Speaker Choices

Schris22 · July 2005

The ever so common help me choose speakers.

Well I tried not to do it, but I will need help.

Finnaly convinced my dad not to do the bose acoustimass 16 system and so I get to start anew.

This is mainly HT use.

I was looking into the RTi 10's, but decided to look further than polk ( =( )

I know this is a polk forum but I've noticed there are some of yall with non polk speakers and well to be truthful you guys are the coolest I have seen (past few days been reading the forums researching speakers...)

Looking for floorstanders in the 600-800 range. and about 1700 for the rest. I plan to do a DIY sub most likely for 300-400.

In order of preference.

1. Rocket by Onix - HT system package

2. Axiom M60 tis, M3ti's, Vp 150
Axiom Audio site

3. Mourdant Short 500 series - Great buy on price....500 series

4. Paradigm - Don't know which ones to get, have to go to a dealer to hear them, but they have been closed last few days. Supposed to be very good value though.

5. B&W 600 series 3 - Bookshelfs are suppose to be a good value, suppose to be looking for floorstanding but will have to see...

Any other recommendations? I'll try to find a forum to post this to a more general speaker group...

Thanks guys,

Chris

marker · July 2005

Well, at least you got it right about the Bose!

This board can be brutally honest sometimes, even about Polk products. I can honestly say that, in general, we don't always have our Polk/rose colored glasses on so to speak, whereas, for example, the the AV123 is pretty much just a fanboy board all always patting each other on the back.

I'm sorry, but I've never heard Axiom or rocket, so I can't tell you anything there. I have heard Mourdant Short, but I didn't like them as much as NHT or Revel.

As for B&W and Paradigm, they are both well respected brands even though I personally liked others more.

For a primarily movie system, Polk RTi series is a great choice for the $$$.

Schris22 · July 2005

I will look at the Rti's some more...

Rti 10's
CSi 5
and some rti 4/6 's for the back

wheres the best place to get that stuff new? crutchfield and outpost and onecall i think do all the same prices...anyone else got any ideas? i think onecall has free shipping though.

Chris

organ · July 2005

Hello Chris,
Polk speakers are great and I plan to go Polk for the HT because of their attractive price tags and performance. Many of us here own other brands too. I have a pair of Klipsch and Polk LSi9.

I have another pair of speakers to add to your list and price range. Try the Klipsch RF-15 or RF-25. Klipsch speakers sound more like the type of sound you hear in good movie theatres and live amplified concerts. If you like that kind of sound, you'll never regret going with Klipsch. http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=630

Remember, we're just telling you what we like here. Be sure to take your time and demo a lot of speakers.

Maurice

ohskigod · July 2005

as others have said. if your doing mostly movies, Polk RTi is a great choice, but you might be better off going with the RTi8 and chucking the extra money into a beefier sub, especially in a larger room. The RTi10 and 12 seems a bit wasteful when its being crossed over at 80 hz with a sub. the 10 and 12 would probably be better suited for 2 channel with no sub.

ohskigod · July 2005

i just noticed you were doing a DIY sub. the extra money into better components for the sub(driver, amp, etc) will pay off even bigger dividends.

danger boy · July 2005

Chris, two of your links link to the same speakers. and the third link doesn't work. FYI

aaharvel · July 2005

How about PSB?

Schris22 · July 2005

wow let me fix those links.

thanks for the advice I'll go listen to the Rti's some more

in my other thread looks like it's between an 80 dollar titantic from dayton or the AV12 for 150...twice as much but twice as many recommendations

Chris

2+2 · July 2005

Axiom only if you really like bright sound....I mean really bright...so bright, you must wear shades...

Paradigms are pretty nice. So are Energy

Schris22 · July 2005

I just got back from dinner....but more importantly demo'n Paradigms.

I love them. I was listening to the signature series just for fun and it was a great experience. Also had some 30k Jm Focals that he put in Diana Krall on Krell amps and Acoustic Image? Cd player said it was around a 60k set up. Great listen...

anyway for the realistic stuff..

