[Mrjinglesusa]

I am upgrading my home theater set-up. I bought a 46" 1080p Sharp Aquos LCD and a Yamaha VX-1700 receiver. Now, I want to get some good speakers to go with it. I am thinking about the Infinity Primus 360 floor speakers, Primus C25 center channel and PS10 subwoofer. I'm not too interested in surround just yet. Room is not huge (about 10 feet to back wall) but I want speakers that are somewhat "future-proof" (i.e. I can use them in a larger room eventually).

Any opinions on these speakers?

Any other suggestions on good front channels, center channels and subwoofers?

Don't want to spend over $800 or so, preferably less.

Thanks for any suggestions.

And Rob, no I don't want to build my own.

[Goldfinger]

I'd take a look at Mordaunt Short. Great stuff. I have 2 MS Genies for my surround speakers and an MS sub.

EDIT: The Avant 908i for example is around €330 (I think for the pair). The 905i centre speaker is less than €200.

[sek929]

Bose

[Dark Helmet]

Energy Speakers

Amazing speakers. And they look awesome too. Highly regarded in the audio field as well.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Bose

Have you seen their commercials? Amazing! And they look so cool! Definitely a great buy for the price.

[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.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Bose

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

Have you seen their commercials? Amazing! And they look so cool! Definitely a great buy for the price.

You f*ckers beat me to it.

But yes, the forum highly recommends them.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Energy Speakers

Amazing speakers. And they look awesome too. Highly regarded in the audio field as well.

I'm going to second this one. They do look and sound great.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

You f*ckers beat me to it.

But yes, the forum highly recommends them.

 

Maybe you'll have to remove your claim as the fastest MacNN member

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

 

Maybe you'll have to remove your claim as the fastest MacNN member

 

Obviously, you haven't been talking to my ex girlfriends.

[Rumor]

Dakar the Minute Man

[jebjeb]

All good recommendations here. I would recommend B&W or Kef but being British brands, I imagine they are not as good as value for money in the states.

Why go for a centre at the moment if you are not interested in surround just yet? I normally recommend to people that if they are slowly building up their gear, get the best mains they can afford. Get a sub at the same time if you want. Then go for decent surrounds and run a "phantom" centre for the time being. Then get the very best centre you can afford. If you can manage it, get the exact same speaker as your mains.

My opinion is no centre is much better than a mediocre centre.

The other way to go is to get a great sub now plus some nice stand mounts from a mid level range (that has reviewed well and obviously demos well for your own ears). Then once you are ready to move up, these can then become your surrounds, you already have a kick arse sub and you can get the next model or two up in the same series to use as your mains. Same for the centre.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by jebjeb 

All good recommendations here. I would recommend B&W

For $800?

[spice003]

polk audio they have some good speakers for a good price

[the_glassman]

[Gossamer]

I'd never get a speaker that's that pixelated.

[Railroader]

Paradigm. I believe they are made in Ontario, Canada.

Best speaker in your price range.

 

in my opinion

[His Dudeness]

I would check out Klipsch. I had a pair of kG3.2 that I bought for about 300 a piece. They would rock the house and they weren't that big. I'm sure you would be happy with them.

[centerchannel68]

Well, just for the record, if you DID build your own, you'd be able to blow away some $800 speakers with about $200 if you built it yourself.

But anyway... the best possible sound for $800? I'd check craigslist. Chances are some poor shmuck's wife is making him get rid of his floor standing speakers for some nice 'unobtrusive' bose crap. I've seen some pretty nice speakers go for $50-350 on craigslist, quite frequently. Your area may be different.... but... look into it.

[Heavy Fluid]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

I'd never get a speaker that's that pixelated.

I would never purchase speakers from Bose. Currently we are using a mix of JBL towers/center channel and Sony rear speakers and sub. It's a nice mix of sound.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by His Dudeness 

I would check out Klipsch. I had a pair of kG3.2 that I bought for about 300 a piece. They would rock the house and they weren't that big. I'm sure you would be happy with them.

Klipsch is a good option.

This package is a good start at $500 MSRP, and you can add any subwoofer later.

