# $10k upgrade budget



## Rhuarc (Feb 5, 2010)

I have the upgrade itch and I got it bad...

I currently have SVS MTS-01's for my LCR with some cheapo polks for surrounds. Everything is powered by Emotiva amps. The LCR each have XPA-100's on them. I have two XPA-5's for surrounds and future atmos speakers. I have pieced this together over the years and have recently gotten a nice budget to upgrade.

So, right now I'm looking for enough speakers to fill out a 7.0 setup (I have the subs taken care of already, no concern about the low end). I would like to stick around $10k for the 7.0 speakers, if I needed to upgrade my XPA-100's to say the XPA-1's for the LCR, I could swing that, if the speakers needed/justified it.

It will be used for 95% movies in a dedicated 18x25 space, which will be acoustically treated in the near future.

Honestly, I could be talked into more, with very little effort, but would like to try to stay around $10k.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Could the MTS-01 be the old SVS speakers? You don't specify but IIRC those were a model offered by SVS. Either way...

Since you have a rather health budget to work with, what about some custom speakers from the renown Funk Audio? Nathan Funk is able to create pretty much anything you can image - and with a level of craftsmanship few are able to match - so it might be worth exploring something along those lines. His website only hints as what he can do, so if you have something particular in mind you should give him a call.


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## Rhuarc (Feb 5, 2010)

Yes, sorry they are from SVS, I corrected the OP. I'll check out Funk!


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## KevinJSteward (Jun 15, 2014)

With that kind of budget, Martin Logan would be worth looking at:

L/R - Motion 60XT
Centre - 50XT
Surround - 35XT

That would leave some change to put towards the Atmos speakers. 4 wall mounted Motion 2s or 4s wouldn't push you too far over your original budget.


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## Rhuarc (Feb 5, 2010)

Ok, not trying to completely shift the OP, but if I could drum up the cash, would getting B&W 803's for LCR, and 805's for surrounds be an enormous difference between a set of 10-15K speakers? That would run me aroun $37k, just with a quick price search. Sorry, if this is a blatantly stupid question, but I'm trying to decide if I can justify the cost, mainly to myself.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Rhuarc said:


> I have the upgrade itch and I got it bad... I currently have SVS MTS-01's for my LCR with some cheapo polks for surrounds. Everything is powered by Emotiva amps. The LCR each have XPA-100's on them. I have two XPA-5's for surrounds and future atmos speakers. I have pieced this together over the years and have recently gotten a nice budget to upgrade. So, right now I'm looking for enough speakers to fill out a 7.0 setup (I have the subs taken care of already, no concern about the low end). I would like to stick around $10k for the 7.0 speakers, if I needed to upgrade my XPA-100's to say the XPA-1's for the LCR, I could swing that, if the speakers needed/justified it. It will be used for 95% movies in a dedicated 18x25 space, which will be acoustically treated in the near future. Honestly, I could be talked into more, with very little effort, but would like to try to stay around $10k.


 I know you said you didn't need subs but they are free in this deal so you could flip them or gift them to needy friends / relatives...... http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/core/view_BigProduct.cfm?pid=9020&sc=27 
You would still have lots of cash for other toys.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Rhuarc said:


> Ok, not trying to completely shift the OP, but if I could drum up the cash, would getting B&W 803's for LCR, and 805's for surrounds be an enormous difference between a set of 10-15K speakers? That would run me aroun $37k, just with a quick price search. Sorry, if this is a blatantly stupid question, but I'm trying to decide if I can justify the cost, mainly to myself.


Ok, just for the record I love B&W 800 series speakers.
Are they worth the money? 
Well if you have plenty of money I would say yes, but if there are other needs / desires that will be affected by dropping that kind of coin on speakers then I would have to really think hard and long about where / how to disperse the resources.
The speakers I linked to in the post above are very good home theater speakers and they are dirt cheap when you are talking about spending $15k or $37k.
But if the prestige of owning speakers like B&W or Sonus Faber is meaningful the Klipsch speakers are not going to fill that part of the deal.
In the end you really have to go out and listen to the speakers to decide if the difference in sound is worth it to you.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

KevinJSteward said:


> With that kind of budget, Martin Logan would be worth looking at: L/R - Motion 60XT Centre - 50XT Surround - 35XT That would leave some change to put towards the Atmos speakers. 4 wall mounted Motion 2s or 4s wouldn't push you too far over your original budget.


