For the KEFs, just get 2 pairs of the 150s and use one as a CC (either stand it upright or turn it on its side). Forget about the 250c.
Maybe 3 Chane A2.4s could work or Emotiva B1+ and C1+
Maybe 3 Chane A2.4s could work or Emotiva B1+ and C1+
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Recommendations for L/C/R under $1200
I asked for recommendations recently but have since changed direction a little. I've searched through a bunch of posts here, but thought I'd ask for suggestions again to see if I'm on the right track. I'm looking to replace the Left, Center, and Right speakers in my 5.1 system. It's currently a RX-V485, five Mirage MX satellite speakers, and an SVS SB-2000 sub. Usage will be 65% HT and 35% music. I don't really know kind of sound I like yet, so I plan on trying a few of these in-home.
L/R must be wall-mounted and the R will be no more than 12-16 inches from the side wall. I've been leaning towards sealed or front-ported speakers for this reason, but might try rear-ported to see how they sound in my area. The room is open on the left-side of the listening area, but I don't want to get hung up on that.
C will be placed inside my existing TV stand (enclosed shelf), so I'm looking for sealed or front-ported options.
I started (will your help) looking at the following speakers and they're still in consideration:
Ascend 200SE for all three,
KEF Q150s and 250C,
NHT C-1s and C-LCR.
Then I started looking at higher priced stuff (and presumably better sounding):
NHT C-3s and C-LCR,
Revel Concerta2 M16s and C205 (maybe out of my budget)
So I guess that my total budget has now crept up to at least $1200 since I seem willing to try the C-3's at least.
Ascend CBM-170 SE seem to be well-liked, but they just aren't visually pleasing to me. I'm looking for other recommendations. Thanks.
L/R must be wall-mounted and the R will be no more than 12-16 inches from the side wall. I've been leaning towards sealed or front-ported speakers for this reason, but might try rear-ported to see how they sound in my area. The room is open on the left-side of the listening area, but I don't want to get hung up on that.
C will be placed inside my existing TV stand (enclosed shelf), so I'm looking for sealed or front-ported options.
I started (will your help) looking at the following speakers and they're still in consideration:
Ascend 200SE for all three,
KEF Q150s and 250C,
NHT C-1s and C-LCR.
Then I started looking at higher priced stuff (and presumably better sounding):
NHT C-3s and C-LCR,
Revel Concerta2 M16s and C205 (maybe out of my budget)
So I guess that my total budget has now crept up to at least $1200 since I seem willing to try the C-3's at least.
Ascend CBM-170 SE seem to be well-liked, but they just aren't visually pleasing to me. I'm looking for other recommendations. Thanks.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
If you go with Q150s I'd get the 3-way Q650C center not the 2-way 250C.I asked for recommendations recently but have since changed direction a little. I've searched through a bunch of posts here, but thought I'd ask for suggestions again to see if I'm on the right track. I'm looking to replace the Left, Center, and Right speakers in my 5.1 system. It's currently a RX-V485, five Mirage MX satellite speakers, and an SVS SB-2000 sub. Usage will be 65% HT and 35% music. I don't really know kind of sound I like yet, so I plan on trying a few of these in-home.
L/R must be wall-mounted and the R will be no more than 12-16 inches from the side wall. I've been leaning towards sealed or front-ported speakers for this reason, but might try rear-ported to see how they sound in my area. The room is open on the left-side of the listening area, but I don't want to get hung up on that.
C will be placed inside my existing TV stand (enclosed shelf), so I'm looking for sealed or front-ported options.
I started (will your help) looking at the following speakers and they're still in consideration:
Ascend 200SE for all three,
KEF Q150s and 250C,
NHT C-1s and C-LCR.
Then I started looking at higher priced stuff (and presumably better sounding):
NHT C-3s and C-LCR,
Revel Concerta2 M16s and C205 (maybe out of my budget)
So I guess that my total budget has now crept up to at least $1200 since I seem willing to try the C-3's at least.
Ascend CBM-170 SE seem to be well-liked, but they just aren't visually pleasing to me. I'm looking for other recommendations. Thanks.
If "visually appealing" is important to you, I'd look at the front ported RSL CG5 for L/R and CG25 for center (though personally, I'd opt for a mismatched 3 way center---the Polk 706C would be a good bet in the visual appeal dept and is available from the Polk Outlet for 1/3 of original retail).
If you're willing to move up to the $3K range of the Revels, I'd take a close look at the Ascend Sierra 2EX with Horizon Center ... the Horizon center would be a clear step up from the C205, and both of these Ascend models would be quite nice looking. The 2EX would be a real treat during your 35% music listening (which just might end up increasing).
Take a look at the Arendal 1961 Series. The center + a pair of the bookshelf speakers would be slightly above your stated budget, but being sealed designs, could be positioned closer to the wall than ported options. Some good recent word of mouth on these regarding their musicality .. and really exceptional dispersion characteristics if you have a broad seating area to cover.
