What speakers should I buy? (1 Viewer)

[John Besse]

Hmm, I'm not trying to make this sound like a poll. But, I have been thinking about buying a secondary set-up for a room. I have been torn between what I want to buy. It is going to be no more than $700 on fronts and $500 for a center plus whatever I can find for surrounds. I want to spend about $1500 on speakers leaving about $500 on a sub.
I have been tossing around Paradigm Monitor 5 or 7's, Snell QBX 20s, B&W DM602s as well as looking into JM Labs, Klipsch, KEF, NHT and possibly Mirage.
I'm leaving Energy out because I all ready have an Energy system. Mirage is probably out of the question for 2 reason... 1, being the bi-polar array in most of their speakers and 2, being a sister company to Energy.
I want to get a good sense of what everyone would recommend me doing. I mainly watch movies and listen to music on occasion. Please give me some reccomendations and info on why you would choose them.
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[DonnyD]

The nOrh systems seem to be gaining in popularity and I am considering them as well for my main system. I am currently adding a second system in another room and got a deal on some Rolen Stars. I hooked them up just to see what they'd do and was pleasently surprised how they sound. The advantage is that they are invisible as an after construction install allows them to be placed behind furniture, headboards etc. Excellent where you don't want sound pounding you, just around you. I will definitely keep the RS and when I build a home next year, they will be installed as the home is constructed....behind the walls. This will truly make them invisible.
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[george king]

I have a Kef Q series setup and love it for both music and hometheater. For your budget you could get the Q35.2 for fronts or maybe the Q55.2 (but I think the 35.2 sounds better than the 55.2), the Q95.2C center (although you may want to move up to the 100C center), and a pair of Q15.2 for surrounds. Then add an Adire Audio Rava sub, and you have a great system.
You can go to www.ecoustics.com and search for reviews of these, and other speakers.
Hope this helps.

 

[Marty M]

Here is what I have and should be a bit less than $2,000 with discounts -- Paradigm Monitor 7's, CC-370 center, Mini-Monitors for surrounds, and PW-2200 sub. I really like the sound. I recommend you give this combination a listen and check it out for yourself.

 

[BryanZ]

Basically you have $2,000 to work with. For me, I'd go with the marble nOrh 4.0 package ($1,600) and an Adire Audio Rava ($400). IMO, that is the best deal you could get. If you go with a ceramic package ($850) then you could get one of the powered SV subs. You could also look at what ACI and Swan Diva have. B&W, Def Tech, and Paradigm are other excellent options.

 

[John Gates]

John,
There are SO MANY options out there! It's a wise thing to try to narrow the field a bit.
There are some very good deals to be had in your price range. IMHO, you should definitely check out the direct-to-consumer speaker companies out there. By cutting out the middle-man marketing expenses, you can *usually* get exceptional bang for your consumer buck. The disadvantage, of course, is that you can't go to a store and demo the equipment before you buy, but through this forum, you could probably find folks in your neighborhood who own similar products. IMO, an in-home demo is much preferred to an in-store demo anyway. Online audio companies also tend to have very good return policies as a safety measure as well.
Worthy of consideration:
nOrh (http://www.norh.com)
Home Theater Direct (http://www.hometheaterdirect.com)
Swan's Divas (http://www.av123.com)
AV-Reality (???)
Axiom (http://www.axiomaudio.com)
Ascend Acoustics (http://www.ascendacoustics.com)
I'm sure there are others I am missing, but these are definitely worth a look. AV Realities may be out of your price range, but they have a killer special right now on a pair of speakers that include SCANSPEAK drivers. Those are some of the best parts in the business. I have heard that these compare well to nOrh, which, IMO, has some of the best sound I have ever heard from any speaker at any price.
Do your research, and have some fun!
John

 

[ChrisAG]

I really like my Mordaunt-Short system, which consists of 906 towers, 902 bookshelfs and 504 centre.
I listend to the Mirage OM series, Paradigm Ref/60, PSB 4T/5T, and Mission 774. All sounded good, and I would have been pleased with any of the above (especially with the PSB because they are so inexpensive), but in the end the MS sounded just a bit more seductive. They love to go LOUD, and keep the detail at high volumes. They perform well with my Marantz SR-6200.

