Lookign to upgrade my Speakers and SubWoofer.. Please Help! (1 Viewer)

Ok guys currently I have a Infinity package sattelite speakers. I do not like them because they sound to thin for my taste. My room is about a 15x 14 with vaulted celings. I also have a infinty sub that is blowing. I have a denom 1800 receiver. Now I have always been fascinated about B&W speakers. SO i went to my local sound component store and the guy told me if i like B & W that I should try paradigm since they are better. I have roughly about 400 dollars for mains and 350 for a center and 500 or less for a sub.. Now should I get the B&W 303 or 601 or should i try the Paradigm Mini Monitors or the step above from the mini monitors which i forgot the model number. I know that they are plenty of speakers online like axiom and ascend but i rather go to a local store and listen to speakers before i buy them. What do you guys recommend..

As far as the sub goes its between a hsu vtf 2 or stf 2 or velodyne 10 inch or Paradigm pdf 12 or perahps the ps model.. WHat do you guys suggest. I want to get the best value for my buck and im into calrity and detail. I like a natural sound.

Man , on that tight a budget, forget the center. Spend the $800-$850 on great mains and spend $500-$550 on a low end SVS or HSU. You can phantom the center and use your old Infinity's for rears.

what advise is that. You can get good mains for 400 dollars. What i want is bookshelves that sound good. You can get a good center for under 400 dollars. and a good sub for just under 500 dollars. Can anyone else give me some serious advise. As this is what I seek

You asked for (and got) an objective opinion.

My advice is to start with the least expensive and work your way up to what pleases you. [rant]ONLY[/rant] you can make that determination. No one here can tell you how any given speaker will sound once you get it home. What we [rant]CAN[/rant] tell is that it won't sound the same as it did in the store.

Vote with your money and practice conscious consumerism.

hey Eddy,
Did you listen to the Paradigms? I think that the best thing for you to do, is have your dealer put the B&W's and the dimes side by side, and comparison shop 'em. If he's gonna make a sale off this, then he shouldn't mind.
If you want bookshelves and a sub then by all means get bookshelves and a sub. I did, and couldn't be happier !!
I purchased the Focus and CC270 ctr. over the Mini's because I thought they were more spatial. You may not think so.
For him to make such a blanket statement that the dimes are better than the B&W, is doing you a dis-service. Who is HE to tell YOU what YOU like?!!

Do a search for JBL S-Series, some of the best speakers ever, lots of bookshelf offerings, you can't go wrong with any of the line really.

My suggestion was in regards to how to possibly better allocate your funds. Right now you're looking at the Paradigm Monitor range - mini-monitors even. Which do sound good but if you reallocate funds meant for the CC, you can easily get some Studio 40s which would blow those out of the water.

My advise to you in the future is to not criticize the help / opinions that you get from members as others will be less likely to want to help you now and in the future. :star:

If you can stretch it, I would suggest you get:

DM602 S3s - Main - $500
LCR60 S3 - Center - $300 to $350
Sub - SVS PCi 25-31 $549.

I know it's a little bit over, but you will love the way that sounds especially if you like B&Ws

so do you think that the b&W sound better than Paradigm. How bout the other models above the mini monitors how do they compare over B&W

bump

You may not want to hear this but I agree with Ernests' sentiments. You said how you wanted to allocate the money and he offered what would give more bang for the buck if you allocated differently. I think your money would be better spent if you put the bulk of it into your mains. By settling on 400$ for mains 500$ for a sub and 350$ for a center you are just outside the difference between really good stuff and ok stuff. I am not saying you can't get good stuff for they money you allocated but by switching around the money a bit a lot more doors will open for you.
I would put as much money in your front soundstage as possible. You have a budget of almost 1300$ That is a good chunk of change to play with. If you like the Paradigm I would recommend Studio 20's or 40's with the cc470. Yes you would have no sub but you will have a great front soundstage that I do not think will need upgrading for a long time. You can then put away some money for a sub and use the one you have for awhile longer.
Or if you really want a sud right away maybe go for Monitor 5's, cc370 and a PDR 10. If you go to a dealer with a trade up policy you could trade the pdr 10 down the raod for a pw2200.
As you can see, I think the front 3 is the most important part to a HT system. I would say about 90% of all info comes from those three with the center picking up the brunt of it. The sub has the impact and WOW factor and is EXTEMELY important but I think it is the part that can be put on the back burner for a little while.
Also, Paradigm is NOT better than B&W......and B&W is NOT better than Paradigm. They are both great but have minor sound differences. Only you can judge which sounds better. The guy at the audio store probably makes a better commission if he sells Paradigm . Also when you audition, bring a lot of music with you....even if it is meant for mainly movies. With music you can pick up the subtle differences in speakers a lot better than with movies. Good luck

EddyO, I hope that someday you realize how lucky you are. You've got folks here like Ernest & Evan who will still offer up such sound advice even after that "what advise is that" line...

