Can you describe your speaker/HT lifecycle? (1 Viewer)

[Frank.Ch]

I think I am at the very beginning of my lifecycle of an audio/HT nut. I have read countless threads on many forums about speaker choices, subs, etc. Almost too many.

I think it would be fascinating to discover how other fellow audio & HT nuts began their journey of discovery on the myriad of products out there.

Can you post how you began yours - what was your first system, budget, and how did you progress to your current system? How much more are you planning to upgrade/change your system?

I have yet to receive my Klipsch KSW-12 subwoofer an Klipsch SC-1 center speaker, and yet I am already browsing SVSsubwoofers.com look at the B4-Plus woofer for $3,849, thinking to myself "hmm, that's not too bad, I could order one of these." I think I've caught the upgrade disease before I have even begun to listen to my first system...

I'll start:

This being my first system, I really had no budget in mind. I was thinking very simple, so I had more or less $10k to spend:

1) 2 Laz-Boy Gallaries recliner leather sofas, for a total of $3,000
2) Yamaha HTR 5760 receiver, $399 (package discount)
3) Klipsch SF-3 package $1600 (had to buy the Yamaha 5760 to get package discount): KWS-12 sub, 2 SF-3 speakers, 4 SS-1 surrounds, 1 SC-1 center channel
4) cables/accessories - $200

Total so far: $5,200

I will spend in the future months:

1) Samsung 61" DLP, $3,000 - $3,500 (Hoping the price will drop soon)
2) nice glass multi-media stands $500

Total: roughly $10,000 after all is said and done.


Upgrade disease already creeping - thinking of Klipsch Reference series already, and Paradigm speakers, SVS sub, etc... Budget may go out the window, talking many thousands $$ extra... :frowning:

 

[Joey_V]

wow... 10k budget. u know u couldve gone with klipsch reference speakers with that kind of money.

 

[Frank.Ch]

Yes I know. I had to please my wife by buying the 2 leather sofas though. She likes furniture far more than audio equipment.

Plus I'm still a newbie in terms of audio ownership, so maybe I need to break in with the Synergy series first, and then let the upgrade curve take off from there.

I'd like to read others' stories about their HT evolution, and see what the escalation of dollars and equipment is...

 

[DavidCooper]

To get technical I started out back in high school always trying to figure ways to hook up stereo speakers to my TV/VCR!!!! I thought anything would be better than the TV speakers! This was back in the late 80's so a lot of HT gear wasn't around and WAY too expensive.

Much later on when I got a DVD player I had a bunch of mismatched speakers so I went and bought a new receiver (Yamaha). I like the sound and thought I was doing good...then I guess I got sucked into the whole hobby thing. Once my wife and I moved to a new house I thought "now is my chance" to get something much better. I still didn't know too much and but enough to know a HTiB wouldn't cut it. So I went down and bought the Paradigm Cinema Series speakers with a PDR-10 and I switched my Yamaha for a Denon 2802 (which I still have).

After almost a year I though "gee I need to upgrade". I went back and bought the following:
1. Paradigm Mini-monitors (fronts)
2. Paradigm CC-370 (center)
3. Paradigm Atoms (side surrounds)
4. SVS 20-39PC+ (yeah I found out about these and bye bye went the PDR-10!!!!)

Along with this upgrade I went to separates and got a Parasound HCA-855A..Wow what a difference that made! Great upgrade!!!

This lasted a bit over a year and once again I found myself wanting something "different" I truly felt the Paradigm sound was a bit on the bright or harsh side so I wanted to try a more "laid back" speaker. After a TON of research I finally started my upgrade with Swan's. Here is my current set-up:

1. Swan 2.1's (mains)
2. Swan C3 (center)
3. Swan 2.1's side surrounds (soon to be)
4. Swan 2.1's rear surrounds (soon to be)
5. Denon 2802
6. Parasound HCA-855A
7. Panasonic RP82 (the rare and awesome!)
8. Toshiba 50H82
9. Tivo (can't live without it!)

I think after I finish my total Swan package I will be satisfied for a LONG time! I think they are the best speakers I've ever heard and they sound amazing in my HT system....and yes I'm STILL married!

 

[Craig Chase]

Around here, speakers last about 6 weeks... is that a problem ?

 

[Frank.Ch]

Yes, that is a huge problem, because it's infectious. I've caught the disease now, and must restrain myself.

