Zinthar
05-28-2009, 02:11 PM
I just bought a pair of b-stock 170SE's, and I absolutely love them. Perhaps it's partly placebo effect, but, subjectively, these truly beat down the cheap Onkyo HTIB I had used previously.
So, now that I'm sold on the Ascends, it's time to complete the 5.1 set. Sierras would be nice, but don't fit my budget. I have a Marantz SR7001 and plan on getting a Hsu STF-2 for my sub.
My choice essentially comes down to either going with 3 vertically oriented 170SE's across the front, with 170SE's or MTM-200's for surround; or 340 SE's across the front (2 vertical mains, horizontal center), using the two 170SE's I now have as surrounds.
I've read that ideally the center speaker should also be oriented vertically, which would work for the shorter 170SE's, but not for the 340SE. In either case, the tweeter on the center speaker will almost certainly have to be placed a few inches (maybe up to 10") lower than that of the L/R mains -- I'm wall-mounting my plasma, which will be placed at a height just above the top of where the center speaker sits.
I'm planning on putting the center channel on top of an Omnimount Echo 63 TV stand (though I could go with something else) -- a simple, minimalist stand, which stands 17.3" in height. If I sit the 340SE C on that, it'll come up to ~25" from the floor at its highest. If I get the 340SE mains and their 24" spiked stands, they'll stand from 24" to 45" off the ground.
Is this going to be a problem and should I consider just doing 3 vertical 170SE's instead (all placed at about 18" to 30", if that's not too low). The $300 difference in cost is not huge issue -- I want the best sound for music and movies. I've heard that horizontal centers, though, can be problematic. Are the 340's better enough than the 170's to overcome that potential disadvantage?
So which choice would you make, and how would you set it up (stands, wall mount, etc.) given that the only real contraints are that I want a great sounding 5.1 setup and will be wall-mounting a 50" plasma?
I appreciate any feedback.
So, now that I'm sold on the Ascends, it's time to complete the 5.1 set. Sierras would be nice, but don't fit my budget. I have a Marantz SR7001 and plan on getting a Hsu STF-2 for my sub.
My choice essentially comes down to either going with 3 vertically oriented 170SE's across the front, with 170SE's or MTM-200's for surround; or 340 SE's across the front (2 vertical mains, horizontal center), using the two 170SE's I now have as surrounds.
I've read that ideally the center speaker should also be oriented vertically, which would work for the shorter 170SE's, but not for the 340SE. In either case, the tweeter on the center speaker will almost certainly have to be placed a few inches (maybe up to 10") lower than that of the L/R mains -- I'm wall-mounting my plasma, which will be placed at a height just above the top of where the center speaker sits.
I'm planning on putting the center channel on top of an Omnimount Echo 63 TV stand (though I could go with something else) -- a simple, minimalist stand, which stands 17.3" in height. If I sit the 340SE C on that, it'll come up to ~25" from the floor at its highest. If I get the 340SE mains and their 24" spiked stands, they'll stand from 24" to 45" off the ground.
Is this going to be a problem and should I consider just doing 3 vertical 170SE's instead (all placed at about 18" to 30", if that's not too low). The $300 difference in cost is not huge issue -- I want the best sound for music and movies. I've heard that horizontal centers, though, can be problematic. Are the 340's better enough than the 170's to overcome that potential disadvantage?
So which choice would you make, and how would you set it up (stands, wall mount, etc.) given that the only real contraints are that I want a great sounding 5.1 setup and will be wall-mounting a 50" plasma?
I appreciate any feedback.