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speakeroligist_38
02-03-2006, 08:43 PM
Hello once again people I have a Q: I have Paradigm Studio 20 v.3"s and in time will be buying a center channel speaker and a pair of rear speakers to create a 5.1 set-up. My local Paradigm dealer told me the Paradigm cc-370 v.4 along with a set of Mini Monitor v.4's would work very well together. I admit I really do like the way the cc-370 v.4 and the mini v.4's sound but will they work well with my Studio 20's?
Why shell out the big bucks for the Paradigm cc-470 v.3 when for the same price I can get the cc-370 and a set of mini's??? After all, my preference is more on 2-channel music listening BUT I do want good home theater effect. Also, if I do end up going with the cc-470 v.3 will a pair of Paradigm Atoms v.4 be ok for the rears?????
I have also thought about going with the Ascend Acoustics all new 340cSE for my center and the 170 SE's for my rears. Many people have compared and favored the Ascend Acoustic speakers to Paradigm Reference line-up. I also am quite fond of the Polk Rti line. Maybe a Csi5 for my center and the Rti6's/Rti4's for my rears. These are all alternatives that I am considering because I just dont have the funds to buy the cc-470 v.3 and another pair of Studio 20's v.3. If I did it would be a no brainer so I have to consider the alternative(s). Still debating on which sub I want but am leaning towards hsu research because svs does not make an 8" sub. Outlaw Audio also has a good deal on (2) 8" subs for only $549. I dont plan on spending a lot on my sub because it will mainly be used for home theater. Polk also makes some decent inexpensive subs that would work quite well for this application. So please help me out as I look forward to hearing what you all have to say. I reallly appreciate the help I get on this board. Lots of good knowledgable people here and I must say I have learned a lot about home audio/theater.

Woochifer
02-03-2006, 09:45 PM
Worst thing you can do in building a 5.1 setup is to cheap out on timbre matching the center and surrounds.

The matching center speakers in the Studio series are the CC-470 and the CC-570. Those use the same tweeters and mid/woofer drivers as your Studio 20s, and will likely provide the tightest match for your Studio 20s. Anything with significantly different tonal characteristics from your mains will detract from the cohesiveness of the front soundfield.

Alternatively, if you have a wall-mounted TV, you're actually best served by using another Studio 20 as the center speaker, just make sure that you use the video shielded version of the 20 if your TV is CRT-based. The horizontal center speakers exist only because the TV typically sits exactly where the center speaker would ideally go. If you have a TV in the middle, then the horizontal center speaker is the best compromise.

And with the surround speakers, DEFINITELY use another pair of Studio 20s. You might be able to get away with nonmatching surround speakers for some movies, but the mismatches will be very noticeable with newer soundtracks that have more directional cues, and with multichannel music.

If you can't afford anything right now, save your nickels and be patient. You dont' have to buy the whole setup at once, and whatever amount you spend on cheaper speakers right is exactly how much further away you are from putting together a properly matched speaker set.

Wireworm5
02-04-2006, 03:08 AM
I concur with Woochifer. I used the 370 for quite some time with my 100's and although its a good center. The 470 tweeter will match with the 20's and this is important as your ears or at least mine tend to focus on the speaker with the better treble. This is also true for rears. Having matched speakers all around gives you a balanced soundfield. And this makes listening to music that much more enjoyable when your ears aren't being focused on the dominent speaker in your setup. However I still use my monitor 9's and B&W 601 for rears which are a close enough match for me with the studios. I had the 20's there at one point but found for me the 20's work better in my room as fronts along with my studio 100's.

drseid
02-04-2006, 04:28 AM
Definitely go with the matching center channel speaker from Paradigm. A seamless front soundstage is important for HT, IMO. Trying to match another brand's center to your Paradigms will prove difficult, and should be avoided if you can.

On the rears, I will go somewhat against the general consensus in saying that since you admittedly are most concerned with 2 channel... if the only use for the rears is for HT (no multi-channel music), then the Atoms should be fine. Obviously it would be better to have the same rears as your mains... but that may be impractical dollar-wise (I know it was for me). Just listen carefully to the Atoms and see if they have the same general sound signature as your fronts... if so, for infrequent HT on a budget they will get the job done and not detract too much from your HT experience, IMO. The center is much more critical.

All of that said, if multi-channel music *is* important to you, then delete my response and I will agree with the others.

---Dave

speakeroligist_38
02-04-2006, 06:40 AM
Thanks wooch, worm, and dr.seid I will keep your comments in mind whenever I do finish my system. However, keep in mind that my preference is on 2-channel music listening and not multi-channel. I will only use my center and rears for home theater. So I can see that my front stage needs to be seemless but what about the rears??? After all, I am no videophile if you will but do hope to obtain decent home theater effect. Most of the time I just listen to me Studio 20's while playing cd's or checking out my favorite local radio station. Anyways, I dont know if my preferences will make much of a difference but please chime in and let me know. Thanks guys for all of your help.