Instead of thinking "wow, I really love this system", I'll now be thinking of "hmmm, I wonder what I can do to improve the sound".

The problem for me is that I'm also a huge car nut, and I've been putting off the purchase of a Ferrari for quite some time now. Again, a want, not a need, just like my HT... :frowning:

PS - nice post, David, thanks for sharing!

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

I caught the disease (in a major way) from my former roommate. His setup consisted of:

Def Tech BP2000TL's
Def Tech CLR3000
Denon 2801
Sharp 32 inch TV
Toshiba DVD player

Before living with him I knew nothing of HT, in fact I thought all of his equipment (except for the TV) was a waste. Watching a few movies quickly changed my mind but still thought the cost of everything was to much. We were living in a average sized condo so the speakers really dominated the living room. After he moved out I realized how attached I got to his system and wanted one of my own. He talked me out of a HTIB and into the following, which was a great intro system to have:

Denon 1602
Energy Take 5.2 with S8.2 sub
Sharp 36 inch TV
Sony PS2 as DVD player

When I got an xbox I ran out of inputs on my AVR so I upgraded to the Denon 3805. A little overkill for the Take 5.2 but really made them shine and tons of features. After 6 months or so I came into a little money and thought "I have to get floorstander speakers". So off I went to the A/V shop and got:

Energy Connoissuer C-7's mains , C-C1 and then the C-C3 center, and C-1's for surrounds.

This was a great setup but unfortunaetly my girlfriend (whio moved in after my roommate moved out) hated the black ash wood and wanted me to get something nicer looking. After some discussion I agreed that they werent the most attractive speaker so I sold them and got:

Def Tech BP2006TL's mains and CLR2300

I used theh C-1 for surrounds but ultimatley got the BP2X's. This lasted for several months until I was using the C-1's in a second zone and realized that for except the bass output theu sounded better than the 2006's. You can imagine my dissappointment since the 2006's were considerably more than the C-1's. Again, off to find a better speaker which led to:

Def Tech BP7001sc's and CLR3000

The 3805 worked great with these but I had a chance to get a 3 channel Earthquake Cinenova amp for cheap so I added that to the mix.

Well, this combo only lasted several months when I realized I really wanted a big screen TV. With those 7001's a big TV was out of the question because there simply wasnt room for it in the living room. So I decided to revamp the whole system to accomodate a RPTV. Currently, my rig is:

Mits 48" RPTV
B&W 705's mains, HTM7 center, and Def Tech BP2X's surrounds
Rotel RSP1068 and RMB 1075
Rotel DVD player and tuner
SVS PC+ 20-39

My situation is probably on the extreme side but it was fun owning all this different equipment (I didnt even mention the interconnects - a whole nother story). I learned a lot of about HT in the process and now help many other buy and install a surround sound system since I have done a lot of the leg work in terms is researching stuff. Will my stuff change again in several months - who knows. Luckily I am able to sell the old stuff for close to what I paid but overall it didnt lose much money in all the upgrades which is good.

 

[DavidCooper]

Yeah..thank god for Ebay! I've gotten pretty darn close to reatail for all the speakers I've sold on there!

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

Amen to that! I look at this way, in buying all this equipment I am doing my part to keep this economy going.

 

[Joey_V]

good one andrew! lol

 

[PaulDA]

I started my audio trip in 1986, with a Pioneer VX2000 receiver (a whopping 25wpc), a Kenwood CD player (can't remember the model number) and a pair of Celestion DL6 bookshelf speakers. (these were acquired at the same time--I had a Technics turntable and tape deck waiting in the wings to join the system). In 1987, I sold my cd player and receiver to a good friend, and bought a Technics CD player with programmable features and the ability to scan into a track (critical for mixed tape compilations). I plugged into my roommate's receiver (we also integrated his RCA stereo VCR and 19" TV for our first HT). In 1991 I gave the tape deck and CD player to my brother and got a Denon DCD-460 CD player. In 1993 I got an Awia ADF-800 tape deck. In 1995 my turntable died and it hasn't been replaced (though I'm keeping an eye out for one that can play 78rpm as my parents have a huge collection I'd like to archive). In 1999 I picked up a second hand Sansui receiver (no more roommate to merge equipment with) but it died six months later. In 2000 I got a Denon AVR-1600. In 2001 I got a Panasonic DVD-A7 with DVD-A and a Sony Wega 32" analogue flat screen TV. In 2002, after an incredible run of 16 years (that's not a misprint), the RCA VCR died and was replaced by a JVC S-VHS deck. Six months later, in April 2003, the Sony TV, JVC VCR, Panasonic DVD player (along with a bunch of non audio stuff) was stolen. Insurance replaced the TV and VCR with 2003 models (virtually the same VCR and the TV also identical except the outer casing). The rest of my audio gear was in Ohio where we were living while my wife was on assignment there, so it wasn't stolen. In Ohio we got a 27" version of the Sony analogue Wega flat screen and I added a Harman Kardon HKTS6 sat/sub system, along with a Sony DVD/VCR combo (all of which are destined for the living room secondary system). I also got an Integra DTR 6.4, Boston Acoustics VR-M60s, VRC centre, VR-M50s rear, PV900 sub for my primary system. We moved back to Canada and I got a Marantz DV6400 universal player and a Cambridge Audio 540D for CD duties (though it also plays DVD-A/V) and my systems are now complete.

