Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Need serious upgrade help!

Building my dreamhome right now, including a dedicated 16.5 x 20 media room. Going front projection onto a 92 inch screen. I'll worry about the projector and screen later (Pearl and SilverStar?), but need to really understand what stays and goes with regards to my audio set-up. Here's what I've got (it's 5.1)...

Denon AVR-3802
Snell Type E-IIIs (fronts)
Jamo Center 200 (center)
M&K V3-B (sub)
Rears are in-wall and staying with the old house so those will definitely be new

I've never been thrilled with the "front stage" as it's often hard to hear certain dialogue situations clearly. I may have been given some bad A/V advice from the store that set me up with the speaker system. And I've never been real sure on where to turn the 2 dials on the back of the sub for optimal performance.

90% of the new media room will be video usage (divided between video games, movies and TV) and 10% music.

So, what needs trashed ASAP?
What can I keep (or upgrade further down the line)?

Since I need new rears anyway, I'm tempted to get a sonically matched 7.1 set-up and throw out everything but the sub (but, oh how I loved those Snells). I was looking at something like Axiom. Next on the list was to get rid of the aging 3802. Suggestions? Finally, the sub would eventually be replaced (but, if I can figure out optimal placement and settings, this may be a keeper... or part of a 7.2 set-up).

What would you do?!

Excited but clueless,
Wap

Waptap, the first couple of things you might want to check out is an spl meter and set-up dvd. Start from the bottom and work your way to the top. Calibrate your set-up and see if that helps. Also, work on placement. If you are having trouble discerning dialogue check to see if your center channel is pointed towards your ears. Maybe it is pushed too far back on the shelf? Think of it as a small investment with which to build a home theater around. If the spl meter and the dvd help with your current set-up, then you are good. If you still find yourself unsatisfied, you will need the two things to help set-up your new equipment.

If you need help with specifics don't be afraid to ask. I know nobody has responded to you yet, but this place gets a bit slow on the weekends. This is a holiday weekend, so things are even slower.

Hang in there.

Welcome; Wap!

Speaking of speaking!....dialog....I notice you don't have a set of "matching" speakers across the front. In my opinion, big potential oops!

My current set-up uses an M3 for center with M50s for mains and since they all use the same tweeters and mid-bass drivers they match up beautifully and give me fabulous pans and scans and the dialog is impecable.

I supose one way to go if Axioms weren't in your future would be to pick which of the center or mains...like the Snells!...that you like best and go with a center or mains to better match what you keep.

.....I would certainly suggest you look seriously at Axioms though. I've had mine for years and years and couldn't be happier!!

But yeah....I think I would concentrate on the fronts first to clean up the dialog in a system where movies games and TV are most important.
Rich.

Welcome, not sure if you've gone through here Axiom Articles but it will cover a lot of info.