Spend $2,300.00 on speakers HELP

[Homer]

I am having trouble finding speakers to add to a very simple system or so I thought.
This is what I have picked so far, and a set of speakers. You would think picking speakers is easy, but I find this very troublesome. I want the best sound for the money.

Items I have decided to buy:
Receiver: Sunfire Ultimate Receiver, DVD Player: Denon DVD-2200, and I have an old Lin turn table to add as well. This system will not have a TV at this time but perhaps in the future.

I’m willing to spend $ 2,300.00 on a 5.1 speaker system, and I have considered as much as 200.00 more if necessary including tax.
I have looked at QTY 2 B&W 603 S3 L&R Front
QTY 2 B&W 601 S3 L&R Rear
QTY 1 B&W LCR 600 S3 Center
QTY 1 B&W ASW675 Sub
If I spend the 200.00 more I can get the B&W’s. I like the B&W 705’s but are just out of my price range.

I have a friend who can get me some Canton speakers for a very good price, but I only have a pair of Ergos to listen to for reference, and that makes it difficult to chose.
I have looked at QTY 2 Canton Karat MD 80 DC L&R Front
QTY 2 Canton Karat M 10 L&R Rear
QTY 1 Canton Karat CM 40 Center
QTY 1 Canton Karat AS 200 SC Sub

This system is 900.00 over my budget and again I can’t listen to them, and I have considered 4 M10’s to get the cost down which is 400.00 more then the buget with stands. OR droping the sub and that will put this system about 200 to 300 over my price range.

I have looked at QTY 2 Canton Ergo 702 DC L&R Front
QTY 2 Canton Ergo 202 L&R Rear
QTY 1 Canton Ergo CM 502 Center
QTY 1 Canton Ergo AS 1.2 SC Sub This system is 700.00 over my budget and again I can’t listen to them.

I have listed to KEF XQ1’s and that are a bit bright. PSB top of the line and they are dull and un-real with a poor sound stage. Monitor Audio Gold reference monitors and that are very nice but cost too much
But all of these cost to much for the old bank account and the B&Ws seam to be the best bang for the buck unless I drop the sub with the Cantons

I have listened to so many speakers and some are way beyond my reach, and the B&W’s still sound better than most. I will be listening to stereo for the most part and will slowly be moving my collection to DVD Audio/SACD as time goes by.

I like to have the speakers disappear in the room and be able to pick out the instruments across the stage. I like the sound as if it were little ahead of the speaker, and that the sound is exact a piano is exactly that. Every key, string, drum and voice sounds just as perfect as each is in real life with out to much or to little. The room is just on the bright side for your information and I plan to try to correct this in time.

I know that I sound like I want he ultimate system, and I do, but I have to live with in my budget.

Thanks

[TinHere]

Homer,

Check out the Rocket by Onix packages at AV123.com. They are an internet direct company that offers excellent value and customer service. They can also give you a good price on the Denon with a speaker package. These speakers usually exceed expectations.

http://www.av123.com/products_category_pack.php?section=speakers&brand=3

Check AudioEnvy.com to see if someone in your area is offering auditions, or ask at the forum at AV123 if nobody is listed in your area.

http://www.audioenvy.com/

Happy hunting.

[RGA]

The thing is you have chosen a budget and that is a good thing. You have also chosen an excellent, maybe the best I have heard, speaker system in that price range in the B&W's.

The 600 series is getting long in the tooth but their larger size provides a bit of depth and fullness that many smaller standmounts, even more expensive ones, simply don't provide.

B&W is also one of the few makers using metal tweeters that I can stomach for longer listening periods. There is a reason it's so popular a line. They are also relatively easy to upgrade later. You want the 700 or Nautilus line then you can shift the 600's to the rear and they are pretty close match.

I would try JM Labs, Mission, and Linn if any are in your area. But B&W is a safe bet certainly as an all-rounder.

[_Luke1_]

recommend speaks, so I won't. But there are a couple of things you can do to make the expense a bit more manageable. First, you could spread the speaker buying over more than one purchase. Buy the fronts and rears together and use the phantom mode of your receiver instead of buying the center channel. Then after you've saved a bit more you can buy the center.

Another option is to purchase another sub rather than the matching sub to the speakers. There is no advantage to matching the brand other than prehaps matching the finish. Find a good sub, maybe an Adire Rava, Hsu or SVS (all well-thought-of internet brands) and save some cash while getting an as good or better sub.