My original 1986 purchases are still going strong as the receiver, CD player and speakers are all now at my friend's house in his living room, in daily use.

My Denon DCD-460 is still in my secondary system, along with the Denon AVR-3600 I picked up from my cousin (sold my AVR-1600 to my brother in law, along with the Panasonic S55 DVD-A player the insurance foisted on me, in no way equal to the A7), the smaller Sony, the combo DVD/VCR player and the HK sat/sub system

My primary system contains the balance of what I've listed above.

I guess the cycle for me has been, until this year, a slow and steady acquisition of gear, much of which I either still have or is still in use. (the technics CD player is now in another of my cousin's systems, also going strong).

This year was unusual for the quantity of gear in such a short span, but that was because of the new house and a dedicated room for the main system (as well as a fortunate cash flow that won't be around for much longer).

Other than racks and speaker stands (and some acoustic panels/bass traps, possibly a BFD) I intend to stand pat for at least 5-7 years on major components (that was the agreement with my wife--I could get what I wanted within budget (speaker size and colour didn't matter) but I had to choose things of quality that I'd be happy with for a long time). Considering I went 17 years with my last speakers (and would have kept them if matching speakers for 5.1 could be found), I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got. Besides, I intend to spend future dollars on music and films.

 

[Bill Blank]

Cool thread! It all started for me back in '95 when I was a freshman in college and my first "stereo" that wasn't a boombox and my first CD player:

Koss Micro System

I then began reading Audio, Stereo Review, Stereophile, HiFi Choice, What HiFi?, and Listener as well as participating in internet forums.

In the time since I've had the following:

Receivers/Amps:
Aiwa ?? (Cheap, DPL,lots of DSP modes and pretty lights)
Sony STR-JB??? (Not quite ES but a step up from AIWA)
NAD C340 Integrated Amp (Still have in second system)
Musical Fidelity A3 Integrated Amp
Rotel RSP-1066 Pre/Pro, RMB-1075 Power Amp (Current)

Speakers:
Jensen (Cheap bookshelf models from Sears)
Bose 201 (yep, fell prey to marketing)
Infinity Reference 3
Infinity Sterling Series
NHT SuperOne
NHT SuperTwo
B&W DM601s2 (Still have in second system)
Vienna Acoustics: Mozart, Maestro, Haydn
Paradigm Reference Studio v3: 100, CC-470, 20 (Current)

Subs:
Velodyne CT-80
Velodyne CT-120
SVS PC+20-39 (Current)

CD Players:
Sony ?? (Cheap 5-disc)
NAD C520
NAD C521
Cambridge Audio D300 (Still have in second system)
Rega Planet 2000 (Current)

DVD Players:
Toshiba ?? (Cheap 5-disc)
Panasonic RP31
Denon DVD-2900 (Current)

Misc.:
AudioSource EQ
BBE Processing Unit
Sony ?? (Cheap MiniDisc Deck)
Sony MDS-JB920 MiniDisc Deck(Current)
Sony TC-WE605S Tape Deck (Current)
Sony PS2


I've gone from an $80 crappy shelf system to a primary system well over $10K...hey, my wife knew what she was getting into...

Bill

 

[Joey_V]

This is how I started until now... keep in mind that all my speakers are Computer Speakers.


2000:
Toshiba Laptop Onboard speakers - i thought these were good enough.

2001:
First 2.0 external speakers - Altec Lansing - 20$ speakers.

