What to look for in a proper sound system?

[Urzu1000]

There is a TL;DR section at the bottom.

I want to set up a 'very' high quality sound system for a home theater setup as a present to my wife. Mainly for watching movies and listening to music. I don't know what to look for in sound equipment. There are a lot of inconsistencies that don't make a lot of sense to me, such as the difference between subwoofers VS woofers, etc. I'm more or less a newbie. I prioritize directional surround sound when choosing headsets for myself, as I'm a gamer, but a high-fidelity music system setup is different than simple surround sound. There are numerous articles on these subjects, but most of them are for normal people, and they list brands and types before solid specifications. I'm looking for advanced recommendations and tips, so I can get it right the first time. I need an enthusiast's advice for finding sound system components in detail. Can anyone give me a good place to start, or some advice on what specs to look for? Links are appreciated too, if there's good articles covering this which I missed.

TL;DR Section: Can anyone give me solid advice (from an enthusiast's perspective) on what to look for in specifications, and any additional advice or links that would benefit me?

Any tips for doing it on the cheap would be a bonus, but isn't required!

Thanks in advance!

 

[ien2222]

Never hurts to ask if there's wiggle room. Plus, you'd be surprised how many people change their mind regarding building over time...it's usually something they never really considered. The problem is, is that he already is comparing to a set of cans which are probably decent.

If his room is that big, 25' x 20' as the example I used above, a $700-$900 sub is not excessive and on other forums he'll be getting suggestions saying at least two is the way to go. I'm not going that far, though if he's willing to sacrifice really low end extension, I have a $360 sub in mind that he should get two of. But without knowing roughly the volume of the room, it's hard to make a suggestion.

As for size of the speaker, unless there is a size restriction in place, there isn't a good reason to go with lifestyle sats. Bookshelves are usually the best bet, even for larger rooms (though it depends on the brand and sales available) unless there's specific reasons why you'd want floorstanders.

For an AVR, you should get one that has the features you want and also the capability you need it to do. In your case ssddx if that's the min AVR that you could find with what you wanted it to do, you didn't overspend.

 

[ien2222]

Heh, I wonder if I scare him off.

I guess I should have made it clear that whatever budget is given we'll work within it as best as we can. On the other hand, we also want to give reasonable expectations. The nice, rather even response of good headphones can be expensive, especially for a bigger room when you are used to flat down to 20Hz.

That's not to say you can't get something that you'll be very happy with.

 

[Urzu1000]

Heh, I wonder if I scare him off.

I guess I should have made it clear that whatever budget is given we'll work within it as best as we can. On the other hand, we also want to give reasonable expectations. The nice, rather even response of good headphones can be expensive, especially for a bigger room when you are used to flat down to 20Hz.

That's not to say you can't get something that you'll be very happy with.

You certainly didn't scare me off haha. I've just been busy with work the past week. As for doing it over time, to an extent. This is meant to be a surprise for my wife, so it needs to be decent starting out. Some improvement later down the line is definitely an option, and if it runs a little over budget in the short term, that's okay too. From what I understand, a good set of equipment will last me a very long time, and I'm not opposed to buying in for the long-haul.

The room itself is probably 25 X 20, so your estimate was pretty dead on with that.

@ssddx, if you think that 5.1 would be a better choice, then I'm willing to give it a shot. These Klipsch recommendations seem pretty cool. You mentioned the cost of cables and rugs though. Would rugs be useful for the sound setup? Are the quality of the cables very important, or are they a case of "if it fits in both ends, you're good"?

