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PlatinumD
01-11-2004, 05:28 PM
I am very new at audio. But I have been reading this message board for past hour and have already learned a few things.

I live in Toronto, so anyone from here that can recommend stores to go to would be great in any suggestions.

I went shopping today at Future Shop (Canada versions of Best Buy - BB now owns FS) they only have lower end speakers and recievers.

My budget is around $10,000 CND give or take $2,000

I probably will use the system 75 / 25 for watching DVD's over listening to music. I will of course listen to music also, the types I listen are rock and hip hop / R&B etc. I'm 28

My room is 16 feet across by 18 feet deep. My house is very open concept with 3rd floor overlooking my TV room (which is 20 feet ceilings) and 2nd floor overlooking bottom floor.

Behind me is a art niche book shelf type thing built into the wall.

I have a 36 " Sony XBR
I have a Sony DVPNS715 progressive scan DVD/CD

and thats it....

I PROMISE I WILL LET ANYONE IN HERE KNOW WHAT I PURCHASED AND HOW I LIKE IT FOR EVERYONES SUGGESTIONS AND HELP.

I know I need to listen to many speakers, bring a nice mellow CD into the store and perhaps some DVD's also.

Few starter questions

Yamaha Z9 reciever - ?????
PSB stratus speakers - ?????

thoughts on those 2 to start off.

I think that line would cost me 10-12K cnd or alittle above my budget but if they are worth it I am game.

Thank you I will eagerly await replies, I wanna buy a system this week, and will let everyone know what I purchased.

recoveryone
01-11-2004, 05:41 PM
I am very new at audio. But I have been reading this message board for past hour and have already learned a few things.

I live in Toronto, so anyone from here that can recommend stores to go to would be great in any suggestions.

I went shopping today at Future Shop (Canada versions of Best Buy - BB now owns FS) they only have lower end speakers and recievers.

My budget is around $10,000 CND give or take $2,000

I probably will use the system 75 / 25 for watching DVD's over listening to music. I will of course listen to music also, the types I listen are rock and hip hop / R&B etc. I'm 28

My room is 16 feet across by 18 feet deep. My house is very open concept with 3rd floor overlooking my TV room (which is 20 feet ceilings) and 2nd floor overlooking bottom floor.

Behind me is a art niche book shelf type thing built into the wall.

I have a 36 " Sony XBR
I have a Sony DVPNS715 progressive scan DVD/CD

and thats it....

I PROMISE I WILL LET ANYONE IN HERE KNOW WHAT I PURCHASED AND HOW I LIKE IT FOR EVERYONES SUGGESTIONS AND HELP.

I know I need to listen to many speakers, bring a nice mellow CD into the store and perhaps some DVD's also.

Few starter questions

Yamaha Z9 reciever - ?????
PSB stratus speakers - ?????

thoughts on those 2 to start off.

I think that line would cost me 10-12K cnd or alittle above my budget but if they are worth it I am game.

Thank you I will eagerly await replies, I wanna buy a system this week, and will let everyone know what I purchased.

Since you are in the Yamaha Z level I would suggest looking at the Pioneer Elite 49 TXi for a comparison

Geoffcin
01-11-2004, 05:53 PM
I am very new at audio. But I have been reading this message board for past hour and have already learned a few things.

I live in Toronto, so anyone from here that can recommend stores to go to would be great in any suggestions.

I went shopping today at Future Shop (Canada versions of Best Buy - BB now owns FS) they only have lower end speakers and recievers.

My budget is around $10,000 CND give or take $2,000

I probably will use the system 75 / 25 for watching DVD's over listening to music. I will of course listen to music also, the types I listen are rock and hip hop / R&B etc. I'm 28

My room is 16 feet across by 18 feet deep. My house is very open concept with 3rd floor overlooking my TV room (which is 20 feet ceilings) and 2nd floor overlooking bottom floor.

Behind me is a art niche book shelf type thing built into the wall.

I have a 36 " Sony XBR
I have a Sony DVPNS715 progressive scan DVD/CD

and thats it....

