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Pedialyte posted:To clarify - I currently set my AVR to 5ch mode which is a speaker fill without the digital effects I am trying to avoid for vinyl listening. Would this be a worthwhile step up from what I am currently doing? Almost certainly, yes (depending mainly if your satellites are of exceptional quality and work well in music reproduction, followed by the quality of your subwoofer). Vinyl is inherently stereo music which is best served from 2 speakers and maaaaybe a subwoofer. While you're replacing stuff, have you considered replacing the fronts with Pioneer floorstanding speakers? FS-52 are only $140 per pair while the offer lasts. And if anyone else has been waiting for an offer on these, now's definitely the time to pull the trigger. Hob_Gadling fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Aug 12, 2014 |
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Aug 12, 2014 18:37
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Hob_Gadling posted:Almost certainly, yes (depending mainly if your satellites are of exceptional quality and work well in music reproduction, followed by the quality of your subwoofer). Vinyl is inherently stereo music which is best served from 2 speakers and maaaaybe a subwoofer. I paid full price for those speakers and don't regret it, they sound fantastic for the price.
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Aug 13, 2014 00:07
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I R SMART LIKE ROCK posted:I paid full price for those speakers and don't regret it, they sound fantastic for the price.
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Aug 13, 2014 00:37
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Pedialyte posted:The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Bookshelf speakers are on sale for only $60 today on Amazon. Half-off is a crazy good deal. Dang, I wish I knew about that deal yesterday. But today the Pioneer SP-C22 Andrew Jones Center Speaker is on sale for $50 (half off) !!
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Aug 13, 2014 21:59
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Could I get some input on the audio setup I've been thinking about? This would mainly be for listening to hip-hop/electronic music. Having said that they will be used for movies/tv but I'm not as picky about the sound quality for movies. What I'm currently looking at are the Presonus Eris E5 or E8 studio monitors. There are a few reasons these seem like the right choice for me, but I want to make sure I'm correct in my thinking. The first thing that is unclear to me is balanced vs. unbalanced inputs. The speakers have both inputs so I'm wondering if this would allow me to hook these up to a home theater receiver if my setup ever had one? I've read that studio monitors with just the balanced input need a preamp to safely interface with a receiver but I would like to avoid that. Another thing I'm wondering about would be whether or not it's safe to go xlr to 1/4 stereo to 1/8 stereo and then use a y-splitter? That would allow both speakers to plug into a single 3.5 jack. Lastly, I've read that studio monitors start to drop in quality if you're outside the optimal range. Are these types of speakers a bad choice if they're something I may want to entertain a garage sized room with? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm basically looking to put together a nice 2.0 setup that has room to grow.
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Aug 14, 2014 20:49
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I am looking for some advice on building an audio system that will be use for music, movies, and karaoke. This will be for my parents, who like to use their Vietnamese karaoke machine. Right now, it hooked up to the Passport Fender 150 Pro bought from Guitar Center, and it's pretty awful. I am wonder how well would a floor-standing speaker set work for karaoke purpose. I know it would be miles better for music and movies. If someone could recommend a 2.0 system for around $500-700 with a receiver that's would be great.
