I always thought two was enough?

[lonewolf47]

I've got two pairs of speakers right now, with one in each pair terminal with blown drivers. Since one pair is 25 years old, and the other 15, I'm considering replacing them both with one pair, with a bit or room rearangement, and the cooperation of my cable guy.

I'm not headed to home theater anytime soon, since I don't watch a lot of new movies (Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant movies were all in mono, anyway, weren't they?). So my thought was to get a good pair of speakers. At first, I was hoping that the CBM-170s might be enough, but now I wonder. The room is maybe 12x18, maybe, but the listening area within it would be considerably closer -- the listener (me!) would probably be within 6-8 feet of the speakers.

Power shouldn't be a problem, I've got a vintage 125 wpc Sansui receiver.

Music? Primarily jazz and classical, with a considerable does of late 60s/early 70s style heavy rock (Santana, Beck, Hendrix, you get the picture).

I've been reading where everyone seems to think the CBM-170s, which I'm considering, and even the 340s, need a subwoofer. Is this for home theater setups, primarily, or will I need one also in a two-channel setup as well?

Just trying to be cost-conscious, but smart, about this stuff.

Thanks for any thoughts!
Thoughts?

[bikeman]

I've been reading where everyone seems to think the CBM-170s, which I'm considering, and even the 340s, need a subwoofer. Is this for home theater setups, primarily, or will I need one also in a two-channel setup as well?
Thanks for any thoughts!
A subwoofer is recommended for today's movies. For music, I prefer to run my 340's without a sub. I don't own 170's so I can't comment on them from first hand experience but I'd be very surprised if they needed a sub for music. My taste in music is similar to yours and my listening position is 8 ft. from the speakers.
This was my Sansui from the mid and late 70's. Best looking piece of electronics I ever owned.

http://www.sansui.us/images/Professional_Series/AU9900_1.jpg

David

[JHZR2]

Take a look at my initial insights regarding my 340SE system that I just installed... GREAT, couldnt be happier.

Ive played a lot of stuff with just the 340's, not running the sub (I have the hsu STF-1, which is more than enough for music). Ive been more than pleased with:
-The Zombies
-Steely Dan
-Tower of Power
-Bruce Springsteen
-Sly and the Family Stone
-The Bee Gees
-The Radiants
-Jimmy Buffett
-and a variety of mixed MP3s and radio music

Even the radio and MP3 sources, which many said would sound poor on these clear, revealing speakers, are done justice and sound as good as Ive ever heard them, with more detail and quality than I expected. I was suprised that some of the heavier stuff that I had on MP3 did as well as it did... I thought Id hit a weakpoint there, ut none was noted, the system still sounded great!

Go for a pair of CMT-340SE's and give them a try, youll be happy and wont regret it at all for your music choices. If you decide for whateer reason that you want a sub, theyll extend the discount for purchase for 30 or 45 days...

JMH

[lonewolf47]

Thanks Dave and JMH!

As an aside to Dave, my current Sansui is a 8900ZDB. My first one was the 771, which I sold to a good friend of mine. My second was the G8000, a beautiful unit from circa 1979, but was stolen within a year. I was Sansui-less until just recently, when I picked up my current one on eBay.

The one reason I was considering the 170s was they'd fit nicely on my entertainment center, where my EPIs are currently. I may not be able to give the 340s the air and floor space needed: I don't want to bury them in corners, right? But I may need to think about the re-arrangement further.

Thanks again for your help!

[curtis]

Judging by the music you listen to, I bet for the most part you would be fine with the 170SE's.

A lot also depends on your point of reference and the sound you are used to.

[JHZR2]

FWIW, Ive read many--time that the speakers, especially the 340's need to be set up and optimized just right in order to get optimal sound... and some have even said thatthis is the case so that they sound 'right' or 'good'.

Ive found that even in unoptimized layout, for example I had them up on stands close together and angled strangely, and right now I have them 6" apart, grilles facing each other, and these speakers are good enough that they still sound quite good (playing MP3s no less!).

I dont want to be feeding you bad info... but given my experiences thus far, I would not be afraid to put a set of 340SE's in a quite unoptimized space that theoretically does not do them justice.

JMH

[curtis]

Yeah....the 340's really don't require anything special for setup.

[bikeman]

Yeah....the 340's really don't require anything special for setup.
Then why'd I spend all afternoon on placement? I got a dip centered around 74hz that was bugging me so I talked my wife into going shopping (:rolleyes:) and then I moved everything around that weighed less than 200lbs. Got some satisfaction by moving two stacked wicker baskets about a foot and a half.
Bought a bottle of wine and the wife and I are going to listen to some familiar music tonight and see how we like the SE's. It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it. ;)

David

[curtis]

Then why'd I spend all afternoon on placement? I got a dip centered around 74hz that was bugging me so I talked my wife into going shopping (:rolleyes:) and then I moved everything around that weighed less than 200lbs. Got some satisfaction by moving two stacked wicker baskets about a foot and a half.
Bought a bottle of wine and the wife and I are going to listen to some familiar music tonight and see how we like the SE's. It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it. ;)

David
Too funny!

Tonight, the kids and I are going to watch X-Men: The Last Stand.

[JHZR2]

I certainly don't deny that tweaking will make the sound even better...

But all I am saying is that these speakers are REALLY good, and for those of us who dont wish to spend the time optimizing them (like me, who is going to redo my living room over the next year, and so dont care to adjust them much now), you certainly can be super-happy with them without much effort and just a tad bit of common sense and analysis.

JMH

[cyberbri]

I agree. They produce great sound in the room. But if you take the extra time to get them away from the walls, make sure they're equidistant from each wal, tweak the placement, equally distant between the speakers and the listening position, experiment with toe-in angle, etc., they sound absolutely amazing with a strong center image and great imaging.