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Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
Been lurking extensively with a couple of posts.
Want to upgrade and drawn to Ascend. Current system Onkyo HTIB but I dug out some old Mission 77 speakers.
Listen at very moderate volumes. 70% TV, 15% movies, 15% music. No gaming. Would like a versatile system that handle all of these. Would like really crisp/clear dialog and open airy music. Definitely not bass heads. Do plan to get a sub, maybe a Rythmik. Will also get an AVR maybe something like Denon s720, x1300, x2300--sort out later. Don't want any separates so speakers need to be easily driven with AVR. 5.1 system for foreseeable future. (Hold off on surrounds for now and use existing speaker)
Room is pretty big 23x18, cathedral ceiling 14 ft.
Room is 50% open in back to kitchen/dining, open on one side to hallway and stairs. Seating about 12 ft from TV. Picture attached.
Definitely not an audiophile just want a good system.
I'm torn between the CMTs and Sierra 1's. A big consideration is the center. The mantle is 10 inches wide, I can raise the TV (yes I hate the TV above the fireplace but stuck with it). The center will be essentially flush with wall. Would Ascend make sense? Should I look for a front ported center? I have been looking hard at the KEF Q300 and Q200C.
I am planning to put the LR on the built-in, I know that is not ideal but is what I would like to do (34.5 inches high). That is a very wide built-in, so I have flexibility in placement.
Sorry, long-winded post. Recap:
1) CMT vs Sierra 1?
2) Center placement difficulties?
3) Can a standard AVR drive efficiently, particularly the Sierras?
(Also posted @ AVS)
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
The main consideration is if the speakers mentioned have a rear port, so the back of the speaker up against the wall is not advisable.
The HTM-200SE is a sealed speaker with no port, that would work up against the wall.
The Horizon, is front ported, so it will work against a wall, but it is large.
The upcoming Sierra Luna is a smaller speaker, also front ported.
You should give Ascend a call to discuss.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
Quote:
Originally Posted by
curtis
The main consideration is if the speakers mentioned have a rear port, so the back of the speaker up against the wall is not advisable.
The HTM-200SE is a sealed speaker with no port, that would work up against the wall.
The Horizon, is front ported, so it will work against a wall, but it is large.
The upcoming Sierra Luna is a smaller speaker, also front ported.
You should give Ascend a call to discuss.
Thanks Curtis.
I will probably give them a call. The 200 just seems to small, about the same size as the current mission I have. The horizon seems too big and is more that I want to put into this for one speaker.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
To optimize the center speaker in your situation I would make sure the front of it (the baffle) is at minimum even with the front edge of the mantel, which would leave room behind it if you end up with a rear ported speaker. This is how I have my setup in the same scenario.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
Thanks Mag_Neato
The CMT and Sierra 1 center both have a depth of 10.5 inches.
The mantle is 10 inches wide. I am fine with speaker hanging an inch or two over edge of mantle. However, this will leave very little gap between speaker and wall. Not sure if this would be OK with rear porter center.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Meature
Thanks Mag_Neato
The CMT and Sierra 1 center both have a depth of 10.5 inches.
The mantle is 10 inches wide. I am fine with speaker hanging an inch or two over edge of mantle. However, this will leave very little gap between speaker and wall. Not sure if this would be OK with rear porter center.
Gotcha.....your mantel has a few more inches of depth than mine and you are choosing speakers with much more depth as well. My center is 6.3" deep with grill. I have it flush with the front edge of the mantel and have space behind it for its port.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
Just my two cents:
- If your electronics is going to be an AVR, I would go with high sensitivity speakers, like the CMB-170 or CMT-340
- Since you are planning to get a sub, crossing over at 80Hz should make the rear porting less of an issue, even with speakers almost against the wall.
- Having the baffle of the speakers at least flush with the edge of the mantle (or shelf) is always better anyway, regardless of the speakers depth.
By the way, if you are not into extreme bass, the basic but mighty Rythmik L12 could just be enough. I have it in a 18x14x8 room, which has two sections of one of the 18-foot walls open to the rest of the lower floor. Despite that, the output of the sub is excellent with music and more than respectable with movies.
Re: Help a relative noobie w/ Speaker Guidance
MusicHead, thank you.
I went ahead and ordered some KEF speakers. They are running a good sale on the Q-series. I read so much on this and other forums with great things on Ascend. I particularly read a lot on the Sierra 2, which appears to be an amazing speaker. However, I felt it might be wasted on us not being audiophiles or true HT enthusiasts and I started to think about the cost.
I went with the KEF primarily for the center, good size, substantial, but fits pretty nicely with the space I have and is front ported.
The efficiency was a consideration and the KEF are mediocre on that front, so I may regret but we are low volume people. I was able to get most the KEF speakers with a good return policy so if they don't fit the bill I can make a change.
Really appreciate the comments on the sub, I think that sounds perfect for us. We are not heavy bass people, want it to integrate well with music and for HT just give a little something...
Now on to the AVR...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MusicHead
Just my two cents:
- If your electronics is going to be an AVR, I would go with high sensitivity speakers, like the CMB-170 or CMT-340
- Since you are planning to get a sub, crossing over at 80Hz should make the rear porting less of an issue, even with speakers almost against the wall.
- Having the baffle of the speakers at least flush with the edge of the mantle (or shelf) is always better anyway, regardless of the speakers depth.
By the way, if you are not into extreme bass, the basic but mighty Rythmik L12 could just be enough. I have it in a 18x14x8 room, which has two sections of one of the 18-foot walls open to the rest of the lower floor. Despite that, the output of the sub is excellent with music and more than respectable with movies.
