Rate your own speakers...honestly!

Amp: Discount Pioneer. Saving pennies to buy a Marantz sr5400

Mains: Paradigm Atoms. These are without a doubt the finest speakers I have ever heard. Of course these are the first "quality" speakers I have ever heard. I dislike the non-removable grill.

Center: Paradigm CC-170. I bought the 170 over the 70 so that I would have matching 5&1/4 driver across the front soundstage. Better than my kenwood HTiB center obviously. I dislike that Paradigm "angled" the drivers so that they are facing at an upward angle. I would have liked a straight-ahead layout and have to prop the back of the CC-170 up with cardboard.

Subwoofer: RCA 200-watt. I bought this at Radio Shack after my Kenwood HTiB subwoofer died during a LOTR:TFOTR viewing. The sub is louder, but deffinetly boomy. I don't like this subwoofer, but its better than nothing. My new SVS is still on backorder

Surrounds: The old kenwood HTiB dual 4" driver front speakers. These always sounded pretty bland. So i use them for surrounds untill I can afford some quality speakers.

ill chime in

fronts: magnepan 1.6QR's
center: none (imaged with fronts)
rears: magnepan SMGc's

Subwoofer: Deftech Supercube Reference

Amp: Yamaha RX-V1300 (for today, two rotel 1070's are in mail and should have been here today).

I would easily give my fronts a 9/10. they arent a 10 because they are big and lack bass on their own. however, they sound full enough and what bass they do have blends well with a sub so they dont sound lean. they can produce an image that is scary. and ive often stopped movies or music because i thought something was real (like a door opening, something dropping, etc..) their soundstage is endless, going feet beyond the speakers in all directions.

The rears are pretty new to me, but blend well with the fronts, and give a realistic image in back. not really much to say for a rear that is timbre matched and full range.

the sub fills in where the speakers stop, and does a great job. the speakers have LARGE diaphrams, so they produce a LOT of sound. smaller subs have a problem filling in all the bass that is needed. the supercube does a great job. to my knowledge, this sub hasnt had an online review yet. its the smaller one thats getting some crappy reviews. this one got a 99/100 from sound and vision (i think it was them). it all comes together pretty well.

however, the yamaha is in much need of upgrade. at -15 to -20dB, it stops getting louder. since the speakers are 84dB sensitive at 4ohm, they such juice. with anything less than 300 watts per channel, they can sound underpowered. so, the next step is to get the rotels running, and get a few more amps for the fronts. (the rotels are rated at 200/channel @ 4ohms and will be used to bi-amp the rears, having 400 watts per channel for rears). then the fronts will be bi-amped as well. but, even with these downsides, the speakers are amazing.

overall performance of everything, 80/100. with more amps, maybe closer to 90.

Okie Dokie I will play too..

Front L/R: Acoustic Research Hi-Res AR9 Tower
Center: Acoustic Research Hi-Res AR4C
Surround L/R: Acoustic Research Performance Series 216 Bookshelf
Subwoofer: DIY Sealed Enclosure, Stryke Audio AV12, Acoustic Research / Bob Carver Sunfire TDC 500 WRMS Amp

Pre(s): Parasound Halo P3, Onkyo TX-DS787 (Receiver)
Amp(s): Onkyo M282, Antique Sound Labs Wave20DT Tube Monoblocks

My mains have dedicated dual 10" Bass Reflex passive subs
that I did use for the longest time but now the sub section
has been left unconnected and I just drive the dual 5.25"
Magnesium Mids and the 1" Titanium Tweeters and let my DIY
Sub handle the lows.

My AR9's and the matching AR4C have been a great purchase.
They sound as good today as they did when I bought them
which was more than 3 years ago. They have a very natural
way of reproducing vocals and stringed instruments and never
have a hint of sybilance. The tweeters are not bright in the
least which is suprising for Titanium domes.

