I have decided on getting a Yamaha RX-V1400 or V2400 for a long overdue Home Theater upgrade.
I know there are lots of STRONG opinions one way or the other about Yamaha -- but let's leave that out and just assume I like them and want to find the right speakers for them. (Although I am welcoming opinions among those who know both the V1400 and V2400 as to whether the V2400 is worth the extra money).
I am trying to determine the right speakers for my use.
MOSTLY VIDEO - Maybe 75% DVD's 25% TV and VHS 5% music.
I have an old set of Infinity SR5's with my old Yamaha Receiver and they are fine, but I am assuming I will not use them in the better system.
Budget: $1500 to $2000 for speakers (does that sound right?)
The room is about 18' by 25' with 9 foot ceilings, hard wood floors and an oriental carpet in the center.
I have read opinions about the Yamaha being very bright and the need to match a warm speaker with it. I won't pretend to know the difference, so opinions are welcome.
Have listened to some Monitor Silver 8 speakers at CC and they sounded nice with a Yamaha V2400 they were using for demo. The Klipsch and Energy speakers they were pushing didn't sound as clean to me (I heard more movie detail and clarity in the Silvers). But they have a limited configuration for test and clearly, for each speaker maker, different speakers in their line will have different appeal.
The Silver's are pretty pricy and as much as I liked them, I doubt I can fit them within the budget, so I wonder about the Bronze series which were not available for demo.
I also have given a lot of thought to Polk speakers -- good price point RTi series with maybe the CSi center speaker. Some good reviews for that (not their R series).
Also read a lot here about the Axiom speakers. They seem to have a very good reputation and price point, but I have no idea how they would go with the Yamaha?
QUESTIONS:
1) Opinions of Yamaha V2400 vs V1400?
2) How important is it to have the full set of speakers from the same product line?
3) How important is the quality of the surround speakers? Could I use my old Infinity SR5 towers as surround speakers so I can put more $ into the other speakers? Or if I go with 6.1 or 7.1, maybe the Infinites as rear speakers?
4) Would you guys rate the Monitor Silvers as warm or bright? Same question for the Polk RTi's? Same question for the Axiom speakers?
5) Anyone have opinion on the Monitor Silver 6 vs 8? And how they go with Yamaha in my setup?
I listened to a bunch of reciever/speakers combos when I was searching for my new system. I personally do not like the sound of Yamaha recievers to me they sound thin and bright. That being said, if you really do enjoy this reciever sound, I dont think these speakers are the choice for you - at least the Axioms or the Monitor Audio or the Klipsch for that matter. I would look for a speaker that is more laid back to go with the sound of the reciever. I cant remember the brand name that is most ideal for the yamahas but Im sure someone will. Anyway enjoy and honestly listen around or youll always wonder what if...
Anon, No offence man, but I cant think of worse combos than Monitor/Yamaha, Klipsch/Yamaha or Polk/Yamaha.
The brands you should be looking at: PSB Paradigm Def Techs Axiom
There is LOTS more, but I cant think of too many more warm speakers.
To be honest, I think you could do much better than Yamaha for your money, but if you like the Yamaha, I have NO problem with that.
You want to have a full matching setup, especially for HT use. When sounds pan to the rear, it sounds alot better of it is matched in tone. You atleast want the fronts and center from the same line.
To think of what a Yamaha with Klipsch or Monitor Audio would sound like, think of a high pitched noise, and how long you could listen to it for. With those combinations, you would get listener fatigue within 10 minutes. You need a good match for Home Theater, as you need to be able to listen to the sound for a long time.
I would strongly recommend Paradigm or PSB with Yamaha, at least of the brands in my area. Yamaha needs a laid back speaker to balance the rather bright and thin sound of their units. The newer 1400 and 2400 are not as bright as earlier models but would still be a very poor match with a speaker like Monitor. Paired with the right speakers the new Yamaha's are ok, but their are better recievers available IMO, like NAD.