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mariannes504
01-25-2004, 12:42 PM
Building a complete home theater room and would like good quality speakers & sub for under $3500.00. Problem is which is the best brand & size speaker system for a 11.5 x 15 room with 9.5' ceiling? Would like unbiased advice from people who are not trying to sell me their product. Specific speaker systems would be helpful. Paradigm? Infinity?

bturk667
01-25-2004, 01:54 PM
I have always found it difficult to give advice on speakers simply because ones ears are the best judge. See, with out knowing what type music you listen to, how you like your music to sound, i.e. warm and laid back, or cool and foward, visural bass or not, big soundstange or not, pinpoint imaging or not, it is hard to make a suggestion.

With the budget you have mentioned, there are any number of ways you could choose to go. So me suggestion, go out and start listening, oh yeah, make sure you bring your own music.

But if you want specific companies, how about all of them? How about these?

Paradigm, Infinity, Polk Audio, Energy, Snell, Theil, Cambridge Audio, Triangle Acoustic, Bose, Pioneer, Sony, Kenwood, Yamaha, Axiom, Swan, PSB, AR, Sonus Faber, Magnepan, B&W, Gallo, Kirksater, JBL, Klipsch, Legacy, Totem, Monitor Audio, Vienna Acoustic, Dynaudio,and the list goes on and on.

With the popularity of H.T., every company know offer complete lines of H.T. speaker systems; from Low-Fi to Hi-Fi, with many these falling within your budget. So have fun and take your time.

TinHere
01-25-2004, 02:12 PM
Building a complete home theater room and would like good quality speakers & sub for under $3500.00. Problem is which is the best brand & size speaker system for a 11.5 x 15 room with 9.5' ceiling? Would like unbiased advice from people who are not trying to sell me their product. Specific speaker systems would be helpful. Paradigm? Infinity?

There are lots of options. Have listened to any you liked or disliked so people can get an idea of your preferences?

Want to save some time and know you did well? Check out the speaker packages with the link at the bottom. They offer a 30 day home trial, and not many go back. Lots of high praise can be found for the products and the company. I am biased as a happy owner of the speakers, but the numbers of satisfied customers continue to grow. You can check at http://www.audioenvy.com./ to see if anyone in your area will allow you to audition their's. BTW those people get nothing from the company and do it just to share a good thing.

http://www.av123.com/products_category.php?section=speakers

Happy hunting.

mariannes504
01-25-2004, 03:19 PM
There are lots of options. Have listened to any you liked or disliked so people can get an idea of your preferences?

Want to save some time and know you did well? Check out the speaker packages with the link at the bottom. They offer a 30 day home trial, and not many go back. Lots of high praise can be found for the products and the company. I am biased as a happy owner of the speakers, but the numbers of satisfied customers continue to grow. You can check at http://www.audioenvy.com./ to see if anyone in your area will allow you to audition their's. BTW those people get nothing from the company and do it just to share a good thing.

http://www.av123.com/products_category.php?section=speakers

Happy hunting.

You are correct. Too many company's. However, we are mainly interested in good home theater sound and not stereo sound. The only speakers I have ever listened to and have praise for are the Infinity minuette's, the first speaker package we purchased 6? years ago.
I want a set of speakers you would go to the movies for. I have no idea if that is a warm, cool, or what category that sound is in. We are in a limited area with Best Buy & Circuit City as the Big Guys on the Block. There are a few guys in our area trying to sell home theater systems but they have their "very limited" specific products. One guy has only one speaker system that he is an authorized dealer for "anthony gallo." So I'm not in the big city with a place to go listen to a variety of Speakers. Even our Circuit City only has a couple of speakers set up in a mini speaker room to listen to. So, I am hoping to at least bbe directed by people who are not trying to sell me something and have an unbiased opinion. I will check out the link you sent me. Thanks!

