How was 2004 for your speakers system?

Joey_V

So, how was 2004 with regards to your speaker system? Did anyone make major upgrades? Did anyone come from a different speaker company and moved over to become a Polkie?

Has anyone found audio nirvana yet?

How was 2004 for upgrades?

2004 was a good year for my system.

In/Out:
A) Speakers:
Klipsch Promedia 4.1 for my computer -> to some Yamaha 8390 and 7390 cheap floorstanders -> to Yamaha NS777 and NS333 -> to Axiom M22ti -> to the current Polk LSi9 and LSi7 combo.

Subwoofer:
Klipsch Promedia subwoofer -> Infinity Entra Two 12" -> SVS 22-31PCi -> the awesome 25-31PC+!

C) Receiver:
Klipsch Promedia Amp/PC soundcard -> Yamaha RXV530 -> Harman Kardon AVR-330

Basically, I went from multimedia to a full fledged system, with some regrettable speaker stops (i.e. Yamahas and Axioms) in between. It was definitely a good year for audio!!

I think I'm set and I dont see myself upgrading to anything else anytime soon. This should do it for my computer because I feel that any upgrades from this point on would be too costly and yield too little return.

The only thing I *could* see myself get is the LSiC, if a cheap one on ebay pops up... otherwise, I'm perfectly happy with my 4.1 setup (with phatom center, hehehehe ).

Current system as it stands is down at my sig. :cool:

Tell us your 2004 story folks!

Shizelbs

I think I bought a subwoofer cable and some interconnects that I still haven't used.

PolkThug

Added FXi5's for surrounds. Made my Polk in-walls into the 6th/7th channel and got an Audiosource AmpTwo to power them. Switched to dual SVS PB10's for bass.

I am VERY content, hopefully I will spend less in 2005. I need some wire management then I'm done.

Regards,
PolkThug

TroyD

2004 was a VERY eventful year for me.....

In the Cave:

Added:
Carver Silver 9t amps / Jolida tube pre

Living Room:

SDA SRS 2.3tl's
Thule HT preamp
multitude of amps

Wendi's rig:

Carver Receiver
LSi9's

plus misc cable changes etc etc etc....

Plus, the hightlight, the Carolina Polkfest.

Awesome year, audio-wise.

BDT

gmorris

Replaced my R30's with RTi70's, replaced my R20's with FXi30's & replaced my Sharp DVD player with a Marantz DV 3100.

I also grabbed a McCormack TLC-1 2-channel pre & a Rotel RB-850 2-channel amp for a seperate 2-channel rig.

And, I learned how to build interconnect cables, which really means I learned how to solder. I built 2 pairs of unshielded, twisted pair IC's (i.e. Kimber Kable) for my 2-channel rig.

As for my next upgrades, I will be getting a McCormack DNA-.5 or DNA-1 amp to go along with the pre. And, someday soon, I will be getting an HDTV. My father-in-law got a 50" Hitachi LCD rear projection set for Xmas, and I am hooked.

Shizelbs

I guess I should note, I will be graduating finally this year, and getting a job. 2005 should be a kick **** year for my audioly.

LuSh

An insane year for me.

Simaudio Moon i-5080 intergrated.
Sanus ultimate speaker stands
Museatex Bitsteam DAC with John Wright upgrades.
XLO power cord for the DAC
Kimber 8TC speaker wire
Moray James Digital Cable
Harmonic Tech Prosilways mk II's

for early 2005, a new transport (used probably)

Looking at Theta Basic Data II or a Museatex CD-D

Reference 3a MM De Capos (this will be my biggest single purchase ever, and quite costly, if I do go ahead and get these they will be the last thing I change for a very long time.)

Power center:

Richard Grey Power Company
or
Blue Circle

Power cables
From the transport and Amp.

More or less I'm happy now. The speakers are always on the back of my mind, I want the reference 3a's, however sometimes I feel very happy with my very modest LSi9's.

2+2

I think I will be close to the top in 2004 since I started with next to nothing.

As far as speakers, I added:
2 LSi15
2 LSiFX (for sale)
1 LSiC
2 RTi100 (off Zero..killer deal)
2 KLH book shelves (I know....but they sound pretty good and its for the bathroom so give me a break!)

