The Official "What Speakers or Subwoofer Should I Buy" Assistance Thread (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

That Denon seller also has an open box Marantz SR7013. Both good, higher end mainstream receivers at good prices.

 

[Steve Chomicz]

Member since 2004. I'm 67 yrs old and other than my relatively new TV, I am going to do my final home theater upgrade that will hopefully be able to handle the advances over the next 10 years.

What are you looking for (Speakers, Subwoofer or Both)? new a/v, New Speakers and atmos speakers. currently have Polk RMS sats and velodyne ch-10 sub wired correctly know thanks to john. it's a 5.1 setup.

Primary Use: 60% streaming Netflix's, amazon, vertu, plus Panasonic BD 4kUHD movies, and rarely live TV, 40% vinyl albums with turntable output switchable to 1971 Marantz 1060 stereo amplifier and two KLH speakers or Sony home theater and Polk subs.

Desired Configuration: 5.1 plus plus atmos seems 5.1 and atmos is the most common streaming format. Most have enough channels for atmos and growth. and since BD is dying, HD streaming becomes the norm and in an important capability of the a/v receiver.

Room Size: Open apartment layout kitchen, eating area, tv area. all hear and can see 2018 LG 65" OLED tv. tv couch/chairs to tv are 15 feet. Nine foot ceilings.

Is the room open to other areas of your home: yes stated above except bedroooms/bathrooms

Do you already have an AV receiver or amplifier? yes/No. I have a Sony STR DN1050 that i am looking to replace with the new Marantz SR7015 or SR6015. these appear to be able to carry me through the future with 9.2 channels and 8k video plus 3d audio and streaming.

What's your budget (low to high): $6,000 approx

Any special requirements: I want floor standing fronts with a matching center speaker instead of the Polk sats i have. the floors may do away with the need for a powered sub. I definitely want atmos but no special ceiling/wall installations. I also don't want to blow the apartment building off its foundation. For the sub backs they can be bookshelf or sats I suppose. I understand they don't necessarily have to be the same make as the fronts.

Has anyone tried the golden eye front speakers? they are supposed to be awesome. I can't even find a local dealer to hear them. I am also looking at Klipsch speakers

thanks for the advice.

 

[JohnRice]

A couple questions. When you say you want "5.1 plus plus atmos" I'm not sure what you mean. 5.1 isn't technically Atmos. That requires at least two more speakers, and those extra (two or four) speakers really should be on or in the ceiling. Since you have a vaulted ceiling, as I recall, that really is the only viable way to do it. I recall it being an unusual room. Kind of like two room combined?

Second, are you intent on Klipsch? And I think you meant to say Golden Ear speakers.

BTW, even though receivers have audio streaming capability, they don't have video streaming. You'll want a good, dedicated streaming device. Most likely one from Roku or Apple.

 

[bladerunner6]

Member since 2004. I'm 67 yrs old and other than my relatively new TV, I am going to do my final home theater upgrade that will hopefully be able to handle the advances over the next 10 years.

What are you looking for (Speakers, Subwoofer or Both)? new a/v, New Speakers and atmos speakers. currently have Polk RMS sats and velodyne ch-10 sub wired correctly know thanks to john. it's a 5.1 setup.

Primary Use: 60% streaming Netflix's, amazon, vertu, plus Panasonic BD 4kUHD movies, and rarely live TV, 40% vinyl albums with turntable output switchable to 1971 Marantz 1060 stereo amplifier and two KLH speakers or Sony home theater and Polk subs.

Desired Configuration: 5.1 plus plus atmos seems 5.1 and atmos is the most common streaming format. Most have enough channels for atmos and growth. and since BD is dying, HD streaming becomes the norm and in an important capability of the a/v receiver.

Room Size: Open apartment layout kitchen, eating area, tv area. all hear and can see 2018 LG 65" OLED tv. tv couch/chairs to tv are 15 feet. Nine foot ceilings.

Is the room open to other areas of your home: yes stated above except bedroooms/bathrooms

Do you already have an AV receiver or amplifier? yes/No. I have a Sony STR DN1050 that i am looking to replace with the new Marantz SR7015 or SR6015. these appear to be able to carry me through the future with 9.2 channels and 8k video plus 3d audio and streaming.

