How important is the quality of the suround speakers in a 5.1 system...how far would i need to go till no tangible benefit of upgrading is achieved?
How important is the quality of the suround speakers?
- Thread starter GSB
- Start date
Personally I think they're more important than they used to be, especially with the advent of HD audio.
If I'm reading your signature right you've currently got the KEF 'eggs' at the rear?
If so I think you would hear a difference if you upgraded them to some KEF 'bookshelf' speakers, or (even better) some dedicated wall mounted surrounds.
Havent heard these but they are a similar dipole design to my MA rears, which am very happy with:
http://www.kef.com/html/en/showroom/hi-fi_series/q_series/fact_sheets/Centre_Dipole_Subwoofers/Q800ds/index.html
If I'm reading your signature right you've currently got the KEF 'eggs' at the rear?
If so I think you would hear a difference if you upgraded them to some KEF 'bookshelf' speakers, or (even better) some dedicated wall mounted surrounds.
Havent heard these but they are a similar dipole design to my MA rears, which am very happy with:
http://www.kef.com/html/en/showroom/hi-fi_series/q_series/fact_sheets/Centre_Dipole_Subwoofers/Q800ds/index.html
Now that is a question....and the answer probably lies in how fanatical you are about HT, and the elasticity of your budget.
For some people, nothing less than all 5 speakers being identical, will suffice.
For me, I like to allocate the budget to where it has the biggest impact....which can vary depending on how important 2 channel is. ie:
1] Centre
2] Sub (almost as important as Centre)
3] Front L&R (can be much more important depending on 2 channel importance)
4] Rear (need to be from the same brand and preferably from the same range).
- IMO. The quality of the amp should never be underestimated.
- It may be worth spending more on Front speaker cables than the rear ones.
- It's worth bi-amping if stereo is important (and you don't have a dedicated 2 channel amp).
For some people, nothing less than all 5 speakers being identical, will suffice.
For me, I like to allocate the budget to where it has the biggest impact....which can vary depending on how important 2 channel is. ie:
1] Centre
2] Sub (almost as important as Centre)
3] Front L&R (can be much more important depending on 2 channel importance)
4] Rear (need to be from the same brand and preferably from the same range).
- IMO. The quality of the amp should never be underestimated.
- It may be worth spending more on Front speaker cables than the rear ones.
- It's worth bi-amping if stereo is important (and you don't have a dedicated 2 channel amp).
I'll confess I skimped on speaker cable for the rear channels, relative to the front channels - 24 feet of bi-wired QED silver cabling for the rears was a step to far for the wallet at the time.
I'm thinking along the lines of upgrading my sub next year(for av+hifi),this is the ''next step''.
The 3001'se's are great lil speakers and the suround i get is very imersive,just wondering basicaly what is overkill as far as spec goes,considering the frequency range the surounds deal with...ie if i add another pair of R100's will i be useing them 'fully' :?
Still not convinced on spending more on speaker cables,but hopfully auditions will put that to bed.
Interested in the wall mounted speakers tho(if relativly flat),could have a 7.1 then
The 3001'se's are great lil speakers and the suround i get is very imersive,just wondering basicaly what is overkill as far as spec goes,considering the frequency range the surounds deal with...ie if i add another pair of R100's will i be useing them 'fully' :?
Still not convinced on spending more on speaker cables,but hopfully auditions will put that to bed.
Interested in the wall mounted speakers tho(if relativly flat),could have a 7.1 then
GSB said:I'm thinking along the lines of upgrading my sub next year(for av+hifi),this is the ''next step''.
The 3001'se's are great lil speakers and the suround i get is very imersive,just wondering basicaly what is overkill as far as spec goes,considering the frequency range the surounds deal with...ie if i add another pair of R100's will i be useing them 'fully' :?
Still not convinced on spending more on speaker cables,but hopfully auditions will put that to bed.
Interested in the wall mounted speakers tho(if relativly flat),could have a 7.1 then
I would upgrade in the following order:
- Sub
- R100 (Rear).....will give you a more even, homogeneous and balanced sound field.
- Front S/Cs
- Experiment with 7.1
CnoEvil said:GSB said:I'm thinking along the lines of upgrading my sub next year(for av+hifi),this is the ''next step''.
The 3001'se's are great lil speakers and the suround i get is very imersive,just wondering basicaly what is overkill as far as spec goes,considering the frequency range the surounds deal with...ie if i add another pair of R100's will i be useing them 'fully' :?
