Total Speaker System Question

[chpwaman]

Hi all...I'm new to the site and I apologize if this info is found elsewhere (just point me in the right direction). I'm not quite ready to make the upgrade move, I am building a house currently and plan to set-up the basement next year with a new HT system. I feel good about the amp I'll start with, either the Denon 3806 or the Yamaha 2600 (upgrading from a sony strde885).

My question is regarding speakers, can I achieve a great movie environment by purchasing tower type speakers and using them as front L/R? Or, do I need to purchase smaller surround speakers to achieve the ultimate movie sound? I currently have a Sony surround speaker package, 4 sats, 1 center and a sub. They sound OK for movies and have served me well, but when listening to music they leave a lot to be desired. I really want to be able to produce a great music listening environment and at the same time (not breaking the bank) be able to achieve a great movie environment...what do you think, can I achieve this with tower type speakers or will I need to incorporate both (tower and smaller front speakers)? Any suggestions for the front speakers with a cost around $1000? Thanks for the advice, info, etc.

 

[jcPanny]

New HT speakers

Make sure you enter this months contest to win the Yamaha.

You are correct that floorstanders, or good bookshelf speakers and a musical sub are important for 2 channel music. For the real HT experience, you will also want a center channel and at least 2 surround speakers.

With $1k for mains, check out the Axiom M60 floorstanders. Also check out Paradigm, PSP, Klipsch, and B&W at local dealers. In the same price range, you could get the Axiom M22ti bookshelf speakers and the 10" SVS subwoofer.

 

[chpwaman]

So, I should be fine with floor standing or even book shelf as my front surround speakers L/R and still able to achieve a good movie environment and music environment? Of course, for movies I will need to have the center, sub and back surrounds.

Do you have much experience as to how the larger floor standing or bookshelfs handle the movie sound environment in comparison to the smaller front surround speakers? I'm not an expert at this by any means and I guess I have been conditioned to think that surround speakers need to be the small, wall mountable type and the big floor standing are for music.

Thanks for the advice on various brands...I'll check them out.

 

[gcmarshall]

Add Boston Acoustics to that list. The VR3 towers (the top of the VR line, before one gets into their premium VRM line) retail for exactly $1000/pair.

BTW, aren't B&W speakers in the $1,000 price range near or at the bottom of the B&W lineup? Personally, I'd much rather buy speakers from another manufacturer where $1,000 gets me something not so close to the bottom of the ladder. I admit I could be wrong about B&W pricing, but a quick survey of their prices in a local shop indicated to me that to get into the "meat" of their speakers, one needs to spend several thousand dollars???

 

[gcmarshall]

in my opinion, you can't beat a good floor standing speaker for 2 channel music. and, if selected well, that same pair of floorstanding speakers will serve excellent duty in a home theater environment. all else equal, i believe that good floorstanders are simply better able to reproduce a wider range of frequencies than a smaller box (ie bookshelves) for a wide variety of music. for movies, wherein a sub handles most of the low bass, it may not be so critical of a difference.

 

[jcPanny]

Satellite vs. bookshelf vs. floorstander

CHP,
The small wall mountable speakers you refer to are commonly called satellite speakers. They usually have 4" or smaller woofers which limits the frequency range and volume they can produce. They are not great for HT and poor for music listening because you have to cross them over with the sub at a high frequency (>100 Hz). This makes the bass localizable and causes other problems.

By bookshelf I mean one with one or more 5" or 6" woofers and a tweeter. They can be used with speakers stands or sturdy wall mounting brackets. The Axiom M22's I sugessted have a tweeter and two 5 1/4" woofers allowing them to play pretty loud in small to medium sized room. Make sure that the bookshelf speakers you get play down to the 50-60 Hz range.

