# Yamaha HTR-5550- Looking for speaker recommendations?



## andyd (Jan 8, 2013)

Hello all-

I am new to Home Theater Shack and fairly new to home theater systems altogether. I currently have a Yamaha HTR-5550 receiver mated to 4 Sony speakers and a KLH center with a 500watt 12in Dayton Audio subwoofer. The speakers were decent enough to get me by for a while, but I've decided its time to invest in a nicer setup. I already have a nice subwoofer so I am just looking for new fronts, rears and center channel. Ideally what I am after is a set of speakers that will complement my Dayton nicely and really make my system come to life. I'd like to keep the budget around $350 give or take a few. A 5.0 set would be nice for ease of ordering, but I am willing to entertain the idea of mix and match to get the best for my money. Any suggestions? Thanks much.


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

One of the best choices in that price range would be the Pioneers. You can get four SP-BS22 bookshelf speakers and the SP-C22 matching center.


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

theJman said:


> One of the best choices in that price range would be the Pioneers. You can get four SP-BS22 bookshelf speakers and the SP-C22 matching center.


+1
The Pioneer is a solid choice


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I would also seriously consider the SVS SBS-02's that are now available for $149 a pair. They used to sell for $300 a pair and were considered an exceptional value at $300. So for $375 you could have a very nice array that are identical. Just click on the SVS Banner at the top of the page and from the main page select Outlet Specials. Actually, here is the link:http://www.svsound.com/sbs-02
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## andyd (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks on the quick replies! I looked at the pioneers you mentioned, and I do like them. Just curious though, did you not suggest the matching floor standing towers since they are a little out of my budget? Or because maybe my receiver might be insufficient in powering it? If my yamaha would power them fine, I would maybe consider expanding my budget.


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

andyd said:


> Thanks on the quick replies! I looked at the pioneers you mentioned, and I do like them. Just curious though, did you not suggest the matching floor standing towers since they are a little out of my budget? Or because maybe my receiver might be insufficient in powering it? If my yamaha would power them fine, I would maybe consider expanding my budget.


Strictly budgetary reasons. The towers are rated at 87dB sensitivity, which means it will take a little bit of power to drive them. Your receiver is 75 watts a channel -- which is about half of what they can take -- so you should be just fine, so long as you don't listen at a "will you turn that down!" volume level.


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

The Pioneer towers are not weak - and they can and will get loud
with a modest receiver - I have tested them. Even the bookshelf
speakers are not a wimp.


----------



## 3dbinCanada (Sep 13, 2012)

The Pioneers mentioned are a phenomnally good speaker given the price. They were designed by Andrew Jones. However, as a general rule, one gets better speakers from loudspeaker companies than electronic companies. The Andrew Jone design is an exception and are a remarkable speaker series.


----------



## andyd (Jan 8, 2013)

Hey guys I appreciate all the feedback. After reading all the positive reviews I decided to give the pioneers a shot. I ended up ordering the front towers, rears and center today from Tigerdirect.


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

andyd said:


> Hey guys I appreciate all the feedback. After reading all the positive reviews I decided to give the pioneers a shot. I ended up ordering the front towers, rears and center today from Tigerdirect.


Congrats! I think you made a wise choice. After you get them tuned and broken in be sure to come back and post your thoughts.


----------



## andyd (Jan 8, 2013)

My pioneers came in yesterday and I must say I am pretty impressed with the overall package so far. Solid build quality and nice looks. Although I probably need to play with the tuning a little more, I do think they can benefit from more power. A couple questions for you guys... Is it better to mount the rears behind the listeners, or to the side? Also, do any of you have any suggestions on possible amp upgrades for future reference?


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

andyd said:


> A couple questions for you guys... Is it better to mount the rears behind the listeners, or to the side?


If this is for a 5.1 system those are actually side surrounds, not rears, so ideally they should be positioned to the sides.


----------

