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Upgrading Home Theater: Speaker Suggestions (Page 2)
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Baninated
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Originally Posted by Gossamer
I have a couple of vintage Cerwin Vega cabinets with 8" drivers that have the surround rotted...I can't bring myself to toss the cabinets, as they're ultra solid still. Any suggestions on drivers?
Definitely.
1. Get drivers with butyl rubber surrounds, NOT FOAM. Foam rots, is less durable, bla bla.
2. Read this:
http://www.parts-express.com/resources/spkbasics.html
3. Remove your old drivers
4. Calculate the volume of your cabinet, measure the internal dimensions. Find a driver taht works, and install it. If you can get one with specs close to the original you won't need a crossover.
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Yeah, I pulled the driver a long time ago and I think the cabinet was about 1.75 cubic inches. The woofers were supposed to handle something like 80W RMS, but I don't remember, they're back at home now. I bought them from a neighbor at a garage sale, I'm pretty sure they're as old as me.
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Professional Poster
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that's a pretty small cabinet, isn't it? 1.75 cubic inches?
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Clinically Insane
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"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
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Originally Posted by residentEvil
that's a pretty small cabinet, isn't it? 1.75 cubic inches?
A quick Google search tells me they were 'Cerwin Vega DX-1's.
Here's an eBay link for a pair of them plus a sub (I don't have the sub). 100W each, 8 ohm, 40Hz to 18kHz.
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Addicted to MacNN
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Originally Posted by centerchannel68
Definitely.
1. Get drivers with butyl rubber surrounds, NOT FOAM. Foam rots, is less durable, bla bla.
2. Read this:
Parts Express - Speaker Matching and Selection The Basicss
3. Remove your old drivers
4. Calculate the volume of your cabinet, measure the internal dimensions. Find a driver taht works, and install it. If you can get one with specs close to the original you won't need a crossover.
thats the ricer look at it, you will get something that makes sound, but chances are you will be missing out on a bit. (I have a friend that tossed a dayton 10" into a pair of Advents MK1, and he was lucky that he chose a drive that met with the tweeter enough so it sounds pretty good)
I dealy you will want to know what the XO point is between the tweeter and woofer, is it first or second order? for a first order xo usually you want a driver that handles 2 octaves above the XO where with a second order XO just 1 octave above the OX point.
But still just because the surround is rubber doesn't mean it will sound good, there are many 8 inch drivers that were designed for a three way system and would leave your tweeter with a nasty gap.
So ideally you would have to do a bit more research.
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I GOT WASTED WITH PHIL SHERRY!!!
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Originally Posted by olePigeon
I've seen that theater over at avsforums. That is really amazing the lamount of detail and work that was put into that.
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"It's weird the way 'finger puppets' sounds ok as a noun..."
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Originally Posted by Gossamer
A quick Google search tells me they were 'Cerwin Vega DX-1's.
Here's an eBay link for a pair of them plus a sub (I don't have the sub). 100W each, 8 ohm, 40Hz to 18kHz.
i must not understand what you meant then by 1.75 cubic inches. or like i was trying to say, you made a typo.
1.75 cubic inches would be like the size of a can of tuna.
hence; isn't that kinda small?
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haha...oops.
1.75 cubic feet....yeah, feet.
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Baninated
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Originally Posted by G4ME
So ideally you would have to do a bit more research.
That's why I said get one that would WORK, not just one that would just physically fit. DUH. That's also why I linked to the page that explains all that **** that was made specifically to help people replace their speakers in existing cabinets.
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Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa
Thank you all for the suggestions.
After much deliberation, research and reading, I have decided to go with my initial inclination: Infinity Primus 360s for the L/R, Infinity C25 for the center, and Infinity S10 for the subwoofer. For less than $800 shipped (just got further reduced at Crutchfield) I got everything I initially wanted and have room for expansion (surrounds) when I get a bigger place. For now, and in the future, I think these speakers will suit my needs quite well.
Let us know how they go plus post some pics!
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Grizzled Veteran
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Originally Posted by Rumor
Not sure where you are located, but if you have a Magnolia or Best Buy with a Magnolia in it, that's a good place to get information. They have no pressure* sales staff (at least they aren't supposed to be), that are usually audiophiles.
*They don't work on commission, so no pressure.
+1
Keep in mind your experience depends on your room and the placement of the equipment somewhat as much as the gear alone.
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Originally Posted by jebjeb
Let us know how they go plus post some pics!
Here you go. Finally got everything set up as I wanted. The speakers sound SWEET. I get plenty of bass (for the space I have) with the PS10 sub. The PQ of the Sharp is phenomenal.
