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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 1 Registered: Sep-06 | I need to get new fronts and I have a budget around $1000 dollars need help I have been looking at Kef, Klipsch, a couple others any ideas?? |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 968 Registered: Dec-03 | How big is your room? |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 462 Registered: Oct-04 | Paradigm Studio 20 v.3's |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4563 Registered: Mar-05 | % music to HT usage? |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 2 Registered: Sep-06 | room is 18X22 50% music and 50% movies |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4566 Registered: Mar-05 | 50% movies, I would definitely throw in a subwoofer unless you never watch action/thriller flicks. Ascend 340SEs + Hsu STF-2 sub, $1009 shipped from ascendacoustics.com The Ascends' neutrality will go well with the Marantz's warmth as well as being a fairly easy load to drive (adding an external amp will make them sound even better, but not absolutely necessary at all), and they do wonderful things with voices which is key for HT. The Hsu STF-2 won't dip quite as low as an SVS PB10 during extreme HT but it should be a little more accurate for music. Check this map and post on the Ascend forum to see if there are any Ascend owners in your neck of the woods who might let you come listen: http://www.frappr.com/ascendacousticsowners |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 463 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, So the Ascend 340SE's are a the best speaker under $1000. in your opinion? |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 3 Registered: Sep-06 | Well I have a klipsch SW 12 II A little older but sounds mint will this sub be a good match for Ascend 340SE's? or should I look for something different? |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1900 Registered: Feb-04 | http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/sw-12-ii.aspx Since you have it already, it would be silly not to try it. It doesn't go quite as low as the Hsu, but it looks to be quite capable from the specs. 60 lbs... This is not a lightweight. |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 4 Registered: Sep-06 | Peter what type of fronts do you think would be the best to invest in? |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1902 Registered: Feb-04 | Man, that's hard to answer. I hate making speaker recommendations. I adhere to the school of thought that the speaker is the most important part of your sound system. It's the most likely to affect the overall sound. And each has it's own sound, and each will sound different in your room than at the dealer, and will sound differently depending on placement within the same room too. Speakers for HT need to match too, so that would have to be considered. If I were looking to spend $1000 on a pair of speakers, and had a _big_ room to play them in, I'd go over to the Klipsch forum and ask if anyone in your area has some vintage Cornwall or La Scala that you could audition. But that's just me. I certainly wouldn't recommend that you buy a used pair on ebay without having heard any first. Go to store and listen to as many as you can. Pretty basic advice, I know. But the fact that other people like a speaker doesn't mean you will. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4567 Registered: Mar-05 | Christopher, Part of the reason I recommended the Ascends is your 50% HT usage and my mistaken impression that you didn't have a sub...they fit into your budget very well combined with the Hsu STF-2. Best under $1K for music, and without a sub, might be the Vandersteen 1CE in my opinion, though the Vandersteen sound is not for everybody. The Ascends are a much more versatile speaker whose lack of coloration seems to appeal to a wader swath of listeners, and yes it has often compared well to speakers costing far more. The following is a long but very interesting account of one person's speaker-shopping odyssey. The original poster ordered some Ascends and took them to various stores to directly compare them to other speakers, most of them costing considerably more. One of them was the Paradigm Studio 40s. (#153, 156) He ended up choosing some Boston Acoustics speakers (which cost about double) but by a narrow margin. Just one guy's experience of course, but informative on how to speaker-shop: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=591331&page=1&pp=30 |