I like this recommendation too.


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## Rhuarc (Feb 5, 2010)

I appreciate the input! Honestly, I could swing the B&Ws, I'm going to find a local dealer and just go listen.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

http://www.goldenear.com/
http://www.paradigm.com/


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

willis7469 said:


> http://www.goldenear.com/ http://www.paradigm.com/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have never heard the Golden Ear speakers, I really like the Paradigm Studio 100's.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Rhuarc said:


> I appreciate the input! Honestly, I could swing the B&Ws, I'm going to find a local dealer and just go listen.


Yes go listen.
All of the 800 series speakers are very nice.
I am not trying to talk you out of the B&W's but listening to some nice towers in the $3k - $4k / pr range is probably prudent.
The RF-7's should be easy to find, Studio 100's are worth a listen but Paradigm is sometimes hard to find, and Martin Logan makes some nice speakers that should be widely available.
Tannoy, Sonus Faber, Dali, Vienna Acoustics all have some very nice speakers too.


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## Rhuarc (Feb 5, 2010)

My local dealer has Tannoy and B&W. Going to head over there this week for a nice long listen.


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## rhale64 (Jul 9, 2013)

Check out the Salk speakers also. I would love to have the Soundscape 8's for my main speakers. Of all the speakers I have seen lately those, and the new Paradigm speakers catch my attention the most.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

If for no other reason than to look at, I might consider these paradigms. Lol


















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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

too much to spend... overload city.

can't help.

go triton 1s

the end.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Talley said:


> too much to spend... overload city.
> 
> can't help.
> 
> ...



Lol. See post #10


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## KevinJSteward (Jun 15, 2014)

chashint said:


> I have never heard the Golden Ear speakers, I really like the Paradigm Studio 100's.


GoldenEar is Sandy Gross' latest speaker company. He's one of the co-founders of Polk Audio and the founder of Definitive Technology, so he's been around the block a few times.


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## ewardjr69 (Feb 25, 2013)

I own the Goldenear Triton 1s and they are fantastic speakers. I originally had the Triton 2s and I loved them and the only reason I sold them be sure the 1s came out. The 1s are fantastic speakers that I highly recommend. I'm a fan of Paradigm as well. Just my two cents


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

I went to audition some Triton 1's today at my nearest dealer, one hour away. Found out when I got there they are appointment only! Doh...


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

willis7469 said:


> I went to audition some Triton 1's today at my nearest dealer, one hour away. Found out when I got there they are appointment only! Doh... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



What? That stinks not sure I would bother going there again. Did they say why? It seems pretty easy to set up a pair of speakers in a showroom setting where they should be and hopefully doing it often if they want to be in business. You got the upgrade bug?


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## witchdoctor (Feb 21, 2016)

I recommend you keep your SVS L-C-R speakers and add SVS Prime or Ultra bookshelfs for your surrounds. Then add 4 more SVS book shelfs as front and rear height channels for an all immersive theater. Get a Marantz 7710 receiver with the Auro 3D and DTS-X firmware upgrades and you will be happy. Once you hear an immersive setup you will not want to go back to 7.0. SVS makes fine speakers, no need to dump your L-C-R channels unless they don't suit your taste. Talk to SVS to see which bookshelf is the better match.

I just noticed that SVS announced a new speaker the Prime Elevation speaker. You may want to consider 4 of those for your height channels instead of bookshelves.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...prime-elevation-speaker-debut-ces-2016-a.html


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

willis7469 said:


> I went to audition some Triton 1's today at my nearest dealer, one hour away. Found out when I got there they are appointment only! Doh...