Monitor 7's and the Monitor 11's. I like both but I think I'm going to stick with the 7's I don't think the sound can justify the upgrade to 11's. He did make a good point that for karoake (my dad) it would be good to have the 11's because of the increased power handling and full bodied response/dynamic voices...

So I can get the set of Paradigms with the 7's, the center, and the mini for 1300....

The Onix rockets I really want to hear, but the finish and the look are really tempting to buy under so much of online recommendation. I am most likely going to stick to the paradigms for now and look for some rockets to demo in the next few days to hear them first.

Chris

Meeks32 · July 2005

Have looked into the swan line? I have the 2.1's & C3 in black cherry finnish. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=138&sid=71de7ac20bdd51e5c74f1ad96e2a4b9d

The guy who owns the rocket line used to import these. The finnish and sound on these are awesome.

Schris22 · July 2005

Actually just last night I was considering the swan line. I signed up for some demos for the swans on audioenvy.com hopefulyl something pulls through. i saw them and was instantly reminded of the Band W tweeter placement. Intresting design and hopefully the audition will kick in soon...

Chris

Schris22 · July 2005

An Update on the speaker audition process....

Finaly listenied to all these diffrent places....

got 3 days of speaker listening in with probably about 20 hours of of listening time over those three days and one other day last week.

Well...listened to the lowest line dynaudio, phase velocity series and the PC series, the Paradigm Monitor 7's, Rocket by Onix 750s, Definitive mythos and small BPs, B and W 600 series, Sapphire audio, and of course Polk Rti!....

I think after listening to all these different speakers I think by far my favorite would be the B and W 600 S 3 series. Sorry polksters =(. I loved the Rti's for movies only, with music running through a denon 3805 it was just too much. I had an Onkyo 700 at my dad's and didn't think the bright bright combo would work.

Oh well...in a few days I'll probably pick them up and decide on which of them I'll want. Tower front 602.5, center 60 or 600 (still thinking kinda like CSi 3 vs Csi5 but I don't think as big of a difference) and rear will be the 600 (smallest bookshelf I believe)

Thanks for the help guys,

Chris

marker · July 2005

You definitely did it the right way so there will be no lingering doubts later on down the line. Congrats and enjoy!

Early B. · July 2005

What was your opinion of the Onix Rockets?

Schris22 · July 2005

Overall I think the rockets were very nice but for the money I thought the b and W's were better. I thought the sound stage on Onix Rockets were slightly narrower than the B and W's but the sound felt sooo much closer to you. The imaging was very nice. I watched the same scene from the same movie in two similiar sized rooms and did it in LCR only and the B and W's had massive dispersion but great detail and reproduction. I will say the Onix has a very full and rich sound. I listened to Diana krall and every note on the piano had it's impact on me as oppose to the other speakers. Though it's weird I loved the Onix for the music I listened to, but for some reason didn't like them as much for movies (possiably for the reasons above) the B and W's center is a beauty and I think it handeled everything nicely so for the price thats probably why I'm going with the b and W's...unless I go on another adventure around town...

Hope this helps Early B. Considering buying them?

Chris

Early B. · August 2005

Schris22 wrote:

Overall I think the rockets were very nice but for the money I thought the b and W's were better....
Hope this helps Early B. Considering buying them?

Nope. Gonna hold onto my Soliloquys for a while. Just felt Onix would make a quality product. Haven't heard them, but your observations are exactly what I thought they'd sound like 'cause of the tweeter in 'em. Similar to the Lsi series, I'm guessing the ring radiator is right in your face (which I like a lot) but to do so it compresses the soundstage a bit. Great for music, but there are other options for HT. The price and quality of the Onix offerings are tough to beat.

Schris22 · August 2005

They are very nice and have some great deals going on. I'm contemplating going to hear some energy Connisours or Some PSB's...they are in the same price range right? I'm curious about the Athena's lots of support for budget minded. Though my budget is more I'm wondering how nice they are...

Chris

Schris22 · August 2005

Hmm maybe I should try JBL....I still haven't listened to klipsch rf7's but I heard you can't listen to them tooo...too long because of the brightness...I need something that sounds good and won't hurt the ears...

