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thetruth
03-12-2011, 01:59 AM
Hi all! First post on here and I am looking for a bit of guidance… I’ve attached my current room configuration (measured with YPAO and good ole tape measure).

My main L/R are OLD Pioneer 3-way ported monsters that my grandmother gave to my brother as part of a set when he graduated high school in 1988… they work like a dream, deep, hard-hitting bass:

32Hz to 20KHz,
8Ohm, 150 Watt RMS
**Made in America** Plate printed in Japan… lol, that’s what it literally says…

the plate has the SPL curve printed on it in a histogram-type format…
82dBM @ 32Hz; 92 @ 63Hz; 90 @ 125Hz; 90 @ 250Hz; 91 @ 500Hz; 91 @1k; 92 @2k; 94 @ 4k; 98 @ 8k; 96 @ 16k

They sound surprisingly great in movies but really shine in music… There are so many little things I’ve missed out on before in recordings that I can clearly hear with these… it is almost as if the orchestra is right here in my room (sounds of violinists breathing, a pick tapping the guard, fret buzz with low e on one of Clapton’s Stratocasters, little whispers and voices never heard before with Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on). So I think I will be keeping these guys as my mains… question with these, is it worth it to have the foam surrounds replaced on the 12” woofers? There is a small (tip of pencil) size dry rot on each surround… or just some silicone and wait till it fully blows out or tears?

As far as my other speakers go… well… I am VERY embarrassed to say this but they came from a $99 home theater in a box that was clearance at best buy in 2004 (“1000w” system). As you can see in the photos, each speaker is “80w” at 4Ohm… it was originally a 6.1 system… I bought that during my undergrad years and just haven’t paid much attention since.

The speakers are really not THAT bad - made be EASTECH (which made monsoon's speakers i think?) but the enclosures are horrid plastic and the xo is just a cap LOL

so i am assuming anything i do from here is going to be like night and day...

I am currently using a Yamaha RX-V667 7.2 receiver as source.

So all this long-windedness aside, what should I do for the rest of my speakers? I was thinking of getting either the Dayton RS621 curved cabs or UA711 curved cabs for my SL, SR, SBL, SBR… still don’t know what to do for the center channel (perhaps a tritrix setup?). Is that okay to go with a speaker with an RMS 30 Watts below my receiver’s RMS output? As long as I don’t push the amp hard, the speakers will not get anywhere near 90 Watts right? Melted coils = bad.

I know most of the articles available say, dont ask what speaker to get or how it sounds... but i still would like the opine of those who may have experience witht the speaker or similar setups to mine... i understand there are too many variables to make any bets sure - but it is still nice to here feedback on likes and dislikes, or comparing models in the DIY realm to what we can get in a box store.

Any guidance from you all would be a BIG help. My budget is about $1200 (give or take a few hundred) to get 2 surrounds, 2 surround back, and a center channel. i might go to $2000 but will have to hide it from the fiance :P

Very busy with school and full time job, so I think making my own enclosures is out of the question… however, if there is a bigger bang for the buck to be had in my situation… like, spending 1200 to rival/best a 5000 dollar system, then I will consider taking the effort.

On that note… with the RS621 or UA711 – what kind of performance and clarity can I expect?? sorta like tommy boy said, look mr tech talk forum, i can slap a "reference series" sticker on a box of poo but at the end of the day it is still a box of poo.

I’ve read the reviews and looked at the SPL graphs – it’s not a question of will the speakers fill my 12’Dx40’Wx12’H room (actual listening area is 10’Dx15’Wx12’H), but will they sound the same/better than/close to the REALLY expensive speakers I see in electronics-expo or 6thave? i know it is a shallow question (at the surface, lol) but I really want to make sure that the drivers I pick can be found in the higher-end equipment out there... im less about the name brand of the finished product and more about the name brand of the drivers - makes sense?


Again, thanks in advance for the help!!

DuckHunterJon
03-12-2011, 06:29 AM
Wish I could help more with your questions, but I'm just starting on my first project as well. I don't want to hijack your thread, but would you mind pm'ing me with your thoughts on your rx-v667? I'm about to make apurchase, and its at the top of my list. Thanks.

dwigle
03-12-2011, 08:51 AM
So all this long-windedness aside, what should I do for the rest of my speakers? I was thinking of getting either the Dayton RS621 curved cabs or UA711 curved cabs for my SL, SR, SBL, SBR… still don’t know what to do for the center channel (perhaps a tritrix setup?). Is that okay to go with a speaker with an RMS 30 Watts below my receiver’s RMS output? As long as I don’t push the amp hard, the speakers will not get anywhere near 90 Watts right? Melted coils = bad.

