What gear would you choose to put together with 10k or upt to 20k?

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think that's what fun about this. It's neat to dream because a lot of us haven't got to spend real time with these speakers. Once you get them, it's nice, but did you REALLY get your monies worth?

I was really happy when I got my theater speakers (even though they're in wall) because I got such a good deal (80% off). Don't get me wrong, they sound fantastic, but do they sound $1k each fantastic over the Pioneers they replaced at 10x the expense? No. I wouldn't have been happy had I paid MSRP because I've heard cabinet speakers in the $1k/ea price range that sound much better.

Once this virus stuff is all over I'm going to have to drive over to the local high end shop (assuming it's still there) and have a listen to some truly high end speakers.

Yeah, assuming anything is still there after this pandemic.

It doesn't feel "real" right after you've bought $20K+ speakers or any of these high-end speakers. It's a "HIGH" feeling.

 

[Movie2099]

I think that's what fun about this. It's neat to dream because a lot of us haven't got to spend real time with these speakers. Once you get them, it's nice, but did you REALLY get your monies worth?

I was really happy when I got my theater speakers (even though they're in wall) because I got such a good deal (80% off). Don't get me wrong, they sound fantastic, but do they sound $1k each fantastic over the Pioneers they replaced at 10x the expense? No. I wouldn't have been happy had I paid MSRP because I've heard cabinet speakers in the $1k/ea price range that sound much better.

Once this virus stuff is all over I'm going to have to drive over to the local high end shop (assuming it's still there) and have a listen to some truly high end speakers.

Speakercraft has $1000+ in-wall speakers? I never thought that company would offer something like that. When I hear Speakercraft, I don't think of quality speakers. Mostly cheap stuff. No offense. I'm sure you're setup is solid, but I've just never associated Speakercraft with making "higher end" speakers. Would love to see pictures of these speakers.

 

[panteragstk]

Speakercraft has $1000+ in-wall speakers? I never thought that company would offer something like that. When I hear Speakercraft, I don't think of quality speakers. Mostly cheap stuff. No offense. I'm sure you're setup is solid, but I've just never associated Speakercraft with making "higher end" speakers. Would love to see pictures of these speakers.

No offense here, I hadn't actually ever heard of them. Brother got a discount at Best Buy so I went and looked. I liked what I heard so I grabbed them. Full 7.1.4 setup (subs are custom) and it sounds fantastic. I was honestly surprised by how good they were for what I paid. Again, MSRP was too high IMHO.

I got a 5ch in-ceiling setup for the living room and it's pretty good, for what I paid.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/697268-REG/SpeakerCraft_ASM71551_AIM_Cinema_Five_In_Wall.html

Looks like they might be discontinued.

 

[John Parks]

Well, my dream setup starts at $40K for the speakers only, so I won't explore that here...

If I had a spare $10K lying around to set up a completely new (2 channel, no physical media) system it would be...

Anthem STR integrated
Bluesound Node 2i streamer
KEF R11 speakers
(2) Hsu ULS-15 MK2 subwoofers

That comes in a tic over $10K if we go by MSRP... I've listened extensively to the KEF/Anthem combo and it is really, really, really nice. The Bluesound to get my streaming kicks and a couple Hsu's to fill in the bottom octave nicely. Yeah, I could live with this one.

 

[panteragstk]

Well, my dream setup starts at $40K for the speakers only, so I won't explore that here...

If I had a spare $10K lying around to set up a completely new (2 channel, no physical media) system it would be...

Anthem STR integrated
Bluesound Node 2i streamer
KEF R11 speakers
(2) Hsu ULS-15 MK2 subwoofers

That comes in a tic over $10K if we go by MSRP... I've listened extensively to the KEF/Anthem combo and it is really, really, really nice. The Bluesound to get my streaming kicks and a couple Hsu's to fill in the bottom octave nicely. Yeah, I could live with this one.

As nice as that Anthem is, half the budget on just that?

