HSU Ventriloquist for Bedroom HT and Music

Ah....Lord of the Rings. Have not seen it or listened to the "dynamic score".

But funny coincidence. Sorry to drop a name, but I have just returned from a dinner where I sat across the table from Howard Shore.

I was not familiar with his work on LotR or any other movies, but it was interesting that our conversation regarding audio went just about nowhere.

I tried to engage him in a conversation about audio and sound quality being a lost art, what with recording studios for windows in a box, studios closing, digital vs good old fashioned analogue etc.

He looked at me like I had 17 heads and then more or less dismissively said that he had been making records since I was in diapers, spent his days in a soundproofed office with a suspended floor, and that technology had changed dramatically in recent years.

I mentioned that I was interested in Audio Research amplifiers and he said "yeah, Ive had a lot of "AR" equipment. (ACOUSTIC Research?)

When I asked him what he thought was state of the art for amplifiers and speakers he mentioned B&Ws and Crown.

I guess we are all just insane? Or other people, even professional composers, just dont get it?

AS fra as other speaker choices for bedroom HT-- ie somewhat small and not too pricey--there are many choices. One I might consider is the E series from AAD. ( American Acoustic Development.) The reason that I like this setup is that their center channel speaker isnt an afterthought-- it actually matches the rest of the set up quite well. So its like e-44c and e-40 mains with e-30 surrounds or something like that. Not too expensive and with an HSU sub should be good. The entry level Klipsch RB-15s and 25s also might a decent consideration for a bedroom system. Very efficient.

The setup for the Ventroloquist is somewhat unfriendly. All the speakers need to be hooked up to the center. Similar to Bose setup, where all cubes are plugged to the rear of the subwoofer, it does not sound like Bose however. It is impressive for its size and its price range regarding HT. I visited Dr. Hsu office last month, and I heard that he was in the process of introducing a new Ventroloquist, which has a thinner center speaker.

For $600 retail, I like what many people used at the CES show in their video booths, and that's the Infinity Tss750 system. You should use with receiver with crossover adjustments at 100hz/125hz. But otherwise, for that money, I don't think you'll get better sound. The sub is also excellent as well for a 12" sealed sub. And for a bedroom system, it's superb.
I wouldn't concentrate on getting the best sub you thought you could find over superbly clear and detailed sat's, NO WAY!...CONTRARE! For $1000 retail, I'd go with the superb Polk system (RB...something or other???).
Good luck.

I would change my choice from HSU to the JBL SCS300.7

This is a true 7.1 HTIB with LCR's FOR all channels with a 150 watt sub and all mounting hardware included. For true 7.1 ready sound at 699.00 its a great deal.