My modest system is good but I lust for better sounds with modest budget

default -- Fri, 04/10/2009 - 12:54

Here is my set up:
Room dimensions 19X16
Sony 46 XBR4
Blu-Ray BDP S350
Onkyo Receiver TX-SR 606
Infinity Speakers TSS-750
HD Directv HR21

I am able to get good sound especially the HD sounds of Dolby TRue HD and DTS Master with movies which is my main goal. The question I have is if I could do one upgrade a year, which one shall I start with. BTW, The Onkyo and Blu-ray are new. Sometimes I wonder if I should have bought a better receiver.

Let me tell you a story, when killing time i went to a Best Buy Audio room, they demonstrated Paradigm Speakers (2K or more) and a Denon receiver - I don't remember the model number but it was close to 1 K.
Then, they put The Eagles DVD , Hell Freezes Over, and I was blown away at the seperation of sounds. ONe intrutment begins at the right , then the one on left , then all of sudden , from the back, the crowd and applause begins in rear speakers and the seperation was amazing and clear.
So, I went out and purchase Hell Freezes over, and I got the first sounds of music coming out of left and then seconds later, right speakers but the crowd applause noise is diffuse, it doesn't come from the back , is not clean or distinctive.

Can I optimize my settings to get the clean separations? The Eagles DVD is not Blu-ray is dolby digital. I don't know if that matters.
And If I upgraded, which one should I do? Thanks in advance.

Cooljoe (not verified) -- Fri, 04/10/2009 - 12:56

By the way, I can get 1 K for the upgrade

Mike19 -- Fri, 04/10/2009 - 14:53

Hi Coolijoe.

I recomend you spend the $1000 on better front left and right speakers.
I think the BB system had a better soundstage becuase of better speakers than your Infinities.

Mike19

Cooljoe (not verified) -- Sat, 04/11/2009 - 08:49

I put the Eagles DVd again, and the applauses actually comes from the center channel. Btw, when you say to replace the two fronts. Any brand recommendations? And what will that bring me as far as sounds?

sheepherder -- Sat, 04/11/2009 - 17:17

Sorry save your money and get a complete new speaker system not just new fronts. Then you will have new fronts a mismatched center, sub and rears. and you wont be happy. For about $1500 you can get a very nice match system of speakers. Then save your money and upgrade your receiver to something from Onyko, Yamaha, Marantz, Sony in $700 to $1000 range.
What speaker wire are you using? No you don't have to spend a lot but it should be of proper gauge etc. I prefer Better Cables. i gave up chasing the next best interconnect and speaker cables and spending thousands of dollars. My CJ, Sony BDP350, REL and Maggie 20 sounds great to me. And yeah I have tried the latest and the greatest cables from MIt, transparent et al but I like Better Cables. And i could afford to drop the 450k for cabling no problem. Damn girlfriend just got her Gt2 delivered today for Easter. Get a DVD for setting up your home theater and try that. Make sure you are using the proper set up on your receiver. Experiment with toe in etc.
And finally remember there is always something that is going to sound better

Sheepherder
Shenandoah Valley, VA

Cooljoe (not verified) -- Sat, 04/11/2009 - 18:47

sheepherder,
I was thinking the same thing, i don't think is good to have mismatched speakers back and front. $1,500 sounds around right. I hear a lot about Maggies and B& W's, is it possible to get one of them at that price , or should I get a BEst Buy Paradgm special ?

Cruthfield I believe said that I can upgrade my speaker within a year? Maybe I heard wrong, but if I could I would definitely do that to.

sheepherder -- Sat, 04/11/2009 - 21:26

Listen to everything in your price range. Maggies might be closer to $2k. Listen to Paridgm special. You might have problems driving the Maggies with your current receiver. You need to listen and buy what you like not what other people like or some hotshot reviewer. All three of the manufactures make quality speakers. I dont think the Maggies have a subwoofer.

