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New member Username: Luke2004Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-06 | Hi guys. Just wanted to ask for some help on setting up my first real system. I have a large family room that is open on one end and flows into the kitchen. It is 19 by 14 with a large vaulted ceiling that starts at 9' and peaks at 16 feet. The speakers will be by the wall that peaks out at 16 feet. I have auditioned a few speakers(in store). I am leaning towards the Paradigm Monitor 11's for a two channel set up. I mainly listen to rock of all types and a small amount of jazz and R and B. Most of my budget is going into the speakers. I've looked at integrated amps, since I won't really need a tuner, but it seems that any decent integrated that has enough power will run me at least $700 and higher. I have a $300 gift card at J and R audio so I was thinking of using it for the HK 3480 receiver or the Onkyo 8522. Would either of these be OK for the paradigms? I also saw a used Marantz 4320 receiver for sale for $250(80 watts per channel). I also plan on using the Marantz 5001 cd player in this set up. Thanks in advance for the help!! |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 970 Registered: Nov-05 | If you are going for two channel only and don't need a tuner, then, imho, you should concentrate on an integrated amp only. For what you want I'd get a NAD C352 minimum and preferably a C372 or something equivalent if you prefer other brands. I have heard that NAD and Paradigm go well. Wait until you can afford a decent amp or you will be selling yourself short and could end up being sorry. Maybe you could look at the used market for something better that still fits into your budget. Ebay or Audigon etc. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1756 Registered: Sep-04 | John, Wrong way to build a system I'm afraid. The signal comes from the CD player, through the amp into the speakers. At every point along the way there is a degradation of that signal. No component can fix a broken signal - they can just mask problems. So if you have an open window of a pair of great expensive speakers in front of a fairly ordinary system, they will reveal excactly how bad that signal is. On the other hand if you build up the source and amp and go with lower grade speakers, you should hopefully get a better result, simply because the signal starts out better and the subsequent components are driven to their best ability. So in terms of budget, either look at balancing the budget between the three main components of CD/amp/speakers or weight it a bit toward the Cd player. Furthermore, don't forget about interconnects. There used to be a quote of 10% of the system on wire, but in my experience the correct wire to go with the system may be more than that. Which wire you go with depends on the kit you choose since you're trying to maintain that signal to its best ability all the way through the system. Regards, Frank. |
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New member Username: Luke2004Post Number: 3 Registered: Dec-06 | Thanks to both of you for your advice! Well it looks as if I'm going to be getting the HK 3480 receiver for a Christmas present from my wife( I found out by accident). Since this will be my first real system I will just stick with this receiver and build around it. I have an Amazon gift card and can use it to buy my cd player and I'm leaning towards the Marantz. Not sure if this would be a good match with the HK receiver ? From there I'll start auditioning speakers. Wish me luck! |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4941 Registered: Dec-04 | John, you are a lucky fellow! That H/K receiver will follow all the leads from a great cdp! I would hope that you check out the Rotel line for that receiver. 1072. Great player and a very good receiver...now the speakers... |
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New member Username: Luke2004Post Number: 4 Registered: Dec-06 | Thanks Nuck! So you think the Rotel cd player might be a better match with my receiver than the Marantz 5001 player? Sounds good, I'll look into the Rotel. I'm pretty sure I have a dealer for Rotel within 15 miles from me. In my initial post I said I was leaning towards Paradigm, but to tell you the truth I really had not listened to anything else! It was about 5 months ago that I walked into a Hi-Fi House and I only listened to the Monitor 9's and 11's. They both sounded great but I did not compare them to anything else, and I've never owned any really nice speakers. My father in law gave me his old pair of Altec Lansing 508 Towers that I had hooked up to my Optimus STAV 3370 receiver. I used an older Sony 5 disc changer with them. That is all I have ever owned or used. So I went out the other night to Tweeter for my second ever speaker audition. They had one room with the higher end stuff( Focal, Polk LSI and JBL L890). I believe these were hooked up to a Cambridge Azur integrated amp. The other room had speakers like JBL L880, Polr RTi 8, 10, 12 and some others. In the first room I really liked the JBL 890's. They had great life to them. a lot of punch and sounded very dynamic. VERY differnt from the Polk LSI. I guess you could use the term "bright" for the JBL's( I'm new at all of this so I'm trying to learn the terminology). So maybe I like bright speakers? I guess I have to listen to more! I mainly listen to Rock (dire straits, RUSH, VH, etc.) and some R and B such as Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Al Green, etc. Oh, by the way, the JBL's were $1400 so they were a bit above what I want to spend. The Polk Rti 10's had a similar sound to the JBL's I thought. I think they go for $1000. In my initial post I gave my room size , so I'd be greatful if someone could recommend a few floor standing speakers for me to try out! I'd like to stay under $1100 if possible. Maybe the Infinity Beta 50's? Just a guess. Thanks!! |
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Gold Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 1004 Registered: Dec-03 | John: I assume you got your H/K receiver, so let me suggest you get speaker that will compliment the sound of the H/K. Now, every H/K I have heard for the last five years has a very warm, almost dark sound (when compared to most other brands). This is not a criticism, but merely an assessment of the sound. So, you need a speaker that is a bit on the lively side. Hence, Paradigm (which I like) would be a poor choice. Same with the Infinitys. You see, if you mate a warm laid back sounding receiver with warm laid back speakers, your resulting system is too much of a good thing and the sound can be boring. Instead, you need to balance different sounds to get a resulting sound that sounds like the real thing. Therefore, I would look to something a bit brighter such as Focal (jmLabs), Polk LSis (not the RTis), Totems, Klipsch, or my favorites, Monitor Audio. Check out their Silver line, and you might like what is available on the closeout at Saturday Audio: http://www.saturdayaudio.com/ You have indicated you liked the brighter sounding speakers, and I think this may reflect the fact that those speakers were also hooked up to a rather warm, laid-back amp (Cambridge). I don't know the JBLs, but you should always go with what you like. Now, as for a CD player, I love Rotel. In fact, I have one myself. But Rotel can be somewhat pricey. In the USA, their player goes for $699, and is rarely discounted. I haven't heard the Marantz, so I cannot comment. However, you might also like an NAD CD player--they are very good, especially for the money, as their top of the line can be had for about $400 (discounted from $500). Good luck and enjoy! |
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New member Username: Luke2004Post Number: 5 Registered: Dec-06 | Thanks Hawk! I appreciate the help very much. I am still leaning towards the JBL L890's that I heard at Tweeter. I'd like to look into Rotel, but it is above my budget at the moment. I do have a local dealer that carries Energy speakers and also Marantz. They have the Marantz 5001 cd player for $300, so I may go that way. I'm wondering, are Energy speakers considered bright? Also trying to look into NAD for cd player but I'd have to travel a good bit to go buy one. |