Still not convinced on spending more on speaker cables,but hopfully auditions will put that to bed.
Interested in the wall mounted speakers tho(if relativly flat),could have a 7.1 then
I would upgrade in the following order:
- Sub
- R100 (Rear).....will give you a more even, homogeneous and balanced sound field.
- Front S/Cs:
- Experiment with 7.1:The thing is,the new R100's suround backs would be at about 45degree's behind the listener,instead of directly behind,and the suround L/R would have to be flat wall mounted speakers,would this work,or is it going to compound the issue?
I have QED cooper s/c,i read that the silver can produce a 'bright' sound,is this correct?mr malarky said:
GSB said:
I have no experience of this, but i suspect the closer you get to the "ideal", the nearer you will get to how it was intended to sound.
Re S/C....I have usually found Silver coated cable a bit bright and forward for my taste, but it can add life to a system that is a little too smooth and lifeless.
Incidently cno have you heard the kef R400 sub...if so what do you think,compared to others of that price range?
GSB said:
I'm sorry, but I haven't.
I didn't rate the cheaper Kef subs from a few years ago, but this looks a different proposition.
The Subs I like tend to be a little more expensive:
Personally heard:
- Paradigm Seismic 110
- Velodyne SPL Ultra Series
Well reviewed:
- SVS Sealed Subs
- KK Sound (as recommended by David of FH)
- B&W PV1D
I'm keeping an eye on the classifieds for a pv1 as i'm sure plenty will be wanting the newer version.
Not in a position to purchase(therefor audition)any subs yet,but your list is much appreciated :cheers:
Not in a position to purchase(therefor audition)any subs yet,but your list is much appreciated :cheers:
GSB said:
Also keep an eye out for the Velodynes that preceeded the Ultra Series. I had the SPL1200R which was terrific.....even the SPL1000R would have more scale and impact than a PV1, which is great for 2 Channel, but possibly a little lightweight for AV (compared to the best).
abacus
Well-known member
GSB said:
NO, it will not make any difference, only by adding additional capacitance (Which Silver cable doesn't) will you get a brighter and inaccurate (Not as the designer intended) sound.
Hope this helps
Bill
Hi GSB, sorry for not replying to your earlier question re cables (Mrs M is home today and apparently its 'rude' if I sit here typing on my phone!?!). Are you including any dipole speakers on the potentials list if you do upgrade?
Hey Mr M,i like the size of the 'eggs'i have(they sit on a sideboard and consall table),but i suspect to get better i will have to go bigger,most probably another pair of R100's.
Another pair of R100's would give good uniformity throughout. Or (if budget allows) you could upgrade the front channels and move your existing R100's to the rears? Try and keep dipoles in the mix for a while though, especially if your worried about positioning/location - they wall mount nicely so you don't have to worry about footprint so much, and they diffuse the sound (in a good way) so your less conscious of the effects coming from a specific 'spot' in the room. Be interested to hear the results if you do make a change, whichever way you go with it.
bigboss
Moderator
I've demoed the Kef R400 sub when I demoed some systems last week at Frank Harvey Hi Fi. It is very good. Despite the room acoustics being far from ideal (wooden floors and soft walls which do not reflect back any sound), it delivered heart pounding bass remarkably well.
bigboss said:
A little off topic but agreed wooden floors are not ideal but sound absorbing walls? I want some of them!
I watched skyfall again yesterday,with the intention of listening to my system,as opposed to watching the film..The scene at skyfall where the helicopter approaches is a favourite,the suround sound is very detailed and believable(it sounds just like a 'copter is hovering over us),the weight of the sound when the cannon on the 'copter lets loose is fantastic,but there are flaws in my system,can't put my finger on it either....i believe it could be the sub becouse for instance i,if you like flinch becouse it wasn't quite right when the tube train comes crashing thru the dissused tunel....the preceding explosion was good,tight with a deep rich weighty tone that echoed 'round the room,but the crash seemed a bit less detailed and muddled.....am i making sense?Am i noticing a flaw in the sub or have i got my bass and midrange mixed up?!! :shifty:
bigboss
Moderator
For a subwoofer to work optimally, there has to be some reflection back. David has to use 2 subwoofers instead of 1, just to get the effect of one in a normal room. It may be a different case for speakers.
bigboss
Moderator
GSB said:
Have you set your speakers to "small" to allow the sub take care of lower frequencies on its own and let the speakers concentrate on higher ranges?
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