Thinking of replacing my fronts & center for $300-400... ideas? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Sharma]

Howdy, all! First-time poster here and relative HT newbie, so please be gentle.
Right now I have a fairly inexpensive set of 5.1 speakers that I bought as a package from Sony's SA-VE line about two years ago. I'm looking to upgrade, and I heard that it's more important to upgrade the fronts than the rears, and to upgrade the fronts + center together to timbre-match. My receiver is a 110-watt Yamaha HTR-5250 (specs here). I live in a 1BR apartment, and my living room is of medium/decent size. The options I thought up so far:
1. I found an Energy dealer that sells the Take 5.2 speakers up the road from my house... I think the three speakers would run me around $400. However, I've heard people mention that they're very "bright."
2. I'm also considering picking up some N- or S-series JBL speakers... right now I'm leaning towards the S-CenterII and either the S-26IIs or the S-36IIs.
Any other thoughts on brands & prices within my price range? I've heard good things about PSB, Klipsch, and Polk Audio as well. Thanks for your help.

 

[BrianWoerndle]

Paradigm Titans and a CC-170. That should run about $400.

 

[RobCar]

I'd recommend that you take a look at these:
http://electronics.cnet.com/electron...-20455132.html
You can get them at Circuit City for $250. Supposed to be very good for the price. Onkyo SKS-HT500 ...

 

[RichardH]

Check out these:
http://www.htdaudio.com/levthrespeak.html

 

[Nick Cerretti]

I second the Titans/cc170 setup.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

If you order online you could pick up the JBL S38s and an S Center for right at $500. The S38s are the conscensis favorite of the Studio line. The Titan/CC170 option is also a solid choice.

 

[AnthonyMP]

Welcome Static Cling.

 

[Mike Sharma]

Thanks, Anthony!
Looks like a lot of Paradigm fans here... I found a dealer semi-near-by, so I'll probably go audition some speakers there. I was making the rounds last night, and also got to listen to some Polk Audio speakers... CSi30 & RTi38. The RTi38 is a little... okay, it's a lot out of my price range. The RT25i looked a little more manageable.
Those JBL S38s look like they're pretty good, but I think it might be too much speaker for me and my little living room.

 

[BrianWoerndle]

"but I think it might be too much speaker for me and my little living room."
You can never have too much speaker. That is like saying a V8 is too much Ford Fiesta. It might be scarry as hell, but it is never too much

 

[Mike Sharma]

Okay, here are the options I'm considering right now... any suggestions/additions/rankings for the list?
Polk: CSi30 center + RTi38 or RTi28 fronts
JBL: S-CenterII + JBL S-38II or JBLS-36II fronts
PSB: Alpha Center or Alpha C + PSB Alpha A/V or Alpha B fronts
Paradigm: CC-170 center + Titan fronts

 

[Frank Carter]

Mike,

I noticed you're in MD, if you're going to Audio Video Solutions in Laurel to check out the Paradigm, you can check out Klipsch there as well. Demo all the speakers you can before you buy.

 

[Bob Drugan]

I've got the Aperion Audio's and love them - the best part is I got to hear them in my house for 30 days before I made a decision on keeeping them
www.aperionaudio.com
Good luck,
Bob

 

[Robert James Clark]

I am currently directly comparing the JBL S38's and the S36's.
If you can squeeze the money, the S38's are much better than the S36's...

Definitely worth it.

 

[JamesKr]

Hi everyone, I'm new here.
I have the RTI38's for L/R front, the CSI30 for center, and RTI28's for L/R surround. The 38's are on stands, the center is on top of my big screen, and the 28's are on the wall. This setup kicks butt as a set for home theater. I strongly recommend these speakers and they will cost you just under $1000 and Polk throws in the PSW202 subwoofer for free to boot.

 

[keir]

i would use 3 axiom m2i's across the front. $255 per pair and can be bought singly. the speaker is extremely accurate and the sound quality is better than titans/cc-170.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I'd recommend the Nht SuperOnes or SuperZeroes and just simply get 5 for now. I would recommend getting a sub from a respected company such as ACI, Adire, HSU, SVS, or VMPS later on to round out the sound.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I second the Axiom's. Plus they have a free 30 day demo period in your home also.
Axiom Audio