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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 14 Registered: May-06 | Finally decided on a Receiver and placed the order last night. I am very excited. Now, I need speakers. I have heard loose arguments both ways on floor standers vs bookshelf. Some say floorstanders rob money from the speakers because of an expensive cabinet. Others praise them for larger or more speakers inside. I can disregard aesthetics for now. I have some good friends that are expert carpenters and I can make some speaker stands. Or if I went with something like Ascend Accoustics, I could get their custom stands down the road. A few days ago Edster recommended this: 2 pairs CBM-170SE bookshelf speakers, 1 CMT-340center, 1 Hsu STF-2 sub = $1373 shipped from ascendacoustics.com I have also heard people talk about Athena, Paradigm, and maybe a few others. I would love to hear a few people chime in with recommendations. Not that Ed's isn't a good one. But, I've increased my budget since Ed made his recommendation. Also curious about Ascend's CBM-170. I read a write-up talking about all the effort that went into their custom, double-chambered tweeters, yet they don't seem to offer this custom tweeter in their CMT-340 speakers (at least they don't advertise it in the specs). Anyway, love to hear what you guys have to say. Thanks a lot. |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 15 Registered: May-06 | Forgot to mention I am looking for a 5.1 setup. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4014 Registered: Mar-05 | Hammers, for detailed questions like that about the Ascends, the best place to ask would be the Ascend users forum. You migh also be able to find a local owner of the Ascends who'll let you come listen. |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 215 Registered: Jul-05 | Hyperion Package from radiient.com and the stf2 subwoofer from HSU research. total should be around $1200-$1400 leaving some money for cables |
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Bronze Member Username: QuinnPost Number: 95 Registered: Aug-05 | "Hyperion Package from radiient.com..." When the ad copy has things like this run away!-- • SACD-compliant super-high-frequency driver - • Advanced Oblate Quasitriangular Antiresonant (OQA) cabinet design |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 216 Registered: Jul-05 | When the ad copy has things like this run away!-- • SACD-compliant super-high-frequency driver - • Advanced Oblate Quasitriangular Antiresonant (OQA) cabinet design oh really?? Why is that? Have you actually auditioned them or are you just spouting things off? |
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Bronze Member Username: QuinnPost Number: 96 Registered: Aug-05 | Because it is a bunch of marketing gobbled-gook. Have you ever seen any SACD standards like THX's? Then they come up with a crazy name for a somewhat common cabinet shape and trademark their name for it. http://www.radiient.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.-108/it.I/id.5/.f |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4018 Registered: Mar-05 | yeah the ad copy is kind of cheesy but I'd be curious to hear what their $530/pair (shipped!) floorstanders sound like, esp. since they claim to be time/phase coherent. Weird thing is that amid all that jargon-heavy ad copy they don't even tell you the exact size of their drivers: http://www.radiient.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.30/it.I/id.11/.f I'd like to think that they simply have hired a totally incompetent ad writer... |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 218 Registered: Jul-05 | Well I actually own their hyperion towers and center channel and for under $1000 it is really impressive. Knocked over my old jbls northridge and my athenas and my older klipsch synergy speakers; hands down. regardless of the crazy names and the jargon they use to describe their speakers, they image really well and sound oustanding |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4022 Registered: Mar-05 | Eric, can you elaborate on how you found the Hyperions compared to the Athenas? Also please specify what receivers you were/are using, I think I remember that you like to change out your gear constantly. |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 219 Registered: Jul-05 | I thought that the hyperions were a lot more defined in the highs and mids, I played a lot of Pink floyd, Neil young and then some Reggaeton like Kevin little and Nina Sky. Imaging was more smooth and the speakers were less obvious of their location, I had a nice wide soundstage and smooth vocals and good bass and mids. The jbls sounded too restricted in the highs and mids and the klipschs were just too bright all the way through. I was using Denon 3805 and Yamaha Htr 5660 to compare them. My cables were acoustic research cables. |
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Silver Member Username: PraetorianCanada Post Number: 181 Registered: Dec-05 | LOL, oblate "quasi" triangular... "anti" resonate... phew! So its an ellipsoid (ie circle with one axis shorter than the other)with a almost shortened axis on the third plane with some form of harmonic counter force? |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 221 Registered: Jul-05 | have you heard them? didnt think so stfu |
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Bronze Member Username: QuinnPost Number: 97 Registered: Aug-05 | I think I also have a problem with the use of Hyperion, Europa, and Calypso which are known audiophile names from other manufacturers and then trademarking them with Radiient. |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 222 Registered: Jul-05 | omg what other manufacturers have used all those names and designs? post up some links to inform us all. |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 223 Registered: Jul-05 | the only stuff i found was from Advent tech and then some other unknown brands whose prices ranged from $4,00-$100,000 for their speakers. I dont really care if they took names from other companies, it wouldnt be the first time or the last time a startup did it. All i care about is the sound and looks, and Radiient gets a huge thumbs up from me with the looks and build. I was recommending these speakers because of their performace to value ratio, whereas all you are doing is trying to sabotage them without even knowing what they sound like. No wonder why this market is full of jerks. Thats the lowerst common denominator. |
