[Anteaker]

Hello, I am a very unknowledgeable newbie with what perhaps will seem a dumb question to some.  I have a sudden opportunity locally to purchase a pair of Elac Navis speakers at a fantastic price. My question is are these speakers suitable for a home theater system. Any explanation pro or con will be much appreciated.

[John Casler]

It can depend on how you intend to use them.  If you run your L&R channels from your Processor or AVR "line level" outputs, then they will work fine.

If you have ideas about wireless, then it could be more challenging.

[WGH]

The Navis will work out fine. If used for the side or rear surround they will have more than enough power and the 44 Hz low end response won't be a problem.

If used for the main L&R channels then you should get a sub if you don't already have one. Movie soundtracks can have powerful bass, 30Hz - 40Hz woofer flapping bass is not unusual, if the Navis are run full range then the woofers will probably do some strange things. A home theater receiver with a sub rolls off the bass to all speakers at 60Hz - 80Hz so full range speakers are not needed.

Ideally the L, R and Center speaker should be as identical as possible that way speech timbre doesn't change when moving between speakers.

[Doublej]

What AVR are you going to use with them?

[Anteaker]

I am starting from scratch so I have no AV. recommendations?

[WGH]

Depends on your goals. Since the Elac Navis are powered speakers you will need a AV reveiver with preamp outs, not all do, especially the entry level models.

Depends on your budget. Will the AV receiver plus Navis max out the budget? You will end up with a 2 channel home theater.
Or will an entry level AV with different speakers get you a 5.1 home theater within your budget?
Or there is no budget, that's the option I always choose.

Accessories 4 Less and Crutchfield are two sites that will help you define your goals and budget.

https://www.accessories4less.com/

https://www.crutchfield.com/

[Anteaker]

I really appreciate the information. My head is kind of spinning with information I don't always totally understand. These Elac Navis speakers weren't on my radar but they showed up unexpectedly.  I guess the question I should be asking is am I putting the cart before the horse. Is there a recommended order of purchase. Should I be looking at a quality AV receiver first and build around its ability?

[WGH]

My head is kind of spinning with information I don't always totally understand...
Is there a recommended order of purchase. Should I be looking at a quality AV receiver first and build around its ability?

Recommended order of purchase: All at once

All the new info will make sense after a while. Where you live and who you live with will determine what you will buy. I own my home so I can do whatever I want. I cut holes in walls and the ceiling for speakers and wires. Almost all of the speakers are hidden. You can't do that in an apartment.

I have seen photos of home theaters with speakers hung all over on walls, wires dangling, humongous L&R speakers, decorated like a dorm room and I think "Still single, huh?"
You don't want to be that guy. If you are, then you better be a real good cook.

The Navis would make a nice stereo but not where I would start to build a home theater. Most people start with a 5.1 AV receiver and a Klipsch 5.1 speaker kit and are happy. Eventually in a couple of years maybe upgrade to something that actually sounds good, but slowly (if ever).

Now if you have $10,000 to spend....

[Anteaker]

Many thanks, WGH. Your comments make sense. I am likely older than just about everyone on this forum. I think that entitles me to be cantankerous and confused. I really don't listen to music in my home very much but do watch TV & movies quite a bit. It's an age thing. When I was a kid there were still Coal Fired Steam Locomotives running on tracks about a block away. You not only could hear them, but you could also feel them. I guess that's what I seek, I don't want to hear something, I want to feel it also. What does it take to get that feeling. Frankly, I don't know. I am here to listen to people that do know and learn from them. Honestly, I don't know if I could tell the difference between a $500 dollar speaker and a $2000 dollar speaker. I am listening not in a sound room but in my family room and my better have isn't going to allow the volume to be turned up much beyond normal TV levels. I was planning on building a pair of XLS Encores, to begin with, but now I am thinking perhaps that is not a wise idea. Thoughts anyone?

[Tyson]

I've heard the ELACs and the GR Research speakers.  For my money, the GR stuff is much nicer.  I'd also build a GR Research 12" sealed sub if you really want to feel the sound as well as hear it. 