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Aug 15, 2014 04:41
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CRAYON posted:Could I get some input on the audio setup I've been thinking about? This would mainly be for listening to hip-hop/electronic music. Having said that they will be used for movies/tv but I'm not as picky about the sound quality for movies. First off, for electronic/hip-hop you'll definitely want the E8s. The 5s will be too lean on bass without a subwoofer to back them up. Don't worry about the balanced inputs, for normal home use, 99,9+% of all equipment uses normal RCA plugs (unbalanced). Even if your speakers only take balanced inputs (XLR or jack), there are adapter plugs available to turn them into normal unbalanced inputs. Because the speakers you're looking at are active (ie. the amplifiers are built-in), you will not need an external amplifier like you would with normal, passive speakers. The speakers will handle that for you, all they need is a line-level input. For instance, you could plug a CD player directly into them. This also means that you connect them up with normal RCA cables ("interconnects") instead of speaker wire. What you need is either a dedicated preamp or surround processor (those are relatively expensive), or a receiver with preamp outputs (those are usually quite affordable). I'm not quite sure what you're getting at with your XLR-jack-jack-splitter thing, I would just get a cable with a stereo minijack on one end and stereo RCA plugs on the other. Split the cable down the middle and connect one RCA to each speaker. Monoprice has them for next to nothing. Regarding the "optimal range" (or "sweet spot" thing), this happens to all speakers. Most studio monitors are made for near-field listening, placed right in front of you on a mixing desk or whatever. If you listen to them at a greater distance, they'll still work fine, although the treble may drop a little bit. Perhaps you won't even notice, but either way you can just turn up the treble a bit and be fine. It's much harder getting a large speaker meant to be heard at a distance sound good up close, than it is the other way around. You may find that the maximum sound level is lower than you'd think, if you're expecting club or concert sound levels. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 07:48 on Aug 15, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 07:45
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KozmoNaut posted:First off, for electronic/hip-hop you'll definitely want the E8s. The 5s will be too lean on bass without a subwoofer to back them up. A good post.  I have a similar setup on my computer to what CRAYON described, with some key differences. I have a pair of Mackie MR5 MkII's, a Scarlett 2i2 USB DAC/interface, using balanced TRS/XLR cables; each channel (left/right) requires it's own cable, and has it's own output. I was mainly concerned with AC hum, which I mitigated by offloading the audio processing from my motherboard (nearly eliminating buzz from the motherboard) and using balanced outputs (to make me feel better). Neither of these things will matter if you're only using this for an entertainment system. I would go for the largest woofers available in the same lineup, since you like bass-heavy music; unless you feel like getting a sub, which will complicate your build.  You will NOT be able to use a standard home theater receiver if it does not have line level outputs (meaning they are un-amplified); you can actually damage your monitors and receiver if you hook up to an amplified output; so make sure your receiver has pre-outs.You could avoid all these issues by just getting regular speakers and a receiver, though.
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Aug 15, 2014 09:51
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Wasabi the J posted:I have a similar setup on my computer to what CRAYON described, with some key differences. I have a pair of Mackie MR5 MkII's, a Scarlett 2i2 USB DAC/interface, using balanced TRS/XLR cables; each channel (left/right) requires it's own cable, and has it's own output. My own setup is quite similar, too. Adam A5X monitors, two Dali SWA 12 subwoofers, DBX Driverack PX DSP crossover, NAD C165BEE preamp, FiiO D3 DAC. I'm using TOSLINK to the DAC to eliminate noise from the PC. I went with the 5" woofer model because of space issues and price. Setting up the subwoofers correctly was a bit tricky, but it's pretty good now.
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Aug 15, 2014 11:05
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Another Poster posted:I am looking for some advice on building an audio system that will be use for music, movies, and karaoke. This will be for my parents, who like to use their Vietnamese karaoke machine. Now would be a great time to buy these: Andrew Jones Floor Speakers Normally $129 each but they are only $94 each right now. Choosing a receiver may take a little time and research on your part. It really comes down to what features are important to you. Try to think about possible future needs in addition to what you want today. Do you need/want airplay? Bluetooth or USB connectivity? 5.1, 7.1, or 7.2 for future upgrades? Dynamic range control to moderate the volume? YPAO or similar sound optimization? 4k and/or 3D capable? If none of these features matter then you would probably be happy with something like this: Onkyo receiver without many features $179 If all of those features sound great then maybe you want this: Yamaha receiver with tons of features $399 Or decide on what features you need and look through amazon to pick out a receiver that matches your needs. You should consider spending a small portion of your budget on a nice center speaker like: Andrew Jones center speaker Normally $99 but it is $68 right now. It will make a big difference when watching movies. If you can get away with the cheaper receiver you are only looking at $435 including the center speaker. You could be happy that you are under budget or buy an amazing subwoofer: Polk 12 inch subwoofer $254 Or its baby brother: Polk 10 inch subwoofer $129
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Aug 15, 2014 16:23
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Wait for the 505 to go on sale or look into the BIC-12. Don't bother with the PSW10 in a large room.
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Aug 15, 2014 17:51
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KillHour posted:Wait for the 505 to go on sale or look into the BIC-12. Don't bother with the PSW10 in a large room. What price have you seen the 505 go down to? How does the BIC-12 compare to the 505?
