Newbie Asks Questions!!! [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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perla4u
12-15-2003, 01:20 PM
HELLO ... to all my music lovers. I am a new guy to this forum and to the speaker world. I have been reading every single post on this forum for about 10 days and now thought to just drop in and say Hi to everyone.

Obvisouly the intention to read all the posts were to get a good grip of the terminology and the equipment that the people are interested in and to learn as much as I can without asking much questions. But what ever u read and do, we all endedup asking (I guess its the easiest way to learn). Well that said, would really like to ask all of you one question...

WHY THE HELL THERE ARE SO MANY SPEAKERS TO CHOOSE FROM ???

I walked into the B&W speaker showroom the otherday without a clue and u should see my face at the end of 1 hour...I was as blank as a white paper. With all the terms the sales rep used and the techologies he explained...well that embarassed me to death and I started reading this forum much intensly to make sense of our conversation. Over 10days I got the grasp of the terms and tecnologies (well sorta).

After all this, the ULTIMATE QUESTION remains. WHAT TO BUY??? And my friends I know what u gonna ask...WHATS UR BUDGET...right?
Well how much a "decent" system costs? To define what decent to me means is this...

1) I should be able to play movies with good sound effects without spending a fortune on the audio equipment (80 % movies)

2) I should also need something that plays well with music (20 %).

3) What receiver/amp/preamp should I get to drive these speakers

4)What are the brands I should look at?

Friends I know I ask too many questions but I am sharing my frustration with you all.

So far I auditioned...B&W's, Paradigms and Klipshs.


GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS POST. PLZ.

-Newbieeee.

Willow
12-15-2003, 01:33 PM
http://www.audiovideo101.com/dictionary/default.asp
check this out to get any add. info.

Most people will ask what your $$budget is in order to recommend speakers ,systems etc. I can tell you you're on the right foot buy checking out many different companies... as far as which is better..its like cars....he may like honda, she may like BMW and he to take the public transit.....go with your ears and figure out what your $$ is

JSE
12-15-2003, 02:03 PM
The reason everyone will ask you about budget, room size, listening prefference is because these are a few of the objective factors in HT and Music. We really need to know those things in order to help you. Budget? You can spend $250 or $250,000. No point in pointing you to $80k speakers if your budget is $2k. Room size? Bose cubes will not fill a 20ft x 30ft room. regardless of what Bose tells you. Conversely, you probably don't want 6 foot tall floorstanders in a 12 x 10 room. Well, maybe some people do.

As far as speakers go, the ones you have listened to represent both ends of the rainbow and the middle, in my opinion. Klipsh are generally bright, B&W are warmer, more laid back. Paradigm are somewhere is between. You have a good basis now. There are a lot of speakers on this rainbow. Only you will be able to tell which one sounds best to you. This forum can only help you out with the objective factors. Don't let anyone tell you one speaker sounds "better" than the other overall. "Better" is subjective. You can however, get a good idea of individual speaker characteristics on this forum. Ultimately, it comes down to what sounds best for you. Take what you learn on this forum and go out and listen to speakers. Listen to as many as possible and pick the one that sounds best.

Now, room dimensions and budget?

JSE

TinHere
12-15-2003, 02:05 PM
If you've read my posts you know I am an advocate of factory direct only purchases. They can offer better value to the consumer because there is no middleman profit and the companies that do well have made their reputations on forums like this that target a limited number of the buying public. Coming to a forum like this already means that you are doing more research than most. With factory direct internet companies you get to demo the speakers in your home with your gear with all the time you need to make meaningful determination. The only risk is shipping costs with most of them. I don't know your tastes or budget so I can't recommend a specific company or speaker to suit you but AV123.com [check my post in Speakers "Just to let..."] often fits the bill [confirmed hornheads need not apply] and I can recommend them from personal experience. Their speakers are rarely sent back.

If state what you liked or didn't like about the speakers you auditioned people will know better what to suggest.

