Please Help Choosing an HT system - Page 2

They do have some dips into 4 ohm territory in their impedance charts, but many speakers do, likely including the Polks you are considering. Anyway, you would have to get a really poor receiver that couldn't handle them. I have a pair and my mid range Onkyo has never had a problem with them, even when blaring an entire movie at reference level.

Also, I can vouch for the Rythmik FV12, I spent some time with a previous version of that sub, it's a terrific value for the money. You will gain more output with more expensive subs from Hsu, Outlaw, and PSA, but the Rythmik does pretty well there. There is no way I would get any of the SVS 1000 subs if you can get the Rythmik for only $50 more or a Hsu VTF2 for only $100 more, I think they are both likely a lot more sub for just a little bit more money.

Sorry for late reply. But I believe any authorized dealer of DefTech should offer the deal, but it lasts only through the end of the month if I am not mistaken. I know that the Magnolia in Best Buy is offering the deal, but I am not sure when the deal ends.

I currently have the E55Tis, and have some of the Polk Monitors packed away in the basement. The difference is very significant, at least for my ears. I have not heard the smaller E5Ti tower, but it's bigger brother sure has impressed me. I find the mid-bass much clearer and pronounced, the imaging is better, and they still maintain clarity when turned up.

Me and Transman are in the same boat...about two years ago, I bought some Polk m40s and last year, the EMP speakers...the Polk quickly got retired. If I ever get a basement HT setup, the Polk may see action again...
And Btw, I have heard and own the smaller EMP towers, the E5ti and they are outstanding...

I would love to hear the smaller towers, they seem ideal for a bedroom setup, glad you like them! When I bought the E55Tis, they were on sale for less than the E5Ti so I couldn't pass that up

Like you guys I had a chance ot listen to Polks at a friends house and it came no where near the sound the EMP tek's could do, Trust me they sound and really look amazing for there price!! I own the E55ti as well and was looking at getting a pair of E5ti speakers for our small computer room to have to listen too.

I have the following speakers in my possession-EMPtek e5tis, def tech sm450s, polkm40s, SLS q line gold sats and some Pyle pro crap which rates slightly better than Bose, but not much else.
Recently, I took my EMP towers to my friend rays house...to do "battle of the speaker" between the e5ti and his Ascend acoust cmt340s. Don't really have a comprehensive review like that done by bitter/ nht...but we both decided it was a dead even heat. The emps were slightly better at lows, the ascend were slightly better high. Both excellent...
Suprising, in my own a/b challenge, the emps and def tech were clearly the best two of the speakers I own. However, I think the SLS q line speakers sounded much better than the polks at the mid and high end and I have never been a fan if the sort of muffled bass I get from the m40s!
Edited by Elihawk - 2/14/13 at 10:48am

Paper or aluminum cones, front firing or down firing, none of that makes a difference, but you will want ported if you want to hear deep frequencies.
You are not factoring in shipping on the subs. The Outlaw and Hsu subs do not include shipping prices, so if $750 is too much, you wan't be able to get the LFM-1 EX either. That would have been the sub to beat in that bunch though. Rythmik has free shipping for the time being on the FV12r as an introductory deal, that makes it a great deal. The Hsu has a small discount right now which brings the total to less than $600. The SVS subs are not on the same performance level as the others, I would stay away from them. I would go for the the VTF2, Outlaw Plus, or Rythmik. The Outlaw might have the most output between the three of those, but it wouldn't lead by much.

Isagreg, where are you located? If you are in the Houston, TX area I am auditioning the Arx A5 and HTD level 3 towers.

HSU and Ascend are in Orange County and I believe they still offer private demos. Might be worth a road trip.

If you only have 2 g total...man, dint spend 40% on a reciever!? Get a 300 dollar reciever and the best speaker/sub you can. Great speakers will sound very good with a mediocre reciever. However, a top of the line reciever will sound mediocre with mediocre speakers.

Totally agree. Plus the Onkyo has a very poor track record with HDMI board failures. I nearly pulled the trigger on this same receiver but all the reported issues really concerned me.

That is why I am avoiding Onkyo. Plus with new features coming out (like AirPlay/Spotify) you might want to refresh in the future anyway, so spending so much of your budget on the receiver does not really make sense. As long as you are using a reasonably mainstream receiver, I think the sound quality is fine and speaker ability will be more noticeable.

