Speakers

[LeChuck]

I have been doing a lot of upgrades lately and figure the next logical step would be to do the sound system. Right now I have pretty much nothing. I have an old 1992 Sony STRGX69ES receiver that I have connected to 4 old speakers (2 are large Technics, 2 are smaller Jensen) to do some pretty badass stereo listening.
I was thinking of getting the onkyo tx-sr605, a subwoofer, and a center speaker to complete a 5.1 system. The thing is, I know next to nothing about audio equipment and have no idea when to get when it comes to speakers. I was thinking of keeping the four speakers I have now. Is that a bad idea?

[Iguana Man]

I wouldn't say it's a 'bad' idea to keep the 4 you have if you are upgrading all the other stuff. However, your center upgrade is worth being careful with since IMO you want it to match well with your future fronts.

Have you listened to any other speakers yet? A friends house, a store...yadda yadda?

[LeChuck]

I haven't done any research. I am actually not really sure where to begin.
The only speakers I have purchased are the four I have now and it was on craigslist for cheapo. I don't know any good brands are even what specs to look for. Is there any all in one system in a box that is good? I appreciate the help!

[bembol]

I`ve read from various HomeTheater magazines & Forums that you should try to match the Front Left & Right and Center. The Rear & Subwoofer are optional.

If budget is tight instead of getting Separates, which can get pricey why not get HTiB or 5.1 Speaker Package. Up here Future Shop is selling Polk Audio`s for $400 (last week it was $300)

[chlngr1970]

Going the HTIB route is not a bad idea. It gets you into a 5.1 system for a small amount of green, and you can upgrade components as funds allow. You can start with a more powerfull AVR ( features, inputs as well as amp ) and like I told the last poster, go sub, front soundstage, and if you deem necessary, the surrounds.

Another thing you can do is pick up a good AVR, like the Onkyo TS SR605, and a 5.1 speaker system. Then you can better taylor your system to your needs. Much more than that and you are picking up components that you want, to meet YOUR requirements.

j

[firestorm]

The first thing I would do is set a budget, then you may get more specific suggestions. If your system is primarily for movies, I would probably focus on the center and subwoofer first, but, ideally, it would be best if could go upgrade the entire front stage. Timbre (the qualities or characteristics of the sound) can differ from speaker to speaker quite a lot, and particularly so from brand to brand.

The speakers offered at the big box stores, like Best Buy, tend to be low to mid range models and don't have the best setups for demos. BB in particular, at least our local store, is worse than ever since they moved their speakers out onto the main floor. Bigger A/V shops will have a system where they can select receivers you're interested in and use them to drive the speakers you are interested in. However, if you're like most of my friends, you may be perfectly happy with the big box offerings.

As for brands, I have mostly Paradigm stuff and absolutely love it. Great bang for the buck. And they do have stuff that is relatively inexpensive. There are many others though, like B&W, Polk, etc... but it's difficult to recommend any one brand, since they all have their own sound and appeal to different people. For the receiver, I think Onkyo is a great choice. I currently have a Yamaha, which I do love, but would still lean toward an Onkyo today.

[LeChuck]

I was looking at paradigm's stuff and was curious how the cinema 70 series sounds. I have a pretty small room now, but don't know where I will be in the future. They looked small. They are paradigm's bottom rank speakers. Are they a good set or should I look for something a little better?
To give you some more info, I am only pretty limited funds and would only have a couple hundred bucks a month to blow on these things. I was thinking of getting the new receiver and getting a center speaker first. Then, if I find the fronts don't sound great after the receiver upgrade, I would get new fronts. The subwoofer would probably be last since I live in a thin walled apartment and I can get some bass out of the speakers themselves.

[firestorm]

Honestly, I never heard the Cinema series. The "lowest" model I auditioned was the Esprit. I do remember hearing that the Atoms, at ~$219/pair, are a great budget option. (FYI, many dealers will knock 10-15% off). Spec wise, the Cinema series is far from ideal, but, for an apartment, I'd definitely take a look at them. I would imagine they're better than most HTiB systems, and, from a quick google, reviews seem to support that.

