Any point in upgrading my fronts on current amp?

[BLindsay]

Currently i have my onkyo 806 and my Monitor 70's, happy with how it is for movies but i want to make it better for music (im honestly just more critical of speakers performance when listening to music then movies)

I was thinking of getting something like a Polk Rti a9 or in that price range but my question is would i notice much difference on my Onkyo 806 or should i upgrade to a dedicated power amp (like emotiva) BEFORE upgrading my speakers?

[ZIPPO]

Audition some other brands.
Polk RTi A9 cost around $ 1600/pair. Look into B & W, Paradigm, etc.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by ZIPPO

Audition some other brands.
Polk RTi A9 cost around $ 1600/pair. Look into B & W, Paradigm, etc.

i will for sure, i was just using those as a reference for that price range, the real question was if i should bother upgrading my speakers until after i upgrade to a dedicated power amp?

[petenad]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

i will for sure, i was just using those as a reference for that price range, the real question was if i should bother upgrading my speakers until after i upgrade to a dedicated power amp?

To me it's a which came first question the chicken or the egg What do you really want? And if it's a tie flip a coin then start shopping for whatever suits your fancy. Myself I would look for some kicka** mains but that's just me. You may not want a dedicated amp if the speakers you get do it for ya. Good luck

[Beta Man]

I think your AVR has enough power to push any of the speakers you'd be looking at in that price range..... sure some of them might be more power hungry, or you might want a separate amp to offer better sound, cleaner, etc... but I think you get a LOT more bang-for-your-buck via speakers rather than components.....


Plus the speakers last a LOT longer than the components.

[Grevlin]

I've been having the same upgraditis-pangs lately (see my sig) I've decided to upgrade my visuals to a projector now and do a complete re-do on my speakers and receiver/amp 6-9 months from now.

Through research and feed-back from other members I concluded my current gear is a good match and upgrading either receiver OR speakers would be pointless.

That being said, I believe you receiver would be able to push some very nice speakers so I would go with fronts AND center, and then look at a 3 or 5 channel amp later on- feeding the front stage and letting the receiver push the rears. (the caliber speakers you can afford would be able to handle both levels.)

O my, I'm pushing the limits of my experienced-noob knowledge

[Beta Man]

Yeah.... I've been looking at multi-channel amps for awhile now

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I think your AVR has enough power to push any of the speakers you'd be looking at in that price range..... sure some of them might be more power hungry, or you might want a separate amp to offer better sound, cleaner, etc... but I think you get a LOT more bang-for-your-buck via speakers rather than components.....


Plus the speakers last a LOT longer than the components.

I agree. I'm still pondering dabbling in a multichannel amp, but honestly the 805 pushes my speakers wonderfully. My understanding is that with all channels driven it pushes at about 120 watts @8ohm and with one channel it's at about 130 watts. Getting 120 watts of realistic power to your speakers should adequately drive just about anything in that price range.

[BLindsay]

if i replaced my monitor 70's i could use them as the rears lol

but yeah i would replace the fronts and center, and probably get a 5 channel amp (emotiva xpa-5 maybe) and bi-amp fronts + run center, and then let the reciever run the rears

its hard for me to demo speakers because there arent really many shops in my area, there any others in particular i should check out in the price range of the polks i mentioned keep in mind i need to get a matching center

[Twitch9]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

if i replaced my monitor 70's i could use them as the rears lol

but yeah i would replace the fronts and center, and probably get a 5 channel amp (emotiva xpa-5 maybe) and bi-amp fronts + run center, and then let the reciever run the rears

its hard for me to demo speakers because there arent really many shops in my area, there any others in particular i should check out in the price range of the polks i mentioned keep in mind i need to get a matching center

$1700 would get you Paradigm monitor 11's and the cc-390, and yes you could use your monitor 70's as rears. IMO way better speakers than the polks your looking at in the your price range.

[Driver_King]

Yes, if you are planning on spending a good chunk of change on speakers, why not audition some speakers from Monitor Audio, Swan, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, ect.

[Driver_King]

Why don't you look into a projector setup as well? Your room seems pretty decent for one and you definitely have space.

[zweet77]

I would not pay full price for the rti a9's you can get them refurb from polk direct for 899.99 for the pair try calling them.And if you go that route you would be better off getting a good amp since the a9's are really power hungry in which case you might as well go with the lsi series especiaclly for music or audition other brands.Whew I hope that was not to confusing of a post

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Yes, if you are planning on spending a good chunk of change on speakers, why not audition some speakers from Monitor Audio, Swan, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, ect.

Well i just found out my local (60mi away lol) bestbuy has Definitve Tech products because its one of those magnolia best buys or whatever

The BP7002/7004's seem to be the ones that would be in the range of what i would want to pay

What about martin logan? i know my bestbuy has some of their speakers there too?

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Why don't you look into a projector setup as well? Your room seems pretty decent for one and you definitely have space.

how does a projector compare against say a pioneer kuro, because if i were to get a new tv it would be a kuro, but im open to going the projector route as well if there is good reason to

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

how does a projector compare against say a pioneer kuro, because if i were to get a new tv it would be a kuro, but im open to going the projector route as well if there is good reason to

Obviously the flexibility, brightness, and black levels would not match the Kuro compared to most projectors but projectors often give you that wow factor that TV's don't quite match. You really get that theater feel with a projector too as it immerses you in the movie more and is just like a theater in the sense that theaters use massive screens and use projectors. That's how I see it anyways. My 27" Samsung TV has superior blacks and is much brighter than my projector but I tend to enjoy the overwhelming wow factor more than the blacks. I don't want to generalize projectors though. There are many projectors that are light cannons and offer great black levels as well. The Panasonic PT-AE3000U, for example, even does 2:35:1 movies without black bars and has very good blacks and is plenty bright. It all depends on what you are looking for.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I have no experience with Onkyo products or the Monitor 70's, so I don't know how good they sound. Upgrading speakers (as a general rule) will give you a great bang for your dollar, but don't discount the impact a good 2-channel, 3-channel or 5-channel power amp can have.

If you are much more critical listening to music (which is the impression I got from your OP), then I would suggest buying new speakers. Do however expand your brand considerations, because companies like Swan, Salk, Quad, Focal et al make excellent and IMHO better speakers for musical enjoyment than the traditional usual suspects we see so often mentioned.

John

[richteer]

Originally Posted by John72953

If you are much more critical listening to music (which is the impression I got from your OP), then I would suggest buying new speakers. Do however expand your brand considerations, because companies like Swan, Salk, Quad, Focal et al make excellent and IMHO better speakers for musical enjoyment than the traditional usual suspects we see so often mentioned.

John

+1 Take the time to audition them in a proper place, too. If possible, arrange an in-home loan; any repuatble audio dealer will be happy to arrange this.

[BLindsay]

Sadly enough i looked into some of the above mentioned brands and it seems there are no dealers in my entire state for alot of the brands, i can go see definitive tech and ML and the best buy across the state

[Big Daddy]

Upgrading your speakers will give you a bigger improvement than upgrading your amplifier. If your speakers aren't that good, it really doesn't matter how good your amplifier is. Your speakers will always be the weakest link.