Home Theater Speaker Challenge-1990s calling

[Toros Cosmicos]

I've collected several pairs of decent bookshelf, center channel, surround and to a lesser extent, subwoofers over the years. Also 4 AV receivers.
We've just moved into a new home with a finished basement that has all the makings of a great home theater....8" poured concrete walls, drop ceiling with insulated acoustic tiles, plush wall to wall carpet, dimmable high hat lighting. Just got a new 75" TCL 75R635 TV.
The AV receiver is circa 2012 or do: Pioneer KSX-1020K
Subwoofer will be my steady Klipsch KSW-200 12"
The front left/right, center and surrounds selection is my challenge.
Here's the assortment from which to choose:
Bookshelf/ front left+right:

Pinnacle AC 650s
Pinnacle Platinum Performance 5.2s
Klipsch .5 2 way Bookshelf
Canton GL 260s

Center

Canton AV 500
Yamaha NSC-225
Altec Lansing Model 20

Surround (R/L only)


Realistic Minimus 7s
Atlantic Technology 254 SRs...too big really.
AR HD510 surrounds from a HTIB system
KLH TW09B swivel surrounds

An eclectic assortment with nothing horrible in the bunch.
Important to note that my hearing is far from what it used to be.
Years as a cop at the range and sometimes without proper ear protection and surfing in NJ winter waves again, without proper ear protection....both of which I've lived to regret.
Any suggestions and reasoning appreciated.

 

[Donald]

You want to good stuff. Look here:

The $75,000 Home Theater System

We decided to go all out on this $75,000 and include mostly top notch products priced right at the crest of that place your budget hits the point of diminishing returns. This means we included some

www.audioholics.com

 

[celicaxx]

I think all your speakers on paper are good, but I think you might be better off buying a pair of some sort of three way speaker for your fronts. The cheapest/best nowadays would be the Yamaha NS-6490s, though they can't handle tons of power thrown at them (about 70-80W max) I've blown them with a true rated 100WPC receiver. Upside they're about $140 a pair on Amazon and sound good and make tons of bass, and despite their small size are roughly equivalent to some of the biggers 70s-90s 3 ways.

The reason I think 3 ways in front would be superior is because you're older your high frequency hearing is usually what goes first, and two ways don't have a separate midrange driver. I think with a separate midrange driver you'd probably hear dialogue/etc much clearer.

Personally I'm a huge fan of 3 ways, though I have relatively little experience with higher end two ways, I just love having the midrange of a good 3 way, and a 3 way plus a sub is the best combo to me.

 

[Toros Cosmicos]

I think all your speakers on paper are good, but I think you might be better off buying a pair of some sort of three way speaker for your fronts. The cheapest/best nowadays would be the Yamaha NS-6490s, though they can't handle tons of power thrown at them (about 70-80W max) I've blown them with a true rated 100WPC receiver. Upside they're about $140 a pair on Amazon and sound good and make tons of bass, and despite their small size are roughly equivalent to some of the biggers 70s-90s 3 ways.

The reason I think 3 ways in front would be superior is because you're older your high frequency hearing is usually what goes first, and two ways don't have a separate midrange driver. I think with a separate midrange driver you'd probably hear dialogue/etc much clearer.

Personally I'm a huge fan of 3 ways, though I have relatively little experience with higher end two ways, I just love having the midrange of a good 3 way, and a 3 way plus a sub is the best combo to me.

Thank you for that great input.Yes, my upper frequency hearing has never been great especially in my left ear. However, I believe upper frequency can be compensated with the receiver. Based on your input, I will take a closer look at the Klipsch and Pinnacle AC 650s. Still need to play with the best combination.

 

[JT20]

Cerwin Vega D9

I am confident it can go against the best of today.

^as noted, this is a 3-way speaker with DEEP bass, definitely on the bass-ier side, which IMHO is how music should sound.. plus a dedicated mid and gimmick-free tweeter. Can't go wrong.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Get yourself a good center channel speaker - that is where majority of the sound comes from in most movies.

This Infinity RC263 is well regarded and is currently on a really big sale, although it won't ship until late December.

