What kind of home speakers do you use?

[Aikenrooster]

I'm in the market for home audio speakers. All I've ever had is a shitty HTIB from Yamaha, and I want to spend some decent cabbage on some real speakers. In fact, I'm not gonna listen to the R40 live BlueRay until I get new speakers.

 

I'm willing to spend $1500 on a set. Sound Distributors has a 5.1 set featuring the Polk Audio TSx550 tower speakers.

 

Are those good speakers? Would that 5.1 set featuring the matched surrounds/center be a good setup?

 

Also going to buy a receiver: looking at a Denon, which is roughly $1500. It's a 9.2 with Dolby Atmos, Audessy, and a bunch of other crap. It says it pushed 145 watts per channel.

 

 

So, anyways, what do you guys have, and what do you suggest.

[ru_ready]

For home speakers if you can check out a set of BOSE 901's used to own these 20 years ago. will be impressed with them.

price not sure of.

[treeduck]

I have 6 speakers for my TECHNICS separates stacking system, 2 of the original Technics "globe" surround speakers, and the full size ones are 2 Kefs and 2 Celestions.

[Fordgalaxy]

The KEF LS50 speakers are very good and come in right at $1500. Every review I've read is glowing and when I listened to them, it was obvious why. Not to disparage the above poster, but Bose are shite. Send them an e-mail and ask them what the frequency response is for a current home speaker and see what you get back (answer, words to the effect that frequency response can be variable and isn't a reliable method of evaluating speakers). The only thing about the LS50 speakers is there are only 2 color options and they might not meet the WAF (wife acceptance factor). But, there are lots of good speakers in your price range.

 

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blue_and_black_ls50.jpg

Edited January 28, 2016 by Fordgalaxy

[Aikenrooster]

I have 6 speakers for my TECHNICS separates stacking system, 2 of the original Technics "globe" surround speakers, and the full size ones are 2 Kefs and 2 Celestions.

That sounds REALLY expensive.

[Aikenrooster]

The KEF LS50 speakers are very good and come in right at $1500. Every review I've read is glowing and when I listened to them, it was obvious why. Not to disparage the above poster, but Bose are shite. Send them an e-mail and ask them what the frequency response is for a current home speaker and see what you get back (answer, words to the effect that frequency response can be variable and isn't a reliable method of evaluating speakers). The only thing about the LS50 speakers is there are only 2 color options and they might not meet the WAF (wife acceptance factor). But, there are lots of good speakers in your price range.

 

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blue_and_black_ls50.jpg

Yeah, KEFs do get good reviews

[treeduck]

I have 6 speakers for my TECHNICS separates stacking system, 2 of the original Technics "globe" surround speakers, and the full size ones are 2 Kefs and 2 Celestions.

That sounds REALLY expensive.

Yeah I got it back in the 80's. Well I got the original Technics equipment then, and then added new speakers later, first in the 90's and then again around 2000.

[RUSHHEAD666]

This is a great thread being an anal audiophile. Do you like that alliteration?

 

Well I have Cambridge Soundworks.

 

I've had them for 15 years. They are fukking incredible. and they rock my house. Literally.

 

I have two Cambridge Towers. I have two Cambridge subwoofers. One next to my love seat one behind the main couch. Fukking rocking.

 

I also invested in Vienna Acoustics. I have a center channel and surround speakers. My system is amazing. I am glad I did what I did.

 

Listening to America right now. Even this band sounds amazing on my system.

 

Signed,

 

"Sister Golden Hair"

 

 

 

I need to find a blonde.

[Principled Man]

IMO, you can't go wrong with Klipsch. I have a small set - Quintet 5-speaker surround system and a 12" Reference Series subwoofer. It packs a clear and powerful punch in my small family room area, and the sub can shake the entire house! You should be able to find that system for under a thousand.