I would rate them and the center as 8 out of 10 because like
anything they can be improved upon. The biggest complaint is
the vinyl finish as real veneer would have been much more
high end

They are being replaced with DIY Line Array's which when
completed will stand more than seven and a half feet tall.
Nothing short of a Line Array or a full Ribbon or Electrostatic
is going to send me over the edge at this point.. Another
point source would only have been marginaly better to my
ears.

I'll give it a go also.

- Fronts: Klipsch KM-4's (1" polymer dome compression driver tweeter and 8" ICG cone woofer)

- Center: Klipsch KM-C (1" polymer dome compression driver tweeter and two 5.25" ICG cone woofers)

- Rears: Klipsch KM-2 (1" polymer dome compression driver tweeter and 6.5" ICG cone woofer)

- Subs: Dual SVS 25-31CS modded to 22Hz.

- Sub Amp: Samson 700w

Reciver: Outlaw 1050 65w x 5ch / crossover set at 80Hz


I like this setup except for one thing. The KM-4's just don't have the bass response that I'd like. No I don't expect bass from them like the SVS's but they just seem to be lacking in the low frequency department. If pushed almost up against the wall they do a little better but if you must keep them atleast 6" away from the wall the bass definitely drops off. As for the highs they are crystal clear. For me they don't seem bright at all even when using the Outlaw 1050 receiver. One example is a song on one of my Telarc DDD Clasical CD's where there is a lone triangle in a symphony that is struck and it comes out so pure and clean like he was standing in the room. There was no sign of compression or "dirtyness" of the note.

The KM-C center was maybe a poor choice on my part because it doesn't seem to be matched very well in tonal or timbre quality to the KM-4's. It's close but not perfect. It seems to add a little something to the voices that I don't like. Kind of muddy but not quite. It's hard to describe.

The KM-2's do really well as the rear surrounds. They sound well defined and clear. I've never used them as anything else but surrounds so I couldn't speculate on how well they do with a particular type of music although they do sound good when using the DVD-A portion of my Panny RP91.

What can I say about the SVS 25-31CS's that hasn't already been said. I have 4500 cu.ft. of space to fill and they do it with headroom to spare. Never muddy, never boomy but always goosebump inducing.

Original JBL S38's all the way around, powered from a Denon 4802. (125w per channel?)

Ooops I guess I did not rate them.

On a 1 to 10 scale reguardless of price, I'd give them an 8.8. Or Two thumbs up and a twist... lol

A little higher on Music, maybe a 9, and a little lower on HT maybe an 8.5.

Here's my self review:

Receiver: Denon 3802
Mains: Boston Acoustics VR-M50
Center: Boston Acoustics VR-MC
Rears: Boston Acoustics VR-MX
Sub: None yet

VR-M50: Smallest speaker in the VR-M line. 1" anodized aluminum dome tweeter. 5.25" copolymer woofer. These are very detailed, especially in the high frequencies. They sound natural and slightly on the bright side, but not fatiguingly so. Excellent for both music and HT, although the deep base is lacking, obviously. If I had another $300, I may have purchased the bigger M60, which goes a little deeper and has slightly better imaging. Overall I'd give these an 9/10 for sound and 7/10 for price, considering the size and expectations.

VR-MC: Same drivers as the M50 but with an added passive 5.25" copolymer woofer. I think this also sounds great and has a little better imaging than the M50. Pretty much the same as above, except this is Boston's only center in their VR-M line. This as well as the M50 has dual gold-plated 5-way binding posts for bi-amping/wiring. I would give it the same grades as the M50.

VR-MX: These surrounds are made to be side surrounds, but can be mounted on the ceiling or rear wall, although I would get the VR-M/EX for the rear wall. These have dual 1" aluminum tweeters and dual 5.25" copolymer woofers, although one is passive. This allows you to orient the speakers so they are direct radiating or diffuse. I have switched them many times depending on audio material. These speakers are fantastic with any material. I'd also give these a 9/10 and 7/10.

All these speakers are very pleasing to look at. They have the cherry wood finish, either veneer or real wood. I give these speakers a 9/10 for sound across the board. They are the best speakers to my ears that I have listened to in there size categories, which is not all encompassing. However, they are pricey, which is why I gave them a 7/10 for price. You get what you pay for and they are worth every penny. Even my wife, who originally wanted Bose, likes them.

