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Energy Speakers from Canada!

Game, Set, Match!

I’m not going to pitch you a set of speakers, but just provide some simple tips.

1. Ensure the demo environment is reasonably representative of your cinema space. If they are demo’ing speakers to you on a showroom floor then it’s not a comparitive environment - you should be listening in a dedicated home theater room.

2. Take YOUR dvds. The salespeople will pull out their discs to show you their features. Insist on watching your favourite movies to see how they compare.

3. Try listening with the sound down low. Anyone can turn the volume up, but when you turn the sound down do the speakers lose power disproportionately?

4. Let your ears do the choosing. Close your eyes and sit for several minutes through various scenes and ask not to be interrupted. Closing your eyes removes the visual distraction of their pretty plasma screen.

5. I would take Canton over Bose any day of the week.

Lastly, I cannot imagine why you would but an LCD screen over a plasma in a dedicated theatre space. Rule of thumb for anything over 42″ is LCD is good for brightly lit rooms as their backlighting helps to punch through ambient light, and plasmas rule in dark rooms.

I realise that you are on the edge of that decision point ie buying a 42″ screen, but please make sure you compare your LCD screen with an equivalent (or larger Plasma in a dark home theatre test room so you can make sure you are comparing apples with apples in your equivalent viewing environment.

If you were comparing LCD with Plasma in a brightly fluoro lit showroom then you got conned. LCD will always look more brilliant in that environment.

Given the price of the LCD you are looking at, you would do well to start here: http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-12982_7-0.html?filter=500961_102135_&sort=edRating7+desc

Good luck!

-JR

It looks like I’m going to be doing some research tomorrow.

The Infinity TSS-450 is a 5.1 surround-sound system. Unlike some other budget speakers, this speaker set includes a 100-watt powered subwoofer. Reviews say that despite its low price, sound reproduction is very accurate and the system is capable of delivering pleasing bass in smaller rooms. Furthermore, experts say dialogue sounds crisp and clear. The sub is bulky, but the satellites are small — a benefit in rooms that might otherwise be overwhelmed by five full-sized speakers plus a subwoofer. According to reviews, the Infinity TSS-450 outperforms its price, but some say the midrange is a little weak.

(*est. $175)

My setup (roughly):

Front: Infinity Primus P362 4-way Towers
Sides and Back: Infinity Primus P152 or P162
Center: Infinity TSS-CENTER4000 ($$) or Primus PC250 ($)
Sub: PS28 or PS210 (depending on how much money you have left)

You must buy full-range front speakers! The front 3 channels carry just about everything, and good L&R speakers will carry almost all but the lowest low-frequency effects, which means you can wait on the sub woofer.

The Primus line is voice matched (same high frequency response), and you can find the Primus 360 cheaper on ebay. Buy the back channel speakers now if you can so you get the voice matching.

The Onkyo is a great receiver. I have the next one up. You can fine-tune the sound to suit your ears. You really need to audition the speakers (especially the L&R front speakers) using your favorite music and movies.

Auditioning the speakers they are selling you always gives the best results in choosing a speaker. I am using Wharfedale speakers for my home theater. Maybe you should give it a shot and see if it works for you.

May I recommend Harmom Kardon/Infinity speakers. I wouldn’t ever buy anything else

Hello there, in my opinion, the way you can get the best sound is with an Onkyo Receiver. Make sure it has the ability to output the low frequency effects to a subwoofer while having all the other channels set as full range speakers.

Once you find a good enough Onkyo Receiver that can do that, then the best speakers for left, right, and rear in my opinion are the Bose 201 Bookshelf speakers. They sound pretty loud, while revealing every little detail and having very good bass response. Buy 2 pairs of those (currently $196 each pair), and then buy either an Infinity Beta C360 or Bose VCS-10 Center Channel Speaker, whichever you can find cheapest. They are both great for center channel and they will set you back about $200. So in speakers, you will be spending $196 x 2 = $392, plus $200 for center channel = $592, and for a good Onkyo receiver, like the SR875 with HDMI and 7.1 sound, youll need about $1000, but it is the best you can get. Since you are on a budget of $1200, an alternative to that receiver would be the SP908 for about $750 or the SR705 for about $650.

I hope I helped. Many people will tell you to go away from Bose, but actually not all their speakers sound the same way or suck. I believe the 201s are priced pretty low, considering their excellent performance.

I would like to add, I didnt specify any subwoofer, because those speakers have very good bass response, but should you be in need of a subwoofer, go for a Klipsch 10 inch sub, like the KSW-10 for about $300. If you cant go over the $1200 limit, then buy a cheaper Onkyo receiver like the TXSR575B for $300.

Congratulation John R! You won that $50 for having the most helpful comment.. I’ll write a new post with all the goodies when I get them… should be in Mid May..

The TV I bought was the Panasonic Viera 50″ TH50PX75 Plasma Screen. Got it for $1480!

Very cool, thankyou! I am glad the recommendations helped.