[jonnythan]

Requirements:


All matching speakers (same brand/line).

Bipole or dipole surrounds available.

Room is about 15 x 20.


Sub will be decided on later, maybe dual Legends or something.


The contenders I see are:


Axiom (M22 mains, VP150, one pair QS8, one pair M3)

Emotiva (5x6.2 LCR, 1 pair ERD-1)

Klipsch (2xRS-52, RC-52, 2xRS-42, 2xRB-51)


Anything else to consider?

 

[stevensctt]

If these will fit your budget, look at the Cinema Pro series from JBL, Klipsch and M&K for dedicated HT.

 

[ack_bk]

What are you doing about a sub?


Off the top of my head, you seem like a good candidate for Chase Home Theater speakers for your budget. Look at the SHO-10's.


One option would be to put your money towards the main speakers and not worry as much about 7.0 right now.


Or if you really want 7.0 go for something like this:

For instance go with the RB-81 Klipsch bookshelves:
http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....shelf+Speakers


You get a $100 gift card


Then get a good center:
http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....enter+Speakers


You get a $100 gift card


You spent $1318 of your budget at this point (but you have $200 in gift cards).


Next, I would buy two RS-52's (note each has a $150 gift card so you get $300 in gift cards):

http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....round+Speakers


They come to $778 total and this puts you at $2096 total shipped, but you have $500 in gift card money to buy 2 more surrounds. Which gets you 2 more RS-42's and another $200 in gift cards.


I would call Sounddristibutors directly and get a price quote as well.


I would lean against the Axiom speakers for that size room and your application and look for more efficient speakers.

 

[jonnythan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/20798481


What are you doing about a sub?


Off the top of my head, you seem like a good candidate for Chase Home Theater speakers for your budget. Look at the SHO-10's.


One option would be to put your money towards the main speakers and not worry as much about 7.0 right now.


Or if you really want 7.0 go for something like this:

For instance go with the RB-81 Klipsch bookshelves:
http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....shelf+Speakers


You get a $100 gift card


Then get a good center:
http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....enter+Speakers


You get a $100 gift card


You spent $1318 of your budget at this point (but you have $200 in gift cards).


Next, I would buy two RS-52's (note each has a $150 gift card so you get $300 in gift cards):

http://sounddistributors.com/buynow....round+Speakers


They come to $778 total and this puts you at $2096 total shipped, but you have $500 in gift card money to buy 2 more surrounds. Which gets you 2 more RS-42's and another $200 in gift cards.


I would call Sounddristibutors directly and get a price quote as well.


I would lean against the Axiom speakers for that size room and your application and look for more efficient speakers.

Hm interesting. I see the RB-81s are $798 a pair with $100 card, and the RF-62 is $898 with a $200 card. Any reason not to get the 62s?

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnythan /forum/post/20798532


Hm interesting. I see the RB-81s are $798 a pair with $100 card, and the RF-62 is $898 with a $200 card. Any reason not to get the 62s?

It comes down to subwoofer. If you have a good subwoofer (or two) I would actually go with the RB-81 and let the sub handle the bass around 80hz or so. For home theater I don't see a huge advantage for towers vs bookshelves if the bookshelf is efficient and you have good dedicated subwoofers.


For 2 channel music, I prefer towers.

 

[jonnythan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/20798555


It comes down to subwoofer. If you have a good subwoofer (or two) I would actually go with the RB-81 and let the sub handle the bass around 80hz or so. For home theater I don't see a huge advantage for towers vs bookshelves if the bookshelf is efficient and you have good dedicated subwoofers.


For 2 channel music, I prefer towers.

The plan is for a pair of quality subs (I mentioned dual Epik Legends as a possibility in the OP).


What's wrong with the Axiom speakers in a room that size? We're only talking about

 

[ack_bk]

Nothing wrong with them per say, but if you are looking for dedicated home theater speakers, it is usually recommend to go with a more efficient speaker, and horn loaded speakers are great for home theater usage. You absolutely could go with a speaker like the Axiom, but they won't be as dynamic. I am going to PM you a link to a recent Axiom thread that you might want to read as well.

 

[Gooddoc]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnythan /forum/post/20798572


The plan is for a pair of quality subs (I mentioned dual Epik Legends as a possibility in the OP).


What's wrong with the Axiom speakers in a room that size? We're only talking about

 

[ack_bk]

It also sounds like you have the bass covered with the Epik's. I don't think a tower speaker is necessary at all.

 

[ack_bk]

More info on the horn speaker debate:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1351664


I will preface this by saying whatever speaker you buy, there is no substitute for listening to it in your room. So buy from a company that has a good return policy if you are unhappy.

 

[jonnythan]

That is interesting.


Any other models/brands to consider? Any comment about the Emotiva line?

 

[jonnythan]

What do people think about 3 RB-81s across the front, mounted behind an AT screen, with RS-52s on the sides and a pair of R-5650 in-walls at the rear?


I really like the idea of 3 identical speakers across the front. The whole MTM horizontal center channel thing has always seemed like a compromise for fitting above/under a TV, and if you're using an AT screen why bother?

 

[BobL]

3 identical speakers across the front at the same height with an AT screen is ideal! you are correct MTM speakers placed horizontally are an acoustic compromise. If you are mounting the speakers to the wall or on stands close to a wall you want to treat the wall behind the speakers with acoustic treatment.

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnythan /forum/post/20837005


What do people think about 3 RB-81s across the front, mounted behind an AT screen, with RS-52s on the sides and a pair of R-5650 in-walls at the rear?


I really like the idea of 3 identical speakers across the front. The whole MTM horizontal center channel thing has always seemed like a compromise for fitting above/under a TV, and if you're using an AT screen why bother?

This is the setup I use (three identical vertical speakers behind an AT screen). I previously had an MTM center, and if you are sitting in the sweet spot, it is not as big an issue, but definitely noticed issues when I was off-axis.


Are you going with an AT screen then?

 

[jonnythan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/20838373


This is the setup I use (three identical vertical speakers behind an AT screen). I previously had an MTM center, and if you are sitting in the sweet spot, it is not as big an issue, but definitely noticed issues when I was off-axis.


Are you going with an AT screen then?

This is all very tentative, and not for me, at the moment. Just talks and plans. Do you think the 81 would perform well across the front?

 

[jonnythan]

I'm going to resurrect this thread a bit.


What if the budget was doubled or tripled? The CHT speakers look great, but I really don't want to put speakers that large as surrounds, especially as side surrounds.


What's everyone's "ideal" behind-screen HT speaker that might have smaller surround and preferably matching dipole or bipole side surrounds?