A Blended setup / need surround recommends

[dreadknot]

My current ht setup is as followed

tv - TCL 55-inch 6-Series 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR QLED Roku Smart TV - 55R635

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source - NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro

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av receiver - OutLaw Audio Model 976 7.2 HDMI AV Surround Processor

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speakers

(fronts - BIC PL-89 towers )

(Center - Klipsch Reference Series RB-81 II Bookshelf Speaker )

(Surrounds 2 x BIC Acoustech PL-66)

(Subs 2 x diy 15in ported sonotube subs)

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amps 6 x xls amps

(3x Crown XLS 1002 bridged for each front speaker l,r,c 8ohm 700w)

(2x Crown XLS1002, 1x for sides 1x for backs)

(1x Crown XLS2002 for my dual 4ohm custom sonotube ported subs each wired to 2ohms each peak at 900watts)

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so power isn't an issue

but my current surrounds ( 2x BIC Acoustech PL-66 Surround Speakers Pair) are

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heres some context after calibration they are still to bright an the volume still a

bit overshadowing which i think is a combo of them plus tv/movie/music content

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an my room layout that is the one variable i cant do much about even in my new place

for 2 reasons

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1 just like my old place the biggest room for the ht isnt exactly rectangle an just like the old place best layout is for the tv an front speakers is on the the wider side
while the sofa an surrounds on the narrower side thus ther closer an sometimes ther volume during tv/movie playback dwarfs the fronts an the dialog
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2. the new place (a rental home - not a Mobile) doesn't allow things other then pictures to be mounted they did let me do 2in thick acoustic panels

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so to my question

im going to replace the pl-66's with lower Sensitivity an less bright

speakers with smoother treble response that dont dwarf the volume from the fronts

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my two picks are either

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4 x Monolith B4 Bookshelf Speakers or 4 x Polk Monitor XT20

which would have the best bass an treble response that would blend best with my fronts ?

 

[Sonnie]

My guess is the Outlaw AVR does not have any sort of Auto EQ to help with the response of the speakers.

It's hard to say which is going to be better, but you could try the Monolith speakers, and if they don't work, you could return them.

 

[JStewart]

It's hard to say which is going to be better, but you could try the Monolith speakers, and if they don't work, you could return them.

I agree with Sonnie. Trying them to see what you think is best.
The Polks are available from Crutchfield if you’re in the US. They have 60 day returns. Details on their site.

Polk Audio Monitor XT20

Bookshelf speakers

www.crutchfield.com

 

[dreadknot]

My guess is the Outlaw AVR does not have any sort of Auto EQ to help with the response of the speakers.

It's hard to say which is going to be better, but you could try the Monolith speakers, and if they don't work, you could return them.

no no auto eq just a manual peq which is very good once calibrated , but does nothing for tone control of content that an auto an or dynamic eq would like on the at300 tonnwinner would an that i have considered

buy at 1500 that has a eq, dynamic eq an peq but id have to sell off my outlaw an save up for that
buy different surrounds seems like i better way to go first.

 

[Sonnie]

Does your PEQ have the ability to create a shelf filter? That could be used as a tone control... or even a wideband filter around the offending frequencies once measured with REW to verify the offending response area.

Otherwise, trial of new surrounds would be reasonable.

 

[dreadknot]

it does any yes i use it but , the reason why it doesnt help in the room for 2 reasons i think

1. even after calibration without a dynamic eq content that has dominate or sustained surround effects

begin to dwarf the volume from the fronts especially if the volume content from the front is not also

dominate or sustained i suspect this has to do with the 96db Sensitivity an there proximity to me

2. all that an i cant move them farther away from me , if the room at the rear was 12ft wider

(6ft on either side) an i could pull the surrounds back 5ft (1ft from the wall an acoustic panel like now)

that would probably solve the issue.


so swapping the speakers is my first fix to try.

id like to either go for the

Monoprice Alpha In-Wall Speakers 8in Carbon Fiber 3-Way (pair)
with custom cab (not in wall mounted)

or

Polk Monitor XT20 Pair

or

Monolith B4 Bookshelf Speaker pair


iv only seen fq response & measurement reviews for the Monolith B4's

but not for the other two on how flat ther bass & treble response is compared to the b4's are

id like the best that are the least bright compared to the bic's

 

[JStewart]

iv only seen fq response & measurement reviews for the Monolith B4's

Here’s the Polk measurements

Polk Monitor XT20 Bookshelf Speaker Review

Polk Monitor XT20 Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

How far from you are the surrounds? What is the height of the tweeter relative to your ears? Have you checked the SPL with pink noise relative to the center?
(with REW use 500-2000Hz band limited pink noise to set relative SPL)