~$4,000 home theater + music system?


I’m trying to put together a home theater and music system that’s within my budget and fits in my 16’ x 17’ living room. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Two PSB Imagine T2 tower speakers for the right and left front:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_760IGNT2BA/PSB-Imagine-T2-Tower-Black-Ash.html


One PSB Imagine XC center channel:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_760IMNXC/PSB-Imagine-XC.html?cc=07


Two PSB Imagine XB bookshelf speakers for the right and left back / surround:/
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_760IMNXB/PSB-Imagine-XB.html?cc=07
Total cost at Crutchfield (buying everything "scratch and dent"): ~$4,000

I’ve already bought the TV and receiver:
TV: LG Electronics OLED65C7P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV (2017 Model)
Receiver: Yamaha RX-V679BL 7.2-Channel MusicCast AV Receiver with Bluetooth (90 watts / channel)

This is (I hope) an upgrade from my current system of two 33-year-old Snell J speakers (yes, the original J’s). I originally loved the Snells for their ability to clarify the midrange in songs so I could finally understand Elvis Costello’s lyrics. In terms of music, the vast majority of what I’ll listen to is songs -- rock, blues, pop, show tunes, underground, rap, country -- where the vocals / lyrics are the most important thing to me.

I'm looking for sound that’s especially good in the midrange, and is overall smooth and flat (not bass-heavy). I never crank my music or home theater -- I listen at quite sedate volumes. I’d appreciate any comments about the above system, especially focused on bang for the buck in terms of home theater and the kind of music I like.

And this is probably a dumb and unanswerable question, but I’d love to hear guesses as to whether songs are going to sound at least as good on this system as the Snell Js.

Thanks for helping out a guy with a limited budget. I can only drool over the systems usually discussed here.
fivebluestones

Check out the Emotiva 5-channel sets including their T1/C1/E1 combination that received rave reviews last year. Have this with a HSU sub and it works very well.

They also have a good deal of electronics in the entry to mid levels that are worth knowing about.

The PSB speakers are very warm and full in the midrange, but they are warm and soft sounding and will not have the clarity of the Snell (this is due to the polypropylene drivers used for midrange and bass).  Don’t get me wrong, they are very pleasant speakers to listen to, but they may not have the clarity and resolution you are looking for.

If you are looking for clarity, maybe the Monitor Audio Silver or Gold series could be good.  They are very crisp and clean sounding.  The midrange is very strong and clean.  They can have a tendency to sound a little bit bright, but I think they are going to be closer sounding to the Snell J.  The Snell J was a very clear sounding speaker, but it is a bit recessed in the midrange body.  The Monitor Audio will have a fuller and stronger midrange.  The Monitor Audio is also a more exacting speaker, which means it is not as forgiving as the Snells.  In other words, it can began to reveal flaws in your electronics and cabling.  The Yamaha is not the best electronics, but I think it is more natural sounding when compared to other receivers.  The Monitor Audio Gold 200 floorstanders are $2249 each, which is more than PSB T2 ($1749 each).  Monitor Audio Silvers are very affordable, or you could look for a used Gold.

For the Yamaha receiver, one of the things I have found on these is that it is better to set the speaker impedance to “6 ohms” in the ADVANCED SETUP menu.  Read the documentation on this.  Speakers today can be listed as 8 ohms, but many have impedance curves that can drop down to even 3-4 ohms.

The Yamaha V679 receiver has a hard-wired power cord, so you cannot upgrade it.  However, I have found that a fuse upgrade can improve the solidness of the sound significantly.  It really depends on what you’re looking for.  I had a V663 receiver that used 2 small sized 10A fuses.  I found that a combination of one Furutech and one Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme worked best in this model.  If you chose PSB speakers, I might recommend doing two Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme so that the attack and detail was boosted as much as possible.  If you chose Monitor Audio speakers, then two Furutech fuses might work out best because they are more laid back sounding than the silver Hi-Fi Tuning.

