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Help - I need awesome HT speakers...for under $1000 (already got the sub)

post #1 of 26
1/24/02 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
What do you guys suggest that I audition? I'm so far considering Norh 4.0 (which unfortunately I probably can't audition), paradigm atoms, PSB alphas, and Axiom millenia M3 Ti's. What else should I look at? As I said, I've got a sub, so you don't have to worry about low frequencies. The amp (for the fronts and center at least) will be a Parasound HCA 2003.

Now, you might say, "Dave, you're a dumbass for buying a $1,600 (MSRP) amp for sub $1000 speakers".......





......but I'd prefer that you didn't

So, what do you guys suggest?
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post #2 of 26
1/24/02 at 9:04pm
$1000 each or for a pair? There arn't very many good speakers for under $500/ea.
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post #3 of 26
1/24/02 at 9:07pm
If you have a sub already, I'm a fan of getting five identical speakers for the LCR and 2 rears. A 5-NHT SuperZero setup is an incredible bargain for home theater, but if you want a bit more full-range sound, using 5 NHT SuperOnes is one heck of a setup.

I prefer the Supers to both the Axioms and the Alphas. But 5 Alpha AVs would also be nice.
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post #4 of 26
1/24/02 at 9:11pm
You may also want to audition the Magnepan MMG ($550/pr) and the Sound Dynamics RTS-3 ($200/pr)
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post #5 of 26
1/24/02 at 10:46pm
Thread Starter 
Audio&Me - that's $1000 for (ahem) all 5. I graduate from college in a few months, and don't have a job yet, so I'm trying to keep it as low budget as possible for now.

MacDEF - that was my thought (5 of the same all around). I may have to compromise on the center, but I'd imagine (especially in my price range) that at least the other four will be identical.

Mr. Happy - I'm not sure about the Maggies for HT, but I am considering a seperate music system and the MMGs are high on that list. Sound Dynamics look interesting, but are they shielded, or is there a matching center channel available?

Thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming.

Dave
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post #6 of 26
1/24/02 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Audio&Me
There arn't very many good speakers for under $500/ea.
Hey, there are a lot of great speakers under $500 each. NHT, Triangle, PSB, Paradigm, Axiom... I could probably list 15-20 companies that make great speakers in that price range.
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post #7 of 26
1/24/02 at 11:50pm
Hrm, near perfect match for what you're looking for?? :
Four Athena S1 2-ways, and one C1 for center channel.
http://www.athenaspeakers.com/1_speak/1_main.html

Another nice system specifically designed for home theater is the Energy Take 5.2.
http://www.energy-speakers.com/take5...rs_system.html
Look at this price:
http://www.avbdirect.com/energytake52.html

Third system:
Infinity Modulus
http://www.infinitysystems.com/homea...s=MOD&Status=C

Alternately, you could get: Two Infinity (my favorite brand of speakers ) IL-10 for main, two EntraOne (or US-1 to shave $100) for surrounds, and IL-36C. This will go over your budget by $200-300, but the more expensive center channel is worth it. If you must stay under $1000, the IL-25C will do just fine.
*price estimate based from local Circuit City.

DEF - I thought he meant ones that would blow him away since he used the word "awesome".
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post #8 of 26
1/25/02 at 12:05am
Fortunately, Norh just happens to have a 4.0 video package, giving you five 4.0s for $850.
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post #9 of 26
1/25/02 at 12:44am
I'd recommend four Paradigm Atoms for L, R, and surrounds. Then pick the matching Paradigm center channel speaker -- I can't remember which model it is. This is assuming you have a sub.

I guarantee you won't be disappointed, and the price would be around $500 total (without the sub).

Whoever said there are no good sounding speakers under $500 each hasn't listened to enough speakers.

MacDEF's suggestion of the superzeroes is also a good one.
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post #10 of 26
1/25/02 at 12:54am
Oops, apparently the Sound Dynamics RTS-3's are not shielded. They do make a shielded center speaker though, the RTS-C2.
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post #11 of 26
1/25/02 at 4:28am
I'd recommend buildingthis system, from the factory refub section... I think using true dipole ("quadpole") and matched centre channel speakers is much better than using 5 identical speakers for each channel...