[Tony R]

 

Pioneer is the way to go for your surround amp. Dolby atmos comes as standard on most mid range and above surround amps but for music it's not necessary at all. I picked up a Pioneer ScLx57 half price because a new range was released and it sounds fantastic with music. It originally retailed at around $2000.

As for speakers, I'd look at B&W, Mission, KEF, Wharfedale or the new kids on the block Q Acoustics. Smaller "style" speakers are getting better but full size are still best for music and you are free to get whatever you want ( my wife has made me get rid of some fantastic floorstanders because of their size).

Go to a hifi dealer and try to get a discount because you are buying an amp and speakers, in fact they will probably offer amp/speaker pair up packages at a good price. Take the Bluray with you and get a demo if possible. Above all else let your ears be the guide.

 

 

[Tony R]

http://i.imgur.com/S6Tzvgz.jpg

 

That Oppo Bluray player is the keystone of my system. It has separate top quality dacs for stereo audio and surround.

[Aikenrooster]

 

Pioneer is the way to go for your surround amp. Dolby atmos comes as standard on most mid range and above surround amps but for music it's not necessary at all. I picked up a Pioneer ScLx57 half price because a new range was released and it sounds fantastic with music. It originally retailed at around $2000.

As for speakers, I'd look at B&W, Mission, KEF, Wharfedale or the new kids on the block Q Acoustics. Smaller "style" speakers are getting better but full size are still best for music and you are free to get whatever you want ( my wife has made me get rid of some fantastic floorstanders because of their size).

Go to a hifi dealer and try to get a discount because you are buying an amp and speakers, in fact they will probably offer amp/speaker pair up packages at a good price. Take the Bluray with you and get a demo if possible. Above all else let your ears be the guide.

Thanks. I think I had asked you about all this before, but I had some set backs last year.

 

B & W is probably a pipe dream. I've read countless reviews saying that they're the best.

[Tony R]

 

Pioneer is the way to go for your surround amp. Dolby atmos comes as standard on most mid range and above surround amps but for music it's not necessary at all. I picked up a Pioneer ScLx57 half price because a new range was released and it sounds fantastic with music. It originally retailed at around $2000.

As for speakers, I'd look at B&W, Mission, KEF, Wharfedale or the new kids on the block Q Acoustics. Smaller "style" speakers are getting better but full size are still best for music and you are free to get whatever you want ( my wife has made me get rid of some fantastic floorstanders because of their size).

Go to a hifi dealer and try to get a discount because you are buying an amp and speakers, in fact they will probably offer amp/speaker pair up packages at a good price. Take the Bluray with you and get a demo if possible. Above all else let your ears be the guide.

Thanks. I think I had asked you about all this before, but I had some set backs last year.

 

B & W is probably a pipe dream. I've read countless reviews saying that they're the best.

 

If you go for a style package you can get 5.1 B&W speaker for about $1500.

 

http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-10089-bw-mt50-51-speaker-package.aspx

 

 

 

[Mr. JD]

Look at Definitive Technology speakers. Their "Bi-Polar" line has built in subs. I have a set of their BP-8060ST speakers and they sound phenomenal.

[x1yyz]

The KEF LS50 speakers are very good and come in right at $1500. Every review I've read is glowing and when I listened to them, it was obvious why. Not to disparage the above poster, but Bose are shite. Send them an e-mail and ask them what the frequency response is for a current home speaker and see what you get back (answer, words to the effect that frequency response can be variable and isn't a reliable method of evaluating speakers). The only thing about the LS50 speakers is there are only 2 color options and they might not meet the WAF (wife acceptance factor). But, there are lots of good speakers in your price range.

 

http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blue_and_black_ls50.jpg

 

I've got KEF powered speakers for my computer. Not only do they sound great, but their customer service is awesome. Mine stopped worked after the warranty expired so I emailed the company. They apologized and offered to fix them for free!