What's your budget (low to high): $6,000 approx

Any special requirements: I want floor standing fronts with a matching center speaker instead of the Polk sats i have. the floors may do away with the need for a powered sub. I definitely want atmos but no special ceiling/wall installations. I also don't want to blow the apartment building off its foundation. For the sub backs they can be bookshelf or sats I suppose. I understand they don't necessarily have to be the same make as the fronts.

Has anyone tried the golden eye front speakers? they are supposed to be awesome. I can't even find a local dealer to hear them. I am also looking at Klipsch speakers

thanks for the advice.

The Monoprice Monoprice THX-365T speakers are quite towers but the previous link and Review of them are absolutely stellar. They also have Atmos speakers as part of the design.

They also sell towers but there are no reviews yet.

 

[Steve Chomicz]

A couple questions. When you say you want "5.1 plus plus atmos" I'm not sure what you mean. 5.1 isn't technically Atmos. That requires at least two more speakers, and those extra (two or four) speakers really should be on or in the ceiling. Since you have a vaulted ceiling, as I recall, that really is the only viable way to do it. I recall it being an unusual room. Kind of like two room combined?

Second, are you intent on Klipsch? And I think you meant to say Golden Ear speakers.

BTW, even though receivers have audio streaming capability, they don't have video streaming. You'll want a good, dedicated streaming device. Most likely one from Roku or Apple.

hi john,

unless i am understanding the channel specs wrong on the new a/v receivers, the extra channels can be used for atmos so if I create a 5.1 I can then us the other 4 or 6 channels for atmos speakers or 7.1 etc. Is this correct?

i can't put speakers in the ceiling as i sold my house and am temporarily renting so i have to use the angled speakers that bounce of the ceiling.

I'm not intent on any brand of speakers which is why i am asking for help. I read everyone likes klipsch. i haven't heard them yet. I came across golden ear speakers the other day after reading a great review about their towers. Searching this forum i couldn't find any posts about them and dealers are far and few being mostly pro a/v installers. also golden ear only has atmos ceiling speakers. so if i went with their towers/ctr/backs i would have to have a different brand for atmos.

then it is my LG OLED handling the streaming video? is a dedicated streamer better than the TV's apps?

thanks

 

[JohnRice]

I read everyone likes klipsch.

Paging @John Dirk .

 

[JohnRice]

hi john,

unless i am understanding the channel specs wrong on the new a/v receivers, the extra channels can be used for atmos so if I create a 5.1 I can then us the other 4 or 6 channels for atmos speakers or 7.1 etc. Is this correct?

i can't put speakers in the ceiling as i sold my house and am temporarily renting so i have to use the angled speakers that bounce of the ceiling.

I'm not intent on any brand of speakers which is why i am asking for help. I read everyone likes klipsch. i haven't heard them yet. I came across golden ear speakers the other day after reading a great review about their towers. Searching this forum i couldn't find any posts about them and dealers are far and few being mostly pro a/v installers. also golden ear only has atmos ceiling speakers. so if i went with their towers/ctr/backs i would have to have a different brand for atmos.

then it is my LG OLED handling the streaming video? is a dedicated streamer better than the TV's apps?

thanks

My experience is that reflecting speakers have a rather minimal effect. I'm not certain they're worth the cost and effort. What I have noticed, and I don't know if it's my imagination, is that an Atmos soundtrack with an Atmos capable receiver/preamp, even with a 5.1 setup, does seem to have more immersive surround than a regular 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack. There seems to be data to back that up, since the surround in an Atmos soundtrack is steered differently than in a plain 5.1 soundtrack.

I guess one of the things I'm saying is that if you can't have on/in ceiling speakers overhead, not just elevated or reflecting ones, I'm not certain reflecting ones are worth the cost.

 

[John Dirk]

I'm not intent on any brand of speakers which is why i am asking for help. I read everyone likes klipsch. i haven't heard them yet.

Klipsch has a large line of speakers covering a huge price range so I will only comment on the RP 280F's and RC450C I currently own. The "everyone likes Klipsch" sentiment is likely accurate and for good reason. For what you pay, they do offer serious performance at the low end. I bought mine about a year ago. Over time the horn-loaded tweeters became fatiguing to my ears. I wanted to crank them up, [which you can do because they have serious headroom] but they become increasingly harsh the louder they play. I bought them because of the high sensitivity rating before I really understood some of the other factors that affect speaker design such as imaging and dynamic range.