Tech Specs - 1961 Speakers
The only caveat is that your current receiver may not be powerful enough to really drive them to their max output. However, if you keep the volume levels reasonable, you should be fine until you can upgrade.
Alternatively, if you are married to your current receiver, this speaker may be a better option (at a similar cost to the above). Also a sealed design and a bit different form factor:
ELAC Muro™ OW-V41L (White) On-wall speaker at Crutchfield
Finding reviews may be difficult, but my guess would be that these are more HT focused speakers.
Tech Specs - 1961 Speakers
The only caveat is that your current receiver may not be powerful enough to really drive them to their max output. However, if you keep the volume levels reasonable, you should be fine until you can upgrade.
Alternatively, if you are married to your current receiver, this speaker may be a better option (at a similar cost to the above). Also a sealed design and a bit different form factor:
ELAC Muro™ OW-V41L (White) On-wall speaker at Crutchfield
Finding reviews may be difficult, but my guess would be that these are more HT focused speakers.
I also had been considering the NHT C3s as they look to be very EQ-able, and could be extremely flat with great directivity: NHT C3 Review (3-way speaker)
They do look like they could be a bit bright but again, that's EQ-able. The thing that I don't like about them, and is probably the reason I won't be getting them unless they drop in price (the triple camel says that's not impossible), is that the measured sensitivity is 83db which is pretty low. I'm looking to get something that doesn't need an external amp and these concern me for that purpose.
They do look like they could be a bit bright but again, that's EQ-able. The thing that I don't like about them, and is probably the reason I won't be getting them unless they drop in price (the triple camel says that's not impossible), is that the measured sensitivity is 83db which is pretty low. I'm looking to get something that doesn't need an external amp and these concern me for that purpose.
the cg5 is probably a great idea, quality and free returns..If you go with Q150s I'd get the 3-way Q650C center not the 2-way 250C.
If "visually appealing" is important to you, I'd look at the front ported RSL CG5 for L/R and CG25 for center (though personally, I'd opt for a mismatched 3 way center---the Polk 706C would be a good bet in the visual appeal dept and is available from the Polk Outlet for 1/3 of original retail).
If you're willing to move up to the $3K range of the Revels, I'd take a close look at the Ascend Sierra 2EX with Horizon Center ... the Horizon center would be a clear step up from the C205, and both of these Ascend models would be quite nice looking. The 2EX would be a real treat during your 35% music listening (which just might end up increasing).
HTD Versa HTS1: Versa HTS1
My daughter and son in law just got the Martin Logan Motion 8i for center channel use and they love it (I have the Motion 8 as the center in my secondary room) and they are using Motion 4is for left and right despite and love them for their ease of install, (they come with wall brackets) and clarity of sound.I asked for recommendations recently but have since changed direction a little. I've searched through a bunch of posts here, but thought I'd ask for suggestions again to see if I'm on the right track. I'm looking to replace the Left, Center, and Right speakers in my 5.1 system. It's currently a RX-V485, five Mirage MX satellite speakers, and an SVS SB-2000 sub. Usage will be 65% HT and 35% music. I don't really know kind of sound I like yet, so I plan on trying a few of these in-home.
L/R must be wall-mounted and the R will be no more than 12-16 inches from the side wall. I've been leaning towards sealed or front-ported speakers for this reason, but might try rear-ported to see how they sound in my area. The room is open on the left-side of the listening area, but I don't want to get hung up on that.
C will be placed inside my existing TV stand (enclosed shelf), so I'm looking for sealed or front-ported options.
I started (will your help) looking at the following speakers and they're still in consideration:
Ascend 200SE for all three,
KEF Q150s and 250C,
NHT C-1s and C-LCR.
Then I started looking at higher priced stuff (and presumably better sounding):
NHT C-3s and C-LCR,
Revel Concerta2 M16s and C205 (maybe out of my budget)
So I guess that my total budget has now crept up to at least $1200 since I seem willing to try the C-3's at least.
Ascend CBM-170 SE seem to be well-liked, but they just aren't visually pleasing to me. I'm looking for other recommendations. Thanks.
If it was me I'd get three Motion 8is factory refurbished and save a bunch of money as they are $315 each vs $450 each.
Dual 4" drivers per speaker give you 16 percent more main driver surface area than a single 5.25" main driver.
They come with the wall mounting hardware you need.
