SVS, JBL, or Polk speaker upgrades. (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_C]

I need help deciding which speaker upgrades to go with. I currently have some 8yr old Sony speakers and a SVS PB-10. I want to upgrade the L/C/R/S speakers to go along with the SVS sub.

Here is what I have come up with in my $600-700 range which is which is pretty firm.

SVS SBS-01 5 speaker set

JBL: E20 for the left, right, and surrounds. EC25 for the center

Polk: Monitor 30 for the for the left, right, and surrounds. CS1 for the center

The reason I am having a hard time deciding is because I can't audition any of the speakers. Our family room is 20'x13'x9' with a large 14' opening into the kitchen and and a 5' hallway in the back corner of the room. The seating is about 14' from our 46" RPTV with a set of bookshelfs behind the seating on the back wall. Our listening habbits are 98% movies and 2% music. And I like to listen to movies at or close to reference levels.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these? or any help with the pros and cons with any of these setups.

Thanks in advance

 

[douglas-b]

Trust me ....you won't want to listen at Reference level. If you already have the SVS why not complete the package and go with the SBS-01 set.

 

[Anthony_C]

Thanks for the reply Douglas. I usually listen to movies around -5 to -7 from reference level on my reciever. I originaly planned on getting the SBS-01 package, but I hated to just jump them without researching other options first.

 

[JoeyR]

If you go with the JBL you should get the E30s for fronts and sides and the 35 for the center, thats the setup I have.

 

[Ron Temple]

I've auditioned the SBS package, own Polks and have heard JBLs in stores. Alot will depend on what your personal taste. The Polk sound features crisp midrange and bright tweets. Depending on your room there might be some sibulance there. The SVS package is flat and accurate, no sibulance on vocals, very balanced. Everytime I've heard JBLs, it sounds to me like there's a blanket muffling them, but again, I'm used to Polks. I don't think the SVS package is enough of an upgrade for me, though I like their sound. John Garcia heard them...pronounced them similar to Ascends, placing them between the M200s and the old 170s.

Hope this helps.

 

[JerryMa]

A good JBL set-up to consider -- 30s for L/R, 35 for center, choose between 20s or 10s for surrounds. I have 30s, 10s and the 25. E30s all around and the 35 center, or any other combination of the above, should keep you at or under your budget. I like them better for music, but they do a good job for HT as well.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Anthony,

I have had my SBS-01 system for about a week and without a doubt I would go with that system over the other two you are considering. Read my amature review under "SVS NEW BOOKSHELF" thread. They replaced a pair of tower speakers. They sound much bigger than they are. I love the sound everything is very neutral. Very detailed with no distortion at high volumes. For $599 nothing else comes close imo. You already have the sub, might as well compliment it with this outstanding system.

 

[Anthony_C]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I ended up auditioning a Polk setup this weekend. I ended up getting a RTi4 for the fronts, CSi3 for the center, and a set of RM101 for the surrounds. This set sounds great in the house and the small surrounds satisfy WAF. Luckly I get to try them out for 30 days. If I don't like them I can bring them back no questions ask and no charge. If these don't work out, I'll get the SBS-01.

 

[Anthony_C]

Ron, I felt the same way about the JBL's, sounded like they were muffled. I ended up with Polks RTi4 fronts, CSi3 center, and RM101 surrounds. The only thing I have noticed about the Polks is it sounds like they may be lacking in some midrange frequencies. It may be because I went from towers to bookselfs.

 

[Ron Temple]

Many prefer the 4s to the 6s, but if you find the midrange lacking, then you might want to give them a try.

 

[Anthony_C]

Well after a week of testing the Polk setup, I am stumped. I can't make my mind up wether I like the sound or not. The Polk speakers are very clear and crisp, but it's missing the one thing I can't put my finger on. I think it's just that I can't get used to the brightness of the speakers. It's got to be a midrange issue, not only in the fronts but the center also. I ran some test using a sine wave cd I got off the net and found the speakers have a nice dip in the 100 - 150hz range?? How do you think the SVS L/C/R would sound with the Polk RM101 for surrounds? I would like to keep the surrounds because it satisfies the WAF.


Ron: I can't go with the RTi6's because of their size. I have to keep the bookshelfs small enough to go in the entertainment center.

 

[Ron Temple]

Any bookshelf is going to lose some soundstage if they aren't spread out to optimum width and placed correctly. Placement maybe why you are missing some midrange, a.k.a. the suckout from 100-150hz. Temporarily experiment with placement and see what it does to your FR. The SVS package has a different sound, but I'm not sure if you wouldn't have the same issues.

 

[Anthony_C]

I went back to hifi buys today and talked to the salesman about the situation. Come to find out that the fronts aren't the problem, it's the center. I compared the Csi3 to the Csi5 and could not believe the difference in sound. There is a big difference between 5.25" and 6.5" The Csi5 has the tone that suits my taste, the only problem is it's $200 more than the Csi3. Unfortunately $200 is way past my budget this go around.