Fronts for HK AVR 255

M

mpw

Guest
Hi,

Been visiting this forum for some time now. I have a Harman Kardon AVR 255, JBL CSS 10 sub, JBL Control now Center , and fronts and rears JBL: Control One's.

Sometimes i think it would be better to replace the front Control Ones with good floor standers. Budget about 40K.

a. Will it make a difference if i go in for front floor standers from a different manufacturer ?

b. What is the meaning of "Monitor speaker"

Any suggestions ?

Thanks !!
 
Matching center with left/ right is important if you can hear the difference between sound coming out from left, center and right - there are times when some sound is coming from all three but different in intensity, and at times it pans from one speaker to another.

You may use current fronts for surrounds in 7.1 config (assuming you currently have 5.1), and the center too for surround duty - IIRC all control ones are same, whether center or surround.

Why do you want to change? For more thump, or more dialog clarity, or for great 2 channel music? Normally it is the 2 channel music because of which people want to upgrade their front left and right speakers.

Missions, wharfedale are favorite here. Hopefully I will audition lyrita's single drivers in home theater duty too some day - then may be I would recommend them better - but I can recommend them for music even now. You can also try a lyrita valve amp to power these, and pre outs of 255 going into the amp. While a good source also connects directly to the amp bypassing the avr.

BTW, have you compared the 255 with any other avr? Where did you buy it from and how much did you pay for it?

regards
 
Hi,

I do have a current 5.1 set up. I am not interested in converting to 7.1 set up. Primarily space constraints ( room sixe 19 by 19 ) and right now, i get ROOM FILLING sound for movies.

I listened to the Denon 1909, Marantz 5003, AVR 155 before i made up my mind for the AVR 255 because of its excellent spec sheet. Have no regrets as i think the AVR 255 performs well too. Paid about 34K for it in Mumbai from the JBL showroom at Atria Mall.

The complete package i have ( described in my 1st mail ) is very good for watching movies.

Am contemplating going in for floor standing fronts for more juice when i listen to music.

Was wondering whether to stick to JBL ES 80 or try the Polk TSi 500 or the Diamonds from Wharfedale.

Thanks,
MPW
 
if more juice means more thump, while keeping the clarity of voice and top range, I think bookshelves + sub may also serve you good compared to a budget FS. Because, IMO, the avr is acting as an "active crossover" when distributing frequencies to fronts and sub. This should sound better than passive crossover inside these budget floor standers. Also, you can separately adjust volumes (kind of EQ) of sub and fronts.
OTOH, if you use a FS that has overlapping frequency response with subwoofer's freq response, I THINK base is going to get muddied when it is coming from multiple speakers.

All of the above is my theory only, so may be more experienced people can add here. You must audition before making a purchase decision.

regards
 
Hi MPW,
A warm welcome to our forum.:)
A good floorstander or bookshelf speaker will bring out the best sound from your AVR. Harman Kardon along with Marantz are some of the few brands that do well for Music thru an Avr. The speakers that you mentioned are good.
Wharfedales are very famous in our forum and many of our members have it:thumbsup:.If you are considering the Polks I suggest you audition the RTi-A5 towers.Nice Midrange and good bass extension. I feel this is one very under rated speakers. Matched well it'll sound really very good. Infact I liked it more for music than movies, though it's not the speaker for listening to classical's.For just over 40k these speakers are very good.And they are finished in Real Wood,looks classy in cherry.:licklips:
These speakers should do well with the kind of Amps the H/K is capable of.
Later on you can add the CSi A4 center channel for approx less than 14k.
But don't take my word alone, take your 255 along and audition with different speakers.Each of us perceive sounds differently,so audition and if you have any queries we'll guide you.

All the best and Happy speaker hunting,
Regards
Sam
 
Thanks Sam.

a. Would the JBL LS 80 be a good buy as compared to the Polk RTi A5 ? since then i would have all JBL speakers.

b. What about good bookshelf speakers like RTi A3 or the Lithos Q10 ?

I feel i need more juice in mid range and higher frequencies than what i am getting from my CONTROL ONE fronts.

My music taste is classic rock, sometimes indipop and my folks like indian classical music.

Looking for good sound with a nice punch but not the boom boom types.

any more inputs ?

Thanks,
MPW
 
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