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Rob,My humble system is:- Parasound 2100 Preamp- PS Audio Digital Link III DAC- I sold the Butler 2250 and now use a Parasound A23, because in my room and to my ears the difference was not worth the money (the Butler was decent, though).- Salk Signature Sound SongTower RT's (LCY).- Dual DIY TC Sounds TC2000 15" sealed subwoofers (only one in use for now)Right now I am at the point of diminishing returns, in which I net less performance gain than I'd like even if I spend a good deal more. I may just leave things as is and enjoy, or I may try a (tube) DAC and/or preamp/amp combo. Regardless, it won't get much better for me IMO. If you plan to integrate a good subwoofer, go for the SongTower RT's. Now that they are available with the RAAL tweeter it's a win win. To my ears they are about 95% of the HT2-TL's when crossed to a capable sub. If you want to stay with 2.0, get the HT2-TL's so you won't wonder "what if?"For what it's worth, I don't use a subwoofer for music because the ST's necessarily "need it;" I use the sub(s) to take the room out of the equation. It's much easier to integrate a subwoofer than it is to find the spot in your listening room that will provide excellent bass response and imaging and sound stage width and depth for the speakers. In fact, it's likely that the best place for in-room bass response won't be the best place for the rest of the speaker attributes, hence the subwoofer recommendation (an active speaker would solve this, such as the active HT3). YMMV, and to each their own.Any of Salk's "entry level" speakers will best the Studio 20's in my opinion; in every aspect. Investing in room treatments will also vastly improve your system. Even the greatest speakers in the world will perform poorly in a room with bad acoustics. The room and the speakers will make up 90% of what you hear, so be sure to get those in order first. I hope that helps. Whatever you choose, I think you'll be very pleased.
fsimms ... darn! those look nice but, I live in New Hampshire. It's sounding like the STs area great choice for me. I'm intruiged by the HT1-TLs though, as well.Perhaps I'll try and chat with Jim about it but, I don't want to bother him too much.
It's sounding like the STs area great choice for me. I'm intruiged by the HT1-TLs though, as well.Perhaps I'll try and chat with Jim about it but, I don't want to bother him too much.
Hi Alex, That sounds neat. I'm not looking for the ultimate speaker, just something at the "next level", compared to my Studio-20s.I actually have enjoyed the Studios but, do recognize their limitations.Rob
To my ears my SVS 16-46PC+ (powered vented cylinder sub) integrates very well with my HT2-TLs. No sub EQ, btw.
I'm not doubting your ears, but I'm going to offer my humble opinion. I purchased an SVS 20-39PC+ basically when they first became available (I had a VERY low serial number). I always liked the sub and didn't EQ it for many years. It did always seem to integrate well with my various speakers, so I didn't really think twice about it. However, one day I learned more about how bass could, or should, sound. It seems things always sound great until you hear something better. Well, I heard something a lot better.This got me on the path of in-room frequency response measurements. Sure enough, I had peaks and valleys below 100Hz that could be corrected with an EQ device. Once I EQ'd my sub, the sound got better, but it wasn't nearly as good as I had heard.My next sub was an SVS PB13-Ultra. Now things got MUCH better. One thing I learned at the time is that good bass is much more than low frequency output. One thing no one should argue is that SVS is great at the low stuff, but their subs really lacked detail and articulation above 50Hz. The PB13 was a HUGE step in the right direction in this regard. When properly setup and EQ'd, the PB13 sounded really good.But again, I had heard better. One thing that always bothered me about the PB13 for music is that I always felt it had a boxy sound to it. It was like I could hear the inside of the box and it came through in a lot of music. Fast forward a couple of years and a Seaton Sound Submersive HP, and I finally heard what I think is the best bass I've heard. A friend has a single 18" TC Sounds LMS Ultra DIY sub. I was amazed to say the least. Needless to say, I now run dual 18" LMS Ultra's and they amaze me almost every day. They dance across every bass note with ultimate clarity and detail. I've heard nothing better. Now, the sub has to be capable of certain level of performance on it's own, but proper setup is a HUGE part of the battle. Subs fall victim to the room they are in. Placement can be picky, and the listening position is equally important. My room is tough in one spot, but I've seen and worked with worse. 99% of the time, any sub is going to hugely benefit from being EQ'd. The ONLY time this hasn't been true is in Nuance's new home. If he was to add any EQ to his sub, he could only make it worse. I've never seen anything like it! So it is possible your sub is working great in your room, but from my experience, EQ'ing it could make it a lot better. As far as the sound quality of the 16-46PC+, sure it sounds great, that is until you hear something better. BTW, what do you use for x-over and what frequency do your high-pass your mains and sub?
