techywarrior 688 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Just so I don't derail the film club thread, I'm looking to upgrade my speakers in my media room and you guys can help. We have an open floor plan so while the TV is only about 10 feet from the couch the one side of the room is very open. (think 10' x 50' with the media "room" being in the corner, so 3 walls) Currently I have some crappy bookshelf speakers for L/R and rears. Center is basically the same as the bookshelf speaker but has two mids in it. Sub is a 12" JBL. I had thought about getting towers for the front L/R but I don't think it's going to fit in the space right. Most recommend being a few feet from the wall and with the way the room is that's just not a realistic option. I'm not going to rule anything completely out and the budget is probably up to ~$1500 for the setup (or at least enough to start with for now). My current top contender is Martin Logan SLM for L/R and a Martin Logan SLM XL for the center. Rears would stay with what I have for now. The nice thing about these is that I can just mount them to the wall and the small space is no longer an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swhitmore 781 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Speakers are something that are very subjective. A set of $10,000 speakers can sound worse to some people then a set of $2,000 ones. The best thing to do it work out your budget, then hit the show rooms and listen to as many as you can. One good tip for rear speakers, if your seats are right against the back wall, opt for in-ceiling rather than bookshelf speakers. The angle of the in-ceiling speakers will be much better than the bookshelf ones, which will throw the sound right over your head. However, use rear bookshelf speakers if your seats/couch sits away from the rear wall. Also, acoustic treatments can make a big difference if you have a lot of hard surfaces in your room. There is no point spending $10,000 (I know you're not, but someone else reading this might), on speakers if your theatre room is a concrete bunker. Heavy drapes over windows, and DIY acoustic panels will make a big difference. If your interested, you can make your own acoustic panels from your favourite movies, like this. DIY Custom-Printed Movie Poster Acoustic Panels - cheap! Edited October 22, 2014 by swhitmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Thanks for the tip(s). I've tried going to show rooms but it's hard to tell how they are going to sound in my room. Everything sounds good in the show room I guess what I am sort of looking for (from people here) is either if they have had an issue with the speakers I chose, or others that are recommended, or if they know a particular brand and/or model that I should look at. Of course tips like you mention are good as well as they help hone in on what should be considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swhitmore 781 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) I guess what I am sort of looking for (from people here) is either if they have had an issue with the speakers I chose, or others that are recommended, or if they know a particular brand and/or model that I should look at. Yeah, that can help, but the issue is, everyone is going to have a different opinion based on their own experiences. It's sort of like buying a car. One person can tell you a model is rubbish because they ended up with a lemon etc, another person will tell you it's the best car in the world and you shouldn't even consider anything else. With the showrooms, even though your room will be set slightly differently, at least you can weed out anything you don't particularly like. (I'm honestly not trying to be snobbish) and it may not be the same in the US, but $1,500 for speakers will only offer you something in the low end of the market, so you may not find many differences between the cheaper models. If you can, save up a little more and look into something a little better. Although, as I mentioned in the last post, for you, the $1,500 speakers might sound the same as the expensive ones, so in that case, just grab whatever sounds best to you. Sorry it's not every helpful (I remember doing a LOT of research for mine). I ended up with a set of midrange Canadian PSB speakers. I've got no complaints so far Edited October 22, 2014 by swhitmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Oh, I thought $1,500 would get me something decent. I know it's not going to be top of the line but considering you can get a complete home theater system with speakers and a blu-ray player/receiver for like $400 I thought $1,500 just for speakers would be adequate. I've seen from looking online and in the stores that the higher end speakers can be more then that per speaker so I know I'm not getting high end. Maybe low end of the high end brands On the other hand, I suspect that anything moderately good is going to sound a million times better then what I have. Based on a quick look on the internet comparable PSB in the current price range is the 2x PSB Imagine X1 and PSB XC center. (hopefully that puts the price range into equivelant perspective). The budget isn't so much a hard limit so much as what I thought I needed to spend to get something decent. I'm also not sure how much of a difference it will make in the room. The current bookshelf speakers sound "small". When watching a movie dialog and other higher range sounds don't travel well to me. Mid and bass seem fine (in my completely ametuar opinion) but the dialog is pretty important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swhitmore 781 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 considering you can get a complete home theater system with speakers and a blu-ray player/receiver for like $400 Oh god, don't even go there. I think I'd rather pay someone $400 to cut my ears off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Oh god, don't even go there. I think I'd rather pay someone $400 to cut my ears off. ROFL, yea, I'm not going with that. I want an UPGRADE. lol. I know a lot about a lot of different technologies but speakers is definitely not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Sad that you don't live in germany. Otherwise I could highly recommend you some nubert speakers: http://www.nubert.de/In