I am looking for a set of som good surround speakers but am looking to spend no more than $350. I have found the sony sav-e505 for $309 which looks like a good price, but I had heard that sony speakers aren't the best and the subwoofer was seriously lacking. I can also get the jvc nsp1 set for $279, but this has no sub. The only other set I have looked at so far is the energy take 5 loudspeakers for $350 which seem to be alot of peoples choice for surround speakers. Any suggestions? I will be hooking this up to a pioneer vsxd509s reciever.

hmmmm...

i have the take 5 set in my bedroom now (was in the living room till a few weeks ago). they sound very very nice for what they are and what they cost.

i also have the pioneer 509 but have never hooked it up to the take 5s. my guess is that the two will match pretty well though.

give marc at www.audioshop.on.ca a call. great to deal with and will give you as good a price as you will find online.

if you have the patience (and a spare set of speakers for surrounds), i would look at a pair of bookshelf mains and a matching center on your current budget then pick up the surrounds when you can. in the long run, you will be much happier with your system than you would with sattelites as the surrounds don't really work all that hard. just my opinion.

take a look at some paradigm minimonitors (you'll have to go to an audio shop for these) or take a look at my choice the energy e:XL-16. i would guess that a pair of e:XL-16s and a center would be right around $350. again, call marc.

good luck.

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chess' DVDs chess' Web Site
chess' modest home theater:
61" Sony RPTV KP-61S75, Panasonic A-120U, Pioneer VSX-D509S, Energy e:XL-16 front and surround (birch), Energy e:XL-C, Sony SA-WM40

Thanks for the info chess. I might try your suggestion of waiting on the surrounds and going with some good front and centers. Is it me or does the audioshop.on.ca link not work. I had recieved that link from some other sites and it did not work then either.

it's not just you. looks like the site is down. that link is correct though.

their site won't do you a ton of good anyway as energy and paradigm don't allow canadian retailers to post prices for their products online. you would have to email or call marc for quotes and that info is on the site. i think his e-mail is either "help" or "support" @audioshop.on.ca but i'm not sure.

my guess is that $350-$370 will get you a pair of e:XL-16s (i recommend the birch or the rosewood vs. black) and an e:XL-C (black only) shipped 2nd day FedEx.

the paradigms are a bit more troublesome to order as they don't allow any mailordering of their products period. you can get them from a few people via email though but this is generally not "above board".

the minimonitors have a warmer (less bright) sound than the e:XL-16s, so if you like your sound bright (like i do) go with the energys and if you like it warm go with the paradigms. i think you'll also find that the paradigms cost a bit more to due to availability. quality is comparable.

do you have a pair of speakers that can hold you over for surrounds? if so, i would DEFINATELY go this route (as i have gone the other and regretted it).

i will say that the pioneer 509 and the e:XLs match well and are both good products.

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chess' DVDs chess' Web Site
chess' modest home theater:
61" Sony RPTV KP-61S75, Panasonic A-120U, Pioneer VSX-D509S, Energy e:XL-16 front and surround (birch), Energy e:XL-C, Sony SA-WM40

marc's email address:

[email protected]

looks like the site is back up too.

i should note that i am a huge believer in matching speakers in front and rear, so whatever you get up front, do try to voicematch it with the rear at some point in the near future. having said that, i still think you'll be much happier with this temporary setup than you would with any of the ones you mentioned.

also, with a good set of bookshelves, you should get but do not NEED a sub. if you picked up any of the sattelite setups you mentioned, you will be out sub shopping the day after you get them. so going this route, you can truly get a nice soundstage while staying in a relatively tight budget. with the sattelites, you could count on AT LEAST another $2-300 for a sub.

further, even the best of the bunch you mentioned (take 5) will likely leave you wanting more midrange even when matched with a sub.

finally, bookshelves open up more options. if you decide the bookshelves are adequate fronts, simply pick up another pair for the rear. if you want something bigger, you could move them to the rear and pick up a pair of voicematched floorstanders (i.e. e:XL-25s or 26s if you go energy, Monitor 3s or 5s if you go paradigm).

not trying to make a sale, just don't want you to make the same mistake i did. but don't cry for me, i have a pretty admirable bedroom setup to show for my "mistake".

[This message has been edited by chess (edited January 04, 2001).]