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New Sound System

J

jmanlp

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
Messages
290
Hey all, Im putting together a new sound system to go with my HTPC. I have decided on a Harman Kardon AVR 430 to drive the speakers. I decided on this receiver mainly cause its got good clean power, great looks, and has the remote zone aspect so I can listen to music in a different room. My budget for this whole project is about $2,000. That doesn't include the HTPC which I am building from spare parts. We will be hooking it to a 42" plasma that my roomate is supplying.

My question to you is, what speakers would you get if you had roughly $1200 +/- little to spend (5.1)? I really like the looks of Infinity and Klipsch. I have heard lots of Klipsch stuff in the past and really like how they sound. I'm going to try to find somewhere I can listen to some Infinity... I'm no audiophile but I know I like my sound really detailed, and I tend to favor really vibrant highs and deep shattering lows (sounds best IMO for home theater). I am really open to any other suggestions though. I would like to keep with black or silver (grey) or a mixture of the two (So no speakers that are only available in rosewood etc., as they just won't fit in).
 
I'd suggest, if you like Klipsch, take a look at Axiom speakers also. They are online, but I think [don't quote me on this] they'll pay for shipping both ways if you don't like them. They are highly regarded, and I know people here have some. They are also fairly cheap, and have nice cabinets.

For a sub, check out the PB10-ISD from SVS. I'd got it's bigger brother, the PB12-Plus/12, and it rocks. The PB10 has gotten great reviews for a 430$ sub, so I've no doubts that it'll shake rooms too.

Even if you go Klipsch for the mains, you really should get the SVS sub, it'll be way more powerful than any Klipsch sub in that price range.
 
With that budget you should stay away from consumer brands and look into good hi fidelity equipment. Audition a set of B&W LM1's, they retail for 350.00/pair a VM1 for the center $200.00 and an ASW300 sub $350.00.
 
B&W make very highly regarded speakers, but I'd definitely steer clear of that sub. The Pb10 goes to 18 hz flat, while the F3 on that B&W is 27 hz, which would lose a lot of the impact from movies. Additionally, the driver is smaller, and the amp not as powerful. lastly, it has only a 0/180 phase switch, while the SVS has continuously variable phase adjustment.

I haven't heard any B&W speakers, so I really can't comment on them, other than saying that the sub is a big lightweight compared to an SVS =]
 
Thanks for all the posts guys. Another question is what are some good places to browse and buy audio equipment online? I heard there are a lot of irreputable dealers online that sell refurbished and opened merchandise as new. Where do you guys purchase from?
 
for online sales, it would be best to go for an online-only company. www.svsubwoofers.com make the best subs for the money, www.av123.com make great speakers [IMHO, at least] and both have refurb deals on a regular basis. I've so far camped out on the Bstock page of AV123 and saved 900$ on one pair of speakers [Onix Reference 2's] and 600$ on the other [Reference 1's]

On average, their Bstock items are 30% off. Note, also, that these have full warranty, and are essentially flawless. My Ref 1's were just photography samples =]

SVS has Bstock less frequently, most likely to the horrible hassle it would be to send one of their subs back, and the fact that they all pretty much kick ass. If you need convincing, go to www.hometheaterforum.com and check out the speakers/sub forum, and I dare you to find a negative review of SVS.

Also, check out www.audioenvy.com and see if anyone in your area is willing to let you audition some speakers. I did this myself and had a great time fooling around with some guys gear.
 
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