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 | 3-Way Center Channel Speaker

Infinity REFERENCE RC263 dual three way center channel speaker accommodates with any home theater system & has crystal clear sound quality with low distortion.

www.harmanaudio.com

The only downside is the size - make sure you can accommodate it in your setup.

Also, get yourself a modern AVR with good room correction (Audyssey).

 

[Toros Cosmicos]

In my post I stated I already own 3 center channel speakers, 4 pairs of bookshelf speakers and at least 3-4 pairs of surround speakers. The objective is to find the optimal arrangement with existing inventory,.

 

[Quattro Pete]

In my post I stated I already own 3 center channel speakers, 4 pairs of bookshelf speakers and at least 3-4 pairs of surround speakers. The objective is to find the optimal arrangement with existing inventory,.

I couldn't find much info/specs about the 3 center channel speakers you listed.

My point was that considering how important of a part a center speaker plays in HT setup, you should consider getting a good one.

Otherwise, just listen to the ones you have and pick the one that sounds best to your ears. Just keep in mind, capacitors in speaker crossovers don't last forever, which may result in sound quality deterioration.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I've collected several pairs of decent bookshelf, center channel, surround and to a lesser extent, subwoofers over the years. Also 4 AV receivers.
We've just moved into a new home with a finished basement that has all the makings of a great home theater....8" poured concrete walls, drop ceiling with insulated acoustic tiles, plush wall to wall carpet, dimmable high hat lighting. Just got a new 75" TCL 75R635 TV.
The AV receiver is circa 2012 or do: Pioneer KSX-1020K
Subwoofer will be my steady Klipsch KSW-200 12"
The front left/right, center and surrounds selection is my challenge.
Here's the assortment from which to choose:
Bookshelf/ front left+right:

Pinnacle AC 650s
Pinnacle Platinum Performance 5.2s
Klipsch .5 2 way Bookshelf
Canton GL 260s

Center

Canton AV 500
Yamaha NSC-225
Altec Lansing Model 20

Surround (R/L only)


Realistic Minimus 7s
Atlantic Technology 254 SRs...too big really.
AR HD510 surrounds from a HTIB system
KLH TW09B swivel surrounds

An eclectic assortment with nothing horrible in the bunch.
Important to note that my hearing is far from what it used to be.
Years as a cop at the range and sometimes without proper ear protection and surfing in NJ winter waves again, without proper ear protection....both of which I've lived to regret.
Any suggestions and reasoning appreciated.

Lots of nice equipment there. I'd probably go with the Canton's for the front and CC. But what do I know? I have just repurposed a 1987 pair of Boston Acoustic A60's (rebuilt once) for my garage, and I still have a pair of beasts in my closet, 1990 Klipsch KG2 floor speakers.

 

[Duffyjr]

OP, the only possible problem I might have with your line up would be the sound balance. As sound travels around the room (side to side, front to back and everything in between) if all your speakers don't have similar sound you can tell, at least I can. I have 7.1 with Boston's all the way around but when I first started my center channel was different and didn't sound right when sound traveled across the screen.

With your hearing it may not make any difference but I would at least try and get the front three as close as possible.

 

[Toros Cosmicos]

I couldn't find much info/specs about the 3 center channel speakers you listed.

My point was that considering how important of a part a center speaker plays in HT setup, you should consider getting a good one.

Otherwise, just listen to the ones you have and pick the one that sounds best to your ears. Just keep in mind, capacitors in speaker crossovers don't last forever, which may result in sound quality deterioration.

The ones I have are good ones.

 

[Toros Cosmicos]

OP, the only possible problem I might have with your line up would be the sound balance. As sound travels around the room (side to side, front to back and everything in between) if all your speakers don't have similar sound you can tell, at least I can. I have 7.1 with Boston's all the way around but when I first started my center channel was different and didn't sound right when sound traveled across the screen.

With your hearing it may not make any difference but I would at least try and get the front three as close as possible.

Thats a good point. So the Cantons are a serious contender. Heres what those look like. Made in Germany...they are all metal but for the drivers.

