Mordaunt Short Avant 906i with 309i sub, or upgrade to Avant 908i?

[Dali007]

I've just bought some Mordaunt Short speakers for a surround set up:

Avant 906i for centres
Avant 903i for rears (I exchanged them from the 902i's, though this may have been a mistake...I don't know!)
Avant 905i centre.

I bought all of them online from Richer Sounds, so I haven't listened to them, as I know you should before you buy! I'm currently moving, so they are still in their boxes.

However, I've been considering getting a 309i sub, which I have found online for £215, but I've been looking at my options...

For an extra £200, I could upgrade the 906i's for the 908i's. If I did this however, I would have no budget left for a sub.

The lounge in my flat is pretty small - about 4 X 3 metres - so maybe I don't need a sub, anyway?

Mainly I will be listening to music - CD's and surround SACD's, DVD Audios and music DVD's, though I have all the Bond DVD's, too!

Does anyone know if it's worth £200 to upgrade from the 906i to 908i? Or should I keep the 906i and get the 309i sub to go with them? Or not bother with a sub?

Thanks for any help!

 

[unique]

i have the 906i, 905i and 309 (not i), with wharfdale diamond rears (i'll get 902i rears when the price drops to £100ish - i would have thought they would suit the 906i better than 903i as the cones are bigger and the same size as 906i) - i mainly watch movies with a bit of sacd/dvda and music. my living room is a little bit bigger that yours

i haven't compared the 906i and 908i, but the 906i kicks out a decent sound, and works well with the sub. the 908i apparently needs a lot more power to drive as they have big sub cones in them. personally i'd prefer for movies to have the seperate sub for the seperate LFE channel. you don't have to have the sub that loud, but it makes a big difference to movies as you can get that real rumble in explosions etc

i considered the 908i's as i could have got them instead of the 906i's for not that much more, but i don't think my amp would have handled it and i think it would have been a bit too much for the room

i'm sure others can give some better advise, but i'd say 906i + 309i rather than 908i without sub, and i'd personally prefer the 902i's rather than the diffused sound of the 903i - again i'm sure others can give better reasons, but i understood the bipolars to be better in larger rooms as they spread the surround out more

 

[Dali007]

I've a been hesitant to get the sub as perhaps, as it is a small room, it could be overpowering and/or annoy my downstairs neighbours!

 

[unique]

I've a been hesitant to get the sub as perhaps, as it is a small room, it could be overpowering and/or annoy my downstairs neighbours!

i've not had any bother from my neighbor next door or downstairs, but i only usually watch between 6-9pm ish and i think the rooms nearby are bedrooms. the sub doesn't let rip all the time, so it's not constant like music banging away, just big rumbles at odd times - i don't watch action flicks all the time so it's not like there are big explosions and things every night

thing is with the sub you have seperate control of the bass better i would have thought than the 908i which would increase the bass on everything you listen to, including music

you could try the old trick of sticking a paving slab under the sub/speakers to prevent sound travelling downstairs, i need to try that myself, suppose to improve the sound

 

[Dali007]

Do you think the 309i sub would greatly enhance multi channel music?

(Most of my DVD's are music DVD's)

 

[mhuk05]

A sub doesn't have to be played loud to make an impact. In the same way a 3 litre car is more relaxing to drive than a 1.1, same with a sub- gives you more even if you're just cruising (as it were). I'd spend the money on a sub rather than on 908s (I saw some for £200 yesterday!).

Mainly I will be listening to music

What amp have you got? Have you considered a separate CDP and a stereo amp (if you have the space)- take the preouts from the AV amp to your stereo amp and your fronts connected to the stereo amp?... but that might be over-complicating things

 

[Dali007]

What amp have you got? Have you considered a separate CDP and a stereo amp (if you have the space)- take the preouts from the AV amp to your stereo amp and your fronts connected to the stereo amp?... but that might be over-complicating things

My amp/reciever is a Yamaha RX-V440RDS

I also have a Pioneer DV565a DVD Player, which I also use for playing the handful of multi channel SACD's and DVD a's I have, and a Cambridge Audio Azur V2 CD player.

 

[mhuk05]

When you've got it set up compare the cdp vs dvd player for 2 channel- no way to guess

Yes, the sub will help music- fills it out and gives it more depth, even in 2 channel, at whatever volume.

 

[dupfold]

you could try the old trick of sticking a paving slab under the sub/speakers to prevent sound travelling downstairs, i need to try that myself, suppose to improve the sound

Does that really work! I would love to own a sub but the floors are thin and I recon my neighbours would complain lots as there living room is directly below.

