SO i'm putting together my first "real" ht/music system. I bought an Onkyo 805 and am now looking for speakers. I had done tons of reading and was dead set on SVS, but auditioning some paradigm mini's at a local B&M store led to a lot more reading, which means time for tough decisions. I would like a 5.1 system that can handle both movies and music well, but i'm a musician at heart and music performance is more important in the end. My music listening is varied, from classic rock to classical, to modern pop/electronic stuff like the shins and beck. As for movies, I watch pretty much everything! I have done a ton of reading in the forums about Aperion, PSB, Paradigm, SVS, Ascend, AV123, Elemental Design, etc. Quite frankly, i'm distraught and overwhelmed. How does one choose? My budget is somewhat flexible, ~$1500 incl. shipping though a couple hundred either way is just fine. My room is 8x13 right now but that's only for a year or two, so i would like a system that can easily be upgraded to 7.1. I'm thinking bookshelves both due to space issues and because a nice sub should eliminate the need for floorstanders. After much deliberation, here are three potentials and my thoughts.
eD ATA-6T6 mtm pairs for main & surround, 6T6 MTM single front, a3-300 sub - $1190 shipped
People seem to love them, but i've heard they're better for movies than music. The price is right, especially with the package discount. I like that all the speakers would be timbre-matched.
Ascend CMT-340SE's for main & center, CBM-170SE for surround, eD a3-300 sub - $1684 shipped
CMT-340's have a great rep on the forums (although i'd really love the sierra-1's
). Ascends are just awesome speakers. Rear ports will make proper placement tricky. Surrounds not timbre-matched is a downside.
SVS SCS-01 mains & center, SBS-01 surround, PB-NSD12 sub - $1465 shipped
SCS-01's have a rep for being able to handle high volume (although not an issue in my room) and get great user reviews. SVS apparently makes some great subs. Downfall is once again lack of timbre-matched surrounds.
Also, if people think i would really not be happy with music performance from the above systems (my current setup is best buy sony speakers), i would consider getting a pair of Ascend Sierra-1's and a matched center, maybe with the A3-300 or PB-NSD12 till I can afford some surrounds. I would prefer not to go this route, but will if need be.
Any comments on the above system ideas, or new suggestions from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to bother you as yet another newb trying to figure his cheap **** out.
Thanks,
Jacob
eD ATA-6T6 mtm pairs for main & surround, 6T6 MTM single front, a3-300 sub - $1190 shipped
People seem to love them, but i've heard they're better for movies than music. The price is right, especially with the package discount. I like that all the speakers would be timbre-matched.
Ascend CMT-340SE's for main & center, CBM-170SE for surround, eD a3-300 sub - $1684 shipped
CMT-340's have a great rep on the forums (although i'd really love the sierra-1's

SVS SCS-01 mains & center, SBS-01 surround, PB-NSD12 sub - $1465 shipped
SCS-01's have a rep for being able to handle high volume (although not an issue in my room) and get great user reviews. SVS apparently makes some great subs. Downfall is once again lack of timbre-matched surrounds.
Also, if people think i would really not be happy with music performance from the above systems (my current setup is best buy sony speakers), i would consider getting a pair of Ascend Sierra-1's and a matched center, maybe with the A3-300 or PB-NSD12 till I can afford some surrounds. I would prefer not to go this route, but will if need be.
Any comments on the above system ideas, or new suggestions from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to bother you as yet another newb trying to figure his cheap **** out.
Thanks,
Jacob