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Aug 15, 2014 18:27
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skimeifyoucan posted:What price have you seen the 505 go down to? How does the BIC-12 compare to the 505? I've regularly seen it for ~200 or less, especially around Black Friday. I got mine from Amazon last year for $179.99. http://camelcamelcamel.com/Polk-Audio-12-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/product/B000092TT0?context=browse I haven't heard the BIC personally, but the construction and specs are very similar to the PSW505, so it should be comparable. Several people in the thread have one and like it. KillHour fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Aug 15, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 19:23
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skimeifyoucan posted:Now would be a great time to buy these: Those looks great. Will it work fine with karaoke though? I'm just worry that the speaker could blow or something if I'm not careful with the mic input.
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Aug 15, 2014 21:42
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Another Poster posted:Those looks great. Will it work fine with karaoke though? I'm just worry that the speaker could blow or something if I'm not careful with the mic input. Maybe there is a "max volume" settings in receivers that could prevent that? skimeifyoucan fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Aug 16, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 22:22
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I'm looking to buy a smallish system for my computer. Most use will be for gaming and watching movies, I'm not really interested in a souround system because I don't have a lot of space. Ideally I would like a couple of decent bookshelf speakers and a receiver. I have about 600-700 dollars to burn.
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Aug 18, 2014 09:50
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Qvark posted:I'm looking to buy a smallish system for my computer. At that budget I really recommend visiting your local hi-fi shop and listening to the alternatives. Off the top of my head I could suggest you look into Marantz PM5004 or PM6004 with Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 as a baseline. For amps, maybe a Yamaha R-S500 if you want a radio tuner or Harman Kardon 3490 if you want digital connectivity for some reason. For speakers maybe a pair of B&W 685 if you find a good deal somewhere, but other than that it depends completely on what you have available near you. Keep in mind that active monitors are also an option if you don't intend to connect other devices into the setup. For a cheaper alternative look up Pioneer SP-BS41-LR with Yamaha R-S300BL or Sony stereo amps.
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Aug 18, 2014 10:21
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Hob_Gadling posted:At that budget I really recommend visiting your local hi-fi shop and listening to the alternatives. Thank you for this! Sadly I can't find any B&W 685 in my country (Sweden). The only resonably priced Bookshelf speakers made by B&W I can find is B&W DM686. Other than that the price range looks about right. e: About active monitors: are there any downsides with them besides not being able to connect any other devices to them?
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Aug 18, 2014 11:28
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Qvark posted:Thank you for this! Sadly I can't find any B&W 685 in my country (Sweden). If I had known you were a Swede, I'd have looked up the offerings of Hi-Fi Klubben right away. I really recommend checking this setup out: https://www.hifiklubben.se/Products/nad-d3020-dali-zensor-3-stereoanlaggning-71885/ NAD d3020 is a combined DAC and stereo amp, which is about perfect for what you're looking for. It's also a relatively compact form factor. The cheaper alternative isn't bad either: https://www.hifiklubben.se/Products/argon-da2-v2-dali-zensor-1-digital-stereoanlaggning-62324/ Check at least those two out, no matter what else you might end up with. Note that both of them lack inputs if you want to attach more stuff into the system.
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Aug 18, 2014 11:59
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Hob_Gadling posted:If I had known you were a Swede, I'd have looked up the offerings of Hi-Fi Klubben right away. I really recommend checking this setup out: Nice, thank you! I'll swing right by Hi-Fi Klubben on my way home from work then.
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Aug 18, 2014 12:47
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Qvark posted:Thank you for this! Sadly I can't find any B&W 685 in my country (Sweden). The only resonably priced Bookshelf speakers made by B&W I can find is B&W DM686. Other than that the price range looks about right. Something like this can also alleviate your lack of inputs
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Aug 18, 2014 12:50
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Can you swing $800? Because the Adam A5Xs are super amazing.
