A bit off base but I need some advice... Home Theater Audio

[Nevelicious]

So I am in a bit of a headache and I would like some input from the guys I trust the most. I have decided to finally be selfish and build a home theater. I know, I know.... but I love to watch movies and live in them. SO... I bought a Elite Plasma.... freaking awesome! I had about 2K left so I decided to grab a quick surround system.... so I bought the Bose Acoustimass 10 series III......

CRAP!!!! AND I MEAN CRAP!!! WORST SOUND I HAVE EVER HEARD. PUKE! FELT LIKE THROWING THE CUBES UNDER MY TRUCK! I HAVE HEARD BETTER SOUNDS WHEN I AM SITTING ON THE TOILET AFTER DRINKING A CARTON OF MILK (LACTOSE INTOLERANT) CRAPPY F'N SHIT! UGH!

Ok... now that I got that out. So I am stuck on what to grab for speakers. I want something that sounds good. I know it will not be top line because of how much I have in cash... but I wanted something that at least sounded good. So here are my questions.

Could certain monitors work? I was thinking about passive monitors. Truth Audio, maybe a bunch of BM5s, or even Tannoy Protoje's... something like that.

Or...

Is there a home theater that is worth it for the money that I am willing to spend... I feel like I just want to get two decent front speakers and call it a day. Man Bose sucks....

[max cooper]

Linn Classik Uniks sound way better than they should for around $225 each. They actually make a nice wall bracket that's got a shred of engineering behind it. I've got a pair in my house. Add a subwoofer like a Linn Sizmik or an REL and call it a day. And when did Bose ever make anything cool?

http://linn.co.uk/

(it's one of those sites that displays the same URL no matter what page is up, so you'll have to find it; pull down to "Classik Unik Loudspeaker")


The idea of surround sound for movies at home is a little misguided to me; at a movie theatre, you're usually at least 50 feet from each speaker so it makes sense, but to "recreate" that in a near-field environment seems a little silly. The idea of left-center-right stereo does have some precedent, though. As some see it, the home theater/surround sound concept was dreamed up by companies that did enough market research to know that most guys have more than one pair of speakers hooked up to their stereo, surround or not. That's a fact. Just about every red-blooded american male gets "amped up" at the idea of MORE SPEAKERS, DUDE!!!

[Nevelicious]

Thanks, I will look into it. Any other thoughts?

[Thermionic]

Although their new studio monitors don't make the earth move for me, I reckon Mission offer a lot of bang for the buck on multi-speaker packages:
http://www.mission.co.uk/

Also, Mordaunt-Short offer a lot for the price (I have a set in the bedroom, amazing for the outlay): http://www.mordauntshort.com/main.asp

I haven't checked their product for years, but you could have a look at Monitor Audio as well: http://www.monitoraudio.com/

One of my favourites for miniatures would be AE: http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/

Justin

[PapillonIrl]

My parents were in a similar situation recently and asked my advice. A good friend of mine works for a Hi-Fi outfit and frequently installs surround systems in homes to replace their 'antiquated' (usually vastly better sounding) stereo systems. He often offers to buy these systems he is replacing.

The company he works for is a dealer for Mission, a UK company I think. I have a pair of 780's that I love as my home stereo system.

He happened to have aquired 4 Mission 78se boxes. It was then just a case of getting a new 78cse and a 78as for my parents, and a Pioneer surround amp (second-hand via my friend).

These speakers sound extremely good for the price. Very detailed and flattering.

http://www.mission.co.uk/index1.htm

Nathan

[Nevelicious]

Thanks again guys, but I am looking for something that I can hear near me. Any other thoughts?

[PapillonIrl]

Ummmm...I'm gonna come off sounding like a Mission pimp, but...

Mission Pro:


90 Park Street, Suite 31
Brookline, MA 02446

Tel: 617 739 6745
Fax: 617 739 0664
e-mail: sales@mission-usa.com
website: www.missionprofessional.com

[alphajerk]

is the $2k just for speakers or do you need a decoder/receiver as well?

there are a lot of systems out there, dont just go throw money at them, check them out.

bose has sucked, and probably always will suck.... i dont know why people buy them.


pioneer tho makes a cool looking surround setup package for @ $1200 and they are flat panel speakers which are bizarre.

[Nevelicious]

I have a reciever... not sure if I want to upgrade or not.... speakers are first priority in my book....


well....


in this case plasma first...


speakers second....