 

[unique]

Does that really work! I would love to own a sub but the floors are thin and I recon my neighbours would complain lots as there living room is directly below.

lot's of people swear by it, as to exactly how much it will reduce the sound downstairs is another story tho. i've not done it myself as i don't have a car, and i'll be buggered if i'm going to a garden centre on my own on the bus and buying 1 or 3 paving slabs to carry back on the bus, and when i ask any friends to give me a lift they are always busy when i mention garden centre and weekend in the same sentence. i don't think the sound of helping me with heavy paving slabs sounds particularly attractive either...

 

[dupfold]

i don't have a car, and i'll be buggered if i'm going to a garden centre on my own on the bus and buying 1 or 3 paving slabs to carry back on the bus

oh go on please and take a picture while your at it!

This is very interesting, I feel a new thread coming on. If it really does work I'll be getting a few slabs myself.

 

[Adam Shaw]

Paving slabs do make a difference, and you dont need to go to a garden centre, they are just lying around in the street.

 

[dupfold]

Adam says all the right things!

How much difference can it really make though and would say two stacked up be better than one?

God, it would look awful to have them sitting in the living room but if it means I can have a sub I’m game, and I guess I could always paint them or something.

 

[Adam Shaw]

you dont need to build a wall!

all this does is provide a very stable platform for the speakers. If you have an angle grinder you can always cut them to the same size as your speakers.

To make it look nice, ask your local posh kitchen store for a sample of Granite worktop and use that instead.

 

[unique]

Paving slabs do make a difference, and you dont need to go to a garden centre, they are just lying around in the street.

actually i have been keeping my eye out on workies relaying paving slabs in my street so i can grab 1 or 3 (so i can put my floorstanders on them), but i haven't seen anything in a year. they might be a bit big, but i can hide them under the carpet and let the spikes stick right thru

 

[dupfold]

six months later.....

billy big bob - "im down for 3 years after robbing a bank"
crazy jake "I'm in for murder, what you do unique?"
unique - "weeeeeeeeell, I stole 1 or 3 paving slabs to fit under my speakers so I could get an awesome sound with out disturbing the neighbours.
fred fairy - "unique"
unique "yeah",
fred fairy "bend over, I've got something to give you!"

 

[unique]

six months later.....

billy big bob - "im down for 3 years after robbing a bank"
crazy jake "I'm in for murder, what you do unique?"
unique - "weeeeeeeeell, I stole 1 or 3 paving slabs to fit under my speakers so I could get an awesome sound with out disturbing the neighbours.
fred fairy - "unique"
unique "yeah",
fred fairy "bend over, I've got something to give you!"

my taxes paid for those paving slabs, THEY'RE MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dupfold]

good god dam point! Now wheres my pick axe!

 

[Adam Shaw]

your easy steps to paving slab heaven:

1. walk outside
2. trip on paving slab
3. sue council
4. spend money on holiday to the Bahamas
5. return home to find council workmen ripping up paving slabs and tarmaccing your street so that you cant sue them again
6. take spare paving slabs
7. relocate to still-paved town/city and repeat

 

[unique]

actually, looking outside my window i see the paving stones across the street seem to be the perfect size i need. they have a square size that would suit my sub, and then slabs that are the square cut in half which would suit my MS906i's, and the colour is similar to my carpet. how come the workies never want to dig up the streets when you want them to?

 

[Adam Shaw]

Most people just leave slabs lying around in their gardens, have a browse in your neighbourhood tonight. My neighbour has about 10 of them, all equally spaced, in a straight line from his back door down to the end of his garden. If I clear them away for him he might even buy me a drink for tidying up his lawn.

 

[unique]

Most people just leave slabs lying around in their gardens, have a browse in your neighbourhood tonight. My neighbour has about 10 of them, all equally spaced, in a straight line from his back door down to the end of his garden. If I clear them away for him he might even buy me a drink for tidying up his lawn.

i live in the city centre, so no gardens nearby. in fact, i don't even have a shared garden or anything for my flat. not that i ever went in the garden in any other place i've lived since home computers were available

 

[dupfold]

your easy steps to paving slab heaven:

1. walk outside
2. trip on paving slab
3. sue council
4. spend money on holiday to the Bahamas
5. return home to find council workmen ripping up paving slabs and tarmaccing your street so that you cant sue them again
6. take spare paving slabs
7. relocate to still-paved town/city and repeat

I love it when a plan comes together!

My mate said he's sure he has a few knocking about in his garden so hopefully I'll be getting them.

Got my denon 1906, MS 905 & 903 now so its play time today! whooohooo!