Why not

Fronts: Magnepan 1.6
Center: Magnepan CC3
Rears : Magnepan MMG
Sub: Waiting on SVS PS+ but currently using a Vel 12"

Using a Kenwood 5900 as prepro with a Sunfire Cinema Amp. 200 into 8ohm, 400 into 4ohm.

The detail and power of these speakers is truely amazing and you have to hear them to believe it.

The 1.6's and CC3 are a formidable set that bring out details I have never heard before. I was very surprised at the amount of bass they put out, these move a lot of air. It isn't deep bass though but powerful to about 40hrz.

The 1.6 are almost 6' high so you have to have the setup for them.

if you have't heard a maggie you owe it too yourself to hear them. They are not for everyone but they must be heard.

Hmmmmm.....at first I thought this thread would not work but I honestly hope it does now because if people are honest it can be EXTEMELY beneficial to everyone.....with that said:

I have Boston Acoustic Vr3 fronts: I really like these speakers a lot. They have a anodized aluminum dome tweeter, one 4 1/2" mid and two 7 1/2" bass drivers. The bass is very detailed and can keep up. The mid does an adequate job as well. I think the best part id that Boston tweeter. It really sings at those high notes without getting thin and fatiguing. The speakers come in black ash veneer or a cherry veneer. I have the cherry and it really looks like the real deal. For value I would rate them 10/10 (a lot of speaker for the $). for sound maybe an 8 1/2 /10. (no speaker is a 10...lets be honest )

Center -Boston vr920: the thing is a beast aluminum tweeter, one 3 1/2" mid and two eliptical 7 1/2x5" bass drivers. This speaker is very clear and detailed. I hear sounds that I never knew exhisted. The dass is very clean and tight. The mid-range can get a bit thin sounding but not overly so. Value 8/10 (I got a great deal though) Sound 8/10 (thin mids at times). (For all of those who have been reading my other threads I have decided to keep the 920 over the VRC)

Surrounds- Boston Micro 90II: Aluminum tweeter and 3 1/2" mid/bass driver. These little guys actually amaze me. They weigh a ton as it is almost solid aluminum. The sound for a surround channel is very adequate. No it will not go low and may not suffice for SACD but for HT they are very good. For build quality, I have NEVER seen a better built satelite speaker. Value 10/10 (a lot of speaker crammed into a little case) Sound-8/10 (will not go low but what it can handle is crystal clear and well defined.

Everything is powered by a Yamaha Rx-v2200. It may be a few years old and doesn't have all the "new" thingy's but it really does a great job with the detail and dynamics. Eventualy I would like to add an amp to power the fronts.....but that won't be for a looooooong time .

I hope this helps anyone looking at Boston. Excellent idea Justin to start this thread. Hopefully people stay honest....I think that is the key to make this a very successful thread. It is certainly looking like it will thus far.

How does one rate their own system? Far and away mine is an excellent one for HT (would rate it at 9.25) but not so much for music (closer to 8.75). It consists of:

nOrh wood 5.1 mains - Goes deeper than the 4.0s with a hint of warmness to them. Gorgeous to look at.

nOrh ceramic 4.0 center - Matches the 5.1s. Downside is the size of the speaker but, as it rests on top of the tv, that isn't a problem. Perfect transition speaker for the 5.1s with its clear dialog.

nOrh ceramic 4.0 surrounds - Matches center and mains. Surround sound is fantastic!

SVS 20-39CS - Need I say more? Powered by the Samson S700.

Outlaw 1050 - Clean, powerful receiver. Downside is it doesn't have DPL2 but, then again, that wasn't advertised with it now, was it? Adjustable crossover is generally set at 80Hz.

nOrh Le Amps - Using with the mains. Cleaned up the sound a bit more. Improvements: DIY power cables and upgraded interconnects.

