small room ht questions (1 Viewer)

[Buol]

hi, new poster here,
i've got a 10x14x8 room/den (couch near back wall) w/ some new components to do a ht: sony kds-r50xbr1 hdtv (great pic, bad sound), a directv hd dvr and panasonic dvd-s77 to which i need to add receiver/speakers. i appreciate all the info i've found here and seem to be focusing on a few systems for this small room, 80/20 tv-dvd/audio use. i'm interested in good sound, the wife in appearance (what else is new?), hopefully can find both in smallish speakers

the budget is totally flexible, limited by reason only, so all can be done at once, which i'd prefer. i guess a 5.1 or 6.1 setup.

from what i've been reading, the following are some possibilities:
1. svs sbs-01 5.1, tho the audiophile review pix look like the speakers are too big for a small space; but the sub pd10-isd looks to be an excellent 20-100hz sub for this size room.
2. the def tech mythos gem setup.
3. the orbaudio spheres (like gallo): they have a good setup w/ a pioneer vsx 815-k at an incredible bundled price. the receiver gets great reviews,but the orb sub is only down to 30hz, so that's out as an all in one option, i think.

thus one question i have is also about using different speakers w/say the svs sub (or mixing/matching in general). the orb speakers give a spec of 80hz-20khz and the mythos gem 30- 30khz. apparently this svs sub has no crossover, tho it's flat to 100hz; will things like this be a factor if i try to mix and match components, using say this pioneer amp mentioned above ?

i have a trip to nyc in a few wks where i can try to listen/see some small speaker options, including the orbs, and hopefully make a decision. so what should be on my list for sound/appearance/size or should be my considerations in general?

sorry for the long post. all suggestions appreciated.
buol

 

[SethH]

I certainly don't think the SVS speakers would be too big for that room.

The crossover is handled by the receiver. Some receivers have a fixed crossover point (usually 80Hz or 100Hz) and others have adjustable crossovers. The SVS speakers will probably sound best crossed at 100Hz, but will work at 80Hz also (I have mine crossed at 80Hz because that's my fixed crossover point)

It is perfectly fine to use the SVS sub with other speakers. It is best to keep all the other speakers from the same brand though . . . the subwoofer is the only speaker that this really doesn't matter for.

You might also consider the Ascend Acoustics options. Using the 340's up front with either the 170's or 200's in the back would make a great setup. It would be a little more expensive than the SVS and offer a little more performance. However, the speakers are a little larger, so that may not be appealing to you.

 

[Buol]

thanks. i looked at the ascend site and excellent reviews. the surrounds are actually about the same size at the svs, and they recommend hsu subs. comparable packages for 5.1 seem to be about $200 more for the ascends. do you have to have such big surrounds to get good quality sound, or is equally good and smaller available at a cost (like computers, for example)?

i take it you're really happy w/the svs speakers (?)