Any guidance from you all would be a BIG help. My budget is about $1200 (give or take a few hundred) to get 2 surrounds, 2 surround back, and a center channel. i might go to $2000 but will have to hide it from the fiance :P


Again, thanks in advance for the help!!

Welcome to the forum. We may need a little more info. Do you have a subwoofer?

With a limited budget (who doesn't?) I would nix the surround backs for now. A better 5.1 system is better than a cheap 7.1 system. You can always build the surround backs later.

Look in the Bible (first Sticky thread) for surround and center options using the Dayton RS 150 series of midwoofs. You could build a very nice set of 2 -way surrounds and a 3 way center for $450 (without enclosures) or about $750 with PE enclosures.

That would leave you with $500 or so for a very nice powered sub.

By using the RS line including a number of tweeter options you'll have timber matched speakers. Then when you're ready, there are a lot of options using the the same drivers in larger configurations to replace the existing fronts. Do a search for the "Statements" here and at http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=27552

thetruth
03-12-2011, 10:39 AM
sorry thought i had that in there... i got a very nice powered sony sub - msrp at best buy was 699 and i walked out the front door with a used model from their magnolia section for 99 bucks 3 years ago (it was black friday and it took lots of moaning) - the plate on the amp says 200 Watt RMS and i can confirm with kill-a-watt that its drawing much more power than that (how much actually gets to the speaker?)... its a cool 10" sub that has an equalizer on it that i really don't touch much - just leave it sonically matched for music and that's that.

so you say stay away from the rs621 or UA711 and go with a different custom design? or are the PE enclosures and matched drivers the better option? i wanted to get the most expensive kit but they are all 4Ohm and I'd like to keep it at 8Ohm... although my receiver right now is driving all 4Ohm speakers cept the mains... it doesnt get hot at all.

__________________________________________________ _______________
as for the rx-v667bl... it is a VERY surprising receiver for its price point... i actually paid $188 for it from electronics-expo ... if you are in NJ then i'd head there to pick it up, you can still get one for 389 (they say open box, but if you go in and talk to a sales guy he will sell a new model for the open box price)... its very cool with its polished gui over HDMI - no switching problems at all - HDMI handshakes are fast and hold strong - 3D passes right through with the 1.4 inputs - upgrading the firmware is WEIRD, requires SPDIF cable and playing a 14 minute "song" through a computer or CD player... individual amps for each channel - ability to biamp - true multizone - 2 subwoofer-ability - preouts, 4hdmi in and 1 out... TONS of inputs

all in all the 667 is a GREAT receiver...

thetruth
03-12-2011, 10:43 AM
also, the front L/R speakers actually hit HARD and low - i have the crossover for the sub set to 35Hz because the fronts take care of most of the bass for me - parametric EQ for the front channels is adjusted to exactly match the SPL graph printed on the copper plate on the speakers.

(another awesome feature of the yamaha is the autoconfig of the speakers with YPAO - it does great... if you dont like it, there ARE SO MANY options to tweak the system in the manual setup) - if you don't need the networking ability (DLNA too) of the 867, I'd definately go with the 667.

scottsehlin
03-12-2011, 03:15 PM
I have a few basic questions...

1. Are you looking for a kit so that you can get better speakers for the $ than you would get by buying retail? Or are you more interested in learning the process of speaker building and possibly making a hobby out of this?

If you are really just looking for some good surrounds to go with your Pioneer towers, you might want to start with something like the BR-1 kit, which uses drivers that might have a similar tonal character. There are crossover revisions that make these better (see www.murphyblaster.com for one example). If you don't really care about assembling speakers yourself, the Behringer Truth Monitors (particularly the 2031) have a good reputation around here. You can search the forum to learn more about those. The Tritrix design would work well too, but I'm not sure if any of the variations can be built into a prebuilt cabinet (I know there is a cabinet kit for the towers, but I am not sure about the smaller surrounds). Surrounds based on the GR Research M130 (www.gr-research.com) would also have a tonality that might be compatible with your Pioneers. Some designs based on that midwoofer are also found at www.murphblaster.com.

If you really want to go with something like the Usher or Dayton Reference kits, you will probably want to start by upgrading your mains, then filling in with smaller surrounds using similar drivers. These will probably sound a lot different than your Pioneers (mostly in a good way, but they will be more revealing of bad recordings, bad source gear, etc...) There are many projects here and elsewhere we can steer you toward if you really want to take things to the next level. If you just want to build around your Pioneers, my first paragraph options would be a better way to start.

Wolf
03-12-2011, 05:33 PM
www.murphyblaster.com.

Fixed it for you!
Wolf