[kamrahai]

I pull this set up into the back yard once in awhile

 

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m563/kamrahai/TRF/wallofsound.png

[troutman]

Two Pioneer speakers that are close to 30 yrs. old. And still kicking a!! :codger:

[Aikenrooster]

Look at Definitive Technology speakers. Their "Bi-Polar" line has built in subs. I have a set of their BP-8060ST speakers and they sound phenomenal.

You're ok with powered speakers? Could the amps blow up inside? Serious question. I've never had a powered speaker other than a subwoofer.

[Mr. JD]

Look at Definitive Technology speakers. Their "Bi-Polar" line has built in subs. I have a set of their BP-8060ST speakers and they sound phenomenal.

You're ok with powered speakers? Could the amps blow up inside? Serious question. I've never had a powered speaker other than a subwoofer.

 

Only the sub portion of the speaker is powered. The rest of the speaker isn't. I am driving them with a 35 year old Sansui G9000 receiver. 165 watts a channel. They truly are incredible sounding for the price. I listened to them next to some other brands that were 4 times the price. Nothing compared. To my ears, they were the best sounding speakers in the room, regardless of price.

[stoopid]

Offering a different angle here (bear in mind I produce music on the side, so I'd say my 'sense of hearing' is probably on par with anyone else's)...

 

You don't need to spend $1500 on a 5.1 setup that will be night/day better than what you have. Frankly, if you're going to go big $1500 just starts getting you there. Even at $1500 it's going to be a series of compromises.

 

You don't need to buy a matching set, although there's nothing *wrong* with doing that. I'm using a Pioneer amp, Energy satellites, and Polk sub. All for ~$650 new.

 

WHAT you need depends largely on the size of the room and its acoustics.

 

It would be wasteful for me to make armchair suggestions without more knowledge about your listening space and specific listening tastes (like it bass heavy? better mids? movies and music? etc).

Edited January 28, 2016 by stoopid

[ru_ready]

Not to disparage the above poster, but Bose are shite. Send them an e-mail and ask them what the frequency response is for a current home speaker and see what you get back (answer, words to the effect that frequency response can be variable and isn't a reliable method of evaluating speakers).

 

 

no pissing contest but have you actually heard these speakers and forget all that frequency and numbers talk... actually means nothing ... these are (were) a GREAT USA QUALITY freaking loud speaker used them to DJ powered by a CARVER PM1.5 amp... and drove them hard at 4ohms nominal

 

today if they are made off shore or CHINA SH!T then yes sold out like the rest of the good ol' USA

Edited January 29, 2016 by ru_ready

[geezer]

Two Altec Lansing bought in 1990; and they still play No Sleep Till Hammersmith like their first day!

[goose]

This is a great thread being an anal audiophile. Do you like that alliteration?

 

 

Not to be pedantic, but I believe that would be assonance. ;)

[Aikenrooster]

Offering a different angle here (bear in mind I produce music on the side, so I'd say my 'sense of hearing' is probably on par with anyone else's)...

 

You don't need to spend $1500 on a 5.1 setup that will be night/day better than what you have. Frankly, if you're going to go big $1500 just starts getting you there. Even at $1500 it's going to be a series of compromises.

 

You don't need to buy a matching set, although there's nothing *wrong* with doing that. I'm using a Pioneer amp, Energy satellites, and Polk sub. All for ~$650 new.

 

WHAT you need depends largely on the size of the room and its acoustics.

 

It would be wasteful for me to make armchair suggestions without more knowledge about your listening space and specific listening tastes (like it bass heavy? better mids? movies and music? etc).

The room isn't big at all. It's very small. My wife loves movies, but I listen to music more critically.

Here are some groups I like:

 

Prog:Rush, Dream Theater

Heavy: Fear Factory, Ammon Amarth

Blues: Tedeschi Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, BB King, Albert King.

Hard Rock: Megadeth, Iron Maiden

Industrial: NIN, MM, KMFDM.

