Best HT Speakers under $1500

Posted by Rob Loewy [IP: 198.133.22.70] on March 30, 1999 at 11:08:09
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In Reply to: Best HT Speakers under $1500 posted by Adriano Bertone on March 30, 1999 at 08:06:31:

We're going to get dangerously close to that very subjective area of "which speaker sounds best?" which is kind of like arguing over your favorite hamburger or chinese restaurant. Personal preference is all that matters when speaker sound is at issue.

For what it is worth, however, I also auditioned the Boston CR-X line of bookshelf speakers, expecting them to sound similar but "larger" than the Micro 90t's. They didn't. I found them to be boomy with way too much mid-range for my ears. Up and down the CR line, when listening to music, the vocals seemed unnaturally "present" - like I was being yelled at. I prefer a brighter musical sound (crisp cymbals, the sound of the pick across the strings of an acoustic guitar) to omnipresent vocals. The Micro 90t's give me this brightness (but not tinny like I thought about the Energy Take 5s); the CRs just shouted at me. I did not audition the CRs in an HT application - my use will be 80% or 90% music, so if I couldn't stand them for music, it didn't much matter what they sounded like for HT.

re: VRS Micros vs Micro 90x's - I like the more direct, bright sound of the 90s, although they'll definitely be more expensive. I'm also a bit hard of hearing, so maybe I need the additional push that I just don't get from the VRSs behind me.

Good decision to go w/a 10" sub - maybe even a 12" if your budget/room/spouse can stand it. The only complaint - and an infrequent one at that - I've heard from Boston owners is that the 8" sub occasionally bottoms out on big movie soundtracks. It was, however, very highly rated among small subs in an audio magazine article I saw.

Go out and listen a few times (at different stores, if possible) with different kinds of music and different movies. Ask lots of questions. Stores around me like to demonstrate HT systems with big fx movies like Twister and Air Force One. If you like more subtle material like light comedies or John Wayne westerns, you probably don't need a big investment in 5.1 sound, but since you've already bought a DD receiver, I guess you've already thought about these factors.

Sound is the #1 factor, with size, budget, and spouse acceptance all tied for a very close 2nd. The last thing you need to do is bring something home that is intrusive in your otherwise beautifully decorated room or was so expensive that your wife's dream vacation must now be cut back. Be careful out there.

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