I've recently decided to upgrade my HT(if you can even legally call it that, a 1982 Sherwood receiver, 25-30 yr old Pioneer CS-77A 65 watt speakers, 10 yr old Optimus satellite speakers, no sub woofer, and a Pioneer DV-270 DVD player-----hey, better than a boom box(shrugs)) Here's what I've narrowed my new HT down to: Yamaha RXV650 receiver; BIC America Venturi DV62si with modified crossfaders from EFE Technology(by Ed)-(read a lot of great endorsments) for my front speakers; B&W VM1 for center channel; Bose 161 for rear enjoyment(not some strange pervy fetishe by the way);Aspire Digital AD-1100(the only moderately priced model that supported 5.1 sound) and (my splurge) HSU STF-3 subwoofer. Also: I was going to buy the Sony SS-MF 750 H as my fronts and keep the BMI's for my rear(again, I'm no perv~) but after reading how well the BMI performed after the crossfader modification coupled with the HSU STF-3 subwoofer I decided on keeping BMI's for my fronts.(Did I make the right choice?) With that configuration, do I even need side speakers in addition to my fronts(small room 11x15)? Do I need an amp and preamp in addition to my receiver? and if so, which? O yea, I'm using Monster cable wire.(which even on my old system makes a world and 1/2 of difference) Sorry bout so many questions, but I'm completely new to this. Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Technically, your surround speakers are supposed to be side speakers. Ideally placed at ear level even with your primary listening position.
Back speakers are exactly that, and should be placed 5-8 feet apart directly behind the main listening position.
Note...........those are 'back' speakers, and not rear......Heh
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
The Hsu sub is a worthy splurge...go for it! Plus an excellent sub allows you to get smaller speakers up front if you want to save some money.
I'd get ANYTHING except the Bose 161 though---you're paying through the nose for their advertising hype department, their actual sound quality stinks for the price.
Try to keep the front 3 speakers by the same manufacturer as much as possible---they're the workhorse of your system and you want the front soundstage to be timbre-matched and seamless.
The surrounds you can go cheap on since they do maybe 10% of the work unless you plan on building an expensive SACD or DVD-A collection.
~) but after reading how well the BMI performed after the crossfader modification coupled with the HSU STF-3 subwoofer I decided on keeping BMI's for my fronts.(Did I make the right choice?)