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Home Audio systems

sucka said:
Bullfrog said:
You'll need a good subwoofer too.

But isn't that for home theatres where u need the house to shake for explosions and stuff? 

No, your rear surround and center channel are more for the movies and theater applications. Music is in stereo, which is left and right. Bullfrog is just saying that you need a subwoofer to bring out the low end of your music, it's still part of the stereo sound, or two-channel system.
 
sucka said:
Also, is it better to have gear from the same maker, i dunno, is there some sort of sonic magic that happens?  Like everything works together to it's highest capabilities?

It's not a necessity IMO. Some companies are more known for their specific components. Like Rega, they are known for their turntables, but also make speakers as well. I wouldn't buy their speakers, but I have one of their turntables. Bose is known for their speakers, but also make other components, which I'm not sure I would go with ect...
 
Lately there has been a movement away from home theater and back to 2 channel. If you have a quality stereo and 2 good speakers the movies will sound great on it. I guess if you watch Top Gun once a week then home theater is for you.
 
Checked out the Canuck audio Mart, looks promising. 
I'm leaning towards a tube amp, preferably Audio Space.  Anyone know what kind of speaker is best for those?  They don't provide much power do they?
 
sucka said:
Checked out the Canuck audio Mart, looks promising. 
I'm leaning towards a tube amp, preferably Audio Space.  Anyone know what kind of speaker is best for those?  They don't provide much power do they?

I'm not familiar with Audio Space. Tube amps are the vintage you're looking for though. I would still look towards Paradigm, Tannoy, B &W and or Bose. You'll get good sound out of any of those options. Some of the older Paradigms might suffice and you can find quite a few options on CAM at decent prices also. I would look at an old pair of 9SE Monitors, they handle lots of power and have a deep, full sound, while not necessarily needing a subwoofer right away.
 
If you want to go a bit smaller, here is a set that might interest you....

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/648983533-paradigm_5se_mk3_biamp_speakers/
 
BlueWhiteBlood said:
sucka said:
Checked out the Canuck audio Mart, looks promising. 
I'm leaning towards a tube amp, preferably Audio Space.  Anyone know what kind of speaker is best for those?  They don't provide much power do they?

I'm not familiar with Audio Space. Tube amps are the vintage you're looking for though. I would still look towards Paradigm, Tannoy, B &W and or Bose. You'll get good sound out of any of those options. Some of the older Paradigms might suffice and you can find quite a few options on CAM at decent prices also. I would look at an old pair of 9SE Monitors, they handle lots of power and have a deep, full sound, while not necessarily needing a subwoofer right away.

Are they good for accoustic music only?  what about electronica?
 
sucka said:
Are they good for accoustic music only?  what about electronica?

I find Paradigm good for anything. I mean, you are getting into Tube amps, that I am less familiar with, so, if you want more advice, I would look to professional folks to get that opinion, especially when you're putting out that kind of money.

Paradigm is known for being the best bang for the buck, while being able to compete with the big players in the speaker game. I can just tell you from my experience and I have been sold on the Paradigm sound for most of my music listening life and still am to this day. Tannoy would also never disappoint you, for what it is worth.
 
I started putting together a setup, but I wouldn't call myself an audiophile.  I have a mid-range denon receiver powering 2 Klipsch RF62 towers, a Klipsch RC52 center, and Klipsch 10" Sub.  (if you plan to get any of these Klipsch, wait for them to go on sale - they always do, and it's for about 50% off every time)  For the 2 back speakers, I just connected some that came with a Home Theatre In A Box package (this is clearly where I cheaped out).
 
caveman said:
Lately there has been a movement away from home theater and back to 2 channel. If you have a quality stereo and 2 good speakers the movies will sound great on it. I guess if you watch Top Gun once a week then home theater is for you.

Personally, I don't know why there would be a move away from surround sound. There is no substitute for surround sound, especially when movie and sports sound production uses specific separating processes to create the surround effect, thus requiring surround speakers to get the full effect from the event you're listening to. I wouldn't watch a movie without surround sound anymore, but that's me.
 
BlueWhiteBlood said:
caveman said:
Lately there has been a movement away from home theater and back to 2 channel. If you have a quality stereo and 2 good speakers the movies will sound great on it. I guess if you watch Top Gun once a week then home theater is for you.

Personally, I don't know why there would be a move away from surround sound. There is no substitute for surround sound, especially when movie and sports sound production uses specific separating processes to create the surround effect, thus requiring surround speakers to get the full effect from the event you're listening to. I wouldn't watch a movie without surround sound anymore, but that's me.

You know, my parents have an old school stereo setup with a couple of great quality speakers, which is fantastic for listening to pretty much anything, but I would agree with you here. Music is beginning to be encoded in 5.1 and more AFAIK so you'll be getting better instrument separation with surround speakers.

That's pretty much the way it is with technology: For the most part it only gets better.
 
So i've finally put together a system.  Did a ton of research online and scouring the earth for deals.  It was an amazing experience with all the people i've dealt with, both locally, in the US and even in Asia.  The courtesy and professionalism that i encountered with these little brick and mortar shops was phenomenal.  Maybe it's the industry practice to get one hooked and addicted with upgrade fever for life? 
So i went with:
Audio Space Reference 3.1 kt88 amp
Focal Chorus 816 speaks (2 channel floor standing)
Marantz CD6004 Cd player with iphone/ipod connectivity (saves me from buying additional units) and made in Japan!

I have no pretensions or aim (or the financial capacity anyways) to enter the audiophile world, but i've always been a music lover so it was a little daunting to go into these shops.  Locally, i went to American Sounds, and i would highly recommend that place to anyone. Being a mostly ultra hi fi place ($200,000 speakers for the home...'you said, thousand, right?' was my reply), I was relatively low end and a bumpkin but they were patient and spent 4.5 hours demo'ing and answering a myriad of probably stupid questions.  They even talked me out of spending more than I really needed to.  I've always used my dad old Onkyo system as reference, which i thought was awesome as a kid....after listening on the new system, I might as well have had ear muffs on for the last 30 years.
 
If you've ever used one of these, being without is like going deaf or something.
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/home_theater/index.htm
I'm a poor boy dreaming a rich guy's life, but maybe when the kids move out... I'll have the home system I dream about.
 
I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if you've already chosen.  I have a full set of Aperion Audio speakers and HSU subwoofers.  They are internet direct and typically you get much better value with internet direct.  In this case, you get excellent value because the speakers are really good.  I swear I don't work for them because I sound like I'm promoting them like a sales guy but if they ship to Canada, you should totally check them out.  In the US, they ship for free and have a free 30day trial period where if you don't like them, they will even pay for return shipping.  They also have a 10yr warranty and their customer service is really awesome. 

http://www.aperionaudio.com
http://www.hsuresearch.com

Not sure where your price range is, but my entire system came to about $6500 USD, but I purchased the top end models at the time which were the Aperion Audio 6 series (6T, 6B, 6C) speakers and the Hsu ULS-15 subwoofer.

Hope this helps.
 

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