Speakers in Malaysia
May 28, 2004
Hi Wes,
Thanks for your wonderful site that educates me in this new
hobby of mine. I want to get started and need your advice. I live in Malaysia and
therefore don't have much choice given my budget and availability of speakers. I want to
spend no more than RM 5000 (about $1200 USD).
Here are my choices for home theater:
(1) KEF Cresta 10 for main L/R and surround; KEF Cresta 20c
for center and KEF PSW 1000.2 subwoofer.
(2) Audio Pro Focus A4 for main L/R and surround; Audio Pro
Focus A3 for center and Audio Pro Sub+ subwoofer.
The receiver is a Yamaha RX-V440. What do you think,
especially KEF Cresta speakers?
Tariq
I've only heard the KEFs in show situations, where they
sounded fine, but a few reviewers who I know and trust have commented that they aren't
great at dynamic contrast. The Focus A4s, on the other hand, are really quite good at it
-- and a great buy to boot.
But it's your opinion that counts.
"Quality, accuracy, and effect"
May 26, 2004
Hello Wes,
Thanks for your great reviews! I'm writing for your opinion
on quality, accuracy, and effect. What speaker system would you choose, all things being
equal?
MMG W/MMG C with M&K sub
Mirage Omni 60, CC, FX with the same sub
I have a pair of the MMG Ws on trial and although sometimes
they amaze me with openness and detail, they seem to have a sweet spot one must be in to
hear the magic.
Joe
Both are great choices, but I really like the
"stealth" aspect of the Maggies -- I've always been a sucker for panel
loudspeakers. Part and parcel of loving panel speakers, however, is accepting that
sensitivity to placement that you comment on. If that bugs you, the Mirage would be the
better choice.
Good thing they're good looking, too.
Axiom or Polk?
May 24, 2004
Wes,
I am in the hunt for a new system, and I have narrowed my
speaker choices between Polk and Axiom. My room is 17' x 23' and also houses a 60"
monitor and entertainment center. After using both Polk's and Axiom's home-theater
wizards, Polk recommended using the RTi6 (which replaces the RTi38), while
Axiom suggested using the M22ti as my L/R front speakers. Polk suggested using the FXi3
(which replaces the FXi300) and Axiom suggested the QS8s. Center-channel included
the Ci3 (replaces Ci30) for Polk and the VP100/150 for Axiom. Lastly, Polk
has the PSW303/404 and Axiom EP175.
I do not want to mix and match components. I have heard
Polk's products but not Axiom's. They both seem to offer great products, high quality at
very respectable prices. I am a family man who just wants clean listening and to be able
to enjoy great surround sound while watching movies. I noticed that you have reviewed
Axiom's products, so could you please offer me some objective advice between the two
companies' products so that I can make a good investment?
Audie O'Phile
Nope. I can't really help you any further than my
reviews of the Polk and Axiom HT systems. Both companies produce very high-value products
and I liked both systems a lot. But we may hear things differently -- or value different
aspects of sound, even if we did hear things exactly alike.
Axiom offers a money-back satisfaction guarantee, so you
can order its speakers with confidence, but I understand if long-distance transactions
make you nervous. If that's the case, you've heard the Polks and I take it that you like
them, so you can buy them with confidence -- and there is a lot to be said for having a
local dealer.
Magnepans for new home
May 20, 2004
Hi Wes,
The wife and I are preparing to build our house in five
years. That's not too far away, considering all that has to be done. Our living room is
going to be 18' x 20'. Is 20' too far for the rear speakers to be apart? I am going to get
the MMG Ws or the MMGs with stands depending on the answer. I read somewhere that they
shouldn't be further than 12' apart? Do they need to be the same distance apart as the
fronts? Would the MMG center also be good for a rear-center speaker (so I'd have two of
them)? Lastly, how do I know if my receiver (an Onkyo) can handle their power needs? I
love my receiver, but I fear I need to buy yet another one to handle the speakers. It
doesn't mention 4 ohms anywhere in the paperwork.
Matthew
I haven’t tried the MMG Ws 20' apart, but you don't
typically need tons of output from the surrounds, so I wouldn't think it would be too big
a deal.
There's no hard-and-fast rule demanding that the rears be
the same distance apart as the front channels, but it's usually easier to assume they will
be. But if your layout dictates otherwise, don't fret that you've violated some cosmic
law.
As for rear surround, I'd be more likely to opt for another
MMG W (or a pair). The front-center speaker frequently needs to be horizontal because of
screen placement considerations -- there's usually no such problem in the rear.
Your Onkyo should be just fine with the Maggies.
Which projector for $2000?
May 17, 2004
Hi Wes,
I enjoy your articles. My question is, What are the best
projectors that you would recommend for under $2000 dollars?
Bormond
At that price, I've been impressed by three projectors:
InFocus LP530, NEC LT260K, and Plus HE-3100 Piano. If you're comfortable with a refurbished unit (and a
full warranty ought to assuage any nervousness), you can buy a Plus Piano Avanti HE-3200
direct from the company, which is a great deal.
