question for HT audiophiles

H

homIcIde

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 16, 2002
Messages
395
i have an oldish (15 yrs) pair of snell acoustic front speakers that i am trying to build a modern 5.1 setup around (they're fantastic - no desire to replace them). can anyone share some thoughts on this potential setup

Denon AVR-4306 receiver
Polk LSiC center
Polk LSiFX surrounds
Velodyne DLS3750R sub
 
Pinipig523 said:
Why not replace the snells with LSi15 or LSi9?

Joey
Click to expand...
Probably because he has no desire to replace them. I've never had an ear for Polk stuff personally, but that receiver is a champ.
 
Phelptwan said:
Probably because he has no desire to replace them. I've never had an ear for Polk stuff personally, but that receiver is a champ.
Click to expand...

Or maybe he wants to answer my question??

Joey
 
Sorry sorry - I don't want to replace them because they sound excellent and have served amazingly well for 15 years. It would cost a few thousand more (at least) to adequately replace them, which I can't really justify since I have no complaints.
 
I think those Polks would be out of place with the Snells tbh.


I never was a fan of Polk...
 
Be sure to listen to the surround speakers with your front two speakers to ensure they're tonally matched. It's gonna be a pain in the ass to find speakers that match a pair of 15 year old Snells unless you can get ahold of Snell and get them to find you a pair.

Don't want to be able to spot what speaker the sound is coming out of by the different tonal characteristics.
 
Your best bet would be to buy a variety of center speakers and audition them in your home for blend with your existing speakers. Keep the one you like and return the rest. The typical advice is to get the L,C,&R speakers as a set from the same manufacturer so that the blend along the front is seamless, but that's obviously not easy in your case. Matching some surround speakers is not nearly as critical as the center, but once you find your center you might as well go with the same company for your surrounds. What's your total budget for the whole endeavor?

Also, regarding your receiver, you might do well to look at the LMC-1/LPA-1 combo from http://www.emotiva.com. For $900 shipped, you'll get a separate pre/pro and an HDMI switcher. That's a pretty attractive alternative to some of the upper-level receivers from the likes of Denon and the others big names.

I know if I had ~$1000 to drop on a new receiver, that'd be my choice.

Check it:

http://www.emotiva.com/lmc1.html
http://www.emotiva.com/lpa1.html

Also, I would look at subwoofers from SVS, HSU Research, or AV123 rather than Velodyne.

In the $500 range of that Velodyne, perhaps you might consider the Hsu STF-2, the SVS PB10-NSD, or the AV123 ULW-10.
 
homIcIde said:
Do you think it's even worth trying to match to the Snells?
Click to expand...
You like them and it sounds like it would be an expensive proposition to upgrade them, so perhaps it would be "worth" it.
 
What are the specific Snell speakers? Do you know the model of tweeter component that they used? The tweeter is where the tone matching to the center will really be critical.
 
I'm actually in a similar situation. I have a pair of Definitive Technology powered towers I like that I've been using for stereo. They were discontinued years ago, but I got in contact with the manufacturer and they pointed me to speakers in their line with the same tonal balance. Try contacting Snell's customer service. They may still use the same drivers for their mids and highs.
 
Can you get another pair of Snells and run a 4.0 or 4.1 setup with a phantom center channel to avoid matching?
 
I dont think it would be smart to mix and match...

However, that said, I think that it is within your budget to go with a full LSi HT. As much as I dont care for Polks in general, their LSi15 is truly a good speaker. It's been underrated and has been recently found to be a great speaker especially if you peruse audiophile forums. The LSi15 is well received and a good speaker at the $1.5K mark.

If you have the money, go with a full LSi HT regardless of what people think of the regular Polk (non LSi) speakers.

Joey
 
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