Upgrading speakers - help with a couple decisions (1 Viewer)

[scottay]

Hi all,

I'm moving and need some pointers on a couple of different ideas I have on a speaker upgrade.

Situation:
I currently live in an apartment with my setup in my bedroom. I'm moving to a new, bigger apartment (more like a town home, I have both up and downstairs). I'm an electronics nut and love good quality components; however, I don't have the budget for big dollar items, so I'm seeking the best quality for the best price. I'm willing to spend descent money as long as it's well worth the extra over a less expensive item. Replacing "less expensive" items a year or two down the road leads to better equipment being even more expensive...

Current setup:
Marantz NR1403 5.1 Receiver
MartinLogan Dymo 500 10" Sub
5 Hand-Me-Down Bose Satellite Speakers (I don't know the exact model, they're the ones that swivel)
Epson Home Cinema 3020 Projector
EliteScreens 84" 16:9 retractable screen (probably upgrading to a 92" or 100" fixed screen)

Since I'm moving I figure it might be a good time to dump those Bose speakers. That's been on my wishlist for a while. All the other component I've got I'm pretty happy with. The receiver is 5 months old, as is the projector. I had to upgrade my receiver when I bought the projector in order to use the 3D Blu-Ray features. The sub is only about a year and a half old.

The new room will be 16.5' X 11.75'.

I'm kind of stuck between two different options, and could use some help. I'm leaning toward the Yamaha NS line of speakers. I'm not totally stuck on them if someone recommends something in a similar price range that would be better... My thoughts here are as follows:

Option 1:
4 of the NS-333 and a NS-C444
I could mount these on the wall next to my screen (under in the case of the center). I'm sure this would be a vast upgrade from my Bose, and I'm sure the sub would do a great job of picking up where they start losing on the low end. However, this leads me to option 2.

Option 2:
2 NS-777, 2 NS-333 and a NS-C444
I think I can fit a couple of the floor standing speakers. I have a light switch on the right side, but I might be able to fit it under the light switch. I need to go back over to the apartment with a tape measure and see how high off the ground the switch is. Assuming it's a standard 48" to the top of the plate I *should* fit. Assuming it does, would this be a worthwhile expense over the bookshelf speakers? Would I need my sub still, or with it be way overkill?

I'm open to any other suggestions or thoughts. I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say.

Thanks!

 

[schan1269]

I'm sure those Bose cubes don't sound very good since you are using them without the bass module(the Bose proprietary DSP is in the bass module).Always go with the biggest speaker you have room for. Even 4 777.

And if the 777 is too tall, you won't lose anything meaningful choosing the 555.

 

[scottay]

The Bose didn't sound horrible; although, I stepped "up" with those from some walmart speakers that came in a 5.1 receiver/speaker combo, so I don't know what I'm missing out on. I bought them for $40 from my ex's dad, and have been dying to upgrade for a while. I've replaced every other piece of my setup, and have been waiting for the right moment to get new speakers.

I own an IT business, and one of my vendors has the NS-777's for an absolute steal of a price, so I took your advice and ordered 4 + the NS-C444. It just so happens that the light switch in the new place is 44" from the carpet, and 43 5/16", so they should fit... I may have to mash the stands into the carpet a little, but I'll deal with it!

Since these speakers have subs built in, where do you recommend I place my Dymo?

 

[schan1269]

Subwoofer(the term) is saved for the speaker(s) that provide

 

[scottay]

Gotcha. So if I understand correctly the woofers on the speakers will provide bass, but my subwoofer will still be needed/desirable in the setup.

I think out of practicality I will probably place the subwoofer up front under the screen. That's where I have it now and it sounds good. Also, I want to avoid placing it against an adjoining wall (so I don't piss the neighbors off...too bad). When I move everything into a house with a dedicated room I'll definitely do the sub crawl.

Another question that popped into my head: that Marantz receiver should be enough to power 4 of these guys, right? If not, it's not too late to swap out 2 of them for 333's in the rear...

 

[schan1269]

Reality...

The 777 will do more...on less power.

And the 777 is more efficient than the 333(yes...the 333 needs more power than the 777)

 

[scottay]

Awesome, so excited!

Can you point me to a good, easy to follow reference for getting everything calibrated (crossovers, levels, etc)?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

[schan1269]

Not to be trite(cause it will seem that way)...

Your owners manuals. The 777 manual says to experiment with toe-in, gives you dispersion angles...

Your AVR has Audyssey Multi-EQ. Start there...tweak to suit your needs.

 

[scottay]

Thanks!

 

[scottay]

I just noticed that my receiver only has "Small" and "None" options for the surround speakers, there's no large option. Is having the 777's set to small in the rear going to be a problem? Would I be better off with 333's in the rear?

I already ordered 4 777's, but I want things to be right, so I can always return 2 of them...

 

[schan1269]

Like we discuss about a dozen times a month, and the OM of your Marantz mentions this...Small/large has nothing to do with speaker size.Small=included in bass managementLarge=Not included in bass managementNo AVR allows the choice of "large" center/surround if you've chosen a crossover on your main pair.All this info is in your speaker settings section.

 

[scottay]

Thanks. I probably could have done a little research, but I figured I already had this post open so it would allow me to get an answer specific to my circumstances.

Thanks again for your time.