Suggestions for Home Theater Speakers Upgrade (1 Viewer)

Hello, I'd like to start this out by introducing my self. My name is Bobby and I live in "The Sunshine State" Florida. I've always loved Speakers and Computers, but only got around to learning about computers. Now it's time I started to learn about Home Audio.

Anyways, I am still fairly new at this and need help picking out some speakers. I have a budget of $500 USD and was wondering what y'all would suggest for:

1: A Powered Subwoofer
2: A Center Channel Speaker
3: Two Front Speakers (preferably Floor-Standing)

I have a Yamaha 7.1 Channel Surround-Sound Receiver (120W x 7) and LOVE bass! The more bass, the better. Alone with 4 bookshelf speakers (2xBose 2xDual) with the bass knob all the way up it doesn't even have CLOSE to the bass I want.

1. Alright, the subwoofer. Like I said above, the more bass the better. I don't want ANY distortion at 120Watts. I'd like it to be AT LEAST 150Watts as I may get a better receiver in the future. I was looking into the 250Watt 10" Subwoofer from Circuit City ($120) but am realizing that subwoofer might not be the "good quality" I would like.

2. I definitely need a good-quality Center. This is the center of all Home Theater systems and will be what I will use for most of my treble. I would also like it to have decent-sized drivers because, again, I

60 minutes, and 9 views later, still no reply :frowning:

bobby, is the $500 for all four speakers? Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about the wattages of your speakers vs your receiver or get too concerned about it. Most sub woofers (seems like) comes with a plate amplifier already attached. If you like bass, bigger is generally better.

If $500 is your budget then I think you are going to have to make some tough decisions about your setup, mainly home theater vs music (my opinion). If looking for good ht, then I would start with a decent/good sub woofer and center channel. If looking for decent/good music, then I would look for the good speakers. Floor standing generally is more expensive.

But, in any event, I would do a lot of research/questioning here and other places. Don't buy spur of the moment type of thing, unless you see/hear something you definitely like. Try to listen to your speakers before hand, if possible, hopefully in your own setup or at least similar. Believe me, I know how it is when you get involved in something new and exciting like this hobby can be, but do a lot of research.

I can't really suggest too many speakers as I have gone to DIY. Have you considered DIY? Generally more bang for the buck.

I'm sure others more qualified will chime in here shortly. Good luck, Frank

What do you think of this?:

Center: SONY Center Channel SpeakerSS-CN550H-$$ 99.95

Specifications:

Center Speaker Frequency Response : 85 - 50,000 Hz
Power Handling (Center Speakers) : 150 Watts Maximum
Sensitivity Center Speaker (dB/W/m) : 89 dB
Speaker Terminal Type : Push
System Impedance : 8 ohms
Center Speaker Type : 2 Way Bass Reflex Design
Center Woofer(s) : Dual 5 1/4" Improved HOP Woofer Drivers
Center Tweeter : 1" Nano-Fine Balanced Dome
Rear Speaker Type : 1 Way Bass Reflex Design

Fronts: SONY 3 Way, 3 Driver Floor-Standing SpeakerSS-MF550H- $159.95


Specifications:

1" Nano-Fine® Balanced Dome Tweeter
150W Maximum Input Power
Frequency Rangeý45Hz - 50kHz
Screw Type Binding Posts
3 Way, 3 Driver Floor-Standing Speaker
8" Improved H.O.P. Cone - Bass Driver
3 1/4" Improved H.O.P. Cone - Mid Driver
Specs
Power Handling - 150W
Frequency Range - 45 - 50,000 Hz
Sensitivity - 88 dB
Weight: Approx. 24.9 lbs. (11.3 kg)
Dimensions: Approx. 9.5" x 33.4" x 10" (240 x 850 x 255 mm)

Subwoofer: Onkyo Bass Reflex Powered Subwoofer (SKW-204)- $129.99

Specifications:

Performance:
Amplifier power (in watts) ? - 230 Watts
Frequency response ? - 50Hz - 200kHz
Subwoofer Driver Size - 10"
Enclosure Type - Bass-reflex
General features:
Adjustable crossover - Yes
Adjustable phase switch - Yes
Speaker-level inputs ? - No
Speaker-level outputs - No
Warranty Parts - 12 Months
Warranty Labor - 12 Months
Dimensions:
Height - 18.6 inches
Width - 10.8 inches
Depth - 16.8 inches
Weight - 26 lbs.

This all adds up to $549.84 (2 of the fronts+Center+Sub).

And, I still have a little while before I buy this. I'm going to buy a computer first, then these speakers. I, personally, have had no bad experience with SONY. And my dad (he loves speakers!) said that SONY is a really good company. I don't know about the subwoofer though. I've never heard anything about them. And, yes, $500 for the sub, center, and 2 fronts. I'm only a baggage boy at a Publix Super-Market. So, it takes a little while to get money. Thanks Frank for responding! I just hope there are some knowledgeable people on this forum.

