Hi there, just joined the boards I'm looking for your opinion about upgrading my fronts. Currently I am using a 5.1 channel Mission setup with floorstanders in front, books in the back and the matching centre. Everything is driven by my Yamaha setup (receiver,DVD/SACD/DVD-A player). I am happy with the setup, but I'm moving soon and will finally be able to dedicate the whole livingroom to my HT/stereo setup.
I would really like to add the Totems to the mix in place of the Mission fronts, but I have a few concerns. This system does HT duty, as well as stereo and MCS audio.
My questions are: 1) Sensitivity. double edged...will the Totems be less sensitive than the existing centre (~4dB different) to the extent that it sounds off during movies and multi channel audio playback? And the second part, will the lower impedance of the Totems be too much for the aging RXV-795A?
2) Practicality. My system is not audiophile level since my tastes have a habit of exceeding my budget. Will the Arros still be a worthwhile upgrade even if I can't drive them with top notch equipment at this point in time?
I know it may seem odd to want to add these speakers to what I have, but I do appreciate a nice sounding pair of speakers for audio only sessions, and having something less boring than the typical off the shelf mass market speakers really appeals to me. They would be my one piece of equipment that would be a little different from what "everyone else" has. Something that makes the setup special to me.
What do you think? Is it worth it, and can the amp handle it?
I think some of that is going to depend on your total up-grade schedule. Obviously you want the front 3 speakers to be timbre matche, so keeping with in one brand, and even one series within that brand. If you plan to up-grade the rest of your speakers system as well, you can probably live with the mismatch for a time. You can probably even live with the difficulty you receiver will have driving the speakers for a limited time, as long as you watch volume levels.
However, if you aren't planning to upgrade your whole system within the near future, I wouldn't recommend making the change.
Thanks for the feedback. The timbral matching is a good point, I would probably need the Totem centre (and ideally some rears) to make the system sound plausible with regards to timbre. In the meantime, I have been eyeying the Arcam receivers quite a bit lately, I think it might make more sense to start there.
I'm looking for your opinion about upgrading my fronts. Currently I am using a 5.1 channel Mission setup with floorstanders in front, books in the back and the matching centre. Everything is driven by my Yamaha setup (receiver,DVD/SACD/DVD-A player). I am happy with the setup, but I'm moving soon and will finally be able to dedicate the whole livingroom to my HT/stereo setup.