germany and austria you can geht them and try them for 30 days at home. If you dont like them you can just give them back after that period. IMHO the best way to test some speakers if they fit to your ears and room ;-)Maybe this testplan is also available in other countrys? You can just send them a E-Mail if you want to try. They also have a very good and nice support ;-) Edited October 22, 2014 by CM000n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Just so I don't derail the film club thread, I'm looking to upgrade my speakers in my media room and you guys can help. We have an open floor plan so while the TV is only about 10 feet from the couch the one side of the room is very open. (think 10' x 50' with the media "room" being in the corner, so 3 walls) Currently I have some crappy bookshelf speakers for L/R and rears. Center is basically the same as the bookshelf speaker but has two mids in it. Sub is a 12" JBL. I had thought about getting towers for the front L/R but I don't think it's going to fit in the space right. Most recommend being a few feet from the wall and with the way the room is that's just not a realistic option. I'm not going to rule anything completely out and the budget is probably up to ~$1500 for the setup (or at least enough to start with for now). My current top contender is Martin Logan SLM for L/R and a Martin Logan SLM XL for the center. Rears would stay with what I have for now. The nice thing about these is that I can just mount them to the wall and the small space is no longer an issue. I'd be interested in hearing those in person, though the obvious drawback is the bass/mid bass. I think you'd need a very good sub woofer to compliment them properly. Maybe something from SVS. And that room sounds like it will be tricky to get everything sounded as best as it can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14903 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I'm a strong believer in the room being one of the largest factors in audio performance - which is why I spent so much time building dedicated theater rooms with specific acoustic designs and treatments. My mid-grade speaker setups with pro-style amplifiers sounded like world class systems in those rooms. $50,000 speakers probably wouldn't sound as good in your open area living space . I'm not trying to be snobbish either. My point is you shouldn't kill yourself over this. If you have a large open space with a lot of hard surfaces you are going to be fighting an uphill battle that no amount of money for speakers will solve - and pumping more power or louder speakers at the problem could just make it worse. Now, I don't know exactly what your space looks like but that was the impression I got from your description. $1,500 for speakers and maybe a couple hundred for some simple acoustic treatments in the right areas (if possible) is probably as far as you want to go. The best bang for your buck will be online speakers but you can't listen to them before hand. There are a lot of reviews and experiences online for them though. My main speakers (now that I don't really have a dedicated, acoustically designed room) are the Salk Song Towers and they are gorgeous and sound great but they are probably over what you need in your situation. Your most important speaker will be the center channel. Be sure you do the best you can there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Salk Songs are nice, always wanted to hear them. You can do some simple things for a non-dedicated theater room such as having a good thick rug or area rug, thick curtains and acoustic panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14903 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 You can do some simple things for a non-dedicated theater room such as having a good thick rug or area rug, thick curtains and acoustic panels. Yes, and, if the SO will allow it you can even sneak in some acoustic treatments as pictures. In my semi-dedicated area upstairs I created movie posters that are actually acoustic panels. But, any soft surfaces around can help as well - especially at first reflection points. http://www.avsforum.com/forum/19-dedicated-theater-design-construction/1428058-small-time-theater-build.html#post22390795 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I've always wanted to try that DIY acoustic panels, maybe a large custom picture rather than a movie poster as I have my setup in the main living room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14903 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Yeah, you could even do family pictures. I just got high-quality images and sent them off to Spoonflower to be printed on fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Definitely pretty limited. I'd love a dedicated theatre room but we live in the city and own a condo. It's great, but there just is no place to have a real media room. even if we wanted to do a major remodel I couldn't put it somewhere. It's not even the square footage. We have windows everywhere and a couple load bearing walls that are in awkward places. (well one that is really awkward). So, I had another question maybe someone can answer. I have an old JBL subwoofer and it has some power saving feature so it "sleeps" when no low frequency is being sent. Trouble is that when it turns on there is a little "thump" sound which is really annoying. I don't remember it doing that before and I haven't played with it much lately. We ended up just turning it off months ago because it was more distracting then useful. Did it just die/break? Something maybe just configured wrong? Is that normal and I just am not remembering that it used to do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Sounds like an issues with the amp on the subwoofer...possibly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14903 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Yeah, higher end ones usually have an attenuator to suppress that. If you can turn off the auto-sleep functionality then just leave it on all the time. BTW - I wasn't suggesting you build a new room . Just that, since you don't have much control over the acoustics, don't spend a fortune on speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Ya a little goes a long way...When I first moved into my place I didn't have a