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The ol' WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) rears it's ugly head again. You should have told her they are all going to be in Black, and if she doesn't like it, you will get big gigantic tower speakers that will take up the whole living space.
I actually tried the floorstander route first. I tend to be frugal, and wanted to use what I already own. Plan A was Klipsch Fortes in the front, Minimus 7s in the back, and buy a new CC. We went shopping at Abt, and a salesman approved of the Fortes. My wife did not look happy. I was concerned about mixing components, but he said that I would be OK if I used Klipsch for the CC and rear, since their horn tweeter sound has been very consistent for many years. He showed us some speakers and I knew that they would be WAY too large.
She asked about smaller speakers and he directed us towards Bose. Not just the speakers, but their Lifestyle system. I don't hate on Bose, but I know that there is always something better for less. I also knew that I wanted the flexibility of an AVR rather than their little controller box and amplifier-in-the-subwoofer system.
She liked the looks of the Bose, so the onus was on me to find something better in a similar size. I knew that I could find a better sub for both of us. I'm always amazed that people choose the Bose for its tiny footprint, but willfully accept that rather large and ugly subwoofer.
As for the color, remember that I picked the system, and her color choice did not compromise my choice sonically, only financially. I asked her if white speakers were worth $59 to her, she said yes, decision made.
She has actually been very accomodating. I have no budget restrictions. If I wanted an S525v2, she would allow it. I considered the s300 and she was OK with the size, but I backed down. She begrudgingly accepted my speaker placement. She wanted the front speakers to be close to the TV. I wanted them to be separated and ear height. As always, I also want them on a stud. I originally had them spaced about 10' apart, providing about 45 degree separation when measured from the couch. I moved one of them in by one stud to leave about 40 degrees (moving the TV to remain centered, of course) to make her less unhappy. Life's full of compromises.
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Why did you choose a Minx system? What other options did you pass on?
With my wife wanting Bose-like size, I googled for compact 5.1 speakers and found Mirage Nanostat and MX, Energy Take Classic and RC-Micro, BA SoundWare XS, DT ProCinema 600 and 800, and Orb.
I narrowed down to the Minx based on reviews, size (the CC will sit on the TV stand without blocking the picture, and my wife will appreciate the x200), looks, price, and the ability to mix colors for little additional cost. As I said earlier, I don't pay attention when I'm not in the market, but I was pleasantly surprised to find single speakers readily available, given my wife's wants.
If you are looking for a personal review of the sonic qualities, here's an admission that will strip me of all credibility: I haven't listened to any of the speakers that I listed, even the Minx!
I had planned to listen. I found several dealers not too far from me. One was Abt, but I was unaware of the Minx when I was there. There are two others that I practically drive past on the way to Abt, so I thought that I would check those out as well. They probably have better listening environments than a megastore like Abt.
My wife actually wanted to get one of each color in the house so she could choose the ones for the rear. She wants them to be white, but not "too white."
When I saw the prices on the Min 10s, I decided to act. Perhaps my sense of urgency is unwarranted and the Min 10s will be available for a while and maybe even get cheaper, but I didn’t want to take the chance. Whites are definitely hard to find, at least individually. It would cost over $200 more for the s215v2 with mixed colors.
Besides, my ears are far from golden. I am not an audiophile by any means. Sonically, I could probably be happy with speakers on my list costing much less, but I do want good sound and am willing to pay extra to get it in a package that aesthetically pleases my wife.
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If I were you, I wouldn't mess with it.
Good advice, especially with my admission that I probably couldn’t tell the difference anyway. The 8kHz bump will help compensate for the rolloff in my ears that starts at around 6kHz.
Let’s see if anyone notices that they are getting superior sound from the rear.
John
