I am new to the site, have been researching extensively online
for the past few weeks and this site is great, love the forums. What I
am looking to do is set up my first 5.1 system. I have two room
options for the location of this system (more on that in a sec), and
its use would be for about a 60/40 split between movies/music. I had
originally started out hoping to audition PSB speakers, mainly the
Alpha and Image lines. However, the only PSB dealer within 40 miles of
me who actually had Alphas or Images on the floor to audition was
completely clueless, and I was only able to briefly sample some Image
B15 monitors. Frustration with the limited expertise of these dealers
combined with the fact that I don't really want to take the time to
drive up to 40 miles to sample their speakers has led me to Aperion.
For someone in my situation with limited knowledgable dealers nearby
and limited inventory to audition, Aperion's 30-day in home trial deal
seems too good to pass up.
My first decision has to do with
which room to put the speakers in. I have the main upstairs living
room, which is about 14'(width)x12'(depth) (and opens up to a dining
room on one side), and a small downstairs den, which is about
12'(width)x9.5'(depth) (and also opens up a little bit on one side).
The main living room will be the first place the system goes, but fears
of the system possibly being too loud and disturbing to our upstairs
neighbor (I really like to crank my tunes and often like to listen late
into the night) is making me want to keep the smaller basement den as a
reserve location (it is almost 100% isolated from the neighbors).
Now,
I have decided already that my rears will be 4Bs and the sub will be
the Bravus 8D. Also the fronts must be towers, for the wider range
when listening to two-channel music. I am torn between the 4T/4C and
the 5T/5C combo up front, and would even be open to a 5T/4C combo, but
I am not sure how that would work, and if the fronts/centers all need
to be from the same class to avoid one drowning out the other. By the
way, I am planning on driving everything with an Onkyo 706. So what do
you guys think? Here are some of the questions I am looking to
answer...
-Is the 5T/5C/Onkyo 706 combo going to be overkill in either of these room sizes? Will the 706 be able to drive the 5's up front without breaking a sweat?
-Are the 4Ts tall enough to properly disperse the mid and high frequencies?
-Can I easily mix and match towers and centers from the 4 and 5 classes (i.e. 4T w/ 5C or 5T w/ 4C) without any issues?
Budget-wise
I am looking to spend not much more than $2000 on the entire system. I
have found a great deal on an Onkyo 706 at a different site that would
put me in at just under $2k if I bought the Intimus 4D hybrid system,
and obviously over $2k by a few hundred if I chose to go with the
5T/5Cs. I would prefer to save money, but would also like to avoid
buying too small and having to upgrade in a few years. I want these
speakers to last me a long time.
Thanks in advance for all you input, and hope to be setting up my ideal system in a few weeks.