Best 5.1 Speaker System For Under $1500 Canadian? (1 Viewer)

[DavidBelis]

I'm finally assembling a fairly high quality home theatre for myself, and I need help with the speakers. (It's high quality by my standards, at least. It doesn't compare to some of the incredible systems I've seen people mention around this message board).


Anyways, I bought a 5.1 Bose Acoustimass 10 Version 3 speaker set, and everyone I've talked to says that Bose is overpriced, and that for that amount, I can get much higher quality stuff from brand names such as Paradigm or Polk Audio.

Anyways, I've been researching Paradigm speakers a little bit, and can't find any dealers in my area. (Toronto, Canada).


So, as fars as Polk Audio goes, what's the best 5.1 system I could possibly get for under $1500 CDN (about $1000 US).

I've heard that the LSi series is supposed to be very good for its price, but that's the extent of my knowledge regarding speakers.

Can someone please give me suggestions as to what's the best set of 5.1 speakers (I don't need the 6th, rear speaker) is within my budget?

Thank you.

 

[Jason GT]

You're from Canada - don't buy Polk, buy Canadian!
All the companies discussed below are Canadian, but believe it or not it wasn't intentional!
Paradigm Dealer (heheh) locator
Try that link, I would be extremely surprised if you can't find a Paradigm dealer in the GTA.
I am in a similar position to you, budget-wise. For the Paradigms, you'll probably be looking at Titans and a CC with ATom surrounds and a sub, which will probably be about $1500. The Titans were pretty good speakers, definitely great value.
I ended up getting PSB Alphas; four Alpha Bs, an Alpha C and pair of stands ran me about $850 after tax. Adding a sub should bring things up to around $1500. These guys sound pretty good and, too, represent great value.
Sorry I can't help you out with Polk, but another thing you may want to check out is Energy Take 5.2; there's a good amount of positive press. A set of 5 sats plus a sub should be in the neighborhood of 1,500 Loonies.
Don't forget to budget for stands/brackets, connectors and wires.

 

[SeanWillis]

Polk RM6700 series and you could probably upgrade to the PSW404 subwoofer all for under $1500. Nice review at cnet.com. The LSi series are nice but can be pricey and more than likely will go over you budget with a subwoofer. MRSP are listed on www.polkaudio.com site.
Cheers,
Sean

 

[john:th]

Actually, Kromer Radio sells Paradigm speakers. Dont' know if they'll have the exact models you want but I'm sure you can get it ordered. Also, check out Paradigms website because they'll give you a list of their dealers (by your postal code). They also have dealers in Hamilton if you want to do some price matching.
Its unfortunate that we can't just go to Paradigm as they're location in North York and cut off the middle man though

 

[ernie.bin]

I picked up my titan/atom/cc-170/pdr-10 setup for about $1000 cad before stands. so after tax and stands, it's pretty close to $1500.

Maybe put a cc-270 to match the titans up front? my cc-170 sounds quite nice with my titans though. Consider a pdr-12 too if it fits in your budget.

 

[DavidBelis]

Are the prices listed at the Paradigm homepage (www.paradigm.com) generally accurate, or are they inflated?
Because I was thinking about getting Titans / CC 170 / ADP 170 / PDR 10, however that already runs over my budget, since accoring to the site, it's $1216 US, which after tax and everything will probably end up being like $2200 Canadian, which is out of my price range.
So, do the prices listed there run high, or do I have to pick cheaper components in building my system?

 

[Chris Quinn]

In the U.S. actual street price is 10-15% off MSRP for Paradigm. Go to cheaphometheater.com for reviews of several very nice smaller systems.

I don't know if you have to pay anything to import something. My recommendation is Ascend Acoustics(ascendacoustic.com). If you get the CBM-170's across the front with the HTM-200 surrounds you're at $700 US. Get present top value sub; the DLS 10 sub from partsexpress.com for $100 US and even with some stands and shipping you should be under budget.

I replaced a Paradigm Mini-Monitor/Atoms setup with the 170's and the 170's are so much better. Read reviews of Ascend in $ensibleSound Issue 92 and at cheaphometheater.com.

 

[ernie.bin]

I find that US MSRP is usually the same dollar figure I'll actually pay at my canadian retailer once I tell him to give me the real price of anything.

