I'm lost... (1 Viewer)

[LarryG]

...when it come to buying new speakers. I currently have a Kenwood Home Theater in a Box HTB 503, which included the Kenwood VR-407 receiver, plus 5 speakers and a sub. The setup sounds OK to me currently, but I definitely see room for improvement. After all, the whole thing only cost me $400 initially, so how good could those speakers be? (rhetorical question)

I use my system for movies about 80% of the time, and music (including DVD-Audio and DTS CD's) the other 20%.

My question is.. if I want to spend about $500 upgrading my speakers, where do I even start? Do I look at "packages", or try to match them up myself? If my budget is this small, is it even worth it to upgrade at this time? When looking at new speakers, what are the important specs for me to check out?

Any guidance (however specific!) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[John S]

Replace just the Subwoofer, as with 80% movies, it will have the single greatest impact. Get the best one you can.

Then spend another $500 or so down the line, and do the speakers.

 

[JamesCB]

I agree with John. A sub would be a noticable upgrade. Also, don't rely too much on specs, they are mostly meaningless, IMO. They'l give you a general idea of how a speaker will handle power and lower frequencies. Go out and listen to as many speakers as you can to get an idea of what you are looking for. Everyone's taste is different. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

James

 

[BryanZ]

Absolutely in agreement with the others. Upgrade the sub. Do we see a HSU VTF-2 or Adire Audio Rava in your future?

 

[Ryan Frederick]

I was in a similar situation to you. I had purchased a Kenwood HTB-505 with the VR-606 receiver. It sounded good, for a while, and then I started to hear the shortcomings (the boomy, one-note sub, in particular). I added a Hsu VTF-2 sub earlier this year and it was a tremendous improvement. Therefore, I need to agree with the above posts when they advise to upgrade the sub for the most noticeable impact. The budget you have listed would be nicely spent on the Hsu VTF-2 ($449) or STF-2 ($399). Both of these models offer free shipping right now. If you can extend your budget a bit, there is always the SVS 25-31PCi ($549) or PB1-ISD ($599). I am not certain of shipping charges on the SVS subs. Happy shopping!

 

[LarryG]

Thanks for the quick replies, guys. I'm a little surprised by your responses, though. I originally thought that replacing the speakers alone would add more depth and clarity to the sound. Also, I've read that the center channel is the singlemost important speaker. It's not unusual to have a nice sub with cheapy speakers?

 

[John S]

If you were 80% music and 20% movies, I would of have said go for the speakers.

It is true that mnay subs cannot really keep up with great speakers with good power behind them. But the other way around is really no factor at all.

The sub upgrade will have the biggest single impact.
You can't really get away with just upgrading the speakers without also doing the sub.

But with the subs, there is no real matching going on, I just tell most to get the meanest sub possible, that they can afford.

A mean sub, will allow you to sort of help the speakers, by running the crossover way higher, the mean subs won't care, and the speakers and amps will be greatfull for the relief.