simple, but nice, stereo system (1 Viewer)

[full bleed]

[COLOR= black]I know this may seem strange around here but I'm actually not interested in a surround sound system at all. My living room is fairly small and imaging would be poor so instead of wasting money on poor imagining and high speaker count I'd rather focus on a high quality stereo setup. Ideally I would actually like to do away with a subwoofer and only have two nice floorstanding speakers that can push out some clean bass and have nice smooth midrange and detailed highs. The main reason that I would like to not rely on a standalone sub is because in my living room the only place that I would really be able to put a large cube is in the corner. Coming from building my own recording studio in my house I know that the corners are the worst place for a subwoofer do to the extra bass build-up and how it will accentuate the modal problems within the room. I much rather use the corners to build somewhat hidden bass traps to manage a full range pair of speakers.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]I've come here realizing that the pairing of speaker to amp has a lot to do with the sum of all parts and just because a series of components sound good individually doesn't mean they sound good, or best, together. To be honest I don't want to put in as much time and effort as I'm sure most of you here have. I'd rather rely on your experience and real world experience with pairing amps to speakers than some sales person or going from store to store aimlessly trying out everything in every possible configuration. In the end here's what I'm looking for:[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Expandability - I may not be in the house forever but I don't want to run out and buy a new system if I move. The ability to switch to 5.1 in the future is about the extent of my foresight at the moment but please comment if there is something else you feel I should be considering as well.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Compatibility - This is fairly simple. I would like to be able to hook up a ps3, Xbox, blue ray, tv and outdoor speaker system to the receiver. My current TV is a Samsung PN63C8000. The outdoor speaker system has not yet been purchased but it will be very small. Consisting of 2 linked stereo pairs.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Quality - I don't need the best of the best with no price limit of course but I am definitely looking for a system that will offer great sound for my application and has a price to quality ratio to where there won't be a significant difference in results without doubling or tripling the end price.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Features - I'm not big on features but some nice built in musical equalization would be great. Modes are nice but what I've heard from the market in general are over hyped eq shifts that are called modes which seem to actually take away from the originally recorded material. Kind of like a remastering of the audio for those of you that are familiar with this process. I'd really rather do my own subtle EQ adjustments rather than hearing the modes that are probably only screwing with the phase alignment of the source audio by applying severe non-linear phase equalization shifts as a mode.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]The only thing I've heard so far that has caught my attention in my limited listen sessions was a pair of Polk RTI A9 speakers. The room I heard them in was much larger though so it really wasn't a fair assessment. I'm not even entirely sure what amp or receiver it was running through to be honest because at the time I was seriously looking to make a purchase. My price limit is $3000 USD. Like I said though I'm not necessarily looking to spend all of that IF there isn't significant gain over purchasing a system that is, for example, 2000 or 2500.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]So please bring any and all comments and suggestions.[/COLOR]

 

[winniw]

Try to audition some Dali Ikon 7 speakers... big bang for the buck.


Nick

 

[CB750]

Welcome Chris


The process of speaker selection is the same regardless of the type of system you plan to put together. Listen to as many speakers you can and buy the ones that sound best to your ears and that fit your budget.

However, since you plan on buying a HT receiver I would suggest that you add a center channel to your L & R stereo speakers. The reason for this is their is a lot of material that comes through that center channel that will improve the performance and enjoyment of TV programs and Videos. It is very important that the front stage speakers even in a 3.0 system be timbre matched. It is to your benefit that you do this now rather than wait as it may be hard to find a center channel that will match up with your L & R speakers.

 

[full bleed]

Thanks Nick and Bill.


I'll have to see if there is a local dealer that sells the Dali speakers. I am unfamiliar with that brand personally. What amp/receiver would you suggest pairing with the Ikon 7 speakers?


Thanks for the tip on matching timbre. That makes perfect sense.

 

[winniw]

Sonically, I would recommend the Marantz line, if you decide to go with an HT receiver. If you need three zones, you would have to go with the top-of-the-line "SR7005", which is $1600 with 6-in & 2-out HDMI. If you can go with two zones, 4-in & 1-out HDMI and a standard AM/FM tuner, the "SR5005" would be fine, for $800. In the middle is the "SR6005", with 6-in & 1-out HDMI, two zones and HD radio tuner. All of these models are HDMI 1.4a compliant and therefore 3D capable... just in case!


For a stereo preamp/amp combo or integrated amp, NAD has always been a best-bang-for-the-buck product. They have a warm, involving sound.


Nick