My view - Earnest & Evan nailed it. And since you asked, thank you, my $.02 would be something like go for the best mains you can find & afford. P-digm Studio 40s v3 are darned decent for the price (at least to these old ears) and as my favorite P-digm dealer says, B&W should be afraid, very afraid of the v3's. And this from a dealer who features B&Ws and I think actually makes more on B&Ws than Paradigms. They're both very good (but not better), as are Axiom, etc. (especially Axioms if you're set on your original budget). Yes, they are all a little different.

And sorry, but budgeting $400 on mains & 25% more on a sub is a bit suspect - and this is coming from a recent sub convert/evangelist. But that's just my opinion and reflects my preferences. Most of what I still listen to comes out of those 2 mains & with enough substance in those front speakers you could slum w/ a used sub (or less) for quite a while.

End of $.02. You have to know what you like - if the sub really is most important to you then go for it 'cause it's just our $.02 and your $1,300.

I just did a quick search on Audiogon an looked for B&W stuff. They had a pretty good selection over there.

I have had good success buying used speakers on Audiogon. People who are selling gear over there seem to take care of their stuff.

I would look to replace your front three and add a sub. The rears can come at another time if you decide to spend more on the front 3.

I ran bookshelf speakers with a sub, and that was fantastic for my application. Of course, each person's milage may vary.

I used to have the Energy Take 5 set-up. I was very happy with it until my brother told me it sounded thin. After replacing the front speakers with a good bookshelf speaker, I did agree with him. So, I really think that if you replace your sattelite speakers with larger mains and center, you will be happy.

Oh, and to me, a good sub is very important.

Jeff Aguilar

thanks guys you have been of great help. Guys I have another question. When i put my receiver semi loud i feel like my speakers sound way to bright and way to loud and not clear. I feel like i need to lower it down because everythign seems to play loud and thin are those more my sattelite speakers or my denom 1800 receiver.

IS the HSu vtf-2 which is the 10 inch or stf-2 better than svs. What would you guys consider the best sub for about 500 dollars. I am going to match it with my paradigms mini monitors and a denom receiver.

I'd go for the EPOS ELS-3 and an Adire Rava subwoofer

Could be both, but probably the sats. While I'm at it, I'll recommend some Monitor 5's, CC-370 and a Hsu STF-2 sub, which might be found at a CompUSA near you. I know the Studio line are better speakers, but it's rediculous how everyone always recommends them when someone has a "Monitor budget". Studio's cost twice the price of Monitors for each respective speaker size and will put him way beyond the budget. You should be able to get the Monitor 5's and CC-370 for around $775 and the Hsu would be $400, plus taxes so that would put you in budget.

The STF-2 has performance similar to the VTF-2 but is not adjustable tuning. You can actually find it at CompUSA for $349.

The Adire Rava should offer astounding performance for your money as well at $399.

Keep those in mind for starters, they're probably your best choice unless you want to up the ante to $600 in which case you have the SVS to contend with as well.


P.S. it's spelled "Denon" not "Denom."

Wayne, I am sorry you feel we are rediculous to recommend the Studio line over the Monitor line. We are trying to help the original poster get the best possible speakers for the money he has. I find that many people wind up upgrading to the studio line if they had monitors to begin with. With the money he has he can EASILY get in the studio line and forego the natural upgrade. I do agree with the system you mention, it is one that I also suggested in my earlier post.

Eddy, do not turn that receiver up too high. It sounds like you are experiencing the beginning of clipping. When sounds become unclear and thin sounding this is usually a sign of clipping. Do not overdo the volume as your speakers can easily get blown. I am not sure on the power of your 1800. I am guessing 70-80 watts "per channel". How big is the room you are trying to fill? Your room may be too big for thet reciever and thus you have to use more juice than you may want to. Let us know what the amps are rated at and the room size plus any openings from the room and the shape of it. Al of these things factor into the volume equation.

Sorry if that came out a little offensive, I don't think you're rediculous, it's just that he doesn't have the money. If he wants speakers to take home now and enjoy, the Monitors are it. I'd like to know where EASILY he could get Studios and a sub with $1250? Even with 10% off, 20's and a 470 will run close to $1400 with tax and he has no sub, which 20's no doubt need for full range playback. Now we all could just peice a system together more slowly to afford higher product lines, but some don't want to wait and some will be happy with a less costly product line. And you can always upgrade later and have fun comparing again.