Need advice making final decisions (1 Viewer)

[Reid K]

My front tower speakers have come down to these two.
1.Polk Audio R30 Tower Speakers
2.Athena ASF1 Speakers
Just looking for your opinions.
Also iam thinking they will be put on a Kenwood VR6070 Home Theatre Receiver (great price for what it has 800 canadian BTW, unless you tell me different) I have yet to decide on a sub between these two
1. david sub found at costco canada (info in another thread)
2. JBL PB10
Iam also still in help with the center channel, and rear speakers. If you guys could help me with some tidying up advice that would be beyond great.

 

[Leonard B]

I have the Athena B-2's as part of my home theater and I really like them. The Athena's Audition series speakers are all efficient 90db+ and would be a good match with the Kenwood (I have the 6060). You can check the reviews of the Athena Audition speakers at the Athena Technologies website. I also have the David D-Box subwoofer. It is a well built, good sounding sub, and probably the best bargain for a quality sub in Canada (some may prefer the Sony sub in the same price range). If you're looking for a great sounding home theater package and don't want to break the bank, then the Athena's are the way to go. There is also a new subwoofer by Athena for the Audition series. I have not heard it, but the specs look good.
Hope this helps.

 

[Reid K]

thanks do the davids shake stuff? if so is there a volume control for them? Also any suggestions for a center channel, and rear speakers. If everything comes into place i might be picking these up next weekend. (poor car fund is going bye bye). Stupid private insurance is 5k a year for a 16 year old guy lol.

 

[Jason GT]

If you have your heart set on Athena Towers, go to whatever the Athena Website is and buy a center channel from the same product line (I am assuming that Athena makes such a product). You can pretty much do the same thing for surrounds (ie, buy speakers from the same line), though matching that isn't as important.

Since you have settled on your mains, thoguh, the center channel is easy.

 

[Reid K]

any advice for the rears?

 

[Leonard B]

My David subwoofer gives my home theater the "shakes"! A D-Box representative told me that the David can go to 95db @ 25hz, which is pretty good performance for a $300 sub. In my setup, I measured 80db @ 20hz on the Sound & Vision subwoofer test. Keep in mind, that was with the volume set to less than half. The David comes with all the features that you would find in most subs, like volume, crossover frequency, adjustable phase and binding posts in case you prefer to do speaker level connections over line level.
For surrounds, I am using three Athena Audition B-1's. They are on the big side for surrounds (according to the wife), but for surround heavy movies like Lord of the Rings, their size comes in handy for putting out a full sound.
I think that the Audition series is a great option for a home theater on a budget. It's a cliche, but they offer an excellent bang for the buck.
Hope this helps.

 

[Reid K]

thanks. I have heard I should maybe spend a little more and get the companies next step up in energy speakers. Do you think it is worth it or are you happy with the athenas?

 

[Reid K]

also the athenas iam looking at are the audition AS-F1

 

[Mike_Gr]

I recommend sticking with Athena for the center. Secondly, listen to the Athena surrounds as well. If you find that you do not like them, you can then consider using a different manufacturer for rear surrounds.

Mixing different speakers can work sometimes.....other times it can be a catastrophy. However, rear surrounds are probably the 'easiest' to mix as they are less crucial than the fronts and center. I know many people who have matching systems with exception to the rear surrounds.

If you decide against Athena rear surrounds, I suggest the Axiom QS8 or QS4 surrounds. They are simply an amazing surround speaker....one that you will find many people often mix into their existing system with great success (party due to the fact that they are quadpolar). If you search the forums enough, you will find many people that use Axiom QS8s or QS4s for rears while using another manufacturer for the remainder of their system. Considering the receiver you listed, the QS4 is probably the better match as the QS8 has an impedance of 6 ohms.

 

[Reid K]

so do you think that kenwood reciever will do a good job for the speakers iam getting? Lets say athenas for the front and those axioms in the back

 

[Mike_Gr]

I checked out the specs on the Kenwood VR6070...it should be able to drive the Athena's and the Axiom's very well as both are very efficient.

 

[Reid K]

So do you think I should go with that kenwood or a low end HK (most likely the 125, since that one is 850 in canada). Because if Iam spending the money I want to make sure it will work well. Also iam being told now that a sony sub is probably better than the JBL pb10 I was thinking about

 

[Jason GT]

If you are considering an HK and are willing to consider refurbished equipment, email Matthew:

[email protected]

for refurbed HKs (though he might not have 125s). Tell him Jason sent you.

 

[Reid K]

hmmmm which do you think would be better though that kenwood reciever, or a 800 canadian HK reciever?

 

[Jason GT]

As I have never heard the Kenwood I can't help you.

 

[Reid K]

fair enough going by stats though do you think it will be good enough for the speakers I have selected so far?

 

[Mike_Gr]

I wouldn't go with the H/K 125. It just doesn't have ample power for the speakers you are considering. If you are considering H/K, you might want to look at one with more power.......like the AVR525. The H/K525 and Kenwood VR6070 are roughly in the same price range.

Secondly, are you dead set on either the H/K or Kenwood? If not, please answer the following questions and I will gladly assist you with a few reccomendations:

1. How much power do you want from your receiver?
2. Will your system be 5,6, or 7 channel?
3. What is your budget for a receiver?

 

[Reid K]

1. How much power do you want from your receiver?
2. Will your system be 5,6, or 7 channel?
3. What is your budget for a receiver?

1. Enough to effectively power the selected speakers.
2. Hopefully 6.1 (which the kenwood has)
3. 800-900 CANADIAN. The HK525 is well over 1k here.

 

[Reid K]

okay iam thinking over the reciever again...Okay going through this weeks flyer i found some more possiblities. The following 4 iam considering
1. kenwood vr6070 (800 canadian)
2. marantz sr4300 (547 canadian)
3. Denon avr1603 (647 canadian)
4. Yamaha rxv730 (797 canadian regular 1000)

What do you guys all think? Are the kenwood and yamaha worth the extra dough? Right now these are the main considerations because a decent HK here is too expensive for my 16 year old tastes, and most upper models of marantz and denon are also too expensive. For instance the other marantz they have is 1200 canadian, and iam only prepared to go up to 900 canadian max. So which of these 4 do you think is the best overall reciever?

 

[Brian Bunge]

Mike,

While the H/K 125 only has 45W of power, the 525 only has 25W more. The difference it output will be almost negligible as a 25W difference won't be more than 1.5-2dB louder. Also, the H/K receivers are rated pretty conservatively. As long as the room isn't huge I wouldn't rule out the 125 completely.