TinHere
01-25-2004, 05:48 PM
You are correct. Too many company's. However, we are mainly interested in good home theater sound and not stereo sound. The only speakers I have ever listened to and have praise for are the Infinity minuette's, the first speaker package we purchased 6? years ago.
I want a set of speakers you would go to the movies for. I have no idea if that is a warm, cool, or what category that sound is in. We are in a limited area with Best Buy & Circuit City as the Big Guys on the Block. There are a few guys in our area trying to sell home theater systems but they have their "very limited" specific products. One guy has only one speaker system that he is an authorized dealer for "anthony gallo." So I'm not in the big city with a place to go listen to a variety of Speakers. Even our Circuit City only has a couple of speakers set up in a mini speaker room to listen to. So, I am hoping to at least bbe directed by people who are not trying to sell me something and have an unbiased opinion. I will check out the link you sent me. Thanks!

There are advantages to buying from internet direct companies, not the smallest which is the value/performance they can offer by eliminating middle-man profits and passing on the savings to the consumer. These companies and their products are scrutinized by knowledgable people who often have an above average interest in their systems. If you are looking for a system that will be used mostly for HT the ELT's for $999 should more than satisfy your needs given your room size. If you want to listen at reference levels [ie very loud] you might want a beefier subwoofer, although the one supplied will be good for all but the really bass heavy DVD's that test the meddle of the best subs. Keep in mind this system would retail for considerably more if it were offered by CC or BB. The successful internet direct companies will also allow you to enjoy a level of custormer service that has been lauded often on the audio forums. They answer questions and resolve problems promptly should they arise. I'm really not looking to sell you a "bill of goods," but relate what has been a positive alternative for many people seeking "bang for the buck" products from reputable companies whose growth and success depend on delivering what they promise and/or exceeding expectations. These customers live in cities with a ton of options and in areas where choices are limited.

If you are looking for small speakers, the Gallos have been well reported about and play beyond their size from what I have read.

Good luck.

Bryan
01-26-2004, 07:12 AM
For HT, you could go with the marble nOrh (http://www.norh.com) 4.0 package for $1,600 delivered (ceramic and wood 4.0 packages go for $850 delivered - love or hate the looks) and either a HSU (http://www.hsuresearch.com) VTF-2 for $450 delivered or SVS (http://www.svsubwoofers.com) PB1-ISD for $650 plus shipping. You have a vast array of choices available to you as your room isn't that big (any openings into other rooms and, if so, how big are they?) and an excellent sub should run you between $400 (Adire Audio Rava) and $650 (aforementioned SVS). Even the HSU Ventriloquist and VTF-2 combo should excel for HT in your room for $660 delivered. If you don't like the Ventriloquist system you can still keep the sub. :)

mariannes504
01-26-2004, 07:52 AM
For HT, you could go with the marble nOrh (http://www.norh.com) 4.0 package for $1,600 delivered (ceramic and wood 4.0 packages go for $850 delivered - love or hate the looks) and either a HSU (http://www.hsuresearch.com) VTF-2 for $450 delivered or SVS (http://www.svsubwoofers.com) PB1-ISD for $650 plus shipping. You have a vast array of choices available to you as your room isn't that big (any openings into other rooms and, if so, how big are they?) and an excellent sub should run you between $400 (Adire Audio Rava) and $650 (aforementioned SVS). Even the HSU Ventriloquist and VTF-2 combo should excel for HT in your room for $660 delivered. If you don't like the Ventriloquist system you can still keep the sub. :)

The room has double doors that will open to a larger 18x29 rec room for those days when you want to play pool, darts etc... and keep your eye on the football game etc...

Do you use any of these speaker systems?

Bryan
01-26-2004, 01:33 PM
First of all, those double doors likely will not matter much unless you watch movies with them open. If you do, the subwoofers will need to be much beefier.

As for if I have them, I own both nOrh 4.0s (ceramic) and 5.1s (wood). I prefer the slightly warmer sound of the wood over the ceramic 4.0 (both use the same drivers and tweeters). I also own a SVS 20-39CSi (upgraded to the current improved standard driver) and is powered by a Samson S700.

The VTF-2 and Rava are subs that have been around for some time and have gotten rave reviews by people who own them and by reviewers. All these companies are more customer oriented than anything. SVS' customer service is legendary, far and away the way every other companies should be.