paradigm reference in narrow room near walls? and what speakers to get first? (1 Viewer)

[Jody_R]

First off, my apartment isn't ideal for sound. It's long and narrow and the speakers will be firing towards floor to ceiling windows that are covered with fabric vertical blinds about 20 feet from their location. The speakers will be a max of about 4-5ft apart, and I don't have any choice but to have them about 1ft from the back wall. The right front speaker will be positioned about 6" from a side wall, however the left front won't be. It's all hardwood floors atm, although that's easy enough to fix.

The mix is about 70/30 music/ht and I listen to a lot of classical with the occasional Nine Inch Nails.

Right now I'm using some old JBL 800s which are very bleh. They were very boomy, but then I had the idea of stickign socks in the rear port and they started sounding a lot better...

I've read that the reference studios can be picky about placement. Will my room be a problem for them? They are front ported, so I'm hoping that'll help. Still, they're gonna be really close to the walls...

My next questions is in regards to a sub. I live in an apt building, and although it's solid concrete (obviously) and I can't hear anything beside me, sound does escape out the front door and travel all the way down the hall. For this reason, I was questioning the purchase of a sub. Would studio 40s be fine for HT without a sub? I could maybe go with 60s instead.. Although that my exacerbate my problem with being close to walls as I think they're rear ported. Space is also an issue.. I don't really know where I would put a sub.. definitely not at the front, so it would have to be crossed-over pretty low so that i didnt know where teh sound was coming from.

Lastly, I am on a budget. I can only afford the 40s and a receiver at first. Given the closeness of the two front speakers though, do you think a center would be the next thing to buy? Or should i get the ADP-470s next? Assuming I go with paradigm of course...

 

[mackie]

Best advice I can give is to try them at home and see how they sound. I suspect they'll be fine as long as they're not pushed right up against a TV or some other large object.

They will sound better with a sub especially for HT. They'll work, but you'll miss a lot of the impact on movies.

I would get the center channel before surrounds. The 470 center channel is a awesome speaker

You might consider getting 20s to start and use the difference in price between the 40s and 20s and put toward a center channel or sub. As you add speakers later, you can move the 20s to the back.

 

[Jody_R]

I couldn't wait and i went today... For reference, I auditioned B&W 602 s3, Energy C-3s, Paradigm Monitor 5s, and Totem Mites.

It was no contest imo. I actually bought 3 new Tchaikovsky discs just for the audition. I listened to them back to back last night, and when I listened to them today, I was hearing sounds I didn't even know were there... I know it's all been said before, but damn it's been a long time since I've heard sound that good.

I'm just sad that I have to wait a week for them because they don't stock them in rosenut.

BTW, if you're in montreal and want a great price on paradigm reference, go to layton audio and ask for Jacques (the manager), he'll treat you well.

 

[Dan KW]

I haven't seen the 40's but I have the 60's and they are front and rear ported at the same time...I found this wierd but they sound good in my room near the walls. They were overly bright before I put carpet and a ceiling in (basement theater). I would look into taming that room some more, I bet it would be bright in there too.

 

[mackie]

Yep - the Studios are revealing speakers. I remember that experience when I was auditioning speakers. I used the Porcupine Tree - In Absentia disk. There is information in the 1st track that the Studios revealed that others didn't. I liked the way the sound seemed to be wider than the room, and the way certain sounds seemed to be coming from beside and behind me. I was hooked at that point.

 

[Jody_R]

A carpet is definitely on the to-buy list if i find the sound bright. I'll see how they sound after break-in though cause I'd really rather spend money on toys and there's still so much to buy for my music/ht setup.