Happy hunting.

markw
12-15-2003, 02:09 PM
Just a few additional things to chew on.

0) Do have a "ballpark" budget and be willing to give a little to get a lot should the opportunity arise. Sharing that number here would probably result in a few concrete suggestions.

1) Select speakers based on music listening pleasure. This is a little more critical than movie listening, If a speaker (setup) can do music well, 99% chance it will do movies well. The converse ain't ecactly true.

2) Chances are you're looking at a receiver unless your budget is "up there". Not to fear. There are many, many well performing receivers at virtually ALL price ranges and the differences are mostly in power and features. Likelty names to consider are Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Harmon/Kadon, Marantz, Panasonic and perhaps others that slipped my mind. One well thought of "web only" electronics manufacturer is Outlaw.

3) Check the reviews on this board and others to become familiar with the common players in this field. This goes for both receivers and speakers. A well known brand, well distributed is probably your best bet.

4) Purchase from authorized dealers. Not doing so may cause problems if service issues arise within the warranty period.

4.5) Mail order if fine if they have liberal return/refund policies and they are authorized dealers for the brabds you are considering. Always verify through the manufactuter that they are an "authorized" internet dealer for whatever brands you are considering.

5) Don't discount the Canadian speakers. They offer a lot of bang forthe buck, particularly here in the good ole U S of A. (I don't know where you are so I'm guessing). The API family (Mirage, Energy, Athena) offer excellent speakers at excellent prices as do Paradigm and PSB.

Geoffcin
12-15-2003, 03:49 PM
WHY THE HELL THERE ARE SO MANY SPEAKERS TO CHOOSE FROM ???

After all this, the ULTIMATE QUESTION remains. WHAT TO BUY??? And my friends I know what u gonna ask...WHATS UR BUDGET...right?
Well how much a "decent" system costs? To define what decent to me means is this...

1) I should be able to play movies with good sound effects without spending a fortune on the audio equipment (80 % movies)

2) I should also need something that plays well with music (20 %).

3) What receiver/amp/preamp should I get to drive these speakers

4)What are the brands I should look at?

Friends I know I ask too many questions but I am sharing my frustration with you all.

So far I auditioned...B&W's, Paradigms and Klipshs.


GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS POST. PLZ.

-Newbieeee.


Hello Newbie, and welcome to the AR boards.

Everyone was once a newbie, so don't feel your alone Especially about being bewildered on the choice of speakers to choose from, as it's bewildering to just about everyone!

OK, what to buy? From reading your post, you say your going to do "80% movies" it looks like you want to set up a dedicated Home Theater. For HT, you'll need a Receiver, not a pre/power amp. You've just narrowed it down a lot.

You want GOOD speakers, ones that can play music too, or you wouldn't have been in a B&W dealer. This narrows it down some more.

Now you have to decide your budget, and go out and audition some speakers, and HT receivers If your going to spend 3k-5k on your setup you should spend a few weeks trying out stuff to get a feel for what you like.

No one can tell you what you like. Once you have a speaker that you like in mind, come back and ask if there are any speakers that sound like it that you should consider. Then it will be easier for someone to help you with suggestions.

perla4u
12-16-2003, 12:45 PM
Thanks a lot guys. This place Rocks. I didnt expect so many would visit this thread. Am gald that I posted my questions here. Thanks for all those who posted replies. I really appreciate your input.

I actually forgot to mention the budget when I was typing the previous one. Am looking around $2 grand to spend for the whole setup (This includes Speakers+receiver+cables etc). I would like to know what options I have.

As mentioned earlier, I am more into movies but my wife likes music. So its ore like 70/30 comapred to 80/20 movies/music.

One more question is that b/w these two which one would be a better option if space is not the main concern...
This is an example...(goes with any bookshelf vs floor standing)

Bookshelf: B&W 602 s3 (600/pair + speaker stands)
floor stand: B&W 603 s3 (1000/pair)

If u observe the price diff its $400 but again I need to buy stands (200+ per pair). So its actually 200 or less difference b/w bookshelfs vs floor stands. Does it makes sense to go for floor stands? Would there be a lot of difference b/w sound quality?

