What do you think of my potential setup? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Harnish]

I finally got a chance to listen to some Paradigm Speakers tonight. And after picking my jaw up off the floor, I finally decided on the speakers I'm going to use for my audio system. At the dealer, I had the chance to listen to the Monitor 11s as well. I wasn't impressed until I heard the reference series. What gets me is that they're only a couple hundred bucks more!
Everything above the line I already have. What do you think of the potential audio setup?
TV: Sony WEGA KV-32FV27
DVD Player: Pioneer DV-525
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Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX
Mains: Paradigm Reference Studio 60s
Center: Paradigm Reference Studio CC
Surrounds: Undecided
Subwoofer: SVS -- specific model undecided. May wait for a couple months and save up for a good sub.
With my tax refund and after getting paid for the web site I'm updating for a client, I'll have more than enough to pay for all of the above. I'm glad I didn't settle for the Kenwood HTB-504 like I was planning to!!

 

[RicP]

Looks good Brian, The Pioneer receiver is a beaut.

One Question...did you listen to the Paradigm 40's? They have the exact same driver config as the 60's, but they are oversized bookshelf speakers instead of small floorstanders.

I find that speaker placement is much easier with the 40s as the 60s may be too short to reach ear level depending on seating, and some have said that the bass in the 60s is a little muddier than the 40s. The 40s are claimed by some Paradigm owners to be the best in the line next to the 100s.

Seeing as how you're going with an SV Sub anyway, why not get the 40's and use the SV to supplement the very bottom octave or so?

 

[Russell _T]

I concur with Ric. I think the 40's sound cleaner than the 60's. If you want floorstanders, I would jump all the way up to the 100's skipping the 60's and especially the 80's. If you stay with the Reference line, the 20's are the perfect surrounds, and the CC for center.

 

[John Morris]

I think the 40's sound cleaner than the 60's. If you want floorstanders, I would jump all the way up to the 100's skipping the 60's and especially the 80's.

IMO, and in my experience, there is no substitute for size when it comes to speakers. Although electronics can portend that a speaker sounds larger than it is... a correctly designed floorstander should sound better than a comparitively designed and engineered bookshelf speaker. If the floorstander doesn't sound better than the bookshelf, something is wrong with the design and I'd skip that model and move on...

 

[Brian Harnish]

Russell_T:

If you want floorstanders, I would jump all the way up to the 100's skipping the 60's and especially the 80's.

Russell -- keep in mind that I am budgeting $2500.00 for my HT audio system (I'm still considering holding off on the sub for a couple months unless I decide to go with the 40s). I did get to hear the 40s, and noticed a quality difference between those and the 60s. The reason I was leaning towards the 60s was so that I could get an interim solution for bass until I could save up enough for an SVS sub. My watching/listening plan includes: 80% movies/20% music.

If I go with the 40s, I'll be able to get the Studio CC center speaker (which I also got to hear at the dealer). Plus, using the 20s as surrounds would also be feasible. How are the Paradigm Reference ADP-170s as surrounds?

One other thing I'm concerned about, though. With my setup, would my surrounds and sub require an amplifier to drive them? If so, why is that the case?

 

[Gary Thomas]

Brian...you know that once you hear the huge sound field from your excellent speakers a 32" tv just won't do!
In the past few years I've upsized from a 32" to a 36" to a 58". I'd keep a big screen tv in your future plans. There seems to be a lot of "same as cash" deals this time of year.

 

[FrankB]

I've got:

DVD Player: Pioneer DV-525

Mains: Paradigm Reference Studio 60s

Center: Paradigm Reference Studio CC

Surrounds: Paradigm Reference Studio 20s

Subwoofer: Paradigm Servo 15

I've never heard the Studio 40s since the dealers around here don't carry them, but I really like the 60s. In my room they do quite well to less than 30Hz, and power handling isn't a problem. The 100s cost quite a bit more, and only reach 5Hz lower. The 60s work well set to full range for music and I run them full range for DVDs, but I have the sub for the LFE channel - they don't cut it for a home theater subwoofer.

The Servo 15 is impressive. The output is flatter than the SVS models, so you will get more output at 20 Hz.

I went with the Studio 20s for surrounds because of my weird room shape, the ADP speakers just wouldn't work in my room. The speaker on the left side has no side or back wall, it sits on a low wall surrounded by freespace.

 

[Jeff D.]

Count me in as another one who prefers the Studio 40s. Another consideration between the 40 and 60: the 40s have dual rear ports, while the 60s have a single front port.

While I do think the 40s are better sonically, the 60s can be a little more forgiving in terms of placement in relation to a rear wall. But, if you've got breathing room, you might want to at least audition the 40s.

The 40s have a bit of a different balance than the rest of the Studio series, which is why they stand out for most people.

Barring that, however, its sounds like you're on your way to a very nice system. Congrats!

/Jeff

 

[Brian Harnish]

Gary- A Toshiba 50H82, Mitsubishi 55807, or Pioneer Elite HDTV-ready RPTV is on my upgraditis list for next year!! It will be another tough decision which, thankfully, I'm glad I won't have to make for another 12 months.
Frank- Judging by your situation, I may go with the Studio 20s as surrounds. In my setup, I'm going to have an area with a wall behind the speaker and no wall to the left of the speaker.
Jeff- Considering how deep my 32FV27 is, I'm sure I'll have enough breathing room for the 40s. BTW, why is placement in relation to the wall important? What happens if the speaker is placed too close to the wall or too far away from the wall?
I'll post the obligatory thread with pictures and reviews after my setup is complete!!
EDIT: For those that own the Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX Receiver, what is the actual wattage per channel? Is it truly 100 watts per channel?

 

[Brian Harnish]

I'm still looking for an answer to the above question, guys.

 

[Mike_Ch]

Brian,
RE: your question on speaker placement. Placing a speaker closer to the rear wall will increase output in the low bass region (the wall acts as a "sounding board"), but depending on how close, what your walls are made of etc, the bass will become "slower" and less defined ie. boomy- especially since the 40's have 2 rear ports. Place a speaker closer to the side wall for more output in the midbass region- of course, where a speaker sounds best will be entirely up to you!
IMHO, a dual rear-ported speaker should be no closer than 2 feet from the rear wall and more than 1 foot from the side walls- 2 feet may even be too small depending on your room. Enjoy the Paradigms, they're very nice.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Jeff D.]

Brian:

A rear-ported speaker needs "breathing room" behind it. Placing a rear-ported speaker against a back wall will be disastrous sonically.

The effect varies from room to room, but a common problem is an excessively boomy bass if place too close to a rear wall.

I've managed to get away with my 40s set about 18-24" away from the rear wall. Like you say, you've got a deep TV though, so this should be no problem.

/Jeff