How will floor speakers evolve when plasma tv is the norm? (1 Viewer)

[JohnTKline]

I really like floor standing speakers, and they match up well asthetically with a rptv. So I'm wondering when plasma screens mounted on the wall are the norm, will it look dorky to have floor speakers along the wall? Will everything be mounted next to the tv,(center and mains+shelving for components?
I crack up when I see pictures of a/v products looking all clean and organized on a rack or a plasma just hanging on the wall. Where's all the wires, that's not like at my house. I guess it wouldn't look as good with cabling all over...

John

 

[Shane Martin]

So I'm wondering when plasma screens mounted on the wall are the norm, will it look dorky to have floor speakers along the wall?

No I don't think so. What I think will happen is a revelation in that their big box is not in the middle of their speakers which is messing up the imaging. The only issue we'll run across is folks whom have mains near the wall. It's recommended that you pull your mains out from the wall about 18" or so depending on the speaker.

Then again I don't think many folks whom are buying plasmas want "ugly" floorstanders anyway, they will want in wall speakers which to me don't sound that great.

 

[ChrisArmour]

Some companies have already started making floorstanders that match well with wall hanging plasmas, like Vienna Acoustics and their Schonberg series of speakers. The SCHONBERG itself is a long and thin aluminum tower. I couldnt believe it when Vienna Acoustics came out with an aluminum speaker, I want to see them in person.

 

[John Garcia]

The Schonbergs are pretty sweet. I checked them out recently. One of the most unusual and attractive speakers I've seen, and they actually sound good too. My local dealer does not have the Schonberg, only the Webern and Berg. I HAD to go see them to see how the tweeter is mounted. They have them set up with a nice big plasma, everything on the wall. Very nice.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Looks to me like a big problem will be the center channel speaker. I guess people will have start hanging them on the wall if they want it in the traditional location above the display.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[ChrisWiggles]

And why would an overpriced, inferior display ever become the norm? :frowning:

I hope it doesn't get that way. Maybe FP will become the norm instead .

 

[John Garcia]

I guess people will have start hanging them on the wall if they want it in the traditional location above the display.

If you mount the display a little higher and/or have no rack below, you can have the center beneath the display.

 

[Mitch Stevens]

I hope it doesn't get that way. Maybe FP will become the norm instead .

I'm sure that Plasmas will NEVER become the norm. They are SOOOOOOOOOO expensive, and you can get just as beautiful picture from an RPTV or a FP. Personally, I think that RPTVs will become the norm is they are EXTREMELY cheap and almost every person in the world could afford one, but hardly anyone can afford to pay $10,000+ for a tiny 50" Plasma.

 

[Tom Grooms]

We cant stop the Plasma movement. Thin is in, And I think it's great. Get the huge box out of the living room and hang it on the wall. That will make room for 3 identical speakers with correct positioning. FP is the way to go for HT, but I don't want one in my Great room (full of windows) and I like to watch the news...

$0.02

 

[Lewis Besze]

Yep, plazma is very hot,and as prices will fall it will take over from RPTV,in the near future,I have no doubt.
Front projector is the "enthusiast's" choice,and it always will be.You have to have controlled lights, screen, careful set up,calibration.Do you think most people wanna deal with that? And how about women,which do you think they would pick?

 

[Drew_W]

Check out the new on-wall Monitor series from Paradigm. This is exactly the reason Paradigm came out with these speakers. Very cool.

http://www.paradigm.ca/Website/SiteP...or_Series.html

 

[John Garcia]

The digms are OK, but they take a performance hit, particularly the center, by losing depth. I like the look. I prefer to have my speakers well away from the wall, and certainly not attached to it.

Haha. I just bought a new TV last week...16:9 HD TUBE

 

[Nhan_H]

Didn't AR started this "thinness craze" (at least with mainstream speakers) a few years back with their wall-mountable flat speakers?

I don't see plasmas dominating the dedicated hometheater scene, but may likely be commonplace in hometheaters-in-the-living-room scene, once prices go way down. Don't discount DLP sets, however, as they are getting quite thin themselves.