Finally, speaker wire.  My default recommendation is look for Audioquest speaker wire.  My minimum recommended is always Type 8, but you can look for Rocket 44 or Rocket 88.  Please make sure you have banana plugs on one side for the receiver (nothing else will work).  I would keep away from the silver-plated banana plugs.  Audio Advisor has great prices on their “No Frills” versions of Type 8 / Rocket 44 / Rocket 88.  Or you can look for used, which can include things like the Granite / Bedrock / Slate series.

Wow! Thanks for these detailed responses.
I'm going to a high-end audio store this evening to listen to speakers, and I'll look into the ones you've recommended.

The PSB Imagine T2 should not be used with that Yamaha receiver. Stereophile's measurements on the speaker showed a minimum impedance of 2.4 ohms with a severe phase angle in the mid-range. It is recommended that the speaker be used with an amplifier that is stable into a 4 ohm load. The T2/Yamaha combination would likely result in damage to the Yamaha. It would be best to only consider 8 ohm speakers to use with the Yamaha.

I had built some custom speakers which had a dip down to 4 ohms at 40Hz and the 100-400hz range. The Yamaha V663 receiver did not have a problem with this, as long as it was set to "6 ohm speaker" in the advanced setup menu.  That being said, 2.4 ohms is very low and the PSB speakers are definitely going to be hard to drive (big amp recommended!)

The new Monitor Audio series is better.  The Silver 300 is pretty respectable on impedance, and only has a drop down 3.6 ohms in the 100-200hz area.

A couple years ago my brother asked me a similar question. Given his limited budget and inability to hear many systems in his area, I recommended he try some speakers from Aperion since they get very good reviews and offer a 60-day return policy. The main reason I recommended them was that they offered my preferred 3-way center speaker with the silk tweeter mounted above a dedicated midrange driver. BTW, he too is using a mid-level Yamaha AVR although I can’t remember the model offhand, but that these speakers were around 89dB efficient and don't drop much below 4.5 Ohms was another reason I thought they'd work in his situation.  To be honest, I knew they’d be more than fine for him, but I was skeptical if I’d really like them (not a fan of Kevlar drivers in general). I have to say these speakers are very impressive indeed. He has the previous Verus models, and for both 2-channel and movies I have to say they sound superb. What most surprised me was their clarity without harshness along with a surprisingly deep and holographic soundstage -- not what I was expecting at all. And the center channel is superb. None of the muddiness or off-axis anamolies I hear from most centers, and the dynamics keep right up with the towers.

But, if it’s me I’d make a couple changes. I think the cheaper Intimus 5Bs (or probably even the 4Bs) would be fine for surround duties, so I’d save $ there. Also, I’d go with a sub from SVS, Hsu, etc. instead of an Aperion sub because, dollar for dollar, I think you get more performance. IMO, you just can’t do home theater without a decent sub. Past that, hey you have 60 days to see how they compare to your Snells. You might find they surprise you as much as they did me.  Hope this helps and best of luck in your search. 

Thanks again for these detailed comments and suggestions. I'm learning about issues I wasn't even aware of, which will reduce the risk of me doing something dumb.
Your room is almost square, consider 2 smaller subs instead of one big one, and do the 'clap' test to see if you have any undesirable reflection points.

I got rid of my upgradedititus disease by going to a 4 sub system and a few sound absorbing wall treatments

Good Luck!
Auxinput: here is your quote, "the PSB speakers are very warm and full in the midrange, but they are warm and soft sounding and will not have the clarity of the Snell (this is due to the polypropylene drivers used for midrange and bass). Don’t get me wrong, they are very pleasant speakers to listen to, but they may not have the clarity and resolution you are looking for.

Sorry very wrong, we sold Snells for years, the PSB are way better and their cones are made out of clay not polypropelene. 

The PSB are very good imagers, and are quite warm with good clarity, we are big fans of the Dali loudpeakers the Opticon 6 are amazing sounding and are a terrific buy they are less expensive then the PSB Imagine series and combine warmth with detail, at $2,500.00 a pair they are a fantastic buy. We have a client with an entire Dali home theater and he is delighted with them. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