 

[ien2222]

Ooooo. I approve of these kinds of gifts

First the easy stuff:

For speaker wire, quality copper is all you need. It should read OFC (oxygen free copper) and you can get it many different places, don't get CCA (copper clad aluminum). Monoprice, Blue Jeans Cables, Amazon, Radio Shack, chances are your local hardware store has it too among other places, you shouldn't need to pay more than 50-70 cents per foot. Just make sure it's of sufficient gauge for the run;

http/www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable

Basically take the ohm load your speaker presents, length of run and it gives you the minimum gauge you should use. It's usually cheapest just to get a bulk spool for everything, instead of one spool for the front and another for the surrounds. A lot of people just get 12 gauge regardless, I myself tend to get 14 gauge since I never have runs more than about 35 feet. Also, if you plan on running it through walls, make sure you get cable rated for it for insurance reasons.

Next, yes you'll want a good sized area rug. You have a lot of very hard surfaces, this will result in a lot of reflections and reverb which you don't want. It doesn't need to be a thick shag rug, just don't get the really super thin ones, be sure it covers a good portion of the floor between you and the speakers.

You'll want to have some things that help with reflections off the walls too. Curtains, upholstered panel decorations or actual acoustic panels. You don't need to cover the entire wall, a couple things up front behind your front speakers and then on the side walls about 1/4 to halfway to the sitting area. This is something you can wait on and play with after you have your system running. You can used some sheets or blankets and see if it's something worth doing and what works best, this is something I strongly urge you to do as unwanted reflections are one of the largest problems people have though they attribute it to their equipment instead.

As a side note, you don't want to get rid of too much reflections either since it'll make the room sound dead. Usually behind the speakers and first reflections are what you want to take care of if you don't plan on going all out. Bass traps are also a good thing to read up on and think about.

Now for the not so easy stuff (but more fun):

AVR, it should meet the features and capability you need. More info on what you want is needed before any recommendations can be made. Things to consider: Connectivity; number and types of input such as HDMI, component, composite, also if you want say bluetooth, ethernet/wi-fi for audio streaming or remote control. 5.1, 7.1, or greater. Power required, which depends on the speakers chosen. 3d or 4k passthrough? Atmos/dts:x? Room correction? Multiple zones? Pre-outs?

Not to worry, it's not as daunting as it seems. Budget will probably decide some of it, and some things are becoming more common so you'll get it regardless. Main thing is inputs that you need, if you need 3d and 4k capabilities and 5.1/7.1. For 7.1, you'll want a little bit of space between the listeners and the rear speakers..at least a foot or two.

http/www.howtogeek.com/137896/how-to-place-your-speakers-to-maximize-your-home-theater-experience/

This is a decent guide for ideal rooms and gives you something to work with when considering if you have the space for 7.1. Usually 25x20 is more than enough room but it appears you aren't working with the entire space due to the stairs(it'll help to know about how far the listening area is too).

Speakers and sub...even harder. Speakers are personal preference as for how it sounds. Given that subs handle just the lower frequencies, they don't have a particular "sound" to them so they'll be based more of performance than preference to it's timbre. Given that this is a gift, we'll probably want to start with 5.1 instead of something like 3.1. A majority of the content out there is 5.1 (if it's more than just stereo) so it's not a bad way to start and you can add rear speakers later if you desire to. I'll work around $1600 give or take for the setup leaving the rest for the AVR and accessories.

Probably the biggest decision is what you'd like out of your low frequencies. As I mentioned before, room size is a factor and the larger the room, the more sub you need to keep it balanced with the mids and highs. You have a large room, around the 2000 cubic feet mark is sort of where you go from looking at the $500-600 and under sub to over that amount and you're sitting around 3200-3500 cubic feet.

Not everyone cares or wants that low end extension. It's that really deep rumble that's usually more felt than heard where you are looking at under 25-30Hz. Some people say it's not right unless the neighbor's foundation is shaking during explosions. Hehe, and obviously there's a more balanced middle ground too.

If you really want that low end extension, you're looking at getting a sub in the $700-$900 range with the idea that you'll get another one further on down the road as a future upgrade. It's not going to shake your neighbors, but it's not going to feel lacking either. And who knows, maybe you'll find out that you're happy with just one capable sub. If you know you don't want that really low end then we can dial it back a bit and go with something that's a bit more efficient above 25Hz.

