Need help with speaker upgrade..check in please

[Trader05]

Hey guys, i've been working on upgrading my HT recently. I started off with a home theater in a box from panasonic, it had decent sound but lack of inputs got me to pick up a better receiver.
Now i have a Yamaha HTR-6030 5.1 Receiver and im looking for better speakers. When i switched from the Panasonic to Yamaha i picked up a Polk PSW10 Sub, which is doing the job for my living room size.

Im still using the 5 set of Panasonic speakers which these specs are from the manual:

Front:
Type 2 way, 2 speaker system (Bass reflex)
Speaker unit(s) Impedance 4 ohm
1. Woofer 6.5 cm (21/2z) Cone type
2. Tweeter 6 cm (23/8z) Cone type
Input power (IEC) 90 watts (Max)
Output sound pressure 81 dB/W (1.0 m)
Cross over frequency 6 kHz
Frequency range 82 Hz?41 kHz (j16 dB)
95 Hz?40 kHz (j10 dB)
Dimensions (WtHtD) 252 mmk1123 mmk234 mm
(929/32zk447/32zk97/32z)
Mass 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs) - from the floor standing speaker base, these speakers are definitly not 8.2lbs

Rear:
Type 1 way, 1 speaker system (Bass reflex)
Speaker unit(s) Impedance 4 ohm
Full range 6.5 cm (21/2z) Cone type
Input power (IEC) 90 watts (Max)
Output sound pressure 80 dB/W (1.0 m)
Frequency range 96 Hz?25 kHz (j16 dB)
120 Hz?22 kHz (j10 dB)
Dimensions (WtHtD) 92 mmk135 mmk95.4 mm
(35/8zk55/16zk33/4z)
Mass 0.75 kg (1.65 lbs)

Center:
Type 1 way, 2 speaker system (Bass reflex)
Speaker unit(s) Impedance 4 ohm
1. Full range 6.5 cm (21/2z) Cone type
2. Full range 6.5 cm (21/2z) Cone type
Input power (IEC) 320 watts (Max)
Output sound pressure 84 dB/W (1.0 m)
Frequency range 105 Hz?25 kHz (j16 dB)
125 Hz?22 kHz (j10 dB)
Dimensions (WtHtD) 270 mmk92 mmk95.4 mm
(105/8zk35/8zk33/4z)
Mass 1.25 kg (2.75 lbs)

Considering those specs, would these be considered a decent upgrade? Polk RM10's or RM75, RM85s??

I mainly use my receiver for my PS3 (movies and video games) and my Zune for music.

 

[erwos]

Can you just buy a couple of new front speakers and leave the rest in place? Pair of Polk R50s would probably do wonders for you.

 

[Trader05]

i was actually thinking of that, since they are on sale at frys.com. I wouldn't mind buying 4 of them, so all the speakers would match and then i'd just have to get a center speaker. Also the ones on sale are cherry wood, i wish they were black cause i'd pull the trigger.

 

[Tiamat]

Do you just want something that is better or something that you are willing to know 100% is the best for the money. The former means we just list some brands and you pick the one easiest for you to get. The latter means more work for you in that you listen to the brands to figure out which one subjectively sounds better to you.

Every speaker in every price range is balanced in a unique way. This is why sound is so subjective. If we know you hate the klipsch sound, or hate the JBL sound, then we can help narrow down the field.

What is your budget?

What kind of upgrade is this? Do you want to spend a couple hundred bucks now, then couple hundred bucks in a couple months? Or do you want to spend x hundred dollars now and not upgrade for a "while"?

 

[Trader05]

Im definitly looking for something that is better than my speakers now. As for different manufacturer's sounds, i have no idea. I've always like what Polk had to offer, so i thats why i was looking in that direction. I'm looking for something that will last me a good while, i dont plan on upgrading my receiver anytime soon. I'd like to spend around $400, but if its worth it i'd spend a little more. I'd just like to take care of the 5 speakers all in one shot.

My living room isn't too huge, so i'd like to get smaller speakers. Right now i have floor standing speaker as my surrounds and my fronts on my entertainment center on the sides of my tv.

 

[Tiamat]

Would you oppose spending 400-600$ on the front 3 speakers and keeping your other speakers as surrounds? By doing this, you will be able to afford a much better quality front soundstage and this is most important for all functions and uses. By having a superior front stage, you will have a very strong foundation to your system. Maybe in a year you can weed out the side surrounds for some additional better speakers that are on sale or something etc.

I do encourage you to read Yoyo's sticky thread at the top of this forum.

Typical excellent offerings in your price bracket are as follows (but do note some may not be in stock):

AV123 X-LS Encore Standmount speakers

SVsound SBS-01 Standmount speakers

Infinity Beta 20 Standmount speakers

With these offerings, I would get 3 of the same speaker for the front stage as this would be optimal especially if the tweeter is at the same height for all 3 speakers. I don't know how your TV is setup so this may inflict its own compromises. I do not like typical horizontal M-T-M design center channel speakers due to their terrible off-axis lobing. I don't recommend purchasing those types of center speakers even if they are advertised as the "matching center". The best match is the speaker identical to the front L/R speakers.

 

[Trader05]

Tiamat, what speakers do you have in mind? I'd like to spend a little less than that, but i'll give a shot

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Trader05
Tiamat, what speakers do you have in mind? I'd like to spend a little less than that, but i'll give a shot

Read my edit above. There are many more as you know like Klipsch, Mirage, JBL, Polk to name a few...