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Aug 18, 2014 15:06
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I have been using an old Pioneer receiver since around 1999. Obviously there's no network stuff on it, no Audyssey or any fancy setup like that, no HDMI, and while it sounds fine to me, I'm thinking I probably need an upgrade, if not just because I can't really get by with having every HDMI device plugged into its own port on my TV itself and I wouldn't mind moving the old system downstairs. I've also recently bought myself some Klipsch speakers. I love the sound of Klipsch speakers. I love these speakers. So my question is this: if I go out and buy a Marantz receiver that I've had my eyes on for a bit, am I really going to notice the difference in sound? Obviously the added functionality of Audyssey setup is of interest and so is the ability to run all of my HDMI stuff into the receiver, but will it make a huge difference in the sound itself? Some folks on the net make the argument that "all receivers sound the same". I'm hoping I'm making the audiophile gaffe equivalent to asking Games if an upgrade from a Playstation to a PS4 would be noticeable, but I just don't know. Audiophiles say weird stuff on the internet so I don't know what to believe.
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Aug 19, 2014 15:03
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Does your current receiver support dts or dd?
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Aug 19, 2014 15:11
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Thank you Wasabi the J and KozmoNaut for the helpful posts regarding studio monitors. If and when I decide to take the plunge I'll make sure to let the thread know how things are sounding.
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Aug 19, 2014 15:14
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Don Lapre posted:Does your current receiver support dts or dd? Yeah both of those are in fact supported on my current receiver.
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Aug 19, 2014 15:19
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InfiniteZero posted:Yeah both of those are in fact supported on my current receiver. If you are happy with what you got then id probably just keep it. Having 6+ hdmi ports is nice though. Really cleans up cabling
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Aug 19, 2014 15:23
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InfiniteZero posted:So my question is this: if I go out and buy a Marantz receiver that I've had my eyes on for a bit, am I really going to notice the difference in sound? No idea. Are you? There will be measurable differences in the sound. Whether they are meaningful to you is something you'll have to tell us; we've moved from reference to preference. I upgraded my own stereo receiver from an old Sony to Marantz simply because it sounded much better, so my answer would be "yes".
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Aug 19, 2014 15:24
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So I'm looking for a new sub to compliment my soundbar but which will eventually in the distant future be part of an entry level home theater system. Nothing fancy, medium room. Don't want anything too big. Been watching some sales the past couple of days BIC America F12 12-Inch $184 Which is highly recommended everywhere. Just a bit worried about size. Polk Audio PSW10 $100 Then the PSW10 which is always a solid choice. Seems to always be around $100 and sometimes on sale for around $80. Got this for my mom and it does sound great for the price. Then these two Jamo SUB 210 $100 JBL ES150PBK $160
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Aug 21, 2014 02:23
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Look at the outlaw m8. Its a small 8 that can get down to 29hz. Its $249
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Aug 21, 2014 02:29
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Christoff posted:So I'm looking for a new sub to compliment my soundbar but which will eventually in the distant future be part of an entry level home theater system. Nothing fancy, medium room. Don't want anything too big. Been watching some sales the past couple of days Out of those, I would recommend the BIC F12. The PSW10 just doesn't get down as low as you'd want for movies. I've heard good things about the Outlaw stuff, but there's really no reason to go with a smaller sub unless you have space constraints.
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Aug 21, 2014 03:45
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Andrew Jones speakers are on sale again. I bought the center speaker the last time they were on sale - it sounds great but doesn't match my current crappy left and right speakers (I knew this would be the case but my budget is tight and I plan on upgrading my system piece at a time). Even without them matching it makes a big difference, especially for movies. The dialogue was so hard to hear before I got the center speaker but now I can hear it crystal clear without needing to grab the remote to turn down the volume every time an explosion goes off. So today I bought the left and right Andrew Jones speakers and I can't wait until they arrive! I will post again after I have hooked them up and listened to them for a while. I think it is going to be a pretty good 3.0 set-up that will hold me over until my next purchase which will most likely be the Polk PSW505 12 inch subwoofer but it might be a couple months before I have the extra cash saved up.
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Aug 24, 2014 23:49
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Sent my passive soundbar back today and got some of the new klipsch cheap reference speakers. Sound pretty good so far. Got the R15m bookshelves and R25c center channel. HHGregg lists the bookshelves for $125 instead of $249 so i got bestbuy to pricematch. Found out later when i went to hhgregg to get another pair that they price speakers as per speaker on their site and will basically break a pair in half if you only want to buy one bookshelf. So welp.