All that is a vast improvement over what I had before. Wharfedale Valdus 500 mains, Valdus center, DCM surrounds, Audiosource sub, and a JVC RX-8000V receiver.

Receiver Onkyo 601
Mains:
Axiom M22tis
Center:
Axiom VP100
Sub:
Dayton 10" from Partsexpress.com (do a search here it's great and cheap!)
Surround:
Axiom QS8s .

I live in a studio in an apartment building, so I don't need a lot of loudness (nor want to be evicted), but I did want (and very much got) quality sound at a lower volume with this setup. Plus it will be great when I move to a larger space. The surround field for HT is stupid wonderful. A bit more bass would be nice from the M22s but once I had them dialed in well with my sub I was very happy to kick back and let my music drain away my daily stresses.

Power: Marantz SR8300 (125w@8Ohms) w/ one MA500 mono (180w@4Ohms) powering my center.

Driving: Three GR Research A/V-2s up front and two Paradigm Titans out back (eventually to be replaced, but doing fine for now). The A/V-2s are 4 Ohm, so to be comfortable with them (the 8300 is not rated for 4 Ohm operation), I picked up the MA500 to offload some of the work.

Here is my write up of the speakers prior to buying them. Since getting them, I have done the Sonicap upgrade, as well as installed the new version of tweeters. Still extremely pleased with them.

I'd give the A/V-2s a 9.5/10 - Cabinets are solid and attractive, but aren't artwork like Paradigm Signatures or B&W Nautilus (and you aren't paying for it either), but they are all about sounding great at an amazing price. I have heard better speakers, but it's really tough to compare when it comes to price vs performance.

HSU VTF-2 - 8/10 Big sound from a small box, and more than I need, but not an SVS

System 2

Mordaunt Short MS902s powered by a Marantz PM7000 (95x2@8Ohms) biwired with Audioquest Type 4 wire.

902s - 9/10 - a pretty amazing and relatively unknown speaker, and considering what I paid for them, I am extremely pleased with them. Decent bass, articulate, uncolored mids and clean highs (1st order x-overs). They don't have quite enough oomph to be run as mains in my HT, but in my bedroom they are more than capable.

here goes...

center: Klipsh (not sure what model. dual 6 1/5 woofs and allum. dome tweeter)
fronts: Cerwin Vegas(roommates. i'm waiting to upgrade to the matching Klipsh fronts)
surround: Boston Acoustics reference series bookshelves
subwoofer: Def Tech 15tl+ (15 inch)
reciever: Onkyo TXds555 (75x5, no dts)
I give my center a 8/10. There are better ones out there, to be sure, but not for the price. I paid $300 total. It sounds great! Clear highs, deep vocals, i love it. My (roomies) fronts work good as stand alones, but sounds crappy compared to the Klipsh. I give the CV's a 5/10. When I upgrade it will sound better. Surrounds do their job..nuff said. 8/10 My subwoofer rocks. I can feel the pounding and deep bass. It's awesome. 9/10

Dudes,

Magneplanar MGMC1 (or C1..seems to be the same thing) for fronts and rears. CC3 center channel. Hsu Research VTF-2 subwoofer. Rotel 1055 receiver/amplifier (85 true watts per channel) sends this package into 5.1 bliss. The imaging is amazing for my small room of 12 feet wide X 19 feet high X 8.1 feet tall. Dialog is EXACTLY right. Absolutely dig the warm and all encompassing sound that's NEVER artificial. Stereo is fantastic in 2.1 setting. Doug H dude, you should consider the HSU VTF-3 or even the VTF-2.

Ratings:
MCMC1 - 9/10
CC3 - 9/10
Rotel 1055 - 9/10
VTF-2 - 9.5/10

Dudes,

Chester II

p.s. 12 guage copper cable for speaker wires.......

