I bought a Yamaha 5760 receiver and the JBL SCS136 home theater speaker package. I am not too impressed with the performance of the JBLs and am looking for a replacement. While the speakers sound good (not great) on movies, they are really not impressive for music. My budget is $800 (Canadian). Are there any good options that anyone can suggest for this budget? I've checked a few sites, i.e. Polk (6700), Paradigm, Athena (Micra 6), Infinity (TSS-450) and PSB (A Intro LR); and have also ended up seeing speakers like Energy that exceed my budget. Are there speakers out there for $800 that will sound great for music and movies?
The majority of your problem probably lies with the receiver. The Yamaha 5760 (thin, bright and harsh sound) is not known for good 2 channel music reproduction, and matched with jbl's (slightly bright depending on the model) scs136 speakers, this combo would probably sound like fingernails on a blackboard to me.
You really need to audition things together to get the sound you want.
While I agree you could do better than the 5760, it's certainly not a bad receiver and is not "the majority" of the problem. The JBLs need to go.
Bleustar was correct in saying that you should audition things together, though. Make sure you can hear whatever speakers you buy next on your receiver.
Check out Energy and Mordaunt-Short.
david k.
Unregistered guest
Posted on
At this price-point, the pickin's are somewhat slim. If you want great sound AND have great bass (i.e. a sub), the budget will have to be higher. Go for accurate, uncolored sound instead. I agree that the JBLs are the problem, more so than the Yammer. Check out the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 ($328/pr.). These are available web-only ,but have a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!!! The reviews call these speakers "giant killers" -- in other words, they can smoke many speakers costing in the thousands. Don't expect much bass below 60Hz, but I'll take great sound over muddy, booming bass any day.
A laid back speaker would be a good choice. Paradigm or PSB would be worth a look.
I still stand by the statement of the Yamaha being the majority of the problem for music reproduction. Put the best speakers on the planet with the 5760 in two channel mode and it won't make the music come alive. That is all I was getting at.
Is the problem specific to the 5760, or specific to the HTR series or specific to the Yamahas. What if I were to replace this one with, say RXV550. Would it still be the same. What receivers in the same price range ($550 CDN) would be good options for 2 channel sound
The Yamaha receivers tend to go all out on DSP modes, YPAO, Night listening, Silent cinema etc... which is really great for some people. I will recommend the RX-v1400 and especially the RX-v2400 (great remote) for those who love the DSP modes and some of the great features Yamaha puts into their receivers. Yamaha receivers have a lot to offer.
My point is that there are other companies that manufacture receivers that put more into the basic two channel sound and less on features (bells and whistles) than Yamaha. All receivers have (their own sound). Many people who have heard many of these receivers side by side would say that while Yamahas have good sound, some other manufactures in the same price range sound better. That is all I was getting at.