[WGH]

I don't know if I could tell the difference between a $500 dollar speaker and a $2000 dollar speaker. I am listening not in a sound room but in my family room and my better have isn't going to allow the volume to be turned up much beyond normal TV levels. I was planning on building a pair of XLS Encores, to begin with, but now I am thinking perhaps that is not a wise idea. Thoughts anyone?

Go for the GR Research if you have time to build, they will go plenty loud enough. A sealed sub is an absolute necessity, home theater sound is designed with a sub in mind.

The difference in speaker quality is cheap speakers like Klipsch get loud and sound loud to the point where you need to turn it down. The higher priced speakers don't necessarily go any louder, they are clearer without any high frequency nasties so loud music or speech doesn't sound as loud. It's after the movie that you find out your phone was ringing and you never heard it.

High quality electronics also play a part. The XLS Encores are easy to drive, the only AV receiver I would recommend is the Anthem MRX 540. Not even close to the cheapest but the ARC Genesis speaker calibration works very well and the electronics are very high quality. All that means that you will be able to turn the sound up much higher than normal TV levels and your wife will not tell you to "turn it down."
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_973MRX540/Anthem-MRX-540.html

[Anteaker]

So, it seems the opinions are that the GR Research speakers will sound better than anything at a big box store. My next question is are the optional capacitors worth the extra cost in my case? Also would an Anthem MRX 500 work just as well? There is a new one on the bay for about a grand less.

[Tyson]

So, it seems the opinions are that the GR Research speakers will sound better than anything at a big box store. My next question is are the optional capacitors worth the extra cost in my case? Also would an Anthem MRX 500 work just as well? There is a new one on the bay for about a grand less.

Well the better caps certainly do sound better, but the stock caps are also very good.  I guess the question is this - if you build the speakers with the stock caps (which sound great), are you they type of person to always wonder in the future how much better the speakers would be with the better parts?  If so, then get the better caps.  If not, then the stock caps will be fine.  Like I said, even the stock caps sound great.

[WGH]

Anthem MRX 500, it would work but it's missing a lot of necessary parts.

1.) It is used, not new.
2.) The listing doesn't say it comes from a smoke free, pet free house. If the previous owner smoked then the receiver will stink up your house every time it warms up.
3.) NO REMOTE. This is almost show stopper for me. A replacement should look like this, probably around $20:
https://hometheaterhifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/anthem-mrx-500-figure-6-lg.jpg

4.) The tripod, calibrated microphone, mic adapter bracket and 10' long USB cable is missing. Another show stopper.

The Anthem Room Correction Genesis software is one of the industry's best room-correction platforms.
ARC Genesis measures the acoustics of your room with the included microphone, and then fine-tunes the output of your system to best match the unique sonic characteristics of your space. The resulting sound is clear, smooth, and ultra-detailed, with tight bass and impactful dynamics.

The ARC software really works and is one of the main reasons to buy an Anthem product. The sound was balanced with better integration between speakers after I did the calibration using my Anthem AVM60.

5.) The old MRX 500 doesn't have eARC (Auto Return Channel). Not to be confused with the room correction software which, by coincidence, has the same acronym. It depends how you plug streaming, cable or whatever into the Anthem if this is important. Google eARC for explanation how it works, your TV needs to have eARC too.

As much as the price is tempting, I always go new when buying electronics with sensitive microprocessors. One power surge from a lightning strike and intermittent problems pop up. The seller is in Gilbert, AZ. I'm in Tucson, we get lots of intense storms during the monsoon season.
GILBERT, AZ - https://www.12news.com/article/weather/monsoon/monsoon-lightning-sets-night-alight-as-bystander-jumps-into-action/75-43f693cb-0053-474f-ab15-f5847fe496f5

6.) With all the missing parts and low price I would question the unit's provinence.