Please drop your opinion here.

PS: Just started a new thread of this same topic.

Thanks

Bryan
12-17-2003, 07:09 AM
Much like TinHere I am advocate of factory direct. $2K is a nice budget! Now, the other main questions for you are: 1. What is your room size (think dimensions - L x W x H)? 2. Any openings into other rooms? 3. If so, what size are they?

There is an excellent reason why we need to know that information. It is called a subwoofer. You do not want a Sony SA-WM40 in a room that is 2000 cubic feet. It just is not capable of handling that 20Hz bass well. Additionally, a 3500 cubic foot room requires something a little more powerful than a HSU VTF-2.

An example of what you may consider for a medium size room:

1. Rocket HT package 7 - $725 + shipping (should be around $107) = $832
2. HSU VTF-2 - $450 shipped (one of the best well rounded subs out there - hsuresearch.com)
3. Denon AVR-3802 - $698.06 (not the absolute latest and greatest but still will likely be all you ever want, need, and more - 6ave.com)
4. Cables - 12 gauge speaker wire from Home Depot or Radio Shack will suffice for $20

Granted the above doesn't take stands into consideration but you can either build you own or find something at a yard sale, etc. For that matter, put them on your Christmas list.

As rough figures you can use the following as a guideline for your room (assuming it is a medium size room):
Speakers - $850 for a package of five. These are ones that will last and should stave off upgraditis.
Sub - Good ones generally go for upwards of $450. If you have an extra amp availabe to power a subwoofer with you can look at passive subs and save you some money. Primary brand names (factory direct) include Adire Audio, HSU, and SVS).
Receiver - Big variable here. Depends upon what features you want and desire. For example, if a receiver has 95 DSP modes and costs $900 you have to think about how many of those DSP (hall, stadium, etc.) modes you will actually use. 100 WPC (watts per channel) sounds wonderful but is, in reality, only 3 dbs louder than a 50 WPC one. Even then, read the specs. A 100 WPC, 20Hz - 20KHz, all channels driven receiver is much better than one that reads 100 WPC, 1000Hz, one channel driven. A good figure to use as a guideline for an excellent entry level receiver is $400.
Stands can pretty much be anything as long as the speakers are stable. Ultimately you want the tweeters at ear level while you are in the seated position. So, don't buy a 28" stand when you truly need a 24" one. Figure $100 - $150 here.
As far as cabling, generic 12 gauge speaker cable will work fine. Figure you will need between 50 - 100' and go from there.
Banana plugs are a convienience so you may not need them but they most certainly are wonderful to use.
Finally, all that wonderful equipment will sound like junk if it is not set up and calibrated properly. Spend the $50 or so for the SPL meter and calibration dvd. You will use those two tools more often than you know and they are some of the best things you will buy for your future system.

JSE
12-17-2003, 07:57 AM
perla4u,

Take your time. Bryan has some great suggestions and gives you a general idea of what things will cost. My advise is this. Listen to a lot of speakers. It sounds like you really like the B&W speakers. These are great speakers but there are many more out there you may want to listen to. Just for a quick starter list, maybe look at PSB, Vandersteen, Boston Acoustic, Athena, Energy, Mirage, Polk, Infinity, Tannoy, Canton, Jamo in addition to what you have already heard. There are many other great brands but these should be relatively easy to find. You may also want to go the facotry direct route. You can get some great value this way, but you have to buy without hearing them first. If you really like the B&W speakers, you may not like Axiom as much. They tend to be a little more forward and a little brighter. I am not sure about the Rockets since I have never heard them , but TinHere really likes them alot. Maybe he can give you some idea about them in comparision to B&W.

Again, go out an listen. B&W is an awesome speaker, but you might find you prefer something else. Maybe not.

JSE