Other audio added:
Rotel 1080 200w/ch amp
HK 5800 80w/ch x5 amp
HK 230 receiver as pre/pro
Mint Onkyo Pro Logic Receiver (110w/ch off e-bay for $75 for my 3rd system..killer deal).
Panasonic DVD carousel (Off Emlyn)

Cables interconnects
Rotatable A/V stand by Laurier!

I am close to being done......just need to trade LSiFX for something else. I don't think 2005 will be similar or I will be a divorcee......

Happy new years everyone!!

Frank Z

Upgraded from a Sunfire MkII to a Sunfire TrueSub EQ.

Swapped out the RPTV for a Sony VPL-HS20 and 106" DIY screen.

Added an Ebay Sansui tuner to the 2 channel rig.

Fixed a loose spade terminal on the passenger door speaker in the car.

That's about it. I've got more speakers now than I know what to do with. No plans for any upgrades speaker-wise for a long time. No electronics upgrades untill HD-DVD or BlueRay hits the street.

Almost forgot, I also grew back my Lucky Mustache!!

2+2

:eek: :eek: :eek:
Sean, that is you right? Man....that is some list.
Daniel

George Grand

Some very nice speakers zipped in here in 2004. Some stayed, some went. And as usual, since 1991, nothing displaces the Carver Amazings in the He-Man rig.

I would say the best speakers to come and go in 2004 would be the Infinity RS-III's, followed closely by the ADS L-730.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

madmax

Sold:
2.3TL's
LSi15's
LSi9's
LSiC, Sold but destroyed in shipment


Bought:
Carver Amazings, ripped them apart and still they sit.
4 new LSi7's
LSiC
DIY stands, about 1/2 completed
Altec Lansing computer speakers
Bose 901's
Sennheiser headphones

DAGLJAM6

2004 for me:

Additions for the year (in order)-

Kenwood M2 amp - much needed power
literally tons of new cds (great new artists etc.)
Monitor 10 score - signs of things to come
Jolida J100 cd player purchased- one of the best upgrades
POLKFEST '04 - what else can you say? A blast! met pleanty of great Polk People (Thumbs up to Troy and Wendi for hosting!!)
S....D....A....2's woo hoo
and soon to arrive my CJ PV-10 tube pre

Outs for the year:
RS6000 Infinity's fun but someone elses cup of tee.
A couple of old school receivers found happy homes,
And probably in the near future a pair of JBL 4410's may have to leave also.

2005 could be an exceptional year also.....

Dave

yobear

Bought my first Polk System. Hope 2005 will not see me reaching back into the wallet for more. :-)

Larry Chanin

Hi,

2004 was a B I G year for me.

I built my dream home theater.

Home Theater Nearing Completion

Larry

cfrizz

I didn't realize when I joined this club I would get such a bad case of upgrade-itis. However, I have added the following to my system.

Blue Jeans Cable interconnects
Parasound HCA 1500A amplifier
Outlaw Audio 200 MBlock amplifier
Polk FXi3's

The only other thing I am going to add in 2005 will be the:

Rotel RCD1072 CD player.

That's IT, I will not upgrade again for another 10 yrs! I mean it!

Happy New Year everyone!

Early B.

I upgraded every component in both systems at least twice. The oldest component I have is my receiver which is about a year old, and it's staying for a while.

No plans to upgrade in 2005 (unless I make enough money to renovate the basement).

Mike Reeter

2004 upgrades=sold RTi70's
CSi40
FXi30's
Replaced with= RTi12's
CSi5
FX500i's

Picked up a couple of amps,a few Blue Jeans IC's...That's about it,would like to come up with another amp soon and then I'm done till an HD-DVD comes along,or maybe pick up a Denon DVD 2900 on the cheap...

Cheers and Happy New Year!!!

Shizelbs

My upgrade plans for 2005 include:

New headphones
Headphone amp
New sources all around
A DAC if needed
A dedicated 2 channel rig (some SDAs if anyone local ever has them)
Seperates for said rig
One big assed SVS for HT
And best the best upgrade possible, a new house. Apartments can kiss my butt.

