Upgrading old stereo

[murf5]

Hey all,

I'm new here and have a setup that I've probably had for close to 10 years. It consists of Sony SS-MB150H bookshelf speakers, Polk PSW10 Subwoofer, a paradigm center channel and a Sony STR DE-695 receiver. I was considering replacing the entire system or getting the Energy take classic speaker set. But looking up these products on amazon it seems like they are all pretty highly rated. I have around $500 to spend. Can I do anything better than my current system for that much? Or should I use that money to upgrade a certain component or just leave the system as is? I have no idea how to evaluate the performance of my current setup and compare it to a system I can buy now. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[markw]

Speakers will make the most significant change in your system, and the Take 5 is a good system for the price.

As it now stands, I would go for the Energy Take 5 (not the 5.1) system and use your current receiver and subwoofer. This will get you a full-blown 5.1 system with matching speakers all around and you'll have a few bucks left over for a roll of 16 gauge speaker cable from Home Depot for our new rears, music, DVD's or to put towards your next step. From this point on, you can uprade one component at a time as money and inclination allow.

 

[murf5]

Thanks mark. I found the Energy Take 5 for $200. Is this the best option under $500? If it is that's great but if I can spend closer to $500 and end up with a much better set of speakers I'm willing to.

 

[markw]

The Pioneer BS-22 are well regarded and these Geoff Jones designed speakers are the current budget honeys of the internet. Four of thesse would serve well for your mains and surrounds.

Naturally, the matching center Pioneer C22 would go well with these. That gives a system price of about $370,

If you have the room for a pair of floorstanders and can go a bit above that $500 limit, you could and sub out a pair of those bookshelves for a pair of floorstanding Pioneer FS 52's, the system price would come to about $550, but you would have one heckuva system. That's the way I would go.

If you shop carefully and/or hit a sale, you might be able to find thesecheaper but this is just an example.

 

[murf5]

Yeah I was able to find the whole system with FS-52s for under $500. Seems like a good option I just need to make sure I have the space for all these speakers as the apartment I'm moving to is pretty small. If I do would this be better than getting the Enregy 5.0 and a $300 receiver?

 

[markw]

Yes. Speakers ultimately determine the sound of your system and these speakers, particlarly with the floorstanders, will be a quantum step up from what you currently have. They will go well with a better receiver in the future but still sound great now.

Now, you can save up for a better receiver as your next upgrade, and these get better and cheaper every year. Waiting on these is not a bad thing.

Then you could go for a sub, which will probably be the biggest expenditure in your syste, With these, the eneral ruls is the more you spend, the more sub you get.

Or, go for the sub next if you like the sound of your current receiver with these speakers. This would not be a surprising discovery. Your receiver may not have all the bells and whistles of te newest stuff, but it does cover all the bases for pretty good sound.

 

[murf5]

Thanks so much again. One last option I'm considering is only buying front LR and center channel. This would allot me $500 for just those 3 speakers. Would pioneer still be my best option in this price range?

 

[markw]

Considering (using my prices), this would save you about $130 of that $550, or a total of $420 for those three, I don't think you can do too much better. Different, yes, but better? Well, if you look real hard and/or get lucky, perhaps, but I'm out of ideas here. There's too many others, but not that I'm familiar with and could recommend. Perhaps others can chime in here.

Or else, post what you're thinking of when you find them. I'm sure opinions will flow.

enjoy...