Bobby, I think you aren't getting responses because your posts are very difficult to respond to. I personally don't know how to comment on things like "I love speakers". That's kind of like saying "I love air". The fact you think turning the bass knob up all the way sounds good is probably discouraging responses also. I'm sorry to be dismissive, but you seem almost completely interested in specs, driver size and so on, so that is what will make you happy. Find the speakers with the biggest drivers, cabinets and cool specs in your budget and buy them.

Well, I don't want speakers rated for 80watts playing on mt 120watt receiver. Those speakers will blow up lol. Or just sound very muffled... Well, is there anything that you can recommend for someone who has a 120Wx7 Yamaha Receiver? Something that'd sound good playing alternative rock/rock/metal? Dismiss my above posts as they are stats dependent.

*EDIT*
Whys that?

*EDIT2*
Sorry, but my dad brought me up telling me that bigger/louder/more bass is better. I just can't help myself but do the same as my dad.

Actually, no. Probably 99% of speaker damage is due to having too little amp power, not too much. One thing is absolutely for certain, it will not cause the speakers to sound muffled. For instance, My main speakers are driven with an amp capable of delivering roughly 600 watts per channel at their impedance. Now, I have no idea what power they are rated to handle, but I guarantee you it is not 600 watts. The reality of audio is, it is virtually impossible to have too much power and it is rare to damage speakers by having too much power. Speakers are damaged when they are played too loud with an amp that is being overdriven into distortion.

As far as the negatives to turning up the bass dial all the way, that is far too much to go into here, other than to say it makes the system sound like crap, at least to me. If you like it, go for it.

For speakers, you probably want something that is very sensitive, so you can get the most wall shaking for the dollar. I'd probably look at Klipsch first. Unfortunately, you really can't get a decent sub in your budget, but I would save up for an intro model from SVS or Hsu. They will give you the most rattle for the dollar, but they will start at just over $400.

FWIW, I listen to a lot of European Goth Rock as well as some of the heavier American stuff like Tool, so I have some experience with getting the walls to shake.

Let me put it into terms you can relate to. What if somebody told you that they wanted a computer with a 19" LCD monitor, 320 gig HDD, Intel Core Duo processor, 1 gig SDRAM, DVD +RW drive, and of course the latest & greatest graphics accelerator video card...? No problem, right? But I only have $500 to spend... You'd tell them, "good luck" and perhaps to do a search on eBay!

You said you wanted to learn, so here goes...

Lesson #1. Can you buy the speakers you specified for $500? Yes. Will they be any good? Think eMachines from Sam's Club. If you have no problem with that concept, a set of Yamaha, Sony, Onkyo or better yet; a home theater in a box should work fine for you, and all will be available for well under $500.

Lesson #2. Good to great speakers are manufactured by companies, which specialize in loudspeakers - Klipsch, PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Definitive Technology, Boston Acoustics, KEF, etc, etc. You will find these and other fine brands mainly at boutique shops. You were on the right track when you questioned the validity of CC.

Lesson #3. Speaker blowing distortion, as mentioned above, is more the product of an amp UNDERdriving speaker. Not overdriving them. Once the capacitors in the amp are drained by speakers having a higher wattage rating than, and therefore requiring more power from, the amp, it loses the ablility to deliver a clean, unclipped signal. The result, believe it or not, is a blown speaker from not having enough clean signal current. A good pair of speakers rated a 100 watts max, will be able to handle a good clean 110-watt (probably more real-world for your Yamaha, with 2 channels driven) signal from your amp better than a pair of 150 watt speakers, which would drain your amp quickly, if pushing your amp to the edge of it's output ability. If you really do plan on pushing your amp to it's limit, you are better off either getting a pair of good bookshelf speakers rated at 100 watts or less and a good powered subwoofer, or get a good pair highly sensitive - rated at 95db or higher - floorstanding speakers, which handle no more than 150 watts max. The more sensitive speakers will make your ears bleed (because of their ability to go louder than a less sensitive speaker), before they will make your amp break a sweat.

Lesson #4. Now go listen! Even good speakers have different sound characteristics. Go into a store, which specializes in Home Theater and/or high-end audio and hear the difference. Then lean toward the speakers, which appeal most to your ears, when paired with an amp comparable to yours - the sales reps at these stores will know what to pair the speakers with, when you tell them what amp you have.