 

[Toros Cosmicos]

Lots of nice equipment there. I'd probably go with the Canton's for the front and CC. But what do I know? I have just repurposed a 1987 pair of Boston Acoustic A60's (rebuilt once) for my garage, and I still have a pair of beasts in my closet, 1990 Klipsch KG2 floor speakers.

Thats my first inclination. I'm going to try that setup first and than maybe experiment with different combinations for the L/R/C. Once I mount the surrounds they're staying put. But I have a pretty good idea which I'll use for those. I'd go for 7.1 as the receiver is capable but I doubt I'd hear the difference.

 

[OVERKILL]

I'd be inclined toward going with a set of towers, or at least mid-towers for your fronts, I think you'll find bookshelf speakers will be inadequate in that role. My mains are a set of Paradigm Monitor 11's and they still get a workout when we are watching movies and the centre channel is handling most of the dialogue.

This will be of even more importance if you intend on doing some good music listening in that space as well IMHO.

 

[#18FAN]

I couldn't find much info/specs about the 3 center channel speakers you listed.

My point was that considering how important of a part a center speaker plays in HT setup, you should consider getting a good one.

Otherwise, just listen to the ones you have and pick the one that sounds best to your ears. Just keep in mind, capacitors in speaker crossovers don't last forever, which may result in sound quality deterioration.

Agree Center channel is so important and I believe is where most of the money should be spent on. So much of the audio duty is center channel and all dialog is from.

 

[Duffyjr]

I'd be inclined toward going with a set of towers, or at least mid-towers for your fronts, I think you'll find bookshelf speakers will be inadequate in that role. My mains are a set of Paradigm Monitor 11's and they still get a workout when we are watching movies and the centre channel is handling most of the dialogue.

This will be of even more importance if you intend on doing some good music listening in that space as well IMHO.

Having larger left/right speakers is a trade off of some sorts but I still like listening to music in stereo, don't get me wrong I enjoy all the speakers going on Rocky Mountain Way but at times I just want to listen in stereo, that's why I went with the biggest Bookshelf in Boston's HD line back then.

Most center channel audio doesn't go below 80-100 Hz so you don't have to worry about having a smaller speaker trying to handle the lower end. Having a sub woofer helps here even with the left/right fronts, I have mine set to 100 Hz since the bigger HD's have good bass.

 

[OVERKILL]

Having larger left/right speakers is a trade off of some sorts but I still like listening to music in stereo, don't get me wrong I enjoy all the speakers going on Rocky Mountain Way but at times I just want to listen in stereo, that's why I went with the biggest Bookshelf in Boston's HD line back then.

Most center channel audio doesn't go below 80-100 Hz so you don't have to worry about having a smaller speaker trying to handle the lower end. Having a sub woofer helps here even with the left/right fronts, I have mine set to 100 Hz since the bigger HD's have good bass.

I listen to stereo a LOT, hence the large towers. I also have a pretty good sized sub, I have the crossover set where the mains roll off. I find that bookshelf speakers, even good ones, still lack the presence that a nice set of mains provides, which everything else then supports/works around.

Everybody's preference is different of course.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Most center channel audio doesn't go below 80-100 Hz so you don't have to worry about having a smaller speaker trying to handle the lower end. Having a sub woofer helps here even with the left/right fronts, I have mine set to 100 Hz since the bigger HD's have good bass.

You want a center speaker that can comfortably hit 80 Hz before it starts rolling off in order to fully reproduce male vocals. Most speakers with just two 4" drivers, like the OP's Canton AV500, struggle to do so, IME. Then there is an issue of efficiency - a speaker with small drivers is not very efficient, so it may not be able to play loud enough and dynamically enough before it starts distorting. But how loud the OP needs it to play depends on the size of his listening area as well as how far away from the speaker he sits.

But at the end of the day, if it sounds good to the OP, then there is no reason to replace it with anything else.

 

[#18FAN]

Cerwin Vega D9

I am confident it can go against the best of today.

^as noted, this is a 3-way speaker with DEEP bass, definitely on the bass-ier side, which IMHO is how music should sound.. plus a dedicated mid and gimmick-free tweeter. Can't go wrong.

Fun speakers yes but up against the best of today's not even close

 

[Oildudeny]

whats the square footage your looking to fill with sound also seating distances from speakers?