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Silver Member Username: StefanomSilver Spring, MD United States Post Number: 152 Registered: Apr-06 | "what type of fronts do you think would be the best to invest in?" The ones that you derive the most pleasure from. The best advice of course is to audition as much as possible. A few brands worth checking out though: Paradigm (Studio 20); Alegria Audio (Emma); B&W (CM1); Wharfedale (Evolution 10), Energy + Mirage; and of course the aforementioned Klipsch (RB-81), KEF's, and Ascend speakers. My personal choice was the Alegria Audio Emma; however, opinions are no substitute for listening and finding what you like the best. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1903 Registered: Feb-04 | Your room would be about perfect for Klipschorns, if you had about 1.8K to 2.5K to spend on a used pair. It would certainly be worth your time to see if anyone in your area has a set that you could audition. :-) |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 464 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, Interesting thread, thanks. While it's a great idea, personally I would find it very difficult to purchase a mail-order speaker, drag it from store to store, and hope I didn't damage it in the process. So many well rated & reviewed speakers are from mail-order only companies, it makes the matter all but impossible to pull off, IMHO. I'd really love to know how many people have actually listened to the Alegria Emma or Ling, or the Ascend, or the AV123, son & so forth. Speaking of Alegria, what happened to their pricing? The Ling went from a nice $369, to a whopping $499! |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 5 Registered: Sep-06 | Thanks for the info and the recomendations I definately would prefer a speaker that is warm and has good mid to lower end reproduction |
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Silver Member Username: StefanomSilver Spring, MD United States Post Number: 153 Registered: Apr-06 | Christopher M.: I own the Emma's; can't say I've listened to any of the other mail order models, but I did audition across a pretty broad spectrum of brands when I was in the market for speakers. |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 6 Registered: Sep-06 | What is your overall assement of the Emmas coupled with a capable system? |
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Silver Member Username: StefanomSilver Spring, MD United States Post Number: 154 Registered: Apr-06 | I personally find the Emmas to be one of the most realistic sounding speakers I've ever heard (most striking for me in their reproduction of the human voice), and a definate cut above most anything in their price bracket, including contenders like the Paradigm Studio 20, Polk LSi 9, and Klipsch RB-81. I use them in a stereo only/music setup however, and I havn't used them for HT. Of note, like any speaker, they do have their weaknesses; they aren't particularly efficient, and will soak up your receiver's power. However, combining them with a subwoofer, as in your case, should help to alleviate some of that in comparison to what I experience. However, as I stated before, the only way to know what YOU will like is by listening to at least a few models. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 971 Registered: Dec-03 | christopher: I have a different view. You room is nice and large, so I think going with bookshelf speakers is a mistake, unless that is the only thing you will consider. Given your Marantz receiver, which is modestly powered, and a touch on the warm side, I would recommend a pair of Monitor Audio S6 speakers. Right now, Saturday Audio Exchange has contracted with MA to sell the remaining U.S. inventories of the Silver Line of speakers (they have been replaced by new models that aren't necesarily better, but does cost more). You can get the S6s for $599/pair (MSRP was $1000, I think). Check it out here: http://saturdayaudio.com/ These are great guys to do business with, and the speakers are a high quality product. You know, I just had another thought. Get a pair of the S6s and also get the SLCR center speaker at the same time. All three speakers would run $1000 exactly, and you would have perfectly matched speakers across the front (which is exactly what you want). MA Silvers are, in my mind, the perfect speaker to go with a Marantz receiver. They are bit more forward sounding, which means they really balance out the sound of the Marantz, and they are very efficient, so your receiver will have enough power to fill that large room without straining. Good luck! |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 7 Registered: Sep-06 | I will definately go and look at all of these speakers referenced in this thread thanks to you all. |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 9 Registered: Sep-06 | just one thing looking into a new subwoofer will the hsu vt3 be my best option? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4569 Registered: Mar-05 | > Thanks for the info and the recomendations I definately would prefer a speaker that is warm and has good mid to lower end reproduction Good mids = Ascends, but they are neutral rather than warm. Good mids, decent mid-bass, warmish coloration = Polk LSi9, but these are 4 ohm speakers and I doubt your Marantz would be up to powering them. Monitor Audio speakers to my ears have the stereotypical "British sound" = ramped up bass and treble but weak midrange. When I was CDP shopping, the shop I went to used some $1500 MA towers with a NAD c372 which made a NAD c542, Marantz 4300, and my vintage Sony ES player sound more or less very similar. The thing is, the Marantz 5600 is already a "warm" receiver, so pairing it with a "warm" speaker may result in an overly "warm" sound that is kind of gooey and indistinct. |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 465 Registered: Oct-04 | I'm a HUGH Monitor Audio fan. I own a Radius 6.1 set-up that I am throroghly pleased with. MA has the best build quality of any speaker I've personally seen. