Speakers

[Absolut]

No doubt the popcorn ceiling added to the ambiance. All joking aside that is a nice set up!

asbestos!!!!

 

[Brandon Wilson]

Ordered the Paradigm Premiere 800F Tower Speakers and the 600C Center channel speaker. They will be here in ~10 days or so. Can't wait.

 

[Plissken]

There are dozens upon dozens of speaker manufacturers for audiophiles (as in not mass produced stuff) now. You really have to look at review sites or audio forums if you want to get the most bang for your buck.

 

[Brandon Wilson]

There are dozens upon dozens of speaker manufacturers for audiophiles (as in not mass produced stuff) now. You really have to look at review sites or audio forums if you want to get the most bang for your buck.

I joined an AV forum back in January, about the same time I started this thread. I've been getting information, doing research and looking into it over there since.

Decided to go with Paradigm speakers for most* of my stuff based upon a few things:

1) Budget. Given my budget, I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. Paradigm was highly recommended to me on the AV forums as being a very good speaker manufacturer, with very nice features at a price point that fit my budget easily. Thus far I've spent 8k all told, and have replaced my entire sound stage.

2) Canadian manufacturer, designed and built in Canada. It was a way for me to support my own country during this pandemic.

3) There is a local Paradigm dealer. This was also important because I could test the speakers out first before buying. And in purchasing from the local dealer, I was again supporting a Canadian business during the pandemic. As well, I've built a relationship with them and in turn they've given me some nice discounts.

I could have gotten some very good speakers, for cheaper to boot, from some of the internet direct companies like SVS, HSU Research, Ascend Accoustics, Monoprice/Monolith etc etc. But they are American companies (not there is anything wrong with that) and mostly made in China (nothing inherently wrong with that either, but I would prefer North American made).

In the end, I was willing to spend a little bit more to support my own economy, and have that personal customer service experience. And thus far, I've been more than happy with my decision/experience.

*The only exception was for my 4 surround sound speakers. I was told that I didn't need to spend a ton of money for my surrounds. I was pointed in the direction of 4 different brands of surrounds that would work well with my Paradigm L/C/R I planned on buying. In the end I choose KEF Q150s. They were said to be a good tonal match, and a local Canadian chain retailer carries them. They were on sale, and I picked up 4 of them for ~900$. The Paradigm bookshelf speakers are considerably more expensive than that @ 600$ each before tax.

 

[OldFashion]

Got me a pair of Klipsch Cornwall IV's last year and don't regret it

 

[Brandon Wilson]

Pondering my next upgrade.

We were watching that new Zack Snyder movie the other night (Army of The Dead, don't both seeing it BTW), and my son commented that the picture was starting to look a little bit dated. I've got an Epson 8350 Projector that I bought in 2015. My wife chimed in that "it's all about the sound in here now" since I've been updating my sound stage over the last 4~5 months.

I was planning on upgrading my Yamaha RX-A2040 receiver first, but waiting until the summer when the new line up is out (looking at the RX-A6A or A8A). Now I'm thinking maybe the Projector needs an upgrade 1st.

I'm looking at some decently expensive Projectors, moving up into the realm of 4K. Entry level true native 4K Projectors start at about 7k. Specifically looking at Sony VP-LVW 295ES Projector @ 7280$ (taxes in), and the
JVC DLAN-X5 Projector @ 8958$ (taxes in).

My wife is going to have an aneurysm lol.

 

[Brandon Wilson]

Haven't posted here in a bit. Some more upgrades to post:



My new Paradigm L/C/R 800F and 600C. Mounted so that I can place my acoustically transparent screen in front of them. Which I did:



I need to move the L/R speakers up to match the C. So I've built a set of risers/stands to accommodate this:







They're made out of 5/8" MDF. 12" W × 15.75 " L × 20" H. I filled them with sand to dampen the sound transmission. It's a shit ton of sand in each box. Almost 3 × 25kg/55lb bags in each. About 150lbs of sand.

I also bought an Epson 5050 projector straight from Epson Canada. It's a refurbished model that cost 1600$ less than MSRP and still comes with a 2 year manufacturer warranty. It arrives Thursday.

 

[Brandon Wilson]

And the Espson 5050 arrived last night:



Comparison with the old 8350:





It's massive comparatively. And of course 4k vs 1080p is no contest. The picture quality blows away the old projector.

