[cruiserandmax]

We have very limited space to contain all of our AV gear in our living room, and I'm trying to improve my speaker setup while at the same time reducing our existing gear footprint. We currently have an old (1997ish) Marantz 5.1 AC-3 receiver (which I'm fine with keeping), outputting to (same vintage) Boston Acoustics 5.1 subwoofer satellite speakers. The L/R mains for these speakers are about THE worst mains you could ever have- they are super small (~7" tall) and I'm guessing have two drivers at the most. So the system relies heavily on the center speaker (which is actually pretty good with decent range), and the woofer.


My biggest complaints with the current setup are that it's WAY too heavy on the bass, and the mid-range for music & movies is really lacking. Also, we really have no place to keep the subwoofer that's not an interior design nightmare.


So I'm considering getting a set of bookshelf speakers that we can still hide inside our console when not in use but that have good range with enough bass to still enjoy movies (sans subwoofer). I'd like punch in movies, but deep gut wrenching bass is not my personal taste. So I was considering NHT Classic Three main speakers, and possibly an upgraded center if needed. I'd keep the exisiting BA surround satellites since they do fine.


Most of our movie watching is 5.1 pro logic, and music is almost every type you could think of.


Any thoughts on a good way to go, or if this is even a good direction to think about, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Roger That]

You want to make sure you match your front three as best as you can. Mis-matching brands can funk with the sound as it pans/hands off.


What size do the speakers need to be to fit in your "console?"

 

[cruiserandmax]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger That /forum/post/16882626


What size do the speakers need to be to fit in your "console?"

I can get away with up to about 17" high.

 

[Knucklehead90]

 Three of these might do you. I'd use a small sub - I've auditioned them and they sound great. I had them in my home for about 2 weeks. They aren't boomy on the bass - in fact I sent them back because I'd have had to add a sub and that wasn't possible in my bedroom.


Keep your present sub and set it real low.

 

[ccotenj]

something to consider...


as long as the speakers are living "in" a console, you are probably getting all kinds of bass reinforcement, and this may be the cause of your "too heavy bass"...


just something to think about...

 

[shadyJ]

I agree with what ccotenj said. It sounds like it might be your room, or your subwoofer. If your sub is corner loaded, it can sound boomy and could be overwhelming. Or that could be just the way the sub is if it is a cheaper model. Are all the regular speakers satellites? If so, they could be easy to overwhelm by the sub.


For bookshelfs with bass, I would consider larger models with 6.5" woofers, such as the Ascend Acoustics CMT 340s, they have a claimed in-room response of 45 hertz. Those NHTs look like they have a good low end roll off at 45 hertz. The Aperion Intimus 6B has a 48 hertz extension. The SVS MBS 01 also has a respectable 48 hertz extension. The Elemental Designs W6 6TC has a FR down to 43 hertz, which makes sense with its larger 6.75" driver. Its a heavier bookshelf too, at over 26 lbs each.


With any of these, I would still want a sub too, for a well-rounded sound. Something modestly-sized, tight and not boomy, such as the Rythmiks, or HSU's, or the SVS SB12, or Epik Vanquish. I bet you any of those, placed well, will make a big difference for the better in your setup.

 

[ccotenj]

i'm a huge ascend ho'

, but the cmt's will not be happy stuffed in a console...


actually, no speakers are going to be happy stuffed in a console, but rear ported ones are likely to complain even more...


as someone once said (forget who), speakers need room outside their cabinets too...

step 1 for the op would be to figure out how to give the speakers some room to breathe, so to speak...