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4571 Registered: Mar-05 | build quality...yeah, I could see that. The ones I heard were certainly very nice to look at, and I could see them being very good with certain types of music like rock, techno, and hip-hop. Just wish the mids weren't so darn recessed. |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 466 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, My MA's in a 2.1 set-up are very musical. Deciptively large sound from such a tiny set-up. |
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New member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 10 Registered: Sep-06 | Thanks for the distinction I have heard much about MA's but how are they on the voice imaging? the MA's I was looking at were the S8's |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4573 Registered: Mar-05 | CM, I don't doubt you, but the word "musical" is extremely generalized and can mean almost anything. "Large sound" I can also believe, the towers I heard did not lack in the soundstage department at all. I'm specifically referring to the midrange, which is essential for classical and jazz and vocal-dominant music. Funny, there just happens to be an ongoing thread on the MAs here: http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=2049 |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 468 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, By muscial I mean well suited for my musical (mostly blues/rock) needs. I don't listen to too much classical or jazz, so I trust your assessment might be correct. |
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Bronze Member Username: ZorroPost Number: 52 Registered: Jul-05 | Christopher, I just bought a pair of those S8's from Saturday Audio and I am very happy with them, to my ears they sound wonderfully. Before I pulled the plug on them I auditioned some others like Vienna Acoustics, B&W, Paradigm, Def Tech, Dynaudio etc and I have come to the conclusion that for the current price at S.A. the MA's are an unbeatable deal. Can you check if there is a dealer close to you to try to audition them? Good luck |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4574 Registered: Mar-05 | CM, Yeah, if I were still a big rock fan I think the MAs would be an excellent choice---nice punchy bass and dynamic highs. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4128 Registered: Dec-04 | But Ed, now with tea and crumpets, it is different. (kidding, man) |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4577 Registered: Mar-05 | what on earth are "crumpets?" Must be a Canadianism. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4134 Registered: Dec-04 | Thick slabs of Back Bacon, served on a Beaver Tail, with Nettle and mustard. Served with tea. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4579 Registered: Mar-05 | hm, sounds delicious. But why with tea for Chrissakes? Sounds more like beer food to me. |
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Bronze Member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 11 Registered: Sep-06 | Edster The emmas sound like the talk of the town in your opion are they the best for the money? I am in the budget range where this will be a speaker that will be with me for awhile |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4581 Registered: Mar-05 | oh yeah, for $500 you can get more accurate speakers for use with a sub, but I don't know of any other bookshelves in that price range which can stand on their own without a sub. And yes, I think you would be keeping them for a while---these are certainly not transitional throw-aways. |
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Bronze Member Username: Chris55Ut Post Number: 12 Registered: Sep-06 | Edster- Please let me know what in your opinion would be a speaker that would be better of course with the assistance of a sub. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4585 Registered: Mar-05 | The Ascends are IMO definitely more "accurate" and "balanced"---however, that does not necessarily mean that you will get more pleasure out of them, even with a sub. This is where it may just boil down to personal preferences...there are people who swear that for music listening 2 speakers with a sub, no matter how good the sub, is still nowhere as satisfying as an almost-full-range pair of speakers by themselves. With HT it's generally agreed that a sub can dig much deeper and louder than the vast majority of floorstanders, in which case the Emma's bass advantage is not quite as overwhelming. The only way to be sure of that is to home audition both of them. Yes I know return shipping on 2 pairs of speakers can add up, but it's still a small price to pay for dead certainty. |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 2 Registered: Sep-06 | Dear bros, I've just purchased a Pioneer Receiver (model VSX-AX2AV-G): 250Wx7, THX, HDMI, Ipod connections supported... now I wanna purchased a Speaker set and possibly a DVD player (I do have a DVD but without HDMI connection), so can anybody advise me what is good choice for the speaker system that best matches with my Pianeer Receiver and the same thing for a DVD player. My room is about 20 sq metters and my budget for the speaker system is $1.5K. Thanks advance for your any precious advice. