Yet another speaker suggestion thread!!

Bharadwaj Bunga

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Guys, I've been doing quite a bit of research to select loudspeakers for my HT project (on the forum and other sources as well) and prepared a list of 7 speaker lines so that I can audition them and decide on the final winner.

I have allocated 2.5L for speakers (subs and electronics excluded) with another 50-75k as buffer. This if for 3 floorstanders (identical LCR), 4 bookshelves and 4 in ceiling speakers for a 7.x.4 layout.

My planned room measurements are 20 x 12 x 8 feet. (Dropped a bit on the dimensions owing to existing structural design)

I'm primarily looking at these:

1. Arendal Sound (Need to check the prices if they fall with in my budget)

2. Paradigm Premier/Monitor

3. Dali Oberon

4. XTZ Spirit

5. Q Acoustics 3050i/concept 40

6. RBH R55

7. Mission QX/ZX

Please share your views on this list and kindly add if any other lines need to be considered.
 
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While all the brands mentioned are good, I sometimes get disheartened that local brands make into very few shortlists. Brands like Lyrita, Acoustic portrait, Rethm and Cadence have brilliant offerings that deserve some serious consideration. Of course there are many more niche/diy builders who may not be common knowledge but mentioned brands do deserve some recognition for the value they provide.
 
I am using qacoustics concept 40 along with Marantz SR6014. They are amazing pair of speakers. I am using same series as center speaker but not floor stander for center.

If you are already having or finalised AVR you can mention the same. FMs can suggest matching speakers

Best wishes for your hunt
 
I am using qacoustics concept 40 along with Marantz SR6014. They are amazing pair of speakers. I am using same series as center speaker but not floor stander for center.

If you are already having or finalised AVR you can mention the same. FMs can suggest matching speakers

Best wishes for your hunt
Well, I forgot to mention that I'm planning to get Denon X4700H AVR and Emotiva BASX amplifier for LCRs
 
While all the brands mentioned are good, I sometimes get disheartened that local brands make into very few shortlists. Brands like Lyrita, Acoustic portrait, Rethm and Cadence have brilliant offerings that deserve some serious consideration. Of course there are many more niche/diy builders who may not be common knowledge but mentioned brands do deserve some recognition for the value they provide.
Apart from Rethm I have no idea about the other manufacturers. Let me dig a bit into the local stuff too. Thanks for pointing out though!!
 
Apart from Rethm I have no idea about the other manufacturers. Let me dig a bit into the local stuff too. Thanks for pointing out though!!
Talking of Indigenous speaker brands, Indiq and Torvin come to mind. Both are excellent. Indiq is BLR based, they also do custom HT installations and have full range of speakers in their catalogue. Torvin is Chennai based and also boasts of full HT range.
 
Please share your views on this list and kindly add if any other lines need to be considered.
My pick will be a Paradigm from the list above.
Heard a Q Acoustics and a Mission. They're okay. I am not sure if a QX is available for sale anymore.
I am not sure you can buy 3 floor standers. They are usually sold in pairs. I think JBL sell single speakers. Not aware of any other brands working this way.

Just so you've accounted for this. You're going to need 1.5x the budget (minimum) as you've allocated for your speakers for your AV Receiver/processor, sub woofer and Power Amplifier. Else the whole point of spending so much on speakers will be wasted if you can't feed them with good, quality power. 11 channels of power don't come cheap!

Brands like Lyrita, Acoustic portrait, Rethm and Cadence have brilliant offerings that deserve some serious consideration.
For stereo applications, sure. For HT, I'd give them a pass. These are all music first speakers. They need a really good room and equipment to sound their best. For the whizzes and bangs of home theater, I don't think anyone cares for a critical listening speaker.

A Cadence was the first serious speaker I had ever heard, way back in 2000! I think it was in Ness Pesikaka's house in Chennai. The sound did move me, though I knew very little of high end audio. I can't ever imagine using them for HT though.
 
I am not sure you can buy 3 floor standers. They are usually sold in pairs. I think JBL sell single speakers. Not aware of any other brands working this way.