Floorstanders are obviously larger, usually have more drivers, and can play louder then most bookshelf speakers. They usually play down to the 30-40 Hz range so they can be used without a sub for 2 channel listening. High SPLs produced by this type of speaker make them suitable for larger rooms.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/m22ti_main.html"
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60ti_main.html

 

[3db]

Its a personal view

in my opinion, you can't beat a good floor standing speaker for 2 channel music. and, if selected well, that same pair of floorstanding speakers will serve excellent duty in a home theater environment. all else equal, i believe that good floorstanders are simply better able to reproduce a wider range of frequencies than a smaller box (ie bookshelves) for a wide variety of music. for movies, wherein a sub handles most of the low bass, it may not be so critical of a difference.

Seen this debate before manytimes myself. I still prefer towers to bookshelves +sub when it comes to reproducing music. I feel towers offer greater dynamics and have an ability to play louder, cleaner than their bookshelf counterparts. My towers do disappear into the room sonically as well as their bookshelf brethren so thats not an issue to me. They also are most excellent in the Home Theater arena as well.

My advice to you is audition, audition audition, both types of arrangements and pick out the one you like the best. Good luck

 

[tomd51]

I'd have to agree with 3db, towers or large mains as opposed to bookshelves, in my experience, offer a larger more expansive soundstage. Unless speaker size is a major concern, I would suggest opting for towers whenever possible for mains.

As for the rest of the configuration, the second most important (or most important for HT/movies) speaker would be your center. This speaker should match the mains as closely as possible. Many speaker manufacturers offer solid center speakers that will timbre match with their mains and bookshelf offerings. As dialogue can typically be 2/3 to 3/4 of a movie soundtrack, this will handle a large portion of work. Take it from experience, don't cheap out on your center, you'll be sorry!

As for your surrounds, these can be anything from direct radiating (most bookshelf/monitor type speakers as well as bipole/dipole type speakers that are specifically made for surround use. Depending upon your listening preference percentage (movies to music), you may prefer one over the other. Another factor in this would be the size of the room and layout you plan on using. Bipole/dipole configurations tend to compensate for a difficult seating layout or broad seating arrangement as they are more diffuse in the soundfield they project If this is not a concern, you may want to consider direct radiating speakers. Mostly movie oriented listeners tend to prefer the bipole/dipole surrounds, whereas those that do a lot of multichannel music listening prefer direct radiating. Both can suit your needs, but you'll have to decide which is best for you.

Lastly, a good subwoofer can make your home theater setup come alive. There are lots of options that range from as little as $200 and go into the thousands, your listening environment and more importantly, your wallet , will be some of the major factors for deciding this. Once you've decided your room layout, size and budget, several folks here will be happy to provide you with some guidance on this topic as well.

Speaker suggestions will vary based on your preferences, but from my experience, Boston Acoustics VR3s are a very good solution when looking to get the most for your money (just see my signature!). Axiom M60s, Ascend 340SEs, PSB Image T55s and Onix Rocket RS550 MKIIs to name a few are all main speakers that tend to be very good performers for the money.

3db's advice on auditioning speakers is right on. Whenever and wherever you have the opportunity, listen to both types of configurations and as many models as you can. Several folks here can make suggestions and offer advice, but only you can decide what you prefer.

Good luck and have fun setting up your new home theater!

 

[zumbo]

I have MB Quart QLS 830 towers all around. These speakers are handmade in Germany. Paid $999.00 a pair. I picked them over B&W 704's, Paradigm Monitor 7's & 9's, Monitor Audio S6's, any Polk Audio, and any Klipsch RF. I auditioned for months. I just came from a local B&W, Polk, & Klipsch dealer. I still prefer my speakers at this pricepoint, with MA's coming in second(at this pricepoint).

http://www.yawaonline.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=YO&Product_Code=MBQ_QLS830&Category_Code=MBQ

 

[chpwaman]

Thanks everyone...very helpful information.

 

[muncybob]

If you are not able to audition the prospective speakers at home...remember to take along some of your own music collection that you are very familiar with....I always take a disc or two that has great bass and another pair or so that accentuate the mids/highs. But of course the best situation is to find a dealer/supplier that will allow you to take home some candidates for a week or so...it's unlikely your home environment will match well with the dealer's listening room(s).