Hi everyone! I am new at the home theater game and I want to start out right. I have decided to go with the 950/755 combo. I intend to mate that with the LFM-1 and Paradigm Studio 60's up front. Could some of you with greater experience suggest a center channel and rear surrounds?

There seems to be so much info I become over-loaded at times and a bit confused. Any and all advise would help.

Thanks...The New Guy

Dan,

Great start. My two rear speakers are unfortunatly inferior to the three up front. (I also run an lfm-1 for the .1) Everytime I listen to certain sacd's with intentional discrete information on those two rear channels, i.e. Beck's "Sea Change" I am aware that they don't sound the same! I say: use five equal speakers. Note: I'm not even recommending a particular speaker. IMHO, it's more important that there is a synergy created by equality. Don't mix n' match!

Jay

Thanks Jay,

I have received similar advice at local A/V stores. But, like a lot of us space is a concern.

Dan

I run the 950 with a 750 amp (predecessor to the 755) with Studio 60's and LFM-1 sub. I use and would stronly recommend the Studio CC as a center channel -- it blends well with the 60's and is a great center in its own right. JMS's advice of not mixing and matching is excellent. I've recently had some good luck with the combination of Studio ADP surround rear and Axiom M3ti side surrounds, although the ADP's are (to my ear) better side surrounds than the Axioms (space issues dictated the Axioms as surrounds).

EDIT: I've got a second between meetings to expand on this a bit. Ideally, with the Studio 60's in front I'd recommend the same family all the way around. If space is an issue, however, there are other options. There are Paradigm in-walls, if that appeals to you. There are also some other Canadian speaker manufacturers such as Axiom (which will generally sound similar to Paradigms, at least enough to blend in as surrounds if necessary) that offer smaller bookshelf speakers and even dipoles that might fit better in your space. Like I say, it's not the ideal approach, but I'm doing this myself for a couple months now and have been pretty satisfied with it.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited March 25, 2004).]

Dan,

As JMS said "Great Start". I started with a Sony receiver before I learned what a system "should" sound like. I only have the 1050 but would love to upgrade to the 950/755 combo. Personally I have mixed my speakers however they are matched in the front and again in the back. I have B&W 800 series speakers in the front and I moved my older Paradigm Atom/CC-70 in the rear. It seems to work fine for me for movies since the rear sound isn't usually too involved with the front expect for fly over scenes or something like that. The difference in quality between the front and rear has not really bothered me. I suspect if I had SACD or DVD-A then I might notice the difference more. When I listen to music I leave the system in Stereo mode and let the better B&W's do the job.

That is to say I would recommend matching the center speaker with the Studio 60's but if your space concerns make you go with different surrounds you may be OK. That's been my experience anyway.

Thanks for the help. I called a local Paradigm dealer he "just happens" to have Studio 60's, CC 470 and ADP 470's set up for a test drive. My ears will tell me if it is right!

Thanks again!