2002:
First 2.1 system - Cyber Acoustic 2.1 30 watt - $30 system.

2003:
Altec Lansing 221 2.1 speakers 50 watts - $50.
TDK Tremor 2.1 Flat panel speakers 80 watts - $80.
Philips 4.1 Flat panel speakers, my FIRST surround, 80 watts - $100.
Klipsch Promedia 4.1 Speakers 400 watts - $200.

I bought an Infinity Entra Two Sub 12" to pair with the Klipsch Promedias, but the sub overpowered the satellites.

Then my parents bought me a receiver - Yamaha RXV-530 (still used today).... I thought, maybe it is time to start a real speaker system. So I began my trek to real speakers with my trusty Yamaha 530.

These were my setups in chronological order:
2003
1. Yamaha NS-8390 (x2), Yamaha NS-7390 (x2), Infinity EntraTwo subwoofer, RXV530

2004
2. Yamaha NS-777 (x2), Yamaha NS-333 (x2), RXV530, no sub
3. Axiom M22 (x2), RXV530, SVS 25-31PCi
4. Axiom M22 (x2), RXV530, SVS 25-31PC+
5. Polk LSi7 (x4), RXV530, SVS 25-31PC+

I must say, my computer system is real nice now... very happy camper!!

 

[Kevin T]

as far as system evolution goes, i started with a magnavox mini-system. later, i upgraded to a sharp mini-system. then, i upgraded to a pair of jvc speakers that i bought off a co-worker of like $50.00 and hooked these up to the sharp mini-system. i ditched the mini-system in favor of a sony str-db930. then i bought a pioneer dvd player (dv-c302d which is still going strong) off of ebay. i later purchased a mirage frx-s8 subwoofer. then i upgraded to a pair of mirage frx-7 floorstanders. somewhere in the mix, i bought an acurus a200x5, a mirage frx-center, mirage frx-rears, and i bought and quickly sold an audio alchemy dde v1.1 dac and an msb link 3 dac. i also bought an sold a monster hts-2500 and purchased a panamax max2000. then i sold the acurus. then i bought another a200x5 and sold the sony str-db930 for an ead theater master encore. sold the mirage frx-s8 in favor of an adire audio rava. then i sold the acurus and bought an aragon 8008x3b. later, i added an aragon 8008bb to complete the 5 channels. then i sold the ead and bought an aragon soundstage. i then sold the 8008bb and upgraded to a pair of aragon palladium ii monos. next, i sold the mirage frx-7 and purchased a pair of gershman acoustics avant garde rx-20. i then purchased a denon dvd-5900 and gave the pioneer to my girlfriend. most recently, i sold the aragon 8008x3b in order to purchase an audio research sp-16l tube preamp. i sold the aragon soundstage to purchase a denon avr-3805. now i'm trying to sell the aragon palladium ii monos to finance the recent purchase of a plinius sa-102. oh the joys and agony of upgrades!!!

kevin t

current system:
audio research sp-16l tube pre-amp
denon avr-3805 receiver
plinius sa-102 (front channel amp)
denon dvd-5900
panamax max2000 (line conditioner)
sony vpl-hs3 (projector)
gershman acoustics avant garde rx-20 (fronts)
mirage frx-center (center)
mirage frx-rears (rear)
adire audio rava (sub)

 

[MarkusP]

My evolution was as follows:

1997:

Technics Pro Logic receiver
Sharp VCR
RCA DVD player (huge money back in 1996)
Pioneer laserdisc player
Cerwin Vega speakers
Sound Dynamics speakers
Cheap sub

2001:

Yamaha rx-v595a DD DTS receiver
Yamaha DVD player
Sharp VCR
Paradigm mini monitors
Paradigm cc-370 center channel
Sound Dynamics for surrounds
Paradigm sub

2003:

Marantz SR-7300 receiver
Marantz VC-5200 dvd player
Bell expressvu PVR
Paradigm mini monitors
Paradigm cc-370 center channel
Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds
Paradigm sub
Klipsch KSW12 sub
42" HDTV

2004:

Marantz SR-7300 receiver
Marantz VC-5200 dvd player
Motorola HDTV PVR
B&W DM602 speakers
B&W LCR60 center channel
Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds
Paradigm sub
Klipsch KSW12 sub
42" HDTV

Changed system to:

