Help me figure a few things out. (1 Viewer)

[Arthur S]

Paul

If you have room for a really big box, the SVS PB-12 Plus/2 will knock your socks off for $1300 delivered in black, or $1500 delivered in wood finishes. If that box is too big, the PB-12Plus, or PB-12 Ultra are great choices.

 

[Seth=L]

I do agree, since you have already selected many other larger speakers why not a SVS.

 

[LanceJ]

Nitro: I didn't mean to make it seem I was "pushing" that Infinity sub - it's just that I grew up listening to that brand as an audio guy starting all the way back in high school when I finally got my drivers license (starting with these).

Whatever sub/satellite you see that looks appealing, I really advise making time to go listen to them, even if you have to travel a bit to do it. And bring movies and/or music you are familiar with. Try not to let the dealer force you into listening to something unfamiliar that "sounds awesome!!" because this can be a great way to become confused: one speaker brand that sounds good with "X" recording style can sound crappy with "Z" recording style.

I listen to a lot of newer rock, punk, ska & older classic rock and watch many older movies (pre 1980) - these tend to not have the best recording quality. Highly revealing speakers like those from Paradigm and B&W for example allow me to hear pretty much all that not-so-good stuff, making for a relatively unfun listening experience. My Bostons have a slightly "velvety" quality which while still producing detailed sound, manages to also put some polish on those rough-ish recordings. But make no mistake: many modern soundtracks & CDs can still sound crappy despite all the strides made in recording technology (as weird as it seems, some of the best sounding music recordings actually came out in the early 60s). So it's the person using that recording gear that decides how good the final product will actually be.

 

[Nitro350Z]

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.

I looked at some of SVS and I think I'm going to get one of those. Is there a big difference between the PB-12 Plus/2 and the PB-12 Ultra/2? Or is it hardly noticable in a side by side comparison?

Again thanks for all the help.

 

[Arthur S]

Paul

It depends on who you ask. The Plus/2 is considered the sweet spot in that group. SVS is redesigning the Ultra with a ~14 inch cone. Some people think this might not be the best time to buy an Ultra with the new model coming along, however, if $1000 is not a big deal to you, by all means go for the Ultra

 

[Alex/d]

I might be chiming in a bit late...
But for speakers... try to audition your speakers before buying them if possible.

I'd try looking into the Paradigm Studio series, B&W speakers (600 series and up with as much money as you seem to be talking about), and whatever else you can listen to.
As far as subs... SVS is for sure a safe bet. You can look at a lot of other companies, but everyone here will say get the best SVS you can.

Also... depending on what speakers you may get, you might want to add a separate amplifier to power your speakers. Even though that Marantz is nice and powerful, having a separate amp can still help in situations.

The commonly overlooked items when setting up a new system...
Sources (aka, DVD player, CD player, ect..)
Speaker Wire (bigger is better)
Interconnects (cables used to hook sources up to the reciever)

I cant exactly reccomend a DVD player.. as the one I have only cost $70... but for me it does fine.
If you wanted to look into a CD player, I'd take a look at Canary Audio's offering...

But, I guess I'll stop ranting now

 

[Nitro350Z]

Again Thanks, This forum is really helpful.

I will look around and definitely test them out before buying, as for sources, I think the dvd/cd and HD dvd or BD drive in the HTPC should be a good way to read movies and audio.

as for speaker wire, I found out that the stuff thats already routed is actually 14awg wire, not 18. I went to a few stores and looked at the wires they had there, thats when I noticed that my wire was way thicker than 18 awg, went home and checked what thickness it really was, like I said, turned out to be 14awg.

For the interconnections, how good do the cables have to be? Would they need to be high quality and insanely expensive like the monster wire stuff or can they be just your average connections, if the length is nothing more than a few feet?

I'll look into the separate amp, if you or anyone has more info on a setup like this, I would appreciate it.


Lastly, I would just like to thank everyone for their generous help and consideration. I really appreciate it and I think that it's people like you that make this forum great.

Thank you.

 

[Alex/d]

I was getting ready to make a post about your house wiring when I realized you were talking about speaker wiring.

