Which Home Theater speakers for under $28,000.

Well as a dealer I feel limited in what I can say but I don't mean to be unfair to those who have posted by not posting my recommended equipment, but with the exception of the Vandersteen Fives which are too expensive to place into a $30K systems even used.....the items suggested would be lucky to make mediocrity in a 3000cuft. theater.

Martin Logans 2005 Midfi...Tweeter sells them FCS! Making the panel smaller is certainly the wrong way to go...think about it! I must admit breaking glass on a ML thetaer takes on a new standard, that's about it.

Eminent Technology as a theater speaker? c'mon! What do they play too 101-102dB @ 1M, what are you trying not to wake someone in the next room? ...same room?

Last and not least, if you use dipoles for theater, then suffer the consequences for not following the directions! I have heard the Maggie Theater I have heard the Innersound (which by the way is head and shoulders above other Dipole Systems for theater) And they are not even close, wet noodle theater for those who wish to kid themselves about a hybrid music and film system. Dipoles are by nature a "built-in" four channel system when in a room, they have surround built-in. So to use them is putting surround on surround, not a very good thing. Unless someone can explain to me how I'm wrong.

"Sounds Good" --"feels good" does not equal "Real Good".

This man is spending big money $30,000 and the rec's are absolutely sub mediocre or useless....keep trying. You're letting him down 'goners. As a dealer I'm not going to make any specific rec's to risk being labled a shill but where's the prowess, the knowledge. These are pathetic systems.

Stop recommending by the midfi mag's deep pocket pets and what you already own, isn't that kinda like recommending what I sell, except I get money and you get ego satisfaction. :)

C'mon you can do better. Think about what a theater needs atleast Macdadtexas was inquisitive before he goes on to recommend those mediocre Gallo's and Maggies. Sorry MDT anyone with a Gallo Duet, recommending Gallo Duets for a center channel when they make marginal rears is not practicing good Theater IM-ns-HO

Keep trying guys,

"Which Home Theater speakers for under $28,000.

I am looking for a 7.1 HT system including equipment for a 3,000 cu. ft. ..."

Here is where there is some confusion. You maybe right.

Why $28,000 for just the speakers, I'm not sure either.

Which issue did Vandersteen get best HT May/June please tell me the Magneplanar wasn't the other system!

Let me explain why I did this;

1. Theater requires a specific set of parameters to work properly (many early posts ignore this), the studios mix to this standard, why not conform to that standard just to make life easier? If you want to use an all dipole system with limited output than be man enough to face the criticism when you proudly tell someone to spend their hard earned money setting up their system the wrong way! And please try not to regurgitate the BS marketing as a defense, get your own ideas.

FYI Bignerd, its 7 seemless front fired waves, 7 rear fired waves (are all your speakers the same distance from the wall), what the frequency response of your drywall? So now I have 14 speakers don't I?, which was my point, but the brochure didn't bother to explain this phenomena to you or that your precious seemless panel will arc somewhere in the 106dB range.

Just go to dolby and look at the standard.

2. You guys are remarkably in sync with popular audio magazines and reviews, Magnepan, I've got atleast three 20.1 owner complaining about their midbass and bass output on MUSIC, JAZZ noless! Let alone theater. Vandersteen and Wilson number 1 and 2 theaters, see what 20 years of advertising will get you. ( although the Vandersteen still deserves most of the accolades). Look at your rec's all popular brands thank god people like Flrnlamb and RL chimed in with some stellar recs.

3. I wanted to see if you all would re-evaluate some of your pathetic recommendations, but you're all too proud and all to willing to try to discredit me(it is fun I know). Fact is maybe Flrnlamb is near my league in systems installed but with 6 stores I have to think installing systems is a distant past in his job requirements. Over 600 systems and my clients, they love me for all the reasons you hate me.

My post was about honesty and many of you have failed. My greatest critics are the ones who would simply say to Electrostaitcman what I bought is perfect for you. And now you know atleast one of us on this thread is laughing at that level of arrogance.

Even Chadnliz wouldn't fess up to the fact that the ET system max output is barely 10dB above Dolby calibration at 3M's! That's like 8dB of dynamic range for the system!

Bose Lifestyle system may not sound as good but its got more dynamic range than that!

If you didn't understand the important information in my first post, I'm sorry, but there is some good stuff there and the fact you disagree with the facts of those comments, not my problem.

Macdadtexas I am not a liar, infact based on your enthusiasm I went to hear a Magnaplanar surround system based on MG3.6's and whatever the matching stuff is. It was ok. I worked for Sound Images for two years in Falls Church, VA. Look it up they are a Gallo dealer. When Gallo makes better sounding speakers than I do, I'll start paying more attention.