VR3

HMM

Went from

Subwoofer -
M&K Subwoofer >>> SVS PCi 22-31

Mains -
Polk Audio RTi70 & RT5 >>> Definitive Tech BP10B

Surrounds -
Polk Audio RT35i >>> Definitive Tech BP6B

Center -
Klipsch KV-3 >>> RT5 >>> None

Preamp/Receiver -
Pioneer Elite VSX-41 >>> NAD 917 HT preamp & B&K 2-Channel preamp

Main Amp(s) -
Soundcraftsman PCR 800 (?), Adcom GFA-545 II, Adcom GFA-535 II, Adcom GFA-545 >>> B&K ST 125.2

Surround Amp -
Adcom GFA-535 >>> Adcom GFA-545

CD Player -
Yamaha CDC 585 >>> Denon DCM-280

Pretty satisfied, but I still have some purchases planned for 2005...

TheReaper

I started 2004 with the following (purchased 11/2003):

Onkyo TXSR501
Front L/R Polk R50
Surround L/R Polk R15
Sony 10" subwoofer (leftover from 2 ch system)

On to the changes:

Replaced R15s with R20s,
moving R15s to front and rear center
Moved R20s to front and rear center,
and R15s back to surrounds
Replaced surrounds with R30s
Replaced rear center with RTi8
Replaced rear center with R50
Replaced front center with CSi20
Replaced front center with CSi5
Replaced front center with CSi40
Replaced front R50s with RTi70s
Put back R50s in the front replacing RTi70s
Moved rear center R50 to front center
Rplaced Onkyo TXSR501 with HK AVR630
Added another pair of R30s as rear surrounds
Replaced subwoofer with PSW404
Rplaced HK AVR630 with Onkyo TXSR702

So I am ending 2004 with:

Onkyo TXSR702 receiver
Polk R50 L/R Mains
Polk R50 Center
Polk R30 L/R Surrounds
Polk R30 L/R Back Surrounds
Polk PSW404 Sub Woofer

My son has:

Onkyo TXSR501
Polk RTi70s

Excess Inventory:

Polk CSi40
Polk R15s
Polk R20s
HK AVR630
Sony 10" subwoofer

For 2005 I plan to get a 3 channel power amp for the front.
I also plan to try the R15s or R20s in a front hi/low stack (aka ambiance).

mrmusicman

Added in 2004

Rt55i- replaced Rti 28's for surrounds
Denon 2900 universal - replaced Denon 2200- which replaced sony DSsomethingoranother
Polk XRt12 reference tuner -replaced Delphi Sky-Fi

2005?

mike

Emlyn

Speakers that left my house in 2004: 12 pairs of Polks, plus three center channel speakers (RTi series mostly), and one subwoofer.

Into my house in 2004: 9 pairs of Polks (old SDAs mostly), plus two center channel speakers, 14 improved tweeters for SDAs, and one subwoofer.

McLoki

I started the year with:
Onkyo 777 AVR
Polk RM-6600 speakers
Polk pw-350 sub
MTX 10" sub
Polk SDA 1c's (couldn't run them - sounded like crap though the Onkyo)


Throughout the year I:

Joined club Polk

replaced the fronts with LSI-25's (didnt like them - couldnt get the bass to balance correctly)
Exchanged the 25's for LSI-15's (Liked them, WAF issues though.)
I purchased a set of LSi-7's from Brett22 (to be used as rear speakers) and ended up trying them in the front - Wife liked them there and for HT did not give up much (if anything) to the 15's) - 15's were returned and kept the 7's in the front.

LSiC for center channel.

Replaced both subs with one SVS 25-31 CS+ from Mazeroth.
(excellent upgrade - thanks Maz)

Purchased a new amp (cinepro 3k6) to run the 15's (now running the 7's, LSiC, and, SVS 25-31)

Blue Jeans Cable interconnects for AVR to Amp.

I think thats about it. Plans for next year are more on the video side of things. (I do need to get different rear speakers though... )

naliwaba

I consider it to have been a very good year:

Receiver:
Denon AVR-2000 -> JVC 8040B -> Denon AVR-3805

CD/DVD/SACD:
JVC XV-D701 -> Denon DVD-2900

Speakers:
Infinity (RS5/RS4/CC3) -> Infinity HTS20 -> Polk LSi-9 (x5)

No sub upgrade yet (PSW350) although I have owned several along the way (such as Infinity HTS-20 which was crap and a Polk PSW10 which I never hooked up).

I went down many wrong paths along the way ... thank GOD for e-bay!

Looking forward to 2005 where I will be upgrading my cabling, amplification, and hopefully sub (and looking forward to your advice along the way!).

