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Mentor needed

RoughshodRod

RoughshodRod

New Member
I'm stuck.
SETUP:
Denon AVR 989 (bought used today)
Polk RTiA3 (front)
Wharfedale Diamond III (rear)
Martin Logan Motion 6 (center)
Polk PSW125 12" sub (sub)
Sony WEGA KDF-55WF655 WEGA (old flat screen rear projection LCD)...I love the TV as silly as it is.

ON HAND:
Sony STRDG710
POLK 8" downfiring sub

I find the Martin Logan to be dominant and even when the outgoing SONY STR was auto calibrated. It's an open rear basement room; 14' wide, 12' long, seated 9' from the center. Primarily used for family movie night, but I LOVE the chance to immerse myself in a bluray concert or movie once a week or so.

What would you sell and what would you keep? What would you save up to buy next on a tight budget?
Thanks in advance for all your thoughts. Take it easy.
 
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I always found LRC need to be similarly voiced. I did that with DIY monitors, Heresy, and now a thru projection screen system. "Identical" speakers blend together. Putting LRC behind the screen makes them disappear into the image.

From my experience, the matching and location of the speakers is more important than the "sound quality" of the speakers themselves for multi-channel surround recordings. My three Heresy setup should make for a killer theater setup. I really wanted to do that. Provided, however, I could get them behind the screen and match four more similarly voiced horn speakers in the ceiling. I had a very favorable room to work with , but THAT was not going to happen.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and help! After some looking around I have set up RTi10 mains, CSiA6 centre, Velodyne DPS12 sub, and put my RTiA3 as rears. With the Denon AVR989 this setup is wonderful. I'm looking casually for RTiA mains but the RTi10s are pretty good. My Martin Logan and Wharefdales are up for grabs (I'll post them officially in the appropriate section). Thanks!!!
 
Thats why the front three speakers should be identical. If thats not possible the speakers should be using the same mid range and tweeters with woofers with similar properties. And all the front speakers should be made by the same company and of similar characteristics. There are so many other characteristics other than frequency response and level that determine if the speakers are complementary as you are finding out.

Thats why I never bought my favorite speakers when I had a chance at half price. The company never made a center channel speaker that matched. My current front speakers use the same number of the same tweeter the same midrange the only difference is the center channel uses only half the number of the same woofers and therefore is half the size of the left and right. . So the sound is the same except the right and left have 3 db more out put capability. Which in this case is of no concern because the speakers have 7 db more output capability than I will ever use.
 
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I run different brand speakers in the front - a Martin Logan Motion 8 with Klipsch RF7-III's. You can't get much more on opposite ends of the spectrum! I choose the Martin Logan because I wanted the folded ribbon tweeter for the voices which dominate the center channel. Most good systems allow you to change the level and it really isn't a big deal to just balance them by ear. I don't really understand the requirement that everything be the same brand - it might make it "Easier" to tune, but since this is my hobby, I don't mind putting in a little work to get the sound I want. And I think my system sounds great! And so does everyone else who has heard it.

-Geoff
 
Some of us use measurements to "dial in" a system. IME ears are usually woefully inadequate for this. Personal likes often have little to do with FIRR (flat in room response). It's OK if you don't like the results (I do). However, it's the only way you get a reference quality setting to tweak.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Some of us use measurements to "dial in" a system. IME ears are usually woefully inadequate for this. Personal likes often have little to do with FIRR (flat in room response). It's OK if you don't like the results (I do). However, it's the only way you get a reference quality setting to tweak.
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I totally agree - measurements is the way to go if you have access to it. I am questioning everyone who said all speakers need to be the same brand or identical. Especially if you are doing, like you said, using measurements to "Dial in" your setup.

-Geoff
 
SomeGeoffGuy said:
I totally agree - measurements is the way to go if you have access to it. I am questioning everyone who said all speakers need to be the same brand or identical. Especially if you are doing, like you said, using measurements to "Dial in" your setup.

-Geoff
Click to expand...

Well, they should be for the ultimate. It's not that mixed can't sound good, or great, or even excellent. It usually makes the dialing in and balancing even easier. It'd be great to have my main HT setup with seven Paradigm Studio 100s placed at equidistant radius from my listening position, with their angular placement on the radius exactly per Dolby spec but it's just not practical. Or, maybe I just don't want it that way bad enough, I suppose. LOL.
 
I'm inclined to think that if you can't acquire/use identical speakers you should use speakers that have the same sort of sound signature. That would be esl's and planar magnetics (my current setup) and dome tweeters with other dome tweeters. In the same vein, using all horns, if that's your direction, would be the way to go.

I have 5 planar type speakers front (planar magnetic), center (planar magnetic) and surround (esl). Each is bi-amped with a separate subwoofer.
 
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