looking to buy some HT speakers..

any advice would be appreciated...looking at spending at the most $2000-2500 for front l/r speakers, center channel, surround l/r speakers, rear surround l/r speakers(in-ceiling), and sub

are mirage, klipsch, or polk good speakers??????
currently have a Sony ES receiver that can handle 7.1 surround sound...

thanks

 

I don't know a whole lot about home theater speakers by themselves. I don't know good brand names or anything like that. I have an Onkyo 7.1 surround sound receiver and speaker system, which I love.

 

No matter what fronts center rears you go with, get an SVS Sub. You will not be disappointed.

 

thats a huge range, and you have tons and tons of options

I reccomend you check out AVS forum's speaker subforum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=89

Ask them to build you a system with that budget.

I prioritize speakers in the following order:

fronts (L/R), center, sub, surrounds

 

Is it better to have the front left and front right speakers level with the center speaker, or can the center speaker be about 1 ft higher than the two front speakers?

 

thanks, i'll check out the link...

i've also heard that the center channel is the most critical part of the whole setup...

 

I've got a Paradigm 7.1 setup that would fit with your budget. I also have a Hsu subwoofer that is the "Pepsi" to SVS' "Coke". I love my setup and get mucho compliments on it.

 

It doesn't matter as much how the center is in relation to the others as much as the center channel's relation to your screen. It should be in the center of your screen so that the voice parts, etc are anchored to the picture. Now, unless you have a nice perforated front projection screen - this usually isn't possible. So you are left with simply putting the center channel as close to the screen as possible. Generally it sounds better to put the center under the screen as most displays are mounted three feet or so from the ground and placing the speaker on top tends to make people notice its direction more now that it's up high.

 

depends on what you listen to

say, if you listen to music a lot, L and R are more important (unless you're listening to 5.1 audio). For movies yes I agree center is very important

 

Check out the Rockets at www.av123.com

Also, check out hometheaterforum.com.

 

The thing about speakers is you HAVE to listen to them. What sounds good to one person may not sound good to another. I have Infinity all the way around. I like Infinity because of the clarity of the highs and mids (I was a big fan of their EMIT tweeters; I can also hear higher frequencies than normal). I also like Infinity's RABOS system for eliminating peaks and valleys in the lower frequencies emitted by the subwoofer. I don't care for Polk and Klipsch, but I know others that do.

My suggestion is to take your favorite movie/music to your local retailer, and test the speakers out.

 

^^

guess that's true...to each his own...it's gonna be tough to find stores that will have any of the brands i'm looking at...

and i don't plan on listening to much music on this setup as it's gonna be dedicated to mainly movies/games...

 

I actually don't find the listening room at the stores useful at all. The speakers will not sound the same at home.

 

^^^^ Many better stores will allow you to take a pair home to try them out in the actual environment- sorta like the overnight test drive.

Also- I'll echo the go and listen suggestions. I made several multi-hundred mile round trips to speaker shops to listen to rigs...just depends on how serious you are....

 

^^maybe crutchfield will allow me to test drive a couple setups...will need to hit them up...

 

Nothing beats Paradigm, IMO.

http://www.paradigm.com/

For a cheaper alternative, you should also check into Energy

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/

Both CDN manufacturers, so you might have to do some checking to find a close vendor...

 

Energy's Take system is pretty sweet for a small, budget home theater. I even wish I could find a set of the older Take 5.2s for my apartment and save on some space...

For the higher end systems, look at their sister company Mirage.

 

Crutchfield does...I just sent back two sets of outdoor speakers that I had ordered. You only have 30 days though and you'll get caught paying the postage though.

 

You might also wanna take a listen to the Atlantic Technology System 2200. It's in the price range you're looking at and the nice part about these systems is you can mix and match components from the 1200 and possibly save some $$. More info can be found here. Bad part is, you'll have to go through a dealer. They have a delaer locater on the site.