[alphajerk]

there are so many systems out there in your price range i suggest you go listen to them and see what you think. i dont know what kind of receiver you have but they do play a pretty massive part in the sound.... i know my upgrade made a big enough difference to make my speakers suddenly need upgrading, although they sound great now.

surround sound is worth it. i cant watch a movie without it now. its so much more emmersive.

[mixboy bob]

Woohoo! Gearslutz and HomeTheaterSlutz!!!!

I love it.

I mix music as well as concert DVD's, so I wanted a different color from the NS10's and NHT surround rig at the studio. I chose the JBL Northridge series with Paradigm Sub. Based loosely(not too loosely, IMO) on the LSR series, and I couldn't be happier. Almost went Monitor Audio Silver- stellar speakers! But they were too similar to the NHT's. The JBL's are wonderfully cinematic, but equally at home with music. I recommend www.jr.com. Best prices and totally reliable. I'll discuss HT as passionately as killer outboard any day!

My HT:

102" Diag. 16:9 Screen
Infocus X1 DLP Projector tweaked to death with DVE
Zenith DVB318 Upconverting DVD's to 1080i!!!!
PS2
Rebadged Pioneer Elite Receiver - SCORE!!
JBL E80 L/R
JBL E35 Center
JBL E10 Surround's
Paradigm PDR10 Sub

I'll never go to a theater again!

Such a slut....

peace.

mixboy

[Nevelicious]

Hmm... JBL...

I was thinking along those lines as well. Interesting approach. Keep em coming!

[Waylon]

check out the Energy "Take " system... great bang fo the buckerooos.


http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/pr...-line.php?id=6

[StefanColson]

IMHO you can't go wrong with B&W or Paradigm at that price point. I've got a pair of B&W 601 S3s that are one of my favorite speakers for under a grand ($450). There are also floorstanders and a center channel in the line, and you could probably get a full setup for around 2k that will give you fantastic depth and imaging, and great detail. These are truly wonderful speakers that will make you want to listen to music (even after long days in the studio). There are also some excellent offerings from Paradigm (My tastes just sway more towards B&W) that you should try and listen to, but you can't go wrong with B&W.

[lshawnb]

I don't think anyone on this board would disagree with your opinion on Bose crap. Great marketing, horribly bad product.

I've got a pair of Definitive Technologies BP2002 powered towers paired with a Denon AVR4800 receiver and these things, for rock music anyway, sound better to my ears than either Aerial Acoustics or B&W mid-price systems. Really great stereo imaging and extremely tight, focused bass. Can be had for $1500-2000/pair, I'd expect. I've also got Definitive center channel as well as surrounds. Led Zep's "How the West Was Won" dvd in DTS 5.1 on this system is a spiritual thing.

Anyway, another brand you might want to look at. Not sure I'd choose these for classical music only, but great for home theater as well as rock music.

Good luck

Shawn

[alphajerk]

Originally Posted by Waylon

check out the Energy "Take " system... great bang fo the buckerooos.


http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/pr...-line.php?id=6

thats funny, i have their Encore system in my HT... time to upgrade now [but thinking ADAM passive system]. Energy Encore's sound good but i got a REALLY good price on the system that i couldnt pass up on.

[Chuck B]

CRAP!!!! AND I MEAN CRAP!!! WORST SOUND I HAVE EVER HEARD. PUKE! FELT LIKE THROWING THE CUBES UNDER MY TRUCK! I HAVE HEARD BETTER SOUNDS WHEN I AM SITTING ON THE TOILET AFTER DRINKING A CARTON OF MILK (LACTOSE INTOLERANT) CRAPPY F'N SHIT! UGH!


Rock on man, f them and f their little cubes to. I've never heard a speaker with such an obvious hole in the middle of the freq. range. I like your idea about the tannoy protoj. For the money those things sound sweet but what would you do for a center channel. I was considering building a surround system from their step up the reveal series. have you heard these
?

[chetatkinsdiet]

I just bought some little wall bracket mounted speakers for my house. I ended up going with the little NHT SB2's. I like them a lot. There were others that I looked at...Mission, Paradigm, B&W, etc. I just really liked the NHT's for my setup.
You might also want to look into the Gallo's or even the Orbaudio. Not sure if you're where you can check either out, but if they're near you, I'd definitely look at them as they're pretty interesting looking. The orbs have a 30 day money back guarantee.
Don't forget about the little Maggies that they have now....I think they're $550/pair and are wall mountable. I've seen them on hinges where you sort of fold them out when you need them. Add a big ass sub and they'd be great in an HT...I'd think.

later,
m

[seawell]

I've been very happy with my Axiom's. They have free shipping and a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. You can find them here: Axiom Audio

I got one of the cylinder subs from here: SVS Subwoofers

[infiniteposse]

Another vote to check out Paradigm. I'm in the process of building out a Home Theatre/listening room and their stuff turned out to be the best bang for buck for me.

