Need help from u audiophiles and ppl knowledable in speakers/audio setup!

[MustangSVT]

I currently own Pioneer VSX - D510 with Sony S600H setup.

i know its not even close to hi-fi stuff, but it was best i could get for the $$ i could spend at the time. anyways, although sony speakers have great hi and mid, i do find that it is lacking little bit in lower frequencies. however it is amazing for mids and highs, well matches much higher priced jbl ,bose (hehe bose...) and yamaha... especially with classical music.

I was reading thu the audio Reviw and found that some ppl used polyfill for the sony speakers to make them have cleaner and tight bass.
i am planning to do the same, how much should i put in there?

also, i ve just caved in and orderedAcoustic Research S108PS, 10 minutes ago(got a killer deal.. $150 shipped!!!) . should i do the same tweak for the sub?

also, what is the best way to place speakers/sub? does it have to be placed over somthing solid and hard? (like bricks ) or is there much difference placing them over carpet or something like stack of hardcover books?

as u can tell, im pretty new at this... any tips will be appreciated.. thanx!

 

[Goi]

How much did you pay for the Pioneer receiver and Sony speakers. For the $350 MRSP, you could probably get significantly better speakers, perhaps not floorstanders, but still, sound quality would be better. Regarding the Polyfill tweak, I've read about it done on the Sony SA-W40 subs with good results, but I'm not sure about performing it on main speakers. I'm also not too sure about the performance of the AR subs, they're not very well known for subs. The Sony sub however is pretty well known for its price/performance ratio.

 

[EvilYoda]

as for the poly-fill, it's up to you if you want to "mod" it like that....if you think your sub is too "boomy", then the poly-fill is your answer. As for placement of the sub, you might consider getting feet for it, if it doesn't come with any already. It'll tighten the base a little more and "ground" your sub. (I'm using a lot of "quotes"......guess that's what happens at 5AM).

If you really do have 350 to spend on speakers, I think a good consideration (as others will suggest) would be the JBL NSP-1 set. It's perfect for you too, since you bought a sub already. It's gotten great reviews, and I believe J & R still has a good price on them, as well as free shipping on JBL's. I myself am looking at some S38's possibly, to buy over the summer. If you're willing to read around and try ebay, you might get lucky....you have a decent price range to work with, and you might be able to find yourself 2 pairs of Paradigm Atoms or PSB Alphas, or something of the sort. You might also want to take a peak at hometheaterforum.com, as they have lots of knowledgable people there.

Much like computers, I'm sure you'll get the "upgrade bug" before long, so be careful, and keep an eye on your wallet.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

I've never heard of polyfill in home set ups, but in cars it works wonders.

 

[MustangSVT]

thanx for the tips guys.

Goi, no way i paid $350 for these speakers! but when you get a chance please go listen to them, you will be pleasantly surprised.. (just make sure you compare it to speakers under $350/pair, i dont think there would be much that would sound better (now im not talking about DIY ones ). it has really accurate sound stage.

anyways, one more question..

i do have some no name Thick GOLD RCA cables that i am planning to use on the subwoofer. are these $30~$50 subwoofer cables really worth it?
now, keep in mind the setup that I have...

the reason i ordered the subs were because when i listen to same music on the other setup (marantz & infinity) there is much more deep bass, but it does lack the sound stage sonys are putting out.

thanx again.

 

[BD2003]

I stuffed my SA-WM40 sub with polyfill, and it worked wonders. Made it way tighter.

Although stuffing a floorstanding speaker is a whole different thing...

For 8 inch woofers, I wouldnt bother.

BTW, just curious, whats the point of buying an 8 inch sub when you already have dual 8 inch woofers on each of the mains?

 

[Goi]

Well how much did you pay then? I'm not bashing the Sony's, I'm sure they sound better than your usual boombox, but I'm just saying that for the MRSP, you could probably get better, although smaller, speakers. As long as your RCA cables are coaxial RG59 or RG6 cables and have decent connectors they should be fine. You don't even need 75ohm connectors for sub connectors.

Its not only the driver size that counts in bass(although driver size is a factor). I have a pair of KEF C40s with dual 8" drivers too and I'd be damned if I can get them to produce sub 50Hz signals with any sort of strength. The freq response of the speaker only goes down to 50+Hz.

 

[MustangSVT]

fine fine, ill tell ya how much i paid for it. $230/pair.
goi, you keep on saying there is are better speakers at this price range, care to give me some of them? (i dont mind if its a shelf unit or floorstanding).
and please go test out the s600h when u get a chance..

yeah i wanted to get sony sa-wm40 since it had good reviews and good performance/price range. also i have sony speakers so i thought it would match well. oh yeah and it has 12-inch driver.

but problem was, i couldnt fine the damn thing and places that sold them had it for $200+shipping. i got AR for $150 shipped. and it has pretty good reviews as well. hopefully i should be able to reply with some info on monday.

thank you for tips so far guys.

 

[Goi]

Well, a few examples I can think of are
Axiom M3Ti bookshelves($247.50 direct, $220 factory outlet) - winner of Soundstage Reviewer's choice award. 1 6.5" woofer, 1 1" tweeter. 50-22KHz(+/-3dB) freq response.
Home Theater Direct(HTD) Level TWO main speakers($119-$129 depending on finish) - 1 5.25" woofer, 1 1" tweeter
Home Theater Direct(HTD) Level THREE main speakers($199) - etown editor's pick. 1 6.5" woofer, 1 1" tweeter. 40-20KHz freq response.
Acoustic Energy Aegis ONE($349 MRSP, 199-$299 street price)

 

[Fandu]

Sort of on topic, what are your thoughts on the Energy Take 5.2's? I'm thinking of getting that system and an Encore8 or maybe S10 sub to go along with it.

 

[Goi]

Well, I don't have any first hand experience with the Energy Take 5.2's, but the Energy Take 5 series have traditionally been reviewed well. They perform well for their price, but they aren't $300. If you're on a budget, or you're space conscious, but don't want to go with a HTIB, then the Take 5.2's are a good way to start. IMO you can't go wrong with them with all the good things I've read about them.

 

[MustangSVT]

thanx goi! damn those speakers do look nice and and leve 3 is $200 per PAIR! and $10 shipping!!! nice!

ill go ahead and try to listen to them. and maybe get them and set them up as my satelites (maybe level2)...
thanx for the info.
btw the sub is supposed to ship today, i cant wait!

 

[Goi]

MustangV, no problem, you'd be suprised at what you're able to get with a limited budget such as yours. The Level TWOs might even be better than your Sony's! You could get those first and slowly upgrade your Sony's to the floorstanding Level THREEs to get a timbre matched soundstage. Its generally not advisable to use different speaker series in a 5.1 setup, but since you already have the Sony's, it wouldn't be much sense to upgrade to an entire new 5.1 setup with your limited budget. Work your way slowly towards the HTD Level THREEs however and you'll have a significantly better sound system...