My first 'real' foray into the world of HT. Help needed!!! (1 Viewer)

[amanWadhan]

hello everyone,

i have been reading about HT from around 3 years. at last i have got an opportunity to setup my first HT. reading about it and actually going out and buying the components is altogether a different thing.

i need some help from old players as i am stuck a bit.

Situation -

i am planning to decide between KEF 2005.2 or Polk Audio RTi6 + CSi3 + RTi4 + PSW 505 or Definitive Tech. ProCinema 100.

Queries -

1. i have heard that the sub of KEF 2005.2 has some reliability problems and is not very good. is this true? if so, should i couple the KEF 2005.2 satellite spks. with the polk audio psw 505 as this sub is 300W RMS and carries more punch? how will this combination work?

2. how is the definitive tech procinema 100 compare to 2005.2 and the abovesaid combination from Polk?

3. i have also heard that the mid-fequency reproduction of the polks is not up to the mark and the 2005.2 satellites are better in that area. is this true?


any advice would be welcome

 

[Victor Ferguson]

I have experience with Polk speakers and can give you some thoughts on them. The RTi series of Polks have good midrange response. However I would recommend the CSi5 for center, it is much, much better than the CSi3 and better subs can be had for the same price as the Polk sub.

 

[John Garcia]

I've heard the ProCinema 80s and 100s and I felt they weren't very good for the price.

I've never been a fan of the Polk RT/RTi lines, but they sound better than the ProCinemas. Many reviews say that the Polk's strenght is their flat midrange, but it's always sounded a bit colored to my ears. I have not heard the latest generation, but the latest satellite packages sounded pretty decent. I just sold my LSi7s because I wasn't entirely happy with their midrange.

You can definitely do better than Polk on the sub for the money. The sub does not have to come from the same manufacturer as your other speakers.

You may want to consider listening to the Paradigm Performance line. They should be in your price range.

Online, you might consider www.axiomaudio.com or the Rocket ELT package from www.av123.com

 

[Will-Layfield]

I have the polk rti line and I think they are a great choice especially if you shop around because you can usually get good deals on audio equip from bigger elec stores such as Fry's etc. etc. I would aldo like to back up the statement on the csi3. It is the only speaker that I feel the need to upgrade right now because I don't feel like it gets the job done. Also pass on the polk sub. How much is your total budget maybe some other ppl can make some more suggestions unless you have already listened to both sets of speakers and like those for sure. Good luck!

 

[John Garcia]

I forgot to throw in that you might want to get out and listen to the JBL Northridge E line. Once you give them a listen, they can fairly easily be found online for less than retail, and should be well within your budget also.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds to me like you haven't heard any of the speakers you're currently considering. My first recommendation is to go out and listen to as many speakers as you possibly can. Listen to everything you can both inside and outside of your price range. People's taste in speakers is as varied as their taste in food so take everything said by all of us with a grain of salt.

Personally I've never been a fan of Def Tech speakers, I'd go with the Polks over them. Never heard the KEF's you're interested in. I also second checking out the offerings of Axiom and AV123, the current sale on the ELT system is insanely good. That is a fantastic little system. Some others you might want to check out are Ascend Acoustics and Aperion.

 

[amanWadhan]

let me correct you as you are wrong in saying that i haven't heard any of the speakers. my purpose is only to get the honest opinion from the personal experience of the users. because when you listen to the speakers in a shop, they sound quite different to when you listen to them in your home. yesterday, as suggested by a user, i heard to northridge e-series E150P, E60, EC25, E10 and i found the quality to be quite decent. as the subject of my post makes clear, it is my HT purchase and i am being extra careful. i am definitely doing my bit by going out there and listening to as many speakers as i can. if you can advise me about the JBL Northridge E Series from your experience.

Thanks

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I would HIGHLY sugest lsitening to the e80'S (much BETTER THEN THE 60S) AND THE ec35 CENTER (BLOWS THE 25 AWAY).
Forget the JBL subs, go with an SVS. You can get the JBl E80's, EC35 and E10's for under $650 delivered, then go pick up a nice SVS sub and be done with it.

If you have a higher budget, then you can see if anyone in your area has some Ascends or Axioms to listen to.

 

[DavidCooper]

amanWadhan,

Maybe it's just me but your last post sounds kind of temperamental and a bit on the harsh side. Alex posted a legit response to your post and made some very good suggestions. Your kind of coming across a tad on the hostile side.

Again, maybe it's just me...but you will get far more responses if you type a bit "friendlier" so-to-speak.

 

[amanWadhan]

my response to alex wasn't temperamental. i was merely responding to his comment that i have not heard any of the speakers. i am not being harsh and maybe you are reading too much into it. all help is welcome and kindly received and i know that it would militate against my purpose, if i get hostile because i can use all the help i get. i wanted to tell that i am doing my part of the hard work. anyways, yesterday again, i went and listened to EC25 (my dealer doesnot have EC35) and when i was listening to the dialogue, i could hear a hiss (not loud, but unsettling and distracting)from E60 fronts.

Does E80 also have this problem (i could not hear it as it was out of stock and the higher models are beyond my budget)

I want to buy AVR330 as i am getting a really sweet deal on it (provided ipurchase it with E series). from what i have heard from various people, i am planning to purchse E80, EC35 and two pairs of E10's (E20 and E50 would not fit in my budget). So if anybody can tell me as to how AVR330 would fare with these speakers?

From the user manual of AVR330, i could make out that it has two remote controllers (main and zoneII remote). do i have to buy the ZoneII remote separately or does it come with the pack?

Thanks Mikey for the help and if you can give some more suggestions, that would be great. By the way, as part of the deal, i think i would have to stick with E250P. My dealer tells me that the subwoofer cable comes in the pack. Is it a good quality cable or do you suggest that i purchase a separate one? I am planning to go in for DAC or QED cables for the speakers.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I still would not get the e250p. WHat is your dealer prcing? I am sure that jandr.com or bhphoto.com will blow their pricing away.

There is about a 2 percent chance that the hiss you heard was caused by the speakers. More likely it was from source, receiver or something else electronic, NOT the speakers.
I wouldn't touch the E60's tho, go E80's or 90's.
You can get a pair of E80's from authorized ealer for $385 delivered and can find an EC35 for about $150 delivered.

 

[amanWadhan]

Thanks Mikey

it would be great if you can help me in certain other areas. first, though, let me elaborate the "hiss" problem.i could hear a distinct 'hissing' sound from the E60's. i placed my ear close to the tweeters and the sound seemed to emanate from there. the receiver was at about -10 dB. you may be right that it could be because of some intereference. but i am not sure as the receiver was atleast at a distance of 6-8 feet and the wiring was covered. can you also put in a few words regarding AVR 330. I found it to be pretty ok. Your experience?

I am definitely going by your suggestion and going for E80. are you using these speakers and how do you find them? i have heard that the spikes come additional to the rubber feet but some people say that you have to get them separately. know anything about this?

thanks again.