Ok, so for all of you guys here that dont frequent the AVS boards, or that may ignore me there :P - I am pasting a post from there that summarizes my expirence so far...

*note, I just finished writing this, and realized that it is long as hell - so for the impatient/busy people out there, you can skip to the bottom and find my conclusions *

I thought you might like to hear my impressions/opinions of the speakers I auditioned today. I spent roughly 6 hours at 4 stores:



The Home Theater Store (really high end stuff for the most part)

Tweeter (chain store, has some high end stuff, but mostly consumer level)

Fry's Electronics (chain store, Polk Audio is their "high end" brand)

Good Guys (chain store, some really decent speakers, but all consumer level)


ALERT - DISCLAIMER - ALERT - Make no mistake, I'm a complete nOOb and do not intend to sound like an audiophile. These are my impressions, and if I missuse words, or you dont understand me - I'm sorry

FYI - My budget is $2000-$3000 for the complete 5.1 surround system.

At The Home Theater Store the only speakers I listened to (and could afford) were: Paradigm Monitor-7, Monitor-11, Reference 60 v2 and Reference 100 v2. James assisted me, was more than helpful and put up with my constant questions and speaker switching.

Over all I REALLY loved the sound of the Paradigm's - nice full sound, not too high and not too boomy.


1. Monitor-7 - I loved the sound this speaker produced. Very complete in its "fullness" and provided plenty of detail in the highs, while keeping a nice balanced mid range sound.

2. Monitor-11 - I was expecting to really love this speaker, I mean, it could only be better than the 7 right? WRONG - It was muddy and seemed to lack a lot of what I loved about the 7. Some of the differences could very well be attributed to the difference in receivers. This one was an 80 watt per ch, while the one powering the M7 was 120 per ch.

3. Reference (studio?) 60 - A very nice speaker. Seemed to do a better job at accurately reproducing the low frequency sounds than the M-7 did, but it was very close. It had a very mellow sound to it when compared to the M-7 though.

4. Reference (studio?) 100 - I'm a little torn in regard to these speakers. While they sound fantastic, they also dont seem to have the same clarity of the M-7. They are quite a bit boomier, and didnt strain as much when pushed as the M-7's did.

5. Paradigm conclusion - I want to hear the M-11 on a better receiver, but overall the cost/sound quality ratio kicks serious booty with the Monitor 7's. I'm also interested in listening to the reference v3 speakers, I read somewhere that they just came out.


The Tweeter Expirence... I auditioned Vienna Acoustics Bach (had never heard of them), Mirage OM-9's, and Mirage Omni 260. Bob was my sales person here, and he was a bit on the pushy side - but not too bad.

1. Vienna Acoustics Bach - this was a "nice" sounding speaker. For its price though, it wasnt up to the sound quality of the Paradigm's which were all cheaper except for the r-100. The sound was very dynamic between the mids and highs, but really lacked low frequency sounds.

2. Mirage OM-9 - I honestly thought these sounded like poo... It was on the same receiver and in the same room as the Vienna (and omni for that matter). Very flat sounding, and poor dynamics.

3. Mirage Omni - these "looked" cool on the Mirage web site, so I just had to hear them. I was surprised how much I liked them, especially after being so disappointed by the OM-9. The highs were nice and clear, the mids full, low frequency sound wasnt bad and, for the price they're a pretty good deal. Still, they dont compete with the Paradigm's for my money


The Fry's Guys - Ever felt like you were a part of a circus shopping? Well head to Fry's, they often have great deals (I got my receiver there, a Harman Kardon AVR-8000, a steal at $999.99), but you have to put up with audition rooms with open back walls(not just a door mind you, a WALL is missing), but sales persons that know less about sound than I do (very little to begin with:P). On with the list.... I auditioned only Polk Audio speakers here. They dont carry any other brands that I am interested in.

1. Polk RTi150 - I think I really liked these. I need to find a place that isn't as loud and take another listen. They had a nice full sound, good highs, good mid, and good bass. In fact, more bass than I expected - thought maybe a sub was on or built in, but found none.

2. Polk RTi70 - I'm not going to complain about the environment again They sounded good, but I need to go back (maybe find another retailer, or hit a different Fry's).


The Good Guys - it dosent get any gooder... or does it? Here I auditioned Klipsch RF-5, Klipsch RF-35, Energy C-7, and Monitor Audio Silver S8.

1. Klipsch RF-5 - Nice, really bright highs, good mid range, decent low. Very loud when compared (on same receiver and same volume levels) to all other speakers at The good guys. Almost sounded like a live performance - really airy and somewhat hollow.

2. Klipsch RF-35 - About the same as the RF-5, only smaller and slicker looking. Really need magnetic grill, but other than that, it has the same issues as the RF-35.

3. Energy C-7 - A very nice well rounded speaker. Seemed like it was being pushed all of the time, I was afraid we would kill the poor little guy while we were playing Track 8 on DMB, Crash. They didnt seem to have the same fullness as the Paradigm's or Plolk's, and I felt they are a bit overpriced at 499.99 each.

4. Monitor Audio Silver S8 - A very nice speaker. On par with the Paradigm's in many ways. Good full sound, maybe a little laid back (but then again, so are the Paradigm's) and nice highs. They are also a little more expensive than all of the Paradigm's except for the R-100.


So there you have it, a blow by blow recollection of my 6 hour auditioning day. My overall conclusion you ask?

1. I really loved the Paradigm's (if you couldnt already tell )
2. I liked the Mirage Omni, wouldnt mind hearing it in my house, but I dont think it stacks up to the others I'm considering.
3. I need to find a decent place to listen to the Polk's - they have great promise IMO.
4. I have to keep the Monitor S8's in the loop. They sounded great, and can take quite a bit of juice (just in case I want to piss off the neighbors)
5. I still want to hear the Axiom E80 set and the Ascends before I make any decisions.


Thanks for sticking with me (to those of you who read the whole thing)!

Thoughts, opinions, point, counter point? Let me hear it!

ZeN