Yamaha RX-V640 (85 watts x 6)

Actual Price: $499
Price Paid: $439

Mirage Omni 60

Actual Price: $599/pair
Price Paid: $299/pair

The 60's are my left and right mains. I bought them in November 2003. I broke them in about 10 hours with pink noise before I really started listening to them. I found them a bit cloudy in the midrange at first. But given another week or so of casual listening, they really began to open up. Unfortunately, my room calls for not much breathing room for the speakers. So I feel they are definitely hindered by that fact, but nevertheless, they do a stellar job. The soundstage is huge and no matter how off center I am, the sound really doesn't change much. I previously had CV floorstanders and then Infinity Sterling Series bookshelves. The improvement over the CV's is tremendous. So much cleaner and articulate. Soundstage is much wider as well. The bass impact is remarkably close to my CV's which had 10" woofers. I'm not even joking. They aren't a huge improvement over my Infinity's, but there are some noticable differences. For $300 for the pair, there's no question I did the right thing. At $600 there definitely would have been a much stiffer competition for my loudspeaker of choice. But I'd like to not think of that headache.

Mirage Omni CC

Actual Price: $399
Price Paid: $349

Wow! I love the look of this thing. Unfortunately, when I first hooked it up I didn't break it in first. Man, did it sound like crap. The main problem was a midrange laden with bass. Man it did not sound good. I almost got upset at first, but I immediately ran to my receiver and threw on some pink noise. I let that marinate for about 12 hours and then started to do some casual listening. Now things are getting nice. After about a week or so of casual listening, I blew 'em wide open and was very impressed with such a full sound. This is my first taste of sound with more than a left and right speaker. The tonality between the three front speakers is great. I don't hear any changes from one to the other. The speakers also compliment each other very well in volume as well. I don't notice the center or the mains more than the other. I'm just very pleased.

That completes my system thus far. I couldn't be happier right now. I mainly use my system for video games and these speakers really shine. Metal Gear Solid 2 sounds incredible.

Next on my agenda:

Subwoofer (SVS of some kind)
Rears (Mirage Omni FX)

Ok, it's time for the Italian Stallion. No, not me, I'm scottish by ancestry. My speakers dumbo!

Sonus faber Extrema mains, Solo center, Concerto sides, and Concerto Grand Piano rears. Aerial SW-12 Subwoofer. Extremas powered by Mark Levinson 336 (700 watts X 2 @ 4 ohms). All other speakers powered by Proceed AMP5, 125 watts @ 8 ohms. Aerial powered by it's own 400 watt internal amplifier. All cables by CATCables, and Quantum Cable, my brands.

My system's sound is excellento! Silky smooth highs brought to me by soft dome tweeters, outstanding mid-range produced by primarily 1st order crossovers. The Crossover on the Extremas is a 2 kHz first order 6dB/octave, a special high-pass inductive type without capacitors.

The overall sound has depth, it has warmth, a full rich sound for theater and music. It's not a cheap package by any means. But I truly plan to enjoy this package for a long long time. So, the investment in the end will have been worth it.

Lex

I do very little critical music listening, so my setup is all about home theater. Not that music doesn't sound good, I'm just not into it near as much as the home theater side.

Speakers:
Def. Tech BP2002tl mains
Def. Tech CLR2002
Def. Tech BP2X surrounds
SVS PB2+

Amp:
Rotel RMB 1075 (125w X 5)

I have to give my Def. Tech setup a 9/10 overall. The knock comes in musical performance because they aren't the most musical speakers I have ever heard, but they get the job done for me. And since home theater is what I enjoy, I love the Def. Techs.

The sub, well, there isn't anything to say about the PB2+ that hasn't been said again and again. It is easily the best sub under 2k.


Neal

Relatively lowend setup (good for my 10"x12"x7.5" room though)....

Receiver: Kenwood VR-615
Mains and rears: JBL N24II's
Center: JBL N-CenterII
Sub: Dayton Tiny Mity II (famous 10" PE sub)

IMO my system sounds really great. Movies are really brought to life with crisp and clear sound, plenty of impact, and a lot of depth. The N24II's are quite dynamic for what they are. 2.1 music also sounds really good with them despite what some may say. The N-CenterII sounds just as good as the N24II's (maybe has slightly less impact since the center isn't ported on the front). Dialog in movies is superb and very full no matter what pitch of voice. Imaging between all the speakers is seamless. With off-axis listening (which I often am at) there is no degradation in highend detail (the EOS waveguides on the tweeters actually do help), just the expected slight volume decrease. Overall these JBL's are excellent performers, especially for the money.