Chris

Early B. · August 2005

Be careful about listening to too many brands of speakers. It could cause confusion. Go with the B&W's since you liked them so much.

Schris22 · August 2005

I guess thats true as well.

Oh well the guy I worked with is coming back on wednesday so that when I'll buy them most likely.

Sooooo many speakers out there...

Chris

Toxis · August 2005

Personally, I love Klipsch when it comes to movies only. For music, unless I'm just going for sheer volume, I'll stick with my LSi's. Definitely give the Klipsch one good demo. Sure they're bright but I don't think they're TOO bright if you have them setup right with the right equipment. The 3805 is a great receiver of choice, if that's what you're going to run. If money is an issue, go with a set of RB-35's, RC-35 and RS-35's. You'll get better and fuller sound out of the RB-35 over the RF-15 for the same price.

Schris22 · August 2005

AHHHHHHHh

dad thinks the b and w's look ok....had everything worked out for them...then I was like by the way this was 50% off and showed him some Vienna Acoustics Schlonberg...they were demos...well anyway even though they are more he loves the look of them and wants a contemporary design speaker. Hopefully I can get the price further down on them if not looking into nice contemporary look...and good sound from speakers!

I looked at definitive's mythos line already but didn't like the sound ...not sure why especially because It has some good reviews but oh well.

Any other suggestions?

Don't you love people that change their minds!...so much research and testing went into these speakers but I guess he gets what he wants...the Vienna's sound great though!

Chris

Sami · August 2005

Schris22 wrote:

This is mainly HT use.

I was looking into the RTi 10's, but decided to look further than polk ( =( )

Even for HT, LSi's are far better. If you're not afraid of buying used gear you can stay in your budget with a full LSi-lineup (and amps).

organ · August 2005

Schris22 wrote:

I still haven't listened to klipsch rf7's but I heard you can't listen to them tooo...too long because of the brightness...I need something that sounds good and won't hurt the ears...

Chris

Anybody who tells you that you can't listen to Klipsch for too long because of the brightness is full of ****. I moved from a pair of LSi9 to a pair of Klipsch RF-35, so my ears should be bleeding by now. Klipsch are very sensitive so teaming them with the right equipment is extremely important. Most people who complain about them being bright demoed them on crappy mass market receivers.

The Klipsch sound is neutral with a forward presentation. Most people are used to the 'warm' and 'laid back sound' so when they hear something neutral and forward, they perceive it as 'bright'.

One thing is for certain, the Klipsch will sound more like the sound you hear in theaters than any other speakers out there. Like I mentioned in my previous post on this thread, they sound more like PA's.

Maurice

marker · August 2005

Preach on Organ! My KLF-30 pair is starting to grow on me.

Schris22 · August 2005

Hmmm so an Onkyo 700 would make this a bright combonation right? I'll have to find a dealer, because the Best buy demo wasn't too impressive...car audio seemed to be impressive...from the home audio session =P

not the best enviorment.

Thanks,

Chris

marker · August 2005

I wouldn't put an Onkyo with Klipsch! HK, NAD, Marantz, Denon, Rotel, or B&K, but definitely not Onkyo or Yamaha! YMMV

Schris22 · August 2005

oh well...thats what I thought. Dad already bought an onkyo 700!

I'll definatly keep in mind though for the next set of upgrades...

Thanks,

Chris

organ · August 2005

Marker,
Kick ****. Glad you're enjoying the KLF. Wish I had a pair. I will own a pair of RF-7 one day. I'm completely satisfied with my 35's so I don't know when or if I'll be upgrading at all.

Chris,
I don't know what Onkyo is like now but I owned the TXDS 575 which came out about 5 years ago. It had DD and DTS. I didn't find the sound bright at all. In fact, I thought it sounded great. Now, Yamaha is bright IMO.

I'm guessing you demoed the Synergy series at BB right? Go to a smaller shop and demo the Reference series which is like the LSi of Klipsch. It's a whole different level of performance. I bet you'll find a Reference dealer that carries Onkyo so you can try out the combination.

Maurice

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