Hi, I am currently building my HT and have decided to go with floor speakers for the left and right channel but am trying to decide which brand to go with. I have heard and like Polk and Boston...have been reading on the forums that Paradigm and PSB also make good speakers as well but I haven't listened to them as of yet. My budget is around $600-$800 for the pair and eventually will buy the center and surround sound speakers by the same manuf I choose the floors...I just want to purchase the floors first since I also listen to alot of music and buying those first will enable me to do both right now....Thinking about going with a 10" Velodyne sub to round out the system...
My receiver is an Onkyo btw and I do not currently have an amp
1. Nuck may well be right as the Onkyos are notorious for having weak underpowered power supplies in their receivers--expect that in a five channel arrangement you are only able to get about 1/3 of your receiver's rated power. So power is probably an issue with Paradigms.
Paradigms have very good sensitivity, but as has been noted by several posters on this forum, they have very wild swings in their impedence which needs some serious power to tame. Your Onkyo is also a very relaxed sounding receiver with a slightly withdrawn sound--it requires a speaker with some sizzle to get the most out of it.
2. More importantly , however, is the fact that your seem to really like the Polks and Bostons speakers. I ama firm believer with sticking with the sound you like. Now, both Polk and Boston make superb speakers, but they sound very different from Paradigms and PSBs which also make superb speakers (BTW, both Paradigm and PSB are Canadian companies and they both rely very heavily on the Canadian government which does a lot of research into sound reproduction--in essence, these two brands sound very much alike as they share a common research department, for all intents and purposes).
Paradigm and PSB tend to sound very warm and "laid back"--these terms are imprecise, but very descriptive. To me, the two P brands are very smooth but they do sound like you are sitting in the back row of the auditorium (they make the auditorium sound big). By contrast, the Bostons and the Polks are much more forward sounding, with some real "sizzle." They are like being in row 3 to 5 of the same auditorium. Given your Onkyo receiver's sonic character, you should definitely stick with either the Polks or the Bostons as they are a much better match for that line of receivers. A Paradigm or PSB with an Onkyo will put you to sleep, but the Polks or Bostons will provide all of the detail the Onkyo can dish up.
my Onkyo brand is TX-DS696 and while I purchased it and a monster power center (HTS2600) from a friend for $300. So I am really not limited to using the receiver, I can afford to get a little bit better receiver since I received this one so cheap. I do want to buy fairly decent speakers though. Thanks for the great info :D
No offense, but all Cerwin Vega does is play loud. They are one of the easiest speakers to drive out their. Only the weakest amplifiers/receivers would have a hard time with them.
You may not need a new receiver, although that is a possibility. Have you thought of adding a good power amp and using the Onkyo as a pre/pro only? If you want to go with Paradigms, I would recommend Paradigms with an Outlaw 7075 power amp. That would be avery nice combo, and you Onkyo would make a fine pre/pro (if I remember that model right, it does have "pre-outs" so you can do this, but check to make sure before you buy anything).
yes that is another route I can go, however I am interested in using HDMI out for my HDTV and my Onkyo doesnt have one, so that is another reason to go with a newer receiver. I have heard great things about Paradigm speakers though, so I am leaning towards them at the moment. I am going to listen to them this weekend so my next big decision is to decide between bookshelf and floor standing. Either way, I will need an amp to power the velodyne sub. Ah, decisions decisions!!
One concern I have - you mention the Monster centre. Do you intend to keep that permanently (or as permanently as anything in this life)? It's just that the thing to do with HT is to ensure the speakers are timbre matched. The easiest way to do this is to stay within the same brand all the way around. So whatever brand you look at for your main left and right speakers, ensure that the other parts of the speaker system will work in your abode. ie that the centre isn't huge for example, or that the rears would make sense in your room. This way you can build your system while having the goal already set by the choice of front speakers.
yes, it's a power center. I have been told and have read to keep within the same manufacturer of speakers, however, except for the sub...apparently there is more leeway when it comes to bass...I plan on staying within the same manuf for the rest of the speakers though :D
In my view, power filters seem to sap the life out of the performance, particularly when used with amplifiers (such as your surround processor). This is my view only though, and there will be others who claim big benefits. Of course, if you live in an area where electrrical storms are frequent or likely, then they make absolute sense.
A 10" Velodyne (SPL1000R or DD10?) will fill a pretty large room and go pretty deep.
There are many brands of speaker about that are very good. If in your area, also consider Totem Acoustic and Dynaudio. The main problem you will have is that your receiver is relatively low end. Better speakers have a tendency (not universal, but common) to get more difficult to drive as you go up. Therefore the match may not be made in heaven. Try before you buy.