Any home theater buffs?

[TGates]

Well I went and heard some real serious speakers today. Went to a high end A/V shop in KC where they sell B&W, Martin Logan, Wilson, etc. I listened to some 700 and 800 series B&Ws and the imagining, midrange and treble was just stunning. They sounded amazing, but still left me wanting a little more in the bass. I like punchy bass. Plus, they just did not sound worth anywhere from $4000 to $12000 which they were priced.



I came back and listened to the Monitor RS-8s and they sounded great in the lower frequencies. I still have to audition the Paradigms. I went to the local Paradigm dealer Friday afternoon but they couldn't get any of their speakers to work for some reason, soooooo I'll have to drive back before I make a final choice, but so far, I'm leaning towards the Monitors. I hope I have enough power for them. I think they're rated at 91db sensitivity, which is almost 10db less than I'm used to, but they do sound better in the store than my current Infinity Studio Montitors at home.

 

[ZaneO]

IMO...



Onkyo Integra for music emphasis and good movie surround.



Pioneer Elite for movie emphasis and good stereo sound.



I run an Onkyo/Paradigm setup.



I have an amazing hook up here in Lubbock for high-end equipment (Integra, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Levinson, Paradigm, B&W, Velodyne, etc.). It might even be worth the trip here.



Let me know what you decide on, and I'll let you know what kind of prices I can get for you.

 

[TGates]

IMO...



Onkyo Integra for music imphasis and good movie surround.



Pioneer Elite for movie imphasis and good stereo sound.



I run an Onkyo/Paradigm setup.



I have an amazing hook up here in Lubbock for high-end equipment (Integra, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Levinson, Paradigm, B&W, Velodyne, etc.). It might even be worth the trip here.



Let me know what you decide on, and I'll let you know what kind of prices I can get for you.

Lucky :furious: If I had a hookup on A/V equipment, I would have been broke long ago. PM sent, thanks for the heads up.





On another note, the RS-8s are rated at a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. My receiver is switchable between 4 and 8. Will this be a problem?

 

[the other pc]

...On another note, the RS-8s are rated at a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. My receiver is switchable between 4 and 8. Will this be a problem?

When you say “switchable between 4 and 8� do you mean that you can use either or do you mean there’s an actual switch to set? If it’s rated for either it will work just fine with 6 Ohm speakers. If you have to change a setting of some sort set it for 4 Ohms.





PC.

 

[TGates]

When you say “switchable between 4 and 8� do you mean that you can use either or do you mean there’s an actual switch to set? If it’s rated for either it will work just fine with 6 Ohm speakers. If you have to change a setting of some sort set it for 4 Ohms.





PC.

There's an actual switch on the back that I can switch back and forth from 4 to 8 ohms for the mains, and the rears and center also change accordingly, I don't remember what to.



Here's a link to the receiver online where you can check out the specs, if you would be so kind. http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/DsplyModel/?gAVR00010HTR-5250



And a link to the owner's manual-->http://www.yamaha.com/menuitems/manuals/yec/HTR-5250.pdf



The 4 ohm setting on the receiver won't cause problems with speakers rated at 6 ohms nominal impedance? I will eventually (as in several months from now) be upgrading my receiver to a newer unit with closer to 150 watts per channel, 6 ohm capability to compliment the Monitors, and better control over my subwoofer. In the meantime, I'd be using the Yamaha.



As for speakers, I'm pretty much sold on the Monitor RS-8's, RS-LCR for a center, and two RF-1 bookshelves for surround duty. I'll be bi-wiring the RS-8s and possibly adding another sub just for fun, or maybe just upgrading. If anybody wants a 10 month old SVS PB10-ISD, let me know

 

[the other pc]

...The 4 ohm setting on the receiver won't cause problems with speakers rated at 6 ohms nominal impedance? ...

Nope, 4 Ohms or higher. There's a table on page 18 (.pdf page 22) of the manual that says how to set the switch for different speakers. (It basically says what I just said.)



Impedance of an electrical device is just like a restriction in an air hose. Higher impedance is like having a greater restriction i.e. a smaller hole. Lower impedance is like having a bigger hole.



It may seem that the higher restriction is a higher load, and that would be true if we were trying to achieve a given flow (electrical current). The more restrictive the device the more power it would take to achieve that flow through it.