 

Clarity is what I want and a feeling of depth, like when you're actually at the show and the sound waves are hitting you. I want to hear the different instruments. In movies, dialogue clarity is my beef.

[stoopid]

Offering a different angle here (bear in mind I produce music on the side, so I'd say my 'sense of hearing' is probably on par with anyone else's)...

 

You don't need to spend $1500 on a 5.1 setup that will be night/day better than what you have. Frankly, if you're going to go big $1500 just starts getting you there. Even at $1500 it's going to be a series of compromises.

 

You don't need to buy a matching set, although there's nothing *wrong* with doing that. I'm using a Pioneer amp, Energy satellites, and Polk sub. All for ~$650 new.

 

WHAT you need depends largely on the size of the room and its acoustics.

 

It would be wasteful for me to make armchair suggestions without more knowledge about your listening space and specific listening tastes (like it bass heavy? better mids? movies and music? etc).

The room isn't big at all. It's very small. My wife loves movies, but I listen to music more critically.

Here are some groups I like:

 

Prog:Rush, Dream Theater

Heavy: Fear Factory, Ammon Amarth

Blues: Tedeschi Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, BB King, Albert King.

Hard Rock: Megadeth, Iron Maiden

Industrial: NIN, MM, KMFDM.

 

Clarity is what I want and a feeling of depth, like when you're actually at the show and the sound waves are hitting you. I want to hear the different instruments. In movies, dialogue clarity is my beef.

 

Small room definitely helps to keep you within budget and decent quality, since it doesn't require you have full range front/center/satellite speakers. You could get away, like I have, with small satellites and focus more on a decent 10+" Polk or Klipsch sub. I meantion these brands because they tend to be found on sale at Newegg often, and they're good units for the money. Like with any hobbyist gear, you can always spend more for that nominal improvement. Lke someone mentioned, hearing is believing. If you have a good home theater store in town (they're getting rare to find) I suggest visiting them. if you can't hear the difference between a $300 sub and $1500 sub, then you mind as well just get the $300.

 

Picking the right Satellites is tricky, and you can't always rely on customer reviews since some people are deaf and just don't know it. Aside from Bose, none of the suggestions here have been bad IMO. Again, finding someplace to preview them or a trusted review source is critical. You can get away with smaller satellite speakers, but perhaps not the center channel (needed for best movie dialogue reproduction). There's a ton of brands, models, and bundles/kits to choose from. I ended up with the Energy brand speakers because they were on sale and a friend already had them, so I got to hear them before buying. My center is just another satellite speaker, nothing different. But it does the job just fine.

 

Amplifier - you don't need anything too fancy, just something that actually does what it says and has the inputs you need. The lower end Pioneer amps are suficient for entry-mid level setups. Yamaha and Sony have good reputations in making decent lower end models.

 

Modern DACs in most playback equipment (DVD, Bluray, etc) are damn good compared to the past. Oppo gets a premium, and I don't buy into it fully. The idea of being able to throw ANY type of disc into the player and have it work (over HDMI, which can be tricky with higher bitrate audio media) is a very nice proposition and worth paying a bit of a premium to have, but their claims of *superior* fidelity is mostly vaporous. In the digital era the gap between adequate and benchmark performance is shrinking daily. What's available now on the market is what would have been considered top of the line 5-10 years ago, and the bleeding edge has gotten blurred with respect to creating any new frequencies/bit depths. Same for the high resolution formats - blind tests have proven *most people* can't tell above CD quality. So just get the media players you need, and focus your cash on more important matters - in this case, adequate speakers.

 

/brain dump, for now

 

Speaker placement - some common sense will go a long way. You want to be literally center in the room, as much as possible. You will need to move the sub around to find the sweet spot. Anything less and expect diminishing returns. That's another reason to not get too spend crazy - it's likely your listening environment (like mine) is a challenging space to work with, and the best speakers in the world still aren't going to sound their greatest no matter what.

Edited January 29, 2016 by stoopid