what to buy

corrinthians

I recently convinced my wife to let me get a new receiver. I bought the vsx-1121k for $400 during black Friday. Its my first real receiver. I'm currently running with monitor 70s, cs2, and some small bookshelf speakers for the surrounds, and a Sony sa-w3000 sub. I've got a bunch of stuff i'm going to be selling so I can spend more money on my system. I do about 60/40 on ht/music. I'm trying to decide whether I should get an amp for the front or new sub. I haven't decided on a final budget but i'm guessing no more than 500 (really wish I could spend more). Any words of wisdom?

cnh

I wouldn't buy anything just yet. Listen to what you have first. The Pioneer is a very good AVR and might just be enough for now. The weakest link might be your sub, but for the price those Sonys are not that bad. They are, though, a bit boomy for music, but OK for most LFE DVD/Blu-ray in a small to mid-sized room!

cnh

MrGlobe

Properly amplified, bass was never a problem for me with the 70s I owned. I think for me the 12" 180w RMS Sony sub would provide enough bass for normal conditions, if you're someone who likes thunderous bass and super low-note slams then maybe a new sub is what you're looking for. I agree that your AVR should be a good match for your setup, do you have any room treatments? By far the best dollar to gain investment for me was Roxul 2'x4' acoustic panels from ATS Acoustics.

What source are you feeding the speakers? What cables and interconnects are you using? Might you benefit from carpet spikes or a slab beneath your speakers?

Just things to think about, good luck with everything and congrats on an awesome setup

corrinthians

Those are some things to think about. When I do use the sub, I would like much more punch so I feel like I want to get a real sub. When I don't use the sub, I would like more bass than what the 70's are doing by themself. When I have to listen at lower volumes, it doesn't soud as nice as when it's turned up loud. Getting quality power would help out in both of those areas correct? I'm not using any room treatments or panels. As for optical cables or speaker wire I'm just using generic stuff from monoprice. My main source of music is flac audio streaming over the network and cd/dvd/blu-ray via the ps3. I would like to try some quality cables but have never tried any or know anyone who has any to borrow. I'm just starting out and slowly learning things but there's a lot to learn and not enough spare time or money.

Upstatemax

If you decide to go the amp route, look at the Parasound HCA 1500A. You can usually find them for around $500 (used, not going to find a new one). I hooked my old M70's up to my 1500A and it was by far the best they ever sounded. However, don't expect a ton of bass from them still. Plus the real low stuff is still a bit muddy.

If you're chasing bass, a good sub will handle all of that. Check out Epik, HSU, Outlaw and SVS for great bang for the buck subs.

A personal Fav of mine is the Epik Legend... If I did not have a 1yr old, it would be in my system right now.

I would lean a bit more towards a good sub. Once you have it you can adjust the crossover for the M70's to about 80hz and take some strain off of the AVR and help the M70's sound a bit better.

corrinthians

I was actually looking at both the Epik Legend and the Hsu VTF-2 MK4. Both have good reviews but I wasn't sure which one it would be. Hsu seems to have a pretty good reputation but I've heard that the Legend has very good mid bass and can still do very well in movies. I'm thinking that for now I'll get a sub. Thanks for all the responses.

Upstatemax

A friend of mine has the Epik and I loved it, found it to not only rock with movies, but was great for music as well. That's VERY important to me as my HT system runs 50/50 movie and music...

Conradicles

I'd go with a new sub and maybe some new cheap surrounds that match your mains. Nice system!

masonsmitty

I got real nerdy a few years back and did this, x2.

http://forum.edesignaudio.com/showthread.php/cheapest-way-get-20hz-39090.html

except I'm running a 300W bash amp, so giving both 150, which is over the recommended 100w. VERY impressive for home theater, a tad overwhelming for music. I still prefer my 2 channel setup, for what its worth. I'm probably getting 103db at 20hz, to put it mildly.