Will my Vienna Acoustic Waltz fill a 20x25

[roadrat]

room sufficiently?

Would a sub help?

 

[roadrat]

also, recos on complimentary subs please?

also, recos on complimentary subs please?

 

[Knucklehead90]

Since you already have them I would imagine you already know the answer. But you haven't provided nearly enough information to answer this question from anyone here.

Such as - what are you using to drive them with?
How loud do you listen? What is inside the room? Is it full of hard surfaces or many soft ones - or a mix of both. What is the ceiling height?

At 91db efficient and 4ohms - and can take up to 180 watts I suspect they should satisfy all but those with a deaf wish as long as there is at least 100 watts of power on hand.

 

[roadrat]

Onkyo TX 8522 (100 Watts)

Hard surfaces (its an office)

10' ceiling height

 

[roadrat]

more info....

Here is the (very basic) current set up.....

Vienna Acoustics - Waltz (I have a lot invested in them so I dont necessarily want to part with them)

Onkyo TX 8522 (100 Watts)

20x25 room
Hard surfaces (its an office)
10' ceiling height

I was thinking the cheapest solution was to add a sub and a cd player and replace the Onkyo with something that will connect to the PS3.

Given a ~$3k upgrade budget and a preference to keep the Waltz's, what would you recommend?

Audio only, not video....other than hooking up my PS3 for very occasional use

 

[Knucklehead90]

$3K is more budget than you're likely to need to improve the sound of those speakers. Unless the Onkyo does not have a sub out jack it'll probably be more than adequate. Adding a sub is the best improvement you can make for those speakers - they are only speced to 70hz - and give no indication of how hard they are rolling off at that point. Take a look at sealed subs from Elemental Designs. The A5s would be the least I would look at for such a large area.

If you are looking to upgrade the receiver a Harman Kardon 3490 makes sense - its the only stereo receiver I know of that has optical/coax inputs - handy to have with your PS3. Otherwise you should be shopping for at least a 5.1 AVR. CD player - why won't the PS3 suffice? It seems to do well. I know it gets a bit noisy - if thats the problem then get a decent CD player. Don't spend mega bucks - you likely won't be able to tell the difference between the $300 one and the $3000 one.

 

[walter duque]

I would go with a good Pre + Power amp (maybe on the used market) with at least 200 watts X 2 and an articulate subwoofer (10"). It's not going to be easy to find the right sub to match these speakers, just any sub is not going to do it.

 

[roadrat]

knucklehead - thanks for the great info!

walter - help me understand why "just any sub is not going to do it"?

 

[walter duque]

walter - help me understand why "just any sub is not going to do it"?[/QUOTE]

You have top notch speakers and for that you need an audiophile grade sub. By going with a cheap sub you will defeat the whole purpose of spending all that money on your mains. The sub has to perfectly intergrade with your speakers, like it's(sub) not even there.

 

[roadrat]

Two follow ups then....

1. are the Waltz sufficient for the 20x25x10 room?
2. If yes, then can you reco a sub?

 

[walter duque]

Two follow ups then....

1. are the Waltz sufficient for the 20x25x10 room?
2. If yes, then can you reco a sub?

Are these the Waltz Grand you have?

 

[roadrat]

yes, they are the waltz grand

 

[roadrat]

can you also reco a receiver/integrated amp? or should i definitely go with the pre-powered amp?

my onkyo does not have a sub-out nor video connections

so, gonna upgrade piece as well

 

[Knucklehead90]

can you also reco a receiver/integrated amp? or should i definitely go with the pre-powered amp?

my onkyo does not have a sub-out nor video connections

so, gonna upgrade piece as well

Emotiva's USP-1 and either the UPA-2 or XPA-2 would make a great combination to drive your Vienna Waltz Grands. The UPA-2 delivers 185wpc into 4ohm loads so they wouldn't be underpowering your speakers at all. Another amp to look at is the UPA-1 mono-block amp. A pair of them should be more than enough.

The USP-1 has a decent bass management system which most stereo receivers/integrated amps do not have.

For a sub I'd look at the Elemental Designs sealed subs.