[G4ME]

mmmm compression drivers

[residentEvil]

i was under the impression, and it may be more market bs than anything, that you would want you speakers timber matched and to never even think of buying several different brands and mix/match.

who is to say that a pair of fronts that you buy from brand X today will match the harmonics of the same brand 2 or 3 years down the road? or even the same models available for that matter.

i'd buy all 5 now; from the same company and the same model line.

the sub would be the only thing i would consider not matching the same brand as the 5 piece.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by residentEvil 

i was under the impression, and it may be more market bs than anything, that you would want you speakers timber matched and to never even think of buying several different brands and mix/match.

who is to say that a pair of fronts that you buy from brand X today will match the harmonics of the same brand 2 or 3 years down the road? or even the same models available for that matter.

i'd buy all 5 now; from the same company and the same model line.

the sub would be the only thing i would consider not matching the same brand as the 5 piece.

Yeah, from my reading that's the impression I got as well. It seems you want to "match" your speakers (subwoofers less so).

[olePigeon]

I have Kenwood *ducks*

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Klipsch is a good option.

This package is a good start at $500 MSRP, and you can add any subwoofer later.

I've heard good things about Klipsch. I was leaning more towards floor standing front speakers as opposed to bookshelf.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by jebjeb 

All good recommendations here. I would recommend B&W or Kef but being British brands, I imagine they are not as good as value for money in the states.

Why go for a centre at the moment if you are not interested in surround just yet? I normally recommend to people that if they are slowly building up their gear, get the best mains they can afford. Get a sub at the same time if you want. Then go for decent surrounds and run a "phantom" centre for the time being. Then get the very best centre you can afford. If you can manage it, get the exact same speaker as your mains.

My opinion is no centre is much better than a mediocre centre.

The other way to go is to get a great sub now plus some nice stand mounts from a mid level range (that has reviewed well and obviously demos well for your own ears). Then once you are ready to move up, these can then become your surrounds, you already have a kick arse sub and you can get the next model or two up in the same series to use as your mains. Same for the centre.

VERY good point. Right now, the basement I am using is relatively small. So L/R floor standing speakers and a good subwoofer should fit the bill. As you say, I can always add a center channel and surround later. As long as the L/R and subwoofer I buy can later be used effectively in a larger room, I'm all for this idea.

Thanks again for all the input everyone. I hadn't even heard of a lot of these brands (except Bose, and I known better than to buy those).

So that said, any ideas on a nice pair of L/R floor standing speakers and a good subwoofer for around $800? No one has said anything about the Infinity Primus 360s and PS10 subwoofer. I was under the impression Infinity was a good brand but perhaps that's not true...

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I have Kenwood *ducks*

lol. Those are what I am getting rid of. Bought the $500 "package" (speakers, receiver) YEARS ago. It's served me well but it's time to upgrade.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Well, just for the record, if you DID build your own, you'd be able to blow away some $800 speakers with about $200 if you built it yourself.

But anyway... the best possible sound for $800? I'd check craigslist. Chances are some poor shmuck's wife is making him get rid of his floor standing speakers for some nice 'unobtrusive' bose crap. I've seen some pretty nice speakers go for $50-350 on craigslist, quite frequently. Your area may be different.... but... look into it.

Good idea about Craig's list. Thanks.

[kc311v2]

If you want a typical surround system, go with Bose.
If you're looking for something more than just toys and eye candy, start here.

I own a set and I am still amazed today at how superb they are after a year of owning them.

[macfantn]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Energy Speakers

Amazing speakers. And they look awesome too. Highly regarded in the audio field as well.

i have a set of energy take 5s from 2000 or so, great speakers. I have the 8inch sub too, it really kicks for such a small sub.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by kc311v2 

If you want a typical surround system, go with Bose.
If you're looking for something more than just toys and eye candy, start here.

I own a set and I am still amazed today at how superb they are after a year of owning them.

I have noted that Home Theater Magazine has always rated orbs with high reviews and always state that they are a good value...

But I just can't get past the looks. My decor is very simplistic and these things would stick out like a sore thumb.

[Teronzhul]

I have a set of Athena Auditions and an AS-P6000 subwoofer that are great. They're made by the same company who makes Energy speakers, and apparently share many of the same components.

[centerchannel68]

Another way to save time and money... search craigslist for decent speaker CABINETS. Even if the drivers are dead, if the cabinet is nice you can just unscrew them and replace them with whatever you want, and order a custom crossover, build your own, or a buy an adjustable one... and... shazaam. High quality sound without breakin' the bank.

