Stereo Floor Speakers for Movies and Music?

mstum

I'm trying to find a pair of Stereo speakers at the moment. Amplifier is a Sony STR-DH100 (100W, 8 Ohm).

The room is not that big (273 sqft or 21x13 ft) and I don't need Stadium-Type volume. I'm just looking for something that gives a reasonably good sound with clear voice without completely abandoning the low and high ends.

Most Review recommend pairing floor speakers with a center and/or a subwoofer, both which is not what I want. But when people describe speakers as "a little bit weak on the low end", I don't know if they mean "No bass at all" or "in my custom built cathedral, the ground does not shake 200ft away from the speakers"

Budget is about $300 per speaker, so I've been looking at the TSi series, specifically the 300 and 400. Is the extra speaker on the 400 worth the extra money? It sure looks impressive, but again, I'm trying to find out if it's the difference between "no bass at all" and "cathedral-shaking"...

I'm also looking at the Monitor 60 and 70 that have more speakers, but as they are cheaper I wonder what the difference is?

Here is a photo of my TV area with my old Infinity Bookshelf speakers that will move to another room and should be replaced. Notice that the left speaker will be in a corner, although I think it's about 14 space between wall and TV desk.

Huck344

Welcome to the forums.

Are you looking for two channel (music) or 5/7 channel (home theater)? I ask because you mention that you did not want a center channel.

If you are looking for only two channel, a sub is probably up to you. I think this forum is split on whether to have a sub for two channel.

If you are going the HT route, then I would definitely recommend a sub. Even a small one can have an immense affect on your HT experience.

By the way, the majority of the members of this forum do not have "custom built cathedrals."

mstum

Thanks for the reply. I'm strictly on a 2.0 setup, although this will be used for movies as well. Amp only has 2.0, so no LFE output.

As for the cathedral-remark, that's good to hear Had some bad luck with Forums that seemed to be frequented by people who believe that speakers below $2000 aren't even good enough for their children...

coolsax

Monitors are a great buy and they are very similar to the TSI series as they are the direct predecessor to the TSI. there are a few technical difference i'm sure with TSI, but mostly they are a Cosmetic update of the Monitors so If you are ok with the Monitor's look then definitly take a look at the 70's on newegg as they are usually close to half price and are almost the same at the TSI 500s. I would also look at RTI and RTIa's on polks ebay store as they are definitely a steal when they are up there.

MANSKITO

If it was me and I could do it over again I would grab the best book shelfs i could afford and save up for a sub. Don't get me wrong I like my monitor 60s they where GREAT for the money paid, (sound the same and the TSI 400s) but if your any thing like me and have a good ear you will want some better speakers soon. Also I have my speakers in bed room and the monitor 60s bass is not enough even in a room this small for HT its fine for music (unless you like hip-hop) but they benefit STRONGLY from a sub in HT.

Great full range speakers coast an arm and a leg compared to there book self counter parts and generally your not giving up any detail or resolution by getting a book shelf in the same speaker line your just losing bottom end which again can be made up for with a good sub.

At $600 for a pair of book selfs you can do much better then the monitor or LSI line in terms of detail, resolution and sound stage when it comes to higher end books selfs. Through in a good sub and you got a much better from top to bottom system.

At 600 your looking at the RTIa or LSI (used or good deal) book shelf line if you can get a pair of Lsi 7s or RTI a3/1s you will be much happier with the sound that comes out of them for music. Add in a sub and your HT will be just as good.

98Badger

I see you already have some older Infinity bookshelves. You might want to check out the Infinity Primus 362's if you are leaning toward floorstanders. They fall within your budget and will definately give you better bass than your bookshelves. If you aren't happy with the infinity sound in general, just ignore the suggestion. They're pretty easy to drive, so your Sony should do the job just fine. Take any leftover cash and look into properly treating the room.

mstum

To be honest, I'm not at a position where I can talk about characteristics. I used the internal speakers of my PC Monitor and TV for the last years and only owned an amplifier 10 years ago.

Also, I'm looking for speakers in Cherry if possible, as black would look really ugly in that room.

So the Monitor 70's are predecessors of the TSi500? Seeing how cheap they are, I'm seriously considering buying a pair of them now, especially since I noticed that I can add a Subwoofer later (I thought I need an Amp with LFE out, but I saw I can just pass-through my speakers). So if they offer good mid and high range without sucking too much in the low end, those would be my faves at the moment.

Ohioste

Ha...you haven't even been here a day and you're already buying more than originally anticipated...

That's how it starts, lol....

Good luck with the set up.

mstum

Okay, ordered 2 Cherry Monitor 70's, also thanks to the discount code posted in another thread.

Ohioste: Ha, true, it's always like that Not sure yet if I'm going to get a Subwoofer, I'll first let the speakers go through a round of Dream Theater and Star Trek before I decide if I need more bang.

polkfan38

Are those SL10s or SL20s you have there? The 10s go down to 74 Hz and the 20s go down to 70 Hz. You will notice a BIG difference going down to 38 Hz on the M70s you just ordered!

I picked up some SL50s. They go down to 40 Hz. All I have to say is damn!

mstum

polkfan38 wrote: »

Are those SL10s or SL20s you have there? The 10s go down to 74 Hz and the 20s go down to 70 Hz. You will notice a BIG difference going down to 38 Hz on the M70s you just ordered!

The Infinities? They are Primus 150's, bought about 2 years ago and rated as 58Hz. I received my Monitor 70's today and there is certainly a difference. They still lack bass, but the mid and high range sounds a bit fuller.

comfortablycurt

FWIW, I really do have trouble getting good bass response when I'm in my custom built cathedral sitting 200 feet away from my rig.

I think I need to add a couple subs. Some really big ones.:p

wayne3burk

mstum wrote: »

Okay, ordered 2 Cherry Monitor 70's, also thanks to the discount code posted in another thread.

Ohioste: Ha, true, it's always like that Not sure yet if I'm going to get a Subwoofer, I'll first let the speakers go through a round of Dream Theater and Star Trek before I decide if I need more bang.

Those are real pretty speakers -- and good specs for the price.

Let us know how they work out for you - and how they sound too.

-- wayne --