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD (46D62U)
Infinity Primus 360 (left and right channels)
Infinity C25 (center channel)
Infinity PS10 sub (not shown)
Yamaha V1700 Receiver w/ iPod Dock
XBox 360 w/ HD-DVD
Playstation 3 (for Blu-Ray)
Oppo DV981HD Up-converting DVD player
Direct TV HD Receiver
(
Last edited by Mrjinglesusa; Feb 18, 2007 at 05:49 PM.
)
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Baninated
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Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa
Here you go. Finally got everything set up as I wanted. The speakers sound SWEET. I get plenty of base
Base? or bass?
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Originally Posted by centerchannel68
Base? or bass?
Ha ha. Bass.
Thanks.
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Baninated
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Nice setup tho. May I make a suggestion? Getting some twistie ties or braiding all your cables will make it look a lot better. Also, depending on how far away you sit, I think the mains are a bit too close together. And, if you can get them off the ground, even only a few inches, I betcha they'll sound light years better.
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Originally Posted by centerchannel68
Nice setup tho. May I make a suggestion? Getting some twistie ties or braiding all your cables will make it look a lot better. Also, depending on how far away you sit, I think the mains are a bit too close together. And, if you can get them off the ground, even only a few inches, I betcha they'll sound light years better.
Bought the twistie ties Friday night - just haven't tidied things up yet.
Listening position is about 7-8 feet from the front stage. How far apart do you think the mains should be from each other (and from the center channel)? I don't have much flexibility - I can maybe move the left a foot to the left and the right a foot to the right.
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Baninated
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I just think a bit farther apart would help with stereo seperation. Ideally they should both be pointed at the listening area in front of the TV, not just totally perpindicular to the wall firing 90 degrees from the wall, they should be slightly angled.
At least, this is my knowledge of speaker arrangement.
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Originally Posted by centerchannel68
I just think a bit farther apart would help with stereo seperation. Ideally they should both be pointed at the listening area in front of the TV, not just totally perpindicular to the wall firing 90 degrees from the wall, they should be slightly angled.
At least, this is my knowledge of speaker arrangement.
That's what I've been told as well. Also, the subwoofer should ideally be placed inbetween the mains (though not right in the middle). Otherwise, if the subwoofer ever produces tones up into the range where your ear can locate the direction of the sound, it'll pull the soundstage off-center towards the subwoofer.
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depending on the sub, it shouldnt really matter where you put the sucker. its full directional (official term i cant recall) but the ideal place is where it sounds best to you from your listening area. try moving it to different places in the room (wire permitting) and you'll be able to tell a difference.
-a
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Originally Posted by slpdLoad
That's what I've been told as well. Also, the subwoofer should ideally be placed inbetween the mains (though not right in the middle). Otherwise, if the subwoofer ever produces tones up into the range where your ear can locate the direction of the sound, it'll pull the soundstage off-center towards the subwoofer.
Originally Posted by brassplayersrock
depending on the sub, it shouldnt really matter where you put the sucker. its full directional (official term i cant recall) but the ideal place is where it sounds best to you from your listening area. try moving it to different places in the room (wire permitting) and you'll be able to tell a difference.
-a
spldload's post explained why you CAN'T just put the sub anywhere. My friend's dad has a Bose system (so of course the sub is going to make noticeable frequencies) and I could always tell that the sub was sitting to the left of the couch, it was irritating.
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do you not understand the phrase "depending on the sub"? some subs are directional (sound goes just straight), some are not, they "push" the sound in all directions. unless I was taught wrong.
but any who, good setup you got there
-a
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Baninated
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Originally Posted by Gossamer
spldload's post explained why you CAN'T just put the sub anywhere. My friend's dad has a Bose system (so of course the sub is going to make noticeable frequencies) and I could always tell that the sub was sitting to the left of the couch, it was irritating.
The real problem was that it was bose. seriously. It doesn't produce a whole lot of 'low bass', and deep low bass is pretty unidirectional, your ears cannot really discern where it's coming from. Higher bass, which is all the bose POS was probably doing, can definitely be located, because the frequencies are higher.
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Originally Posted by brassplayersrock
do you not understand the phrase "depending on the sub"? some subs are directional (sound goes just straight), some are not, they "push" the sound in all directions. unless I was taught wrong.
-a
That's partly true, but the direction problem comes because the crossover for the subwoofer is high enough that the "sub"woofer is forced to produce frequencies that are high enough to be localized by the human ear.
but any who, good setup you got there
QFT
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Originally Posted by G4ME
So ideally you would have to do a bit more research.
Wouldn't that depend on the sound you were looking for? I mean, if you do already know everything about the crossovers as well as the performance of each cone, maybe your ROOM isn't up to "the absolute perfectest" of cones/enclosures/etc., and going for "good enough that you can't tell the difference because the room's acoustics aren't perfect" would be the most appropriate way to go. My living room has decent acoustics for most music, but if I want to really hear a full orchestra, it wouldn't matter if I had eleventy billion dollar cones in solid titanium mounts in theoretically impossible enclosures, I wouldn't be able to get everything out of a good recording.