Mine are now boxed up and for sale. I'm currently using a pair of Monitor Audio Gold GX300's. These play loud without the harshness and open up a whole new world of detailed sounds in the high and midrange I was never even hearing with the Klipsch's. In the end I would say it's all about what you want from speakers and what you're willing to pay. If I had it to do over again I would have bought something different and [if price were a concern] possibly purchased gently used. That's what I did with the Monitors.

That said, if you do want a great deal on mine, check the classified area.

 

[JohnRice]

I also know that in his auditioning speakers to replace the Klipsch, John listened to several speakers, including some ELAC Debut 2.0, which are in the general Klipsch price range, or lower, and preferred them significantly over the Klipsch. He ultimately decided to go even better with the Monitors Audios.

 

[John Dirk]

I also know that in his auditioning speakers to replace the Klipsch, John listened to several speakers, including some ELAC Debut 2.0, which are in the general Klipsch price range, or lower, and preferred them significantly over the Klipsch. He ultimately decided to go even better with the Monitors Audios.

All true. ELAC is currently having a sale which could mean significant savings too but you would have to act very fast. Sale ends 10/7.

 

[JohnRice]

I’ll just be blunt, and let the chips fall where they may. Both the ELAC Debut 2.0 and UniFi 2.0 will put anything from Klipsch other than the Legacy line to shame. Hands down. No contest. There’s 100 other brands that put Klipsch to shame. Again, not their Legacy line, but that’s an entirely different price range.

 

[John Dirk]

I’ll just be blunt, and let the chips fall where they may. Both the ELAC Debut 2.0 and UniFi 2.0 will put anything from Klipsch other than the Legacy line to shame. Hands down. No contest. There’s 100 other brands that put Klipsch to shame. Again, not their Legacy line, but that’s an entirely different price range.

Well, not to derail the thread but Klipsch has to be doing something right. They sell a LOT of speakers. I personally think it's a matter of what you value most. Put another way, "there's an ideal customer for every product." I'll admit, I thought the Klipsch's sounded pretty decent, until they didn't. As I said previously, after awhile I started noticing a fatigue factor setting in but that took some time. The biggest lesson I learned from my recent buying experience is take your time and listen to several different brands and models before making a decision. If I had done this I might have learned about and heard the ELAC's before settling on Klipsch.

Right now I have floor standing speakers up for sale from Klipsch, SVS and Monitor Audio. Guess which ones are getting the most traction? It's the Klipsch's... By far. I've heard this attributed to marketing but SVS appears to do a LOT more of that as far as I can tell.

The ELAC Debut 2.0's are definitely better and in the same price range. I haven't heard the Uni-Fi line.

 

[iTomhHD]

Hey all,

I am about to finish our unfinished basement, and I have an area designated for a 'home theatre'. I need to go with in-wall speakers to keep it cosmetically/wife friendly. I’m going to go with an 85” TV to get a big screen - just haven't selected it yet.

Looking for recommendations for in wall speakers, ceiling speakers for Atmos, subwoofer and receiver (and anything else I might have missed? Do I need an amp?) Of course, being in Canada, I’ll need options that are available in Canada

Primary Use: 50% Netflix/Prime/Streaming Services, 30% Plex streaming of downloaded movies/shows, 10% Bell Fibe TV, 10% Gaming/PS5

Desired Configuration: 5.1.4, or possibly 7.1.4? I imagine the more speakers the better, but in order for me to get in the additional 2 side speakers, I would be quite off the recommended angles as per the Dolby Atmos Speaker Setup Guide.
The current angles I have are:
FL/FR: 16.4°
L/R Sides: 37.5° (purple in attached images)
RL/RR: 110°
Any thoughts on if I should go with the 5.1.4 and better recommended angles, or go with the 7.1.4, side speakers not where recommended but more speakers?

Room Size: 12'2" x 19',4"

Is the room open to other areas of your home?: yes, open on west side and from behind

Do you already have an AV receiver or amplifier? No, starting from scratch

What's your budget (low to high): $10k for equipment but obviously want to spend as little as possible on a quality system

.

 

[JohnRice]

You should change some speaker locations. The side surrounds (purple) are WAY too far forward. They should be roughly to the sides of the main seating area, closer to where the back surrounds are. Also, the Atmos (in-ceiling) speakers should be further from the side walls. They should be overhead, out in the room, not up and to the sides. The rear pair should also be behind any sitting positions more than they are. the rear (red) surrounds should be fully behind the sitting positions, not to the side. Usually they are on a rear wall, which might not work so well in this room. You might want to just go 5.1.4.

