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New member Username: SigpikulPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | Ok, so I'm putting together the sound system for my new house right now. I've been to a few showrooms and did some exausting listening tests (mainly with the amp/preamp and the front speakers) and this is what I have come up with so far. My budget is 10k, and this current setup comes pretty close to that (10,060 before taxes). Tell me if you think i'm on the right track or if you think i can spend my money better in different places. Oh, and as far as the whole "NAD has too many malfunctioning components" arguement goes, I'm buying all of my NAD equipment from an authorized dealer so that i have a valid warranty. Ok, here goes: Front Speakers: B&W 804s ($3500) Center Channel: B&W HTM4s ($1300) Subwoofer: B&W ASW750 ($1100) (4) Surround Speakers (must be in ceiling mounted) Polk TC615i ($660) Pre-Amp: NAD T163 ($1200) Amp: NAD T973 ($2000) DVD Player: NAD T514 ($300) Ok, so some final thoughts before people start ripping into this system. As far as music goes, i will almost be exclusively listening in 2 channel mode, at most with the assistance of the subwoofer. But the center channel and the surrounds are strictly for viewing movies/tv. With that said, my wife also will not let me mount any speakers on the ceiling, she wants them in the ceiling and to paint the grills the same color. I wish i could change her mind because I HATE in wall/ceiling speakers, but it was a compromise i had to make if I wanted her to agree to a 10k budget for the audio part of the home theater alone, and still be able to get my 72" HDTV. So with that said, please offer any opinions or critisisms. Tell me where i'm spending my money right and wrong, and especially if you know of some better inceiling speakers for around 300 a pair. Thanks in advance for your responses. |
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Silver Member Username: BvanCape Town, Copenhagen,... Post Number: 134 Registered: Jun-05 | good system i recon. but what will you play cd's with, the dvd player? might get some flack for this i'm predicting. if music is important to you, i would suggest you need a didicated cd player. NADs 542 for example. i'm much more a music than an HT guy, and i would also spend a pittance on the rear channels if they were only for movies, but i'd take it step futher and go for a cheeper b&w centre speaker. doesnt seem worth going for absolute timbre matching up front if you dont have it in rear speakers. but if you are serious about movies b&w inwalls might be worth a rejugling of the budget. let the HT experts chip in here. to finance better rear speakers you could go for the 805's up front. might even be better for music than the 804's if your room not too huge. certainly the 805+good cd player+musical sub will be more musical than the 804's+cheap dvd player+sub. if that left you with any spare change maybe concider the b&w pvc-1 over the 750. might also please your wife. or save some on the sub by going with a slightly cheeper hsu/velodyne/svs sub. i'd get a rel or martin logan sub myself, but thats my music bais talking. thats just my thoughts off the top of my head, seeing as you asked. good luck and enjoy the system whatever you get. b. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1195 Registered: May-05 | Sig - Have you demoed other gear? There is a lot out their that'll fall within your budget. Not that what you've chosen is bad at all. If I had $10K, I'd spend it all on 2 channel. McIntosh & Sonus Faber. |
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New member Username: SigpikulPost Number: 2 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanks for the input. As far as the DVD/CD player goes, the few people I talked to about the subject said that the NAD DVD player has identical components in it for the CD player that the dedicated CD player does. He told me that the only reason why I would need to buy a dedicated CD player would be if I didn't want to put all of the hours on the DVD player that I would be putting on it just playing CD's. As far as the 805's go, I went back and forth between them and the 804's, but in the end I just couldnt justify buying the 805's because the room that this is going in is HUGE. It's a great room that goes directly into the main kitchen, and the great room also has one wall of french doors that open up onto our upper deck. So when we open up the french doors, the doors collapse and fold up so it opens up the entire wall. So basically when we are holding parties or just feel like opening up the house, this system is responsible for a very large area, and I just don't think the 805's could fill it properly. As far as other equipment I demoed, I looked at alot of speakers by JM-Audio and Martin Logans. I preferred the sound of the B&W's over the JM's and I couldn't justify the power consumption of the Martin Logans (in order to give them enough juice, I would be blowing the budget on adequete amps alone). |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 558 Registered: Nov-05 | If you listen to the NAD DVD player and say the C542 CDP you will soon 'hear' that those identical components don't equate to equal sound. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1197 Registered: May-05 | Without a doubt. |
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New member Username: SigpikulPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | Alright, thats good to know. So I'll add a C542 onto my list. Any ideas on replacements for the subwoofer and the in-ceiling surrounds? |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 559 Registered: Nov-05 | To keep the sound timbre matched (especially beneficial for surround music) can your dealer suggest B&W in-ceiling speakers? I don't where you are but there may be better subs than the B&W (I am a B&W fan btw) - the sub is not so critical in matching brands and you may wish to consult your dealer what you require for your room size. Look in the Subwoofer section and you'll find some recommendations. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 971 Registered: Feb-05 | Sig, if the room is going to be huge, take a look at these. www.wraithspeakers.com their speakers operate on a similar principal (electrodynamic vs. electrostatic) to MartinLogan speakers, and even look like them. They are also MUCH more efficient, and are also MUCH cheaper to boot. They don't have to be plugged in unlike the ML They also offer a planar (read: VERY FAST) subwoofer as well. You just have to do your research with this company as they are Internet direct as to what kind of warrenty they will give you, and if you can return them if you arent satisfied. |