Cheers.

2+2

:eek:
I am truly humbled by the complete insanity on this board.....

okiepolkie

Began 2004 with:
HK AVR 5
RT5's-L/R
RT35-center
Infinity minuettes-surrounds

Then:
Yamaha RX-V2092
RT1000's-L/R
RT5's-dual centers
Polk Monitor 4's-surrounds

Then:
CC broke my RT1000's
Back to-
RX-V2092
RT5's-L/R
RT35-center
Polk Monitor 4's-surrounds

Then:
RX-V2092
LSi7's-L/R(Sold RT5's to family member)
RTi6-center(sold pair of RT35's to family member)
FXi30's-surrounds(unfortunately bought two right channel FXi30's)

Finally:
RX-V2092
LSi7's-L/R(very satisfied)
LSi7-center(purchased from Sami)
FXi30's-still using them

The only thing I might change for 2005 would be to get a new left channel cabinet for the FXi's so they actually match(unless someone wants to buy them at a good price).

Have a good year.

Zach

Jstas

Hmmm....a good year for me!

Early in the year, I visited Casa De Noconcerno and picked up a broken dbx CD player. A not-so-quick but rather ingenious repair later, if I do say so myself, and I have a working CD player! I also starpped up a BSR EQ to it picked up a Carver C-1 and a pair of KLH-22 from Troy. Found my dad's old Heathkit and raiper it, bought some tubes for it and used it as a work rig along with a Minetek DVD/CD player. Also picked up a Behringer parametric EQ for next to nothing.

Got transferred at work so had to give up the audio rig there. Brought it all home. Wondered what to do with it so I decided to hold on to it for a future project.

In April, I snagged a set of SDA 2B's from Zero. Shortly before that, an Adcom GFA-535MKII came my way. Complete with crossover network too!

Stored that stuff until I moved out in October. But in July, I bought another pair of KLH 17's and a pair of KLH 20's. I also picked up a Yamaha sub from dorkusai.

Then I got married.

I picked up a NAD stereo amp from RuSsMaN shortly thereafter.

All that came from the following ideas.

He-Man rig:

Onkyo P-301 pre-amp
Onkyo T-4210 tuner
dbx dx3 CD player
Adcom GFA-535MkII stereo amp
Polk Audio SDA 2Bs

Incomplete HT

Outlaw 950 Pre/Pro (Planned, not purchased yet)
Sony DVD-NS300 DVD Player
Sony SLV-N80 VHS VCR
Sony WEGA 24" TV
KLH 17's front and rear center
KLH 17's front left/right
KLH 22's rear surrounds
2 stereo tube amp kits (Planned, not purchased yet)
2 mono block tube amp kits (Planned, not purchased yet)
Home built sub using an old JBL driver.

That's for an apartment though so it doesn't have to be huge otherwise it will piss off the neighbors and such too.

Lastly, I gotta find another pre-amp/tuner with a remoth for the bedroom. In there will be the NAD amp with the Yamaha sub from dorkusai and a pair of KLH 20's. I have a Samsung DVD/VCR combo for a source.




Have I found audio Nirvana? Yes!

About a week before Christmas, I deceided to replace the broken CD Player in my truck because I found out that I wasn't getting anything spectacular for Christmas. So I got a used Kenwood eXcelon KDC-CX87 Cd Changer. It's snazzy with a Quad 20 bit DA converter and teh ability to plug in other Kenwood accesories or auxilliary inputs. The real joy is that this has to be teh cleanest CD Changer on the market. It matches the rest or my stereo in my truck and basically completes my goals for the truck 'caues I have yet to find anything that will out perform my current setup for a price that I can afford and am willing to pay. So yeah, that' audio nirvana to me.

If you end up going to the Club Polk tour of Polk Audio HQ, you'll get a chance to sample my audio nirvana 'cause it's coming with me.

Mjr7531

Hmm...
Bought:
Polk R20
CSi5
Rti6
AKG-K20 Headphones
112 NSBs and some other DIY stuff...

ohskigod

my 2 big changes speaker wise in 2004 were:

SDA-2B for the 2 channel rig.

and finished my DIY Sub 142.5L vented box with a shiva driver for the theater. all good!!!!!!!!!

tntvt

I took on 2 sets of SRTs in 2004. TWAS A VERY GOOD YEAR!:D