 

[John Besse]

I'm somewhat familiar with nOrh, but I've never heard them. How do they compare in sounmd up against the other manufatures I have listed?
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[John Gates]

John,
I listened to both Klipsch and NHT when I was shopping for speakers in early summer. Without remembering the specific model numbers, I remember thinking the nOrh 4.0's with good sub sounded better than either the NHT or the Klipsch models that were up to twice the price. I was primarly looking for great performance at >70 hz because I was planning to cross over with a sub at 80 Hz anyway, so extra bass extension wasn't important in my analysis.
Of course, I still felt the NHT's and Klipsch's sounded good, and they are. I wouldn't dream of taking away from those who own these brands. My impression, however, was the Klipsch seemed too brite (tinny), and the mids on the NHT's seemed muddy to me, and vocals weren't nearly as clear as on the nOrh. I felt the nOrh's did everything right including soundstage, depth, sweet spot size, detail, realism, etc. Given the price / performance ratio the nOrh's presented, I jumped on them and have been very satisfied every since.
I haven't heard the other brands you listed, but perhaps others could comment on how they compare to the various internet-direct brands.
I'm sure you'll find a great bargain out there that will totally meet your needs. Researching this decision is very wise.
Good luck,
John
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System:
Onkyo 787
Mains: nOrh SM 6.9 (shipping NOW)
Center: nOrh marble 4.0
Surrounds: nOrh wood 4.0
Rear Center: nOrh prism 4.1
Subwoofers: 2 x SVS 20-39 CS w/Fidek Amp
Pics: http://www.geocities.com/givinit2him/

 

[Russell _T]

John,
If you are interested in Infinity Interludes, please E-Mail me directly. I have a set that are just a couple of months old that I have to get rid of.
Russ
[email protected]

 

[Eric Stuckey]

IMO, i like PSB and Paradigm the best.But the real test is YOU have to listion for your self.Thants the only real test.

 

[Steven Simon]

With the prices you mentioned you want to spend.... You can fall perfectly into a set of Paradigm Studio 40's (700) and a Studio CC (350-400).......
Why consider the Monitor Series??
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Thanks,
Steven R. Simon
HTF Administrator
Theater Pics Updated 7-26-2001
Send Email: [email protected]

 

[Geoff L]

All worhty speaker lines certaily.
You might like to take a ride over to the AVS forum. There have been two threads, (because of shear size), of like a thousand posts dealing with the Swan Diva line. Alot of comparing and reviewing there, along with tons of pictures and info. Really worth a look IMO as people are speaking very highly of this speaker line.
At there price point, a very very worthy contender and just beautiful to look at, to boot. (From a stand point of looks alone, IMO some of the best looking speaks I've seen). Have a look see for yourself.
Speakers are probley the most personal prefrence in all of Audio and your ears and eyes must & should be the judge.
I love the nOrh sound, just can't stand to look at them. A personal thing.. see
Good Luck
Geoff

 

[Shanthi]

B&W 602 S2 would stand out of all the products mentioned IMHO. I can rule out NHT, KEF, Klipsch and JM Labs. Paradigm 5 or 7 are comparable to 602 and never heard Snell.
That's my 2 cents....

 

[Elbert Lee]

After you've picked your speaker brands, since it's a bedroom system, I would go with COSMETICS. I have NHTs in my bedroom and I have chose White SUPER ONE's for the rear because they blend in (I hate black speakers in the corner of my eye!), and and elegant set of 2.5is in front. Not the best setup for a large HT room, but more than enough for a bedroom. Since the bed is located in the "sweet spot", the angled 2.5is really shine with their pinpoint imaging.
Elbert

 

[Thomas F]

I'm going to have to second the vote for Paradigm Reference 40's, with a Studio/CC center. I suggest that you audition as many different speakers as you can in your price range, narrow it down to a few pairs, then try to negotiate with your dealer for some in-home trials. Speakers can sound very different in your home than in a dealers demo room. Cheers.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I'm gonna cast my tile for Paradigm as well. I have the Monitor 9s on main, CC-350 center, ADP-170 surrounds, and a PDR-10 sub. All very nice equipment and set me back about $1600 two years ago. If you have the cash, I'd suggest going a step further and stepping up to the Paradigm reference series.
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Yes, but are they high-quality balloons? ~ David Letterman

 

[John Besse]

Has anyone actually auditioned or own a pair of Snell?
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[Matty B]

I went into the local hifi store here in Denver with an unlimited amount of cash to spend on bookshelf speakers with the caveat that they had to be true bookshelf, not floor standing. So I was in the 5-1500/pair range of all the high end speakers they had, the B&W 602 S2 sounded better than anything else, including all the other B&W speakers. Everything else was bright compared to the accuracy I felt these speakers produced. In my apartment they have incredible bass response and accurate mids and highs, not incredibly bright like the 601s, and they have much better range than the super high end B&W book shelfs (They are like $1200, didnt feel like looking up the model #). So I highly recommend checking out the 602s, and maybe you can pick up 2 pair ($600/pair) and an SVS Sub?