Would you rather have the best subwoofer or best fronts and center?

A good sub will better complement a lesser speaker than a lesser sub will complement better speakers (reminiscent of Furry Freak Brothers for a reason ). These days I usually recommend at least two competent subs, really helps even out response in room as well as make it just that much more effortless to achieve good bassage. Which specific Hsu or SVS sub are you considering? Do you have L/C/R speakers at all now?

Forgive me, but that's not a rational question as one builds a speaker system so as to do their level headed best to have a system without limits. They don't plan a system around limitations.

I would plan and build a system where one expects to make future purchases.

Buy your mains. Live with the short comings.

Buy the center channel. Live with the short comings.

Buy surrounds. Live with the short comings.

Buy one subwoofer. Live with the short comings.

Buy a second subwoofer. Crank that mother and enjoy because you earned the right to raise the roof.

That's how I bought and put my system together. I started out with a killer set of mains and as I had the money, added more speaker cabinets to the system. Currently, eighteen years later, I've been upgrading the system in the same fashion I put the original system together with the upgrades being centered around the mains as the mains are that good.

Hope the above non-answer helps answers your question.

So keep the speakers (or upgrade someday if the deal comes along).....how much can you afford for subs? SVS and Hsu are worthy considerations, but there's more out there. There's also DIY.

I believe in buying the best front stage you can get and save for a good sub. You'll be better off in the long run. Going subless for awhile is painful but it won't kill you.

Where are you at in putting your speaker system together?

I would choose the absolute best sub I could afford- no question. Almost everyone has experienced a nice full range sound, but a very few lucky people have truly been to the Depths!!


Keep cranking,


Robert

That's what I did. I knew what speakers and sub I wanted, but I did not want to wait until I could pay for everything at once. I bought the front three first and later added the sub and lastly the surrounds.

When I got my Energy Take 5.1 set I was impressed with that 8" sub....that was eons ago in sub time

I guess as long as you get to where you want to go in the end it won't matter a whole lot. Just a matter of how you want to do it. It's the buyers choice. We all have our own way of doing things.

Some guys prefer to start at the top and gently work their way down. Other guys prefer to start at the bottom, pound away and then work their way up.
Edited by XStanleyX - 1/14/13 at 8:52pm

For hometheater, a sub or subs and a center speaker are the most important components, to me anyway. Without knowing your budget, it is hard to suggest but i would buy the best sub you can afford or willing to spend and decide if a second one is necessary.

I would spend money on a really nice, brand-new sub and buy speakers gently-used, starting with a good pair of mains, then a center, then surrounds.

My current subwoofer goal is to get a better understanding about subwoofers and how they interact with and what does one have to do to successfully integrate them into the overall sound system in a particular room. In the case of subwoofers, if one cares about sound quality, there is no such thing as plug-n-play.

As a form of encouragement, one can successfully do the front three speakers (L-C-R) and subwoofers, to be followed up last with surrounds.

If I recall correctly, in another thread, you mentioned being a concertmaster and if my memory is correct, my assumption is, you have crazy good musical listening skills. Far superior to what I've trained myself to. With this point in mind, I ask, what is your subwoofer budget? What are your ultimate speaker goals? Are you trying to replicate you sonic position on stage or a listening position twenty rows back, center?

Mains first, you're going to using them a lot more than a sub imho. Everything from music to tv and films. Then get a solid sub to round it out. A decent pair of mains will give you some of that mid bass while you save for a sub or two.
It's a puzzle as you try and put the pieces together. Main speakers are what drives your setup, subs and surrounds are what ties it together.

Forgive me as I'm going quibble a bit over your above. My understanding, ninety percent of dialogue goes through the center channel so I'm a firm believer that in the face of common convention, the center channel is more important then mains but in the grand scheme of things, they're all equally important as part of a sonic chain.

Quibble away but your mains still carry the lions share of the sound track.

Yes they do. We upgraded our center channel last year and it's been quite the upgrade for clarity of dialogue. In my mind, the front three are now seamless, hence the center channel bias.

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Edited by BeeMan458 - 1/15/13 at 10:41am

I started with the front 3 and a mediocre sub which will become my second sub once I have saved enough for the Rythmik FV15HP

It doesn't matter how much sound goes through the center, if you don't have it that sound just comes out of your left and right speakers. I actually prefer it this way because I have my TV mounted so the tweeters and midrange drivers of my left and right towers are at the same height as the screen and running a phantom center tricks your brain into thinking voices are actually coming from the faces on screen. I used to have a center channel but it always has to be above or below the TV and that sounds worse to me.

To answer the original question, if I was starting from scratch I would get front left and right speakers and then a subwoofer before I worried about surrounds or a center. I would spend more money on the sub because cheap speakers don't sound as awful as a cheap sub in my experience. Even the Bose 201s my parents bought years ago are still ok when paired with a nice sub, but none of the nice speakers I have sound decent with a cheap subwoofer. I think this is because cheap subs tend to be boomy and this draws attention, you really notice how much your sub sucks whereas most speakers on the market these days sound pretty decent.

No, don't think that way. Don't get cheap mains and a cheap center and a BIC F12. Buy good (new or gently-used) mains + a good (new) sub. (Or, if you can't do that, buy good mains, then save up for a good sub.) Then add a center, then add surrounds. You'll end up with a much better overall package. You will be much more satisfied.

IMO, and YMMV.

-- Edit --
On the Atlanta Craigslist site, there's a guy selling Monitor 3 v2s for $225 OBO ($200 or less would be a great price) and another guy selling a CC-370v3 for $160 (great price). If nothing else, try to demo those speakers. No cost, and at least you'll gain some appreciation for whether or not Paradigms are "your thing".

If you like the M3s, buy them, then add a good sub and you'll have a really solid 2.1 set-up. If you can swing the front three plus a sub you'll really be rockin'!
Edited by eljaycanuck - 1/15/13 at 4:43pm

I agree with this.[

quote name="Kamikaze13" url="/t/1451939/would-you-rather-have-the-best-subwoofer-or-best-fronts-and-center#post_22832818"]I started with the front 3 and a mediocre sub which will become my second sub once I have saved enough for the Rythmik FV15HP[/quote]

Good Suggestion. Paradigms are good

I don't know whether the Paradigm Monitor 3s would sound better than the Polks, but your signature says you own the TSi300s, and you're talking about replacing them with "cheap fronts". If you dislike the Polks enough to replace them:
i) Don't replace them with "cheap fronts" - you gain nothing by doing that.
ii) At least audition the Paradigm Monitor 3s. You don't have to take my opinion on them - use your own ears - and if you don't like what you hear, you don't have to buy them. No cost to listen, and you learn something more about your audio preferences.
Edited by eljaycanuck - 1/15/13 at 5:48pm