Lesson #5. So you say you like bass? Not to demean you or try to talk down to you, but do you have any concept of what good clean bass is supposed to sound like? Think of the kind of bass you like and then visualize an image. If it has anything to do with hip-hop and a car you can hear pounding and rattling 5 minutes before see its oncoming headlights, you may be on the wrong forum. Don't get me wrong. Most of us here like great bone rattling bass, but we like it more clean, punchy, accurate and well-balanced with the rest of the frequency spectrum! Not muddy or over-exaggerated. Onkyo and Sony will give you more of the latter, but if that's what you like (as somebody else said, here), go for it. SVS, HSU and other subs by some of the other makers mentioned above will give you more of the former, but as we've already said, you likely won't get it for $500. GOOD speakers will deliver a great amount of balanced, yet unexaggerated bass with the setting flat. That is, without turning the bass dial up all the way. My ideal amp wouldn't even have bass and treble knobs.

We don't intend any offense or snobbery with our posts, but you said you wanted to learn and this is a good place to do it. It sounds like your ears have been trained to gravitate toward unbalanced, boomy sound as a result of listening to sub-par audio systems your whole life. Time to re-train your ears and go listen to some good audio systems. That Yamaha is a good audio component. I own one. Now, go buy some speakers to match. But either increase your budget, save a little more, or take it one step at a time.

Good luck!

So, that means if I put my reveiver at 120watts, it wont blow an 80watt speaker? Alright. But, I don't want to buy the HVS and SVS subs... Too expensive. I'd rather get a Polk, or an Infinity, or possibly a Sony or something else. I'd get a bigger speaker/more wattage. Speaking of which, what's wattage do? Is it the loudness of the speakers? If I put my receiver on full-blast would it blow my 80-watt Bose?

*EDIT*
By the way, thanks for your guys reply!

*EDIT*
Are the above speakers any good at all? And, I can't raise my budget much... I already raised my computer budget and that's taking up most of my assets. It's a $950 computer, I started it looking for a computer that was $750. It was raised by $200 'cuz everyone wanted me to buy the better parts.
I, seriously, can't afford to raise my budget. And really don't care for the expensive SVS/HVS speakers. They are far too expensive. And, after this, I'm going to save up for my first car. I only make $6.75/hour and 13 hours a week (around $70/week after taxes). So, you can see I have a WAY lower income than anyone here. So, take that into consideration.

I just want to know what the best center, subwoofer, and front speakers for $500 together would cost. And, I'm willing to try out the "better" bass that you were talking about. I do like the walls to rattle and my mom to be annoyed though, it's fun to mess around with her sometimes. And, I mainly listen to music, not much movies, and lots of games. Is their any good combination for that? This will also be the main sound-system for parties.

I would like the fronts and center to be voice-matched and it can be any brand, as long as it's in my budget. Thanks for all of your replies so far... Now, to get this a habit in this forum:

Thanks, Bobby (This is actually the first time doing this anywhere, I just figured I'll be polite as everyone else is)

If you turn your receiver up all the way, you will blow absolutely anything you hook up to them. It makes no difference what they are.

In the end, the outrageously absurd watt ratings of receivers don't really mean much. They especially don't tell you how loud it will play. The sensitivity of the speakers and their maximum output is the only spec that will give you any indication of that.

I'll go back to my original suggestion. Find speakers which are really big, have really big drivers and have really high numbers in their specs, and are within your budget. That is what you will be the most happy with. Have the folks drive you around town for a while. If you are lucky, a couple guys in a van will offer to sell you some really good speakers incredibly cheap. Buy those. I am NOT kidding. I am completely, dead serious.

Bobby,
I have to agree with the other posters....you will get what you pay for and I am a living witness to that fact. I am now the proud owner of a 7.1 channel surround with a Hsu sub. My sub is not just loud, it is deep accurate and will shake my house because of resonance. not loudness. My mains are the JBL L890s. On your budget, you should be able to work with the 880. I have also heard some good things about the Sony 750 and they can be had at a great price. They also have 8" inch drivers. This will give a lot more bass and dept than the 6" driver on the 550

http://listings.ebay.com/_W0QQsocmdZ...e=search&fgtp=
For the price, I think this is a value.

For the center:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-SS-CN550H-CENTER-CHANNEL-BLACK-HOME-SPEAKER-SYSTEM_W0QQitemZ180088612320QQihZ008QQcategoryZ149 92QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So here you go, an upgrade to your mains and a lower price on the center.

Take your tine with the sub, a cheap one will ruin your setup and make it sound like muddy crap. I know because I have done it.

Here is a sub suggestion:
I have heard that they are good as a budget sub and not too boomy.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-JBL-Venue-Sub12-12-500-Watt-Home-Theater-Subwoofer_W0QQitemZ120090164429QQihZ002QQcategoryZ 3275QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I hope this helps.