I feel compelled to chime in here, the Polk 75T for $220/each is a RIP. Newegg fairly regularly put the Polk Monitor 70's on sale for $159 or even $149/each in some instances and they're virtually the same speaker. The 75T's use the EXACT same drivers as the 70's in a slightly larger enclosure, and sound the same IMO, so there's no way I would pay $220/each for them. That said, I purchased a set of Monitor 70's for $320 shipped from Newegg last summer, and they're an excellent pair of speakers for the money. With proper amping and a quality signal, they really sing. Unfortunately now that the 30/40/50/60/70 series has been replaced by the 35/45/55/65/75, they're not nearly as good of a buy, and I think you can do better with your budget.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time and build my system again, I'd keep my Yamaha RX-V671 and Hsu VTF-2 MK4 (both GREAT pieces of equipment), but substitute Ascend Acoustics CMT-340SE mains, a CMT-340SE center, and CBM-170SE surrounds. The Ascend Acoustics are really excellent speakers, and I would recommend the same setup for your space. The only thing to consider is that space is obviously at a premium in your room, and as awesome as the Hsu VTF-2 MK4 is, it is admittedly a giant. You may not want to forego that much space for a sub, or shake literally every condo around you. (the VTF-2 is more than capable of shaking my entire 2,000 sq ft house without breaking a sweat) If I were you, I would invest in higher quality speakers and downsize slightly on the sub. For instance, a Hsu VTF-1 MK2 would be more than enough sub for that room and save you a little space. Just something to think about . . .

For $30 dollars more you can get the Pioneer SC-1222, with pre-outs....I am still pondering about it.

The Pioneers seem like great buys but--based on reviews I read--are at the bottom with regards to sound quality of the mainstream receivers. Granted, I was looking more at the VSX line. To my mind the top tier (of mainstream receivers) is Denon/Marantz.

If you go to the SC-1222 thread, it appears a lot of new owners are liking it, and some like the MCACC more than Audyssey. I am thinking of buying a refurbished Denon 3313ic from AC4L. However, I am waiting for the insurance company from the other driver who was at fault to pay for my vehicle. I am hoping they contact me today.

You definitely don't "need" identical speakers for the surrounds, but there is also definitely no downside to using identical speakers in all positions. In fact, a good timbre-match is beneficial for the surrounds. I would not shy away from the Hsu packages just because they use identical speakers in all positions. I would see that as an "advantage."

Just sayin'

Craig

You could save some money and just get different surrounds, instead of in a package. For instance, these Infinity Primus p163 speakers do very well as surrounds, as good as any of those others, and they are cheaper.

Of those four I have heard the Emptek towers and they were great. But they are big and are the most expensive of your choices. Those would blow your $2000 budget without a sub. If you went with those and the PB1000 or VTF2 sub it would be a great system. My next choice would probably be the Ascends, just because so many people seem to have really liked those.

I think you made a good choice on the receiver, BTW.

All of the surround speakers from the speaker packages you are looking at are about the same size, they all have 6.5" woofers (except for the EMP bookshelfs). Here are some smaller speakers which are purportedly very good: Cambridge S30. A bit more expensive than the Primus speakers, but maybe they will fit your space.

You should go out and listen to some of these speakers people are suggesting and take notes on what you hear. Take either the movies or music that you enjoy most and listen to it. I think I took about 6 to 8 months to select a pair of speakers, I spent a lot of time listening. Speakers make the biggest impact on sound and will be around for the longest time of all the electronics that will be in the room. Many seem wild about Audyssey and Denon, but I don't think any of the brands that get less love sound bad in any way. I do believe receivers and amps sound different (ignoring room correction) but usually never bad. There is a much larger difference IMO on how speakers play from brand to brand vs. receiver to receiver.

I could list you 5 of the speakers I like best of the 100s of companies out there, but it does you no good if you don't go listen. I'd focus on your 5.1 and then add channels 6 and 7 once you know you picked the right speakers.

www.monoprice.com will save you a lot of money on any type of wire, if no one has mentioned it.
If you could be talked into considering a refurb receiver you will save a lot, and it comes with a year warranty. I think most popular receiver brands do a refresh in April - May, so you may have some opportunities to buy clearance brand new right around that time.

You will probably see your best value in bookshelves w/ a sub or two.