New here - Dilemma on what to purchase.

[havok2022]

So here's the situation...

I am selling my current speaker setup and am going to upgrade to some MLs. Nothing crazy, just low end design series as it's what I can afford. If I can get what I want for my entire surround setup I can get 2-3 MLs but not an entire setup right off the bat. Originally I was looking at the Preface towers, and was going to do 4x Preface with a Fresco-i in the center. I already have good subwoofer which I am not unloading.

I do listen to music on a regular basis, but for the most part its Bluray movies, and HDTV. I would say I'm a home theater guy first and a music guy as only a slight second. Due to this I was beginning to question the size of the Fresco-i and whether or not it would give me what I needed in a center channel. That's when I started eying the Matinee and we'll say it just went down hill from there as I told myself "Oh, if I get an ESL center I may as well get ESL mains."

So here's where I'm at. I'm either going to go with my original idea for setup, or one of the following configurations.

2x Source and 1x Matinee (I'll supplement rears later with probably preface or more source.)

2x Purity off the bat, Matinee later, and rears of Preface or Source even later one.

Heres the pickle. For power I will be using a Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH, and do not expect to be upgrading that anytime soon. I live in an apt with a fairly large living room, but it is somewhat narrow. I will be able to get the MLs 3' from the back wall with no issues, but the back wall is covered in windows. I keep the blinds shut, but there will be rogue bits of sunlight on the speakers regularly in the evening. I will NOT be able to get the recommended 2' from side walls. Probably more like foot to a foot and a half. My other concern is the very limited dispersion the speakers offer. More often than not it's just me, and I sit/lay in the sweet spot on the couch. However occasionally I have guests that will not be dead center, or I will move to the other side of the couch with is off to the right of the sweet spot. For this reason the Preface seems appealing. However, I love the clarity that the ESLs bring to the table.

So... help. Suggestions, recommendations and whatever assistance you all may lend will be excellent. I have pictures of the room if needed.

 

[Luke]

I would go with 2x Source and 1x Motif. Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH has 130W amp and should drive Source just fine. I wouldn't buy Source for surrounds, which is the place to save some money. You can spend the money on other components.

 

[FISH_MAN]

If you like movies bu a good center

I prefer to build of the mains when you get into the higher end logans such as vantage and spire the stereo imaging is so good you can get away without a center for a long time and the good bass fills the room with sound. i know you want to get your system going, just do not cheep out on the center or you will be sorry it is the most important speaker for movies i would rather have no center and better mains any day.:rocker::rocker:

 

[havok2022]

I prefer to build of the mains when you get into the higher end logans such as vantage and spire the stereo imaging is so good you can get away without a center for a long time and the good bass fills the room with sound. i know you want to get your system going, just do not cheep out on the center or you will be sorry it is the most important speaker for movies i would rather have no center and better mains any day.:rocker::rocker:

Not interested in picking up the Vantages. They are out of my budget and out of the question. I'm mainly concerned with the three options that I presenting in my original post. I also would love for someone to address the concerns that I brought up, as I believe they are very valid concerns to know about before I drop that kind of cash.

I do appreciate the input of those who have replied thus far, but I wanted to clarify the types of responses that I would be looking for.

 

[tsmooth]

The pioneer should serve you just fine and has preouts when you decide to upgrade amplification. Since you are not interested in taken that step, I would recommend the Purity to start with. That way you can run the RCA outputs into the onboard amp of your Purity, leaving the receiver to only power your center channel (recommend the Motif) and surround (recommend the vignette or fresco). Using only three channels on the receiver should help it to drive your speakers easier.

For the center channel I would recommend you look at the Motif or a Theater i on the used market. These center channels allow you to have the wider sweet spot for entertaining, but also the clarity in dialog that all of us want for our movie experience. I have a Motif in our theater room and I can hear everything clearly from the center channel from any listening position. It is the single MOST important speaker in multi-channel applications so I would recommend not settling in this department.

For the surround channel I was in the same boat as you. I was looking at a pair of mosaic or other floorstanding speakers. When I went to demo, I came to the conclusion that the ATF wall speakers where right on par with anything else in the surround channels. I then picked up the vignette for a great price and have not looked back since. I would highly recommend picking up a pair of vignettes or frescos on www.audiogon.com or even ebay if you can find them. Even dealers are discounting the ML for the anniversary sale. Basically, for the amount of information that is sent through the surround channels you do not need to have a real expensive set of speakers back there. I would purchase the Preface if I was looking to set up an all ATF system, and putting them as the rears might be overkill.

Lastly, the mylar of the ESL does not like dust or sunlight, so really try to keep them out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Have fun with the purchase and let us know what you decide.

 

[stevenic]

I would just agree with what others have said...

I've been thrilled with my setup of Vantages for the mains, a Stage for the center, and Vignettes for the surrounds. The imaging from the Vantages is phenominal and everyone who listens will be convenced the centers on even when it's just 2ch stuff.

If you can't swing the Vantages then I'd dump everything into the center (especially if you're not that interested in music) and look for a pair of Vignettes for the surrounds. I picked up a pair of "new in box" off ebay for $800 so the deals are out there. Also, be sure and check your local HiFi shop for dealer demos (saved $1,000 on my dealer demo Vantages.) What's nice about the demo's is that you still get a warranty so I'd look there first before trying audiogon or ebay...

-steve

 

[havok2022]

Deals on ebay etc aren't really a concern to me. I work for MHT part time so the deals are taken care of, but limited to the Design series. Looking at the Matinee center instead of the Motif, as that's what is available to me.

The reason I was considering a Source for the rear is that I would like to keep everything ESL if I go that route. I know the ATF drivers are chemically the same, but they seem overpowering compared to the ESL sound. The surrounds are later down the road anyhow, so I can figure that out in due time. Thanks for the input all, I believe I have an idea of the route i want to take.

Now to see if I can sell the old system.