I love messing with you guys...:)

Chadnliz;

Legacy Focus 20/20, brilliant, high value theater system, infact add Legacy to the list above. Sold Legacy's as a dealer, lots of cone area, very nice.

Its good to see everyone's so sure of themselves that their entire opinion is based on what a few other guys write in a magazine. Ever meet an audio reviewer?

Way to be independent thinkers. How about some facts or where am I mistaken? How could I be this dumb and yet know how to build a theater better than you? Have you asked yourselves that question :)

BTW Elctrostaticman, despite lashing these Noobs for being very unimaginitive (with your money) I will recommend a system that will fit your budget and will be peerless in your room.

Sony Qualia 004
Immersive Simmetry DVD/Video processor http://www.immersiveinc.com/

Meridian G98xxl
ATC Concept 5 Active speaker system with 4 SCM 10's for rears
ATC Concept 6 Subwoofer

Don't get a perf screen if you don't have to. See if you can squeeze the center under. If the picture is a touch high it won't matter much and the Meridian can help you out if the center is a touch low.

Properly setup you will have the best audio/video for the money. If you live near western Chicago, My friend has this very system setup except it has a TAG McLaren AV192 at the core. Video is by far the best I have ever seen, and I know that he is working hand in hand with Immersive to actually customize and enhance the interface software specifically to the Qualia.

The audio system will afford you incredible dynamics for movies and natural vocals and music that many people in the music world see fit to make their recordings on, like DSOTM, infact the same front speakers Pink Floyd themselves judged the SACD mix on.

See, I know famous people who can back up my equipment too and there not a bunch of armchair critics.

Chadnliz,

Trying to be helpful is noble, but you weren't trying.

Recommending equipment that is not compatible with the job at hand is a disservice to us all.

See you guys jump all over me because i'm criticizing your recommendations which is in bad form. And two wrongs don't make a right, but seriously is the ET system the best home theater you can think of?

I look at your recommendation as insincere and irresponsible since you own better theater speakers than the ET's in the Innersound actives and they would have been the best rec till the Vandersteen and Revel systems. So why try to be clever with some background music speakers and waste Estatman's time and maybe his hard earned money. All due respect to ET's they do what they do well, but HT is not on the resume even if you have two pairs?

Why are you wasting bandwidth with this almost evil recommendation, let me ask you this, if I owned a Martin Logan Aeon two channel system, how far down the list is Parasound to run on those speakers for two channel? Is Parasound and Martin Logan like peanut butter and jelly? It could be a regional thing I'm unaware of, where i'm from that ain't right.

Why ten years ago would a CUSTOMER and GUYS LIKE YOU laugh in my face for suggesting using Magneplanars and Martin Logans for home Theater and somehow today its the best theater according to Absolute Sound.

What has changed to make a laughing stock a reference multi-channel speaker system. Can anyone tell me? I'm at a loss to understand where the paradigm shifted.

I just want you guys to think a little, how hard is it to thumb through a magazine and step out of your world and go....if I had a room that big and a budget like that I would do this. When MAcdadtexas insisted that the Maggies were tops and Absolute Sound said it was the best, I went for another listen, it was ok, I might even say better than I thought it would be once we got the delays on the rears right. But no way was even as good as the Paradigm Signatures as a theater (not insulting the Paradigms, they are very good)

ET8's if that's the best you can do than I am really sorry if i dumped on your best effort. But I must say if you feel striongly about your rec why is your comeback to pick on my joke DIY system and supposing who I think I am. You can't even defend your choices or atleast qualify it? I try to explain why your recommendations are limited and you call me names. You have been unable to rebuttle anything I have said about your recommendation and DS writes a paragraph on how important dynamic range is or isn't and that somehow having dynamic range must mean something else is wrong with the speaker. Even music guys want dynamic range.

Here's 20 brands of speakers that all make better theater speakers than the mentioned dipoles; * by rec'd already.

PMC Dynaudio
Meyersound B&W*
Genelec Westlake
Peak Consult Vivid
Verity Audio Elac
Vandersteen* VonSchwiekert
Revel* Kharma
McIntosh James
JMLabs* Genesis
DALI VMPS

BTW if you can post a Theater system as good as the one I have that retails for $45,000 or less and can atleast give a few objective reasons why it is equal or better than I'll never criticize you again and differ to you as the expert in these threads. So now its put up or shut up.

I'm just a Mama's boy pretending to be a dealer, should be a snap. 5 minutes of your time.