# Have AV Receiver ... now eyeing speakers



## Lazy Partizan (Aug 19, 2012)

Hi,

I am a happy new owner of a Yamaha RX-V473 5.1 receiver and I'm hoping for some advice about what my next step should be. My setup will be used for TV, Xbox games and music.

I live in an apartment where 5.1 or 7.1 is not currently an option, so for now I want to make the most of a front speaker setup.

Right now, I have two Cerwin Vega VS 80s that I bought WAY back in the 1990s. They've treated me really well over the years, now I'm wondering if I should keep them and match them up with a center and/or subwoofer, or sell them and get matching left, center and right speakers and perhaps a sub. From what I've read on this forum, it's pretty important to make sure your front speakers work well together.

Whatever I do, a key requirement (of my wife) is it's got to be unobtrusive. If I replace my Cerwin Vegas, it will have to be with something smaller. The space around the TV is pretty small. I can have the left and right speakers maybe 10 or 12 feet apart and the sofa about the same distance or a little more away from the TV.

I'd like to avoid spending more than $250 for now. Do I get rid of the Cerwin's and start from scratch? Can they easily be matched with a center speaker? In my setup, is a center even going to be an improvement over a left and right speaker? Should I be thinking more about a subwoofer?

Here are the Cerwin Vega VS 80 specs:
Woofer Type: 8 Inch Cast Aluminum Frame Woofer.
Woofer Voice Coil Size: 1.55" voice coil.
Tweeter Type: 25mm Balanced Dome Tweeter & PTC Protection.
Design: Bass-reflex Design.
Frequency Response: 38 Hz - 20 kHz.
Power Handling: 100 watts.
Sensitivity: 94 dB (2.83V/1m).
Impedance: 8 ohm compatible.
Protection: Self-resetting PTC (tweeter).
Terminal: Heavy Duty 5-Way Input Terminals.
Video Shielding: No.
Dimensions H x W x D: 20" [50 cm.] x 10-9/10" [27.3 cm.] x 11-1/2" [28.8 cm.].
Net Weight: 26 lb./11.8 kg.

Thanks!


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Keep the CV's & spend the money on a sub. You can certianly do without a center channel speaker. Most AVR's let you send the center information to the R/L speakers. And with only $250 to spend, a sub is the best option in my humble opinion. That is how I started.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Agreed ^^
for $250 your not getting an upgrade over what you have currently. A sub would be the best upgrade for that money something like this for example.


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## Lazy Partizan (Aug 19, 2012)

Many thanks for the advice. 

You guys reckon that either of these, Polk Audio PSW10 10-inch or BIC America F12 12-Inch, would do the trick? I mention them just because they seem to have really positive reviews on Amazon. In particular, the Polk seems to have really good bang for the buck.

Or does something about the Polk Audio PSW Series PSW505 12-inch you mentioned above make it particularly suited to my 8-inch CWs?

I live in an apartment so I'm not looking to make the building vibrate. Am I going to notice the difference between a $100 subwoofer and one that costs $250? 

Thanks again.


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## caliberconst. (Dec 10, 2009)

Personally I would try and save up an extra $30, and get this *ONE*. Much much better sub than the polk from my experience. BTW I would stay far far away from the polk psw10, it has got to be one of the worst sounding subs I have ever heard.


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Welcome to the Forum. Have fun. Dennis


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

My preference for a budget sub, is the Energy S10.3
And it will go down low > 25hz at 104db in a 7,500 cubic-foot room
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269026

Sound and Vision measurements
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article/energy-take-series-home-theater-speaker-system?page=0,2

And, HT Labs measurements
http://www.hometheater.com/content/...oisseur-rc-70-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

caliberconst. said:


> BTW I would stay far far away from the polk psw10, it has got to be one of the worst sounding subs I have ever heard.


Yes, I agree with you on the Polk sub.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I have used that energy as a primary sub in the past. Not too bad. 

