I just bought a new place and I have begun to build by 5.1 HT system piecemeal.
I have so far:
-a Harman Kardon AVR 340 receiver -a Klipsch Synergy SUB-10 subwoofer.
Now I need to decide on a 5 speaker surround sound package.
My two favorites so far are:
1) The Bowers and Wilkins 600 series. Judging from what I have heard in the stores the emersion and clarity of the sound was unparalled by anything else I have heard thus far. The only speaker that I have heard thus far that actually makes you 'feel' immersed in the highs and mids. However, I get the impression that B & Ws are best for listening to stuff like: classical, instrumental, vocal, etc. I'm not sure how they will sound playing bass-heavy r n b, hip-hop, pop, dance, etc but I want them to sound good there too
2) The Klipsch reference series. I have heard them, was not overly impressed but I am willing to give them a second thought because they are clear, solid all-round performers and I think the brightness of the horns will compliment the warmth of the HK receiver sound. All in all, my gut says Klipsch would be a better match for my HK receiver and that B & W speakers may outclass the receiver, and thus may be better suited to a more expensive receiver. Last but not least, the Klipsch reference are cheaper than B & W.
So the question now: which one should I buy???
BACKGROUND INFO: My room is about 9ft by 30 ft; big. I want good quality sound for music first and foremost, but also want good quality soundtrack for movies/TV as well. I want these speakers so be versatile, meaning able to play bass heavy music or instrument driven music or movies and sound 'immmersive' doing both.
Any comments on anything I mentioned would be greatly appreicated, or if you have a suggestions about other speakers that may be a good match for me, let me know.
I wouldn't worry too much about bass heavy music w/ the B&W's simply because the sub is going to be taking the vast majority of that load. Besides, a speaker that can handle good classical music with a wide dynamic range & deep bass from a variety of instruments (organs, pianos, etc) can deal with popular music.
Now given your tastes for immersive sound, I would suggest looking at Mirage and Def Tech among others. Def Tech uses a bipolar dispersion pattern in some of their speakers which you might find pleasing, while Mirage uses an omnipolar dispersion pattern.