Any audiophiles here?

[Celephais]

I'm in the process of replacing the speakers in my living room and had a few questions. I know there are whole forums for this sort of thing but thought I'd see if we had any audiophiles that could help me out (hopefully a lot easier to get an answer here than to try to get some attention on an audio forum just to be told it's been answered a million times but I don't know how to properly search for it because I don't know the terms).

Anyway, my main question has to do with matching my mains to my center speaker, I have an onkyo 607 receiver and it has an audio-matching type of program (I told a microphone up in my main listening area and it 'matches' my speakers), is that good enough? Or should I really be trying to match my centers/mains? I have a Polk CS20 center speaker, and would like to get Monitor 70s for my mains (I currently have two Advent Prodigy Towers (rather old, 70s I think, hand-me downs) that will likely be relegated to surround duty, or be placed in my bedroom). Will the monitor 70s match well with the CS20, or should I bite the bullet and buy an LSI series main? Would I be better off with LSI 300/400s over a monitor 70 (I don't think I'd want to pay for the LSI 500)?

I've heard matching surrounds don't really matter that much, so I'll probably get some Monitor 40s, because I could get them cheap factory refurbished off ebay, and I'm planning on building a Dayton 15" for the sub from the parts kit on PartsExpress.

Any audiophiles chime in? I'm not completely brand locked on Polk, but I do already have a CS20, so I'm not looking to buy a new center anytime soon.

Thanks!

[Drew]

Most of the equipment you are using isn't really "audiophile" grade. I'm not trying to knock you but this stuff is purely consumer grade. I used to be a engineer at a speaker company where we made 50K+ speakers, so I know the depths that audiophiles will go in pursuit of pure sound. To answer your question, that center channel will be just fine with the speakers you want to get. I don't know what you budget is for the fronts, but at around 500ish you can start getting into actually decent speakers, it might be worth it if it's something you want to spend your money on.

[Celephais]

500 each you mean, correct? I would like to get the best quality I can get for the money, I'm certainly no audiophile, but I can't throw that kind of money at it. I have been seeing Monitor 70s for $120-150 each on rare occasion and plan on jumping on it the next time I see them, if I can do better in that price range, please advise.

I just asked for the advice of an audiophile because they'd be more likely to know the best in the range... yes, it will be 'wasted' on me for the most part as I'm pretty tone death, I just know that my current setup is way below par and needs improvement (other than the advents and recently the CS20 I have crappy low end consumer jvc surrounds)

[Drew]

You could probably get a pair of B&W 684s for around $600 if you looked/bargained. Remember the mark up on most audio equipment is 50-100%. If you start out with those you'll have some great speakers being pushed by a crappy amp, BUT that's a great way to start building a high quality system. A year from now you can get a Denon AVR 790 which lists for $500 and can be had for cheaper, then upgrade your center channel later and before you know it you have a rockin A/V system.

[Celephais]

Any advice on where to look for the B&Ws? Am I better off trolling around on the internet or going into shops?

[Asrial]

I just know that my current setup is way below par and needs improvement...Why do you feel this to be the case?

[Drew]

You know what would be a big help to me as far as recommending something to you? Give me this info about the room you plan to use your hi-fi in:

Approximate room size

Carpeted/tile/wood?

Any large windows?

How far away from the speakers do you plan to sit?

General use: music or movies?

Aesthetic concerns: S.O. doesn't like free standing speakers, etc.

Anything else you think is important.

[Buckwheet]

I am a sudo audiophile as of late, but I limit myself specifically to headphones as the purpose is for music, not for movies or TV.

But I second the Denon being a good amp to get started.

[Stunseed]

I'll pretty much echo everything Drew has said, even working at SoundAdvice I'd ask him questions to help with my installs and such.

One thing I would suggest is in major cities you'll occasionally notice very high-end speakers go on sale. One of the perks of working in that industry are the spiffs/hookups you get from the manufacturer, as when I sold Mitsu/Sony/etc I'd get a point for every dollar I sold. B&W had a program like that, and many people would sell so much they could get speakers .....FO FREE. Of course, you weren't supposed to sell them for a year, but before SA/Tweeter went down I personally knew people making 5-6/year CL'ing them.

[Cephalopod]

I hate 'true' audiophiles. My former boss spent close to $1m renovating his basement into a theater/music room. He had consultants come out to advise him on flooring materials, wall materials, then spent ridiculous amounts (~25-40k per) on speakers. He insisted on talking to me about it, and I hated him for it.

Just saying. I still have some pent up rage over it.

[Shari]

Why is it that every time I see this thread name that I see "Any pedophiles here?" :(

[Celephais]

You know what would be a big help to me as far as recommending something to you? Give me this info about the room you plan to use your hi-fi in:

Approximate room size
180"x150"


Carpeted/tile/wood?
Wood

[/quote]Any large windows?[/quote]
Two windows at the back, 30"x46"


How far away from the speakers do you plan to sit?
Um... 6 feet.


General use: music or movies?
Movies

[/quote]Aesthetic concerns: S.O. doesn't like free standing speakers, etc.[/quote]
Speakers are the priority


Anything else you think is important.
I like cherry more than black.

[Drew]

You know, your room isn't terribly big and it's going to be loud (in the sense of "reflective"), have you considered bookshelf speakers on a stand?

[Celephais]

You know, your room isn't terribly big and it's going to be loud (in the sense of "reflective"), have you considered bookshelf speakers on a stand?
If you think that'd be the better way to go, I'm thinking more future proofing though, as I won't be living here forever. If I could just use some bookshelves now in a 5.1 setup and then make them surrounds in a 7.1 setup in the future that'd be fine, any recommendations?

When it come to the sub, is there any real value add in having two? The receiver I currently have is 7.2, but I kind of don't get the point, subs being non-directional doesn't that just mean it has a second output (which if I wired the subs in series or parallel I could do on my own), or are there 'channels' for subs as well?

[Kuyuk]

I GIS'd retarded speakers to try and add to this thread, and sarah silverman was the 2nd image.

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/09/20/big-speaker.jpg

[BigWorm]

Any recommendations for a 2.1 starter setup for my apt that I could build around when I get a house in the near future? Basically starting from scratch here. Don't need anything too out of control, but this would be my normal TV sound setup and more importantly to me finally something decent for music.