Speaker recommendations, home theater and otherwise.

[scottmandue]

Several years back we had a discussion here on home theater speakers... lots of great info posted and I made a bunch of bookmarks for further reference...

But that computer has long since died and gone to where dead computes go.

If you have some favorite speaker websites would you please re-post them.

Wife is remodeling the living room and miraculously given me permission to purchase new speakers.

I would also be interested in assembling (NOT building from scratch, I'm no cabinet maker!)the speakers to save money. I have seen vendors that sell precut wood & speakers and all you have to do is screw/glue/solder everything together.

Thanks in advance.

Edit to emphasize... would probably prefer to buy pre-made speakers... need another project like a hole in the head.

[gassy]

We need a budget first. What range are you thinking about?

[scottmandue]

$500 - $1000 each... the lower the better to keep my wife from fainting.

I'm thinking of phasing then in... first the two front... then the center... then the back two surrounds... to help avoid sticker shock.

[gassy]

This is a well received system that my business partner has heard in person... good personal and professional reviews too.

Intimus 4T Hybrid SD - Aperion Audio

Maybe a Portland area Pelican has these?

[gassy]

This is the system I have--I'm not much of an audiophile though and I like it cuz there are no honkin' speakers. I know Bose is overrated but I love it. OK I have to do a bit of work now...good luck and have fun

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/home_theater/home_theater_speakers/acoustimass_6/index.jsp

[scottmandue]

Funny thing, I was talking with my wife about this this morning... she said "I know you love you music, but to me... once things get to a certain loudness... all I hear is noise."
I told her.
"Honey, that is distortion... that is what you get when you buy audio equipment from a department store."

[gr8fl4porsche]

Aesthetically what did you have it mind?

A big speaker design or a more invisible look.

I like to split my systems according to function.

For my living room where TV is the main purpose, I installed a relatively discreet home theater that most people do not notice when they walk in the room. For TV and movie viewing, the sound is very nice. Music listening is rated as background music.

For audio, I like big speakers and big amps with full rich sound.

Most women won't let that system in the living room. That is what man-caves are for.

[imcarthur]

The only way to evaluate loudspeakers is to listen – to the speakers & not to all of the hype or personal recommendations. We all hear very differently. Take a few familiar simply-recorded cds & go do some listening at some local stores. You will find that the best products you find are not available online or have very limited exposure. There is a simple reason for this: Those of us who market the better quality products refuse to accept the concept that consumers buy with their mouse rather than their ears.

I would suggest you listen to: B&W, Focal, Dynaudio, Paradigm & Totem. All well-respected companies. For something different look for Martin Logan & Magnepan. As a general rule, avoid Boston, Polk, Definitive Technology, Klipsch & the hundreds of other lesser companies that build exclusively in China.

Ian

[RWebb]

listen to Snell also

Snell vs. Maggie is a classic 'difference in sound' at ~~ same price point and quality

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by gr8fl4porsche

Aesthetically what did you have it mind?

A big speaker design or a more invisible look.

I like to split my systems according to function.

For my living room where TV is the main purpose, I installed a relatively discreet home theater that most people do not notice when they walk in the room. For TV and movie viewing, the sound is very nice. Music listening is rated as background music.

For audio, I like big speakers and big amps with full rich sound.

Most women won't let that system in the living room. That is what man-caves are for.

Garage Luxman 185 watt solid state amp with Altec A-7's.

Living room = Pioneer Elite 7.1 amp, JBL paramount surrounds with two Sony tower speakers in front (the JBL front surrounds didn't have enought kick for me, they got relocated to the bedroom). CW 250 watt 15" sub. The Sony towers are the offending speakers... I would like a matching set of speakers for the living room but will have to buy them in shifts so as to not break the budget.

[imcarthur]

Snell is not what it used to be. They are now 'just a brand' of D&M Holdings who own Denon, Marantz, Boston, Macintosh & Escient. The last 10 years has seen a lot of consolidation in hifi companies - for all the wrong reasons.

Ian

[kaisen]

I have a pair of Definitive Technology BP2000's that are just sitting in storage (in a spare walk-in closet here in the house). They are the best home theater speakers I have ever heard. 15" subs in each tower, each with their own amplifer, then bipolar arrays that can be bi-wired. They weigh 150 lbs a piece. The sound is amazing, and the reviews are stellar. They were $2000 each when new, although the new comparable models (BP7000SC) are now $2600 each ($5200/pr). A set like mine sold on eBay recently for $1800/pr plus shipping. If you're interested, I'd give a Pelican a deal.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

As a general rule, avoid Boston, Polk, Definitive Technology, Klipsch & the hundreds of other lesser companies that build exclusively in China.