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

VERY good point. Right now, the basement I am using is relatively small. So L/R floor standing speakers and a good subwoofer should fit the bill. As you say, I can always add a center channel and surround later. As long as the L/R and subwoofer I buy can later be used effectively in a larger room, I'm all for this idea.

Thanks again for all the input everyone. I hadn't even heard of a lot of these brands (except Bose, and I known better than to buy those).

So that said, any ideas on a nice pair of L/R floor standing speakers and a good subwoofer for around $800? No one has said anything about the Infinity Primus 360s and PS10 subwoofer. I was under the impression Infinity was a good brand but perhaps that's not true...

Sorry I can't give you any firm recommendations, but I normally shy away from recommending things I haven't heard. I would actually go for the last option I suggested which is getting a better sub and just a smaller pair of stand-mounts now. I am a big fan of 7 channel surround over 5 as the larger rear spread works much better at less obvious, more discrete surround. This means that you could use these stand-mounts as rears or surrounds (sides) later which will help fill the big room you are going into.

The best thing about this option is that it allows you to spend a little more money on a sub right now. I wouldn't be too worried about sticking with your chosen speaker brand with sub. Go for a sub that is the right price, is well thought off etc. In all likelihood, this will be from one of the more specialists sub brands. I use a REL but again that is again a British brand so will not be so competitive on price in the US.

As for timbre matching, it is very important but not as much from front to back (although still important) compared to across the front. That is why I am huge proponent of using three of the same speakers for the Left, Centre and Rights. This is not always practical though. If you went the route of buying what will eventually become part of the rear section, if the speaker series moved on to the next iteration, one would not expect such a huge jump in timbre difference for there to be a problem.

I have B&W 601 Series 2's for my rears plus some series 2 B&W dipoles for surrounds and then three B&W 602 Series 3's across the front. No one would ever know they were different series.

[EricTheRed]

If you can find a pair, Acarian Alon speakers (any of them) sound great. They have a nice, tight British sound (something like B&W but with better imaging) to them as they do not port their base and beautiful imaging. For your budget you may want to look into the Alón Petite minimonitors and the Alón Centris subwoofer. Acarian's Alón speakers are always on Stereophile's A list and they make a pair of reference speakers (the IV) that really are recognized as a reference speaker by sound professionals.

At any-rate I run Alons IVs on my McIntosh system and I love the crisp sound imaging they present even at low volume levels.

A review:

Alon Petite and Centris Review

If you cannot afford an Alon set-up then go with B&Ws. For the price they are great speakers.

[His Dudeness]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Well, just for the record, if you DID build your own, you'd be able to blow away some $800 speakers with about $200 if you built it yourself.

But anyway... the best possible sound for $800? I'd check craigslist. Chances are some poor shmuck's wife is making him get rid of his floor standing speakers for some nice 'unobtrusive' bose crap. I've seen some pretty nice speakers go for $50-350 on craigslist, quite frequently. Your area may be different.... but... look into it.

Hey...

[badidea]

Originally Posted by jebjeb 

All good recommendations here. I would recommend B&W or Kef but being British brands, I imagine they are not as good as value for money in the states.

Why go for a centre at the moment if you are not interested in surround just yet? I normally recommend to people that if they are slowly building up their gear, get the best mains they can afford. Get a sub at the same time if you want. Then go for decent surrounds and run a "phantom" centre for the time being. Then get the very best centre you can afford. If you can manage it, get the exact same speaker as your mains.

My opinion is no centre is much better than a mediocre centre.

The other way to go is to get a great sub now plus some nice stand mounts from a mid level range (that has reviewed well and obviously demos well for your own ears). Then once you are ready to move up, these can then become your surrounds, you already have a kick arse sub and you can get the next model or two up in the same series to use as your mains. Same for the centre.

Even though I completely agree with you, this method resulted in a totally mixed setup for me:
LINN Keilidh front speakers
MB-Quart centre speaker
Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 rear speakers
Klipsch RSW-12 subwoofer

Now I really would like to replace my centre speaker with something that better matches my LINN Keilidhs (<- unbelievable great and very cheap on ebay UK) but LINN centre speakers are extremely rare on ebay Germany and the English fellows almost never want to ship to Germany! Damn!

Any suggestions for a good centre replacement or does a Brit wanna help me out?

[Goldfinger]

My Setup is a Frankenstein setup as well. Thank to "slowly" building it up.