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Bronze Member Username: QuinnPost Number: 98 Registered: Aug-05 | But jerks trying to cash in on the names other companies have made well known among audiophiles are okay? http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/hyperion/938.html http://www.hyperionsound.com/HPS-906.htm http://www.greenmountainaudio.com/Speakers/Europa%20Max/Welcome.htm http://www.theabsolutesound.com/newsletter/151/calypso.html http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/705aesthetix/ |
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Silver Member Username: PraetorianCanada Post Number: 185 Registered: Dec-05 | LOL @ Eric, bite me. Unless you own those copyrights, don't act like you have some vested interest in protecting marketing jargon designed to dazzle the ignorant. Have you heard of free thinking? Didn't think so, STFU. |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 25 Registered: May-06 | I wish I could close my own thread. This has seriously become counter-productive. Both of you guys are just killing time. Agree to disagree and move on please... thats said with all due respect. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2608 Registered: Dec-04 | I have a Le Mans car. Remember Le Mans?24 hr race for high end race cars? I also had a 1977 Pontiac Le Mans. The new Le Mans is made by Daewoo. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2609 Registered: Dec-04 | next, Hammers. |
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Silver Member Username: PraetorianCanada Post Number: 187 Registered: Dec-05 | You might be mistaking my angst. I have no problem with these speakers per se, I have a problem being told to "stfu", so I sink down to other peoples levels for a short period and tell them to blow me. Call it my indulgence. I am quite pleased for Eric that he has found a set of speakers he enjoys listening too, it is too bad for thim that he takes my attack on marketing hype personally, esp since I doubt he is a marketing rep for that particular company. Nuck, my Dad owned a Pontiac Le Mans as well... your older than I thought, or really, really, poor... ;) J/K. |
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Bronze Member Username: QuinnPost Number: 99 Registered: Aug-05 | GM bought the controlling interest in Daewoo 3 or 4 years ago. In part of the LeMans example GM is reusing one of it's own model names. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_48/b3910071.htm |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 27 Registered: May-06 | Remember those silly little french cars sold in America simply called "Le Car"? Hahaha, not thats sad. |
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Silver Member Username: PraetorianCanada Post Number: 191 Registered: Dec-05 | Hey Hammers, which speakers did you end up picking? |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 225 Registered: Jul-05 | look Radiient makes great speakers, why do you make it such a huge deal about their copyrighting of "Radiient Hyperions, Radiient Calypso" and so forth. Well known audio brands? Most consumers have no idea that those even existed. And the last two links were for amps, not speakers. Anyway before you go on an uproar about a name of a series of speakers, try to hear them. |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 29 Registered: May-06 | I went full boat on the Ascend's. 340 mains, 340 center, 170 rears, HSU STF-3 sub. Looking for a DVD player that plays music well. As of right now I guess I'm favoring the Pioneer DV-588A over the Panasonic DVD S97S. Its hard to buy this stuff without seeing it in action... just reviews from ppl. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2640 Registered: Dec-04 | I hear ya' Eric! Michael, yes and yes. Hammers, well done! That sould be one great sounding set-up! Enjoy! and do let us know. |
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Silver Member Username: RsxmanPost Number: 226 Registered: Jul-05 | wow thats an awesome setup congrats!!! |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 31 Registered: May-06 | Hehe, I will let you guys know. I should get the receiver tomorrow. It will take about a week and a half to get the speakers in from Ascend as they're still catching up from backorder. They've been great though. Ordered speaker wire (ascend) and sub wire(blue jean), they'll come next week... as well as some of those fancy banana plugs: http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BL2 0&Category_Code=AHH_Banana Also got the floor stands from Ascend and the Omni mounts for the rears. Put the girlfriend up in the roof two days ago (she's smaller) and we planned the wiring. Hehe, I think she enjoyed it, minus the insulation part. So, I'm getting jazzed about it. I will let you guys know how it turns out in the end. |
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Bronze Member Username: SackohammersPost Number: 32 Registered: May-06 | Oh yeah. I'm using something like this for a surge protector. APC, around $40. http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=311374&pfp=SEARCH Any advice in this area? Tube Television, HK 635, HSU STF-3 sub, VCR, Playstation 2, Scientific Atlanta Cable Box, DVD player. Power isn't too bad in this place. Although spring storms always remind me how vulernable things are. The UPS's on my computers have gone off a few times in the last month. |