I recently purchased the Axiom M22, and I agree totally with all of those glowing reviews... They have an incredibly flat response from about 70 hz all the way up to 20k, and have surprising detail... In fact, my senn HD-600's have been gathering dust lately, religated to late night listening only, as i find the sound from the axioms more balanced from the mid-bass up, especially in the highs...

I got a chance to audition the M3's as well, but the setup was much less than ideal... (speakers were quite new, didn't sound broken-in) I found them a bit thin-sounding, and had the mid-bass peak most other small speakers have... After using neutral headphones for so long, i felt the upgrade to the m22's was well worth it...

I've also listened to the Energy Take 5.1 and 5.2... They're pretty good for movies, quite "impressive" sounding, but way too bright/harsh for music, imo... Anyways, the Axioms blow them away, in terms of detail, clarity, smoothness, neutrality, soundstate, etc...


Quote:
There arn't very many good speakers for under $500/ea.
you are soooooooooooooooooooooo wrong $500 can get you a very nice setup these days... THere's an incredible amount of value these days from brands like Axiom, PSB, paradigm norh, swans, acoustic energy, nht, etc...
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post #12 of 26
1/25/02 at 8:09am
Read more carefully before sending a reply!
You guys missed a few sentences of mine.
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post #13 of 26
1/25/02 at 11:15am

Home theater

dcg, no, you are not dumb for buying that amp, and anyone who says you are doesn't have a clue. With that kind of power you have the freedom to choose anything you want for speakers regardless of their impedance, or sensitivity.
As for speaker recommendations, there are always good suggestions from everybody here, so I might as well put in my 2 cents worth. The fact that Parasound is a detailed amp, and sometimes home theater systems have a tendancy to sound bright, I would choose a smooth sounding tweeter. Check out the Phase Technology website at phasetech.com, and see if they have anything you like. Good luck!
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post #14 of 26
1/25/02 at 1:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I thought he meant ones that would blow him away since he used the word "awesome".
Audio&Me - meant that to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. I know it's a tight budget, but I also know that there are some good values out there to hold me over until I make my millions. Thanks for your suggestions, I'll be sure to check them out.

Quote:
Fortunately, Norh just happens to have a 4.0 video package, giving you five 4.0s for $850.
dhwilkin - I'm well aware , and I'm seriously considering the Norh - just wish I could hear them first.

Russ - I'm very interested in the atoms, especially considering I could get them for $500 - which leaves me just enough left over for the Melos Sha-1!

Thomas - yet ANOTHER good suggestion. Axiom's lineup certainly looks impressive, and along with Paradigm and Norh they were the frontrunners when I made my first post (still are I guess, but now I have even more to consider). I have two concerns- first, again, they are difficult to audition, and second, I'm not a huge fan of spending more for my surrounds than my mains. I'll be listening to music on this system as well, so there'll be a good amount of time that the surrounds will go unused. In your opinion, is the extra cost justified?

Quote:
With that kind of power you have the freedom to choose anything you want for speakers regardless of their impedance, or sensitivity.
CRESCENDOPOWER - that was my though when buying it, and my reason for posting it was because I was looking for opinions on what speakers wold match up well with it. I'll check out Phase Technology, and I'd be interested to hear your opinions on the Parasound with the other suggested systems if you've had experience with any of them.
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post #15 of 26
1/25/02 at 10:09pm
Quote:
I have two concerns- first, again, they are difficult to audition, and second, I'm not a huge fan of spending more for my surrounds than my mains. I'll be listening to music on this system as well, so there'll be a good amount of time that the surrounds will go unused. In your opinion, is the extra cost justified?
1) yep, unfortunately for you Americans, there is no way of auditioning them before you buy... But they do have a 30 day money back guarentee, so you could order just the front channels, if you like them then order the rest, otherwise send them back.

2) For the main speakers, i definately think the extra cost for the m22's is worth it, especially if you have a sub... (then again, I managed to get a GREAT price from my dealer) For the surrounds, i've never heard them in a proper surround setup, so i'm not sure how they perform. It does seem strange to use surrounds that cost more than the mains, you could probably go down to the QS-2 (for $170) or M2 (for $200). SInce i'm much more intersted in music than home theatre, I'd rather spend money on the mains...

But the QS8 and VP100 i originally recommended uses the same 5 1/4" aluminum and 1" titanium drivers as the M22s, so the system would sound more coherent than if different drivers were used... So i'd go with those if you're really into movies, otherwise, somthing cheaper would make more sense...
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