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Need help-Speaker upgrade

1K views 53 replies 13 participants last post by  dsrussell 
#1 ·
Hi all,
Another newbie here. I am considering getting new speakers for my front L/R. My current setup includes Polk monitor 50/ Polk CS10/Polk monitor 50 as L/C/R , Velodyne sub and Denon AVR 1713. I am thinking about switching the monitor 50s with Chane A3rx-c. I am keeping the CS10 and the Velodyne. My use is 90% music and 10% HT. Would bringing in the A3rx-c's make any considerable improvement in my setup? If not can you suggest another in the below $600/pair range? Room size 24X15.

Also, would adding an amp to the A3rx-c's benefit or I am good with the 1713? Since my receiver does not have pre outs I would have to upgrade the receiver as well if I decide to get the amp. I am on a tight budget, so, trying to minimize the expenses here. Thank you all for your time and help.
 
#2 ·
Its always good to timbre match the center and the mains. I would advice against upgrading just the mains. If your budget doesnt allow LCR upgrade I would suggest hold off and save a little more till you can afford to upgrade all 3. OR you could just get nice L/R speakers with your current sub and get rid of the center channel (since 90% of your use is music).
Even if you get the Chane , your receiver should be adequate to drive those.
 
#10 ·
before I upgraded my klipsch, I asked a few questions at a high end boutique selling speakers to kinda educate my ears on what sounds can be heard from a well recorded song, and also a lesson in what to look for in music. Boy was that a mistake :) for the better. If you have a chance listen to some great speakers and try to match to your budget. I am still amazed by hearing music in different parts of the room from just 2 speakers. also amazed at ear fatigue and other adjectives used in the audiophile realm. my point is educate yourself 1st, then go shopping/listening at your pricepoint.
 
#16 ·
6ohm speakers should not be a problem with the 1713 - I had one in my bedroom setup with 4ohm speakers for some time - no problem with the Denon. It was just a 2 channel setup. If you are near or in a large city you might consider buying used. Craigs List is a veritable gold mine for older speakers that were at one time 'the' speaker to own. $600 might snag you something you can't match sound quality wise by spending 3x or more. Just be sure to audition the speakers and look them over carefully for abuse. Take into account what the seller is using to drive them. The more money an audio enthusiast sinks into their gear the more likely they are to take care of them.

Just a thought...
 
#18 · (Edited)
For 90% music I would suggest the Wharfedale 10.1 speakers, $300/pair shipped from Music Direct on closeout, $225/pair for the alleged "demos" (I say "alleged" because mine appeared to be brand new, judging from the packaging and how I still needed about 20-30 hours to break them in). They have a laid-back, lush and lovely quality that to my ears is incredibly "involving" (the audiophile term), i.e. makes me want to sit and listen to music for hours...this simply did not happen for more detailed, "accurate" HT speakers that I've owned in the past.

For 2-channel music (which I strongly prefer to multi-channel) the center speaker is irrelevant; during your 10% HT usage you can just adjust the individual speaker level for the center to blend them in with your L/R. Of course, the same site does carry a Wharfedale center speaker for about $200 I think.

Lots of reviews of the Wharfedales, like this one:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-diamond-101-loudspeaker

If you prefer the floorstanding/tower version:
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15482-wharfedale-diamond-103-tower-speakers-pr.aspx
 
#22 ·
Post your location (zip) - perhaps someone will take the time to go through it and give you some recommendations for used speakers.
 
#25 ·
As I was going through the links/suggestions made here something dawned on me- I'll have to keep whatever pair of speakers I get next for a long time, before the next upgrade :eek:. So, in light of this reality, I decided to bump up my budget to $1000 for the pair :) Also, thanks to all of you I was able to fine tune my requirements:

It has to be a pair of towers(No space for book shelves)
I am not worried much about timbre matching with my CS10 center( No offense anyone-this is because my main usage is Music with very little HT)
I don't want the tower to handle low frequencies as I already have a sub for that.

I hope I am not being too nit picky here :D and I am very grateful for all your valuable help, suggestions and time.
 
#26 ·
Chane A5rx-c FTW! ;)
 
#30 ·
Yup ... the addition of the mid-range driver in the 2.5 config is supposed to have really improved the overall sound vs the 3. When watching a movie, just run them with the phantom center setting, as the current center channel will tend to degrade the overall presentation, IMO.
 
#36 ·
Am new to this forum

Hi all like have your advice/suggestions

My setup-Onkyo HTIB 5400,7.1

Amplifer-htr 590

Now like to add bookshelf of wharfedale diamond 10.1 along with wharfedale diamond 20.cs

Will this go fine?

Music-60,movie-40

Reason for the change vocal and the throw are not good

Will need to change my woofer too?(Onkyo came with the box skw 590)
Like to consider wharfedale diamond 10.1along with wharfedale diamond20cs

Thanks in advance for all your inputs
 
#47 ·
There are tons of external streaming devices that can easily connect any receiver/amp to the internet, and they are constantly getting cheaper and better all the time. I don't understand why people insist on having all that stuff built into their receiver---it just adds one more niggly little feature that can fail on you, and then you have to ship the whole frickin' receiver back to the factory to get it serviced. A lot of times the external devices are much more reliable, too.

Why pay more for a receiver that has more things that can go wrong on you, while the manufacturer cuts corners on the un-glamorous, non-gimmicky hardware (like the actual amps and power supply) which directly affect the device's actual PERFORMANCE and LONG-TERM RELIABILITY?

Sorry, will get off my soapbox now.
 
#46 · (Edited)
This situation is why I always suggest that folks pick their speakers first, then get the receiver/amp that best suits the speakers. Given that you have the receiver as the starting point, your choices are somewhat limited (not that many 4 ohm speakers out there). Keep looking and listening ... you'll get there.
 
#49 · (Edited)
Hello all, I have an update. I bought a pair of Martin Logan motion 20 speakers and I could not be happier(despite being advised by one retailer that my avr can't handle it.) There is a night and day difference in my setup now. I haven't run Audyssey yet, may be this weekend. I bought them from Electronic Expo in NJ and it was a very pleasant experience. Vinny, the sales guy was very knowledgeable and a charm to deal with.

In leading up to my purchase of ML20s, I had the opportunity to listen to various speakers over the course of several weeks. Not all of them were in my price range, yet I still listened to them, to get a better perspective of what I should be looking for in a speaker. I 'll list them below in no particular order along with ''my impression'' of them. I appreciate that many of you may have a very different opinion, and thats fine.

SVS Prime-Way too bright
NHT absolute tower- bright
Klipsch R28F-bright
Deftech 8040-muddy/all over the place
B&W683-too clinical
Elac F5-similar to B&W 683
Paradigm prestige 75F- a tad harsh
GE Triton 7- again a tad harsh-this is one speaker where I went to audition with a lot of expectations, after reading all of the glowing reviews online. Don't get me wrong, it not a bad speaker at all, just not for me.
Focal Aria 936-Pure Audio Nirvana
ML theos - Good speakers except for the dispersion.
ML motion 40-Good speakers, nothing to complain here.
Wharfedale 10.7- Not harsh, but I felt that something is missing and I was kind of put off by the looks too.

For the benefit of all the newbies out there like me I would like to say this : There is no substitute for listening to the speakers before you buy them. Just going by the reviews won't cut it. I just can't stress this enough.

There you have it. I hope I haven't missed any. I thank everyone here that gave me advice, suggestions and guided me in the right path. All in all it was a very exhilarating experience to say the least.
 
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