I have to ask... Do you feel you Cerwins are lacking in bass? And how much can you crank a sub in your apartment without ticking off the neighbors?


Honestly, my spidy-senses tell me to save your $250... Over the next few months pad that budget a bit more and start looking for some new/used/or refurbed floor standing towers. Use the time to research a bit... Scour eBay, company sites for refurb/b-stock... And Craigslist. You might dig up a pair of really nice towers for $450.

At least that might be what I'd be inclined to do. A little patience.

I'd you are more interested in a sub... That Energy for $199 shipped is a great deal. Take the savings and buy a auralex gramma pad (which will help from killing the neighbors) and see how it works. Only downside to that energy is you won't get much - or anything - for it on the used market if you don't like it.

If you find you are interested in that Polk psw10... PM me. I have two... Hardly used... With original boxes. We could work out a deal for far less than you'd get off the net.

In answer to your question, there is a difference between the Polk and the energy, yes. The energy goes a tad deeper. Has more headroom... But, honestly, I don't think the difference is what I would call huge.

T


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## Lazy Partizan (Aug 19, 2012)

Well Shackster, now you've got me worrying about my neighbors. Better to think about this before I buy a big subwoofer, I suppose. A quick Google search reveals plenty of people in various forums discussing apartment neighbor problems resulting from subwoofers. Maybe it's best to hold off on that for now. I suppose there's no such thing as an "apartment-building friendly" subwoofer....

You asked whether I feel like I miss any bass with my CWs .... Well not really, but I'm not sure what I'm missing either. 

To recap, I just replaced my old stereo receiver with this shiny new AV receiver with lots of nice features and I'm wondering if there's any easy addition or improvement to my system that I can make (without annoying my neighbors) to take advantage of it. I know I'm limiting myself by saying I can't do surround speakers, and now maybe not a subwoofer, or at least a substantial subwoofer. Is there any point at all in a center speaker? 

Or do I just wait until I'm in a situation with more leeway?


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Here's my take:

(1) That Energy sub will add some warmth and depth to your bottom end... which is probably missing because you have bookshelf speakers. They would DEFINITELY benefit from a sub. But, without knowing how big of a room you'll put it in, it's really hard for anyone to comment on how much of an impact it will have. It's only a 10" woofer... 

That being said, your bookshelf speakers are decently large... 8" woofers... 20X10X11 cabinets. I suspect that you are getting okay low end out of them... especially if you haven't really noticed it missing.

(2) Yes, subs can be a problem for neighbors. My dedicated home theater room is down in our basement. And it can literally shake the house. So you can bet that your neighbors will hear those low frequencies... which means you'll need to turn it down... which means it's impact will be diminished... 

This means that when you perform your set-up, you'll have to purposefully set your sub volume low so when you turn your mains up in volume that it, too, doesn't get wildly cranked (which means it won't be properly calibrated to perform at it's best with your mains)... or you'll just have to live with low sound levels all around.

(3) One way to reduce vibrations, etc., from annoying your neighbors is to incorporate an Auralex Gramma Pad, which sits under your sub.

(4) Why not consider a center channel? The center definitely plays a vital role... keeps the dialog centered along with sounds that are directionally intended to come from the middle of the sound field... it then allows your left and right to expand your sound field to the sides.



If I were you, considering your circumstances, I would contact CV and ask them what match is best for your speakers. If they give you a range of models... buy the BIGGEST center out of all of them. You want your center to be as robust as possible.

27dnast


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Another option is to get some Butkickers and install them on all the seating in the room, These will give the same effect as a sub but not the noise that the neighbors will hear.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Glad you could join us, Lazy Partizan! 

All speakers need subs. If you are happy with your current speakers, the Energy S10.3, plus the Auralex pad to reduce transmission of vibrations to your neighbors homes is a solid recommendation. The BIC F12 and Klipsch RW-12D are also bang for the buck when on sale.


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