Help--Have Bose but want more? (1 Viewer)

[Chris Will]

I currently have a pair of Bose AM3 cubes for my mains, a Bose VCS-10 center ch. and Bose VCS-30 as my surrounds. In the past few days I've been reading about how Bose doesn't stack up against the tougher competition like they lead you to believe. I know that there are alot of Bose haters out there but they sound 10 times better than my old KLH speakers. But I want more ... for less! I'd like some advice on what you think is a better sounding speaker system for less than $1000. Around $800 - $1000 is my target budget. I want big speaker sound for poor mans wallet! I'd like to find some that overall produces a better full range sound (especially the mid to high range sounds) then the Bose speakers. I'm eyeing the Athena Technologies Audition AS-F1/AS-C1/AS-B1 Home-Theater Speaker System. The Athenas seem like a good deal, the whole package only cost $760. They've received some good reviews as well. Has anyone auditioned these b/c there is not a local store I can find that carries these. Or does anyone have some better suggestions. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for the help. I'm a newbie to the site so be kind. Oh, my AV receiver is a Kenwood VR-6070 for those who are wondering what is going to power my speakers. I already have a powered sub too(Kenwood 103SW). It delivers a nice punch so all I'm looking for are 2F, 1C, 2SUR. Thanks again. Love this site.

 

[Marcus Lewis]

For your budget and needs:
www.ascendacoustics.com
That is all.

 

[Mark Hobbs]

There are several good options for under $1,000.

We have Paradigm Titan mains and a CC-170 center that, when paired with Titan or Atom rears and a decent inexpensive sub (like the Sony SAWM-40) will blow you away compared to that Bose setup. Total cost = $800.

Use the search feature for many more reccomendations. If you put in the time (to research here at the HTF and auditioning speakers at real audio shops) before you buy, you will be very happy with your system.

I really can't tell you how much better your system will sound once you get some decent speakers. We aren't just BOSE-haters just because it's fun. They really don't sound very good at all.

Good luck.

 

[Raphael O]

ive been in that situation before where i want to buy quality/excellent speakers but my budget is limited.

for me ill go first with 2 mains in that budget and buy the others later - or save up and use the bose for now until you can really get some excellent speakers.

then sell the bose.

 

[Mark Hobbs]

Might want to check out this thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=101151

 

[MikeH1]

Sell your Bose first. They have a good resale value so you should get some decent coin for them. Then take that money + what you were going to spend and buy some speakers. Look into other Canadian made speakers just for the bang for the buck value.
Athena is an API product which icludes Athena, Sound Dynamics, Energy and Mirage. Also, check into some Energy's, the are a very well known good sounding speaker for a good price.
But whatever you do, don't sell your Bose to a friend. Friendships have been known to turn ugly

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I second Marcus's suggestion, an excellent brand that should not be compared to the Bose (a very unfair comparison).

 

[Guy Usher]

AS subjective as speaker buying is you need to listen to as many mainstream speakers as you can, I dont remember reading about a sub. . .Do you use a sub? Is it Bose? Are you going to buy a sub? Makes a big difference on which speakers you choose, virtually all bookshelf type speakers need a sub for HT. Even most large ones as well.
A little advise when shopping for new speakers "Do not compare them to Bose in the store" as they are known to trick up their demo spot, I wouldnt mention that you are thinking about replacing Bose speakers. I have seen people go home talking to theirselves after a salesman takes them back to the Demo spot and "Resells" them. The customer leaves thinking they are doing something wrong. Best advise is to be able to Demo them in your room, after you have narrowed the feild to a couple choices then see what their return policy is. . .

 

[Phil Mays]

Also, what size are you interested in. for 1,000 (less) one option would be Klipsch RF-3's for your mains and a RC-3 for your center. You need to audition first (obviously) as some people like a silk dome tweeter -vs- a horn compression driver.

Personally I think the RF-3's are giant killers at their price point.

Also what are you driving these speakers with?

 

[Kevin P]

I invite you to check out Aperion Audio speakers. Formerly Edge Audio, these speakers are a steal. The cabinets are gorgeous, they use Vifa drivers and an exclusive DiAural crossover, and they sound as good as they look. Their subs are amazing sounding for the price as well--they have 8", 10" and 12" subs. For about $1200 you'll get a speaker system that not only walks all over the Bose, it'll give $2000+ speaker systems a run for the money.
Just my $0.02, speaking from experience.

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

Go to www.norh.com and look at the norh 4.0 speakers. You can get 5 of these speakers (1 magnetically shielded) for $850 including shipping if you order the ceramic or wood enclosures. The marble enclosures are out of your budget.
Absolutely incredible speakers. I love mine. Especially the mids and highs. They'll need a subwoofer for home theater application.

 

[Chris Will]

Thanks for the feedback. My receiver is a Kenwood VR-6070 and my sub is a Kenwood 103SW.

 

[Rex Quinn]

The whole Audition line by Athena is great. If more people have actually heard the speakers, I think they'd get a lot more praise then they currently do. But the Audition line is relitivley new, so not many people know about the speakers.

Either way, Athena speakers are a damn good purchase.

