Best, within reason, front speaker for diologue (1 Viewer)

[TristenEugene]

I was in a audio store and someone was demoing ElAc speakers that were $10,000 bucks each. The CD he had on was some blues music. The vocals coming out of there sounded like the singer was right there!

I just want something better than what I have. I have bookshelf 110 watt front and satellites each with a titanium super tweeter and one 3'' mid. They sound good but when I play some dialogue through this speaker and then I ask my friend to go and stand near the speaker and repeat the line, The speaker, by comparison, sounds like a speaker and his voice sounds 'real'.

Or maybe is the sound processor part of it? Such as a good quality AV receiver Vs. a lessor to do receiver?

Anyone care to give this a stab? What is a good speaker I can use for the front (dialogue speaker) to get good real sound without spending a LOT ?

 

[Robert_J]

Who is the manufacturer of your current speakers?

The speakers have more to do with the sound quality than the speakers. You will upgrade receivers many times as features and standards change but a great set of speakers will last decades.

'Reasonable' and 'not a lot' are not budgets. They mean different things to different people. A person in college with a part-time job will have a much smaller 'reasonable' budget than a doctor. We have both and everone in between here offering help.

-Robert

 

[MaxL]

AR used to use this as their standard of defining a good speaker. They actually would have musicians behind a screen playing live and their speakers behind another screen playing the same piece and challenge the listeners to guess which screen hid the live musicians and which hid the speakers.

Now if that is your benchmark, the only way you're going to find it is by listening for it, I'm guessing with your eyes closed. We don't know what your budget is and there are many great values in speakers at many price points, used and new. Go listen at, above and below your price point and your ears will tell you, usually pretty decisively in my experience, what you should buy.

And just because I don't think it has been said explicitly yet in this thread, all 3 of your front speakers should be from the same manufacturer and line so that they are timbre matched. This way you will not notice the sound change as it pans across the fronts. In other words, don't expect to pick out a great sounding center and pair it with your current speakers and be happy.

good luck...

 

[TristenEugene]

Ok. Thats fair I guess. 'Reasonable' to me is about $200.00 for the satellite speakers and about $300.00 for the left, right and center. About $1000.00 for the sub. About $1000.00 for the AV receiver.

Hows that?

 

[TristenEugene]

All very good info Max. Thank you! I did go to a demo auditorium in a big electronics store and I learned some things. I listened to, via a computerized selector, various speakers varying in price from $400- $2000. Between a JBL $400 speaker and a ELAC $2000 speaker I could tell a difference but not too much AND! I could tell no difference in the clarity depending on the CD/DVD that was playing in a DVD player and the entire mess connected to a Denon AV receiver that was $1100. So! All this tells me that the quality of the recorded material is a key,, maybe. I told the guy I have a THX demo DVD and some DTS audio CD's and he said to bring it in. He said that when I come in he may be able to connect some DTS MA and DD True HD.

Very interesting about the live folks behind the curtain thing. Thanks for that info.