Chris Martens -- Mon, 04/13/2009 - 17:30

Cooljoe,

Let me second a suggestion from Sheepherder; if you can stretch your budget to the $1500 (MSRP) level, there are some very capable speaker systems in that range, and that would work well with your existing AVR. A while back, in Playback issues 6 and 7, I reviewed several batches of sub-$1500 systems and came up with several recommendations that I think would work well in a room of your size (provided you aren't looking for go-to-the-moon volume levels). My suggestions (in no particular order):

1. Paradigm Atom Monitor 5.1-channel system
2. PSB Alpha Studio Theater 5.1-channel system
3. Definitive ProCinema 800 5.1-channel system
4. (If you like the idea of omni-directional speakers) Mirage Nanosat 5.1-channel system

To access the reviews, point your browser to: playback.avguide.com/issue/19/145

This link will take you to our Playback Recommended page. From there, you'll find live links to the individual system reviews.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Chris Martens
Editor, Playback

Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision

Cooljoe (not verified) -- Mon, 04/13/2009 - 20:58

thank you

Dynamic Duo (not verified) -- Wed, 04/15/2009 - 15:38

If I were in your shoes I would purchase the B&W 685's with a matching sub. You will pay around $2000 for the hole setup but it is well worth it. I have owned a few B&W's before and I really have enjoyed them. You would have no problem running them with your Onyko but later I would upgrade it too. For cables a simple Monster Cable would work great. Cables are over rated anyway. Good seperation is also largely your speaker placement so make sure they are setup properly. Good luck and happy listening.

Bruce The Bruce -- Fri, 04/17/2009 - 02:34

You need to find a good hi-fi dealer near you. Also, read Robert Harley's new book "High-Performance Audio Systems" - it's chock full of great advice on how to avoid wasting any more of your money on mediocre gear. One thing I've discovered is that newcomers to the world of pricey gear aren't being told to experiment with speaker placement enough. You should try pulling your floor-standers further out into the room because speakers always sound much clearer & stage much better away from the room's boundaries. My dealer has an excellent formula for finding a good starting point for placement & it won't cost you a dime...good luck! http://www.tubeaudio.com/page13.html

Robert Harley -- Fri, 04/17/2009 - 13:02

Thanks for the comment about my book, bruentracy. I strongly advocate in my books the value of correct loudspeaker placement. You can download a free excerpt, "Robert Harley's System Set-Up Techniques" that includes information about loudspeaker placement. Here's the link to the free download:

http://www.avguide.com/hifibooks

Bruce The Bruce -- Fri, 04/17/2009 - 22:25

Thanks Mr. Harley for your reply, I wasn't aiming the above statement about speaker placement at you or your book's contents by any means - it was aimed at mediocre hi-fi dealers. I burned through thousands of dollars and a number of years before I realized that I'd been trying to attain a certain level of air and clarity only available to those who dare to defy conventional logic (i.e. decorative logic) and bring their speakers really far away from room boundaries. I wish this book was available when I was first inducted into the world of high performance gear and didn't know to trust my first hi-fi retailer and ask their advice when my setup wasn't as impressive as the demonstration. I've always learned it was best to have an adversarial relationship with any sales people because most just want to sell you something regardless of your long term (or short term) satisfaction. I've since learned the hard way that this is not always true.

Headspace (not verified) -- Sat, 04/18/2009 - 00:37

It looks like you spent about $3k on your TV, $400 on your receiver and $600 on speakers ($100/speaker). So naturally you have killer video and ok sound. Placement of each speaker and the sub can make a noticable difference and you should devote a couple of hours to this and with the manuals. Speakers sound better away from walls and esp corners, wherever possible. Also, if you didn't follow the Onkyo manual anally or if you change any speaker's placement, redo the Audissey thing step by step to compare before and after.
For an upgrade, doubling up or more on the price of the speakers makes a big difference, as noted earlier. $250/ speaker really isn't much, when you think about it that way and manage your expectations. When you do upgrade, be sure to sell your old speakers online to give you some additional budget. As long as you have 16 ga cable, I wouldn't get caught up with speaker cable for $100 speakers.