Joined
·
3 Posts
I have a 3.1 setup with NHT SuperZero/SuperCenter 2.1, with an SVS SB1000 to help with the bass.
For the NHT bookshelf's, my room is fairly large: 12x22, connected to the kitchen, so effectively 12x32; and I can't put my setup along the short edge. Despite those, I'm pretty happy with what the system produces right now. It's loud enough without distortion for what I need, the sub is more than enough, and I have this "wall of sound" experience.
I'm thinking of upgrading it to a 5.1 without spending much money; budget < $200. The JBL looks like a good choice at that price range: I can get a pair of the Loft50 towers for $180 at Fry's, and the Loft20 center is regularly on sale for $50. And if I get those, I can sell the SuperCenter for ~$75 or so, and move the SuperZeros to the back.
Fry's didn't have the JBL in their listening rooms, but their return policy is good, so I decided to just take them home and listen at home. However, no matter how I tried, they still sound horrible compared to what I have
. I put the towers and the center in the same places as the NHTs, ran auto setup on my AVR, and they sound boomy. If I push the crossover from 40Hz to 80Hz (to let my sub handle the bass instead), then bass is good, but then the towers draw attention to themselves (unlike the NHT bookshelf's, which seem to disappear). I tried running the JBL tower with my SuperCenter, but the mismatch is more than I expected. Running the tower with no center didn't improve things. I couldn't get midrange to sound as good as before either. It doesn't make sense. The JBL center is not as good, I suppose, but the towers have more midrange drivers.
Am I doing something wrong here? Or should I just take those back to Fry's and get another pair of SuperZero's for the surround?
For the NHT bookshelf's, my room is fairly large: 12x22, connected to the kitchen, so effectively 12x32; and I can't put my setup along the short edge. Despite those, I'm pretty happy with what the system produces right now. It's loud enough without distortion for what I need, the sub is more than enough, and I have this "wall of sound" experience.
I'm thinking of upgrading it to a 5.1 without spending much money; budget < $200. The JBL looks like a good choice at that price range: I can get a pair of the Loft50 towers for $180 at Fry's, and the Loft20 center is regularly on sale for $50. And if I get those, I can sell the SuperCenter for ~$75 or so, and move the SuperZeros to the back.
Fry's didn't have the JBL in their listening rooms, but their return policy is good, so I decided to just take them home and listen at home. However, no matter how I tried, they still sound horrible compared to what I have
. I put the towers and the center in the same places as the NHTs, ran auto setup on my AVR, and they sound boomy. If I push the crossover from 40Hz to 80Hz (to let my sub handle the bass instead), then bass is good, but then the towers draw attention to themselves (unlike the NHT bookshelf's, which seem to disappear). I tried running the JBL tower with my SuperCenter, but the mismatch is more than I expected. Running the tower with no center didn't improve things. I couldn't get midrange to sound as good as before either. It doesn't make sense. The JBL center is not as good, I suppose, but the towers have more midrange drivers.Am I doing something wrong here? Or should I just take those back to Fry's and get another pair of SuperZero's for the surround?