Martin Logan Motion 8i Compact Center Channel Speaker Factory Refurbished (Each)Default Title
Martin Logan Motion 8i Compact Center Channel Speaker Factory Refurbished (Each) Motion® i Compact Speakers Inspired by the clarity and detail of MartinLogan’s ultra-high-end electrostatic loudspeakers, Motion 2i, 4i, 6i, and 8i feature exquisite Folded Motion tweeters and powerful bass...
www.safeandsoundhq.com
RSL CG23 or CG25.High on the WAF factor, front ported, excellent sound. And some of the best support in the industry
Just wanna say I absolutely love my KEF Q350's + Q650C front soundstage
One day I would like to upgrade to Ascend Sierra 2-EX's or something of that caliber
One day I would like to upgrade to Ascend Sierra 2-EX's or something of that caliber
I'd recommend HSU CCB-8's, though the standard black cabinet doesn't seem to be available with the yellow cone anymore and a more subdued black/gray cone is available. The Rosewood version still appears to have the yellow cone. You could try phantom center at first with the CCB-8's which I can confirm works extremely well, several times I was fooled someone was knocking on my door or a stream of water was flowing through my basement when I was just using these speakers in phantom center configuration. The CCB-8's now come with rear port plugs if you wanted to also get the center version. The center version is the same as L/R speakers, but the rear terminal binding posts rotated 90 degrees for horizontal center channel use.
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I want them all!
Interesting to see so many 5.25" suggestions, as my last post had a lot of suggestions for avoiding anything under 6.5". My assumption has been that the difference in sound between 5.25" vs 6.5" would be small once I get the subwoofer crossover dialed in. Is that true?
It was recommended to go with 3-way Q650 instead of Q250. Would it be as beneficial to look at Q350 instead of Q150?
How detrimental is it to plug a port? I would have thought that if you're going to do that, why just not buy a sealed speaker that was designed/optimized to be used that way?
I'm curious what it is about the CG25 that made it the only center that was recommended to "almost" avoid?
Note that I'm not too hung up on visual appeal, but the CBM-170 is just to square for me. I want more of a rectangle for whatever reason. I do love the Walnut KEFs though.
Good point about the C-3 sensitivity. Seems that they exagerate it on the NHT page where they list 87dB.
Interesting to see so many 5.25" suggestions, as my last post had a lot of suggestions for avoiding anything under 6.5". My assumption has been that the difference in sound between 5.25" vs 6.5" would be small once I get the subwoofer crossover dialed in. Is that true?
It was recommended to go with 3-way Q650 instead of Q250. Would it be as beneficial to look at Q350 instead of Q150?
How detrimental is it to plug a port? I would have thought that if you're going to do that, why just not buy a sealed speaker that was designed/optimized to be used that way?
I'm curious what it is about the CG25 that made it the only center that was recommended to "almost" avoid?
Note that I'm not too hung up on visual appeal, but the CBM-170 is just to square for me. I want more of a rectangle for whatever reason. I do love the Walnut KEFs though.
Good point about the C-3 sensitivity. Seems that they exagerate it on the NHT page where they list 87dB.
For the record, the Q650c is a 2.5-way, not a 3-way. How it works is there's the standard crossover between the tweeter and the woofer in the Uni-Q array, but they implement a roll-off around 200Hz to the LF woofer (and vice versa from the LF woofer to the Uni-Q's woofer) to simulate a true 3-way.Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I want them all!
Interesting to see so many 5.25" suggestions, as my last post had a lot of suggestions for avoiding anything under 6.5". My assumption has been that the difference in sound between 5.25" vs 6.5" would be small once I get the subwoofer crossover dialed in. Is that true?
It was recommended to go with 3-way Q650 instead of Q250. Would it be as beneficial to look at Q350 instead of Q150?
How detrimental is it to plug a port? I would have thought that if you're going to do that, why just not buy a sealed speaker that was designed/optimized to be used that way?
I'm curious what it is about the CG25 that made it the only center that was recommended to "almost" avoid?
Note that I'm not too hung up on visual appeal, but the CBM-170 is just to square for me. I want more of a rectangle for whatever reason. I do love the Walnut KEFs though.
Good point about the C-3 sensitivity. Seems that they exagerate it on the NHT page where they list 87dB.
You'd really only need to plug the port if you had to have the speaker too close to the wall, but you might get some amount of boundary gain regardless if that's the case. It honestly would be an issue if you have a solid sub supporting the low end, especially if you set a crossover of 80Hz.
It is the wall mounting requirement and budget that has resulted in wall friendly options being recommended.Interesting to see so many 5.25" suggestions, as my last post had a lot of suggestions for avoiding anything under 6.5". My assumption has been that the difference in sound between 5.25" vs 6.5" would be small once I get the subwoofer crossover dialed in. Is that true?
Even dual 4" speakers like the Ascends and others mentioned can be just fine in a normal sized room with a sub in play if the desire is for decently loud playback vs "reference level" playback.
If you wanted reference level playback in a larger room then 6.5" would be the starting point.
RSL CG25 for center, CG5 for L/R. Or even better CG25 for L/C/R. Free in home trial
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