It comes down to when you stop making it better-when it's better than you can hear the difference in, or when the OCD medications kick in and you stop fidgeting every time you see a speaker wire.
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Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
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Originally Posted by brassplayersrock
depending on the sub, it shouldnt really matter where you put the sucker. its full directional (official term i cant recall) but the ideal place is where it sounds best to you from your listening area. try moving it to different places in the room (wire permitting) and you'll be able to tell a difference.
-a
I read you should put a non-directional sub near the "listening" position (i.e. where you will sit), play something with a lot of low frequencies, and crawl on your hands and knees to find out where you hear the deepest, fullest bass in the room. THIS is where the sub should be placed. I haven't done this (sub is to the right of the A/V rack), but when playing movies or music you can't tell where the low frequencies are coming from.
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Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa
I read you should put a non-directional sub near the "listening" position (i.e. where you will sit), play something with a lot of low frequencies, and crawl on your hands and knees to find out where you hear the deepest, fullest bass in the room. THIS is where the sub should be placed. I haven't done this (sub is to the right of the A/V rack), but when playing movies or music you can't tell where the low frequencies are coming from.
thank you
-a
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Originally Posted by brassplayersrock
do you not understand the phrase "depending on the sub"? some subs are directional (sound goes just straight), some are not, they "push" the sound in all directions. unless I was taught wrong.
but any who, good setup you got there
-a
I would venture to say it depends more on the frequencies replicated than the sub. Of course, the Bose is going to replicate higher frequencies, making direction more important.
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Originally Posted by brassplayersrock
thank you
-a
Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa
but when playing movies or music you can't tell where the low frequencies are coming from.
That means you have a well-put-together system. Good deal.
Cheers
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Anyone have any recommendations for stereo bookshelf speakers under $400 or so? I was using A5 speakers which have great sound, but I had problems with the built-in amp and I'm looking for a separate amp/speaker solution. I just want some decent bookshelf speakers comparable to the A5 speakers, though larger size is not an issue as long as they're still bookshelf speakers. And of course, I'm also looking for a decent amp.
Other forum members have suggested Craig's list, which is good, but I need to know what I'm looking for first, and I don't mind having a warranty either. From the posts here, I'm guessing BOSE is a no go, but other than some mentions here, and some mention there, I'm not acquainted with any of these audio companies. I mean, I know Harmon Karmon mostly from the original USB soundsticks and sub for the iMac.
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Baninated
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If you aren't doing a surround sound setup, your best bet is a 'vintage' receiver, IMHO. Nab an old pioneer, marantz, technics, sansui, or something with over 30 watts per channel. It'll drive some bookshelf speakers very nicely, and look great.
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Mac Elite
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Originally Posted by olePigeon
Haha-- Thank you for that link! Very nicely done. What a great way to escape at home!
Originally Posted by centerchannel68
If you aren't doing a surround sound setup, your best bet is a 'vintage' receiver, IMHO. Nab an old pioneer, marantz, technics, sansui, or something with over 30 watts per channel. It'll drive some bookshelf speakers very nicely, and look great.
What about these Axiom speakers for stereo?
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Baninated
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Eh, sure. Honestly, speakers matter a lot more than anything else. They 'color' the sound a lot more than an amp or receiver will, so speakers really boil down to personal preference.
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Originally Posted by ghporter
Wouldn't that depend on the sound you were looking for? I mean, if you do already know everything about the crossovers as well as the performance of each cone, maybe your ROOM isn't up to "the absolute perfectest" of cones/enclosures/etc., and going for "good enough that you can't tell the difference because the room's acoustics aren't perfect" would be the most appropriate way to go. My living room has decent acoustics for most music, but if I want to really hear a full orchestra, it wouldn't matter if I had eleventy billion dollar cones in solid titanium mounts in theoretically impossible enclosures, I wouldn't be able to get everything out of a good recording.
It comes down to when you stop making it better-when it's better than you can hear the difference in, or when the OCD medications kick in and you stop fidgeting every time you see a speaker wire.
Thats ture for everything. But there are tons and tons of cheap drivers out there. With every design aspect you need to weigh cost vs performance. But the point I was trying to make was, one 50 dollar driver (that fits) is going to sound differnt then another 50 dollar driver, in order to achive the optimal performance you'd need to know more about the entire system, more then what driver fits in the whole and the wattage of said driver.
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I GOT WASTED WITH PHIL SHERRY!!!
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Baninated
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Which is why I pointed towards the page that explains more information on driver replacement. So ideally you'd need to read more of my posts.
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