Most already know about the Dayton sub, so it should come as no surprise that it's impressive. It's tight, and goes low and loud. It's rolloff point is somewhere between 25Hz and 30Hz, but material down to about 20Hz can still be enjoyed to some degree. I'm very glad I purchased this sub to replace my Kenwood 8" 100 watt

You gotta know you have a good system for yourself when you're still impressed by it after a lot of use. I know I am. The JBL's can still bring a smile to my face The sub produces a nice grin

I think my next purchase is going to be a new receiver. I'm feeling that my JBL's want more power (or at least cleaner power). I've been doing some research and I'm likely to go for something from Yamaha or Onkyo. Any suggestions would be welcome for something in the $300-$400 price range (maybe a little less if possible.. refurbished perhaps..)

Amp-Grommes Tube 35wpc
Pre-amp Onkyo TX-DS797B
TT Thorens TD-125MkII

Mains Klipsch Heresy 78
Sub Klipsch SW15
Although these are somewhat an oldfashioned horn speaker I must convey that they have a wide soundstage and incredible clarity. On piano it sounds like it is right there in the room. I have them on 10" stands to bring the mid-horn more on line with the ears. With a proper jazz recording they are one of the most revealing speakers I have heard next to the Cornwall and K-Horn. The only flaw I have is that bass response only goes down to approx. 50Hz. which is fine for most recordings but with movies you need the sub.

Center Klipsch KV-2
This allowed me to get into the HT world but I would much like to get another Heresy to match the mains. It just does not have the clarity of the mains and sounds a bit weak when played with music. I think 3 identical speakers across the front are the way to go.

Rear 4 Klipsch KV1.2
These are excellent for the surround use as they are efficient and disperse the sound in the living room. They are set up at 7' high and 2' behind the main couch angled down on stands. The rears are 7' high and 6' behind the couch also angled towards the couch. When effects are used it sounds like it is coming all around you with no directional cues. Just amazing.

Notes: I would like to test out one of the SVS subs as all seem to rave about their bottom end.
Get yourself a TT and see what you have been missing. All of my friends can't get over how much better albums sound compared to CD. Of course the cartridge makes a difference as well so get a good one.

In cunstruction HT, small room bedroom (11'x10'8').

Receiver: JVC RX-7030 (110wx6) DTS-ES DD-EX.
Fronts: JBL N-26II ($129)
Center: JBL S-CenterII ($129)
Suround: Cheap 3-way Philips bookshelf (soon to be replaced with more N26's)
SB: Cheap Philips satellite speaker.
Sub: Sony 12" 150w (Shakes the house at -10db)

Excellent setup in the front, with the JBL's and Sony sub, I cant wait for to buy my surounds. Receiver is great considering I paid $188. I have been buying my setup for a while now, since I dont have a job its hard to get everything all at once. So once my birthday comes I will have my N-26s (or s38s if i can still find them) and my HT will be complete. I give my setup up a 7/10 because my surounds dont sound very good, but a 9.5/10 for the front, great for 2.1 Ch. music.

My system went through a major overhaul in the last 6-8mths.

Old setup consisted of:

Marantz AV560U pre/pro
Rotel RMB-1066 amp
Paradigm Mini Monitors/CC350/PS1000

New Setup consists of:

Yamaha RX-V1400
Rotel RMB-1095
Speakers: Paradigm Studio 40/20/470/PW2100. All specs can be found at Paradigms website.

Paradigm Studio v3

PARADIGM STUDIO 40



The 40's are used for the Front L/R. Sound is awesome. Crystal clear highs and plenty of bass. Soundstage is full and enveloping. Mostly used for HT.

PARADIGM STUDIO 20



The 20's are used as rears in my setup. They do the job with the utmost of easy. Someday I'll try them in the front to see how they perform.