As far as wall-mountable flat speakers go, same thing applies above, but they'll have to improve on sonic quality, as well.

 

[Steve Crowley]

The problem with plasma is that there is a finite life to the gas inside and I do not know of any aftermarket companies that re-charge them. If anyone is in the Houston area and see what can happen to plasma go to the Hard Rock Cafe and take a look at plasma burn-in. These have only been installed for 2 years. I like the DLP solution or LCD projection. As the projectors keep getting smaller and cheaper the cost of plasma will never come close to this price point.

 

[John Garcia]

When I was looking for my TV, I took a look at DLP and LCDP, and found them to actually be quite good. Less weight and depth, clear picture, acceptable contrast (but black is not quite black on many). I was pretty impressed, but tube still looked better overall to me.

 

[Drew_W]

Another link to a S&V article on the same topic:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...&page_number=1

Funny, I saw those DefTechs at Bay Bloor Radio a few weeks ago, but forgot to mention them when I was talking about the Paradigm On-Wall Monitors...there's a list of other similar speakers and photos in .pdfs in that article too.

 

[JustinG]

Aluminum speakers, huh? I have teh Fluance ES-1s. Aluminum cabinets on them.

Good topic here. As for the floor speakers for plasma, I think that most people will be looking for aesthetics when buying speakers. They will shy away from the boxy types and go with something that is cleaner looking, though it may sacrifice some sound performance.

As for plasma vs. LCD/DLP. PLasma cannot compete. The picture quality on the plasmas lack the brightness and clarity that LCD/DLPs offer. Also, they burn in as others have said. With more companies offering LCDs now, the prices are going to be much lower than a comparable sized plasma. They already are really. You can get a 60" LCD or DLP for less than $4K. A 42" plasma will cost way more than that and you don't even get speakers on them which means buying even more equipment to hear the sounds!

 

[Keith Mickunas]

M&K has done some on-wall versions of the S-150s now called the MP-150. Same driver array, smaller box, not much thicker than a plasma TV.

Personnaly I think plasmas and LCDs are cool. For any room but the HT I'd like one of those. Sure it doesn't look as good as an RPTV or FPTV, but it sure is a hell of a lot more convenient.

But I can't believe so many people are debating the future of an electronic item based on it's price in a forum like this. Stop and think for a minute. Would CD, DVD, RPTV, computers, etc. ever made it if their prices never dropped? Less than 6 years ago I spent over $500 on a DVD player that didn't have progressive scan, component video, DTS support, onboard decoders, etc., using the logic put forth in this thread how could DVD ever become mainstream?

A 42" plasma will cost way more than that and you don't even get speakers on them which means buying even more equipment to hear the sounds!

Here's another pointless argument. The same can be said of an FPTV. Plus I'd rather not have had to waste money on the speakers and tuner in my RPTV that I've never used once.

Plasmas and similar technology definitely have a future. Heck, my mom wants one. She doesn't want something that's going to take a lot of space. And there's a huge amount of demand for that. But she won't spend the money on it, not at it's current costs. Still they've come down a lot in the past few years, and I bet in 2 years the price will be half of what it is now. Then they'll start selling big time. And I wouldn't be surprised if eventually some better technology comes along in a similar package that we will all want.

 

[Christopher M]

FYI You all are totaly missing one of the best new technologies. Organic LED. Promises to be brighter then RPTV, Flatter than LCD, and Cheaper than Tubes.

Its a few years off, but very promising:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-936001.html

Murdock

 

[Garrett Lundy]

When/If I get a plasma (I'm not spending more than $1000 on a display until the 16x9 format change is complete*) I think my floor-based speakers will be better. Because the center speaker can rest on top of a lower/wider component rack and be more at ear level, I think i could deal with a monitor 12" higher up than my current TV.

*And I be damned if I pay good more for a monitor that displays less than 1920x1080 (progressivly) pixels. So I may not get plasma when I buy my HD monitor.