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Another need help finding the right speaker :)

post #1 of 9
3/14/13 at 10:53am
Thread Starter 
I have a system set up in my basement. It is in a large open area that is approximately 24' long x 15' wide x 8' tall. It is also open to a bar area and a long hallway. I have in-wall speakers for surround and rear surround. They came with the house so unsure of branding as there is nothing on the front. They look nice enough. I have an older Denon AVR-791 and have a really old set of Bose Accoustimass 5 speakers as the fronts right now with a 15 year old polk center channel smile.gif.

I recently purchased a Klipsch RW-12D for my upstairs family room and liked it so much I purchased two more for the basement. There is plenty of bass going on down there but those little Bose speakers have to go.

The problem I am running into is WAF. lol I need the Front Left and Right speakers to fit in an area about 7.9 inches high x 4 inches wide x 18 inches deep. The center speaker is the same but width can be 15 inches. She picked out some crazy looking entertainment center and gave me my speakers spots. I was looking at the Cambridge Audio Min21 but am unsure if the mids will be lost.

I am fairly easy to please in that I love my affordable Energy CB-20s with Energy CC-10 upstairs in the family room. I would like to stay under $600 for all 3 speakers. I would put those same speakers downstairs if they would fit.

This area is mainly for movie night and not much music.

Thank you for recommendations!!!
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post #2 of 9
3/14/13 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

The problem I am running into is WAF. lol I need the Front Left and Right speakers to fit in an area about 7.9 inches high x 4 inches wide x 18 inches deep. The center speaker is the same but width can be 15 inches. She picked out some crazy looking entertainment center and gave me my speakers spots.

That's tough...maybe it's time for you to get tough.... mad.gifwink.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

I was looking at the Cambridge Audio Min21 but am unsure if the mids will be lost.

Unfortunately, you will get some localizable bass coming from your subwoofers, and there probably will be some loss of mid-bass around 110-150 Hz or so because your subs, as nice as they are for the price, don't reach up that high. frown.gif This would theoretically be true for virtually any speaker you could squeeze into those dimensions (except for the center), and if this proves to be true and a noticeable problem, then you may want to add a third sub that can fill in the gap.

As for which speakers, the Min 21 is one alternative, and another would be the Energy RC-Micro:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Energy-Speakers-RC-Micro-Satellite-Speaker-Pair-New-from-5-0-package-/121071599337?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1c306dfee9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Energy-Speakers-RC-Micro-Center-Speaker-single-from-5-0-package-/121071528191?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item1c306ce8ff

Or you could get the whole set with the ESW-C8 subwoofer, which does reach high enough in frequency to fill the gap:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-RC-Micro-Surround-Speaker-System/dp/B001RQ2CXO

With the money left over in your budget, you may want to consider beefing up your center channel with one of these instead of the RC-Micro center:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Veritas-V-Mini-C-Channel-Speaker/dp/B004HK9M4Y

I'm not sure whether the V-Mini-C would be a close match, but it would be nice to have a larger center (relatively speaking, obviously) that matches to some degree.
Edited by Robert Cook - 3/15/13 at 11:01am
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post #3 of 9
3/14/13 at 5:56pm
Well, the ca minx speakers will have limitations...but less so than the Bose! So, in that sized speakers, the minx night be as good as it gets. As mentioned, getting the speaker/sub crossover settings will cause some issues!
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post #4 of 9
3/14/13 at 8:56pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you guys very much for the recommendations! I know I need to grow a pair but its hard to complain when she takes care of me so well. wink.gif She just doesn't give a crap about audio/video. lol

I am thinking seriously about the rc micros with the larger center v mini. The speaker size for those rc micros are smaller than the CA Min21s or almost the same size. How do you think those speakers would compare? Anything is going to be MUCH better than those old ass Bose. I think I had those in High School. 1992? Damn, I'm old. Not sure why I still had em. Pulled em out of a closet at my Mom's house. lol

Also, since you said something about adding a 3rd sub that could cover the mids better. I forgot to mention that I have a 4 year old Definitive Technology ProSub 1000. I was going to sell it. I think it has the dial on the back that goes up to 150hz whereas the Klipsch only goes up to 120hz. Do you think it would help if I added it? I am thinking 3 subwoofers would possibly be too much as the 2 Klipsch are extreme down there now. Had to dial them waaaayy back.

