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New member Username: RambulaPost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-05 | Hello, everyone. I've been reading these forums for a few days, and this is my first post. I'm putting together a system that will be (mostly) music-only and am leaning toward the Panasonic XR55. A few questions: Suggestions on good speakers for less than $350? Should I set the speaks on the floor, or on a stand? Anything to know about speaker wire? The system will be in a large bedroom, and the primary source will be mp3s coming from a digital optical connection to my iMac G5. I don't play music very loud, so good resolution (if I'm using the term correctly) at a low volume is important. While I don't expect to use the receiver for much movie-watching, I would like a receiver that has strong video options in case I connect it to a TV, x-box, etc. in the future. Thanks for your help. I'm happy to provide more details about my setup if needed. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 2378 Registered: Feb-05 | Edster seems to have gotten good results from the Ascend speakers. If I'm not mistaken the Panasonic doesn't have strong video options. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 606 Registered: Dec-04 | Zero video on the Panasonic 55. The 70 has hdmi in, but none out. It's cheap, though. cheap, cheap, cheap |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3220 Registered: Mar-05 | rambula, At about $340 shipped, the Ascend 170s would be ideal with the xr55 because they are totally neutral, so they will convey all of the Panny's astounding detail without adding anything or coming of as "bright." The only limitation is that they roll off below 70Hz so if you like strong bass in your music you will need to have a subwoofer. Now if you can wait until mid January, the new Ascend 170 SE will be out, which has different drivers and are supposed to offer an extra 10Hz of bass extension and a warmer tweeter. www.ascendacoustics.com Yes you will need a decent pair of stands with any bookshelf speakers since you want the tweeters to line up with your ears in your listening position. Here are some stands I bought which I�ve been very happy with, they look good, were easy to assemble and very reasonably priced: http://www.wood-tech.com/product.php?cat=ss&series=mu http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=electronics&field-keyw ords=mu-30&field-browse=172282 Compared to proper speaker placement, speaker wire and interconnects are of trivial importance. Just use generic 12-14 gauge cable by Phillips or RCA, available at any HomeDepot, Lowes or Walmart. |
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Silver Member Username: ZiggyzoggyoioiOutside Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 189 Registered: Jun-05 | Normally I would step in here and recommend any other receiver except the Panny, since you're still in the 'considering' stage. But since your primary sources will be .mp3s it won't matter very much unless you're ripping them at very high bitrates. |
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Silver Member Username: Rysa4Post Number: 184 Registered: Jul-05 | Rambula, first on the receiver side; I find myself coming back to the Harmon Kardon AVR 240 as a receiver that may meet your needs. HK seems to have a higher frequency of problems on their units out of the box than others; HOWEVER- assuming you get one that works (the majority should not have problems), the IPOD docking station and video inputs/output technology should serve your needs. Also, the audio quality out of this unit relative to its peers is slightly higher in my opnion; you can find one new for 350 if you look. I would use caution regarding used HK receivers on ebay, but a used Pioneer VSX 1015TX might be a good bet as well. Sorry to digress from speakers; The AScend 170s, non-SE, would be a good choice, below 350. AS far as the bass extension, I don't believe the AScend 170 SEs, with the new drivers, will be 10 HZ lower relative to the current offering, which has inroom extension without much rolloff to 63 HZ, despite its anechoic rating to 69 HZ. The drop in bass extension will occur with the AScend 340 SEs, due to a change in port configuration. The new 170 SEs are the same cabinet as the old ones. Anyway, when the new Ascend 170SEs come out in January, there will be a potential flood of used AScend 170s being sold everywhere, since they have been out since the year 2000 and many folks will get the new ones who dont have the upgrade option. Sounds like a nice system you are building and good luck. |
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Silver Member Username: Rysa4Post Number: 185 Registered: Jul-05 | Stands- Stands are used not only for height issues, but to decouple the speakers from the ground- without going overboard--yes stands are recommended. When buying, compare max weight and stand stability relative to speaker footprint ( size) and weight. Speaker cable- Home depot lamp cord ( joking but not really) probably works as well as or better than cryo-treated bla bla blah fancy speaker connects. However, I use cobalt cables and buy when there stuff goes on sale- the reason has to do with their construction and complete lack of ANY tangle potential, 10 gauge, and lifetime no questions asked free exchange policy ( which I have used). I also happen to like the locking banana plugs, but this has no true audio quality value at all. A less expensive alternative can be found at heartlandcables.com and blue jeancables.com as well. Like I said, I can't say that any of these are better than Lamp cord and I am not a big proponent of more expensive cables get you better sound, especially with less expensive equipment. |
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New member Username: RambulaPost Number: 2 Registered: Dec-05 | First, thanks to all for the helpful information. I appreciate it. Glad to hear the speaker cable doesn't matter so much. I had suspicions there's some hyperactive marketing for those products. Regarding the Ascend 170s, they are not very big speakers. Will they be able to fill up a 13" x 14" room with sound? I have a $100 set of Bose companion computer speakers plugged into my computer, and while the sound is ok, even at a high volume the sound doesn't fill up the room and surround you (which gets to the whole reason for this project: ditch the crappy computer speakers and use the iMac's optical connection to pipe the sound into a decent system). How do the 170s compare to speakers in that price range from mainstream companies like Polk, Bose, or Infinity? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3223 Registered: Mar-05 | > Regarding the Ascend 170s, they are not very big speakers. Will they be able to fill up a 13" x 14" room with sound? No problem whatsoever. I've demoed them in my 6000 cubic foot living room and they were fine. Here's a very detailed analysis of Bose: http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html The Polk and Infinity bookshelves in this price range will have stronger bass but lag behind in most other respects. A large part of that is because you're paying a retail markup, whereas the Ascends are sold manufacturer-direct. |
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New member Username: RambulaPost Number: 3 Registered: Dec-05 | Anyone have thoughts on how the B&W DM303 compares to the Ascend 170s? |