But amplifiers and speakers aren't designed for flow (current). They're for pressure (voltage). To maintain a desired pressure takes more work if the hole is less restrictive because when you try to build pressure it all leaks out. It's easier to build pressure behind a smaller hole. It takes less power to achieve a given voltage (pressure) on an 8 Ohm speaker than on a 4 Ohm speaker, just as it takes less air compressor power to run an airbrush (small hole/big restriction/low flow) than an HVLP spray gun (big hole/small restriction/high flow).



A 4 Ohm speaker is actually a heavier load than an 8 Ohm speaker and a 6 Ohm speaker is right in the middle.





PC.

 

[TGates]

Nope, 4 Ohms or higher. There's a table on page 18 (.pdf page 22) of the manual that says how to set the switch for different speakers. (It basically says what I just said.)



Impedance of an electrical device is just like a restriction in an air hose. Higher impedance is like having a greater restriction i.e. a smaller hole. Lower impedance is like having a bigger hole.



It may seem that the higher restriction is a higher load, and that would be true if we were trying to achieve a given flow (electrical current). The more restrictive the device the more power it would take to achieve that flow through it.



But amplifiers and speakers aren't designed for flow (current). They're for pressure (voltage). To maintain a desired pressure takes more work if the hole is less restrictive because when you try to build pressure it all leaks out. It's easier to build pressure behind a smaller hole. It takes less power to achieve a given voltage (pressure) on an 8 Ohm speaker than on a 4 Ohm speaker, just as it takes less air compressor power to run an airbrush (small hole/big restriction/low flow) than an HVLP spray gun (big hole/small restriction/high flow).



A 4 Ohm speaker is actually a heavier load than an 8 Ohm speaker and a 6 Ohm speaker is right in the middle.





PC.

Interesting, very insightful. Based on your info, I went ahead and had my local store order me a new set of Monitor RS-8s to use with my receiver for the time being. When the time comes, I will also order the corresponding center and rears, but I'm not too worried about it since I'm a music guy.



I want to thank you all again, especially the other pc, for all your help and recommendations. I learned more in this thread than in my past couple of years reading up on this stuff.

 

[TGates]

Brought the RS-8s they had as demos (on the floor for about 2 weeks) home today at a discounted price. Got them bi-wired and man, do they sound great. Love the sound, love the size, love the finish.



Now to start saving for more upgrades :grinno:

 

[the other pc]

...man, do they sound great. Love the sound, love the size, love the finish....

:xyxthumbs



Glad you like ‘em. MA makes a really fine product (and some of the best finished cabinets in the industry).



Enjoy.





PC.

 

[TGates]

:xyxthumbs



Glad you like ‘em. MA makes a really fine product (and some of the best finished cabinets in the industry).



Enjoy.





PC.

Thanks!



I really like the rounded edges on the cabinet. Many of the other speakers I looked at in the price range, and even several costing twice as much, didn't have this nice touch. It really makes a big difference.



I am still floored by the bass these two little 6 inch C-CAM and one C-CAM midbass driver can produce.



I can certainly see where this hobby would be addictive. Between it, the detailing, my cars, and my motorcycles, I'm going to need to make a lot of money :nervous2:

 

[94BlkStang]

I'm going to be checking out some other brands this weekend. There's a shop that carries B&W, another that carries Paradigm, and then I'm going to go back to the shop here in town and hook my receiver up to the Monitor RS-8s and Klipsch RF-7s again and try to make a choice.



Any others in the $2000 price range I should check out? I was thinking about the Paradigm Studio 100s and I'm not sure which B&W (if any) fall in this price range.

A good home theater speaker system is M & K. They are famous for sub satelite systems and are very compact for easy blending into any decor. I also like Denon for a home theater receiver, although you can't go wrong with a Yamaha, Onkyo or Pioneer Elite. Good luck and let us know what you end up with. I'm currently running Denon and Snell speakers.

 

[TGates]

A good home theater speaker system is M & K. They are famous for sub satelite systems and are very compact for easy blending into any decor. I also like Denon for a home theater receiver, although you can't go wrong with a Yamaha, Onkyo or Pioneer Elite. Good luck and let us know what you end up with. I'm currently running Denon and Snell speakers.

Thanks for the suggestions... check a my last few posts. I already purchased a set of speakers and will be adding the matching center and surrounds shortly, and eventually upgrading my receiver to one with the newest formats.