Also, the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) went way way up last night. She had been kind of meeehhhhh about the whole upgrade to the HT room, until I finished hooking up the new Projector last night. She hadn't been in there yet since I'd moved the L/C/R higher. She went and sat in the front row and played a few different movies to try out. She turned around and looked at me with this huge grin on her face, she looked like a kid on Christmas day. She said that the way the sound came through the screen made it seem like the voices were coming directly from the actors mouths. And the picture quality was incredible. She's a fan now. Before we went to bed last night, she even asked me what my next planned upgrade was, and if it was going to be the AVR.



Super stoked to watch Black Widow on Disney + this weekend.

 

[Violent Violin]

Nice! I'm a 2 channel, stereo guy but I appreciate a good home theater setup. Excellent decision on the dual subs.

Cheers!

PS--I'm running Mirages in one of my systems, yay Canadian speakers!

 

[Brandon Wilson]

Bought an Outlaw 5000 five channel amplifier and a new brand of pre pro called a ToneWinner. It's a 13.3 channel with balanced XLR inputs. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'll post some pics of the set up once it gets here.

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

I'm looking to upgrade my home theater system in the next year or so. I've got some ok speakers, a Canadian brand made by a 'famous' Canadian sound engineer named Ian Paisley, but want to upgrade to a higher end pair.

I'm running a Yamaha 9.2 channel receiver (RX-A2040) with Dolby Digital and Atmos capabilities that's about 5 years old, with an Epson Projector (Epson 8350 Powerlite) that I bought at the same time.

I've been doing some research into speakers, and the brands I'm looking at the most are:

KEF
Klipsch
Definitive Technology

They all seem to have good reviews, and all have lines of speakers in a similar price range.

Just wondered if my fellow sherbros have any experience with any of these brands, and/or recommendations on any other brands to be looking at?

Cheers.

I have a set of 1000 watt Klipsch Speakers I bought back in 1992. Still have them today, and they're still outstanding. I paid $2200 for them back then. I recommend Klipsch.

 

[Brandon Wilson]

Since my last post, the new pre processor arrived. Tonewinner AT-300. 13.3 channels 4k with XLR inputs. I also added another 2 KEF Q150 surround sound speakers (for a total of 6), and I'm waiting for some Polk MC80 in ceiling speakers to arrive, for my overhead/Atmos layer.

 

[ssBaldy]

Now I'm more confused than anything lol.

Looking around and doing research. There are so many good speaker manufacturers out there, it's almost too much to take in.

Also, my subwoofer crapped out on me, so that's my 1st priority now to replace it (it's not worth the money to fix). Looking at a 2 sub set up most likely, probably 2 ×10" or 2×12". The one's I've been looking at are:

SVS PB 2000 Pro:

https://www.electronicsforless.ca/s...-with-sledge-sta-550d-amp-black-ash-9979.html

Paradigm Defiance X12:

https://atlasavu.ca/product/paradigm-12-subwoofer-w-patented-art-surround-defiancex12/

Monolith THX Ultra Certified 12":

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24457

Thanks again guys.

Find a place where they will let you listen to those speakers. In high end audio there are no such things as good and bad, but preference plays a huge role.
For example, Bowers&Wilkins is a respected audio manufacturer but their speakers and headphones make my ears bleed - I think they sound worse than my grandma's old radio.

 

[Violent Violin]

Gotta say, I just bought two pairs (first one pair and I liked it so much I bought another pair) of the Dayton Audio MK442T speakers. You can get them (new) off Ebay for $240 (USD). Really fucking nice for the dollar:

https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-ente...-delivers-heavyweight-sound-for-228-per-pair/

https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/dayton-mk442t

 

[jefferz]

Gotta say, I just bought two pairs (first one pair and I liked it so much I bought another pair) of the Dayton Audio MK442T speakers. You can get them (new) off Ebay for $240 (USD). Really fucking nice for the dollar:

https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-ente...-delivers-heavyweight-sound-for-228-per-pair/

https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/dayton-mk442t

What are you using to drive them?

 

[Violent Violin]

What are you using to drive them?

Nothing fancy in those systems, for one pair I'm using them as desktop speakers and an older Onkyo receiver sounds pretty damn good with them. The other is being driven by a Dared preamp and a compact, class D power amp.