Titan's Sound

Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 16 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 02:20 GMT I know close to nothing about sound. I mean I like to be able to hear my highs and my mids and my lows with clarity, but I mean thats about all I want. I went to the home cinema store today to listen to the Paradigm Titans. They did not have any titans hooked up, but they let me listen to the mini-monitors. First off, they struck me as being smaller than I expected (even for bookshelves). They were hooked up to an Integra receiver. They didnt put out very much volume (granted we were in a large room) even with the integra turned up to 75 out of 100. Having the unrefined ear that I have for "good" sound, I am just looking for clarity and volume. Are the titans able to put out the same volume of sound as a 3-way tower with a 12 a 5 and a 1.5 as far as the highs and mids go? I need something for parties that I can turn up in the living room and it can be heard in every room of the house, but at the same time be able to sit down in the living room with surround sound and enjoy a good movie. I have a Yamaha RX-V496. Can anyone tell me any personal experiences with the Titans volume or any other recommendation of a good pair of speakers around $200 that you feel may fit my needs. My Yammy allows me to hook up two sets of main speakers (A&B), so I dont know if I can do something with that (Titans + towers). Anyway any advice you have would be appreciated. Thank you very much.
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 48 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 06:33 GMT Matt, you seem to be struggling over this. I have the Paradigm Titans that I use in an office setting so I never play them very loud. I auditioned them in a store and was pretty impressed but I was looking for a good price. They don't have much bass but I felt that the bass they had was pretty clear and I felt that other bookshelf speakers pushed the bass too much making it muddy. Here is a review: www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_6_3/paradigm-titan-speakers.html It is best that you hear these speakers. That store should be able to hook them up. If they say they can't then there is some problem. My home system uses floor speakers for mains but I would have no problem using the Titans for surrounds in any situation. Bookshelves are hard because there is so much improvement as you spend more money. The problem is deciding how much you want to spend and sticking with it. A salesman would have no problem showing you that something that costs $50 - $100 more sounds better. And darn if you can't spend $1,000s on bookshelf speakers (which spins my head). I was looking for something cheap and I was really impressed with the Titans. I even compared them to Paradigm's next one up (forgot the name) and they sounded better. That's all I can say. Good luck. Sometimes you have to make a decision and stop worrying about it.
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 49 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 07:00 GMT Matt, here is a thread with some other potential choices: www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181458 They also connect to other threads.
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 17 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 09:31 GMT Jonathan I really appreciate all of your help. I just need to sort through all of this. I thought that I would go to the cinema store and be blown away by the titans, but that was not the case. Maybe it was how they had them set up, or the room they were in, or the receiver pushing them. COmpared to the 3-way towers that I have in my room the titans seemed like pracically nothing. It just worries me, and 200 dollars is a big chunk of money for a kid trying to pay his way through college and paying a car note. I guess I was just hoping that I could get one set of speakers that would solve all of my problems. The KLH's certainly werent the answer. Thank you for posting the review jonathan. Thanks for the input
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 50 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 14:51 GMT Let me suggest a couple more things: 1. Going on ebay or audiogon to look for used deals. 2. Looking a do it yourself (diy) companies. 3. Going to various websites and looking for closeouts: for example accessories4less or saturday audio, or one call example: w1.onecall.com/About_50001000_15_59_37_0_0_0.htm home theater direct: www.htdaudio.com/levthremains.html 4. Waiting till you have enough $ to buy something you like. Buying down is potentially a waste of money. Save those pennies till you have enough to buy something you will be happy with. LOL
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 18 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Monday, February 02, 2004 - 08:05 GMT Are these going to put out as much "noise" as any other bookshelf speaker? They just didnt seem very loud. Thanks
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 51 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2004 - 22:13 GMT Matt, the sensitivity of the Titans are at 86db maybe needing too much juice from your receiver. Perhaps your receiver needs higher sensitivity speakers such as 90 or 91 dbs. Just check around. Several have mentioned the Klipsch speaker is very sensitive. You could probably try them out at home where you can see if it is what you like since Best Buy sells them.
