same components I used for the er15, get an extra tweeter and mash it all into a box. I am sure it will sound stupendous!!!

Does sarcasm translate though the interwebs?

 

[slipperybidness]

I will just use the same components I used for the er15, get an extra tweeter and mash it all into a box. I am sure it will sound stupendous!!!

Does sarcasm translate though the interwebs?

Only if you use the emoticons

 

[ARES24]

I have come back to my surround speaker research and upon looking at the Overnight Sensation speaker builds I found that they are 25W RMS/50W max (@8ohms). Is this accurate? I know that watt ratings aren't the ultimate criteria but I am concerned. Will my receiver overdrive them? Please keep in mind that after copious consumption of alcohol ... sh!t gets cranked.. And my attention to auditory detail diminishes.

 

[tracieisz]

I think are some of their best features.

 

[ARES24]

I think are some of their best features.

whoa wait.. what?...

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

ARES24,

tracieisz's a spam-bot...