PARADIGM CC-470



Excellent center speaker. Dialogue comes across crystal clear. The combination of the 40/470 in the front soundstage will blow you away.

PARADIGM PW-2100



Tons of controlled bass. A definite house rocker.

Now I'm no sound connoisseur but what I hear coming out of my setup just sounds awesome. 10/10

Kevin

That's an excellent setup Kevin. Right now I own a Paradigm Monitor setup and it's great. I can see myself eventually upgrading to your setup in a few years though. I can't wait .

Thanks for the compliment Joe. The difference between the two product lines is night and day. You'll be very pleased when you do.

Kevin

Well hey, I might as well put in a piece about my Adire Kit281s, which cost me $450 to build. They are 4 foot tall MTM type speakers with Adire's 8" woofers and a small Audax tweeter, coming in at a 2-volt (~1w) sensitivity of 87db. A steep 6th order (acoustic) crossover at around 2.2KHz is used. The frequency response is within +/-3db unsmoothed from 40Hz to 19KHz anechoic, and distortion is under 1% at any frequency above 100Hz at 90db/1m.

While the measurements can't tell us anything, they do hint at some of the speaker's characteristics. Though their performance is limited by weak amplifiers (minimum impedance is 2.8 ohms), they're capable of impressive, clean powerful and lively sound. They start to sound a little compressed (more like typical speakers) above 95db or so, and I have never been able to get obvious distortion from them... I've tried up to 103db when my old 100w amp started clipping. The bass quality is really good, I'm not sure what to compare it to, seems to have unusual detail and carries a lot of "weight" behind it without strain. Judging by the numbers it's probably comparable to an average quality, correctly set up 12" subwoofer.

The weakness of the speakers is the midrange, mainly since the woofer breakup at 2.2KHz can't be eliminated completely by the crossover. This in combination with the increasing directivity of the drivers limiting off-axis output, results in a somewhat less "open" and smooth sound than some quality speakers with smaller drivers. Regardless it doesn't really affect the tone of the speaker, it's still generally smooth sounding, voices and instruments in this range sound quite natural. Many other well regarded speakers, like B&Ws, have this same kind of problem and few people complain.

The treble quality is decent, maybe a little "tizzy" compared to more expensive ($2k+ perhaps?) speakers. They have a somewhat "forward" tone, almost but not quite like Klipsch speakers, which I find more realistic (like actual music). And the imaging is pretty precise, depending on the recording and how you set them up... point them straight ahead to get a better sense of "size," and point them at you to get a pin-point kind of sound. Both ways are pretty cool, I change my placement occasionally.

Basically the Kit281s are really enjoyable to listen to (I mainly listen to varying types of rock music) and easily worth the money and effort for someone looking for a forward sounding, nearly full range speaker... even with some newer $300-400 kits coming in the last two years, these can hold their own.

I might as well jump in with everyone else.

Main: Polk LSi 15's(cherry)
Rear: Polk LSi 9's (cherry)
Centerolk LSi Center

Amp: Denon 3803 have 3805 on order.

Bi-Wired with all Monster Z Series Speaker Wire.

I would give the LSi speakers as a whole a rating of 9.5

For music they are wonderful, Movies they are killer but missing low end. ( Have Velodyne SPL 1000 on order )
I'm sure that the rating will go up when I get sub.

With X-Box these speakers are the most detailed speaker i've heard with video game systems.

Well one major thing I can tell is that people are very happy with their systems.

Heres mine.

Yamaha RXV-1400

I love this thing alot more than my RXV-440. Much more power. The headroom is definitly there, I wouldnt turn it up enought to distort it .... um well... ever! The imaging is very good, but I need to mess with my speaker positioning. The only complaint I have is that I feel I need more power. But that may not be true. ALso that YPAO works great. 8/10 for my power issue. I may borrow a bigger amp from work and see if that helps.


