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Post by shish32 on Sept 11, 2019 11:17:43 GMT -5
Hi kids it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’m building a house in North Carolina that will be finished in January. I’m looking for recommendations for speakers for stereo listening as well as home theater. I’ll be using a separate amp for the two channel and a receiver for the remainder of the system and home theater bypass. Speakers will need to be white, design consideration counts in this install. Time is of the essence since the walls are open and we’re making wiring decisions. While i’m value conscious it’s less of a concern this go around with the new home. Appreciated any and all help. I don’t really want to have a separate Subwoofer FYI.
Wow you guys are AMAZING! The speakers will be for 90% MUSIC, 10% HT. The room is 17'4" x 23" to go with the two stories. I opens to the kitchen. I am attaching the architectural drawing. All puns aside, I am all EARS. Keep the suggestions coming please! (I don't see any votes for Goldenear. Are they not that good? Thanks. Barb Attachments:
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Post by simpleman68 on Sept 11, 2019 11:29:29 GMT -5
Lots of options out there depending on budget and what sounds good to you. I can make a lot of recommendations but you may not like the way they sound.
But to give some tips on the known information: 1. You'll want a fairly large, full range speaker (large room volume + no desire for sub) 2. You'll want something dynamic enough for movies but good enough for music but how important is each? How much time will each medium be used? (20% music & 80% theater or vice versa)
Needing all white speakers will limit you to fewer manufactures of course but that doesn't have to be a deal breaker.
In terms of wiring, I'd be sure to install dedicated (on their own breaker and not shared with any other household outlets) 20 amp outlets (dual quads in at least 2 locations)
You can also run plastic conduit in wall for speaker wire runs. If you stick with at least 1" you will have good flexibility for future changes/upgrades if you desire. They make nice outlet style covers with decorative grommets to cover your speaker wire chases with. You should have a pretty good idea about how far apart to space them based on distance to listening area and most manufacturers recommended speaker placement charts.
Lots more to discuss depending on your preferences/needs like room treatments, optimal room positioning etc but those are the basics for starters.  Scott
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Post by garbulky on Sept 11, 2019 11:34:38 GMT -5
How big is the living room? And more importantly for the two speakers what is your budget? The best sounding speakers I've heard so far (though others have come close) have been my Axiom M80. In small to medium living rooms they don't need a sub. If the room is bigger then you would want to get the M80 high powered version which has a much heftier magnet assembly allowing for more bass or the M100. They also have ON WALL and in wall versions of their towers - albeit with reduced bass. Also they now have wireless options for most of their speakers too. If you want a much bigger speaker to seriously fill the place with sound Tekton Audio's Pendragon or Double Impact will be a nice choice imo. Those speakers definitely don't need subwoofers and can fill very large spaces with large amounts of power. They have a nice amount of detail but slightly lacking in precision versus the Axiom speakers. But it makes up for it by bringing the house down and providing a large tall sound image. Now the reason I reccomend these is because both can be configured in whatever color you want. Axiom can do any finish or veneer or most real wood finishes you want - it's very custom for a reasonable price. Comes with magnetic grills. Tekton Design can do any solid color in an automotive finish, a lot of choices which come standard. Comes with grill (but you have to ask for it). Also it goes without saying that these are right at the top level of the best speakers I've heard and had good experience with. Axiom Audio examples also available in high gloss.    Tekton Design examples   These are the ones I heard    There's also KEF LS50 which does come in a beautiful white color and looks fantastic. However I can't recommend it as it cannot match these two previous speakers for sound quality. Not that it sounds bad, but I've just heard better plus there's a good chance you'd need a sub for larger rooms.  If you want to go budget and you don't want a sub - the Emotiva T2 (or T2+) is guaranteed to do what you want and sound utterly fantastic. However it doesn't come in white. Also if your budgfet is higher and you care a lot about the looks, the Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII is a real winner. It also sounds very good. However sound very close to it is had for a lot cheaper (see Axiom) (but not as nice looking). I wouldn't reccomend it if you are looking for value in sound but rest assured the sound is great.    ^Note the leather stitched tops^ |
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Post by simpleman68 on Sept 11, 2019 11:35:17 GMT -5
Quick search for speakers in white finish turned up a few companies that I've either owned or heard in person that are worth a look.
