[amcbeef3388]

Just a quick question.

Is there a difference in speakers you should be looking for when the system will be used primarily for Movies compared to music? This is in a 1200-1500$ price range.
I feel like if you are spending 20K+ on a HT then yes but within my budget there wouldn't be much of a difference between the 2? Just find a nice LCR and sub?
Am I wrong?

 

[dsrussell]

Yes, find nice LCR speakers and a good sub that you really like and be happy .

However (there is always a "however"), music and movies are entirely different beasts and one looks at different aspects for each. The speakers I use for music in one room are quite different from those I use for movies in another room. I'd also pick different speakers if I had a dedicated home theater. That being said, a speaker that plays music faithfully, has a large sound stage with excellent articulation and good output should work well for both music and movies.

 

[amcbeef3388]

Yes, find nice LCR speakers and a good sub that you really like and be happy .

However (there is always a "however"), music and movies are entirely different beasts and one looks at different aspects for each. The speakers I use for music in one room are quite different from those I use for movies in another room. I'd also pick different speakers if I had a dedicated home theater. That being said, a speaker that plays music faithfully, has a large sound stage with excellent articulation and good output should work well for both music and movies.

Thank you! That's kinda what I figured until you get to the extreme price range.

What are your thoughts on
2- Chane A3 with an A2 center compared to
2-emptek R55ti 1-R56
85% Movies
15% music

 

[dsrussell]

Thank you! That's kinda what I figured until you get to the extreme price range.

What are your thoughts on
2- Chane A3 with an A2 center compared to
2-emptek R55ti 1-R56
85% Movies
15% music

I haven't auditioned either, but have heard great things about each of your selections. I do own the EMP Tek R5Bi bookshelf speakers and can attest to their performance (I'm using these for movies), so I would assume their towers might be even better.

$225 / pair (includes shipping) EMP Tek R5Bi bookshelf speaker (formally E5Bi): http://emptek.com/r5bi.php
Andrew Robinson review: http://hometheaterreview.com/emp-tek-e5bi-bookshelf-speaker-reviewed/
My review: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/dbtreview.php?do=view_review&id=4850&ri=review

Read the above reviews carefully. Buying bookshelf speakers allows you to buy a much better subwoofer, which you will need for movie LFE. And subwoofer requirements are fully dependent upon the volume of your room and if it is open to other rooms (I'd need total volume).

 

[amcbeef3388]

Not sure of the math is correct but 2160 cubic ft. 12x18x10? It connects to my kitchen which is separated by a counter. It wouldn't let me read your Review but after reading Andre Robinsons it kinda sold me on bookshelf speakers. For sub I was leaning towards an SVS PB-1000

 

[dsrussell]

Not sure of the math is correct but 2160 cubic ft. 12x18x10? It connects to my kitchen which is separated by a counter. It wouldn't let me read your Review but after reading Andre Robinsons it kinda sold me on bookshelf speakers. For sub I was leaning towards an SVS PB-1000

Yeah, AVS has some odd rule about so many posts (10 or 15) before one can read reviews. Don't have a clue as to why. The short end is I gave the R5Bi's a 4 out of 5 (actually 4.4 out of 5).

Andrew is one of my favorite reviewers. It was his review that got me to go out and audition my Maggies. Five years later I was looking for quality bookshelf speakers and had no intention of buying the R5Bi's, because I felt a $225 pair of speakers couldn't sound very good, then I spotted Andrew's review. He hasn't steered me wrong yet. However, sound is subjective and there is no guarantee that you will like these speakers as much as I or Andrew. My advice is to order just two and test them out with and without a subwoofer (they need a subwoofer, but so do the others on your list). Well before your 30 days are up, you should know if you like them enough to keep them and look to fill out your system, or return them (return shipping is around $25).

Your room is considered a medium sized room, but since it is open to the kitchen, one needs to add that cubic footage as well. That will put you over 3,000 cu. ft., meaning a large room (for a subwoofer). While the PB-1000 is one of the best $500 subs around, you may need to up your budget and either get two, or go for a bigger sub (but try one first to see how it performs). Reaction Audio shows an S-15 (sealed sub with 15-driver) for $500 at their outlet store. I know one AVS member just purchased one (don't know if it was the only one), so check with Jeremy on the details. http://reaction-audio.myshopify.com/collections/outlet This is a great deal. Also check the outlet store at SVS. Never know what may be lurking there.

