WayneWilmeth wrote: Hey Imahawki,
I only have the SC-X and I feel like I have a great sound. IF I had the room and the money, sure I would go for the XL or XXL. But I don't and I am happy with what I have, the T 2s fill in the lower register quite nicely thank you!!!!
Happy Listening,
God Bless, Wayne

Wayne, I've been on this forum for all of a week maybe but you've responded to a couple of my posts. You seem like a very level headed guy. Thanks for the responses and feedback.

imahawki wrote: I'm curious in a real world scenario where the XXL would really make a big difference. The 33hz vs 36hz extension is a half step in musical notes C# vs. D. That's nothing. The XXL lists higher power handling which I believe, since it has two extra drivers. But it almost feels like a statement speaker to go with the Triton 1s. I'm guessing its overkill for everyone else, even Triton 2 owners.

Big difference? Well, that's really an ear-of-the-listener thing. With the GoldenEar products, all the differences are pretty subtle. The primary difference in the XXL Center is the addition of the balanced crossover, which matches the Triton Five and Triton One crossover design, and most listeners feel is a pretty audible sonic improvement. Yes, it plays lower, louder, and handles more power - which are also good things if your system is played at high volumes in a large room - but may not be relevant for many.

Imahawki,

Alright, first things first. Congrats on the win this weekend. I didn't get to watch the game but it appears it was quite the defensive battle. It's probably better I wasn't able to watch...

Second order of business: have you picked out your left and right main speakers yet? You seem to be a bit unsure. Have you gone to your local dealer and had a good audition of the various models with some familiar music? My center channel recommendation will depend on your towers, in part.

Third, please describe the planned usage. Is this in a dedicated theater, size of room, listening habits, etc? If your doing 80% music versus theater, the recommendation changes.

I have not heard the SCXXL, but based on previous discussions and available data, I think it is a significant jump up from the XL. I'm assuming it is a similar step up as going from the T2 to the T1. While the T2 is a GREAT speaker, the T1 is a significant jump.

I believe the biggest difference is in the balanced crossovers. For the SCXXL, it has been described as more capable in the lower frequencies. While there is no tech data available from a third party review, my guess is that the -3 dB point is much lower in frequency than the XL even though the very bottom is only a few Hz lower. Crossing over the lowest frequencies to the outer drivers probably allows the mid-frequencies to be produced with a little more clarity as well. Hopefully a few of our regulars or our helpful Moderator can let me know if my educated guesses are correct. By this time next year, I'll be able to tell you first hand.

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe wrote: Imahawki,

Alright, first things first. Congrats on the win this weekend. I didn't get to watch the game but it appears it was quite the defensive battle. It's probably better I wasn't able to watch...

Second order of business: have you picked out your left and right main speakers yet? You seem to be a bit unsure. Have you gone to your local dealer and had a good audition of the various models with some familiar music? My center channel recommendation will depend on your towers, in part.

Third, please describe the planned usage. Is this in a dedicated theater, size of room, listening habits, etc? If your doing 80% music versus theater, the recommendation changes.

I have not heard the SCXXL, but based on previous discussions and available data, I think it is a significant jump up from the XL. I'm assuming it is a similar step up as going from the T2 to the T1. While the T2 is a GREAT speaker, the T1 is a significant jump.

I believe the biggest difference is in the balanced crossovers. For the SCXXL, it has been described as more capable in the lower frequencies. While there is no tech data available from a third party review, my guess is that the -3 dB point is much lower in frequency than the XL even though the very bottom is only a few Hz lower. Crossing over the lowest frequencies to the outer drivers probably allows the mid-frequencies to be produced with a little more clarity as well. Hopefully a few of our regulars or our helpful Moderator can let me know if my educated guesses are correct. By this time next year, I'll be able to tell you first hand.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Don't mean to thread hijack...

1) Yeah, the game was a slobberknocker. Its not a game I'd go back and watch if you missed it. 6 total turnovers and a lot of defense.

2) I haven't finalized my decision on mains but I was leaning towards the T2s. I saw your post in another thread and I do need to make a decision. Read more for answers to your other questions.

3) Room is a dedicated home theater. I have it set-up with a row of 4 power HT recliners with a row of 3 behind them. One of the front seats is centered on the setup for stereo listing. The room is in my basement. Its 19x22 with low ceilings (not quite 8 ft.). Carpeted / pad over concrete. Listening habits are probably 60 / 40 movies and music. My current system is more HT geared but I'm not thrilled with the music performance. While I'm more of a movie buff, I'm looking at making the changes due to the poor music performance so that is a factor. Part of the issue is the electronics too (more later).

I'll provide a little more detail on the implied questions (or at least inferred from my end). My budget constraints are self imposed. I could build out the system more slowly over time but I want to be reasonable too. I wouldn't buy $10k speakers even if I were able/wanted to save up that much money. I just have my own personal limits and priorities. Obviously the T2 to T1 jump is bigger in absolute dollars than the XL to the XXL. There are some size concerns with the XXL as well but I could probably figure out how to make it work.

As I mentioned, in upgrading the stereo performance, at some point I need to address the electronics. I had consolidated my system down several years ago and focused on the HT aspect. I ended up with a Klipsch Reference surround system all driven by an Onkyo TX-NR818. No offense to anyone who owns this AVR or similar but based on my experience owning it, it is a pretty poor performer for music listening. Based on my testing, the DACs in particular are problematic as adding a low-end outboard DAC into the chain resulted in significant improvements. So part of the reason for self-limiting the budget on the speakers was to allow for an upgrade to the AVR or add an integrated amp with home theater bypass. But again, I can delay that upgrade if I feel like going up to the T1s is a massive step up.

I know I won't be able to upgrade from the T2 to T1 down the road without taking a big hit on the T2 on resale value so I need to make the right decision now and live with it.