help.....new to home theater

[audiofan007]

Hi All,
I used to be rather active on this site 5-6 years ago regarding audio equipment.

For home theater I have 2 Wharfedale Diamond speakers plugged into my HK AVR25II receiver and Toshiba 36" TV. I know....not very impressive.

I want to upgrade to a full HT system and would like to know:
1) speakers: should I get 2 more Wharfedales and a center channel or just start over. They sound pretty good so I would prefer to keep them.


Thanks for your help.
Audiofan007

[BrianUDLaw]

If you don't want to spend too much, check out Wharfedale's WH-2 line, which consists of two bi-polar rears and a center. I added the center to my set of diamonds and I think it works nicely with them. You should be able to find the center for around $80 and a pair of rears for $100.

http://www.iagamerica.com/wharfedale/wh2.htm

[F1]

If you want to upgrade your speakers you still can use the existing ones for surround speakers and get 'better' fronts and matching center (with the fronts) from the same brand.

[audiofan007]

Thanks. What "better" fronts w/ matching center do you recommend?

[Bryan]

My questions:

1) What size budget are you working with?
2) What size room is the equipment in? (Rough dimensions is fine.) Any openings?
3) What specifically are you looking to replace or upgrade?

[audiofan007]

Thanks. In response:
1) about $1000 for fronts, center and sub.
2) room is 12' wide, 25' long and the ceiling comes to a 10' peak in about the middle but has a very slight grade. There is an opening on one of the long ends and HT viewing would be across the 12' width.
3) Just basically deciding to finally do something about HT (I'm much more an audio enthusiast). The 2 Wharfedales are what I have hooked up to my receiver now. BTW, my receiver is about 8 years old (HK avr25II) so it is not DTS compatible. Is that going to be a big deal?

Audiofan007

[F1]

Thanks. What "better" fronts w/ matching center do you recommend?

Well since you like your Wharfedale sound, it's a good idea to audition higher series of Wharfedale. I believe the sound characteristics will be similar but with some refinements: tighter bass, better midrange and treble clarity. Or you may want to audition my usual suspects: JM Lab, Dynaudio and B&W. Generally JM Lab has more forward sound, Dynaudio has more polite treble compared to JM Lab, and B&W has more laid back perspective. Other people may describe them better than me. Good luck.

[RGA]

Wharfedale has change hands a couple of times since the early 1990s and new diamonds are not the same as old ones. If your diamonds are using kevlar drivers then they're part of the newer wave wharfedales.

Still both series use soft dome tweeters so they may not be too too different.

The 8.1 and 8.2 standmounts are quite good and pretty cheap. Though your budget may let you move to the Pacific series which are supposedly pretty nice - I have not heard them.

http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=1193
http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=1963
http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=2096

The B&W 602S3 and Paradigm Studio 40 may fit into your budget range here as well. Don't follow the hype and go by what sounds best.

Wharfedale may not get all the chatter but it's a solid make with more pluses than minuses...one plus is good sound for less money charged by much of the competition.

[Bryan]

I'm assuming you have DD (Dolby Digital). Personally I would go for the Ascend Acoustics S22-0001 system that goes for $987 delivered. It includes 3 CBM-170s and a HSU VTF-2 sub.

Now the bad news. You have a large room. If you love deep, powerful bass there could be a problem. Though the VTF-2 is a fantastic sub it may not be enough to handle the room. You may need a more powerful sub, such as the VTF-3 or SVS 25-39PC+ that goes for $775 plus shipping.

If you will be getting a new receiver you may want to get a passive sub and use your current HK to power it with. Something along the lines of the SVS 20-39CS+ ($575 plus shipping) or VMPS Larger Subwoofer that goes for $699 delivered.

Check out the current Wharfedale Diamonds. You may find you like them tremendously. If so, get them and the matching center. I would still look elsewhere for the sub as SVS, HSU, etc., are among the top out there, especially when the budget is taken into account.