And this really depends on what's on sale too at the time of purchase. Speaking of which, when do you plan on buying?

I'll have to cut this short as I'm leaving in a few minutes, but your thoughts on this will give a better direction for me to find suggestions.

 

[which_doctor]

I just want to say that, if you aren't an audio or hi-fi nerd, chances are you won't hear the difference between 200 dollar speakers and 2000 dollar speakers.

My setup is very much a budget one. I use two different sets of 5.1 pc speakers with subs and it works brilliantly for my needs (and, a bit surprisingly, they have worked for 14 years!). I have speakers by the tv at ear level, and speakers above the sofa where you sit aand watch TV, about 2 meters from floor level. It's fake surround (they're all wired from the "front speaker" output in my soundcard), but sounds pretty nice in my mind.

Not saying you should copy my setup, but I do believe you might be convinced not to spend several thousand on audio equipment.

 

[ien2222]

That's not really true. Most people can hear differences between a lot of speakers, whether they care or not is probably the more appropriate question. No one mistakes my sat/sub system for PC speakers when they hear them despite the fact you're average logitech system is the same size, but there's probably a lot of people who don't care enough to pay for my setup.

The OP already posted that he differentiates between headphones and they tend to be closer in sound quality than various HT systems are. Not that this matters much anyways, at most we're looking at around 250 per speaker for L/C/R's anyways and under that for the surrounds for 5.1 with a budget of $2000.

 

[which_doctor]

If comparing side by side, yes I do believe you could hear a difference, but I don't think anyone but audio enthusiasts would be able to pinpoint quality differences when buying relatively cheap speakers and using them and at the same time comparing the sound quality in their head to more expensive speakers.

Such as when my soundcard broke and I had to resort to using my built in soundcard on my computer (still am). I can't pinpoint how much worse the quality is compared to my Xonar card unless I'd switch back and forth between the two to compare audio, it sounds "the same" if you know what I mean.

Or the fact that most people seem to be content , headphone wise, with using their smartphone's proprietary ear buds (this does relate more to what you said about "caring" tho - but again if it sounded awful to them why would they stick to it? I'm pretty sure it sounds OK to them).

Another parallel would be my PC monitor which has rather blurry text rendering, but I can't really tell unless I compare with another monitor since my brain gets used to the "status quo" as it were. Or for example color tint, where the screen you look at currently becomes harmonized in your brain as "normal coloring", and then you might compare to another monitor and discover that it really had a green tint to it, but your brain cancels that out since what's supposed to be white on the screen gets interpreted as "pure white" by your brain.

Sorry for the seemingly unrelated comparisons to screens but , yeah, I'm not an audio guy. What I'm trying to say is that if you're a stickler for sound quality, you will WANT to hear differences in different hardware

 

[ssddx]

anyone can hear the difference between pc speakers and hifi speakers - the difference in quality is huge.

i've A/B tested on both and also have remote tested from memory and its about the same. you can certainly recall what sound better in terms of low low end to high end. as for comparing $500 to $1000 or $1000 to $2000 then perhaps not so much although there are certainly products which stick out to you that you like.

now as for $500 system vs $2000 there is a point that not everyone may care, but given what was said - in this case i think it certainly does matter and is relevant.

--

on a $2k budget, those prices are certainly in the ballpark. he could even do a full tower front setup with bookshelf rears for those prices. the real budget eaters are going to be the receiver and subwoofer.

 

[which_doctor]

I never said "low low end to high end". Why would I even mention 20 dollar speakers in a thread about home theater audio?! Altho I guess I can't take for granted that people won't construe me as an ignorant poster....
I meant more in the range of USD200 versus 500. I cannot fathom how anyone with a regular job would spend thousands on speakers, but maybe because I'm a general tech nerd and not an audio nerd. I don't know what a receiver is and I don't know what A/B is and I've never used an amplifier in my life!