I PROMISE I WILL LET ANYONE IN HERE KNOW WHAT I PURCHASED AND HOW I LIKE IT FOR EVERYONES SUGGESTIONS AND HELP.

I know I need to listen to many speakers, bring a nice mellow CD into the store and perhaps some DVD's also.

Few starter questions

Yamaha Z9 reciever - ?????
PSB stratus speakers - ?????

thoughts on those 2 to start off.

I think that line would cost me 10-12K cnd or alittle above my budget but if they are worth it I am game.

Thank you I will eagerly await replies, I wanna buy a system this week, and will let everyone know what I purchased.

There's a new "Flagship" receiver from Pioneer Elite, the VSX-59Txi. As far as I can see it's the most advanced receiver on the planet. With the single digital link for SACD & DVD-Audio this would make for the most direct, and highest fidelity digital transfer. Pioneer has also perfected some of the most sophisticated room Eq circuitry, and included it on this receiver. This is from the press release;

"New to the MCACC is the ability to send data to a PC through the
RS232C port for a detailed and precise display of the measured
reverberation frequency response in the listening room.

X-Curve is a popular measurement done in professional theaters and
dubbing suite designs. X-Curve compensates for psycho-acoustic
effects depending on the size of the listening room. Pioneer
developed a living room-sized version of X-Curve for home
entertainment tuning. Using MCACC, X-Curve compensation will generate perfect flat frequency response, which not only calibrates the
physical tonal balance but also corrects the human brain's
interpretation of the sound effected by the size of the room. The
X-Curve can be implemented manually or automatically."

ryewoods
01-11-2004, 06:18 PM
Go with seperates over a receiver. You can get a 5 channel amp, or two stereo amps (one each for the front L and R, and for the Surround L and R) and a mono block for the center, or you can go with monoblocks for all the speakers. Then all you will need is a Pre Amp/Processor. I actually like seperates better because they evolve with new technology. If a new format comes out, all you'll need to do is get a new processor...the amps will always be good. Popular manufacturers are Rotel, Arcam, and Parasound among others.

For speakers I would check out Spendor, Dynaudio, ACI, Magnepan, JM Reynaud, Harbeth, Soliloquy, Sonus Faber, Vienna Acoustics, Meadowlark, Vandersteen, and Von Schweikert. An easy way to narrow it down is to find out if you have an authorized retailer in your area. If you don't eliminate them from your list. Then audition the remaining options with some of your favorite recordings. I particularly like the Spendor S3/5, JM Reynaud Twin MK III, Dynaudio Audience 52, Magnepan 1.6, and Von Schweikert VR-1. The Maggies are phenominal, but they are big and ugly, so they may not suit you if you have a wife at home. ;-)

Check out http://ecoustics.com for tons of reviews from many different sources.

Geoffcin
01-11-2004, 06:40 PM
The Maggies are phenominal, but they are big and ugly, so they may not suit you if you have a wife at home. ;-)

Who you calling big and ugly?!

http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/pics/magnepan_mg36r.jpg

ryewoods
01-11-2004, 07:40 PM
The Maggies are phenominal, but they are big and ugly, so they may not suit you if you have a wife at home. ;-)

Who you calling big and ugly?!


I stand by my original statement ;) (They are one of the best sets of speakers I have ever heard though...regardless of price)

bignerd100
11-19-2004, 11:24 AM
Spendor 3/1 from Classic series for FL/FR.
Spendor C5e for center.
Spendor SR5 surround.
NAD T753 receiver.
Martin Logan Grotto sub.

Your room is not of ideal proportions from a sonic perspective. The Spendors are forgiving, roll off gradualy in the bass to blend well with sub, and are outstanding speakers.
The receiver sounds very good with these speakers though using a receiver is a bit of a compromise. If you ever want to get better sound from your speakers though the NAD has preout/main in for all six powered channels. you can attach an external power amp to any channel you wish WITHOUT loosing the ability to use the receivers amplifiers for other aplications simultaneously (whole house audio?). The ML sub gives you a 25Hz adjustment knob that will help you combat troublesome room modes (which you will have in a room your size and shape). Secret info: the dealer gets a very small price drop on the SR5's if you buy five or more peices of Spendor at one time (slight drop in your cost).