 

[Jack Keck]

Chris,

As you can see from the responses so far, you'll geet as many recimmendations for speakers as there are posters. I've never been to Orlando, FL, but the fact that I've heard of the place suggests to me that there are places where you can go and listen to different speakers, albiet in less than perfect conditions, on your own and form some opinons of your own as you did with the Athenas that you have already heard. You would be well served to hear some other speakers that are sold in your area. Take some of your own music with you. Take your time. Enjoy the hunt. It's a big chunk of the fun!

Ultimately, you have to be the expert on what sounds best to you.

 

[BryanZ]

Now, what you do is go with the Ascend Acoustics S22-1000 (
3 CBM-170 + 2 HTM-200) system for $678 and a used SVS 20-39CS along with something other than your primary receiver to power it with and you are all set.

 

[Chris Will]

Thanks for all the input. I've pretty much narrowed it done to two brands: Paradigm or B&W. My friend has some B&W DM-602 S2 and I love the way they sound. An Absolute Sound sales rep (a local home audio store) suggest the Paradigm Mini Monitors and said the are very comparable to the B&W 602s. Any thoughts on this, is there a big deference between the Mini Monitor and the Monitor 3. I'm going tomorrow to listen and compare the speakers and talk to that sales rep. Paradigm Minis are cheaper than the 602s so I hope I they can stand up to them. Just wondering if anyone had some opinions about those brands when compare with each other. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Andy Young]

I did a test with stereo sound between:

• B&W 600 S3
• B&W 601 S3
• B&W 602 S3
• Paradigm Atom
• Paradigm Titan
• Paradigm MicroMonitor
• Pardaigm Monitor 3 or 5, I forget which, but it was a monitor line bookshelf slightly larger than the micromonitor

The speakers were all powered by a Yamaha receiver and the source material was some Jazz music I had never heard before played on a H/K 5-dic DVD/CD player.
The speakers were set up on a switchboard to allow me to rapidly switch between the speakers. The speakers were about shoulder-level when I was standing and were located in a fairly good acoutical room.
Disclaimer: my ears are not very discriminating. I also went into the store coveting the B&W and the cool yellow kevlar speaker designs.
My notes:

• B&W 602 was very two-dimensional sounding. It seemed as though the music had no depth or body to it.
• The 601 sounded much better, but it didn't impress me. I've heard lots of speakers that (for whatever reason) made me take notice. The 601 did not. The sound was reasonable and certainly not bad. It just didn't jump off the shelf and grab me. No wow factor.
• The 600 sounded identical to the 601 to me. Perhaps not quite as much bass, but only a very slight effect. I suspect that if I was doing it blind, I would not be able to tell.
• Paradigm Atoms sounded very good. They were noticeably better to my ear than the B&W 602s hands down. I was pretty shocked. I went back and forth between the Atoms and 601 speakers. There were different tonal qualities. I think I may have been able to pick out the notes of the music better on the 601. The atoms were smoother and offered a more enveloping sound. If I were studying music in order to transcribe notes onto sheet music paper, then I think I'd prefer the 601. The more 2-D sound would help me not get lost in the complexity of the sounds I was hearing. The atom, though, is what I prefer to listen to for enjoyment. It gave me a full sound that made it easier to lose myself in the music. Just a better experience to my ear.
• The Titans added more depth and bass to the music than the atoms. They definitely outperformed all of the previously mentioned speakers thus far.
• The MicroMonitors sounded identical to the Titans. I went back and forth about a zillion times and could not hear any difference.
• The Monitor 3/5 also sounded identical to my ear. I couldn't hear a difference between the Titan and the Monitor bookshelf speakers.

It was only after I was done with the test that I found out that Paradigm speakers were much cheaper. I had gone into the store to listen to B&W, the Paradigms just happened to be there. When I went home, I did the research on Paradigms and found out more about them.
Anyway, to make a short story long, I preferred the Paradigms to the B&W, even at a "cost is no factor" level. Similarly, the Paradigm monitor series didn't sound any better to me than the performance Titan.
I ended up buying Pardigm Phantoms (floorstanding) mains, atoms for surrounds (though only $25 more, the Titans were too big for surrounds), CC-270 for center, and PDR-12 for sub at a total cost of $1,150. The sub cost $350. Subtract that (since you already have one) and the 5 speakers would have cost $800. If you only need bookshelf speakers for mains, subtract another $225. Titans, Atoms, CC-170 for ~$550.
Good luck.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I've heard the 601s, and I thought the mini-monitors were better, AND they are cheaper. I can't imagine that the 602s would be THAT much better than the very similar 601s, that they would require a price nearly twice the mini-monitors, so I stuck with paradigm.

Andy's review was normal until he didn't hear differences between titans and mini-monitors. I have titans AND mini-monitors, and the titans are GREAT little speakers, but the mini-monitors are better, significatly so. They have lower bass extension, are not as boomy, and have a nicer sound. Titans are a STEAL at $220, perhaps the best near-200 dollar speaker on earth. The mini-monitors are also incredibly priced at $350. I think you should listen to the B&W 600 series, the performance series (titans), and the monitor-series (mini-monitors), and pick out what you like best. Hopefully you can do it in the same store, in a ncie room on nice electronics, and swap em out.