With a sub, 340's over the 170's for music?

[Ivory05G35]

I'm currious if the 340's are that much better than the 170's for music when used with a sub? Do they image better and have a better sound stage?

I'm planning on either getting 170's for mains and a 340 center or getting 340 mains for now. I'll upgrade the rest of the system later when I can afford it. Either way, I think I'll end up with a 340 setup across the front and 170's in back.

Back to the original question, for music are the 340's that much better for stereo music than the 170's when both will have a sub? This will be for a dedicated HT eventually, but I don't have a room for that yet. I'm in law school and I find myself listening to music a lot while studying so I'm thinking the 340's over the 170/340/170 combo might be better for now...

Thanks for your thoughts.

[ebh]

i just had to reply because i'm a law school student too.

as far as your question, I can't answer because I went with the 170s as mains--cost reasons mostly. I think they are great, but am curious to see whether people think the 340s are better imagers, or if they will just fill a room better and with lower distortion. I'm thinking about adding a 340c soon, and possibly 200s for surrounds although my room isn't set up well to handle them.

[curtis]

I think it really depends on the space you are going to be using them in.

[GaryB]

I think it really depends on the space you are going to be using them in.

... and the amount of power you're driving them with. If it's no more than 75-100W or so, and you're using a sub, I suspect the gains by moving up to 340s will be quite small.

[Abhi]

What about the difference between spectral decays?

[Ivory05G35]

My current room is kind of weird, it opens op to the kitchen in one corner, has a hallway into it, an an open area leading to doors, oh and it also has a vaulted ceiling...

But someday it will be in a 16x12x9 dedicated, although not very hi-tech, HT room. My current receiver is a yamaha 6.1 with "75" watts. I plan on replacing that with one of several receivers. I also have a Krell 150x2 @ 8 ohms amp laying around. So they'll have plenty of power to them if that matters...

[Eddie]

I would say that the 340 is better than the 170 if there's NO sub. With a sub it's a lot closer...many months ago I had a chance to AB the 2 and to my surprise found that I preferred the 170s, which stayed more neutral/accurate at high volumes to my ears. For moderate/casual listening though the 340s do provide a fuller soundstage as one might expect from the extra driver.

However, with the new SE models, it might be a totally different ballgame.

If budget is an issue and you watch a lot of TV or DVDs, I'd get the 170s with 340 center for now, then add a pair of 340s later when you move into a bigger place. The 340 center does amazing things with voices, which is 60-70% of HT.

[Ivory05G35]

Eventually, whatever I get will be for dedicated HT duty. I have a nice stereo listening setup for later (my girlfriend/future wife has an awesome 2.0 setup). For the time being I will be listening to music on these speakers in addition to movie duty. I suppose these speakers will also be used for SACD/DVD-A as well, since the nice stereo setup is and will be 2.0 (phase tech PC 9.1, krell 300r).

I guess what I'm currious about is if I'd enjoy listening to music more on the 340's with my Outlaw LFM-1 or if the 170's with my sub will be nearly or as good...

[Quinn]

The difference between the 170 and 340 for music w/sub is worth it to me.

[Jacob C]

To me I would guess the 170's would be better in a small room with a high quality sub. 340's would probably be better in larger rooms. If the sub is not high quality I would expect the 340's to win in both as they would have deeper extension before relying on a lower quality sub. Then again, the near field imaging of the 170's is supposed to be better. Then you might have to choose between the best imaging or the deepest extension. I guess its really a case for case thing. I am trying to decide between the 170's and the 340's in a small room without a sub. Right now I am leaning toward the 170's.