I'm pretty sure I could walk out with Titans / CC 170 / ADP 170 / PDR 10 for $1200 cad.

 

[george king]

Since you are in Canada, Paradigm is the obvious suggestion. However, you might also want to check out another highly regarded Canadian speaker company. Totem Acoustics www.totemacoustic.com They have the new Dreamcatcher system that is getting rave reviews. I do not know the canadian price though.
Hope this helps.

 

[Marty M]

Another vote for Paradigm. I have the Monitor series and love the sound. Since you are buying a complete speaker system, you should be able to negotiate a 10 - 15% discount. You might see if the Mini-Monitors are in your budget.

 

[DavidBelis]

Out of curiosity, how do those speakers (the Titans/CC170/ADP 170/PDR10) compare to my friend's 5.1 system?

I'm not sure what sub or center he's got (they're some kind of JBL), but he's got 2 JBL S310s in front and 2 JBL S26's in back.

 

[James Bergeron]

Or the Dahlquist line, you should be able to get a nice setup for $1500 easy! Or the Axioms.

Go listen to the Dahlquists, they are worth a listen for sure!

 

[Dustin B]

Three of these:
http://www.gr-research.com/performer/av1plus.htm
Two of these:
http://www.gr-research.com/performer/av1.htm
And something Similar to one of the subs I built (see my sig).
All the parts will come in at just under your budget. MDF is cheap, save some more and put a nice finish on them later.
Performance wise, will be a step above a full Paradigm Studio Reference setup for just a little more than you'd pay for the sub alone.
Here's a CDN dealer that should be able to get you all the above:
http://www.creativesound.ca

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I'd take the Paradigms over that JBL setup you mention any day of the week. Much better IMO, and much cheaper too. If you wanted to spend that much on the monitor or reference paradigm lines, you'd totally ruin those JBLs.

 

[Mike_Gr]

Take a look at Paradigm and Axiom. Both are Candadian and even have the same parent company. Both of these companies manufacture great systems in my opinion. Value (what you get for your money)is probably the highest selling point for both Paradigm and Axiom.

 

[Tyson]

nOrh 4.0 ceramic package - $850 US delivered. http://www.norh.com - Way better than the low end paradigm and PSB stuff.
Doesn't leave a lot of $$ for a good sub, but my advice would be to build a sub, cause it's cheap, not too difficult, and can be finished to look like an end table or some other decor friendly look. Plus a DIY sub gives MUCH more bang for the $$ than even the a lot of the "high value" subs that are out there. For example, Stryke audio has a 12 inch woofer (the AV-12 for $140 preorder price) that will fit in a pretty small box (16x16x16 inches, or 88 liters of volume) that will just STOMP any sub you can find out there for under $1k US. Just build a well braced 16 inch cube, stuff it with polyfill, get a cheap pro amp to power it, and you are set.

 

[JohnBrianW.]

First off, I don't believe Axiom and Paradigm are from the same parent company.

In regards to speakers my reccomendation from the Canadian speakers I've listened to would be in this order

1)Totem Dreamcatchers (I have them and they are beyond good!)
2)Paradigm Studio-very nice, a little pricey
3)Axiom-nice speaker, build quality isn't in the same league though
4)Energy-Connoiseur series- ok, just something missing
5)Dahlquist-nice speaker albeit weak on the highs
5)PSB-nice for the price
5)Paradigm monitor series-too my ears very close to the Dahlquist, sound is veiled compared to the totems and studio series

Whatever you go with, stick to CDN, they all present the best value for the money.

 

[DavidBelis]

Tell me something, is my receiver powerful enough to power the Titans/ADP170s/CC170s/PDR10?
I have a JVC RX 8010V.
http://www.jvc.ca/en/consumer/produc...del=RX-8010VBK

 

[Edward Richards]

I would cast another vote for the Totem Dreamcatcher system. It should be possible to snag the entire system for less than $1900 Cdn. I realize it may be beyond your budget but it is certainly worthy of an audition. While the Paradigms in the studio/reference lines are good, the Totem's blew them away IMHO.


Ed

Fronts Totem Arros
Center - Totem Dreamcatcher Center
Surrounds - Totem Dreamcatcher surrounds
Sub - SVS 20-39PC+