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Silver Member Username: BvanCape Town, Copenhagen,... Post Number: 136 Registered: Jun-05 | i had a REALLY slow day at work today so i got thinking, as i do, how i would spend that $10k. i think i can improve upon my suggestion of yesterday. The system bellow comes in at $10700 but you should be able to get discounts to bring it within range. B&W 804 $3500 NAD T533 DVD Player $400 NAD C542 CD Player $500 NAD T753 $1000 NAD M3 2800 Velodyne DLS-500R/HSU VTF-3 $800 2x B&W CWM-500 In -Wall Speakers $400 B&W HTM4s $1300 i think this would give you uncompromised 2-channel through a good cd player and killer 2-channel amp. the amp, which has an 'ht bypass' will power the fronts when running 7.1. i think this will give you more and better power up front plus more than enough power for the rears. thats only 5.1 speakers, but by the time they start making movies in 7.1, if they ever do, you might be able to swing another $400 past your wife for rear speakers. if it were my system i would go without a centre channel, and instead spend the money on a second sub. but thats just me. if you were not set on B&W and NAD(both of which i like), i would concider a used Denon 2900/2200 as your source. And for speakers i could only suggest you maybe listen to a few more brands before you settle on what will probably be with you for many years to come. myself i might go with dynaudio focus 220 ($3000) over the B&W, or maybe even spendors, but i couldnt say without comparing them all with the same electronics and room, which i havent done. it was a pleasure spending your money. cheers b. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 807 Registered: Dec-03 | Sig: I have a better suggestion for your rear surrounds. Have you checked out the Monitor Audio CP line of speakers? It is not important for the rear speakers to be "timbre matched" like it is to match the front three. But what I like about Monitor Audio is that they have their own box behind the wall. This means they sound consistant from speaker to speaker because they are not subject to the variations in the shape and size of the space behind the wallboard. They offer both a rectangular "in-wall style" and a round "in-ceiling" style of speaker and are paintable. Here is a link where you can see them: http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/home_cinema/custom/index.htm I have heard them and I really liked them--if I had a wall where my HT is, I would have gotten these myself. My wife, who demanded speakers she didn't have to look at, absolutely loved them. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 561 Registered: Nov-05 | Hawk - I agree with your comments about timbre matching except that, in case of Sig maybe upgrading his player in the future to handle hi-res surround music (eg; DVD-A, SACD, & HDDVD or BluRay) then I think timbre matching the rears is important. I know he hasn't mentioned an interest in these formats, but one never knows does one??? From my experience with the hi-res formats, some discs allow almost as much information for the rears as they do for the mains and if the rears are of a different sound, then that can really muck up the music. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 835 Registered: Dec-03 | Rantz: I don't know--I have been exploring the world of SACD recently and I have very dissimilar speakers for my surrounds and it has not affected the soundfield, IMO. I have been experimenting with NHT L-5s across the fronts and I have Jamo In-Walls in the rear, but even with SACD disks, it seems the rear speakers are only tranducing secondary sounds, not primary. (I may not be expressing this well, but I am doing the best I can!). For instance, one of my SACDs has a track of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Telarc), and what I could hear from the right rear speaker was the double basses, and the left rear was the deep brass (Tuba and French Horns). Yes, they had as much info as the fronts, but it was different info, so there was no sonic conflict. The effect was like being on the podium with the Conductor, but the choir remained firmly in front. So I do not really see that there is a problem using surrounds that are not timbre matched. Has your experience been different? |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 566 Registered: Nov-05 | Hawk The signals on the hi-res surround discs from the rears can range from ambient sounds to full-on parts of the music program. Yes, on some titles, having timbre matched speakers may not be so beneficial, but on others they certainly are imho. For example 'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits, any Steely Dan/Fagan hi-res title, many titles jazz titles from Heads Up, Concord, Verve, DSOTM by Pink Floyd, Elton John titles, the list goes on and on. On many, not only timbre matched speakers are preferable, but even the same speakers front and back if they handle a reasonable frequency range. With my 602S3's and LCR600 I set to large without a sub crossover - the sound is just better that way (to me). I went from JBL floorstanders with decent wall mounts, then small 601S3's as rears, then the 602's and then added another pair of 602's for the mains to get it right. That's my experience old mate. Cheers M. R. |
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New member Username: Firebook23Post Number: 10 Registered: Sep-05 | sig- I have some of these components, and you are on the right track. Unless you are a really big two channel guy i would suggest just getting the T534 DVD player. It is much better then most CD players in it's price point and you also get a very good DVD player. It also play's DVD-Audio where as the T514 does not. http://www.nadelectronics.com/dvd_players/T534_framset.htm at any rate i would listen to the C542 VS. the T534 and see if the difference is worth it. if you are spending this much money the dealer might let you take the 542 home to try out. |