Many of these are geared for music vs theater though all well engineered speakers.
Scott
Revel
Paradigm
Polk
Dali Martin Logan Totem
KEF Monitor Audio
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Post by tropicallutefisk on Sept 11, 2019 11:41:14 GMT -5
With a large room you will want to make sure you pay attention to the speakers efficiency and match with a sufficiently powerful amp. Unfortunately I do not have any speaker recommendations. First, speakers are the most personal of audio choices and second I have no idea what is available in white. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.
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Post by mgbpuff on Sept 11, 2019 11:51:23 GMT -5
Since you are building, plan for speakers to be built into the walls. Even a sub can be hidden thusly and color no longer matters.
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Post by garbulky on Sept 11, 2019 11:54:03 GMT -5
But to give some tips on the known information: 1. You'll want a fairly large, full range speaker (large room volume + no desire for sub) 2. You'll want something dynamic enough for movies but good enough for music but how important is each? How much time will each medium be used? (20% music & 80% theater or vice versa) Scott [/div][/quote] I think the main crunch is that if you want speakers without subwoofers then you have to be okay with large speakers. The smallest speakers I've heard with good bass were the Emotiva T2s and they weren't "small" but more medium-small-ish and not white. |
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Post by jmilton on Sept 11, 2019 12:07:23 GMT -5
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Post by 405x5 on Sept 11, 2019 20:03:59 GMT -5
Hi kids it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’m building a house in North Carolina that will be finished in January. I’m looking for recommendations for speakers for stereo listening as well as home theater. I’ll be using a separate amp for the two channel and a receiver for the remainder of the system and home theater bypass. Speakers will need to be white, design consideration counts in this install. Time is of the essence since the walls are open and we’re making wiring decisions. While i’m value conscious it’s less of a concern this go around with the new home. Appreciated any and all help. I don’t really want to have a separate Subwoofer FYI.
Wow you guys are AMAZING! The speakers will be for 90% MUSIC, 10% HT. The room is 17'4" x 23" to go with the two stories. I opens to the kitchen. I am attaching the architectural drawing. All puns aside, I am all EARS. Keep the suggestions coming please! (I don't see any votes for Goldenear. Are they not that good? Thanks. Barb While the walls are opened you might reconsider the Subwoofer by going “architectural Subwoofer/s” enclosed into wall spaces. That would broaden the range of choices to go with for the main loudspeakers. Greatly improved bass response in a large space. Lots of good choices out there but you should really find time to listen.....far superior to taking suggestions. Bill |
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Post by DavidR on Sept 11, 2019 20:48:55 GMT -5
I noticed the article was written by Jim Milton. Your user name is jmilton.
Hmmmm............. Do you believe in coincidences? |
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Post by simpleman68 on Sept 11, 2019 21:17:19 GMT -5
Hi kids it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’m building a house in North Carolina that will be finished in January. I’m looking for recommendations for speakers for stereo listening as well as home theater. I’ll be using a separate amp for the two channel and a receiver for the remainder of the system and home theater bypass. Speakers will need to be white, design consideration counts in this install. Time is of the essence since the walls are open and we’re making wiring decisions. While i’m value conscious it’s less of a concern this go around with the new home. Appreciated any and all help. I don’t really want to have a separate Subwoofer FYI.
Wow you guys are AMAZING! The speakers will be for 90% MUSIC, 10% HT. The room is 17'4" x 23" to go with the two stories. I opens to the kitchen. I am attaching the architectural drawing. All puns aside, I am all EARS. Keep the suggestions coming please! (I don't see any votes for Goldenear. Are they not that good? Thanks. Barb Lots of good choices out there but you should really find time to listen.....far superior to taking suggestions. Bill Agreed as outlined in my post. Choosing speakers especially is all about personal preference. Scott
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Post by jmilton on Sept 11, 2019 22:26:54 GMT -5
I noticed the article was written by Jim Milton. Your user name is jmilton.
Hmmmm............. Do you believe in coincidences? I hear he’s handsome too. Coincidence? |
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Post by pedrocols on Sept 12, 2019 11:11:50 GMT -5
I noticed the article was written by Jim Milton. Your user name is jmilton.