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 19 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2004 - 23:16 GMT Wow Jonathan, now you just confused me even more. I thought that the titans were extremely sensitive. My channel separation for CD is 60/45 db. I dont know if that is what I am looking for. How do I know what decible raiting I am looking for? Are you telling me that at best buy you can buy speakers and try them out, and if you dont like them you can bring them back? I just need a pair of speakers around 200 bucks that will work as best as possible with my amp? it doesnt seem like this would be very hard to find. Once again I have an RX-V496 70X5 Does anyone have any suggestions? thanks
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 52 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 03:01 GMT Matt, if you go to the review I linked up at 1:33 a.m., it gives you the specifications of the Titans. It says, 86db which is not very sensitive. I am by no means an expert in all of this but I have learned that a difference of 4 - 5 db in sensitivity could make a huge difference in the perceived loudness of a speaker. I like the Titans but I don't have the same needs that you do. I am using it in an office and rarely play them loudly. You seem to want $200 speakers that play the full spectrum and play loudly. I guess I would say that that is a tall order. Most of what people in this forum look for is middle range items in the hi fi world. You seem to want that quality at a low fi cost. Maybe someone knows a great deal at that price. I think the Titans are pretty good as do quite a few others. As your ability to pay more increases, the possibilities increases exponentially. At $200, I don't know. Yes, Best Buy allows you to buy things and return them for any reason within 30 days. They carry Athena (which many people like), JBLs, Yamaha, Klipsch and Sony. My recall is that $200 isn't alot for them either. I think Athena bookshelves start at a higher price but here is a link to bookshelf speakers at Best Buy: www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat03043&type=category There are quite a few you could check out including Wharfesdale and Yamaha.
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 21 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 03:11 GMT Jonathan I really appreciate all of your help. I am not asking for a miracle and saying that I want the best speakers in the world for $200. I just want to know the best speakers that I can get at that price? Does that make sense? I checked that link out and it looks like people think really highly of the titans. How do I find out the speakers decible level that I need for my receiver? Thanks again.
James Lee New member Username: Edison Post Number: 339 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 12:26 GMT Have you heard Athena AS-B1 at BestBuy? They go well with a Yammy receiver. You might want to hear them - especially good for female voice if you like that kind of music. Pair them with a sony sub - sa-wm200 (www.etronics.com - less than $100), and they will sound full and pretty. I was listening to this set up for an hour and I simply felt like dancing - coz it sounded so good. You won't miss the big 3way speaker with the set up.
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 54 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 17:04 GMT Good idea James. Matt, go to the link I provided for Best Buy and you can see the Athenas for less than $200 and their sensitivity is at 90dbs so should sound louder. Again, Best Buy will let you return with no questions asked within 30 days. Make sure that is their policy though before you buy.
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 22 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 21:02 GMT So you think I will better off with the Athena AS-B1 then the Titans? Also what about the Athena AS-F1 they are around 200 as well
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 23 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 21:27 GMT wow soo many decisions, i just need to buy something and I cant make up my mind, haha. I am impressed with the reviews on the sony sub, but I didnt know that Sony made any Good audio equipment.
Jonathan Bronze Member Username: Jonmoon Post Number: 55 Registered: 12-2003	Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 01:43 GMT Matt, sorry, the AS-F1 is priced per speaker whereas the AS-B1 is priced per pair. Just go to Best Buy and listen to all of them and take the ones you want home to try out. Cheers and Buffy quote: Buffy: "Do they know about 'fun' in England?" Giles: "Yes, but it's considered very poor taste to have any."
Matt Magz Bronze Member Username: Steltz02 Post Number: 25 Registered: 01-2004	Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 02:38 GMT the closest best buy is an hour away, I called them 4 times they put me on hold for over 10 minutes 3 of these times and hung up on me for the other. I am a bit concerned about the customer support

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