these sound better than any movie theater i have ever been in. i have made it my quest to find a theater that sounds better....

none..........

the first thing i must ask when looking at these reviews is;how can anyone rate this 500 thx system that has never owned them..or listened to them for an extended length of time?i have owned this snell multimedia system for over 3 years..it took over 6 weeks just to break them in.i push this system with a thx ultra denon 5801 receiver..these 500's sound stupendious with music or movies.my listening room is 24' X 28' X 9' with 2 large openings that cannot be closed,never the less, these Snells fill this large space with loud articulate sound.i have never regretted purchasing these thx 500 snells once. i consider them to be a bargain at 6000.00, i purchased the additional subwoofer,which i highly recommend.. now that 7.1 systems are the norm,i wish i could find 2 more of the lcr 500 for the back,left and right!

Similar Products Used:

atlantic tech thx,jbl synergy system thx,etc.,

Please see other's review on the product and the its quality. I just want to share my experince with Snell's customer service is excellent.My two fronts woofers were bad, the surrounds didn't stay glued to the woofers 5 years after the warranty passed, but Snell acknowledged there was a manufacturing problem on those and sent me replacement woofers immediately, at no charge. I never had this level of customer service in the industry else where.

I'm very pleased with these speakers! Music are articulated with clean and clearly defined sounds. The soundstaging is not extremely wide but still very good. I think this is due to THX's specification. Snell's customer service is also very good. My two fronts woofers were bad, the surrounds didn't stay glued to the woofers after the warranty passed, but Snell acknowledged there was a manufacturing problem on those and sent me replacement woofers immediately, at no charge.

I have also been searching for a THX system. I have not had the time to start listening to any choices yet. I started a board on the Atlantic Technology 350THX, but so far no comments yet......
There are several on line electronic sites that are offering the 350THX for $2400 with 2 subwoofers and stands. The price has come down alot since AT has released a 370THX and a 450THX.

Does this sound like a good deal???

Also Does any one have any opinions on a Dolby Digital/THX receiver.....



Thanks in advance

Peter

This review is posted in regards to Ashis's questions on the Snell THX system, as well as many other THX cetified speaker systems.
The question of whether or not the "big brother" speakers are really well worth the extra bucks is greatly dependant on the person. I have listened to all kinds of sound systems, including B&W's Nautilus speaker system (which I am stilling recovering from). At about $25,000 per speaker, these aren't cheap, but in a price-is-no object home theater, these can't be beat for sheer accuracy and "punch". However, most people aren't willing to shell out that kind of cash, and the size of the nautilus makes it inpractical for most home theater set-ups. This speaker system, can be easily distinguished from any and all others on the market. However, when you decide to compare, say the 500 THX system, with the "refrence system" or, from one of B&W's fine speakers, it greatly depends on the listener. I personally enjoyed the 500's so much, because of the mix of price, and performance (value) on a high-end speaker. When sheer accuracy, and performance are the goals, then the reference, of course will be better. However, depending on how much of an audio enthusiast, or how experienced one is as an audiophile, the difference in sound can be much better, or hardly better. The best advice I have for you, Ashis, is to demo the 500's, the 800's, and the ref system from Snell. Also, check out B&W's THX systems (they are also VERY nice). If you think that the sound in the 800's is well worth the extra cash, then go for it. It's all up to what your ears hear, and what you are willing to spend

Brian

Have you ever heard perfection?? Unless you have the money for the Snell Series 500 THX speakers, don't try. Once you've heard these speakers in action, you can't possibly go back to anything else (unless, of course, you went with the Snell series 1800 THX system, or Snell Reference System). These speakers work unlike anything I've ever heard before. I used them, with a Lexicon DC-1 preamp, and 2 Lexicon 3 channel NT amplifiers. What I heard, was smooth, rich sound, with authoritative bass. Nothing was out of place. When I switched from music, to movies, the sound was just as stunning. For the movies, I ran a Sony DVP-S7700 DVD player. (not available to public yet, but will be VERY soon)First, I tested DD sound. UBELIEVABLE. Sound panned perfectly from left to right. The subs created tight, deep, loud bass. I heard things I had never heard before in the movie. The detail was amazing. DTS was even more stunning, with the music sounding so real, I could have sworn I was at the concert hall. Overall, these speakers are a MUST buy for the avid audio enthusiast; and for $5600, in the high-end audiophile world, these are a fantastic value. 5 stars...BRAVO!!!

This note is forwarded to Brian:
I read your review on the Snell THX system 500 with great interest for two rea-
sons: 1) I am planning to purchase a full-fledge THX system (both speakers and
electronics) within the next six months, and 2) reviews on THX sytems are so scarce in this site that everytime one is issued it cannot pass unnoticed to my eyes.

Your high appreciation on the Snell THX system 500 seems to be consistent with the "Class C" rating given to it by STEREOPHILE in its October 1996 Recommended Components list (knowing the stringent and demanding criteria set forth by the folks at STEREOPHILE, a "Class C" rating clearly indicates it is a high perfor- mance equipment. Other THX systems rated "Class C" by STEREOPHILE included the KEF and the Atlantic Technology 350, this last one reviewed elsewere in this site).

Also, consistent with your opinion that only the Snell "big brother" (Reference
system THX) would outperform the system 500, the first was rated "Class A" in the above mentioned source (along with the Citation system 7000 THX. So,accor- ding to STEREOPHILE, the Snell Reference system and the Citation system 7000 are the only two home theater systems in market -THX or not- deserving of the sky- high "Class A" status). Keeping STEREOPHILE as the source, THX systems by B&W, Triad, and McIntosh were awarded a "Class B" rating.

My questions to you, Brian, are as follows:

1. Did you audition any of the "Class A" or "Class B" THX systems prior to
purchasing the Snell 500?

2. If so, would you say that the "edge" provided by these Class A/B performers
really justifies the extra bucks?

3. I once read that two key aspects for THX speakers to convincingly convey
that "bigger than life" sound from soundtracks were the size of their mag- nets and voice coils. Do you know these data for the Snell system 500 spea-
kers?

4. Other than your Lexicon surround pre/pro and power amp (by the way, Lexicon power amps are actually made by Bryston), did you audition THX electronics from other high-end manufacturers like Proceed and Citation? (Note: inciden-
tally, Citation seems to be the only manufacturer that provides a comprehen- sive THX package: both speakers and electronics).

Thank you for your clarifications,

Best regards,

Ashis.

Snell makes great stuff! I own the Music and Cinema Reference System, but, instead of two 7' SUR-2800 surround towers I'm using four. This utilizes the 7.1 Logic 7 from my Lexicon DC-1. I agree about the Brystons also. I use 5- 7B monoblocks and 2- 8B's for the surrounds. Bryston amps work great with the Snells. It's just a great match. My friend just put in a 500 system and it is great! Sure there is a difference, but, the 500 system with Bryston amps is wonderful for the money. Snell has gone through some changes. David Smith is heading up the company. He is a good man, and a great speaker engineer. Check out some of his newly designed front speakers, and tripole surrounds. They are very impressive! In my opinion there is nothing better than a Snell speaker. I could have bought anything and I picked Snell. They just sound right. After 12 years of owning and operating a major recording facility I know what right is supposed to be. It just doesn't get any better than this!