So you're standing there in the showroom and they choose to have you walk away without an audition? An appointment for something like that is ridiculous in the first place, but then letting a potential customer walk away boggles the mind. :dontknow:


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

theJman said:


> So you're standing there in the showroom and they choose to have you walk away without an audition? An appointment for something like that is ridiculous in the first place, but then letting a potential customer walk away boggles the mind. :dontknow:



Lol! I wish that were the case. Then I could have delivered a piece of my mind directly to the ear balls of a real person. What happened was, I found them online and since we visit this city regularly, I thought I'd seize an opportunity. I didn't realize they ONLY operate by appt. Seems unusual to me, but now I know I'll have to go farther. This was a big let down. Makes it easier to not sit and pine for them though! Lol


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

B- one said:


> What? That stinks not sure I would bother going there again. Did they say why? It seems pretty easy to set up a pair of speakers in a showroom setting where they should be and hopefully doing it often if they want to be in business. You got the upgrade bug?



It seems I'm the one in error. However, I will not be calling them in the future. 
And yes, I've been bitten by the upgrade bug. Bad!!! Tax season has me dreaming about upgrades, but I'm actually going to start with my subs. They'll be cheaper to upgrade, and I'll probably get to do them sooner. (Whisper...dual fv15hp...) I'd like to do a complete overhaul, but that's just not going to happen at once. Congrats again on your upgrade! Used you've been busy with it!


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

You definitely need to checkout the Tritons... I've heard them on several occasions. 

WOW.:TT


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Todd Anderson said:


> You definitely need to checkout the Tritons... I've heard them on several occasions.
> 
> 
> 
> WOW.:TT



Todd, I can't wait to get my ears on some. Back to OT I guess...


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

There are several small dealers around here that operate by appointment only.
Unless they have an appointment scheduled they are not open.
An answering service takes calls for appointments.
I went to one and while it is probably unfair to judge all others by the experience, I won't ever do it again.
I know living in the suburbs of Dallas gives me more options to audition different equipment than many have, but when access to gear is limited business failure becomes a self fulfilling sequence of events.


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

You really need to audition the Golden Ear Triton Ones. I have the T1's. They are outstanding for both Home Theater & 2 channel music.

Best speakers I have owned to date.


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## Coytee (May 7, 2010)

Rhuarc said:


> Ok, not trying to completely shift the OP, but if I could drum up the cash, would getting B&W 803's for LCR, and 805's for surrounds be an enormous difference between a set of 10-15K speakers? That would run me aroun $37k, just with a quick price search


If you are able to swing that purchase, you need to immediately drive to the airport, buy a ticket to Knoxville TN. I'll pick you up at the airport and you can jam until your heart is content on some horn speakers.

I am utterly convinced you will love it and if so, you can put a mix of parts together and build a system with huge dynamics that will stomp those B&W's into the ground. You will also have enough cash left over from the money saved to more than pay for your ticket.

Presuming you have the space

Budget route: Buy however many Klipsch LaScalas you want/need. Dump/sell everything but the woofer. Buy a Klipsch K402 for the front 3 mains and the smaller K510 for everything else (unless you have the space) Buy a horn loaded subwoofer and call it a day.

I've heard a similar system in Indianapolis and it really has to be heard/felt to be believed. Dynamics out the wazoo, crystal clear and you don't need to spend a million dollars on fancy electronics!

Cost no object route: Buy some Klipsch Jubilee's for at least the front 3. Can buy more for surrounds as needed or, swap out for the JubeScala as described above.

2-way speakers are going to give some coherence that a 3-4 way speaker won't. 2" treble horns are going to lower distortion at any sane level you choose to listen. Horn loaded woofers are going to give incredible dynamics and lower distortion when compared to a direct/radiator style.

By the way, that was vague so I'll be more clear.... if you are intrigued at all, you are welcome to come to Knoxville and hear the parts described above. If I'm right, you will have saved a ton of money and vastly upgraded the potential of your system. I'll let you buy dinner on the way back to the airport. If I'm wrong and you don't like it, then I'll buy YOU dinner on way back to airport!

:TT


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

^^^^^
That's a fine offer.


