Floorstanders to match my setup (1 Viewer)

[Andrew_G]

Hi fellas!

I have me a Pioneer 514K receiver and a Polk 250-watt subwoofer (I know, most people hate them, but I chose these over the similar Velodyne and Infinity subs. I like them better.. Call me crazy, but I'm not high! ). Basically, I have 400 bucks. What kind of floorstanders/monitors would you recommend for somebody with my setup? It will be used for about 50% Rock music and 50% home theater.

And yes, I need to know what will best match the commonly-hated subwoofer I own (but I love it ). What I have a problem with on my current setup are my highs - my speakers only have mid drivers so there are no tweeters present. I would like one immediately, however They are some crappy 53-watt handmedown speakers, and I want to upgrade them. Do I go with a Polk Monitor 50 or 40 speaker, or do I go with something like a Paradigm Axiom series speaker? If I can improve on power and highs/mids sound quality in my price range I will be all set.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

 

[Andrew_G]

Anybody?

 

[mike>r]

Andrew,
Check out e-bay or the flea market at polkaudio.com for some polkaudio rti 70 or rt800i they are some great floor speakers that could be had in your price range, both speakers are much better than the new polk monotors that just came out.

mike

 

[Aaron_Mum]

Hey Andrew you don't have to worry about matching your speakers to your sub, just go buy the speakers that sound the best to you.

I own Paradigms and would recommend you go have a listen to the bookshelf speakers they offer. Have a listen to the Atoms, Titans, and Mini Monitors and see what you think. If you find a good store in your area they will be more than happy to let you listen to all these speakers. Tell them what sub you have and they can hook up something like it while you listen.

Just for fun have them hook up a pair of Studio 20s or the bookshelves in the Signature line and you will really start to understand of what is out there. You will learn more in an hour or two of doing this than you can anywhere else. Take your time buying speakers, its fun!

I have not heard polk or axiom speakers. Give them all a good listen before you decide.

 

[Ricky c]

andrew not to change the subject but how do you like the 514k.I just bought the Yamaha htr 5640 but was debating between the pioneer 514k and yamaha 5640.It's still in the box,it's a present for my brother.Just wondering if i picked the right receiver.They were both the same price.Had tried to research the pioneer but could not find reviews.

 

[Andrew_G]

Hi Ricky:

I like my 514k a lot. For the price you pay, you get the usual high-quality from Pioneer and that means as far as amplitude goes, volume, and sound quality. The only issue I have with this receiver is that it only has optical digital sound ports for some of the offered device-specific connections. For example, I can't get optical sound on my Playstation 2 because the DVR/VCR ports don't offer optical jacks. If I were to allow my PS2 to be in digital, I'd have to move it to my cable - but I can't do that because it has the optical connection going to its own specific conncetion for optical sound.

So basically, if you have a LOT of digital devices you want to use, and don't want to go through the hassle of changing the connections every time you want to use it, you may want to look at your other options.

I don't know about the competition, and what they have to offer as far as digital support goes. I only know that this is the best-sounding and highest-quality receiver of this range. The connectivity MAY be another story

To everyone else: Thanks a bunch for the ideas. I have listened to a few Paradigm and like the sound, but I have always been a bit of a Polk fan. I didn't know Polk had a flea-market section, so I will check those out and see if there's anything that tickles my pickle

Paradigm and the Axiom series was going to be a backup for me. I appreciate all the help!