What is my weakest link? What could I upgrade? (1 Viewer)

[stang233]

I am looking to upgrade only the sound portion of my home theater system and would like some input on what my weakest link is or where I should invest money next. I just finished adding 7 acoustic panels which helped to tighten up the room. The room is 12’ wide by 25’ long and 8’ ceilings. The theater room is setup lengthwise as expected.

My system:
Receiver: Pioneer VSX 1122
Blu Ray: Panasonic BDT220
Subwoofer: JBL PB12
Speakers: JBL North Ridge NSPii series W/ NSP center channel
Cables: All cables are above PAR to high end.
Power Conditioner: Monster NHT 1700

My initial thought is that either my subwoofer or at least my main speakers need to be upgraded? Does anyone know how this center channel ranks? It seems to perform well?

I was thinking of maybe replacing the JBL PB12 with the SVS PB12 @769.00 dollars.
Or what do you all think?

 

[schan1269]

I'd move up to some real speakers for the 5.0 portion.

 

[stang233]

I'd move up to some real speakers for the 5.0 portion

What do you mean by real speakers? Like a floor standing or just a better speaker?

 

[Type A]

Cant really find much of anything on either your sub or speakers, you could probably stand to upgrade the entire speaker system. As far as priorities my thoughts are that speakers come and go but a good sub is forever and right now your sub is mediocre. A new sub will not only dig deeper but also hit harder than what you have now and will be the cheapest immediate overnight improvement. Admittedly Ive not heard SVS but I always find it strange they want more $$$ than most other good sub manufactures. It also bugs me that their subs dont have high level inputs, making their subs less flexible than most in their price range. Not a big deal, just sayin. All Ive ever read indicates they make great stuff but then so does Outlaw and Hsu and theyre cheaper. Maybe their finish is better? Their driver is better? No idea but I would shop around before pulling the trigger and paying a premium for SVS over the solid competition. The good news is your AVR and blu ray player is good to go.

 

[schan1269]

A better speaker. Those NSP are tiny. And like tiny speakers...you can do better.

 

[schan1269]

Type A. That subwoofer was part of the NSP i/ii systems(nobody really knows what the difference is i and ii).

Think Klipsch Quintet or Energy Take.

He can't really upgrade his sub, till he gets speakers that will let the subwoofer do...what the subwoofer does...

 

[Type A]

Ah no wonder I couldnt find anything on them. Guess that kinda answers your question huh stang? Thanks Sam.

 

[stang233]

Thank you guys. What mid range speakers do you guys recomend?

Here is the quick data on the sub.
Add deep, jaw-dropping bass to your movies and music with JBL's top-of-the-line PowerBass™ sub! The PB-12 features a beefy 250-watt RMS amplfier and 12" down-firing woofer for the same level of low-frequency impact you're used to hearing in movie theaters. JBL's exclusive digital amplifier technology delivers high-efficiency output with substantially reduced distortion and heat buildup, even at high volume levels. Get ready to rock the house!
Details:

[*]250-watt RMS amplifier
[*]12" down-firing driver
[*]frequency response 25-150 Hz
[*]continuously variable 50-150 Hz crossover
[*]phase switch
[*]line-level input with LFE/Normal switch
[*]speaker-level inputs
[*]black ash vinyl finish
[*]15"W x 17-7/16"H x 17-1/16"D (with feet)
[*]warranty: 5 years woofer and enclosure, 1 year electronics
[/list]
See more info on this item

 

[schan1269]

How much money you got?

Want something to workout for the next 5 years...or want to buy(even if you buy two now...then a center...) what you'll end up having the rest of your life?

My main theatre speakers are all from the late 80s and early 90s.(I have three theatres...one purpose built. The other two are the living room and an office)

 

[schan1269]

If you want speakers to last the rest of your life...

http://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/omen-1b
http://totemacoustic.com/en/hi-fi/columns/hawk/specifications/
http://www.paradigm.com/products/type=tower/model=studio-60/page=overview
http://www.ohmspeaker.com/speakers/mains/walsh-tall/

 

[stang233]

That looks like some nice equipment. Thank you for the information. I would probably like to just jump up to a mid grade product rather than full high end? As much as I would like something like those I just dont have the money to do so. I will start looking into some mid grade speakers. Thanks again

 

[schan1269]

Those weren't "high end".

What budget are we looking at? You can still use your current NSP in the 4/5 and 6/7 positions(your AVR can do 7.1).

JBL has several series of speakers that will still somewhat match the tone of the NSP.
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-ES30BK-3-Way-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B00167341S/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1380930476&sr=1-10&keywords=jbl+speakers (with the center...$369)

Or even better....($640-ish with center)
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-3-Way-6-Inch-Bookshelf-Loudspeaker/dp/B000FYZARY/ref=sr_1_22?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1380930637&sr=1-22&keywords=jbl+speakers

And there are these...but for the life of me have no clue how JBL managed to make an inefficient horn speaker...($760 with center)
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-530-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B00622STI0/ref=sr_1_36?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1380930831&sr=1-36&keywords=jbl+speakers

 

[stang233]

I was looking to spend around 1k on my next upgrade. So that could be just two fronts or center, ect. Do i limit myself though by staying with the JBL's. I am not sure of their quality? Thanks again. Richard

 

[schan1269]

JBL L series is nothing to sneeze at.Studio is quite good also, so no...you aren't missing anything.The L series I linked would be an immense improvement. And would leave room for a sub as well. Nothing wrong with retiring your current center and moving the remaining NSP to surround duty.

 

[stang233]

Would something like this match my system at all?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Monitor-70-CHERRY-Tower-Speakers-Polk-Audio-PAIR-/360726873594?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item53fcff45fa

 

[schan1269]

Unless you want a lateral move to another brand.Look for Polk RTi. Those are equal to the L.

 

[stang233]

Thank you so much for all of the information and help. I really appreciate the knowledge.

 

[stang233]

Is it a general rule that you do not want to mix speakers brands in one system. Is it advised that if I went with like the RTi8 which I have found a pair for 325 then I would need to go polk for the surrounds also. How much better would the RTi8's sound vs the NSP. I am worried that i am still just throwing around 100 watts at them and i wont get much better sound? Or would it be better to go with the JBL L820s that i can wall mount. Do you think the 820's would sound much better than the NSP with the power i have going to them. Or can the 820 even be used as a main speaker. This system is again only for HT.

I feel like if I cant wall mount i might as well go floor standing. I am not a fine of speaker tower mounts.

 

[schan1269]

The NSP is a tiny speaker. Tiny speaker, Tiny sound.It is advised to have your 5/7/9/11 portion of the same brand and series.If you can't do series...at least stay in the same brand.Ignore power ratings. Period.There are only two specs(ad nauseum) You care about.EfficiencyOhm loadThe reality is, anything you pick between the JBL E/L or Polk RTi will be an immense improvement. And they will require less power to do more.Tiny speakers are(90% of the time) less efficient than speakers twice their size. So in reality, if you are using say 20wpc now, you'll probably drop down to 10wpc with better speakers. Your reality on that 1122 is nowhere near 100x5/7. Try 30x5/7.

 

[Dave Upton]

If you're looking for a good value subwoofer, I recommend giving our sponsor Power Sound Audio a look - their subs are very impressive for the money.