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4593 Registered: Mar-05 | LPD, tough to do since we have no idea what is available in Saigon and how much things cost. So if you come up with a list of speakers and prices that would be helpful. |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 3 Registered: Sep-06 | Edster, Thanks for your advice. One thing I forget to tell, that I do travel to other regional countries like Singapore and Malaysia, almost evry month. And I believe that all are available there in Singapore and KL and the costs are almost the same as in the States (some items are slightly more expensive but depending on where they are made..) |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4598 Registered: Mar-05 | with the Pioneer I'd look into some Energy bookshelves (the C-3) or, if that's over your budget, Athena speakers. Those are both Canadian brands. Generally, something a little bit forward rather than too warm and laid-back. |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 6 Registered: Sep-06 | Thanks. I will look for the C-3 and try. Do you have any ideas on seclecting a DVD player? Do I need a HPMI one? |
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Gold Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 1093 Registered: Dec-03 | "Speaking of Alegria, what happened to their pricing? The Ling went from a nice $369, to a whopping $499!" I had posted regular and "introductory" pricing for a while and had temporary price reductions along the way to clear out overstock. Additionally, revisions have been made to the Ling speakers which is noted on my website. They still represent a good value, not only in my opinion, but those of my customers as well. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4599 Registered: Mar-05 | LPD, I'm assuming you mean "HDMI?" Only if your TV has an HDMI input and even then, the difference is slight rather than dramatic---especially with smaller screen sizes 32" and under. If you listen to music a lot I would recommend getting a separate CD player and a separate DVD player. I'd go relatively cheap on the DVD player, maybe a Pioneer, $100-200. The CD player I'd look into would be a Marantz 4300 for around $200-250. If you want a DVD player that also does music well, Denon might be the way to go but their 2910 and 3910 models are very pricey. |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 8 Registered: Sep-06 | Thanks Ed. What about DVD player Marantz DV6600 that is much cheaper ($800) and have HDMI output? Or maybe I should just buy the Marantz 4300 as I already have a Phillips DVD player. BTW, I look into the Energy C-3 Bookshelves Speaker that you have advised but I find that the power is quite small compared to my recceiver so that I may go with a C-500 or RC-60 then. What do you think? I mean for my Pioneer 250Wx7, 6 Ohm Receiver? Many thanks for your advice. Phi |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 9 Registered: Sep-06 | Ed, I meant Energy RC-30 with 200 watt RMS output. I've also checked some Denon DVD players with HDMI supported but also with a rather low budget (ex: Denon DVD 1730 with 200 bucks, etc). is it worth buying these players? Thks. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1930 Registered: Feb-04 | The RC-30 is rated to accept up to 200W and the C-3 is rated to accept 150W. There is not much difference between the two as far as power handling. That shouldn't be a deciding factor at all. |
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New member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 10 Registered: Sep-06 | Peter, The C-3 I saw from the net is rated at only 125W. Is it too small for my Pioneer Receiver at 250W (actual power may be up to 180W I guess). If it is ok, I will go with the c-3 then. I also wanna buy a surround sys and subwoofer and center for theater, what do you recomend then, to match with the C-3 speakers. Appreciate your advice. |
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Bronze Member Username: Phi_do410Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Vietnam Post Number: 14 Registered: Sep-06 | Peter, I'm looking into the marantz CD 17 MKIII at the price of S$900. Is it a good machine? To select cable connection for CD Player, what is the best cable connection should I select (composite, Optical or Coaxial/ to connect from my CDP to the Receiver)? Apprecitae your any advice. |