I'm at work, so I'll have to wait until I get home for more, but I expect someone else will chime in as well.

 

[iTomhHD]

You should change some speaker locations. The side surrounds (purple) are WAY too far forward. They should be roughly to the sides of the main seating area, closer to where the back surrounds are. Also, the Atmos (in-ceiling) speakers should be further from the side walls. They should be overhead, out in the room, not up and to the sides. The rear pair should also be behind any sitting positions more than they are. the rear (red) surrounds should be fully behind the sitting positions, not to the side. Usually they are on a rear wall, which might not work so well in this room. You might want to just go 5.1.4.

I'm at work, so I'll have to wait until I get home for more, but I expect someone else will chime in as well.

Thank you for the thoughts and feedback! The purple ones are clearly very far forward, thats why i singled them out with a different color. Didnt know if their off position was worth having the extra speakers. I think your right that 5.1.4 might be better.

The rears seem to be at the 'correct' angles as per the Atmos guide and my choices of location are limited by the lack of walls behind and to the side.

Good feedback on the overheads; I tried to follow the Atmos guide and was trying to match their left/right location with the left/right location of the fronts like below. Do you think it would be better to pull them in more towards the center? How would i gauge where would be best?

 

[JohnRice]

The rears seem to be at the 'correct' angles as per the Atmos guide and my choices of location are limited by the lack of walls behind and to the side.

Good feedback on the overheads; I tried to follow the Atmos guide and was trying to match their left/right location with the left/right location of the fronts like below. Do you think it would be better to pull them in more towards the center? How would i gauge where would be best?

You'll find a lot of variance in suggested placement, when referring to generic rooms. I'm giving suggestions based on this particular room. You're correct about the Atmos ideally being in line with the fronts, but in this case the fronts are rather wide (which can't be helped) and I would place the Atmos more into the room. I'd say about 25% into the room, as in, take a line down the middle and place them 1/2 way between that line and the side wall.

I still would put the side surrounds closer to straight out from the main part of the sofa, rather than behind it, and higher. Your only option might be higher. At the height of that upper panel on the post would be better, I think. Again, in an ideal room they would be at about seated ear level, but you need to adapt that to your room. As they are, they get really close to some of the seating positions, which is not the best way to go.

 

[iTomhHD]

You'll find a lot of variance in suggested placement, when referring to generic rooms. I'm giving suggestions based on this particular room. You're correct about the Atmos ideally being in line with the fronts, but in this case the fronts are rather wide (which can't be helped) and I would place the Atmos more into the room. I'd say about 25% into the room, as in, take a line down the middle and place them 1/2 way between that line and the side wall.

I still would put the side surrounds closer to straight out from the main part of the sofa, rather than behind it, and higher. Your only option might be higher. At the height of that upper panel on the post would be better, I think. Again, in an ideal room they would be at about seated ear level, but you need to adapt that to your room. As they are, they get really close to some of the seating positions, which is not the best way to go.

Thank you! Based on your feedback I think I’ll go with 5.1.4 so I don’t have to worry about the poor location option of the sides..

Any thoughts on how to pick in wall and in ceiling speakers? Choices seem daunting :/

 

[JohnRice]

Thank you! Based on your feedback I think I’ll go with 5.1.4 so I don’t have to worry about the poor location option of the sides..

Any thoughts on how to pick in wall and in ceiling speakers? Choices seem daunting :/

Yeah, I think 5.1.4 is your best option for that room. I really don't know in-wall speakers. My suggestion is to avoid them like the plague. You can have bookshelf speakers on small shelves instead and have infinitely more and better ones to choose from.

 

[iTomhHD]

Yeah, I think 5.1.4 is your best option for that room. I really don't know in-wall speakers. My suggestion is to avoid them like the plague. You can have bookshelf speakers on small shelves instead and have infinitely more and better ones to choose from.

I've shown my wife bookshelf and small shelf speakers and both got denied. They could work for the Front LCR, but couldnt work for the rears as one of them will be imbedded in a post column.

Am I understanding correctly that all speakers dont need to be the exact same? So I could go with 3 identical speakers for the front, and a lesser model for the rears?

 

[JohnRice]

Am I understanding correctly that all speakers dont need to be the exact same? So I could go with 3 identical speakers for the front, and a lesser model for the rears?

Ideally you use speakers from the same line, but yes, the front three are the most important to match.