Ian

My Def Techs were built in the USA.
Are the new ones Chinese?

[david914]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Garage Luxman 185 watt solid state amp with Altec A-7's...

A-7's, really? You must have a big garage! While not "accurate" by any means, those are still great sounding speakers, especially if like it loud. I've lusted for a pair of those since my uncle bought a pair of Valencias (home cabinet version) in the early 70's.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by kaisen

My Def Techs were built in the USA.
Are the new ones Chinese?

Yes. In the 90s, their manufacturing was done in a prison in French Lick, Indiana. Their Mythos et al is all Chinese. The owners - who i know quite well - sold the company in 2004 to DEI Holdings - a big car audio after-market manufacturer.

Ian

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Snell is not what it used to be. They are now 'just a brand' of D&M Holdings who own Denon, Marantz, Boston, Macintosh & Escient. The last 10 years has seen a lot of consolidation in hifi companies - for all the wrong reasons.

Ian

thx for the info -- I'll use it to harass my Snell-proud neighbor with!

[Rusty Heap]

Sunfire all the way. Small in size, big in sound...........you'll love the XT series of ribbon tweeters and mids, and toss in a 2700 watt 12" cube sub-woofer for low low end 18 hz at 115 dB while you're at it. Bob Carvers new company Sunfire.

SUNFIRE: Luxury for all

That's what I run in my home theater.

BUT

big speakers with big old school sound also have a place too, I just bought these 10 year old Technics speakers off of craiglist, all 4 of them for $75...........they sound AWESOME out in my shop. tall ones have 12", 10", woofers 6" mid and 2" tweets, smaller ones 12" woofers 6" and 2".

you can see some of my spare 2700 watt Sunfire Subwoofers and Theater Grand pre-amps on the rear racks/shelves - They're for sale if anyone wants some high end audiofile gear.

Grins, also for sale the 1982 911SC Guards red sunroof panel and front right fender too!

[myamoto1]

if you want do it yourself (kinda-kit-form). Check out Parts-Express.com - Speakers, Speaker Building, Home Audio and Video, Pro Audio, Electronic Parts & Accessories PARTS EXPRESS, Speakers, Speaker Parts, Guitar speakers, Bass speakers, Woofers, Drivers, speaker upgrades and replacement speakers. Emine. If you want some really nice speakers that will do well w/o worring too much about placement, check out the Paradigm in-wall speakers.

[imcarthur]

I should define Chinese manufacturing when it comes to loudspeakers . . .

The cabinets are just wood boxes & they can be built anywhere. There are major cabinet factories in Canada, Poland, Hungary & China. And the plastic or metal moldings . . . again, anywhere it is cheap.

But loudspeakers need drivers - obviously. In years gone by, most of the best companies designed & built their own drivers. In the US & Europe. All in house. Except for the cabinet, it was all done on site & assembled & tested.

The alternative for smaller manufacturers was to buy high quality drivers from an OEM driver vendor – Focal, KEF, Audax, Seas, Peerless, Dynaudio etc etc who would all build to spec. So your engineers did your design, you ordered boxes & you specified drivers & ordered. Then you assembled at your own site.

Fast forward to 2010. Now, very few speaker companies build on site. Even fewer – an elite few maybe? - build their own drivers on site.

The vast majority of speakers are assembled in China, using off-the-shelf Chinese-made (and often copied) drivers. Yes, Joe Q. Designer orders 100 assorted drivers & finds some that sound OK & then specs them into his product which is made completely in Flung Dung Speaker plant in one of the free trade zones on the mainland. The price point is more important than the sound. Nothing but finished product ever hits their own warehouse. Dreck.

The next peg up are manufacturers who take their own designs to China & have them built to their tight specifications in plants that their staff oversee. B&W – for example – does this on most products <~$3K. Dreck or good value? You decide.

A few others buy spec Chinese or Euro drivers & assemble on site in the US, Canada & Europe. A bunch of high-enders & many subwoofer companies do this. Wilson, Totem . . .

A few holdouts still build drivers & assemble on site in Europe & Canada.

I’m sorry for the spiel . . .

Ian

[Jandrews]

I have the Speakercraft Tantra III series for fronts and center, Speakercraft AIM In-Ceiling speakers in the rear, and a Speakercraft Tantra TS-12 Subwoofer. Marantz SR-7001 amp. Supports Audyssey and sounds pretty decent.

JA