Cambridge Audio Azur 540R receiver
Cambridge Audio DVD300
Motorola HDTV PVR
Definitive Technology BP2006TL speakers
Definitive Technology 2003 CLR center channel
Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds
42" HDTV

Changed to:

NAD T752 receiver
Cambridge Audio Azur 540D dvd player
Motorola HDTV PVR
Definitive Technology BP2006TL speakers
Definitive Technology 2003 CLR center channel
Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds
42" HDTV

Just added this week:

Rotel line conditioner
2 Rotel power amps (used from audiogon)

As you can see - tons of changes in the past 7 months alone not to mention the changes I made to my second system in my office. Most of my items sold on ebay or audiogon to fund new system changes. I have a VERY understanding wife

 

[BryanZ]

The evolution of stereo, if one could even call it that at the time, to full blown HT system for me went roughly as follows:

Some cheap am/fm double cassette boom box with detachable speakers - Late '80s.
Sound Design rack/tower speaker system - '92

Hiatus for personal reasons early '98.

Dad's cheap Sony mini-system - late '98. From there I've owned/currently have:

Speakers:
Wharfedale Valdus 500s and Valdus Center (sold)
KHL 9912 (sold)
Acoustic Research 206HO (gave away)
DCM KX-6 Series 2 (sold)
nOrh 3.0 (drum series - sold)
ceramic nOrh 4.0 video package (currently selling due to Rocket upgrade)
nOrh wood 5.1 (have but not in system)
Rocket RS550 (current mains - using with risers)
Rocket RSC200 (current center)
Rocket RS150 (current surrounds)

Subs:
Audiosource SW-10 (gave away)
SVS 20-39CS (bought and subsequently sold 2nd, bought ISD driver for first)
VMPS Large Subwoofer (currently selling)

Receivers:
Harmon Kardon AVR-40 (gave away)
JVC RX-8000V (sold)
Yamaha RX-V496 (still have)
Onkyo TX-SR595 (lightning strike loss)
Outlaw 1050 (recently sold)
Yamaha RX-V650 (newest system addition)

CD player:
Technics PD-5 (still in system, amazingly enough)

DVD players:
Toshiba SD2109 (lightning strike casualty)
Panasonic DVD-RV31 (still in system)

Amps:
original nOrh Le Amps (presently not connected, possibly selling)
Samson S700 (powers sub)

 

[Michael R Price]

My goodness, I wish I had enough money to upgrade like that! Three years ago, I built a pair of Adire Kit281s. I bought an old amplifier (Audiosource Amp One) and CD player (Denon DCD-1520) cheaply on Ebay at the time. I still have them - I use the amp for measuring and testing, and I modded the heck out of the CD player so it's better sounding now. I built two new amplifiers, a preamp, and an active crossover since then but I have not exchanged any component of my system, except the crappy $200 amplifier, since I first put it together. The cost of every audio component I have totals about $1800.

I don't think that makes my stereo story unique but compared to some of you guys, geez.

By the way I enjoyed reading the stories. It's a long road to good sound and video...

 

[Kenneth Harden]

-Aiwa Pro-Logic bookshelf system with subwoofer ($500 back in 1996 or so)

-Upgraded to a pair of JBL HLS 610's (and then discarded the CHEAP center and surrounds)

-Got a Sony 300 CD changer (current)

-Got a Sony receiver (current)

-Got a Sony DVD player (current)

That sort of thing. In a few months, I will be in the position to do some freaking hardcore upgrades, and to not bankrupt myself, I might get a Denon 2805 and a subwoofer. I will know more in a few months.

 

[TonyWright]

Early this year I began my trek down the HT road. I had never owned any audio equipment of any kind. I spent many months prior to January of this year researching and studying different products. I decided to go with Swans.

Swans 6.1's for my mains
Swans C3 for my center
Swans R3's for my surrounds

I tried a Yamaha RXV-2400 but I needed something that was a little higher current. I took the Yammie back and replaced it with a HK AVR630. That did the trick.

Already I have upgraditis...

I am about ready to place my order for an SVS PB1+. My wife has no idea what she's in for there . I am also looking into Outlaw Power Amps.

I have also started researching and planning for a HT room for when we build a new house sometime down the line.

I think I need help. Is there a 12 step program for HT enthusiasts?

 

[Joey_V]

Tell me about it. I use my Polk LSi and SVS for my computer - it is going to be insane when I begin to create my true HT/2Ch setup.