Which HT set up to go with?

[songmeesay]

Hi all,

First post here. I've been getting the upgrade itch and am currently running an Infinity Cascade 5.1 system that includes 9's for front and rear, 3c for center, and a 12 for the sub; all pushed by a Yamaha RX-V1900. I used to run the 7's as my rears, but prefer the fuller sound with the 9's especially with all the DTS-MA and TrueHD tracks these days. I was hoping for a little input on which system you think would best be suited for me. I'll be getting a good discount through my brother who works for a local electronics shop. I don't have any plans to upgrade the receiver any time in the next 4 years probably since I just bought it a year ago. Also will probably keep using the Cascade sub for at least the next year since this set up will still be in it's current 21ft x 13ft room.

Set up option 1:

Fronts - Vistas
Center - Motif
Rears - Encore TF

To me, I like this set up because the Vistas will work well once the theater moves into a bigger room, but not for at least a year from now. However, I don't know if the RX-V1900 will be able to push them. Also, I'm giving up using towers as rears, but if the Vistas are that great it would probably be worth it.

Set up Option 2:

Fronts: Sources
Center: Matinee
Rears: Sources

I like this because I feel that since the room isn't that big the Sources may do very well due to the room size and I have the 4 tower set up that I've become accustomed to, however not sure how it will hold up in a bigger room. This set up is about $400 cheaper than the Vista set up.

Set Up option 3:

Fronts: Purities
Center: Matinee
Rears: Encore

I haven't heard the Purities, but reading reviews online comparing it to the Sources, there's mixed reviews. This option is $400 cheaper than the 4 Sources set up, making it the cheapest of all. If I were to take out the Encores and replace them with Sources, this set up would be the most expensive.

Again, factoring in my receiver and current room size, what do you guys think? All opinions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Hocky]

Option 1 for sure.

 

[MickeyVee]

I think option 1 is out. I was at Future Shop (no laughs please, they're less than 1km from my home) to look at the Vistas (I have a set of Clarity's right now and one needs repair)

Anyway, FS does not have the electronics to drive the Vista's properly. They're using a $2K Pioneer AVR to demo them and that's not even enough. In conversation with the salesperson, he did mention that they fried a Yamaha AVR and are sticking to the Pioneer.

My goal was to get some pricing and compare the Vista panels to the Source panels. No comparison, the Vistas definitely outclass them.

Anyway, back to your question.. I think option 1 is out unless you end up adding an external amp.

 

[churchill]

Having owned the Vista's, they will preform much better with a separate power amp with some decent current. I started with a Adcom and ended up with Pass Labs.

 

[Thai]

I would concentrate on the three front speakers. Your surround speakers do not need to be towers...waste of money. I would get option one...and upgrade later in terms of electronics...that is what I did. Remember, speakers do not go out of date...in fact, I would try to see if you can get a better center channel because CC is the most important speaker in a HT system. If more cash available and you have many more years before you can buy an external amp, then maybe get Vantages...easier to drive than Vistas.

 

[Rich]

You ask for opinions on what you should buy, but offer no information on what your listening habits are. Pretty hard to give any useful advice with that little information. Do you listen to mostly movies, or is music important to you as well? Honestly, if you don't plan on upgrading your receiver any time soon, I would have to recommend Option 3 with the Purities because they are self-powered, or perhaps you should consider ML's new Motion series.

 

[songmeesay]

Thanks so far for your thoughts every one. I've never had separates before, and I like to tinker with my receiver's option to adjust frequencies in each speaker to change up tonal control. I'm assuming I would still be able to do this using the Yamaha's pre-amp outs (sorry if this is a dumb question)?

Rich - This is mainly for movies, however, I will be listening to music perhaps for an hour, once or twice a week, but that 1 hour is indeed important to me sound quality wise as well and is always listened in 7 channel stereo mode (but for the ML set up it'd technically be 5 channel stereo mode for music). Also, if I need to be more specific, I would say movies I watch are 80% action/adventure and music is probably 80% r&b/Hip Hop and the rest a blend of oldies, reggae, pop.

 

[eknuds01]

You are going after an all ML set up, so the speakers should sound good together in a movie, music, or multichannel music set up. If you were blending different kinds of speakers from different manufacturers together, that can be a challenge.

It you watch movies more than you listen to music, I'd select the option with the best center channel since the majority of information comes from that channel. My preference with HT is to have a high quality center channel and a sub (or two) that can really deliver on the low end. Dropping lots of coin on the surround speakers when maybe 10-20% of information goes to them, does not make a lot of sense to me. Of course, everyone has different opinions on the matter.

Another post stated to concentrate on your front three speakers - I agree. Get the best center channel you can afford and consider pairing with the Vistas - but you need to power them properly. Surely the Vistas will sound as good or better than any of your other options for movies and I would think there would be a noticeable difference over the purities and sources for standard 2 channel music.

Erik

 

[Rich]

Have you considered Martin Logan's new Motion series? I would think they would work very well for your needs. You could get a Motion series 12 for the front L&R, a Motion C for the center, and a pair of Motion 4's for the surrounds. This would all be timbre-matched and could be had for around $2,500 total. With the money you saved going this route, you could upgrade to a better subwoofer. Also, keep in mind, Martin Logan is about to come out with the Electromotion series, which will combine an ESL panel with the Motion series technology. Might also be worth considering for your application.

 

[songmeesay]

I haven't looked into the Motion Series at all. I figure with the discount I'll be getting, which I believe will be cost plus 10%, I'd just go for the ESL line with a budget of $3500-$4000. I'll have to research more into the Motion series and the new Electromotion you mentioned. I don't mind waiting and being patient to put my money where it'll best be suited for my needs.