Just a couple of ideas.

[spacedeckman]

Reconsider the Sunfire. You would be so much better off with a bigger Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, h/k, Elite, hell anything. You will have more flexibility better processing, and the best part, you will own something that neither Bob Carver or Amar Bose had a part in designing. IMHO, that is a goal everyone should have.

I don't know your timeframe, but Yamaha should have the 3400 out this spring, and you would have another $1000 to go into your speaker fund. I personally think the 5803 is kind of a dog, but the 4803 is a nice piece.

Whatever you get, enjoy it. I just can't go to Sunfire land...although, I never made the connection to the Pontiac of the same name. In my narrow mind, it is fitting.

[Geoffcin]

I am having trouble finding speakers to add to a very simple system or so I thought.
This is what I have picked so far, and a set of speakers. You would think picking speakers is easy, but I find this very troublesome. I want the best sound for the money.

Items I have decided to buy:
Receiver: Sunfire Ultimate Receiver, DVD Player: Denon DVD-2200, and I have an old Lin turn table to add as well. This system will not have a TV at this time but perhaps in the future.

Thanks

Wow, a lot of choices, none of them easy, but can I ask this? Why the do you want to build a HT system when you don't even have a TV?

For HT, your going backwards. HT is all about watching movies, your going to need a good TV first. Otherwise your going to have all this great sound and nothing to play!

If your building this system for the idea that 5.1 audio is something to aspire to you've just wasted a lot of money. Well, not really wasted, but your going to be all ready for something that just hasn't happened yet, or is likely to in quite some time.

If great audio is what your looking for now, screw getting 6 speakers and spend ALL your money on the front two.

I've never heard the 700 series yet so I can't comment on those speakers, but I have auditioned the Nautilus line, and was duly impresses. So, my recommendation is;

If you like the B&W sound, dump all your hard earned money on a slightly used set of Nautilus 804s. If you must have standmounts, the 805's will do, but you'll have to get a sub eventually if you want full range sound.

What ever you do I'm sure will work out, but to have a great set of mains FIRST, you will never go wrong.

[topspeed]

Why are you building a HT system without the TV? Unless you're blind, you're putting the cart before the horse. Do you have any idea how much a really good TV is going to run you? If you're worried about how much the sound system costs, you're going to fall into cardiac arrest when you check out prices of TV's. If, otoh you are more into music you should toss the idea for the other speakers and dump them into your two mains. Then get a decent amp and pre/pro and build from there. There are a TON of great amps and pre/pro's that you could find that would put that Sunfire on the truck and probably cost less. You just have to look for it.

Good luck

[Bryan]

I am in agreement with the others. For what you are wanting going 5.1 seems hardly worth it, especially without a TV.

The receiver you are looking at goes for roughly $3,200. Perhaps at this point in time it would be best to concentrate on a music only system rather than one geared towards HT. Would look into speakers by Newform Research (http://www.newformresearch.com), Martin Logan, Merlin Music (http://www.merlinmusic.com), Dynaudio, and VMPS (http://www.vmpsaudio.com) for starters.

[Homer]

I have a full HT system and a 58" HDTV and sat system using Atlantic Technologies and Infinity speakes and sounds supper. The reason I was considering the 5.1 syatem was for SACD and DVD audio, but I'm now considering a shift in focus to just a two speakers system with a sub. I still might get the Sunfire for the warm tub like sound or at least as close as I can get, and the Denon for the 2 channel SACD/DVD Audio. I will continue the speaker hunt but now I have $2300 to spend on 2 speakers and a sub.

Thanks for the help!

[pelly3s]

I personally like Jamo's, or some jbl's. I love the sound of the JBL HT4V. As for a receiver I would go with an NAD, but hey thats just my opinion

[Geoffcin]

I have a full HT system and a 58" HDTV and sat system using Atlantic Technologies and Infinity speakes and sounds supper. The reason I was considering the 5.1 syatem was for SACD and DVD audio, but I'm now considering a shift in focus to just a two speakers system with a sub. I still might get the Sunfire for the warm tub like sound or at least as close as I can get, and the Denon for the 2 channel SACD/DVD Audio. I will continue the speaker hunt but now I have $2300 to spend on 2 speakers and a sub.

Thanks for the help!

Alright! I can help you spend your $$$. ;)

Magnepan 1.6qr $1650
SVS or Hsu sub $650
Total-------------------$2300

You will not be disapointed.