Newbie - receiver, stands, sub etc. - inputs

[arkbay]

Hello There

I'm newbie here, but have been a lurking passively on the forum on-and-off for a while. Also, I'm not technically new to Ascends, as I've been enjoying listening to them at my good friend Abhi's home for 8+ years (including many a "Can you knock that down?" from his neighbors, during our numerous weekend gatherings :-)

Finally, I took the plunge, donated my Onkyo HTIB to my neighbor (reducing the chance for complaints, and bought an 5 speaker setup - 340SE LR, 170SE Center (would have preferred a matching 340C), and 2 HTM (classic) surrounds - from an original owner after a 5 min audition. During this process of deciding whether or not to buy, for a shoot-in-the-dark email/phone call about serial numbers, age of speakers, warranty etc, I got to experience the commitment of Dave & customer support of Ascend! Kudos!!

Appreciate inputs on the following

Receiver:
I anyhow decided to buy a new receiver, but while trying to do A/B tests and playing with crossovers, I think I partially fried my Onkyo. I was tending towards Denon S700, but now considering X1100 or X2100 (Thanks to http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...ith-a-receiver!, now I know about A4L site).

Denon X1100 - $250 Refurb A4L
Denon X2100 - $350 Refurb A4L ($400 new, almost everywhere with 3yr warranty)

I dont intend to play reference volume, and my usage is 60-70% TV/30-40% Music. Does 80w/channel suffice or do I need to go upto X2100 for additional 15w/channel? (Other aspects of X1000 - num of HDMI connections, wifi, streaming, upscale - are sufficient for my use). I mean, with the efficiency of 340SE mains, do I really need that extra wattage?

Any other suggestions? There were some suggestions re Marantz, but I dont plan pre-outs anytime soon. I definitely need speaker calibration though.

Speaker Stands:
The current Sanus speaker stands that I've are risky with the tall & heavy CMTs. So, I plan to build stands for the fronts, and mount the surrounds on the wall.

Without going esoteric, is there a wood you would recommend, especially if I want to bring walnut/espresso/chocolate brown stain for the stands? (Yes, that would enhance WAF, and gel with other varnish project I need to do for side tables). For example, any issues with pine, mahogany, poplar etc?

Any suggestions on simple designs that go with CMTs? For now, I'm thinking of pedestal stands - very similar design to Curtis's stands (see, I told you that I've been lurking around

Phase Plug:
I initially worried about the 1/16" gap between the phase plug & woofer diaphragm. I felt that the glue got worn out given the age of speakers, but after searching thru the threads, realized that the gap indeed is part of the design. Valid deduction?

Any suggestions on cleaning the woofer cones, esp close to phase plug?

Subwoofer:
I recently got (thru an office conf room remodel project) a passive BG Radia 8" sub woofer, but I plan to DIY a sub in summer. I see most of the folks on his forum have Rhythmik subs, but in the 10" range, are there any DIY suggestions?
One other option I thought is two separate passive 8" subs (probably place them under the two big side tables I have) powered by an external Dayton sub amp. Are there any issues placing sub on the side of main listening position (I mean, is this a big no-no)?

Am glad to be part of this excellent group/forum.
Cheers
Anil

[arkbay]

Bump to see if anyone has inputs on the receiver wattage to drive the speakers. Thx

[curtis]

Bump to see if anyone has inputs on the receiver wattage to drive the speakers. Thx

15 watts a channel won't really make much of a difference.

It takes a doubling of wattage to increase output by 3dB.

[natetg57]

Right now, the x2100 is only $320. If you're budget allows it, you might as well go for it. That's a great deal.

[GirgleMirt]

Lots of questions! For the sub, why not Rythmik woofer and amp & DIY enclosure? IMHO, if it's $, might as well save a bit and build something better the 1st time, rather than building something which you'll want to replace in medium/long term. Especially a sub, going for a 12 or 15 inch might be worth it, as bigger does get 'better', I don't think anybody could argue that a 10 inch is better than a 12 or 15, besides size/weight/cost..

Otherwise, Dayton comes to mind as well as many others, but for that you'd be better off checking the DIY forums.

For phase plugs, normal, I don't think any ever touch. There's 'false' phase plugs, which are just dust covers shaped like a phase plug that moves along with the woofer, but all other phase plugs will have that gap, normal.

For washing, no idea, are they really that dirty? I'd just use a dry rag or the such to remove dust, but if you've spilled coke or something on them, that would be another issue!

[arkbay]

Right now, the x2100 is only $320. If you're budget allows it, you might as well go for it. That's a great deal.

I ordered X1100 on late Fri, but will call them to upgrade to X2100. It indeed is a great deal! Thx

[arkbay]

My biggest issue with a 12 or 15" is the WAF wrt size (esp on the front wall). I was trying to see if two separate 8 or 10" subs near the back wall (under the side tables) might work. I'll check DIY forums for this.

The speakers & phase plugs (inspite of age) are actually neat & clean! I removed the woofer driver on couple of them to check. My question was more to validate my understanding of phase plugs. Thanks

[davef]

Phase Plug:
I initially worried about the 1/16" gap between the phase plug & woofer diaphragm. I felt that the glue got worn out given the age of speakers, but after searching thru the threads, realized that the gap indeed is part of the design. Valid deduction?

Any suggestions on cleaning the woofer cones, esp close to phase plug?Anil

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the family. A true phase plug is fixed to the magnet assembly. It is stationary and the woofer will move back and forth around the plug. Because of this, there must be a small gap between the woofer cone and plug. If the woofer cone is glued to the plug, the woofer would not be able to move.