 

[Arthur S]

Paul

Speaker wire and interconnects have about the highest profit margin in the industry. Some people see/hear differences in wires and interconnects, however, this is a highly debated issue and blind testing shows little if any difference between $5 and $500 wires/interconnects. In any case, Monster is considered much overpriced.

If you have decided to use bookshelf speakers due to your space limitations, please note the following.
In almost all cases, it is best to set all your speakers to Small, and let your subwoofer handle the bass. Among other things, this puts minimal strain on your receiver. If you set things up this way, your receiver will rarely be called on to deliver more than 25 watts per channel. A separate amp won't do much for you unless you have unusually demanding speakers. Of course, salesmen will not tell you this.

To add to what Alex said, speakers will almost aways sound different in your home than they do in a showroom. They will sound brighter at home.

With an SVS PB-12 Plus/2 handling the bass, you should be fine with the amps in the Marantz 9600. If you really want the 9600 you should get it really soon as the new Marantz flagship is a way different animal (only weighs 33 pounds).

For cables, check out monoprice.com for good quality at a low price. If you want to spend 3 or 4 times as much, check out Blue Jeans cables.

Did I mention that the Marantz 9600 is being replace by the 8001 that only weighs 33 pounds?

 

[Seth=L]

Is the 8001 a receiver with a digital amplifier?

 

[Nitro350Z]

Thanks for the cable site(monoprice), look at some of the cables and they are really nicely priced.

Are they really replacing the 9600 with the 8001?? http://us.marantz.com/Products/1875.asp
Seems kinda odd that they would replace a $4200 reciever with a $2000 one. On their site, it looks like its just an addition to the line, not a replacement of the 9600.

not to seem rude, but are you sure?

 

[Arthur S]

Paul

I saw that too. No I am not sure. I can tell you that Marantz does not sell a lot of 9600s. Whether they will discontinue it is only speculation on my part. But if you want to hold off, you might want to just wait until next year when the receivers with HDMI 1.3 become available.

 

[tfarler]

As someone mentioned earlier, pick out your speakers first. Speakers are the most variable and subjective items in your system. After you pick your speakers, then pick the receiver that best matches the speakers, power, ability to drive the impedance of the speakers, the features you want, etc.

Recievers are much more uniform across the manufacturers (given the power, features, etc) than speakers are. Speakers are like women, one size/shape/flavor/kink doesn't fit all.

I like Denon receivers, just got an AVR 4306 that is just fantastic. But, the speakers I like are:

Phase Technology ( www.phasetech.com ), Premier Collection. I've owned a pair of PC-8.5's for 15 years and they are phenomenal. I love them (but they are getting old and nappy, and I've got some extra cash, so, as you'll read below, I'm replacing them).

Phase Tech (or their parent company, actually, United Speaker Systems, Inc) is the second oldest speaker manufacturer in the US (behind Macintosh). Enough salemanship, go to their web site and read, web surf for some reviews. Find your nearest Phase Tech dealer and go listen.

I've decided to go 5.1 (been a two channel man for a long time), and just ordered the Phase Tech PC-9.1's (latest flagship speaker, replacing the PC-8.5) for front L+R and PC-3.1 II's for Center and Surround L+R.

They should arrive in 3-4 weeks, hopefully just after I get home (currently in Bangalore, India). I can't wait, I'm about to piddle myself.

Ok, too much info.

Anyway, check out Phase Tech, and also, you can't go wrong with the Pardigm's mentioned earlier.

Florida Tim (or lately, Gunga Tim)

 

[Arthur S]

tfarler

your link does not work because it has this ) included in the link.

Just thought you'd like to know

 

[tfarler]

Arthur, thanks! Fixed it.

 

[Nitro350Z]

I'm just wondering, does this forum have an option that emails you when there is a new reply in a thread you made or participated in?

I know some other forums have that option but I cant seem to find it on this one.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

1. Click on User CP
2. Click on Edit Options
3. Change the Default Thread Subscription Mode to: Instant email notification

 

[Nitro350Z]

Thanks, for some reason I just couldnt find it. Maybe I just wasnt looking hard enought.

Thanks again to everyone