What is the Gold Standard Speaker pack?

[mmuntase]

What speaker pack is considered the best bang for your buck with an $800-$1000 budget?


My Room:
Basement home theater.
13.5' by 18' feet (17' feet viewing distance from a 120" screen)
7.2 atmos Denon AVR-S720W system,
but I'm okay with just getting 5 channels for now and I already have a sub woofer.

Any help pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd get Ascend 340SEs up front, 170SE or 200SE for surrounds (the 200SE is sealed so works well on walls, 170SE is rear ported so needs a bit of breathing room for the port). Stretches your budget a bit to 1050 shipped....or do 170SEs for L/R and a 340SE for center to reduce the bill a bit...many other choices out there but I've been very happy with Ascend products.

 

[mmuntase]

Thanks for your help! So if I get the 340SEs, are you saying I don't need a center?

 

[mmuntase]

The system I'm looking at is a klipsch R-26F up front, R-25C for the center, and r-15 for the surrounds for around $100 cheaper. Or the q acoustic 3010, 3050, and 3090. Do you by any chance know how these would compare to the ascends?

So many choices

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for your help! So if I get the 340SEs, are you saying I don't need a center?

Either get the front three to be the 340SEs (with the specific 340SE center if you're going to use it horizontally like most "centers"), or 170SEs for L/R and the 340SE center. Use the "system advisor" on their site to play with combinations of fronts/centers/surrounds for pricing combos.

 

[lovinthehd]

The system I'm looking at is a klipsich R-26F up front, R-25C for the center, and r-15 for the surrounds for around $100 cheaper. Do you by any chance know how these would compare to the ascends?

Last I listened to lower end Klipsch speakers I found them a bit bright/harsh. Not sure how they'd compare with the specific Klipsch speakers you're mentioning, the others were from a different series.

 

[zieglj01]

The system I'm looking at is a klipsch R-26F up front, R-25C for the center, and r-15 for the surrounds for around $100 cheaper. Or the q acoustic 3010, 3050, and 3090. Do you by any chance know how these would compare to the ascends?

Do not under-estimate the Q Acoustics -- I am testing the 3020 bookshelf and they are really nice. I for sure will easily take the Q A signature sound over the Klipsch. I cannot speak for Ascend at this time -- however for sure, I would keep the Q A on a real short list.