I could not be more of a newbie but I am very interested in learning all I can about home theatre systems. That being said, I do not know too much and could use some advise on my first ever home theatre set up at 33 years of age! I recently acquired: Pioneer plasma tv Play Station 3 Pioneer Elite VSX-82TXS receiver NO SPEAKERS YET! I went to a local audio / video store in the hood that carried mostly Paradigm, Energy, and Definitive Technology speakers. After a lot of chatting, the saleman had me down to the StudioCinema 350 or ProCinema 1000 speaker systems. He mentioned the 1000's would cost a little more @ $1300 and I could get the 350's for about $1100. He mentioned that the 350's were more of a powerful speaker and a much better deal. The 350 is quite an old system from what I researched on the internet and I can find little to no info on them (which sort of turns me off) whereas the 1000's are all over the place and look to be quite good. So, the question...can anyone tell me what the better set up would be? The 350's or 1000's? Are the 1000's worth the extra money? My room is about 12 X 16, if that helps. Please remember, I am new but want to learn...
PS - my girlfriend wants the 1000's because they are "cuter" and she is actually the one who bought me the receiver for my b-day. Jeesh!
"350's were more of a powerful speaker" - you should stop right there. Speakers have no power, and the rated handling is not indicative of how they will sound.
Use your ears to determine which unit you will like regardless of what the sales rep says. Bring your own music...something you are very familiar with so you can hear any subtleties in the recording.
Anything worth the "extra' money is totally dependent on the end user. Does it make you feel better by paying the extra money? Or do you like the sound of the speakers you spent your money on? You have to know the difference.
You make nothing but sense Berny. It seems maybe I was all caught up in commerce and was not focused on what was important, the sound quality. I did listen to the 350's and they had a nice rich full sound but I am sure it all depends on the receiver powering them etc. As I mentioned, I was just worried that I was losing out on newer technology with the 350's being an older model. Thanks for the input.
Speaker technology has not changed much, except maybe for materials. If your sales rep starts to tell you about newer technology on the more expensive Def Techs, walk away fast.
Thanks a lot Berny. I ended going with the 350's and they sound fantastic in my home. I need to do some more tweaking but I am very happy with the sound. Thanks again for your input.