Happy hunting

Hi Bobby,

You're getting good advice here. You should also consider getting (gently) used gear. People are always upgrading their stuff. You may as well take advantage of that. IMO a pair of good quality used speakers will get you further than a new pair. This assumes that you know what to look for, and where the value is too.

For example, I just looked in the local ads and found a pair of Klipsch KG4's for $150. As with anything used though, you need to 'kick the tires'. And if I added a AV123 X-sub or a Dayton Audio sub, I've got a start of something for next to nothing.

X-sub - http://www.av123.com/products_produc...s&product=12.1

Dayton sub - http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-760

I would build your speaker system in stages. Don't try to cram ALL of your purchases into your tight budget. Get better stuff by peicing your system together slowly. For instance, if you got good mains (left/right) you could foregoe the center channel. And since you say you listen to mostly music/games you don't need a center channel (unless you plan on listening to a lot of multi-channel music and surround sound gaming).

Bobby, you've been given lots of good advice. Generally speaking, Sony does not have the good reputation for "audio" products (versus "video") until you start to get into the higher dollar range (especially speakers). I would definitely (if at all possible) check out a store locally (if possible) that sells some of your "better" gear; i.e., Klipsch, Paradigm, B & W, etc., speakers. Just so you can get a feel for the different sounds out there. (I started with entry line B & W speakers for a couple hundred each a few years ago).

By the way, I, too, have a Yamaha receiver, but mine is older and not as powerful as yours. So, you do have a good starting point there. I think what I would do (since you have commented you will listen to music more), is to concentrate on two pretty decent main speakers. You can get good sounding "bookshelf" speakers, generally for less money than 3-ways and then add a sub for the lower sound (especially since you really like bass).

My son (a month or so ago) was listening to one of his cd's in his bed room on a cheap stereo equipment (but with big speakers). I could hear the booming coming through the walls. I went in to listen and could really hear the "boomy" bass, but I could not hear/make out anything else in the song (words/other instruments). I took that same cd and song and put it on my system and the boominess went away and I could understand/hear what was being sung. Just trying to clarify a little bit about good (or at least, better) bass compared to what a lot of people (especially younger) listen to.

Also, as an earlier poster advised, check out the sub on the Parts Express web site. They usually have good bang for the buck products (subs, etc.), and they are good, knowledgeable people to work with. Call them up and talk to them (there are other good sites, also).

But, in the end, what it all comes down to is what YOU like/want. If the setup you mentioned above "sounds" good to you, then that is really all that matters. There are almost always trade offs in this hobby, and usually money is involved. So, as I said earlier, take your time, do a lot of research (and listening, if possible) and then get what you want. And remember, there will always be bigger, better, more expensive equipment/stuff out there. This hobby is almost never-ending. We are always wanting to up-grade. Find something that you can live with until you get a little older/richer(?) and enjoy it and have fun.

Good luck, Frank

I think the problem with much of the advice given here is, Bobby clearly does not want bookshelf speakers. He wants big floorstanding ones with big drivers he and all his friends can look at and say "wow". So, go for it. Go BIG.

If that's the case then stay in your budget and go with the 8' sonys and the center. Use the money you save and get a decent sub.

thanks,

Thanks all of you for your advice.

But I have a few thing I want to tell you about it. I cannot (I repeat CANNOT) buy in stages. My budget is low due to my low income, and the fact that right after this I'm going to save up for a car.
I calculated how much money I will have after these speakers I will have, and it's just enough for a decent car (around $5000 in 2 years) And, like I said above, I'm willing to try out the "Clear Bass" that someone above posted. See if I like it better.
I'm willing to change my ways of thinking that bigger/louder/more powerful bass is better. And I really don't like the idea of buying used speakers. Every time I buy used it always sounds crappy and old. So, new is what I want.

I'm willing to get smaller speakers if they are considered 'better' by a majority of you. And, about the guys in the van, what do I do when I get home and the speakers don't work? Or the short out my receiver? I'm good with Circuit City, or Crutchfield, or some other trusted source.

Well. Being on the tight budget, I would go with the Sony 750s with he 8" drivers and the matching center. Both of these are priced well within your budget. As for the sub, I would troll eBay and get a nice one for not a lot of money even if it is a little bit used. do what you want with the sub but on your budget, the Sony mains and center are a no brainer. Honestly, if I was on a budget and knew about these, I would get them in a heartbeat. As for the receiver, save a couple hundred bucks and get yourself a pioneer 816. That will hold you for a long while and will easily power your setup.

Happy hunting

I want to keep the receiver I have now. It's a good receiver. Iy may be kinda old, but it has some pretty good clarity and it gets some pretty good volume and bass/treble. It also has a bass and treble knob, so, dependent on my mood, I can choose how much bass/treble I'm getting.

Did that receiver come with a time machine?

What? Can you elaborate on that? I don't get what you mean.