But, i'm gonna shut up now, because I don't know jack about audio. Just wanted to add my 2 cents and possibly save OP some money.

 

[ien2222]

Your first post mentions $200 and $2000 speakers. But even in the same price range there's a wide range of sound. Klipsch speakers do not sound at all like Infinity speakers in the $200 bracket and most people can tell the difference easily.

Yes, audio memory is very faulty so remembering the sound of one speaker you heard last week is rather hard especially when comparing to another speaker. However, when you listen to speakers, you tend to judge what you like and don't like about it, though you may not remember the actual sound, you'll remember the descriptions you liked and disliked. You'll never mistake a lower end klipsch for something like lower end Martin Logan.

You monitor analogy is bad btw. The differences in sound is more akin to monitors that have different resolutions or color palettes. There can be that much of a difference. However, like people with color blindness, not everyone can distinguish the differences in speakers. 'Tin ear' condition would be one such deficiency. It simply might be that you in particular have a harder time than your average person when evaluating audio.

As I said above, the 5 speakers themselves are not going to be that much, the sub is going to take around half the budget of the 5.1. This has nothing to do with sound quality, this has everything to do with physics and it's something you just can't get around.

But it comes down to do you care (assuming no hearing deficiencies) and the OP already indicated he does care and can tell differences.

 

[ien2222]

hmm...

Rereading that last post, I hope I didn't come off as...condescending, I meant it as informative.

I probably should have started off with the hearing aspect and expound upon it. Most people (even in the "audiophile" crowd) take hearing as sort of an all or nothing approach to it. Either you have hearing loss due to old age, injury, or defect or you have hearing as good as the next person. This just isn't the case, there's a whole wide range in the quality of hearing just like vision. It just happens to be a lot harder to demonstrate to people since we are so vision based.

But there are people out there who literally cannot differentiate between the sound quality of a high school orchestra and a professional one like the London Symphony Orchestra. Obviously that's an extreme, but it illustrates partially of what I'm talking about.

Then there are the people who are trained. Much like say a good detective that is able to glance at a room and is able to give a better description of the contents than an average person who gets 30 seconds to look, a person who is trained to notice things also will pick up more than the average person. Training doesn't necessarily need to be something formal, it can simply be an accumulation of experience that a person takes notice off that others don't. For instance, I'll notice a flute out of tune whereas the next person doesn't even realize they are playing despite having the same hearing as me.

Hearing is every bit as complicated as vision but most people don't see it that way. That's probably where ideas that speakers are roughly the same come from. Certainly there's $200 speakers out there that outperform $2000 (and I can name a few instances of that) which probably also contribute to it. Without the knowledge of what's out there and how to audition speakers it's not that out-of-line to come to that conclusion, however I can also pick out $2000 speakers that you just won't find a $200 speaker that can't compare.

There's always the caveat that with audio that preference is what matters. So yes, you may prefer a lowest price speaker over a lot of higher priced ones, but the next person may not like that particular speaker.

 

[which_doctor]

I know, I just read about that in an indiegogo campaign for headphones that compensate for your particular hearing. But thanks anyway for expounding.

When writing my post I was writing from a place of "omg he's willing to spend insane amounts of money on home theater audio.. WHY GOD WHY". I'm just annoyed by certain things. Call it selective autism if you will.

I even use a software DSP which audiophiles might consider pure blasphemy and "destroying" sound, much like a video enthusiast would say using shaders is destroying picture fidelity.

So in the end, and as you are implying I suppose, it all comes down to personal preference, but there is also the factor of "expensive for the sake of expensive", like gold-plated cables that cost loads of money and aren't loads better than non-gold cables, allegedly anway as I haven't done any comparisons myself.

