northridge speaker size Vs price (1 Viewer)

[DerekCV]

I was looking at both the primus lines and the northridege lines for my 7.1 setup. I'm now learning toward the northridge line for 2 reasons: first, because I would like to have something larger then a 6 1/2 main, and secondly because I think the cherry finish would got better in the room.... ok that may not be the best reason, but still.

When comparing prices of the various Northridge floor standing speakers the I found that the E90 is about $55 more a piece then the E80 and the E100 are about $55 more then the E90. So for the price differences which is the best route to go? Does the extra $55 to go up to the next level justify it? At what point does it become less value added? I could nickel and dime myself to death.

Oh and I plan on going with the E10’s for surrounds and EC35 for center.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[John S]

A little more about your application???

For HT with a powered sub, probably not worth it.

For 50% music use, probably worth it, especially if your into listening to music in 2 channel. Also probably worth it if your into hi-rez multi-channel audio. (SACD) as well where bass management often lacks.

Dual 10"'s in mains.. wowsers.. I thought I was bad in this modern small speaker world with a single 8" driver in my speakers.

Have you been able to audition them at all? One my sound better to you than the other.

The Rock Music guys, tend to like things like dual 10" low end drivers. Other music fans often like a more delicate soundstage / imaging. Really hard to say indeed as to your specific question.

Both would make fine speakers for audio and ht use for sure, this is a pretty big step up from what most of us are using.

 

[DerekCV]

I plan on using them for about 33% music, 33% movies, and 33% TV. I havn't gotten in the SACD of anthing like that yet.

I have listened to the E60's and E80's but they didn't have the 90's or 100's there.

 

[ray tubach]

derek, I'm in the same boat here with regard to choosing between the E80 or E90. I have all but ruled out the E100's as they seem TOO big for my 95% HT use. I figure if I need the 100's for critical music listening, then I'm in the wrong speaker line altogether. aaaaaaand, if I DO ever consider upgrading, I'd like a good reason to present to SWMBO, and the lower cost associated with the E80's make that a smaller step to take.

Now, to get to the meat of the matter, given thatI WILL be using a sub for my 5.1 HT, would the difference in the 90's over the 80's just be wasted???

*** CONE OF SILENCE ON *** : and no Mikey, I'm not beating a dead horse, I've got PLENTY of time to make a decision, and I don't mind discussing all the possible issues in the meantime. *** CONE OF SILENCE OFF ***

 

[MikeyWeitz]

Nope, not beating a dead horse, just beating your brains in. That's what makes this soo much fun

I am glad I don't have to do it all over again,lol

I loved the 90's when I heard them, slightly more so then the 80's, but at the time, the 80's were in my budget and the extra 120 for the 90's was not. Altho I am very happy with the 80's, I still say you should go for the 90's.

My only concern for you Ray is you are taking so long to decide, that you are missing out on actually enjoying them.

No matter which you choose, you will win either way Ray

 

[PeterK]

I would go with the cheaper 80s and maybe get 30s for surrounds instead of 10s unless you are getting the 10s because of size issues then spend the money on the 90s

 

[Geoff Rinella]

I went to Best Buy and listened to the E60s and E80s. I couldn't find a retailer in town who had the E90s or E100s. The E80s blew the E60s away. They had a much fuller sound. Even my GF who claims to not hear a difference in speakers said the E80s sounded nicer.

My E80s are on the way, and should be here on Friday. I chose not to buy the E100s or E90s for a couple of reasons (other then not having heard them). The woofers in the E60s and E100s are both low passed at 1000Hz. The E80s and E90s are low passed at 300Hz. I figured that the E100s would sound similar to the E60s since they share a xover. The E90s only play 3Hz lower then the E80s, and I will be using mine with a sub. So, to me, the extra cash (for 3Hz of lower extension) on the E90s wasn't worth it.

 

[DerekCV]

I heard that about the crossover points.. that would stear me away from the 100's more towards the 80's.

I would love to get the e50's as surrounds.. that way all the drivers would match... but then that would be streching the budget and I have one wall that is encloses the HVAC duct, that isn't very tall from top to bottom, and a speaker needs to mount there, so I don't want a huge speaker hanging below the wall.

Also I really wanted the larger fronts for music, surrounds don't matter there.

Good ideas.. keep them comming.

D

 

[ray tubach]

Geoff, very lucid and clear reasoning. this is a more specific answer that I have been looking for.

but the midrange in all of these speakers is their 4". are you saying that it would be a better driver to handle the freq. between 300 and 1,000Hz than the 6" or 8" drivers in the E80 or 90?

the EC35 low passes at 800Hz, with everything between there and 3200 into the 3" mid. what, if anything, does that have to do with your above reasoning?

thanks for your thoughts, Geoff.

 

[JoeyR]

You can buy the E30s online now for the same as the E10s, go with them for rears

Also do you know that the Northridge series is timbre matched to SVS:wink:

 

[Geoff Rinella]

I really don't know the answer to your question. I can tell you from my listening experience at BB that the single 8" crossed at 1000Hz did not sound as good to me. Maybe it's not fair to say a pair of 10s at the the same crossover point will sound the same as a single 8"? The E80s sounded so good though, that it really doesn't matter to me, and now that they're on their way, I'll probably never know what I'm missing.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable with HT will chime in. BTW, my listening test was all music. I listened to a little bit of rock, jazz and classical, and the E60s fell short on all of them.

 

[ray tubach]

OK Geoff, that is starting to wick up the dim bulb that is my brain. so at the risk of oversimplifying this, it seems that the "personality" (for lack of a better word) of the sound, is largely a factor of where the freqs. cross into the mid and tweet, and the "extension" is mainly the woof's duty? interesting.

if so, that makes sense and would account very well for why the E80 and 90 sound similar except for the bass extension. that being the case, I agree that I would prefer to invest the additional $ of the E90 into a better sub.

thanks for your replies.

 

[John S]

That is very wise... Most people I come across that aren't happy with their speakers. Seem to be very happy with them, once I get them to anti up for a better subwoofer.