I wouldn't expect much of a punch (as far as LFE) without a subwoofer though, and I would be very careful about how you setup your receiver if you get just the center first. If you don't have a sub and have the center channel set to "Large", the low frequencies could damage the speaker. Like I said, I haven't auditioned any of them, so I don't know what they sound like, but my guess would be that they would sound a bit small without a subwoofer to fill in the sound. For an interim solution, I would just see if your receiver can be configured to send LFE to your Technics and Jensens, but not to the new center (if you go with small speakers).

Also... with subwoofers, timbre matching doesn't really come into play so it is generally easier to integrate different brands. You can pick up a reasonable subwoofer on the internet fairly cheap. I built mine from parts ordered from PartsExpress.com for under $300 and it's an absolute monster.
But, they also have fully assembled offerings:
Pre-assembled Subwoofers

[LeChuck]

I found a local speaker store and listened to some of the paradigms and they were amazing. I got the chance to listen to all of the lower end (cinema and monitor) centers and I am leaning towards the CC290 even though it is $450. I have never really known what people were talking about with all those sound adjectives until today. The tax rebate cannot come soon enough! Thanks for all the help. I will post my results when I finally get enough cash.

[Iguana Man]

Were they driven by a comparable amp, avr?

Sorry, just wondering. I gotta go eat and listen to White Van Speakers whilst watching TV!

Ignore this post. And me. And...(you will be happy with those speakers )

[Chromy]

Originally Posted by LeChuck

I found a local speaker store and listened to some of the paradigms and they were amazing. I got the chance to listen to all of the lower end (cinema and monitor) centers and I am leaning towards the CC290 even though it is $450. I have never really known what people were talking about with all those sound adjectives until today. The tax rebate cannot come soon enough! Thanks for all the help. I will post my results when I finally get enough cash.

Rather tha commit to the first speakers you hear, it might make sense to get out and listen to some other speakers. Paradigm makes fine speakers (I still have a pair of their old bi-polar towers, and they still rock), but you'll be amazed at the difference in sound at a certain price point. Get out there an bring some standard music that you're familiar with. Music will be easiest to hear differences between speaker pairs with.

Things to listen for are the ability for you to localize different instruments/vocalists across the soundstage, ability of the speakers to dissapear into the room, and overall pleasantness of the sound (different people like a different sounds). Once you've listened to many different speakers, you'll gravitate towards a couple... go back and listen again, and make your final decision!

[chlngr1970]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Were they driven by a comparable amp, avr?

Sorry, just wondering. I gotta go eat and listen to White Van Speakers whilst watching TV!

Ignore this post. And me. And...(you will be happy with those speakers )

Funny thing is, I work out of a white van

j

[firestorm]

I have the older CC-270, and it's a fine speaker. I would definitely listen to others though. You'll probably find numerous speakers that sound fantastic, but each will have different qualities - different timbre. It's really hard to describe it, especially since those differences can be very subtle. One speaker may sound highly detailed to one person, while another person may say that same speaker is overly harsh/bright. It would be advisable to bring a CD that your a intimately familiar with and see if you can note the differences you hear. It's all very subjective though, so I would aim for whatever sounds best to you and fits in your budget.

[sub780lime]

Someone mentioned above setting a budget. Has that been done? What are you trying to work with for speakers? The budget will cahnge what we might suggest...

[Iguana Man]

LeChuck. I hope you read post 11 as my post before it was just banter and what was said in post 11 is very true. Listen to as many different speakers as possible. It's sound advice.

[LeChuck]

Thanks for the advice. I would have listened to everything they had that day, but unfortunately, I got out of work at 5 and they closed at 6, so I didn't want to make them stay late. I am planning on going back and listening to some of their other stuff as well. My new receiver should be arriving tomorrow! After discounts and gift certificates the 605 came to $250! I already have my living room set up and it is waiting! I'll be back when I have it all set up and let you know what I think. Thanks again for all the help!

[billnye97]

I'm definitely getting the same receiver in the next couple of weeks. However, I need new speakers as well. I'm considering these:

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 Surround Sound Speaker System: Electronics


Any thoughts?

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by billnye97

Any thoughts?

Yep...post a new thread for your concerns so us Stiller fans can comment!