| Brainstorming my speaker strategy [message #69167 is a reply to message #69088] |
Wed, 24 August 2011 17:25   |
brewthunda
Messages: 3
Registered: August 2011
Location: United States
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Esquire |
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Thanks, Wayne!
I wonder if I could pick your brain for a moment.
We recently moved to a new house and our tv setup now resides in a large living room area. The room is 35' x 29' and has a ceiling that is 12' on the sides, rising up to 25' at the peak. Our tv/speaker setup is in a corner, aiming out into the room at roughly a 30 degree angle. The tv setup includes a Marantz SR7000 receiver bought in 2000 and a pair of Cerwin Vega VS-120's that I bought in 1992 back in college. We also use a NHT center channel speaker with a MTM configuration.
Up until now I've been pretty happy with the Cerwin Vega's for what they are. The advertised specs claim 97db sensitivity, so they play loud easily, but the sound has never really been what I would call "refined". We previously used them solely for TV/Movies in our basement and would listen to music on our dedicated 2 channel system based on my North Creek Rhythms and Rega electronics. I love the refinement of the North Creek Rhythms, but wish they had a bit more dynamic slam.
With the move to the new house our listening and living patterns have changed quite a bit. The North Creek system is now in a cozy music nook upstairs and the tv setup is now in our living room. When we hang out as a family or entertain friends, it's now in the living room with the Cerwin Vega setup. With the big room, we are often listening far off-axis and the Cerwin Vegas just don't sound so hot. The NHT center channel is also only good if you're sitting in the sweet spot - anything off axis sounds awful (who came up with the idea of a horizontal MTM layout for a center?).
So what I'd like to do is replace the Cerwin Vegas, ditch the NHT and try to keep the Marantz. I'm looking for something that sounds good over a wide area, something that can fill that big room with effortless sound, something with a bit of slam for realistic reproduction of live music and something that can do away with the need for a dedicated center channel speaker. I want it to sound good for both music and tv. I figure I'll probably need a sub of some sort to fill in the bottom range.
So my questions to you are:
1) Am I on the right track looking at the 4 pi's?
2) What would you suggest for a subwoofer? Can I get away with one sub in the corner behind the speakers (maybe like a Parts Express Titanic 15" kit)? Or would a couple of 3 Pi subs be better? In your professional opinion, how much subwoofer do I need for a 1,000 sq foot room with 12-25' ceilings?
Thanks and sorry for the long post!
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