Hmmmm............. Do you believe in coincidences? I hear he’s handsome too. Coincidence? Are we talking about the same handsome guy who is also a Pats fan?🤔 |
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Post by metaldaze on Sept 12, 2019 14:30:22 GMT -5
Since there hasn't been a link to this yet, I'll throw in my suggestion of these! ohmspeaker.com/speakers/walsh-tall/#wt-5000I linked the 5000's since your room is so large & two stories tall. I'm not sure of your budget but I do believe these will give you the best sound for your space. Especially considering they'll see around 90% duty for music. Anywhere you walk in the room (Or even in your kitchen!) you will experience stereo imagine with no loss in sound as you walk around, off axis or otherwise. As for the color, Ohm is factory direct. Give them a call and I'm sure they can provide you with white cabinets as opposed to the real wood veneer offerings. Best part is a 120 day in home trial! Once your house is built of course. Best of luck |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 16:05:21 GMT -5
Buy what you think sounds the best, then have them painted by a body shop or friend. $200 should be more than enough. (maybe your house painter will do it on the side)
Do not discount in-wall subs. I was considering 2 in-walls subs with a power amp located with the main system. The grills can be painted the wall color & blend right in. Believe me, you & your friends will be impressed, it adds so much using 2 units.
I don't know your budget, but Monitor Audio has a whole line of architectural options- Sound Frame and Custom Install and they sell white speaker cabinets on many product lines. They're pricey but the quality is very good.
I'll bet if you went to a real Home Theater store, they could build a system that would be perfect for your home. Negotiate with them on price, there's "bicker room" in their pricing. My favorite store in Dallas is Starpower, they roll their eyes when I walk in. I NEVER pay retail. (I've been doing business with them for over 20 yrs) A good system designer can save you money in the long run. We were going to build at the lake and I was almost 40k over budget. I showed a designer what I planned & he showed me better ideas for less money.
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Post by davidl81 on Sept 12, 2019 16:08:50 GMT -5
Buy what you think sounds the best, then have them painted by a body shop or friend. $200 should be more than enough. Do not discount in-wall subs. I was considering 2 in-walls subs with a power amp located with the main system. The grills can be painted the wall color & blend right in. I don't know your budget, but Monitor Audio has a whole line of options- Sound Frame and Custom Install and they sell white speaker cabinets on many product lines. They're pricey but the quality is very good. I second the in wall sub idea. One of my good friends built their theater room with in wall speakers and subs, and the low end is pretty impressive. |
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Post by briank on Sept 12, 2019 21:41:01 GMT -5
I noticed the article was written by Jim Milton. Your user name is jmilton.
Hmmmm............. Do you believe in coincidences? I hear he’s handsome too. Coincidence? Must be a different Jim Milton then. |
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Post by GreenKiwi on Sept 13, 2019 1:37:37 GMT -5
I assume you're thinking about the wall across from the kitchen for the speakers? I'd definitely get out and listen to as many as possible and start to figure out what sound you like. Are you going to use in-wall speakers for the center? or matching center & stereo? What about surrounds? In walls could be great for those, since they would not take up space but still give you a 3d experience. garbulky touched on most of the speakers I'd look at. And maybe if you could get maggies in a color that worked. I'd second his commend about the KEF LS50, I think that they are great small room speakers (and you want the wireless version). I would look at their R series. I'd probably also aim for towers rather than bookshelves. international.kef.com/products/r5   I'd also take a look at their architectural options. international.kef.com/pages/architectural-speakers |
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Post by shish32 on Nov 24, 2019 19:12:00 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. i am in the process of getting everything pre-wired for the two media rooms and ceiling speakers everywhere else. Now its time to the research on all the great recommendations. if there are any more i will be open to them.. Barb aka Shish32
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Post by shish32 on Nov 24, 2019 19:14:25 GMT -5
for the 5.1 two story liv room it will be all on wall and floorstanding lrc and surround. the separate media room will be a 5.1.4 atmos with 4 towers 4 in ceiling and a freestanding center channel. Color not important in this room. I may bring my maggie 1.71i to start in the lr and use my two pairs of maggie mmgs for the media room with a leftover center channel. Planning on using all Yamaha for the 4 atmos speakers and for all in ceiling in other rooms, specifically the Yamaha NS-IC800 which are a terrific value and sound fantastic. Whole house is now wired for the HTD Lync System.
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