The entertainment center is supposed to be installed within the next week so I will be able to get exact measurements then. I am hoping I have a little more room. I would love to get the Cambridge Audio S30s.

Anyway...thanks again and keep the recommendations coming.
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post #5 of 9
3/14/13 at 9:15pm
Hopefully you'll be able to fit the S30's.

If not then maybe NHT SuperZero's? Small enough and they're sealed so they'll be ok "in" a shelf.
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post #6 of 9
3/15/13 at 12:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

Thank you guys very much for the recommendations! I know I need to grow a pair but its hard to complain when she takes care of me so well. wink.gif She just doesn't give a crap about audio/video. lol

Oh, I totally understand--I would have spent several times more than I did on my system if I felt I could have gotten away with it, but I'm pretty thankful for what I did manage to pull off. biggrin.gif I had to skimp on everything audio-related to save every penny that I could for the speakers, as it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

I am thinking seriously about the rc micros with the larger center v mini. The speaker size for those rc micros are smaller than the CA Min21s or almost the same size. How do you think those speakers would compare?

Honestly, I don't know, so hopefully you'll get some feedback from those with firsthand knowledge. Of course, you could always look up past reviews. The RC-Micro has generally gotten pretty high marks, with its limitations taken into consideration, of course. The Minx speakers have many fans, too, though. If I had to pick blindly, I'd probably go with the RC-Micro because it uses an actual tweeter instead of a BMR panel, but then again maybe I underestimate these drivers and the Min 21 does have greater total "cone" area. I think you'd better do your due diligence on both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

Anything is going to be MUCH better than those old ass Bose.

Definitely--it's not difficult to top those cheap full-range 2.5" drivers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

I think I had those in High School. 1992? Damn, I'm old. Not sure why I still had em. Pulled em out of a closet at my Mom's house. lol

I'm slightly older, and I still have my first HTIB packed away somewhere, too, for some reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

Also, since you said something about adding a 3rd sub that could cover the mids better. I forgot to mention that I have a 4 year old Definitive Technology ProSub 1000. I was going to sell it. I think it has the dial on the back that goes up to 150hz whereas the Klipsch only goes up to 120hz. Do you think it would help if I added it?

You can't always trust specifications, and Definitive Technology, while they make some good speakers, is the all-time leader in this regard. Their frequency response specification for the ProSub 1000 says "18 Hz - 150 Hz" (translation: 40 Hz - 120 Hz) so you could pretty much bet your life that it would NOT help. wink.gif I would suggest trying your new system, whatever your speakers end up being, before buying another sub.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

I am thinking 3 subwoofers would possibly be too much as the 2 Klipsch are extreme down there now. Had to dial them waaaayy back.

If you do end up needing a third sub for mid-bass fill, then I suppose you could run it through one of the other subs' crossover circuits to limit its deeper bass output.
Quote:
Originally Posted by j76ms View Post

The entertainment center is supposed to be installed within the next week so I will be able to get exact measurements then. I am hoping I have a little more room. I would love to get the Cambridge Audio S30s.

In your case, 6.3" of width is a lot more room than you'll supposedly have. By the way, even an additional half-inch would open up more possibilities, and a whole other inch even more than that.
Edited by Robert Cook - 3/15/13 at 9:18am
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post #7 of 9
3/15/13 at 6:27am
IUf you can move up in size to the CA S30s, you won't be dissapointed (based on the many positive reviews on this forum)! Apparently, the s50 center isn't the easiest to find, however....
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post #8 of 9
3/15/13 at 7:08am
I noticed Fry's started to carry this speaker package from Martin Logan. http://www.frys.com/product/6039288?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG I don't know much about them as they are new to me, and haven't had a chance to hear them for myself, but given the dimensions you stated I thought you might want to learn more about this one too.
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post #9 of 9
3/16/13 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks again for the responses. I am going to hold out hope that I get a little larger area to be able to possibly move up to the Cambridge S30 or I noticed the small Energy VMini bookshelfs. They are discontinued but I might be able to find some. They are very small but not quite small enough.

I am definitely going to check reviews on the ML set. The size of the bookshelves and center is perfect. Seems really cheap for Martin Logan though. Maybe I am just used to seeing their expensive speakers.
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