I moved into my first no-roommate apartment and am looking for my first set of real speakers. Until now, I've always had just a bedroom in a shared apartment so my Klipsch ProMedia's were perfect. The electronics of those died during the move. I now have a living room to fill and need speakers to match my 60" TV.
The room:
10' x 15' with a bay window on one side. The area behind the TV opens up to a wide staircase. The right side of the room has a large 8' opening into the dining room, which is a bit larger (13'x14'). The ceilings are 10' and the carpet is thick. I'm thinking all of these add up to needing floorstanding units rather than bookshelf. The TV is slightly off-center to account for the seating in the bay window, and the layout of the room due to the stairs.
The budget:
I'm getting married this year so I really need to stick to a budget. I'd like to keep it between $700-$1000 for front, center and sub. I'll add the surrounds later. I have received pre-approval from the pre-wife. She hasn't moved in yet so I can claim squatter's rights.
The receiver:
I currently have a 15 year old Yamaha R-V501. It's still kicking but lacks HDMI or surround input so it will be retired to replace the computer speakers. Amazon has some previous-year Yamaha's at good prices - $300-400.
The usage:
Most of the time this will probably be used for regular cable TV but when I watch movies, I want it to shine. Movies will be Blu-Ray or other HD source, generally streamed from my media server. Music will probably be only 10% of the time - I generally listen elsewhere with headphones - and will be a mix of electronic (drum & bass) and whatever the girlfriend just heard on American Idol. Most of my music is compressed/streamed so quality is what it is.
I am probably biased towards Klipsch. My father had a set of bookshelf, Synergy line I think, when I was kid. The ProMedia setup lasted about 12 years and I loved the sound.
Auditioning speakers has been difficult. Even around a major city (Boston), there doesn't seem to be any local retailers with stock. Worst Buy usually has only a couple floorstanding pairs set up - and though the buttons may say otherwise, the Klipsch Icon's never are.
Newegg currently has the Icon-W's on sale - two WF-35 and a WC-24 for $690. And a SW-308 for $199. I know what the MSRP says but how do these compare to the Reference series like the RF-42 II? A set of F & C of those would be $850 @ Crutchfield, regular price. I like the finish of the Icon's but I'd rather pay for sound over looks.
I'm looking for suggestions - model recommendations, general advice, where to get a listen, what to learn. I've been research online for over a month and am no closer to a decision - except for the sale above. I appreciate any help.
The room:
10' x 15' with a bay window on one side. The area behind the TV opens up to a wide staircase. The right side of the room has a large 8' opening into the dining room, which is a bit larger (13'x14'). The ceilings are 10' and the carpet is thick. I'm thinking all of these add up to needing floorstanding units rather than bookshelf. The TV is slightly off-center to account for the seating in the bay window, and the layout of the room due to the stairs.
The budget:
I'm getting married this year so I really need to stick to a budget. I'd like to keep it between $700-$1000 for front, center and sub. I'll add the surrounds later. I have received pre-approval from the pre-wife. She hasn't moved in yet so I can claim squatter's rights.
The receiver:
I currently have a 15 year old Yamaha R-V501. It's still kicking but lacks HDMI or surround input so it will be retired to replace the computer speakers. Amazon has some previous-year Yamaha's at good prices - $300-400.
The usage:
Most of the time this will probably be used for regular cable TV but when I watch movies, I want it to shine. Movies will be Blu-Ray or other HD source, generally streamed from my media server. Music will probably be only 10% of the time - I generally listen elsewhere with headphones - and will be a mix of electronic (drum & bass) and whatever the girlfriend just heard on American Idol. Most of my music is compressed/streamed so quality is what it is.
I am probably biased towards Klipsch. My father had a set of bookshelf, Synergy line I think, when I was kid. The ProMedia setup lasted about 12 years and I loved the sound.
Auditioning speakers has been difficult. Even around a major city (Boston), there doesn't seem to be any local retailers with stock. Worst Buy usually has only a couple floorstanding pairs set up - and though the buttons may say otherwise, the Klipsch Icon's never are.
Newegg currently has the Icon-W's on sale - two WF-35 and a WC-24 for $690. And a SW-308 for $199. I know what the MSRP says but how do these compare to the Reference series like the RF-42 II? A set of F & C of those would be $850 @ Crutchfield, regular price. I like the finish of the Icon's but I'd rather pay for sound over looks.
I'm looking for suggestions - model recommendations, general advice, where to get a listen, what to learn. I've been research online for over a month and am no closer to a decision - except for the sale above. I appreciate any help.
