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November 13, 2014 - 7:54am
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The Making Of A Sound Mutt
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To get the best sound in multi-channel, it is most important for the front three speakers to match. Always nice if all 5 are in the same line, but front three are most important. Since you just got that Polk 25 C, assuming you are happy with it, I would look for Polk speakers.
They have the Fxi A4 speakers that are optimal for surrounds. Di-poles are optimal for surrounds but your could consider the Polk Monitor 35Bs. For fronts you could use the 45s on stands, 65s or 75s.
I have not heard the Emotiva receiver and can't judge. Both Denon and Marantz make outstanding sounding receivers and many of them are on clearance. Dolby just introduces Atmos and D&M is incorporating that into all there new units. Thus, all the old ones are on clearance and could be a very good value. The Denon and Marantz receivers tend to have very strong feature sets like built in Airplay, Pandora and Spotify.
Regarding the sub, a lot of people love that sub and it should be great for your purposes.
I see. This 'timbre' thing I have read about must be crucial then. As we are indeed pleased with the sound from the 25C, I will get the Polk Audio 75t units when I see a good sale. Thank you!
The tremendous variety of receivers available from the likes of Marantz, Denon, Onkyo, etc., makes it too difficult for me to choose. My years as a retail store manager taught me; If you give people too many choices they will make none and leave. I have read hundreds of reviews covering dozens of their models, and what I have learned most greatly is that people don't know what they are talking about. Just as any review I give of the 25C would be worthless - replacing the 1 pound 2 inch center speaker that I've had for over a decade, with it's massive 18 pounds and 66 [22 times] more square-inches of radiating surface area - well of course it sounds good! :)
Since we don't stream or need any features or great power, and as the Emotiva Fusion 8100 has solid reviews, I think we will most likely stick with it, but I greatly appreciate your suggestions. I just hope it can supply enough power to the 75ts now....
I cannot describe how pleased I am to soon be owning a Velodyne! I know it will sound good (to me), but my choice is partly emotional. In the early 80s my girlfriend's father had one, and I thought it was the most amazing sounding device of man's crafting. Hearing it was like swimming in a warm lake. (He repaired Hammond organs and also had a Leslie speaker - I was stunned when I heard it!)
At $449, the Emotiva seems like a great deal. Nice part of Emotiva is the low risk as you can return it if it isn't powerful enough or you don't like how it sounds. Given that you aren't worried about streaming or any kind of network, this seems an outstanding option.
If you don't like the Emotiva, A strong alternative would be the Denon AVR X4000 at $799, particularly if you need more power. If the Emotiva is plenty powerful enough but you just don't like how it sounds, the Denon AVR X1100 for $499 is a great value. NAD T 748v2 is $599 and is a very good unit but lacks the power of the Emotiva.
The first Marantz I would seriously consider is the SR5009 at $899. It is a strong unit, if you can find an SR5008 you can probably get it for $799.
I hear you completely regarding reviews. Unless you have a frame of reference it is tough to judge the context of a review. I personally like Denon and Marantz equipment very much. I own several Denon & Marantz units. I feel that they outperform Pioneer Sony Yamaha Onkyo and comes down to clarity to me. I have only heard great things about Emotiva products though I have not heard thatparticular receiver and have no idea how it sounds relative to any other equipment.
Good luck!
Thank you for the outstanding receiver suggestions. I have examined each and must admit my lust for NAD, though I agree the 748 may lack adequate power output, making their 758 more attractive. But, then again, at our age we don't 'crank' up much Pink Floyd now, gravitating more toward classical.
And my salesmanship likely would fail to persuade my dear wife out of $400 for 20 more watts....
At crutchfield You have 60 days to return it if you don't like it. Get the less expensive unit. If it fails to deliver the power you need, return it. That will be the easiest way to persuade your wife, she will be able to hear that it is inadequate. Crutchfield is great about returns and then you can get the 758 if you need it. The one thing I will say is that NAD is pretty conservative in their power ratings compared to some other companies. If a lower power rated unit will meet your needs, I would expect it to be the NAD.
I never thought of that - I feel bad returning things that are perfectly good, making Crutchfield hard to get used to.
I will finish setting up what I have (if I get an answer on the sub....) so she can make an honest comparison.
You honestly don't know if the 748 will deliver adequate power to your setup. The only way to tell is to put it in your room which is why these web dealers have these liberal return policy. Crutchfield would still make money selling it at a discount as an open box and some lucky person would get a perfectly good unit for about $50 less. It's not like you are buying with intent of returning it. You will only return it if it doesn't meet your needs.