good sound for music and movies (1 Viewer)

[BenKof]

I've been auditioning speakers for a 5.1 system and was almost sold on a Paradigm set-up until someone mentioned that many popular home theater speakers packages lack in music reproduction. Now, I'm in a tough spot because the usage will be about 50/50 cd's and dvd's. Looking to spend in the neighborhood of $750 (maybe a bit more) for the speakers and sub. If anyone knows of a manufacturer with a reputation for excelling in both areas, I'd like to hear about it.
Also, I think these will be paired with a Yamaha HTR-5760.

 

[Kevin G.]

Many will tell you that Paradigm's are bright in nature, so if the Yammie is bright too, it may be a little harsh, But musically, my Focus' are great, paired with the Dayton 10" sub, I can get great 2 channel and Awesome movie effects!!
Take some cd's to your dealer and audition, if you like, buy.

 

[Scott>G]

Check out Rockets. I have the ELT Speaker Package and absolutely love it. It is a little more than you wanted to spend. The center channel to me is the gem!

 

[Lew Crippen]

I second the ELT suggestion—if your budget will stretch that far.

I don’t own the ELTs, but I have heard them and I think that the package is a very good value at the price point. The center channel is indeed very fine—the best I have heard in its class.

 

[BenKof]

Thanks for the recommendations. The ELT's seem to be pretty popular on this board and they provide a 30 day return policy. In addition, all the reviews are great. Looks like we might have a winner.

 

[Owen Bartley]

Whatever you decide, if it is going to be a 50%-50% system, don't skimp out on the mains. I'd even suggest going with some smaller cheaper surrounds and getting the best mains you can fit into that budget (assuming you aren't listening to multi channel audio, that is.)

 

[Dan Halchak]

I was going to suggest getting a set up B&W DM602 S3s, but between them and a sub, that is out of your budget.

I think B&W matches up with Yamaha extremely extremely well. As good as the old fabled B&W and Rotel does.

DM602s would run you about 500, not leaving much towards a sub though :frowning:

 

[EricSal]

If you have a Costo nearby you might check to see if they are still carrying the new Acoustech 5.1 system from BIC America. They've been selling them for $700, and the main towers work well for music as well as HT.

BIC is still building the web pages for the Acoustechs, but the patially finshed pages are linked from the BIC America home page (near the bottom)

The set received a nice review here: audaud.com/audaud/MAR04/component/comp1.html

Costco has a very liberal return policy, so if you don't like them you can always take them back. BTW I am running mine with a Yamaha 5650 and brightness is not an issue unlike with the Sony receiver I tried before the Yamaha.

 

[BenKof]

Paul, I actually demoed the B&W's earlier in my search, but decided to hold off because of the price. However, because of the music component it might be worthwhile to build the system in pieces starting with the mains and a sub. My question is: are the B&W's really that good for music? Sure, they sounded great at the store, but my living room is pretty far from a controlled environment.

 

[John Garcia]

What Paradigm setup are you considering? I've owned both the Performance and Monitor lines, and both did well for dual duty in their price ranges.

 

[Andrew*L]

Benkof,

Speaker selection is so subjective, that my only recommendation would be to listen to as many different brands as you can before buying. Speaker manufacturers tend to have a characteristic sound, that carries over most of their product line, with improvements and/or frequency extention as pricing goes up.

The other thing I've had a preference for is to choose speakers that sound better playing music, than for HT purposes. The reason for this is that I listen to music much more critically, than I do when watching film, where what I see becomes the center of attention. Of course quality of sound makes a difference in the HT experience, but not as large as the difference between looking at a 27" CRT vs. a 100" front projector.

I also agree with previous posts regarding concentrating as much funds as possible to your fron L/R/C speakers, for the same reason as above.

How this applies to subwoofers, musical or HT, I don't have an answer for, since I don't currently employ one.

 

[Marty M]

I will also jump in and recommend Paradigm. I have been a happy Paradigm owner for over 6 years, paired with Yamaha receivers.

You really have to decide for yourself if a particular combination sounds too bright to you.

 

[BenKof]

Great advice everyone...thanks for your input. Looks like I have some homework to do. I'll post my results.

Ben