Wireworm5
02-04-2006, 12:33 PM
I thought you knew I was a multi-channel stereo convert. I was talking multi-channel stereo. Personally I think your limiting your listening experience by sticking with just two speakers. Like I've posted before I have never heard just two speakers sound better than the surround sound experience. But that's me, perhaps in a good room you can get 2 speakers to do what multiple speakers does for me. I just haven't come across a room yet that does that for two channels.

drseid
02-04-2006, 03:53 PM
I thought you knew I was a multi-channel stereo convert. I was talking multi-channel stereo. Personally I think your limiting your listening experience by sticking with just two speakers. Like I've posted before I have never heard just two speakers sound better than the surround sound experience. But that's me, perhaps in a good room you can get 2 speakers to do what multiple speakers does for me. I just haven't come across a room yet that does that for two channels.

I am surprised that you have not had a good 2 channel listening experience... I guess in my case I am the polar opposite to this way of thinking. While I don't dislike multi-channel sound, on my system I would take 2 channel any day of the week over it. That said, I love SACD and DVD-A, I just prefer them in 2 channel.

---Dave

speakeroligist_38
02-04-2006, 08:11 PM
Worm I am not limiting myself but I just prefer 2-channel music listening. I really could care less about sacd or dvd-a. Just not my thing. Kinda apears that me and drseid have similiar tastes when it comes to home audio. Thanks once again guys for all of your help.

Woochifer
02-05-2006, 09:14 PM
Thanks wooch, worm, and dr.seid I will keep your comments in mind whenever I do finish my system. However, keep in mind that my preference is on 2-channel music listening and not multi-channel. I will only use my center and rears for home theater. So I can see that my front stage needs to be seemless but what about the rears??? After all, I am no videophile if you will but do hope to obtain decent home theater effect. Most of the time I just listen to me Studio 20's while playing cd's or checking out my favorite local radio station. Anyways, I dont know if my preferences will make much of a difference but please chime in and let me know. Thanks guys for all of your help.

This all depends on what level of performance you expect out of a multichannel setup, and how you define "decent home theater effect." Multichannel is multichannel, no matter if the source is music or movies. Your original question implied that you care somewhat about getting the multichannel performance right. If you view movies as low priority listening, and aren't willing to devote the budget necessary to properly timbre match the speakers all the way around, then doing the half-assed approach might work fine for your listening. Just be aware of the compromises you're making from the outset.

I patiently took about two years piecing my speaker setup together. I had an extra pair of speakers that I used as nonmatching surrounds in the meantime. It was okay, but the difference in my overall listening enjoyment with all multichannel sources increased dramatically after I acquired the matching surrounds. The imaging and panning effects were far more coherent and stable once the speaker were matched. If you want your multichannel performance to be comparable to what you currently get with your Studio 20 pair, then you need to use timbre matched speakers. There's no way around it.

speakeroligist_38
02-07-2006, 11:35 AM
Very good point there wooch. Guess I will just take my time and do it piece by piece. My next step is to get the cc-470 then hopefully another pair of Studio 20's down the road. Maybe sooner if I have my say but like everybody else it all depends on my cash flow. Right now there is very little. Thanks wooch for all your help. Both you and Kex have been very helpful to me.

Woochifer
02-07-2006, 11:50 AM
Very good point there wooch. Guess I will just take my time and do it piece by piece. My next step is to get the cc-470 then hopefully another pair of Studio 20's down the road. Maybe sooner if I have my say but like everybody else it all depends on my cash flow. Right now there is very little. Thanks wooch for all your help. Both you and Kex have been very helpful to me.

If you don't have an extra pair of speakers lying around the house, then you might want to consider going with the surround speakers next. There's no consensus on this, but IMO it's the full bandwidth split surround channels that define modern home theater. No question, the center speaker is important because it outputs a discrete channel and helps anchor the center image, but the surrounds take things into the next dimension.

Also, keep in mind that your receiver has a virtual surround feature that you can use with 2, 3, and 4 speakers. It's far from true surround, but still pretty good.

speakeroligist_38
02-08-2006, 06:44 AM
Exactly--I was using virtual surround as I watced DOOM yesterday and thought it really sounded decent for only using 2 speakers. At times. I could swear I was using a powered sub becuase of how low the Studio 20's go. I will work on my surrounds next then the center channel. Thanks once again wooch for your advice. have a great day.