How important are L/R mains in HT?
pearsall001
Posts: 5,092
I'm trying to get opinions on this question. I currently have floorstanders for both HT & 2 channel. I am now interested in & have been checking out monitors for the L/R mains. I think monitors do a much better job w/ 2 channel listening. Paired w/ a good sub ( SVS 25-31+) & receiver crossover set at 80 & all speakers set to small what is actually being sent to the mains during HT. Will I be missing anything using monitors instead of floorstanders? I don't really think so, but I've been wrong before. What do you guys think. I am running an NAD T773 receiver & a modified Jolida 502B integrated tube amp for both HT & 2 channel.
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
Post edited by pearsall001 on
Comments
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As far as two channel goes:
An excellent set of bookshelf can sometimes beat a good floor stander
An excellent set of bookshelf cannot ever beat an excellent floorstander.
Who said that?
I said that.
RT1
Thats my line now bite my hook.
Ding
Well, we been over this alot and all that matters is that you think about it and choose whichever make you feel the best. As far as HT the fronts are less important that either the center or sub. -
For HT:pearsall001 wrote:what is actually being sent to the mains during HT. Will I be missing anything using monitors instead of floorstanders?
the front mains carry:
Most of the soundtrack
Much of the special effects
Some of the off center dialog (but not much)
The Center is mainly dialog but it works out to about 60% of the sound in movies.
The rears carry ambiance and special effects. very rarely voice.
The sub has the least amount of info sent to it, but IMO is the most important speaker.
I think the best setup is all speakers set to small and a great sub. (even if you have towers - maybe just cross them over lower)
I have all LSi7's and while from a macho factor would love to have LSi15's - I don't think I would get the benefit from them for HT. (at reference level, my sub would blow up before my LSi7's would so even the ability of the 15's to play louder wouldn't matter much.)
MichaelMains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms) -
Myself I prefer the midrange/highs in a good monitor over a good floorstander, and a good subwoofer will almost always have superior bass response to a floorstander. With a nice pair of stands, they tend to look more room-friendly as well.
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aaharvel wrote:a good subwoofer will almost always have superior bass response to a floorstander.
Please consider yourself invited to Ga my NC brother. I would enjoy visiting with you. Bring the rti's and the velo.aaharvel wrote:With a nice pair of stands, they tend to look more room-friendly as well.
You might consider the possibility that if you had some excellent floorstanders you would be watching less HGTV.
Thump Thump Thump
Thats my line bite my hook!!!
RT1 -
Agree in line with RT1, 2 channel should be 2 channel. Screw your sub 2.1 channel thing.
Speakers
Carver Amazing Fronts
CS400i Center
RT800i's Rears
Sub Paradigm Servo 15
Electronics
Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
Parasound Halo A23
Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
Pioneer 79Avi DVD
Sony CX400 CD changer
Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR -
You still haven't answered the question in my initial post! What does a floorstander bring to the dance being crossed over at 80hz & set to small that a good monitor can't set up w/ a good sub? Enough of the BLA BLA BLA answers. Cut to the chase & be more specific!!!!"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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pearsall001 wrote:You still haven't answered the question in my initial post! Cut to the chase & be more specific!!!!
I thought I did. -
The floorstander wont be crossed at 80 for music. It is difficult to run an HT and a high quality 2 ch in the same rig. Whats your budget? If you like the bookshelf then get them.
RT1 -
Oh, nevermind. Don't want to start a cluster fu*k!"SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE" -
The floorstanders will move more air because they have more drivers. monitors/towers is personal preference. I like towers.
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ND13 wrote:Oh, nevermind. Don't want to start a cluster fu*k!
Come on ND, I know you like those big ole floorstanders you got.
pearsall--Go listen to some bookshelf, better yet order some from crutchfield and try them for 30 days, dont like them send them back for free. I think they still do this. You wanted opinions of which is better, so you got a few. The thing is each has their benefit. For HT use that 80 hz cross but thats what it is for HT for THX cert.
I listen to both, my favorite rock speaker is the Polk rt55i, they are very good bookshelf speakers. Polk LSi7 and Rti4 are awesome award winning speakers. Anybody who is an enthusiast and uses them is proud of them and should be.
But still.reeltrouble1 wrote:An excellent set of bookshelf can sometimes beat a good floor stander
An excellent set of bookshelf cannot ever beat an excellent floorstander.
The floorstander has the better overall potential to produce sonics across the frequency bandwith. You have some great gear with the NAD and Jolida, enjoy whatever way you choose. Many guys have racks and listen to both of them.
RT1 -
organ wrote:The floorstanders will move more air because they have more drivers. monitors/towers is personal preference. I like towers.
This is a very good summary here. Especially for home theater, generally a floor standing speaker, will have larger/more drivers and a larger enclosure which can move more air. Even if you set the tower speakers to "small" and have it high passed at 80 Hz, the 80-300 Hz region will contribute to the "punchy" sound quality which is very important in movies. Many systems that may have huge woofers but small satellite speakers (car systems are like this too) will have a very "rumbly" quality to them but not much in the region above, giving a very unbalanced, bottom heavy sound. A good way to describe the punchy sound is at a rock concert. Assuming the PA system is setup properly, the kick drum should have a very chest kicking sound to it, essentially the air in the 80-300 hz region being moved. It is above the "rumble" region.
On the flip side, for strictly audio systems, the large cabinets of a tower speaker can contribute to diffraction. In other words, the radiation pattern of the drivers themselves will reflect off of the larger surface area of the baffle of the speaker, there by coloring the sound somewhat. A pair of good quality bookshelf speakers on good quality stands will not have this problem.-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Yea, and they are tiny cutesy little things. Blah Eric. Go tell Matt those SRT in the room out in that warehouse aint nothing and that they dont sound better than the LSI on some stands.
Yes, apples and oranges 1000 to 12000 but lets get real, no way the best Polk Bookshelf sounds better than the best Polk Floorstander.
Bring your bookshelf to the next PF, we are going to have a ball.
RT1
Originally Posted by reeltrouble1
An excellent set of bookshelf can sometimes beat a good floor stander
An excellent set of bookshelf cannot ever beat an excellent floorstander.
You keep biting I keep reeling, why because I am reelT1.
Oh yea, and thanks for your recent help, please dont hang up next time I call.
RT1
Oh yea, I almost forgot, you did not mention the sub to supplement the BS is fraught with all its own problems. I really would like to hear your comments concerning this because it is the major reason I prefer the Towers. -
the rules of HT...
Buy the biggest effing center and sub you can afford... the rest is just filler...- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
