What speakers to buy?

[kaminrob0]

I currently have bose acoustimass speakers for my home theater but I looking to upgrade. I have been looking at the JBL Northridge series speakers and the Infinity Primus speakers. I am also going to buy a Onkyo 702B (?) receiver. Does anyone have any thoughts on these speakers and any other ideas.

[SpankingVanillaice]

I do recommend getting speakers from JBL since they really sound like professional studio monitors. I have a pair of JBL S26 and they really sound sooo percise and clear like pro.

[JoeE SP9]

Just about anything will be better than the Bose's. In any given price range almost everything is better than Bose.

[PAT.P]

I currently have bose acoustimass speakers for my home theater but I looking to upgrade. I have been looking at the JBL Northridge series speakers and the Infinity Primus speakers. I am also going to buy a Onkyo 702B (?) receiver. Does anyone have any thoughts on these speakers and any other ideas.

I have a few of the Jbl Northidge series and they sound great ! Mine are the E10 bookshelf mounted on wall and their center chanel and also have a small power sub PB8 PowerBass series(got it free when I bought the E10 ) I know some people dont like JBL speaker but I do and I do own Energy speaker ,Paradigm,Axiom and Dahlquist .Listen to them and compare to the other and let your ears and $ to decide.Pat.P

[Lensman]

I currently have bose acoustimass speakers for my home theater but I looking to upgrade. I have been looking at the JBL Northridge series speakers and the Infinity Primus speakers. I am also going to buy a Onkyo 702B (?) receiver. Does anyone have any thoughts on these speakers and any other ideas.

It would be helpful if you told us whether you're looking at bookshelf or tower speakers and what sort of budget you're considering.

As for the brands you mentioned, either would provide a quantum leap in performance over your current Bose setup. As the products you mentioned are all readily available at the big chain stores, I assume this is where you've concentrated your search. In these stores you should also consider Polk and Athena. Additionally I'd strongly urge you to get out a phone book and see what high-end audio dealers are available in your area. Then give them a look as well. A number of well-regarded manufacturers, such as Paradigm, Energy, Monitor Audio, Definitive Technology, etc., make speakers competitively priced to those in the Northridge and Primus series.

Speakers are surprisingly different in the way they sound and each person, given a chance, does have a preference. Checking out more choices can mean the difference between getting something that sounds better and getting something brings you audio bliss.

[SpankingVanillaice]

I actualy think though that even I said the JBL S26 sounded like pro but I really think the JBL Control 1X sounds more like pro since the highs are more powerful and more spatial and clear. More smooth sound comes out from the JBL Control 1X.

[N. Abstentia]

Believe it or not, even low end speakers like JBL will sound a million times better than Bose!

However, I urge you to steer clear of the generic 'mass market' stores like BestBuy or Circuit City, as you can get better speakers for the price at a dedicated audio shop.

[kaminrob0]

Man I don't know which way to go. I will primarily will use these speakers for my home theater. The room is in my basement about 15 X 20. I am not sure whether I want to get floorstands or bookshelf speakers. I think the floorstands look great but if the bookshelf speakers are just as good but cheaper than I will go that rout. I am figuring to spend about $1000 for 2 fronts a center and 2 surounds. I want to go to 7.1 channel surround so I might need 2 more surounds. I already have a sub. What do you guys think I should look at? I am so confused with so many brands of speakers to choose from!!

[E-Stat]

I actualy think though that even I said the JBL S26 sounded like pro but I really think the JBL Control 1X sounds more like pro since the highs are more powerful and more spatial and clear. More smooth sound comes out from the JBL Control 1X.

SV, I think you misunderstand the primary criteria of most "studio monitors". It is not a neutral reproduction of the music as you might think. It is primarily an exaggerated picture to assist with mixing. The poster child for this is the JBL 4311 monitor. It has intentional peaks in the 50 hz and 5000 khz range. "More powerful highs" equates to a boosted treble. Fun perhaps, but not real. As for specifications, speakers that measure flat (in an anechoic environment at least) typically sound overly bright in most home environments. The very best speakers IMHO are not "pro monitors".

rw

[This Guy]

I actualy think though that even I said the JBL S26 sounded like pro but I really think the JBL Control 1X sounds more like pro since the highs are more powerful and more spatial and clear. More smooth sound comes out from the JBL Control 1X.

So what professional recording studios have you been in that you are comparing these S26's and Control 1X's to the speakers they had in there?

[divot]

Selecting new equipment can be a very exhilirating time...do extensive research at home, avoid the BB's and CC's of the world, visit higher-end audio shops, demo, demo and then demo some more and then finally throw away the specs and entrust your ears to make the final choice...for what it's worth, I selected a set of Orbs and could not be happier than I am with my final decision...click on the link below for their first professional review...good luck and enjoy the ride!

http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review2297.html

[SpankingVanillaice]

So what professional recording studios have you been in that you are comparing these S26's and Control 1X's to the speakers they had in there?

I don't remember the exact model number but I remember the EV I think it was a 8in 3-way but they really sounded like my S26. It's been a while since I have seen these. The Control 1's I owned the orginal ones before so I know how they sound and they sound very close to the Control 1X. I dont have the orginal Control 1's anymore I only have the Control 1X now.

[James.ca]

I currently have bose acoustimass speakers for my home theater but I looking to upgrade. I have been looking at the JBL Northridge series speakers and the Infinity Primus speakers. I am also going to buy a Onkyo 702B (?) receiver. Does anyone have any thoughts on these speakers and any other ideas.

Any chance of A\B both pairs in a listening room ?

JBL been around for years & years stand behind there products
James

[kaminrob0]

What is A/B?

Also, what do you guys think about the Athena (floorstanding)?

[This Guy]

A/B is when you have two sets of speakers set up right next to eachother. This is so you can quickly here the difference between the two. The Athenas are a pretty respected name for the lower end speakers. Good bang for your buck.

[evil__betty]

No highs, no lows: its gotta be Bose! JBL aren't the greatest either unless you get their high-end stuff. I find them really muddy in the mid and high range. Polk Audio is a good company to look into, and if you can afford a little more, make your way into your local Jamo dealer and test drive their E8 series. Athena are also a great name in speakers for the money.