Ignoring the fact that the Orbs cost twice as much, which system will sound better? (I have an Onkyo 875 that will be driving these.) I've read reviews on The Speaker Company TSAT-1000, that mentioned a slightly weak mid-range, but I'd assume that the TSAT-2000 would slightly improve that. Regardless, I question if the Orbs can beat that range given the single driver setup. Don't get me wrong, the Orbs are beautiful, but I'm looking for the best sound. I know both companies offer free in-home trial, but I'd rather not waste my time, and their money, if not necessary. (I'd also rather not have a million speakers in the house, as I'd probably be tempted to test two systems from each company. (TSAT-1000, TSAT-2000, Orb Mod1, or Orb "People's Choice" :)) Thanks for any insight.
--Seth


http://www.orbaudio.com/ProductImages/450mod1lcrsteel.gif
http://www.orbaudio.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=32



http://www.thespeakercompany.com/Assets/ProductPreview/tsat2000-ht8.png
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSAT2000-HT8-B-Performance-Home-Theater-Bundle-P67C7.aspx

I would say any difference in sound quality probably wont be justified by the difference in price unless you're swayed one way or the other by the aesthetic. My main question is why drive a speaker set like these with an AVR of that quality? Seems a little backwards in terms of allocation of funds. I know the SR875 is a steal it its current pricing, especially refurbished, but it seems an AVR in the $400 range driving $1k worth of speakers might yield much better results. I'm a fan of the Onkyo you have and I think TSC offers some great values, I just thing your choices are a little backwards in terms of budget allocation.

Also, if you go with the TSC option, get the TSAT-2000s separately and add a better sub. I don't think their budget subs really offer the best value.

Very fair point, but I already have the Onkyo sitting in the corner. I bought one of the refurb units off of eBay from accessories4less two months back with an ebay 10% off coupon, and the 30% cashback program from Live.com. All in, my total cost was a bit over $450 for that receiver. :) (By the way, paying the membership fee to this site paid for itself about 50 times with that Live.com promotion that was mentioned in the Great Found Deals section.) Given that I already have the receiver, what do you guys think about the speaker choices?

I also looked at the Monitor Audio Radius series, and the similar set from Energy (I think), as well as a few others. I am certain that those will sound "better," but each speaker costs more than one of the entire TSC packages. This is for a living room in a New York City apartment, so I have no need to go crazy. I bought the receiver planning on bringing that to a house where I can go all out with a dedicated home theater room, complete with floorstanding speakers. Right now, I don't want to spend crazy money for on-wall speakers that may only be used for a few years. Thanks for the help, guys.

Are the small on-walls a must for aesthetic reasons? If not, you can do far better in your fairly wide budget range ($500 - $1k?). Even smallish bookshelf speakers would sound much better and give you an upgrade path once that dedicated room rolls around. How about a picture of the space you're working with, and we could make even better recommendations?

Are the small on-walls a must for aesthetic reasons?

Yes sir, that's my problem. It's not a huge room, so I want to keep things as low profile as possible. The walls are already pre-wired, as I'm just finishing my renovation, so I want to leave the whole wall completly stark with the exception of the TV and LCR speakers. (All of the AV gear is going in the corner near the window.) Before you guys look at my pics, sorry for the mess, including the TV box, and I know the TV is crooked. My friend got a little happy with the drill while I was still measuring, but I'm going to fix that when I hang the speakers. Thanks for all of the help, Steven.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=132124&d=1233516234

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=132125&d=1233516234

go with mirage nano sat from vanns.com at more than 50% off. They look great and sounds very good too.

Any thoughts? I think I'm going to order the TSC TSAT-2000s, and mix in a sub, as suggested. Can anyone lead me in the right direction of a "better" sub for these speakers? Thanks.

On the low end I'd look at something like a Premier Acoustic PA-120, on the higher end something like a SVS PB10... looks like your room size is pretty manageable, so the PA-120 should fill it without issue.

What's wrong with the ASW-10 sub that TSC offers? I'm about to pull the trigger on this TSC package
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSAT2000-HT10-B-Premium-Home-Theater-Bundle-P76.aspx
Would I be better off with the Energy package that may have a better sub?
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/store/Speakers/33/144588/9_1_-1_84__0_0_0_-1/

If low profile is your requirement have a look at the Energy Take FPS: http://cgi.ebay.com/Energy-Speakers-Energy-Take-FPS-Silver-Only-Priced-Each_W0QQitemZ220302759750QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSpeakers_Subwoo fers?hash=item220302759750&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 %7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

$150 each is a very good price for these but you have to like silver. There's a thread around here with a guy who painted them black and they turned out pretty good. I'll go out on a limb and say the build and sound quality on the FPS will be a lot better than TSC.

My problem (or at least one of them) is that I need black, and flat. I think those still run $350 each.

What's wrong with the ASW-10 sub that TSC offers? I'm about to pull the trigger on this TSC package
thespeakercompany.com
Would I be better off with the Energy package that may have a better sub?
wwstereo.com

You probably already made your decision, but I've been doing speaker research and just read a response from a TSC representative who stated that their speakers compare to JBL and Polk Audio. These brands are not in the same class as Energy. I own Paradigm speakers now and love them. I have heard Energy speakers several years ago at a local store and was very impressed. Very comparable to paradigm.