And so my personal reason for posting was that maybe I could help someone spend less money and still enjoy good sound. Bottom line is I shouldn't give a damn what other people spend their money on as if my own budgetary constraints and philosophies are valid for anyone else but me

 

[ien2222]

Oh, absolutely there is snake oil out there in the audio world; cable risers to get them off the floor, mystical rocks that you place next to your speakers or wires, tuning bowls that change your room acoustics, cable burn-in, exotic cables, etc etc etc. And I kid you not, Audioquest had a $10,000 ethernet cable for sale.

I'm trying to keep costs down, which is why I mentioned you shouldn't be paying more that 50-70 cents per foot for wire, I guess for that matter you shouldn't have interconnects that cost more than $5-$10 except for really long runs. I didn't mention a pre/pro/amp $1000+ setup but instead recommended a $200-$400 AVR depending on features needed.

As for spending that money, around the $2000-$2500 mark is where you really start bringing that theater experience to your home as far as audio goes. It's easy to have surround for cheaper, but it's just not that experience you have at the theater. If your love is movies/TV shows, why not? It's no different than any other passion. I have several thousand worth of ski equipment, I know a couple of people who have $1500+ computers, another had a $50,000 car, others I know will spend a couple thousand a year at Vegas, my extended family are outdoors people and put together probably have more than $200,000 worth of camping equipment and watercraft.

If you have the extra money and it's what you want...

 

[which_doctor]

Hah, you sound pretty convincing, it makes me want to have a HT system, but my foremost hobby ATM is home automation so there's no room in the budget for more luxury toys

Edit: which doesn't mean I have much money at all, my home automation so far has cost about 250

 

[ien2222]

Well now, we can get a HT system to the point where it's nearly completely controlled by a tablet. Doesn't that fall under home automation?

 

[which_doctor]

Oh lord....

then again what is there to control? Are you referring to at-home movie theater curtains? Can't think of anything else...

 

[ien2222]

Well, for starters you can make yourself a media server, rip movies to it and then setup a HTPC to play movies. You can get AVR's where they come with apps to control them (accept for setup functions). If you want, there are some tablets with an IR blaster where you should be able to find apps to control things like DVRs, cable boxes, Roku, etc though some of them you can also do over the home network.

Since you said you're a tech guy, something that might interest you is something like Kodi and/or variations. If you have a backend server/storage system, you can get something like a Rasberry Pi II that you can stream too.

 

[which_doctor]

I struggle on the fence of wanting Kodi , HTPC etc. I'm pretty content using the Windows native interface. When it comes to buying an HTPC I feel like it's a bit redundant since I already have a computer hooked up to my TV which is the same computer I use for normal desktop use as well...

My next buy will be USB UIRT which enables TV/IR control from my PC. After that I'll probably buy a Pi and then buy a touch screen for the Pi, which I will use as my home automation control hub (wall mounted) instead of the tablet I use now......
After that I will buy a storage server with mirrored drives. And then a Flic button or a few (wireless button you can place anywhere and control anything with) to put on the wall next to the sofa, which I'll use for lighting and maybe media functions like pause/play etc....
And then I need to buy an SSD for my rig...
And after that i'll probably buy some more LIFX bulbs. Then I need to get a new keyboard.

And that's not my entire list of hobby-related purchases in the coming months, just the computer stuff. So you could say my budget is strained thanks for the suggestions tho, I always appreciate input. Do you have any other ideas related to home theater?

 

[ien2222]

Well, if you have an HTPC system already and like windows, there's not any real need to change it up. Kodi does have a very good app that you can use on a tablet or phone to control any device running it.

As an alternative you can look at Plex which will run on a windows platform. I believe they have an app to control any front end in the house also. For that matter Plex has a front end for various tablets and phones too.

Otherwise my biggest suggestion for HT would be upgrade your PC speakers Of course that's spending money though.