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## showcattleguy (Jun 30, 2011)

Go B&W all the way! If you can swing it you will be more than impressed. Are you looking at the new D3 or the series 2 diamonds? I have the 802D2s and listened to martin logan, tannoy, wilson, sonus faber, paradigm, thiele, and vandersteen before i made my decision. Every time i did a demo i would say to myself something along the lines of "if only they were as good as the diamonds." Dont know where you are located but if you are having trouble finding series 2s you are more than welcome to audion mine.


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## 3dbinCanada (Sep 13, 2012)

witchdoctor said:


> I recommend you keep your SVS L-C-R speakers and add SVS Prime or Ultra bookshelfs for your surrounds. Then add 4 more SVS book shelfs as front and rear height channels for an all immersive theater. Get a Marantz 7710 receiver with the Auro 3D and DTS-X firmware upgrades and you will be happy. Once you hear an immersive setup you will not want to go back to 7.0. SVS makes fine speakers, no need to dump your L-C-R channels unless they don't suit your taste. Talk to SVS to see which bookshelf is the better match.
> 
> I just noticed that SVS announced a new speaker the Prime Elevation speaker. You may want to consider 4 of those for your height channels instead of bookshelves.
> 
> http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...prime-elevation-speaker-debut-ces-2016-a.html


I'm a huge fan of PSB speakers. They are a definately an alternative to look at. However, I have to agree with what the witchdoctor stated in term of speakers. The SVS are no slouches and should be kept unless off course you don't like them.


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## zorax2 (Apr 7, 2014)

Another option to consider would be the KEF R Series. You could get R700 Floorstanders, R300 Bookshelf speakers for the sides, R600C for the center and R100 Bookshelf speakers for the rear for around $11K retail and hopefully the dealer will work with you on price. The R50 Atmos speakers are also available if you choose to go that route.

I have the KEF Reference Series (203, 201, 202c) from around 2000. What I love about them is the incredible soundstage they present. There is not a bad seat in my home theater with these. I looked hard at the B&Ws at the time I purchased these and just loved the sound of the KEFs and also fell in love with the beautiful design and workmanship. As I understand it, KEF has further refined their UniQ system and the R Series (which I have not personally demoed) is supposed to be incredible.

Unfortunately, it looks like your closest dealers are in the Chicago area. Given the kind of money you're spending, you probably want to hit Chicago anyway and demo as many brands as possible in a day.

Good luck with your search - I hope you find something you love!


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## Gregr (Nov 2, 2010)

Andrew - I am curious. After reading each comment I had hoped the solution had been written. Or was this an experiment in "cost no object" brain storming...? I loved this thread. I got to read about many free thinking, that is minds released from the limitations of cost boundaries. There are many impressive ideas and some pretty creative ideas above.

Well, on the assumption you have not made your final decisions, I just have to throw in my two cents worth. I have admired Scan Speak drivers since the 70's - about when they hit the market. I believe Wilson Audio Specialties has been using the Scan Speak Revelator drivers since their beginning and now I'm pretty sure I am seeing the newer SP Illuminator drivers in use as well. Well for $3500 you can buy 3 way kit with top quality and fully assembled crossovers (no cabinets) from Madisound 

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/3-way-speaker-kits/b741-scan-speak-kit-pair-by-peter-noerbaek/ 

Any local Cabinet Maker/Carpenter can build a cabinet from the dimensions given or from hundreds of readily available cabinet designs. The only improvement to this incredible potential maybe to exchange the incomparable Scan Speak tweeter to incorporate the REEL Ribbon Tweeter or maybe the Acuton Diamond Tweeter. 

Just sayin' :R :heehee:

Peace thru Compassion and Education


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## Hank Perkins (Jun 6, 2016)

Go listen to as many different speakers as you can. Bring movies and identify tracks to use for evaluation. Bring action, talk, and music. Don't just settle on the demo tracks they play.

I just went thru this and settled on Monitor Audio. You want to look at their high end in ceiling and in wall designs for surrounds. They are sealed in the back. 

Also look on the used market and see what people are selling off. While I found most everything used no one sells off Monitor Audio. 

Most importantly, buy what you want!!!

Good Luck!!


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## Hank Perkins (Jun 6, 2016)

My Monitor Audio Gold 300 (main speakers) and 350 (center channel) went in last night. My expectations have been exceeded by a significant margin.


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