My setup's going to look like this:

Sony DLP 42" KDF 42WE655
Rotel - RSX1056 reciever/amp
Paradigm Studio 40's - fronts
Paradigm stands
Paradigm CC370 - center channel
Paradigm ADP 370's - surround
Paradigm PW2200 - sub
Denon Multiplayer - DVD-2910

I'm skimping the most on the TV. I don't have the budget to go way upscale on things so I'll either go DLP or maybe even just 34" Sony tube which would look amazing. It's not a huge room (12' 6" x 10' 5"), so I think that size TV wouldn't suck completely. It'll also save some $$$ for a later upgrade when the plasmas get cheaper... I'm super excited about music listening on this system though. It's what it will be best at.

Good luck in your search.

[alphajerk]

despite offending the thread starter, i would avoid the plasmas if at all possible. they burn in easily and lose contrast over time. the DLP are much better solutions [even though they arent "flat" and wall hangable]... or even a 40" lcd would be nice.

i have been looking at large screen tv's for a while and prices are dropping, just not enough to buy into one yet for me. but im looking at a 65" i think for the room.

[Nevelicious]

No offence whatsoever! I actually have a Samsung 50" DLP as well for my house, and I have to say it hangs easily with most plasmas and LCDs twice its price. Very nice picture indeed. But the Elite..... well thats another story.... even though there are problems with plasmas.

[dillweed]

Yep, bought some of those stupid bose cubes for my gameroom, immediately sold them after hearing them!!

I would highly recommend Paradigms. Great speakers for the money.

http://www.paradigm.ca/

[alphajerk]

Originally Posted by Nevelicious

.... even though there are problems with plasmas.

the slickness of them arent one of them and make them damn attractive.

[audiothings]

don't miss the kef q series. great value for money and very peaceful sound...

and the paradigms come highly recommended too. (great value for a little more money :)

if movies and such are your primary use you gotta check out the jamo d7 thx ultra 2 specified speakers. they go on the wall and gave me the 'closest to theater' experience.

.02,
self.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by alphajerk

the slickness of them arent one of them and make them damn attractive.

Weirdly, I went to the home of a good friend's parents to help him wire their plasma/home theater system. I can't remember the model of plasma TV (frankly, the subject of television glazes my eyes over) but the really WEIRD thing was that there was a fan in the top/rear of the plasma 'cabinet' and it was making the most gosh-awful HMMMMMMMMMMM... definitely audible over dialog....like a lot! And this thing was over $2,000!!! You gotta be kidding me with that stuff! That and the two year lifespan.

[mixboy bob]

I had Paradigms before the JBL's. Here was the prob: I could hear every stikin' bit of dialog distortion and every dialog replacement. Bad mixes sounded like crap, and good mixes were enjoyable. Bottom line, when I chill in the theater after critically listening in the studio all day, I don't want to be distracted by poor work. So I dummed my rig down to "consumer color," rather than low-end audiophile. Paradigms are great, but "Can you handle the truth?"!!!

BTW, y'all will be very sad if you don't at least investigate projectors before dropping coin on Rear proj DLP, LCD, and plasma.

Bigger in this case, is most certainly better. I paid less for all the gear and furniture in my room than most RP DLP's alone. Image quality and size anihilates the others. I did a good bit of do-it-yourself, but it paid off hugely!

YMMV.

peace.

mixboy

[max cooper]

Projectors, YES! I have a big ol' Barco that I bought for a project and I've watched a few movies on it; it's the BOMB! I'd sell it but it's a few years out of date now, and it's barely worth shipping, what with the advancements that have been made in projectors since I bought it. WAAAY cooler than a plasma. (Just watch movies at night.)

[Nevelicious]

Hmm.. thats interesting. I was looking into the Paradigm Studio 40's and 100's. I have not heard them, but I have read fantastic reviews. Tell me more about the JBL's.... I am interested.

[Waylon]

plasma lifespan is closer to 40 000+ hours nowadays, and the Elite is def nice... but having said that, we install HTs every day ( residential technology company) and ther is no way I would buy a Plasma right now unless there were some very very strict size requirements. The Samsung 63(?)" DLP looks awesome both as gear and in the image department.

50 inch Samsung DLP