[Anteaker]

Thanks for all the great information. I wish I could buy you fellows lunch. I would learn so much. My TV does have eARC and in fact, the sound system I have now ( LG  SN11RG ) uses eARC. I am frankly disappointed in this set up which is why I am exploring alternatives. Have you ever actually built one of the GR Research speakers. The woodworking, for me at least, would be really easy but I must admit I am a bit intimidated by those crossovers. Rule number 1 for me has always been don't mess with Electricity or Gas. I watched the video on assembly but he makes the classic mistake of assuming the viewer knows what he is talking about. The wiring diagrams might as well be in Egyptian Hieroglyphics.  The soldering seems simple enough but I sure wish his board was like the ones from CSS. Despite this, I will find a way to overcome this bump in the road.

[WGH]

I haven't built GR speakers or any speakers for forever even though I had a professional woodshop for 40 years, I was always too busy making a living. I recently retired and put all the tools in a 40' shipping container, they are waiting for me to build a studio. The Salk speakers I bought don't come as a kit which worked for me, when you do woodworking for a living a break on weekends to do something else is nice.

The guys who hang out in the GR Research Circle will check your crossover layout before you soldier, there probably are photos of completed crossovers in the circle too.
Make sure all the speaker parts and No Res is available before you commit, there are still a lot of supply problems and shipping delays.

You should consider a center dialog speaker, it helps understanding what is being said. The L&R speakers have the soundtrack, the center is usually only dialog which means it can be turned up or down, some movie soundtracks are too loud and dialog is too soft.

GR Research has a couple of center speakers, the X-Voce is seen in this thread:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=175957.msg1854732#msg1854732

[Anteaker]

That's funny, you are trying to distance yourself from woodworking and when I retired I jumped into woodworking. However, not a business, just a hobby I enjoy. Among other things, I have made Windsor Chairs and Maloof style rockers.
Tell me about your Salk speakers. That's a new Speaker name I haven't heard before. By the way, the Anthem factory is just over a couple of hours' drive from me. Considering the exchange rate I may be able to cross the border and save some money.

[WGH]

Salk is a small company that only makes custom speakers of their own design. The speakers are among the best in the world, they use only very high quality drivers and are fair priced for what you get, if sold retail they would easily be 2-3 times the price. How do I know they are some of the best speakers in the world? Because at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest the Salk room consistently gets rave reviews.

Salk built my Veracity HT2-TL speakers, I supplied the custom made mesquite veneer and 1-3/4" thick solid mesquite front baffle.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=100672.msg1015847#msg1015847
I use the matching Veracity HT2C center speaker. I got lucky and found a used one for "only" $1,000. It is a perfect center speaker.

Salk speakers are fine furniture that make beautiful sound
https://www.salksound.com/

Salk on AudioCircle: https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=82.0

Give Jim a call, great customer service before and after the sale. See if he can come up with a 5.1 system that can stay close to your "new" $10,000 budget.

It took me 10 years to get this far, I might be done. I raided my electronics closet to make the amp stack used for the center, surround and Atmos speakers: a rare 3-channel Van Alstine amp, a 5-channel Adcom 7300 and a Adcom 5400. And I still have an Anthem PVA2 and Van Alstine Synergy 450 amps in the closet not being used. Nothing wrong with me. 

[Anteaker]

Oh MY !! Wait till your wife finds out what you have done !!! In all seriousness, I am sure you really enjoy what you have created. Envy would be a gross understatement. However, I think one thing you wrote makes a great deal of sense. You heard what you wanted and then made it fit your particular wants & desires. I think that's what I am missing. I have heard nothing. Somehow, someway I have to find a way to listen to various systems so I really know what my goal is.

[WGH]

Somehow, someway I have to find a way to listen to various systems so I really know what my goal is.

....the Anthem factory is just over a couple of hours' drive from me. Considering the exchange rate I may be able to cross the border and save some money.

Lucky for you, both GR Research and Salk have hundreds of satisfied customers in North America that would be all too happy to give you a listen.

Post an inquiry in each circle to see if anyone is close and wants to host a listening session. I have hosted few times and it was fun.

Salk is in Pontiac, MI close to Detroit and does listening tours.