Boston VR-950's

First thing Im going to say is that for the price I paid for these ($180 pr) as compared to retail ($700 pr), they are phenominal. I love D-code stuff. But even as compared to some higher end kef's, infinities, etc. I love them. I compared them to a $2000 pair of Klipsch and still love mine. The highs are crystal clear and smooth.. not too bright like kef's. The mids are a bit bass heavy on some things, but crossing them over helped that. I think once I get a good sub and maybe a bit more power I will be happy. 9/10 They are not perfect.

Now I do need a sub really badly. But that comes in april.

I absolutly loved my current setup when I first got it(I upgraded from Bose Acoustimass), not so much anymore.

Reciever:
Sony Str-de845, I hate it, 100wpc(yeah right, and monkeys might fly out of my butt). I just cant get it setup to sound good to me anymore, and the remote is absolutly horrible.

Fronts:Klipsch SP-1's
Center:Klipsch SC-1
Surrounds:Klipsch SS-1's
Sub: Klipsch KSW-15
I was in love with the detail and range of these speakers when I first got them. But now I find them bright and boomy. I am going to upgrade my components soon(and say good bye to sony forever), so hopefully I will recover some of that lost magic that I experienced when these speakers were new.

I see this thread has taken off, so i will chime in.

I'm running all Acoustic Research Hi-Res in a 7.2 set-up in my dedicated HT. I like Kevin's approch so thx for the idea.

Sony STR-DA4ES - Soon to be use as a Pre/Pro.
Marantz MM-9000 - Amp should be here tommorow.

Mains: AR5



The AR5 uses Plasma Transferred Diamond-Coated 1" Titanium Dome Tweeter, Focused Array Configurations, Energy Control Contour Baffles and Voice Balanced Tonal Matching. With magnetic shielding and built-in mirror matching 90oz. 10" side firing Subwoofers with two 175W Sunfire Power amps. Specs: 37" H x 9 15/16" W x 17" D., 23Hz - 23KHz +/-2db, 8 Ohms, 50W - 175W Power handling, 90db Sensitivity, 75lbs Each.

I love the detail the tweeters give and the mids are smooth as silk. 2ch is great, they are very transparent. The bass good but could not shake the room, just alright. Brett who posted earlier has the passive version of the AR5. I wish there were a little taller.

Center Speaker: AR2C

http://www.avguide.com/servlet/com.a...e?product=1703

The AR2C Center/Surround Loudspeaker employs a 6 1/2" Woofer and the same Focused Array, including the new Plasma Transferred Diamond-Coated 1" Titanium Dome Tweeter, Energy Control Contour and Voiced Balanced Tonal Matching technologies found in the top-of-the-line AR1. The magnetically shielded drivers deliver clear, articulate dialog and powerful, full-range musical sound, perfect for al surround formats. A built-in swivel stand makes placement and mounting installation easy. Specs:8 5/8" H x 19" W x 12" D., 45Hz - 23KHz +/-2db, 8 Ohms, 20W - 200W Power handling, 94db Sensitivity. 35lbs.

One of the best CC i have heard and have heard plenty. This CC never stops amazing me and mathches flawless with the AR5's, I LOVE this speaker!

Surrounds & Surround Backs: AR17 Bookshelf Speakers



AR17(5.25") Two-way Bookshelf Speakers define the benchmark for loudspeakers of their size. With magnetic shielding and high performance tweeter, they produce more sound per dollar than their competition, while presenting powerful, authentic bass and accurate timbre. Specs:AR15 14 5/16" H x 8 11/16" W x 8 3/8" D., 45Hz - 23KHz +/-2db, 8 Ohms, 20W - 175W Power handling, 90db
Sensitivity, 30lbs /pair.

I ran these as mains to burn them in when i first got them and i was pretty impress with their perfornmance for a small bookshelf. Although the bass could be a little better but that is what subs are for.

Subwoofers: (2) SVS 20-39PC+



- 525 watt, built-in amplifier
- 20 Hz tuning (variable to 16 or 12Hz)
- +/- 3 dB 20 Hz-100 Hz
- 39" tall, 16" in diameter


Now do i really have to go there.