Wants to improve the sound of his home
theater
May 12, 2004
Hello,
I have a non-stop passion for improving my home theater and
need your help. I currently have a Marantz SR7300 receiver paired with B&W DM602 S3
speakers across the front, Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds, and a Klipsch KSW12 sub. I feel
that this system lacks punch and life. I know my room acoustics are problematic
(open-concept square room with 20' ceilings and lots of glass), but I have already done
all I can to treat the sound (wife approval stopping the rest). I still want to improve
the sound. As such, I have two questions.
First, will a receiver such as the Yamaha RX-V2400, which
is equipped with YPAO (parametric equalizer) help tame the sound reflections in my room
and breathe life back into movies? If not, is it possible that my speakers are a poor
match with my receiver (warm-sounding receiver with warm-sounding speakers)? If that is
the case, would purchasing the new Cambridge Audio Azur 540R be a better match with my
speakers? A number of dealers that I have spoken to feel that the Cambridge Audio receiver
blows the Marantz out of the water for sound and dynamics, despite being much cheaper and
12 pounds lighter! Is this possible?
Mark P.
In my experience, you can't overcome bad room sound
with an equalizer. A parametric equalizer can help smooth out a specific problem
concentrated in a narrow band, but it's no silver bullet.
Before you spend any money, I suggest you try a little
rearrangement of things. Sometimes when confronted by a big, open-plan room, people set up
their surround-sound systems to give the whole room great sound. Since most
people divide their open-plan room into sections where they do different things, you might
want to think smaller.
Is there a section of the room where you only watch
movies (or listen to music attentively)? If so, optimize your speaker placement to deliver
the sound there. This usually means you narrow the spread between your LCR speakers and
move your surrounds in from the walls and forward from the rear wall to a position two
feet above your ears and a few feet behind your favorite comfy chair.
Then you'll probably need to adjust your speaker setup
from your Marantz's setup menu. It sounds paradoxical that you can get bigger sound by
moving things closer to you, but that's how it works sometimes.
If that doesn't work, you can always buy a new
receiver. And yes, it is possible that the Cambridge sounds better than your Marantz,
despite being less expensive and lighter, but, on the other hand, that is what a
salesman would say, isn't it?
Listen before you buy -- and best of all, listen in
your room if you possibly can.
Just beginning
May 10, 2004
Hi Wes,
I am new to the whole realm of home theater and audio
setup. Here are the choices I have narrowed down to.
- fronts: Axiom M60ti
- center: Axiom VP100 or Magnepan CC3
- surrounds: Magnepan MMG W (Are these good for floorstanding
surrounds?)
- subwoofer: SVS 20-39PCi
Are these good combinations? My room size is 18' wide by
17' long by 19' high. I am also looking into getting a good A/V receiver in the range of
about $800 to drive the above speakers if the combination is good. Any help or suggestion
is greatly appreciated.
Bobby
I'd recommend you match the front three speakers -- buy
them from the same company, if not the same model. Other than that your system looks
swell.
The Maggies aren't floorstanding loudspeakers; they're
designed to be wall-mounted and they need that boundary reinforcement to sound full. If
you can't stick them on a wall or bookcase or something, you should probably think about a
different surround.
As to A/V receivers, you're spoiled for choice. I've been
really impressed with the new Harman/Kardon AVR 430, which retails slightly above your
price range, but seems to have a street price lower than that.
I've also been knocked out by the Onkyo TX-SR701 and Denon
AVR-2803. All of these are widely available, so you should be able to try before you buy
at a local store.
HT priorities
May 4, 2004
Dear Wes,
What's the most important part of a home theater? Speakers,
subwoofer, DVD player, or receiver? Where should I put most of my money?
Frank
Normally I'd say to go for balance, but that's
just my way of saying I don't know what you value most in your HT experience -- and I
wonder if you're asking because you don't either.
If you don't have a lot of money, I'd recommend that
you buy the best display you can afford, even if it meant you had to listen to its crappy
built-in speakers until you could flesh out the system a bit sometime in the future.
But if money isn't the issue and you're asking me philosophically
what is the most important part of the experience, I'd have to say I don't know -- because
only you can answer that. And it might be based on the other ways you want to use the
system and your room.
If music is a bigger part of your life than watching TV
or movies, focus on the speakers and amplifiers. If you only indulge in HT and music
occasionally, you might want to go for unobtrusive speakers and a smaller or flatter
monitor.
It's all a matter of perspective -- and if you haven't
developed your own sense of what excites you yet, you should probably keep going to
dealers (or A/V shows) until you find setups that give you goosebumps.
Some days when I'm feeling tired and cynical, I think
the most important part of a any A/V experience is the much overlooked comfy chair. I saw
a sock-o HT demo at Innovative Audio once -- it was pretty much a zillionaire's dream
system -- and the only component I remember distinctly all these years later is the
Barcelona chair I was sitting in. I want that chair.
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