B&W VM-1 centre speaker
2 old large Sony SS-A702 fronts (got them for free from my uncle)
Mordaunt Short Genie 402 surrounds
Mordaunt Short Premiere 308W sub

I'm dieing to replace those Sonys but I haven't got the money right now to replace them with something decent. Either Mordaunt Shorts or low end B&Ws...
My biggest problem is that I don't have the space here to place large floorstanders. My front speakers can be 55 cm high, not more. Bookshelfs are also hard to place.
That rules out a LOT of options for me. I could get bookshelfs that are on a little stand or something like that. I don't know.

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by badidea 

Even though I completely agree with you, this method resulted in a totally mixed setup for me:
LINN Keilidh front speakers
MB-Quart centre speaker
Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 rear speakers
Klipsch RSW-12 subwoofer

Now I really would like to replace my centre speaker with something that better matches my LINN Keilidhs (<- unbelievable great and very cheap on ebay UK) but LINN centre speakers are extremely rare on ebay Germany and the English fellows almost never want to ship to Germany! Damn!

Any suggestions for a good centre replacement or does a Brit wanna help me out?

Sounds like someone either came across some deals that they couldn't refuse or impulse bought!

Haven't heard much LINN stuff but I know it is very much in the same group as Naim gear. Their Axess centre is around £1000 ex demo. Of course you would probably have issues with matching.

If you needed help with shipping UK-Germany, I would be willing to have a chat about being an intermeaditry for you. Where in Germany are you? My wife used to live in Trier for a year. Love the place!

Originally Posted by Goldfinger 

My Setup is a Frankenstein setup as well. Thank to "slowly" building it up.

B&W VM-1 centre speaker
2 old large Sony SS-A702 fronts (got them for free from my uncle)
Mordaunt Short Genie 402 surrounds
Mordaunt Short Premiere 308W sub

I'm dieing to replace those Sonys but I haven't got the money right now to replace them with something decent. Either Mordaunt Shorts or low end B&Ws...
My biggest problem is that I don't have the space here to place large floorstanders. My front speakers can be 55 cm high, not more. Bookshelfs are also hard to place.
That rules out a LOT of options for me. I could get bookshelfs that are on a little stand or something like that. I don't know.

Silly suggestion but how about a pair of VM1's! If not, even some LM1's (built in stands/wallmounts) would probably match quite well. I actually have a pair of white LM-1's which I would be willing to part with for a reasonable price. I also have a pair of B&W DM 600 S3's which I am not using at the moment.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by jebjeb 

The best thing about this option is that it allows you to spend a little more money on a sub right now. I wouldn't be too worried about sticking with your chosen speaker brand with sub. Go for a sub that is the right price, is well thought off etc.

That'd be cool. Get this monster:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-762

It's a kit... but everythings done for you... the cabinet, all the parts are included.. you just need a screwdriver I think, and it takes about 1 hour to build. It'll blow the crap out of almost anything you'll hear at best buy.

[OreoCookie]

I'm quite fond of Wharfedale speakers (I own 70th anniversity speakers, a souped-up version of their Diamond 8.2 speakers, great sound).
They have 5.1 speaker sets for various budgets … 

[G4ME]

personally

Acoustic Visions Home Theater Installation-Calibration & Sales

the shiva is a better driver then the Titanic, more VAS and better sensitivity

[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.

[cjrivera]

Have you checked Audiogon for used speaker prices? I have found great deals on there, by people who take great care of their equipment and love to upgrade their stuff often.

[centerchannel68]

Hope it works out for you Jingle. I've never been impressed with infiniti stuff in cars.... or bookshelf speakers. If not, whatever, ebay them and I'm sure you'll get a pretty penny for htem, and then pick up something else.

[residentEvil]

infinity, JBL, harman kardon, lexicon...all the same company. i'd think infinity would have improved when they all became one.

i had some infinity SM155s back in the day but haven't had any infinity products recently.

[centerchannel68]

Huh. Didn't know that. In other news, I just got my $25 subwoofer today. Muhaha. Off to build a cabinet. Later dudes.

[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?

[residentEvil]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Huh. Didn't know that. In other news, I just got my $25 subwoofer today. Muhaha. Off to build a cabinet. Later dudes.

i don't remember the date/year but i only found out because they had website problems. i was looking for manuals when i was selling my SM155s and no mater what infinity URL i went to i ended up at jbl. then a few days went by and there was announcement about it.

i'd throw a wild guess that it was around 1996?