3k to spend on Speakers. advice?

[Elmo]

I have 3k to spend on 5 speakers.

Room size is 12 x 16 with 8 foot tall roof approximately.

Sitting position is about 11 feet from tv and vouch is AGAINST WALL.

Will have a SVS sub to cover the deep bass. Any recommendations?



100% MOVIES!!!!!!!


Live in Canada so shipping is nasty too......

[Pilk]

I suspect you'll hear the Towers x 2 + Horizon x 1 (or Horizon x 3) and fill in the blank for the rear surround. I think I'd focus on the front and pinch the pennies for the rear...may pick up some 200's from B stock. I have Sierra-1's across the front but thinking about trading up to the Horizons across the front.

[Dark Ranger]

Hi Elmo,

Your room is only ~500 cu. ft. larger than mine, so you won't have any trouble filling it up. I've got a few questions for you.

- How firm is your 3K budget? Like a brickwall or a feather mattress? :p

- How do you envision the front speaker placement? Do they need to be inside a cabinet/entertainment center?

- You mention the couch is right against the back wall. Do you want the surrounds on each side of the couch facing inward, or will you be wall mounting the surround speakers (or something else)?

- How loud do you prefer your movies? Does it lean towards vacuum cleaner loud or call the cops, the neighbors are cracking my foundation again loud?

- Do you have any WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) constraints?



OK, that should get us started. With a budget of 3K, I would tend to lean towards the Towers/Horizon combo or all Horizons up front (Pilk called it!). :p However, both of these combos have you teetering on the edge of 3K.

The Towers/Horizon combo weighs in at $2,868 (includes $28 Loudspeaker Package Discount), and that's with the default finish (Black Matte). If you want a custom finish, you're looking at an additional $150 to $300 depending on your selection. Similarly, the 3x Horizon combo is $2,994 with the default finish, plus another $150 to $300 for a custom finish. Tack on shipping prices, and you've exceeded your 3K budget and have not purchased surrounds yet.

This is why I asked if your budget was firm. ;)


I looked up your previous posts and this one stuck out to me:


Im looking for a great setup that i wont want to upgrade for a long time.

Based on that, I would lean towards the Tower/Horizon combo or 3x Horizons since you have a 3K budget. Here are a few package options to consider.


A) 2 Towers, 1 Horizon, and 2 CBM-170 SE (surround)

B) 2 Towers, 1 Horizon, and 2 HTM-200 SE (surround)

C) 3 Horizons with either two 170s or two 200s for surround


Since the above configurations all exceed 3K by several hundred dollars, this may not be doable if your budget is very firm. We might have to look at other configurations.

OK, this post is long enough, so I'll submit this for discussion. The more we know about your expectations, the better we can help. :) Otherwise, I agree with Pilk about focusing on the front stage and pinching pennies for the rears.

[Elmo]

Thanks Jacob


- Im pretty firm on the 3k budget. How much power is needed to run these towers easily? My overall budget is 5k (MAX). With an SVS nsd for say 800 im left with about 4k for speakers AND receiver.

- Their is no restraint for speakers. Room isn't that large but ic an place them wherever i want.

- Surround facing towards cough is probably my bets bet.

- For volume id say very loud but definitely not call the cops loud.

- No WAF constraints ;)


As I will be using speakers for movie use how big of a jump in quality would there be from say

2 towers + Horizon to 2 x sierra + horizon.


I will also have to contact ascend about how large the shipping costs would be as I really like the standard black finish as is.

[Pilk]

Or Sierra-1 LRC with NRT upgrade. That would put your your fronts at 1900-2000 depending on finish. You have a grand to play with...heck throw in a pair of Sierra-1 rears and you'll be right at the $3G.

But you could get some 200's for the rear and you $500 left over for a second sub :D
If yours system runs 7.1 you could go another set of 200's for side surrounds. Still in budget.

When I'm in upgrade mood I tend to escalate the 'needs'. I think I'd go Tower/Horizon or Horizon across the front and 200's for rears. Don't eat for a few weeks and save the money to keep in budget.

So many decisions...;)

[Elmo]

Or Sierra-1 LRC with NRT upgrade. That would put your your fronts at 1900-2000 depending on finish. You have a grand to play with...heck throw in a pair of Sierra-1 rears and you'll be right at the $3G.

