ghostwriter
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- Feb 21, 2021
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Hi, I've been looking at different setup options for a 7.1.4 home theater and I'd like to get some opinions from people that have experience with both passive and active speakers. I've never had the chance to hear a high end passive speaker home theater setup (or an active speaker one), but I am a little familiar with studio monitors since I've been using JBL LSR305 speakers for some years.
I know studio monitors try to be neutral, which I see as a good thing since it leaves the audio as it was intended by the mixers, and because it gives me the option to EQ to my liking, but most high end home theaters use passive speakers, so I wonder if I'm missing something in my theory-crafting of ideal home theater setups at equivalent price points.
Assuming a fixed budget at different price points, which would be more likely to offer better audio quality for mixed usage (movies, games, music)? Passive speakers paired with an amplifier or active studio monitors paired with an AV processor?
For some concrete examples, how far would I be able to go with the following budgets (USD)?
Some other miscellaneous questions I have are whether it's even a good idea to be using studio monitors in a home theater setting. Would studio monitors be overkill for a home theater setup or maybe just the wrong tool for the job? I've seen that many studio monitors are meant for near-field usage and might not get as loud as they need to at a distance. I don't think this would currently be a problem for me since my room is only 13.5' x 11.5', but I'd like the option to eventually move my setup to a bigger room. Another thing is that studio monitors seem to be very directional, is this a problem when it comes to home theater usage?
Like I mentioned before, I (un?)fortunately haven't had the chance to hear high end systems, so I probably don't yet know what I'm missing out on and/or have low standards. I realize it's not an ideal setting, but I have demo'd some studio monitors at local Guitar Centers; ADAM T5V was great, Yamaha HS8 hurt my ears, JBL 305P MkII was fine but didn't stand out. ADAM A7X was great but to my untrained ears didn't seem to be a huge improvement over the T5V, which I thought had a nice soundstage and sounded much bigger than they were. What kind of things would I miss out on if I went with something on the lower end like the T5V versus something 2.5x the price or more?
I'm looking forward to hearing some advice and opinions, thanks.
I know studio monitors try to be neutral, which I see as a good thing since it leaves the audio as it was intended by the mixers, and because it gives me the option to EQ to my liking, but most high end home theaters use passive speakers, so I wonder if I'm missing something in my theory-crafting of ideal home theater setups at equivalent price points.
Assuming a fixed budget at different price points, which would be more likely to offer better audio quality for mixed usage (movies, games, music)? Passive speakers paired with an amplifier or active studio monitors paired with an AV processor?
For some concrete examples, how far would I be able to go with the following budgets (USD)?
Code:
| Speaker* (each)| Amp/processor |
| 0 - 300 | 0 - 3000 |
| 300 - 500 | 3000 - 5000 |
| 500 - 750 | 5000 - 7500 |
Feel free to de-couple the speaker price points from the amplifier/processor price points, the pairings are mostly arbitrary.
*subwoofer not included
Some other miscellaneous questions I have are whether it's even a good idea to be using studio monitors in a home theater setting. Would studio monitors be overkill for a home theater setup or maybe just the wrong tool for the job? I've seen that many studio monitors are meant for near-field usage and might not get as loud as they need to at a distance. I don't think this would currently be a problem for me since my room is only 13.5' x 11.5', but I'd like the option to eventually move my setup to a bigger room. Another thing is that studio monitors seem to be very directional, is this a problem when it comes to home theater usage?
Like I mentioned before, I (un?)fortunately haven't had the chance to hear high end systems, so I probably don't yet know what I'm missing out on and/or have low standards. I realize it's not an ideal setting, but I have demo'd some studio monitors at local Guitar Centers; ADAM T5V was great, Yamaha HS8 hurt my ears, JBL 305P MkII was fine but didn't stand out. ADAM A7X was great but to my untrained ears didn't seem to be a huge improvement over the T5V, which I thought had a nice soundstage and sounded much bigger than they were. What kind of things would I miss out on if I went with something on the lower end like the T5V versus something 2.5x the price or more?
I'm looking forward to hearing some advice and opinions, thanks.