rug for a bit, after a few minutes of having one I could notice a difference. Also if you're looking to save a bit on a receiver (if you're in the market) check out http://www.accessories4less.com/ it has good deals on manufacturer refurbished items. Got my father a receiver from their and it worked out nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Unfortunately there is no way to turn off the sleep. I guess if it's something with the amp inside then the options are to have it fixed or get a new one. It wasn't that high end a subwoofer to start with so may not be worth fixing. Since the space isn't that large (TV to couch) I was thinking I could save a little space by getting an 8' sub. There is a Yamaha sub that is only $100 at Best Buy (which seems very cheap) that had good user reviews. I know it won't be that loud but since we are in a condo I can't go too crazy anyways. It's only listed as 50W RMS, 100W max but people reviewed it saying it was loud enough. I would then assume that in the small space, with the sub being in a corner, that it would be good enough. The only other weird thing was that it was listed as 5ohm. I've always ever seen stuff listed as 4,6, and 8 ohm. I know my receiver can do multiple but I think it's also 4/6/8. Are sub woofers different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Unfortunately there is no way to turn off the sleep. I guess if it's something with the amp inside then the options are to have it fixed or get a new one. It wasn't that high end a subwoofer to start with so may not be worth fixing. Since the space isn't that large (TV to couch) I was thinking I could save a little space by getting an 8' sub. There is a Yamaha sub that is only $100 at Best Buy (which seems very cheap) that had good user reviews. I know it won't be that loud but since we are in a condo I can't go too crazy anyways. It's only listed as 50W RMS, 100W max but people reviewed it saying it was loud enough. I would then assume that in the small space, with the sub being in a corner, that it would be good enough. The only other weird thing was that it was listed as 5ohm. I've always ever seen stuff listed as 4,6, and 8 ohm. I know my receiver can do multiple but I think it's also 4/6/8. Are sub woofers different? Without trying to sound snobby I'd probably avoid a $100 subwoofer. Those would be close to what a home theater in a box sell. Then again if you go to best buy and you feel it gives you the bass you are looking for then sure. Also remember it will sound very different in your home. Also if you're concerned about neighbors this could help http://www.amazon.com/Auralex-SubDude-II-Subwoofer-Acoustic-Isolation/dp/B00DI5AXNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413993811&sr=8-1&keywords=auralex+subdude it will help to get rid of vibrations sent through the flooring. Edited October 22, 2014 by fantaxp7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14903 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Don't worry about the resistance on an active subwoofer. It has its own amp anyway. But, I agree with Fanta - a $100 sub is going to be, well, sub-par . But, like he said, if you listen and like it then no worries. But you might try looking for a used small sub of higher quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Without trying to sound snobby I'd probably avoid a $100 subwoofer. Those would be close to what a home theater in a box sell. Then again if you go to best buy and you feel it gives you the bass you are looking for then sure. Also remember it will sound very different in your home. Also if you're concerned about neighbors this could help http://www.amazon.com/Auralex-SubDude-II-Subwoofer-Acoustic-Isolation/dp/B00DI5AXNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413993811&sr=8-1&keywords=auralex+subdude it will help to get rid of vibrations sent through the flooring. The floor is the one place I'm not worried about. It's the wall. Our floor is concrete but the wall(s) are wood. My girlfriend always complained about too much bass so unless there is a reason other then just the power I may try the cheap sub first. The range listed seemed to be the same as the more expensive ones and the high point was above the low range on the Martin Logan SLM speakers I was looking at for R/C/L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 So are you opposed to getting towers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techywarrior 688 Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 So are you opposed to getting towers? Not opposed but I've read that you should have them a few feet from the walls and with the way the room is setup and built I can't have a tower more then maybe a few inches from the wall. That's why I am interested in those Martin Logan SLM speakers. They can be mounted to the wall so they won't take up any extra space and I think they are still better then bookshelf speakers or other tiny speakers (like Bose). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantaxp7 190 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Not opposed but I've read that you should have them a few feet from the walls and with the way the room is setup and built I can't have a tower more then maybe a few inches from the wall. That's why I am interested in those Martin Logan SLM speakers. They can be mounted to the wall so they won't take up any extra space and I think they are still better then bookshelf speakers or other tiny speakers (like Bose). You're right about most satellite speakers, bookshelf speakers would be better though. I have Definitive Technology Mythos line speakers and to my ear they are the best compromise I have found from a sound point and space saving point of view. A little bit expensive though you can find all sorts of manufacturer refurbished deals on ebay and save a bunch on them. The reason I mention the tower though, even though it would be close to the wall is you can find better value at lower price ranges vs. satellite type speakers. In other words you'll get a better, fuller sound range speaker. I've always wanted to hear these (though I say that about a lot of speakers I come across online ) http://www.cnet.com/products/pioneer-sp-pk52fs/ The obvious trade off is aesthetics and size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now