Other subs to consider are the Outlaw Ultra-X12 @ $639 (shipping included for a limited time only), and the Rythmik LV12R @ $569 (includes shipping).

 

[amcbeef3388]

Thank you so much for all the help!! I'll come back and let you know what I ended up going with and how I like it. Thanks again for being so informative

 

[dsrussell]

^ Please do come back. We are all interested on what speakers/subs are chosen and why. I wish you the best on your search.

 

[amcbeef3388]

^ Please do come back. We are all interested on what speakers/subs are chosen and why. I wish you the best on your search.

Well I've finally finished buying my last piece for the time being. Here's what I ended up with
3 Ascend CMT 340 SE's
1 HSU VTF3 MK3
And a Denon x1100
All for a grand total of $1065.00
Ultimately the decision came down to The 340's and EmpTek 55R towers and went with the 340 due to price. But I still want to try the EmpTek.
The HSU I got from a local seller for 250$ with the turbo too, so I couldn't pass that up. He also had the matching MBM for it but I didn't have the money at the time.
I'm extremely happy with what I have but now can't wait to add some bipoles.

 

[dsrussell]

^Congratulations! That sounds like a very sweet setup. I know the Ascends were on my list when I auditioned speakers, and no one can go wrong with a Hsu sub! You'll have many years of enjoyment.

 

[sdg4vfx]

Congrats! Enjoy

 

[goldark]

^Congratulations! That sounds like a very sweet setup. I know the Ascends were on my list when I auditioned speakers, and no one can go wrong with a Hsu sub! You'll have many years of enjoyment.

dsrussell, what speakers did you audition when you ultimately ended up with the EMP Tek?

 

[dsrussell]

dsrussell, what speakers did you audition when you ultimately ended up with the EMP Tek?

First, I was looking for a very natural, open and pristine sound, especially the midrange and high end. It also had to produce a realistic soundstage. I already had a subwoofer. If I didn't have a subwoofer, I would not have chosen the EMP Teks.

Def Tech SM-45, SM-55, SM-65 (enjoyed the -55 & -65, but I felt the -55 were a better balanced speaker for me, plus they were in budget). Auditioned these three speakers on three different occasions.
Martin Logan Motion 2 and 4
B&W (forgot model)
Hsu HB-1 Mk2 (enjoyed this speaker)

JBL 530 and Ascend 340 were next on my list to audition after the EMP Teks. I stopped at the EMP Teks.

Side note: I had already purchased the speaker stands that could hold a big, heavy bookshelf speaker (I assumed I’d be purchasing the -55, the JBL or Ascends). My poor little EMPs look lost on those big stands .

 

[amcbeef3388]

Have you had a chance to listen to the EmpTek 55?

 

[dsrussell]

Have you had a chance to listen to the EmpTek 55?

No I didn’t. It crossed my mind to audition the R55Ti’s, but only after I auditioned the JBLs and Ascends. But after spending several weeks with the R5Bi’s, I simply saw no need, even though the R55Ti’s would be no taller than my bookshelf speakers on stands. I also felt the matching center channel (R56Ci’s) was way too large (I used a third R5Bi for my center channel).

There will always be speakers one is curious about. That’s human nature. I’ve often thought I might order the JBLs just to sate that curiosity, but haven’t done so.

 

[almo89]

I'm going to generalize here, but in my experience, I found that speakers that sound good for music will usually sound good for movies as well. It doesn't quite work the other way around.

 

[dsrussell]

I'm going to generalize here, but in my experience, I found that speakers that sound good for music will usually sound good for movies as well. It doesn't quite work the other way around.

I certainly agree, in general. I always test a speaker out with music first. I ran the speakers in a 2.0 configuration for the first two weeks. No center channel and no sub. Nor did I ever turn on my Maggies in the next room. I wanted to know how these bookshelf speakers really performed by themselves. I ordered and added the center channel at the beginning of the third week and played concert videos. At the end of the third week, I plugged in my subwoofer and began playing movies.

However, if I had a dedicated home theater, my choice in speakers would have been different. And I have to admit I’m kind of shallow. I wanted a speaker in my home that actually looked nice .

 

[shadyJ]

I'm going to generalize here, but in my experience, I found that speakers that sound good for music will usually sound good for movies as well. It doesn't quite work the other way around.

I don't agree at all. Movie content isn't that different from music content. Think about how much music there is in movies anyway. Think about how much the dialogue track in movies resembles the vocals in music. The applications are pretty much the same. I can't think of any speaker which would do one well and the other poorly.