Good luck.

Woochifer
11-19-2004, 02:07 PM
Since you're in Canada, you can look into the Anthem separates for not much more than what a Yamaha RX-Z9 would cost. Other surround separates that are in your price range include Rotel, Arcam, Parasound, and Classe (expensive in the U.S., but might be less in Canada since they're made in Quebec). This should leave you with at least half of your budget left over for speakers, and there you got a lot of options. With a lot of high end processors, you have a lot more flexibility with the bass management than even a top-of-the-line receiver provides, which is important in integrating a subwoofer into your main system. The auto calibration will vary a lot from model to model, so definitely try them out for yourself and see what they offer.

The higher end PSBs sounded very nice in my very brief listenings with them, so they're a great place to start. Definitely go to an independent audio retailer and you'll see a much higher plateau in audio quality than what Future Shop's offerings give you. So many options available -- going standmount all the way around, going floorstanders up front, subwoofer or not, etc. So, take your time. B&W, Vandersteen, Paradigm, Thiel, NHT, Definitive Technology, Magnepan, Dynaudio, Revel, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Energy, are among the many companies that make decent surround systems in your price range. Those are just a few of the options that you can start with. They take somewhat different approaches, but with a higher quality amp, you got more options open with the more difficult to drive speakers like the Martin Logan and Magnepan panels and low impedance Dynaudios. Do your listenings and enjoy.

Just make sure that you bring your own set of test discs, preferably the type of music that you plan to play on your system. As far as movies to bring, my current favorite for testing a surround system is "Master and Commander." You get the full bass with the cannon battles, but it also has some incredible ambient and spatial cues that really highlight a well setup and matched surround system. Also, make sure that the actual volume is about the same with each listening (efficient speakers will play louder, which gives them an advantage in a A/B listening, but they won't necessarily be more accurate or subjectively sound better with the levels matched)

PAT.P
11-19-2004, 02:59 PM
Since you're in Canada, you can look into Energy /Totem Acoustic /Dahlquist for speaker .You can go to www.audioshop.on.ca it is in Ottawa they have factory secound on Energy speaker Marc Hallam could give a good deal on these.Ialways buy the factory secound or their display at 30 to 50 % off .He also has the Dahlquist Qx9A on sale ,have a pair of these and hard to beat at this price.PAT.P

RGA
11-19-2004, 07:50 PM
Umm why did you pick $10,000.00? Why give or take $2000.00?

Quality and money spent don;t necessarily go hand in hand - and while you can spend $2k for a speaker you can spend $1k often and get a better one - and receivers - well like computers you really need to know what it is exactly you need from it to do. For instance i'm running a 5 year old out of date computer with windows 98 for heaven sake. But, i can go on the internet - i can open 20 screen my system never crashes(and I don't run virus software) In five years I've never filled half my hard drive. Every time I consider buying a new computer Istop and think but I don't need one - now if I was running games this would all be a totally different story and my computer would be in the junk heap.

For home theater receivers are like all in one printers - they do everything under the sun and none of it do they do particularly well. If you're a serious photographer you get a photo quality printer and if you run a business you need something a lot better than some HP/Lexmark cheap all in one.

I have heard recently a $6000.00 Pioneer Elite Receiver running a Paradigm surround sound package which will eat away that $10k (I'm in British Columbia) in one helluva hurry and the sound presented certainly was nothing to write home about for movies and especially NOT for music. You're obviously not going to rush and buy any old thing - otherwise you would have brought home some Polk's from Future Shop. The trouble is a lot of more expensive alternatives to the Polk's have the same design concept and don;t sound much if at all better for more money.

Find something that can do 2 channel properly first - firstly it's easier to do - then once you found a system that can do two channel properly fnd out about what they offer in the way of surround sound. Sitting in a chair and putting on Saving Private Ryan and listening to a big battle sequence is of absolutely zero help to you because unless you've seen similar combat you have absolutely zero frame of reference as to be able to judge if the sound you heard resembled the truth in any way. Chances are you've heard drums and Pianos and singers and violins and bass etc.

