Wife-friendly HT Speaker Recommendations (1 Viewer)

Hey Gang -

I am setting up a home theater in my newly finished basement family room. The primary use will be for movies / TV. I'll be putting in a new Pioneer Kuro 50" Plasma in a wall unit of sorts that was built for the space. I

I need to find speakers (will be using 5.1 setup) that will pass muster with the wife. She has more of a modern & clean aesthetic when it comes to these sorts of things, something that would blend well with the new TV. She definitely *doesn't like* the more traditional wooden-grain box speaker look. Also, the front L/R need to be relatively narrow (

How about going all in-ceiling and avoid the cabinet design issue altogether? (if existing construction will allow) I used all Energy Veritas Custom 2.0CMs and I've been extremely pleased. They're extremely adjustable. Separate variable mid and highs, switchable from dipole to bipole, boundary compensation. http://members.cox.net/ptpadilla/ht_table.htm

My Pioneer Elite plasma was going above the fireplace to begin with, so the distance from the image to the ceiling might be closer than you have planned.

Paradigm has the Millennia line that might work for her:

http://www.paradigm.com/en/reference...-2-20.paradigm

Mine really likes the Harman Kardon HKTS-15 set that I picked up. She called the speakers "cute" :|

My friend has that system. Sounds fine in his very small tv room, but I don't know how it would do in a big room.

How do you like the sound of the HKTS speakers, Martin? I've only ever listened to Band of Brothers on my friend's system, not music.

I'll let you know tomorrow. I just picked up my receiver so I am anxiously waiting to go home and hook it all up

I hooked them up and they sound OK. Not like they did at the store. What are the chances that they had everything at full. LIke the sub on max and the volume up at max? Also what about having a different receiver than what they said they had hooked up?

I'd be surprised if they even knew what receiver was hooked up. And sound-wise, your H/K 247 should be more receiver than those speakers need anyway. But their avr probably had more than the 50 wpc of your conservatively rated 247. More than likely a whole bunch of things accidently conspired against you to make them sound better in the store. But unless they quickly start sounding better I'd consider returning them for something else.

The B&W VM1's run about $200/speaker. That would leave you room in the budget to pick up a nice SVS "end table" to set next to the couch -- if you know what I mean.

I did some tweaking, moving, and such, and they sound a lot better now.

I have been fortunate that I haven't had to consider the Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF) when I have chosen my HT equipment. My wife knows that Home Theater is my hobby, and she usually lets me make the final decisions. Like I know that flower gardening is her hobby, and she doesn't have to consult with me before purchasing plants.

I would like to relate a funny story from a posting here about 8 years ago. When I was completing my home theater, I started a thread that asked - How do I convince my wife I need a sub-woofer? One person suggested I just go out and purchase one, and when my wife asked what that was in the corner, I should tell her it was a de-humidifier. We both still joke about that.

You should consider wall mounted Magnapan speakers. Since they mount on the wall they take no floor space and it will get the wire off the floor too. They are only about 1 inch thick, and they have no wood trim. They are covered completely in fabric. You can get them in black or off white. The off white will nearly blend into your walls (if they are white) and be the most unobtrusive speaker you or your wife have ever seen. When not in use they will fold flat against the wall. They are 46 inches long, but since they are so thin and wall mounted, I think they are a good option - and so does my wife. The center channel is a bit pricey, but the other speakers are relatively inexpensive, the overall set up will fit your budget. You will need that subwoofer. I have them in black mounted on either side of the TV (which is black) and on the back wall. Most people who see them think they are some type of sleek modern art or a fancy room divider, very few who see them when they are not "on" believe me when I tell them they are speakers. The WOW factor alone is fun, the fact that they sound incredible isn't bad either. Take your wife to a dealer for a demo, show her them wall mounted in white, and see what she thinks.

A receiver with an auto EQ, if yours doesn't, will make it sound better in the room. Also the higher end receivers produce cleaner sound, have more advanced DACs, more power with more dynamic range, better bass management, etc.

The HKTS-15 has power hungry speakers at only 86dB sensitivity yet can only handle 10-80W. I wouldn't recommend such a small speaker for any room larger than 100 ft².

Back to the original topic:

I'm a big fan of Klipsch for the sound quality. Aesthetically the reference line are like your average box speaker. They do have a more futuristic looking RVX package though (klipsch.com).

Something like the RVX-42 LCR can be used for the front three speakers. LCR's are the most aesthetic for flat panel TVs IMHO when all are wall mounted. In-walls are the next best thing if not better but require a bit more work.

Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 in piano black.

Orb Audio has a cuteness factor that may sway the WAF in your direction or go for one of the Yamaha Digital sound Processors (YSP-800/900/3000/4000)
While not a traditional 5.1 setup..they are supposed to do pretty well!