I'm looking to buy a new HT receiver and (think) I've narrowed it to three, erm four . . .
Pioneer VSX 914 H/K AVR 135 and Denon 1705 (all of which are about $250-270US) Is it worth the extra $50 for a Pioneer 1014? (that's the fourth)
Speakers haven't been bought yet, so suggestions are welcome . . . leaning towared an Aperion package I think . . . maybe something a bit more sensitive . . .
Is there any others that I sould be considering but am not? I've heard H/K underrates their amps, and everyone else grossly overrates, so I'm not too worried about H/K's 50 WPC vs Pioneer's claimed 110 WPC. I'd rather not use eBay as well, so please don't suggest it.
1337
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Forgot to mention, the Aperion package to which I was referring would be the "low-end" $700 422/S-8 package . . .
Oh, also thought I'd mention the Fluance package (5 speakers, $260 . . . supposedly pretty good for the money . . .) Of course, I'd be interested in a sub, too if I got that pacakge.
I'd stick with the HK. The Pioneer 1014 does have more electronic bells and whistles and a convenient self-calibration feature, but the HK will have better overall build and sound quality.
I would also be leery of eBay too *except* for Harman Audio on eBay, you can get refurb receivers directly from HK with full original warranty and they are known for an excellent return/exchange policy. For $215-270 you'd be able to get a refurb AVR 230/235, maybe even a 330 if you're lucky.
If you go with Fluance I'm told the SV-6 is the best speaker they have, so just get 5 of those all around for about $250 plus shipping.
Also look at Best Buy for their closeouts on Athena speakers, some people have gotten very nice deals on them and they are very decent speakers.
1337
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Of course, now that I'm looking a bit closer . . . AVR 135 has all of 40 WPC into all channels . . . and the Fluance Mains are 50-140 Watts . . . (The SX-HTB was what I was looking at . . .)
But, go with 5 bookshelves over the two big mains with smaller stuff for the surrounds? The SV-6 have 5" woofers and 1" tweeters . . . Whereas the 5 speaker setup comes with two big mains (dual 6.5" and a tweeter) a center (dual 4" and a tweeter) and a couple surrounds (single 4" and tweeter) I can't really imagine needing a whole bunch of power coming from the surrounds, but I'd definately want the fronts to be nice sounding (and having good bass doesn't hurt any). It seems awfully silly to have a couple cheesy bookself speakers as your mains . . .
HK's are classically underrated, the HK will put out as much if not more power than the denon and the pio on any given day. and as far as speakers go, there are many bookshelves that can out perform floorstanders. (paradigm mini monitors, Echo's, the SV-6, anything B&W makes...) If you're dead set on towers, go with them...I did...but remember it's not the size that counts!
;)
1337
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So you're honestly telling me that a pair of SV-6's will out perform the Fluance towers?
Mayhaps, I should explain a bit more how I like my sound . . . I currently run a optical out from my computer to an old Onkyo amp. This wroks extremely well, becase I am able to fine tune the sound (via a proper 12-band Equalizer [highly underrated if you ask me]). No my mixes tend toward bass-heavy, groove-oriented instrumental Jazz. This is, by no means, the easiest sound to reproduce. Most speakers end up with an extremely harsh sounding mix when the music is turned loud (if no eq adjustments are made) I need something that won't be so harsh, will still give great bass (that is both sounds and FEELS good), and space is no big deal . . . thus it seems to be a tri-fecta in favour of tower speakers (I am thinking it might be a while before I get a proper sub too . . . and bass is good.) Granted, I will not run the same mix of stuff on my "real" HT system as my "computer" system (It'll lean much more heavily to movies, where good bass is important) . . .
anyway . . . B&W eh? Echo's? hmm . . . thanks for more ideas into the hopper . . .
By the way, I hear H/K has good bass management setup . . . what exactly does this mean?
Well I can't tell you that POSITIVELY since I've never owned any Fluance speakers myself, but what I can tell you is generally if you compare the SQ of a bookshelf speaker and a tower speaker that each cost within a hundred dollars of each other, the bookshelf would easily blow away the tower.
Why? Because the bookshelf is a lot smaller, less material and construction is required which means that they can put more money into better drivers. Cheap towers usually have crap construction and flimsy materials which color and distort the sound.
Here's another generalization: tower speakers with three digit price tags almost always sacrifice accurate mids and highs in order to give you deeper bass...especially if they don't have a robust amp/receiver behind them.
I don't know how old your Onkyo amp is, but Onkyo's stuff nowadays is pretty bad for music especially their low to mid-priced receivers...notorious for hugely inflating their RMS numbers, and for having a "protect mode" that kicks in long before you reach those bogus RMS levels.
Personally if I were you I'd just get the $100/pair Fluance bookshelves and spend $300-400 on a good SVS or Hsu sub (ask for B-stock), setting your crossover to have the bookshelves do only the mids and highs while the sub takes care of the lows. Let me put it this way, the bass from a $300 sub would absolutely crush the bass from $300/pair towers PLUS with a sub you don't need a monster amp/receiver that the towers need.
> Most speakers end up with an extremely harsh sounding mix when the music is turned loud (if no eq adjustments are made)
Yes and no. Yes only if:
1. You have crappy speakers. 2. You have a crappy receiver/amp. 3. You are listening to a crappy recording.
If you take care of #1 and #2, only #3 will be left to bother you and that is the only time I would bother with an EQ, the rest of the time Source Direct (unprocessed, unmodified 2-channel) mode is the way to go.
But you're right, an EQ can save you big bucks on changing #1-2, I use one on my PC's sound system.
haha
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>1. You have crappy speakers. >2. You have a crappy receiver/amp. >3. You are listening to a crappy recording
Funny you should mention that... I was in at the local super-high end audio shop (randomly goofing off one day) and got to take a listen to some of my music on a $1000 CD player hooed to a $2500 amp hooked to a pair of $3000 Speakers, and gues what... it was STILL doggone harsh! the bass sounded pretty good, but oh man, those speakers sounded really harsh to me. I don't know, maybe I have non-HT ears or something, but I think just about any system could use an EQ AS LONG AS you have someone that knows how to run such equipment.
At any rate, I think Mr. 1337 should get a refurb H/K 230 from Harmon Audio website. For the money, I think the Fluance set would serve him well, especially if he doesn't get a sub rigth away.
1337
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>Why? Because the bookshelf is a lot smaller, less material and construction is required which means that they can put more money into better drivers. Cheap towers usually have crap construction and flimsy materials which color and distort the sound.
You know, you sound awfully trusting of speaker manufacturers . . . why would they put better drivers in? No, they will put the "less expensive" drivers so that they make lots of money off the stupid things. Why put the best and make a little money when you could put less and make more money?
you kind of have a point, in theory a slimey manufacturer like Bose would use the same crappy drivers in bookshelves as in towers in order to make more money off the bookshelves.
Art however has a good point which I should've articulated sooner. I guess it's like drinking one sip of bad wine versus a whole glassful: with the glassful you suffer a lot more!
Overall, just basing my comments on what I've experienced when out and about listening to speakers. Like I said, I've heard very pleasing bookshelves for as low as $300-400/pair...but never have I heard equally pleasing towers in the same price range, more usually at least double or triple that.