 

[ien2222]

OP: So, I've had a little time and here's some options for you:

For the subs: Right now the Rythmik LV12R sub is on sale for $569, normally it's over $700 I believe so it's a darn good deal. This was one of the over $700 subs that I was going to recommend anyways. It's flat down to 17Hz so you get that low end extension and rear ported so you'll get a little more more output than a sealed box. An extra feature is that it's servo controlled, though it doesn't make a huge difference, it does make the lower end..."cleaner". I have no idea how long the sale is for though, but I think for you're budget and the size of your space, at this sale price this is the sub to consider. (Though Rythmik is a separate company, I'd suggest getting them through Ascend)

I suppose in keeping with the higher budget subs there is also the SVS PB-2000 at $800. This sub again is flat to 17Hz but isn't servo controlled. However, it should have a little bit more output than the Rythmik, which is something to consider given your room size. Also, down further I'll be mentioning SVS speakers so you can usually get a discount when purchased together. This discount is why I'm mentioning it otherwise I'd take the next sub over it.

The best value sub under $1000 and can be argued that it is the best sub under $1000 (minus sales and clearance) is the HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP at $800. If the Rythmik wasn't on sale, this is the sub I'd recommend easily. This sub has variable tuning, so you can emphasize low end extension or slightly less low end but with a higher top output. Either way this is a beast for under $1000 and even though it's only flat to 18Hz when low end is picked, it'll have more usable output under 17Hz than the other subs.

A little down in price is the Outlaw Ultra-X12 at $639. This is a new sub so I'm not familiar with it. But it's another variable sub that can be flat to 17Hz or to 25Hz with more output. My first guess that it'll be comparable to the Rythmik. If you want to keep the costs down a little and the Rythmik goes back to full price, this should be a good choice.

The above subs are more appropriate for the size of your room and still leaves room for 5 speakers. At normal levels they will do good but if you have it turned up a bit, during loud sequences you may find it lacking a little bit...or not. Unless you're really looking for that bottom end, I give them a decent chance at being enough for you and if not you can always get another later.

Next down the line is the SVS PB-1000 at $500. Again, depending on your preference, it might be enough for you. However should you get this, I would be going into it with the idea that most likely you'll get an additional one in the future as it is well within the underpowered region for the size of your room.

I'll also throw in the HSU VTF-2 MK2 at $530. Probably won't be much different than the PB-1000 though again it's variable like the above Hsu. I figured I'd give you a different style if that matters any.

Now, if you don't care about being flat down into the 20's Hz or lower (or for sure you don't want it), there's the HSU STF-2 current on sale at $330, regular price $360. This is the best buy under $500 and also one of the best. It's flat to 25Hz though at higher volumes the fall off will move up towards 30Hz. It's even more underpowered for the room than the previous two but at $330, I'd suggest getting two from the start. I'm pretty sure if you call them up they'll give a little discount for getting two at the same time. With two, you also have the ability to really start smoothing out the bass response throughout the room also.

These are the subs you should be looking at for sure, though you aren't limited to them. You may come across others on sale or clearance and may be a great deal so ask about them.

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Speakers, right now I'm going with five and think you should go that route and if you want 7, get the rears later.

Again I'm going to start up at the top and say Ascend Acoustics. Specifically the CMT-340 SE's for the fronts and the CBM-170 SE's for the surrounds. The 340's are $570/pr and you can order a single one for the center though I don't know the actual cost of it, there is a 340 center for $300 though. Ideally you'll want another vertical speaker for the center but I don't know the amount of space you have available for it, my guess the "center" speaker only has cosmetic changes so a vertical speaker will cost the same at $300.

The 170's are $300/pr so for 5 speakers at most it's $1170 though there is a discount for package deals, currently you can get them for $1065. Also, if you go with the Rythmik sub, you'll get an extra 5% off the sub when purchased with speakers.

So, with the Ascend's you get a very good, neutral speaker though they won't win any awards for beauty. It's not going to really favor particular type of sound, nor is it going to favor certain frequencies as it's pretty flat. The 340's are slightly more efficient than a lot of other speakers in this price range so it doesn't require quite as much power for the same spl (sound pressure level...loudness if you will).

