[asere]

Guys for sometime I have been wanting to get better mains and was looking at budget speakers but since I am planning on keeping them for a very long time I now want something that delivers. When I am able to make the purchase my budget is around $2200. I don't plan on buying real soon but I want to do some homework on higher end speakers this time so when the time comes I will be well informed and prepared. I do have a sub that delivers and it is the KK dxd 12012.
I have been looking at the Axiom, Chane and Aperion brand and am looking for floor standing with center of course.
The use would be for movies and music. I am looking for clean, clear audio. Especially for movie watching I want to be able to hear whispers and for music be able to hear every instrument.
I see some have 2 drivers, 3, 7 etc. Is more better? In order for me to obtain what I am looking for what would be the best choice?

Thank you!

 

[tesseract]

ARX A3 front, A2 center, A1 surrounds. Good for music and HT, and well under your stated budget.

I'm a huge fan of simplicity, two-way crossovers keep things nice and clean.

 

[asere]

ARX A3 front, A2 center, A1 surrounds. Good for music and HT, and well under your stated budget.

I'm a huge fan of simplicity, two-way crossovers keep things nice and clean.

Does room size matter or just the seating distance from the speakers?

 

[Talley]

Might want to give the SVS prime a try: http://www.svsound.com/speakers/prime-series

 

[tesseract]

Does room size matter or just the seating distance from the speakers?

Both will come into play. All of the speakers you mentioned in the OP are within a few dB of each other. The ARX trails the other two, on paper anyway, but is capable of high output.

 

[ht-core]

I recently got a chane A2rx -c and love it. So much detail for so little price. Clear detail that's really astonishing as it gets a little older and more and more hours on it. I don't know when it will be finally broken in. But if it were to stop tomorrow I would be more then happy with its performance. Just my .02

 

[asere]

Thank you guys. I have looked at both Chane and SVS and they seem like nice speakers. I am leaning more towards the Prime package for $1899. I also like their piano finish option.
Now how high can I place the surrounds? In my family room I really don't want to place them on a stand because of the room size/layout it will then be right next to your ear.

 

[mdbrown]

You might want to take a look at Martin Logan Motion series in this price range. The Motion 20s or even the Motion 15s are excellent speakers and their take on the AMT tweeter must be heard to be truly appreciated.

 

[Talley]

Thank you guys. I have looked at both Chane and SVS and they seem like nice speakers. I am leaning more towards the Prime package for $1899. I also like their piano finish option.
Now how high can I place the surrounds? In my family room I really don't want to place them on a stand because of the room size/layout it will then be right next to your ear.

I mounted mine where the bookshelf tweeters were 30" higher than the tower's tweeter. So far love the sound.

 

[willis7469]

I also like their piano finish option. Now how high can I place the surrounds? /QUOTE] IME, 5-6' tweeter height is a good balance between ambiance and directionality. Piano gloss is awesome. For around 2600, you could do golden ear triton 3's and super center X.

 

[jreb14]

Look at Magnepan Super MMG they will be as good as any speaker

 

[asere]

Thank you guys! I think I will stick to my budget or even well below my budget with Chane or even the SVS prime tower package. Also I don't know how the Chane surrounds would look in my family room since they look bulky. Same for the SVS ones but at least they are smaller. On a stand they would not look bad but my plan is to place them on the wall at a certain height if I can get an installer to run the cables in wall.

 

[Talley]

Thank you guys! I think I will stick to my budget or even well below my budget with Chane or even the SVS prime tower package. Also I don't know how the Chane surrounds would look in my family room since they look bulky. Same for the SVS ones but at least they are smaller. On a stand they would not look bad but my plan is to place them on the wall at a certain height if I can get an installer to run the cables in wall.

My ultra surrounds are giant sized but I wall mounted them.

The Prime series I suspect is up there with one of the bang for the bucks along with Chane. Just comes down to what you want.

NHT speakers do "OK" too for a smaller room with adequate sub. I only swapped because my room is 3k cu-ft and they were not enough for mid bass.

 

[asere]

My ultra surrounds are giant sized but I wall mounted them.

The Prime series I suspect is up there with one of the bang for the bucks along with Chane. Just comes down to what you want.

NHT speakers do "OK" too for a smaller room with adequate sub. I only swapped because my room is 3k cu-ft and they were not enough for mid bass.

My room is around 5400cf. My sub delivers and helps my current speakers but with the Prime towers or Chane I should get better mid bass with the use of the sub and speakers combined, yes?

 

[willis7469]

My room is around 5400cf. My sub delivers but with the Prime towers or Chane I should get better mid bass with the use of the sub and speakers combined, yes?

yes. Absolutely. I think you will find yourself asking why you waited so long! I say that because I can tell it matters to you. In short, you'll be amazed. For the surrounds, looking bulky and out of place is something only you can decide. Mine are huge, but I made a decision, and a stand for performance. My compromise was, no dedicated space. Hers was in room speakers. That's for you guys to hash out, but if it matters to you(I think it does) I say at least plead your case. Buyers remorse hurts! Lol

 

[willis7469]

For an experiment, put up some cardboard boxes of similar size to your speaker choices and see what you think. You May gain valuable insight to what you're able to live with.

 

[asere]

yes. Absolutely. I think you will find yourself asking why you waited so long! I say that because I can tell it matters to you. In short, you'll be amazed. For the surrounds, looking bulky and out of place is something only you can decide. Mine are huge, but I made a decision, and a stand for performance. My compromise was, no dedicated space. Hers was in room speakers. That's for you guys to hash out, but if it matters to you(I think it does) I say at least plead your case. Buyers remorse hurts! Lol

My other option could be 3.1 system but I know it will bug me not having surrounds. I plan on considering SVS or Chane and I hope I am able to get an installer to be able to wire the surrounds in wall.

 

[asere]

For an experiment, put up some cardboard boxes of similar size to your speaker choices and see what you think. You May gain valuable insight to what you're able to live with.

I just might do that with some small outdoor speakers I have laying in the garage. thx

 

[willis7469]

I just might do that with some small outdoor speakers I have laying in the garage. thx

Anything to help!
Shouldn't be hard to find someone to pull wire. Might have to pull on the 'ol wallet though. Lol

 

[alligatorman]

I just got a set of AR2X-C speakers for my parents new HT and after listening to them for a couple hours I can say they are probably the least fatiguing speakers I've ever heard. They are also articulate and transparent in vocals. The mid bass is also impressive for only 5.25" woofers. The treble is pleasing to my sensitive ears. On songs from Simon and Garfunkel's cd, I was hearing recognizable sounds that are muffled artifacts on my other speakers and feeling like I was present in the studio rather than just listening to a recording from 50 years ago.

I was a bit hesitant to order from an ID company but the reviews don't exaggerate how great a value these are. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the quality of finish and heft of the cabinets.

For reference, I own. BIC DV62-CLR, Pioneer SP-FS52, Energy C-500 and the Chane speakers make these highly-regarded budget speakers sound cheap.

If you can't tell I would highly recommend the Chane brand and their technologies.

Can't wait for my AR5X-C to arrive.