Upgrade recommendations!

Hello, I've owned a pair of CBM-170's (non-SE) since about 2005, when I was in my college dorm! Also have a Hsu VTF-2. They've been in storage for a while, and I'm about to buy a 55-65" TV for this room in my house:

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As you can see, it is non-symmetrical (small hallway on left to laundry, exterior door, bath. As a result, I know I can't ever get "reference quality" audio in this room, but I think it will serve my non-expert, relatively non-connoissseur needs for a casual media and listening room. I aim to build out a 3.1 setup in here.

The ceiling is vaulted as you can see in the photo, so even though this is a small room in width and length, the high ceiling adds some volume. Vaulted ceiling is 10.25 feet at highest point, 7.75 feet at lowest at back of room.

I am thinking at this point I will buy a receiver that has something like HEOS, and run speakers in other rooms throughout the house. I need to do more research on that side.

I'm looking for some feedback on a handful of options. The main consideration is whether to upgrade the L/R speakers now, the sub can be upgraded later easily:

1. Just buy an AV receiver and a CMT-340 SE2 center, reuse my CBM-170's (L/R) & the VTF-2.
2. Buy new CBM-170 SEs (L/R), a CMT-340SE2 (C), and an AV receiver, reuse the VTF-2.
3. Buy all new CMT-340 SE2's, (L, R, and C), plus the receiver, reuse the VTF-2.
4. Maybe buy second-hand CMT-340 SEs for L/R/C?

I'm also open to other options/combinations. I would rather take it slow and upgrade as necessary, so option #1 is what I'm leaning towards, but I am worried about timbre differences between the CBM-170 originals and the new CMT-340 SE2 as a center. In addition, I'm wondering if the room is large enough to justify the 340's over the 170's.

If I do upgrade the L/R, I might be able to employ my current CBM-170's in another part of the house. I've got an old Adcom GFA-535 power amp I could pair to them.

EDIT: BTW, the goofy double 42" TV thing is from the previous owner, I'll be taking those down, and buying a media console to go along the same wall on which a new, larger TV will be perched.

Appreciate your feedback!
Eric

One more consideration - distance from wall / between L/R chanenls required for the CTM-340's. I understand they need to be 18" to 24" from the back wall. Since the left side has some foot traffic, this could get a little tricky in this small room!

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Originally Posted by sippyCUP

One more consideration - distance from wall / between L/R chanenls required for the CTM-340's. I understand they need to be 18" to 24" from the back wall. Since the left side has some foot traffic, this could get a little tricky in this small room!

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Not at all. General rule of thumb for rear ported speakers is that the distance between the wall behind them and the back of the speaker is 2x the port diameter (some recommend just the port diameter, be we recommend 2x the port diameter). In the case of the 340SE2, the port diameter is 2", so for proper functioning of the rear port, clearance should be a minimum of 4"

Now, if you are running a subwoofer and have the 340's crossed at 80Hz (recommended) - then we recommend a minimum of 1/2 that distance (2")

In addition, between the options you listed, I strongly recommend option 3. There is really no advantage in sound quality going with a new receiver and the 340SE2 are a huge upgrade in performance from your classic 170's and even 340SE.

Hope this helps and please feel free to reach out to us directly.

Thanks Dave! Would the CTM-340s work OK if one speaker was about 12-24" from the sidewall? I understand the 340s have more dispersion than the 170's.

Thank you,
Eric

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sippyCUP

Thanks Dave! Would the CTM-340s work OK if one speaker was about 12-24" from the sidewall? I understand the 340s have more dispersion than the 170's.

Thank you,
Eric

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Yes, absolutely and wider horizontal dispersion is a good thing. Modern loudspeaker design has changed, and with the major investments we have made in R&D, we are now at the forefront. It used to be those side-wall reflections were unwanted, and that is because those reflections did not match well with the direct- sound of the speaker. We now have the capability to design our speakers so that those reflections closely match the direct-sound, and when this happens, this improves in-room performance, providing a noticeably more spacious and room filling presentation.

This is exactly what the 340SE2 are all about :)

Excellent, thank you for the info Dave! - Eric