Next up is the Hsu HB-1 MK2 at $160 each or $190 for a very nice Rosenut veneer. Here you'd have 5 of them, or if you need less height for the center, there's the HC-1 MK2 for $250 or $290 for the Rosenut. This is a horn-loaded design, that is fairly neutral and are even more efficient than the Ascends.

As you'd expect, you get a discount when purchasing multiple speakers and also if you get a Hsu sub. To see just the speaker package deals, look under the speaker pulldown. Also with these, you'll have to contact them if you want another bookshelf as a center to see what the price is for a package system.

Then you have the SVS Prime series. Specifically using the bookshelves at $250 each for the front three and the Satellites at $135 each for the surrounds. This comes to $1020 for the 5 though you should be able to have that discounted and you'll receive a discount on the SVS subs if you get a package deal.

These speaker are less efficient than the above, however they have been getting really good reviews for their quality. I'm not quite sure how these speakers sound, though I think most reviews point towards neutral, maybe a little emphasis on the top end.

To go in a slightly different direction, I'll point out the HTD Level 3 Bookshelves. They are list at $319/pair or $349/pair for a gorgeous Macassar Ebony veneer and they use a ribbon tweeter. Ribbons tend to give a different texture to sound than dome tweeters. Hard to explain, if you look around you'll see adjectives such as; light, transient, airy, responsive, and a few others all of which don't necessary mean that much. Again, I recommend the bookshelves for the center also, so you'll have to call to get a price for a single speakers and you should be able to get a discount on a set of five. Otherwise they have a center speaker for $209, $239 for the Macassar.

I myself prefer ribbon (and planar) tweeters. My background is classical and I think these drivers tend to capture some of the more intangible essence of instruments being played. These speakers are of average efficiency, though with the ribbon tweeter you might not have as high a top end for spl that you can get with the dome tweeters above. Overall these are a good speaker and are well reviewed. I'd probably say that if you are mostly going to use this as HT, perhaps you should leave this one off the list. Aesthetically though, these speakers in the Macassar are the best looking speakers on the list...if that matters at all (with the rosenut HSU right behind it).

Last one I'll mention is the EMPtek R5Bi bookshelves at $225/pr. They do have a couple of centers also, but again another bookshelf is ideal. EMPtek is rather highly recommended on various forums, especially their towers. They do have a bit more emphasis in the mid range than other speakers and these are the least efficient speakers of the bunch. Depending on how far your listening area is from the main speakers, you may want to skip these.

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These are all solid suggestions, my pick for you would be the Ascend package with the Hsu VTF-3 sub though it's the most expensive at $1800. Probably a better value for you would be the Ascend/Rythmik package which will be around the $1600 which is fairly close to the $1500 target. I think the extra $200 would be worth it, however it's a slippy slope when you start adding alittle bit here and there to the budget for upgrades.

If you really want to get the most out of your budget (+ alittle bit more) I think the above is the way to go. Working more within your budget and probably getting the most bang for your buck, the HSU Hybrid 3 HP 5.1 package set is hard to beat. It gives you the VTF-3 sub with the Hsu bookshelves for $1500. You can even go with the 5 Hsu's with the Rythmik for around $1350.

I should mention that prices for all the things I mentioned do not include shipping. Some items will ship for free, others it depends on where you live. I'd suggest that whatever you go with that you contact the vendors and talk with them and discuss what you're looking at. They may offer better deals than listed, or give you other options that I haven't listed. All of the above are known to have good customer service. Also, all of them offer some kind of home trial, I'd suggest reading the specifics with each vendor, some will refund everything minus shipping, a couple I believe will even cover the shipping.

If you happen to come across other things, or if you have any questions please feel free to ask. I've just barely touched on what's out there, but picked some of the best in your budget. Sales, clearance, or B-stock items can easily change things around.