 

[Movie2099]

No offense here, I hadn't actually ever heard of them. Brother got a discount at Best Buy so I went and looked. I liked what I heard so I grabbed them. Full 7.1.4 setup (subs are custom) and it sounds fantastic. I was honestly surprised by how good they were for what I paid. Again, MSRP was too high IMHO.

I got a 5ch in-ceiling setup for the living room and it's pretty good, for what I paid.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/697268-REG/SpeakerCraft_ASM71551_AIM_Cinema_Five_In_Wall.html

Looks like they might be discontinued.

The theater I inherited when I bought my house had Jamo in-walls. They weren't bad, but definitely not great either. I've since upgraded to the B&W CWM7.3's. Night and day difference. Plus added an amp to power just the front three. Worth every dollar spent.

 

[John Parks]

As nice as that Anthem is, half the budget on just that?

Oops - need to add a bit to my budget - I was banking on the sale price ($900 off) and normally it retails for $4500, but yeah, I have no problem with the price all things considered. If someone can point to a piece of equipment that can exactly match the Anthem spec for spec (power, ARC, feature set, etc.) at a lower price point, I would certainly entertain a substitution.

EDIT: my math sucks and I have to delete the subs, but that's okay - it will still sound awesome!

 

[panteragstk]

The theater I inherited when I bought my house had Jamo in-walls. They weren't bad, but definitely not great either. I've since upgraded to the B&W CWM7.3's. Night and day difference. Plus added an amp to power just the front three. Worth every dollar spent.

I'm sure. I looked and B&W in-walls at the time, but with the theater being 90% movies I didn't feel I'd really get my monies worth. That said, the Speakercraft I have sound much better than expected for music.

If I were to do my theater again in a bigger space, I'd go back to cabinet speakers behind the screen. Just not a fan of in-walls.

 

[panteragstk]

Oops - need to add a bit to my budget - I was banking on the sale price ($900 off) and normally it retails for $4500, but yeah, I have no problem with the price all things considered. If someone can point to a piece of equipment that can exactly match the Anthem spec for spec (power, ARC, feature set, etc.) at a lower price point, I would certainly entertain a substitution.

EDIT: my math sucks and I have to delete the subs, but that's okay - it will still sound awesome!

No need, just change that to a $20k system and add some more stuff.

I don't think the feature set of the Anthem is something I've seen in anything else. At least, not at the power level the Anthem is capable of on paper.

 

[snakeeyes]

Home audio/video today is routing the way it has been from the beginning. Powered wireless speakers and an iPhone running iTunes can deliver awesome stereo for peanuts. And multi-channel capability is just around the corner, meaning no more need for multi-channel Preamps, AVR's, and Power Amps for the non-audiophile music/movie enthusiast. In other words, nine thousand on speakers and one thousand on a cell phone or tablet.

Well if you have 20k to spend, you could have a 11k iphone with your 9k speakers! LOL

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Oops - need to add a bit to my budget - I was banking on the sale price ($900 off) and normally it retails for $4500, but yeah, I have no problem with the price all things considered. If someone can point to a piece of equipment that can exactly match the Anthem spec for spec (power, ARC, feature set, etc.) at a lower price point, I would certainly entertain a substitution.

EDIT: my math sucks and I have to delete the subs, but that's okay - it will still sound awesome!

The R11‘s bass at -3dB is about 43Hz. Did the bass seem adequate w/o subs when you auditioned?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

As nice as that Anthem is, half the budget on just that?

Yeah, some of us wouldn’t spend too much on just the amp/electronics.

But there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s Pieces.

That’s one interesting thing about threads like these - seeing what everyone would do for their OWN systems - when it’s ONLY YOU at the end of the day.

 

[John Parks]

The R11‘s bass at -3dB is about 43Hz. Did the bass seem adequate w/o subs when you auditioned?

More then adequate for music, which is my main interest. KEF quotes the “typical in room bass response” as 26Hz (-6dB). Of course, a sub or two (or a stack of six RELs!) is always nice...