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Help with pairing cbm-170 se's

post #1 of 18
1/10/13 at 9:35am
Thread Starter 
I'm upgrading from an old onkyo htib.
I have a onkyo txnr 809, two bic V1220's, and a set of energy rc micro 5.0s. I'm looking to get a pair of cbm 170 se and a cmt 340 for the front. I'm debating on using the rest of the rc micros for the surrounds and later upgrading to more cbm 170 se's for satellites.
My room is 16x16 and 8ft ceilings. I'm a noob so bare with me any help is appreciated
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post #2 of 18
1/10/13 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alamez View Post

I'm upgrading from an old onkyo htib.
I have a onkyo txnr 809, two bic V1220's, and a set of energy rc micro 5.0s. I'm looking to get a pair of cbm 170 se and a cmt 340 for the front. I'm debating on using the rest of the rc micros for the surrounds and later upgrading to more cbm 170 se's for satellites.
My room is 16x16 and 8ft ceilings. I'm a noob so bare with me any help is appreciated
There is nothing wrong with that plan. Another option for satellites is the HTM-200SE when you are ready.
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post #3 of 18
1/10/13 at 10:34am
Thread Starter 
The htm 200 se are the same price as the cbm 170's i dont mind the size if they were lower priced i think i would get those. I also looked at the polk 65 t floor standing speakers (129 each) and the monitor 35b bookshelves (119 a pair) and the momnitor 25c center (144) how would these stand up to the other set up?
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post #4 of 18
1/10/13 at 10:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alamez View Post

The htm 200 se are the same price as the cbm 170's i dont mind the size if they were lower priced i think i would get those. I also looked at the polk 65 t floor standing speakers (129 each) and the monitor 35b bookshelves (119 a pair) and the momnitor 25c center (144) how would these stand up to the other set up?
I didn't realize they are the same price now. One advantage the HTM-200SE has is it is easier to mount on a wall.

Don't know much about the Polks, but I would assume the floorstander will play louder than the CBM-170SE, although I doubt the quality of the drivers is in the same league as the Ascends.
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post #5 of 18
1/10/13 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
yeah im more interested in quality than loudness. i wish i could try them out but they have a limited replacement only policy on the polks.
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post #6 of 18
1/10/13 at 11:09am
Thread Starter 
would i be ok with the rcmicros for surrounds and the 170's in the front. i ask because they are rated at 100 watts and the receiver is 135 per channel. I can also do the 170se center for the center channel. any thoughts on that
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post #7 of 18
1/10/13 at 11:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alamez View Post

would i be ok with the rcmicros for surrounds and the 170's in the front. i ask because they are rated at 100 watts and the receiver is 135 per channel. I can also do the 170se center for the center channel. any thoughts on that
The RC's will be fine for surrounds.

A 170SE for a center is also good option...and some would say a better option since all three fronts speaker will match.
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post #8 of 18
1/10/13 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 
Just afraid to put too much power on the RC's
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post #9 of 18
1/10/13 at 11:50am
When you're running 7 speakers as you are planning you won't be pushing 135 watts/channel. Those posted power ratings for your Onkyo NR809 are for 2 channels driven, not 7. Plus even if it did you would not reach that level until the receiver was at max volume.

Plus the fact that the surrounds don't get nearly the content as the front 3 you really don't have anything to worry about.
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post #10 of 18
1/10/13 at 12:07pm
The Ascends are a good choice. I think that the 170's and the 340's are the same sonically. There are several people in the Ascend forum who use the 170's with a 340 center without issue or complaint.

IMHO you won't be disappointed with the Ascends and as others stated don't worry sbout overdriving the surrounds.

Good luck.

Regards,

RTROSE
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post #11 of 18
1/10/13 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
everyone has been very helpful thank you very much. Im gonna go with the 3 cbm 170's in the front and use four micros for surrounds. now i have to figure out what to do with the 2 bic v1220's. i got both for 175 on craigslist. i was going to get a HSU stf-2 but i think il start with these two and later upgrade to something better. any thoughts?
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post #12 of 18
1/10/13 at 1:22pm
Yeah, get the speakers,hook up the 2 subs and enjoy.
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post #13 of 18
1/10/13 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cschang View Post

A 170SE for a center is also good option...and some would say a better option since all three fronts speaker will match.

Would the second part of this statement still be true if the 170 SE center is placed below the TV and not in line with the L/R 170 SEs? I ask not to dispute the statement (I know it's not yours), but rather that I am looking into the 170 SE vs CMT-340 SE as a center. Placement would definitely factor into my decision. I've read that the 340 SE is the better choice if you intend to place the center on top of or below the TV.
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post #14 of 18
1/10/13 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by p3Orion View Post

Would the second part of this statement still be true if the 170 SE center is placed below the TV and not in line with the L/R 170 SEs? I ask not to dispute the statement (I know it's not yours), but rather that I am looking into the 170 SE vs CMT-340 SE as a center. Placement would definitely factor into my decision. I've read that the 340 SE is the better choice if you intend to place the center on top of or below the TV.
Well, ultimately, you would love to have all the speakers in the front stage the same height.

What the 340SE center has is the EXBAC circuit in the crossover, this compensates for the extended baffle the face of the TV creates with a speaker is placed on top or below it.

I'd say yes, it probably makes a better choice if that is the type of placement you are looking at.

You can read about EXBAC here:
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340c/cmt340ctech.html

BTW...EXBAC can be turned off when ordered if your setup does not require it.
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post #15 of 18
1/10/13 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cschang View Post

Well, ultimately, you would love to have all the speakers in the front stage the same height.

What the 340SE center has is the EXBAC circuit in the crossover, this compensates for the extended baffle the face of the TV creates with a speaker is placed on top or below it.

I'd say yes, it probably makes a better choice if that is the type of placement you are looking at.

You can read about EXBAC here:
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340c/cmt340ctech.html

BTW...EXBAC can be turned off when ordered if your setup does not require it.

So if I understand correctly, if you hang a tv on the wall and lets say the speaker is on a stand in front of the tv you would then want the EXBAC turned off, right? So the only reason you want it on is if the face of the speaker is flush with the front of the tv. Mine is sitting on top my tv but is sticking out maybe 2 inches in front of the screen, does this matter? Also in the future I am hoping to upgrade my 10 year old tv and get one hung on the wall. So can I turn the feature off or does it have to be done at the factory? Or, does it not matter enough to worry about it?
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post #16 of 18
1/10/13 at 4:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skidog View Post

So if I understand correctly, if you hang a tv on the wall and lets say the speaker is on a stand in front of the tv you would then want the EXBAC turned off, right? So the only reason you want it on is if the face of the speaker is flush with the front of the tv. Mine is sitting on top my tv but is sticking out maybe 2 inches in front of the screen, does this matter? Also in the future I am hoping to upgrade my 10 year old tv and get one hung on the wall. So can I turn the feature off or does it have to be done at the factory? Or, does it not matter enough to worry about it?
I think for your current application you will still want EXBAC.

As for turning it off in the future, you should contact Ascend.
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post #17 of 18
1/10/13 at 5:07pm
Thanks.
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post #18 of 18
1/15/13 at 8:44am
Thread Starter 
How does the Fluance es1 compare to the cbm 170 se's? i was looking at these earlier
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