Approach on picking the right speakers...

[ascotinmpls]

Hey all,

I'm in the process of buying a new house which will have a dedicated space for movies/gaming. I have a setup in my current place which i never really put any thought into. I just bought speakers and a subwoofer based on seeing a deal on Amazon or at Best Buy.

Anyway, for the new house i have the wife's approval to upgrade the setup. I'm looking for any advice on how i should be picking my new speakers and subwoofer(s). I assume that actually listening in a showroom is the best situation but are there any methods that can be used for buying based upon specs? Does receiver specs matter in that situation?

My current setup is:
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR508
Bookshelf's: 2 x Polk T15's
Center: Polk CS10
Subwoofer: PSW10
Surrounds: 4 x Insignia NS-SP213

So far, for the new setup i have:
Receiver: Denon AVR-S710W

I'm planning on setting up with 5.2.2 to take advantage of the Atmos/DTS:X that the receiver can handle. Any thoughts or recommendations on how to best pick speakers for either buying or test driving?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by ascotinmpls

Hey all,

I'm in the process of buying a new house which will have a dedicated space for movies/gaming. I have a setup in my current place which i never really put any thought into. I just bought speakers and a subwoofer based on seeing a deal on Amazon or at Best Buy.

Anyway, for the new house i have the wife's approval to upgrade the setup. I'm looking for any advice on how i should be picking my new speakers and subwoofer(s). I assume that actually listening in a showroom is the best situation but are there any methods that can be used for buying based upon specs? Does receiver specs matter in that situation?

My current setup is:
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR508
Bookshelf's: 2 x Polk T15's
Center: Polk CS10
Subwoofer: PSW10
Surrounds: 4 x Insignia NS-SP213

So far, for the new setup i have:
Receiver: Denon AVR-S710W

I'm planning on setting up with 5.2.2 to take advantage of the Atmos/DTS:X that the receiver can handle. Any thoughts or recommendations on how to best pick speakers for either buying or test driving?

Specs can only give you one part of the equation, there is nothing like an audition. That becomes even more true as you go up the ladder as the last thing you want to do is to spend 2-3-4k on a pair of speakers based strickly on reviews, speacs and peoples opinions, you should make your own opinion but these tools should be tools to narrow down your search.

Associated equipment and room boudaries can also play a role on how you may percieve the sound so more than one audition of the same speakers in different locations is not a bad idea also, it might conform or infirm your first impressions ona speaker.

Good luck in finding the right speakers for you.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Hear them for yourself! It's the only way to fly!

[callas01]

I agree, listening will be the best way to find what you like. Now if Atmos is a really big deal for you, do you want speakers that fire upwards or overhead in-ceiling speakers? Second, subs, you want 2 good subs then, so you're in the $500 each subwoofer range? Hsu VTF2 MK4 is a great sub in this range, the svs pb1000 is good to but it uses a smaller woofer.

So what's the total budget you're talking about?

[ascotinmpls]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I'll definitely audition before pulling the trigger but was interested in some opinions of what to even try and audition.

I'm probably not looking to spend more than $2k-$2500k for the full set, including subs. I can probably go up to $3k but i'm not sure i even want to put that type of money into speakers. I'm planning on a new projector and new 65" LCD too so i have to keep some money aside for those. Starting fresh in the new house since we are moving across country and have the boss' approval to buy all new!

With regards to the Atmos, i'm looking at upfiring rather than in ceiling.

[sonic_debauchery]

http://www.soundandvision.com/conten...-system-review

These might be a good option, with an additional sub brings you in under 2k?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by sonic_debauchery

http://www.soundandvision.com/conten...-system-review

These might be a good option, with an additional sub brings you in under 2k?

This is certainly a great contender, high end speaker manufacturer that designed an great entry level audiophile speaker with the help of the very well respected Andrew Jones, Andrew Jones is behind those speakers and I am sure they must sound fabulous only from the youtube video I was able to see the OP surely would be impressed by them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZ7...=youtu.be&t=30