But you could get some 200's for the rear and you $500 left over for a second sub :D
If yours system runs 7.1 you could go another set of 200's for side surrounds. Still in budget.

When I'm in upgrade mood I tend to escalate the 'needs'. I think I'd go Tower/Horizon or Horizon across the front and 200's for rears. Don't eat for a few weeks and save the money to keep in budget.

So many decisions...;)

yes there is. have been speaker shopping for what feels like years. still have the TV speakers pumping haha :(

[Dark Ranger]

- Im pretty firm on the 3k budget. How much power is needed to run these towers easily? My overall budget is 5k (MAX). With an SVS nsd for say 800 im left with about 4k for speakers AND receiver.

OK, thanks for the clarification on the budget. Does the 3K figure include shipping fees? I just remembered that you have to ship to Canada. That will impact your options. :(

As far as required power, the Towers/Horizon are fairly sensitive and will be quite happy with modest power. You can drive them with any decent receiver nowadays.


As I will be using speakers for movie use how big of a jump in quality would there be from say

2 towers + Horizon to 2 x sierra + horizon.

Well, the Towers will definitely sound better than the Sierra-1s with both music and movies. For starters, the Towers have a dedicated mid-range driver, plus two dedicated bass drivers. The detail, dynamics, resolution, etc. will be higher with the Towers. However, I can assure you that the 2x Sierra-1s + Horizon will not sound bad at all. This is the exact combination I use! I don't have adequate space for the Towers, so I have two Sierra-1s and a Horizon center, and absolutely love it. I watched Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera last night (Joel Schumacher's 2004 version) and it was just sublime. :D

So, if the Towers + Horizon combo is absolutely a no-go due to budget constraints, my next option would be 2x Sierra-1 NrTs + NrT Horizon with either HTM-200 SE or CBM-170 SE surrounds. However, one possible issue is matching the finish options between the Sierra-1s and the Horizon.

Another option: you could go Sierra-1 LCR, and that would be fine. However, I believe that the center channel is the most important speaker for today's movies. That's why I went with Ascend's best for the center speaker. I am extremely pleased with my Sierra-1 + Horizon + HTM-200 SE setup. If you have to drop something, I'd drop the Towers and keep the Horizon based on my own preferences. :)


I will also have to contact ascend about how large the shipping costs would be as I really like the standard black finish as is.

Good idea. I would suggest you do that as they can probably give you a quote. That may determine how you proceed.

[Pilk]

I guess I wonder in the end whether you'll miss the little extra it will take to go Tower/Horizon across the front vs. Sierra NRT? I'm going to trade my LRC Sierra-1's for Horizon across the front and I'll never have to replace speakers again (heck I still have some Infinity's from 1995 in a closet somewhere). You'll have to come up with a few hundred bucks for rears but that money will be long forgotten in a few months anyway. Loosen up a bit on the coin purse and get something big.

[Dark Ranger]

Pilk,

I agree with your line of thought overall. The Towers/Horizon combo would last him a good long while. I have no doubt he'd enjoy them immensely.

The only obstacle I see here is shipping to Canada. I have no idea how much it will cost. Since his 3K budget is firm and might include shipping, that kinda removes the Towers/Horizon from the equation unless he's willing to save up a bit longer.

@ Elmo,

I would be very curious to know how much it will cost to ship that combo to Canada. Drop us a line here after you talk with Ascend.

[Elmo]

Pilk,

I agree with your line of thought overall. The Towers/Horizon combo would last him a good long while. I have no doubt he'd enjoy them immensely.

The only obstacle I see here is shipping to Canada. I have no idea how much it will cost. Since his 3K budget is firm and might include shipping, that kinda removes the Towers/Horizon from the equation unless he's willing to save up a bit longer.

@ Elmo,

I would be very curious to know how much it will cost to ship that combo to Canada. Drop us a line here after you talk with Ascend.


Will do.

Trying to figure out what type of tv stand would ;). All in good time.

[davef]

Live in Canada so shipping is nasty too......

Hi Elmo,

Actually, freight to Canada is not too bad at all -- we have shipped many full tower systems up there :)

The only real killer is HST as there is no duty owed because our products qualify for full treatment under NAFTA. Send me an email or PM with your full address and I can give you a quote on shipping and also what you can expect to pay for HST and brokerage fees.