What would you do? (1 Viewer)

[braden]

OK, purchased first two parts of HT this week.

HK AVR630 and SVS 20-39PCi(being delivered today!!!)

Now I am stuck on speakers, I have no where to listen to any of these and really could do home trial, but then run into shipping charges if I do not like them. I need some suggestions for this budget. If you have seen my other post, my room is very big. I will use 95% HT......

Narrowed down to:

Ascends 340 across front with 170 rears
Found them for about $1100.00 US shipped

Diva Swans 5.2 C3 and R3 rears
$1500.00 US plus shipping

AxiomsM60 VP150 QS8
total of about $1600.00

What do you think, I know there are several post on this site and others and I have been researching for a while now. I think my best bet would be the Axioms or the Ascends but the Swans look nice too.....Sound comparison VS. price I would go with the Ascends, but I am already about 1500 over original budget, what is another 500?? LOL

My wife will love this bill!!

 

[Eddie Horton]

I've never heard Axioms or Swans, so others could chime in on those. I have the same Ascend setup that you're considering and have never had a second of buyers remorse. One thing to consider is to narrow your search to 2, order a pair of the smaller speakers from each and decide. Even with return shipping on one pair, you'll still be under the price of comparable speakers bought from a B&M store. Just my .02, I've become an internet direct fan for speakers and subs.

 

[TonyWright]

I have the Swans running on the same receiver you have. I couldn't be happier. Absolutely beautiful sound. I have not heard the Axioms or the Ascend, but I have read plenty of posts from people who enjoy both of those brands.

Really the best thing to do is just order some with the expectation that you may have to return them. That way you won't be put off by the cost to return. My guess is that even if you had to return a set, the savings you will realize from purchasing internet direct will still be greater than what you could do in a store.

Axioms are going to be a bit on the bright side, and the Swans will be more on the neutral side. I am unsure of the Ascend sound. All 3 are outstanding speakers with a solid buyer following.

If you have any specific questions regarding the Swans I would be more than happy to help.

Tony

 

[braden]

Tony, are the Swans worth the money? I have heard people say the center channel is not loud and crisp enough? your opinion? What Swan setup do you have and does it fill your room enough(what size of room)? Also, does the receiver have enough power or do you have a seperate amp for the mains??

Any other owners of these speakers please give me some advice here!!! Room is 45Lx15Wx8H but sitting area is only 18Lx15W TV sits on short wall!!!!

Thanks Todd

 

[Rob Kramer]

I have never heard that one. Its the axiom center channel (both models) that receives all the bad press.

 

[braden]

Sorry about that last post, it was the Axioms that got the bad reviews....Are they that bad??

 

[Tony Genovese]

I have not heard the VP100. I did audition the VP150 and thought it stunk. It sounded different (as in way different) depending on which seat you were in: the center seat was tipped to the midrange, the two outboard seats had MUCH more high frequency content. This was very noticeable on pink noise, although due to the dynamic nature of music and the spoken voice would be harder to pick up on program material: but it would still be there.

I recently auditioned the Ascend CBM170 and think it's great: if the 340 is an improvement (which I assume it is) it would well be worth auditioning. I have never heard the Divas (maybe one day).

 

[TonyWright]

I really like the Swan C3. Outstanding sound. My complete setup is as follows:

6.1 as mains
C3 as center
R3 as rears
H/K AVR 630 driving them all (no sepreates)

I thought about the possibility of adding some Outlaw Monoblock amps to drive my front stage, but not because I thought I really needed it. Please understand that I am an upgrade junky so that thought was solely to satisfy my seemingly never ending need for more HT parts. I have a 17' x 30' room and I have absolutely no trouble filling the space. The sound is outstanding. The receiver does an outstanding job powering all of these speakers. I actually started with a Yamaha RX-V2400 that just didn't cut it. Not high enough current. The Harman/Kardon works beautifully.

BTW, Harman/Kardon will be releasing a software update (supposedly at the end if this month) that adds Dolby Prologic IIx along with some other nice updates. You might want to keep an eye out for it. The word is that it will either be a download from their website or a CD that they will send out when requested. Just need a computer with a serial port and a serial cable and you are in business.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Where are you located?

Tony

 

[TonyWright]

One more addition, the Swans don't require a ton of power to sing. They just like high current amps. You have that covered with the H/K.

Tony

 

[braden]

Tony Gen, what setup do you have??

Tony Wright, just curious, what did you pay for the Swans?

Anyone have any suggestions on the Ascends??

 

[TonyWright]

6.1's were $899/pair
C3 was $349
R3's were $429/pair

So, almost $1700 for the whole set. If you are looking at 5.2's you will come in a little less expensive yet.

No sub yet. I get to place my order for a SVS PB2-ISD. Oct. 1st can't get here soon enough!


Tony

 

[braden]

Tony, just got my SVS 20-39PCi tonight, however, no receiver pr speakers to hook it up to..LOL that really sucks..Still can not decide on speakers, have you heard anything good about Athena speakers??

 

[braden]

by the way, would you go 5.2 or 6.1 for HT

 

[Chris Quinn]

braden- Have gone to the Ascend Forum to see if there is someone in your area willing to let you listen to their Ascends?

I haven't heard Swans but Ascend over Axiom was my personal preference.

Ascend sells HK receivers to mate up with their speakers and Ron Stimpson the S in SVS has Ascends in his HT.

Also, try audioenvy.com for people willing to let you come hear their Swans.

 

[braden]

tried audioenvy, found nobody within 150 miles, everyone is like 180++ from me..Do you think the Ascends will fill my room enough??

 

[TonyWright]

Personally I have not heard the Athenas. However, they seem to have a good following on this forum. They are sold at Best Buy so you should be able to go listen to a set.


Some people really like the 5.2's for home theater because they are an exact match to the C3. That seems to be a somewhat rare thing among speaker sets (I could be wrong). I believe the Ascends also have that going for them. However, I use my setup for both music and home theater. That's why I went with the 6.1's. As it turns out, I use it for theater quite a bit more than for music.

I have not noticed any annoying differences between my 6.1's and the C3. They sound amazing together. I think you would be extrememly pleased with either the 5.2's or the 6.1's.


Hope this helps.

Tony