Need help choosing speakers

Re: Need help choosing speakers

Most installation guys have a preference towards the speakers they sell because that is how they make a living. They are not impartial.

Improper setup can make even highly regarded speakers sound like crap. A proper set up can make inexpensive speakers sound great.

Delivered - Are they too big to fit in your car? Can you make 2 trips? Installed - You mean cutting speaker wires and pressing them into speaker terminals? I'll gladly do that for half of what he is charging. Optimized - Is he is going to set levels and distance on your receiver? Most receivers have auto calibration so you will be paying him to press a few buttons.

You may be one of these people who want to walk in a press a button and everything work. Kind of like picking up a phone and expecting it to work. You don't want to learn the technology behind it. Well, around here we really like to teach how things work. And the best way is to set your own system up. Knowing the ins and outs of home theater will help you make more informed decisions.

Speakers are a very personal selection because everyone hears differently. "Crisp" highs to me may be "harsh" to you. Keep listening to different speakers.

1. Never heard either. I have no opinion on this.

2. See #1

3. From his description, it sounds like they are timbre matched so that should work. And the TV above the fireplace is a terrible location. Divide the TV screen into thirds. The line separating the middle third from the bottom third of the screen should be at eye level. Otherwise you will have neck fatigue.

4. Subs are a unique situation. If he mentions that 8" subs are "faster" and will sound better with music, then he is not as home theater eduated as he thinks. You need to match the sub with your goals. If you are primarily a music listener then a pair of 8's or a 10 will work fine (assuming they are a quality brand). If you want to recreate explosions during action movies at reference levels in a very large room, then you need to step up to the big boys - SVS, Epik Subwoofers, Hsu, Elemental Designs, AV123 or DIY.

Since your wife is dictating in-ceiling surrounds, maybe she would like an in-ceiling sub? Here is an example - link. Look at the pictures from the living room. Nothing but a simple square hole that can be covered by a color matched grill. This type of sub will crush any retail sub in both output as well as quality.

5. I've used them as a last resort in my last 2 living rooms. I much prefer direct radiating surrounds that I have in my theater room.

6. As I mentioned earlier, I have never listed to the brands that you mention nor have I heard the SVS speakers. But I do know the reputation of Tom and Ron from the days at this forum where they were just two guys who helped people build subs. I also know the reputation of their driver designer (Stephen Ponte) as well as having four 15" subs that were hand built by him when he worked for TC Sounds. If I weren't a DIY guy, I would buy SVS based on reputation alone.

As for the in-ceiling, you don't need those to match the fronts. I would look at the in-wall and in-ceiling models from Dayton (Parts Express).

7. See above.

8. Don't base this desion on matching a receiver brand to speakers. Does it have the features and inputs that you need? Look at the number of inputs. Does it decode surround sound via the HDMI inputs? Does it have an auto calibration function?

9. I assume he sells component racks. I bought my rack from Office Max for $75. I liked it so much I bought 2 more. I have two complete systems (theater room and living room) sharing the 3 racks. I also assume he sells power conditioners. I use multiple UPSs from APC to keep my DVR's running during brown and blackouts. I also use one on my projector so that it can be shut down and have the fan keep cooling the bulb.

10. I use the Logitech Harmony 880. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. My wife doesn't need to know that to listen to surround sound on one DVR requires that the receiver be set to the CD digital input. He presses the "Watch HD Tivo" button and the remote configures 5 different pieces of equipment and it works. She is only interested in the end result. As long as she is happy with my video and sound systems, I am able to upgrade when I want.

As I mentioned earlier, learn about this. Don't rely on a saleman to do all of the fun work for you. What will happen when your wife knocks the remote off of the couch into a glass of tea (it happens all of the time)? Are you going to call your home theater guy on a Friday night? You will be remoteless all weekend. I grabbed my Harmony 880 from the living room and re-programmed it in under 10 minutes. I enjoyed watching TV in the theater room all week while the replacement remote was being sent. When it arrived, I programmed it for the living room in 10 minutes and both rooms were back working. I am working on that waterlogged remote now. I have disassembled it 3 different times and should have all of the button contacts cleaned pretty soon. Then it will be my backup in case something happens again.

-Robert

Re: Need help choosing speakers

For me, there is one elementary question. Do you like to set up and understand stuff yourself? If you do, then don't hire the HT guy. If you'd rather let someone else sell you what he sells and set it all up, then hire te HT guy.

Re: Need help choosing speakers

[quote=vpulipati]Because we want all the wiring concealed and that involves making holes in the walls, running wires through the walls and cutting sheat rock for surrounds etc. I have never done that kinda work and don't even know what it takes to do that. QUOTE] In-Wall Wiring for your Home Theater by our own Wayne A. Pflughaupt. I had no idea how to run wires in-wall either. But I did it long before Wayne had his great how-to put together. I found out that it cost about $100 per satellite cable to be installed in the wall. I'm a cheap SOB and decided that it was worth my time to learn this trick. In our new house, I have run more than 1/2 mile of cables (RG-6, speaker and CAT-5e) with all of it being in-wall.

Type depends on the equipment. I'm sure your installer is wanting to run HDMI to the new flat screen. He probably wants to charge you $100+ for the cable. I know that Best Buy would. Monoprice has 50ft HDMI cables that are rated for in-wall installation and cost under $30. In-wall rated speaker wire is available at Lowes and Home Depot. In-wall rated RG-6 should be close to the speaker wire. It is a great cable because it can be used for audio and video depending on what connector you choose to use.

Those people are choosing form over function. It is called WAF here. Wife Approval Factor. A large TV is OK if it is above the fireplace. She wants great sound as long as the speakers aren't obtrusive. That's why Bose stays in business. It certainly isn't because of their sound quality.

If they are properly designed, then they should sound great. Definintive Technology has the Mythos series. I would audition them first though. See my first post about speaker sounds.

No. Do you have "dirty" electricity? Voltage fluctuations? Is it not a perfect 60hz sine wave?

I use the calibration system called MCACC on my Pioneer. Not only does it set levels, it sets and EQ and distance. All in 5 minutes. I can set levels and distance but it would take about an hour to do properly. I don't have the necessary equipment for setting an EQ properly yet. A professional would use an SPL meter for level, a tape measure for distance and a Real Time Analyzer for setting EQ.

I've been using my 880 in 2 room for almost two years now and NEVER has anything gotten out of sync like that. If it does, there is a help key to synch things back up. If you want to be 100% sure things don't get out of synch, then the Harmony 890 is a step above. It uses RF between the remote and the base station. The base station has IR emmitters that send the signals directly to the equipment with no chance of someone accidentally blocking it. How does RTI do this so it won't have the same problem? Everyone is coming out with activity based remotes but Harmony was the first. My mother-in-law not only knows how to use one, she actually programmed hers. I know you don't know her but if she can do it then anyone can.

I know it sounds like I am telling you to install everything yourself. I am. But if you are not a handyman type guy, then go with the installer. If you a handy guy but lack the home theater knowledge, then give it a try. We are here to help. You didn't put your location in your profile. If you are in the Memphis, TN area I will be glad to give you a hand with the installation.

-Robert