You may also find a cheaper receiver or separate processor will have the required features you want and need and connect up a used Power amp such as those from Rotel or Bryston can musically outperform the big expensive receivers --- then again maybe not.

Really though it requires work from you - everyone here can throw a pile of names at you, you can read magazine reviews which will like everything no matter what.

Also, it depends how picky you are - if you figure you just want a system to get the job done reasonably well and can pound with rock and movies - this isn;t going to be really tough for you - most speakers already mentioned if not all with a big sub should be able to thunder and present reasonable soundstages etc.

lattybuck
11-29-2004, 11:22 AM
the world of audio has been evolving to a point today where you can buy technically very clean sound equipment many places. Once you decide to get the better quality equipment, regradless of higher or lower prices, you can get good sound. It is just that simple. So it comes down to what sound appeals to you and is the most comfortable and enjoyable to listen to. Emphasising the comfortable and enjoyable part cannot be understated here. So a few of my personal Taoist thoughts just for cannon fodder may or may not help. Here it is anyway.
10k isn't that much in the higher priced equipment ranges but it is definately enough to get you into that market where your personal preferences are just as important, if not more so, than the ability of the equipment. That said I would say to look at a few of the more different means used and place your money in that area. First, as said before here, if you have competent sounding electronics the speakers will always give you the biggest overall increase in sound performance in any system. I tend to divide speakers into 4 major catagories for sound. Just as a starting place try this and see which you like the best. They are as follows in my little world:
1 - Flat Panel sound; Martin logan, Magnaplaners and a few others. Inherently very very fast and very low distortion but tend to be directional.
2 - Conventional systems; Revel, B&W, and a few others. Good balance and sometimes very very smooth.
3 - Minimalist systems; Audio Note and a few others. We used to call this a "wire and grain" approach years ago. A very neutral sound usually.
4 - Horn sound; Klipch and a few others; Usually very efficient and can be a good balance sound as well.

This is just a way to get you to "hear" the differences and see what you enjoy the most. Once you have a good idea as to the type of speaker "sound" that you prefere then go out and audiotion a few within that catagory to find what you like best and what you can afford. Sound is all about symetry and how the components react. Including the most important components of all, your ear and your environment. You will not hear the same things as anybody else does even siting oin the same chair and room listening. Your ear is not the same as anyone elses ear. It is just that simple. And all speakers are diferent. Sometimes more subtly than other times. But different non the less. You have to know what works best for your hearing and environment. So break out the items your interested in and do some checking. Start with the overall types and "drill" down to what you finally get. Also remember your power if you focus on the speakers. Some speakers are very very power hungry and some speakers don't need much power at all. This can be a real stepping stone if your not carefull.

Thats it for the Taoist bard.
Take care and I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do.

kode3
11-30-2004, 04:37 AM
Go with seperates over a receiver. You can get a 5 channel amp, or two stereo amps (one each for the front L and R, and for the Surround L and R) and a mono block for the center, or you can go with monoblocks for all the speakers. Then all you will need is a Pre Amp/Processor. I actually like seperates better because they evolve with new technology. If a new format comes out, all you'll need to do is get a new processor...the amps will always be good. Popular manufacturers are Rotel, Arcam, and Parasound among others.

For speakers I would check out Spendor, Dynaudio, ACI, Magnepan, JM Reynaud, Harbeth, Soliloquy, Sonus Faber, Vienna Acoustics, Meadowlark, Vandersteen, and Von Schweikert. An easy way to narrow it down is to find out if you have an authorized retailer in your area. If you don't eliminate them from your list. Then audition the remaining options with some of your favorite recordings. I particularly like the Spendor S3/5, JM Reynaud Twin MK III, Dynaudio Audience 52, Magnepan 1.6, and Von Schweikert VR-1. The Maggies are phenominal, but they are big and ugly, so they may not suit you if you have a wife at home. ;-)

Check out http://ecoustics.com for tons of reviews from many different sources.

I have Denon, and Rotel...it was not 10k, but it's very good stuff.