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which speakers (1 Viewer)

Rashad

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Hi. I'm new to this forum and I have a question about which speakers I should go with. I am in the process of house hunting so I'm not sure the size of the room yet but I do want to eventually have a 5.1 system if space permits. But for now I am looking at the mains. I will be using an NAD T743 receiver and want a bookshelf model. They will be placed on stands. My listening preference is 80/20 music to movies. So, with that considered, which bookshelf models would you go with for mains? The three I am considering are: Klipsch RB25, Paradigm Focus, and B&W 601S3. Of course the B&W($450/pair) are the most expensive of the lot. That price is the maximum I would consider spending on the mains. I am unable to do a/b comparisons between these models. Please chime in with your suggestions between these 3. Please keep in mind the most imprortant factor is music reproduction. I look forward to hearing from you guys(or gals)!
 

Dave Moritz

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Do you have all the other equipment for your system allready or will you be looking for an entire system? Also IMHO depending on the size of your room that you end up with. This should affect the size of drivers you end up with as a larger room will cause the sound from small speakers to sound strained when turned up. Will you be going with a 80" - 110" projection screen? This also will dictate what size room you should have. I would find the house you want first with the room that will fit the bill for what you are looking for to put a home theater in then build the system to fit the room.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
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I like the B&W's over the others you mentioned. The tweeter design seems much better than the Paradigms mentioned and for the Klipsh They are a bright speaker using the horn design.

IMO the B&W's get the nod.
 

Rashad

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Dave, the only thing I have so far is the receiver, which is an NAD T743. I plan on purchasing the Marantz DV6400 universal player and the surrounds of course will be from the same series of the mains I go with. Undecided on the sub. TV will be 46" Toshiba rear projection HDTV set(Model 46H84). I definitely want smaller bookshelf sized speakers because aesthetics(spelled right?) are important to me also.
 

John Garcia

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I would recommend the Denon 2900 or 3910 over the 6400. The sound quality was great from the 6400, but the PQ is better with the Denons.

I think Ascend and Axiom would be great bets in your price range. Also Rockets at www.av123.com The Plasmadocs Rocket ELT package with the SVS 25-31PCi is a good deal too.

I just installed the Mordaunt Short 903s setup, and for $750, it is quite an impressive system. I use a pair of 902s for music only in my bedroom and they are one of the most musical bookshelf speakers I've heard under $500.

(there's a spell check)
 

Rashad

Grip
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Nov 2, 2004
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John, I read some of the Ascend reviews for the CBM-170 on audioreview.com and they are very highly rated. I'm not thrilled about the appearance of them though. Also, looking at the specs on the website they have the impedance listed at 8 ohms but on several of the reviews people state they are rated at 4 ohms. Do you know which is correct? If they are 4 ohms, wouldn't that be too taxing for my receiver? I will consider your advice on the Denon player. I will also take a look at the rockets and Mordaunt Short speakers. Is there a website I can go to that has info. on the 902s that you spoke of?
 

Chris Quinn

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The 170s are 8ohm. We heard them against other net directs at a GTG and they were the most efficient. Apparently there is no standard as to how manufacturers rate sensitivity. I got the 170s to try and ended up selling my Paradigm MiniMonitors. I've since stepped up to the 340s across the front . Very nice. You can find out more at, the independent from the company, Ascend Forum.

If you're interested in the Rocket ELTs go to the forum at av123.com and see the holiday specials. The ELT one is a very nice deal.
 

John Garcia

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The NAD is 4 Ohm stable, so it should not be a problem. Not to mention the 170s do not go very low, so their demand should not be a problem either way.

www.mordauntshort.com but the 904s are on sale at www.ac4l.com right now, and sometimes they have 902 and 912s (that's where I got my 902s). Basically the same speaker in a compact tower. There's a shop local to me that has most of the 500 and 900 series on sale right now too.
 

Rashad

Grip
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Nov 2, 2004
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Guys, how does the Ascend CBM-170 compare soundwise to the B&W 601S3? Anybody done an A/B comparison between the two?
 

BrianAe

Second Unit
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Dec 2, 2002
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If you like the idea of the Ascends but want something that looks nicer, consider Aperion Audio: www.aperionaudio.com

They sound rather similar, definitly of the same sound quality, but look much nicer for a similar price. You can search my past posts for some more detail on the Aperions and how they compare to the Ascends.
 

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