Just so you've accounted for this. You're going to need 1.5x the budget (minimum) as you've allocated for your speakers for your AV Receiver/processor, sub woofer and Power Amplifier. Else the whole point of spending so much on speakers will be wasted if you can't feed them with good, quality power. 11 channels of power don't come cheap!
Thank you for sharing your views!

Regarding buying 3 FSs, I'm not sure about it either just wanted to execute "identical LCR" plan. If not possible, I will go for the center channel from the respective line.

Coming to budget allocation, I have planned to spend 2.5L for speakers, 2L for dual subs, 2.5L for AVR+Amp, 2-2.5L for Projector+Screen.
 
Thank you for sharing your views!

Regarding buying 3 FSs, I'm not sure about it either just wanted to execute "identical LCR" plan. If not possible, I will go for the center channel from the respective line.

Coming to budget allocation, I have planned to spend 2.5L for speakers, 2L for dual subs, 2.5L for AVR+Amp, 2-2.5L for Projector+Screen.
Placing a floor-stander in the centre of the screen might look awkward. Since the centre channel is designed for speech/dialogues, you do not need the lower extension of a floor-stander. Besides, as @sandeepmohan has mentioned, I'm not sure you'll be able to procure a single floor-stander, as they are generally sold in pairs in India.

The Q Acoustics are laid-back, might not be ideal for movies. Also, consider SVS. You can have a complete package of just SVS, including subs.
 
If not possible, I will go for the center channel from the respective line.
It is possible, just not with a floor stand. You can do it with an in-wall speaker. They are sold in pairs or as units.
As you are taking the projector route, don't bother with a center channel in a box configuration.
Go in-wall and place the speaker unit behind the screen, with the mid woofer-tweeter positioned at ear level when seated or in alignment to the front main speakers mid range and tweeter height. Makes a big difference for dialog reproduction.
 
Placing a floor-stander in the centre of the screen might look awkward.

My bad! I should've been a bit more clear in my post. The front soundstage will go behind the screen as I'm going for AT screen.

The Q Acoustics are laid-back, might not be ideal for movies. Also, consider SVS. You can have a complete package of just SVS, including subs.

Heard similar things about Q Acoustics. Removed from the audition list.

Added SVS prime towers+bookshelves in their place
 
Regarding buying 3 FSs, I'm not sure about it either just wanted to execute "identical LCR" plan.
A lot of people do it i.e. identical LCR. You won't be either the first or last.

Here is pic of similar installation. Here too LCR hides behind the screen.

WhatsApp Image 2022-02-23 at 10.46.23 AM.jpeg
 
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Can anyone share their views about Arendal Sound speakers? I've come across some rave reviews about their speakers and subs.
They indeed have excellent reviews. What are the speakers and subs that are available for demo at your location? It’s very important that you demo few speakers before finalising on one.
 
They indeed have excellent reviews. What are the speakers and subs that are available for demo at your location? It’s very important that you demo few speakers before finalising on one.
There's only a couple of dealers. One of them is a chennai based store. I have auditioned SVS prime towers, Emotiva T1+, Quadral towers.

Of these, I find Emotiva good and have a bit lively soundstage.

To carry out a proper audition, I need to visit chennai/banagalore.
 
There's only a couple of dealers. One of them is a chennai based store. I have auditioned SVS prime towers, Emotiva T1+, Quadral towers.

Of these, I find Emotiva good and have a bit lively soundstage.

To carry out a proper audition, I need to visit chennai/banagalore.
In my personal experience showroom auditions are not going to help us understand the true nature and potential of the speakers. They are not calibrated properly and most cases they are tuned for high SPL and will differ from one dealer place to another depending on their room acoustics. Best approach will be home audition which is next to impossible in most cases in our country.Second best approach is to connect with forum members and demo their set ups. Good luck with your journey :)
 
Arendal Sound speakers are out of my reach even the entry level 1961 series. The FS pair costs 2.1L!

Removed from my list. I'm adding MA bronze in Arendal's place.
 
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