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Aug 25, 2014 01:00
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skimeifyoucan posted:Andrew Jones speakers are on sale again. I bought the center speaker the last time they were on sale - it sounds great but doesn't match my current crappy left and right speakers (I knew this would be the case but my budget is tight and I plan on upgrading my system piece at a time). Even without them matching it makes a big difference, especially for movies. The dialogue was so hard to hear before I got the center speaker but now I can hear it crystal clear without needing to grab the remote to turn down the volume every time an explosion goes off. So today I bought the left and right Andrew Jones speakers and I can't wait until they arrive! I will post again after I have hooked them up and listened to them for a while. I think it is going to be a pretty good 3.0 set-up that will hold me over until my next purchase which will most likely be the Polk PSW505 12 inch subwoofer but it might be a couple months before I have the extra cash saved up. I currently have a 3.1 setup using the Andrew Jones bookshelf and center with a PSW10 and it's a solid little setup that's louder than anything I've ever had before. You're in for a treat 
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Aug 25, 2014 01:02
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skimeifyoucan posted:Andrew Jones speakers are on sale again. I bought the center speaker the last time they were on sale - it sounds great but doesn't match my current crappy left and right speakers (I knew this would be the case but my budget is tight and I plan on upgrading my system piece at a time). Even without them matching it makes a big difference, especially for movies. The dialogue was so hard to hear before I got the center speaker but now I can hear it crystal clear without needing to grab the remote to turn down the volume every time an explosion goes off. So today I bought the left and right Andrew Jones speakers and I can't wait until they arrive! I will post again after I have hooked them up and listened to them for a while. I think it is going to be a pretty good 3.0 set-up that will hold me over until my next purchase which will most likely be the Polk PSW505 12 inch subwoofer but it might be a couple months before I have the extra cash saved up. Same setup I have and I absolutely love it. The bass is still pretty good so you may be happy with it and not even want the sub. I've had it since March and haven't bought a sub yet and don't feel like I'm missing out, though I have just been waiting for a good deal.
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Aug 25, 2014 20:17
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Polk speakers are also a great choice of speakers for your first system. Monitor 75T $249 each @ NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290272 Polk TSX550T is something I've been keeping my eye on. If it ends up in sales, it's a great choice for a stereo system. Cherry veneer also looks very nice with the 8" woofers: (it's a marketing picture but it's just so very sexy) 
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Aug 25, 2014 20:54
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I have a 3.1 setup with the AJ floorstanders and center, and Polk PSW505 and it's pretty badass. I don't think I could improve on it without spending another thousand bucks or so. Meets my needs right now.
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Aug 25, 2014 21:25
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skipdogg posted:I have a 3.1 setup with the AJ floorstanders and center, and Polk PSW505 and it's pretty badass. I don't think I could improve on it without spending another thousand bucks or so. Meets my needs right now. Have you thought of upgrading to 5.1 with the AJ bookshelf speakers for the rear speakers? Or do you not have the space or interest in surround sound? When I make the move from apartment to house I plan on buying the floorstanding speakers and putting my bookshelf speakers in the rear.
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Aug 26, 2014 01:22
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Christoff posted:So I'm looking for a new sub to compliment my soundbar but which will eventually in the distant future be part of an entry level home theater system. Nothing fancy, medium room. Don't want anything too big. Been watching some sales the past couple of days If you're on a budget and/or worried about size, BIC's small sub is surprisingly good. http://www.amazon.com/BIC-AMERICA-V-80-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B00009WBYK/ref=sr_1_23?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1409067278&sr=1-23 I've got it for my 5.1 system in a fairly large room. It obviously doesn't have the boom that a big 12 will but it's really great for the size.
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Aug 26, 2014 16:35
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skimeifyoucan posted:Have you thought of upgrading to 5.1 with the AJ bookshelf speakers for the rear speakers? Or do you not have the space or interest in surround sound? When I make the move from apartment to house I plan on buying the floorstanding speakers and putting my bookshelf speakers in the rear. I eventually want to, just hasn't been a priority to be honest. To cleanly run the speaker wire, I would have to climb my fat rear end up into the attic and deal with 18 inches of blown in fiberglass insulation, neither of which I'm terribly keen on doing right now. The back of my couch is against an external wall as well, so that's more BS to deal with. The 3.1 works really well for my needs, so I'm happy for now.
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Aug 26, 2014 17:30
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