Surround and Center(s) to match RX-V1200 and JBL ND310 (1 Viewer)

[Richard Gray]

Dear All,

This is my first posting on this forum. After reading so many threads over the past several weeks, I find that the majority of the opinions expressed here are of very high qulaity. Meaning, your opinions are subject to forethought and on occasion a bit of flame. As there is much more wisdom in your collective minds (Not the Borg type of Collective!) I request a bit of feed back on my proposed HT set up. Please excuse the length, but I understand most of you want to know the particulars involved. So, here goes...

Budget for the rest/upgrades: $1000 (how fast it goes!)

Design Considerations:

Current Room Dimensions: 12'x16' rectangular room with 10' ceilings. A wetbar/kitchen at the rear of the listening area, and a fireplace currently hidden behind by a rather large (7'h x 7'w x 27"d Real Colorado Ash Wood) Entertainment Center. I Love Real Wood, and wanted it on my speakers but the cost considerations were too high!

I live alone so this is for me! Only one recliner in the room with very little furniture or other objects, except several large Paintings etc. To mess with the acoustics.

Why? Love of both HT and 2(+) Channel Music. 60% HT, 40% Music is the goal. My ultimate end? Best HT and music capabilities within my budget.

What I am working with, and I want to keep this stuff (except the DVD Player):

- Yamaha RX-V1200 (New, Very Complicated, I am smiling)

- JBL ND-310 Speakers for 2 Channel (2 day's old!)

- Sharp DVP-740U DVD Player (using Dig Co-Ax out for Audio)

- Cable TV thru COMCAST w/ straight Co-Ax input, General Dynamics Recvr a decent Digital Box, but only Composite feeds into the RX-V1200.

- Older Hitachi 4 Head Stereo VCR w/ composite in/out's

- 16 Ga. Speaker Wire by Accousit Research w/ Banana Clips on each end.

- 32" Sharp tube TV (S480 model) with Component Inputs (Not HDTV)

- Acoustic Research Component Cables to Receiver and to TV, and Co-Ax Audio Cable to the RX-V1200.

What I'm getting rid of this weekend

- KLH SS02-HTIB 5.1 speaker set up with 120watt Powered Sub-Woofer :-( I learned my lesson) and will only miss the sub. The sound was average at best, but it was a starter setup.

My Proposed additions:

- Center Channel: N or S-Center by JBL...?

- Surround Speakers: N-24's, or N-28's, or more ND-310's, or what about those S-26 or S-38's... must I stay with JBL?

- Rear Surround Speaker ??? I Don't now if I will really need this as there are so few 6.1 encoded DVD's out? Or, am I wrong?

- I almost went with Boston Acoustic System 10000, with the tower's (?) 975's for Stereo, or Klipsch (2xRP-3 2xRC-7 and 2xRB3's), but the ending price levels were just too high.

After at least 20 visits to my local Best Cry, Circuit Quitty, and Tweeter's (much better/priceier) I finally decided on the JBL ND-310's for overall sound quality in for music and their above average HT sounds ($179 a piece).

What say you oh great sages of the forum?

 

[Richard Gray]

Sorry for the long winded first section. Let me rephrase the question:

I want to get into DVD-A and/or DVD Audio and am concerned about the rear/surround speakers. I love Rock, Jazz and Lots of Action in my movies.

So far I feel pretty good about the main speakers JBL ND-310 as they not only fit my budget very neatly they left me some breathing room for the surround speakers.

Here is the big question...should I duplicate them (2 more ND-310's) for the surrounds?

P.S. Just got a JBL N-Center today.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

I did the same with my 2-year old JBL NSP1s package (four JBL N24s / JBL N-Center - going up to my vacation house) and four JBL S26s / JBL S-Center. You'll experience what I've experienced in my home HT environment, basically the same sonic timbre-matching 360-degree wall of seamless surround sound that the Mixing Sound Engineer would hear when he painstakingly created the 20Hz - 20 kHz discrete sonic sound effects in his Movie or Music project.
The only difference would be that my main priority is HT, so my surrounds are mounted on the side walls, about 3' back from my 'sweet spot', 6' from the floor (well above ear level, to help minimize localization effects) and facing each other because this arrangement creates a diffuse, enveloping surround soundfield throughout the listening area.
With another ND-310's set, you can duplicate what is in most DVD-Audio mixing facilities, ... five identical speakers arranged at ear level in a circle around the mixer. Read Dolby Labs 3.4 Surround placement for DVD-Audio listening
**100% timbre-match = 5 identical speakers - within the same Series
**96% - 98% timbre-match = 4 identical speakers and Center - within the same Series
**90% - 95% timbre-match = 2 identical Floor standing Fronts / 2 bookshelf Surrounds and Center - within the same Series
Have fun,
Phil