Advice Needed: Vignette for center? I think I overbought for surround speakers?

[remoteportal]

My vignettes just arrived today and I'm so excited!

Boy, those suckers are HEAVY! I expected them to weigh perhaps 1/2 to 1/3 as much. Installing them will take some time.

I was at a Tweeter on Saturday and even the ML guy confessed that he used cheaper non-ML speakers for his personal surrounds at home and I felt perhaps like I may have overspent. I'm new to this whole home theater thing and even when he put in great content like the live Eagles concert it seemed that only clapping came out the back... Do I have now have $1,400 speakers just for clapping and helicopter fly-overs?

I think my CFO wife will not understand if I want to spend another $1K-$2K on a Motif or Matinee center. I feel bad that now I should have put all my money on the "most important speaker" of the system. Gosh. Could I/should I use the two vignettes as a double center and spend much less on the surrounds? Will they work as well as, say, the Matinee?

 

[JMAUSGP]

As you said it is a beginner system. The trouble is, you have come to an AA meeting (Audio Addicts) and you are asking proven addicts if they think you overbought on your addiction. HA! Once addicted you can never overbuy for an addiction. Well, all I can say is that the Journey is the best part. Put in the best used ML center that you can find, then get a new Denon or Sony surround reciever, or whatever that you can use as a pre-amp then get a Oppo 780H SACD and DVD-A player, then get some DSOTM and Genisis 5.1 surround music and revel in the fact that your addiction doesn't leave you homeless in the gutter with needle marks....okay it can go horribly wrong and you could end up homeless and in the gutter but look at the bright side no needle marks, grill marks maybe.

 

[tsmooth]

You should see the post about the satistifiers compared to the second guessers . The fact of the matter is that you have a wonderful set of surround speakers that you will enjoy. The problem is was that you might have wanted to land that solid center before you did. You will get many people who say that is the area to skimp. I myself made sure I landed a Motif and used Monitor Audio B2s in the back while I saved up for surrounds. It worked fine for me. But others have full ESLs in back and say they are happy as hell and swear by their decision. I would not get rid of the Vignettes because they are a good speaker and I personally love them for the aesthetics and sound in my system. The move to purchase them worked out for my room limitations and I have not looked back since. The only advice I can give is do not let this purchase effect your move for the center channel, or you will just end up packing it up and upgrading again (Take a look at the Theater i on audiogon with warrenty, it is HUGE). At least now you are set in the back (I hope you didn't pay the $1,400 full retail for them though).

 

[remoteportal]

I hope you didn't pay the $1,400 full retail for them though

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I've decided to keep them!

I installed them onto the wall last weekend and afterwards as a test my daughter and I watched Star Wars Episode I. Boy, even though they are not broken in they would pretty good with the light saber matches. We turned it up quite loud and the engineers mixed quite a bit of light saber sound into the surrounds... it feels like your in the middle of the conflict!!! So, my regrets are going down greatly.

I paid about $750 on Audiogon.com.

 

[stevenic]

I'm in the process of upgrading my all Mythos surround system to an all ML surround system and I'm going with Vignettes for the rears as well. For me, I went into the local Magnollia a couple of months ago looking specifically for a new set of surrounds for the HT in our new house.

In my old house I had started with a pair of Mythos Gems for the rears but I never felt like they had enough umph so I added a pair of Mythos Fours to the back about a year ago and went 7.1 which worked a lot better for my old space. Problem is I don't really have the room for my full 7.1 setup in the new house so I could either go with just the Gems or get something completely different which prompted the trip to Magnolia.

At Magnolia they auditioned the Vingettes for me which sounded fine but then they did A/B testing flipping between the Vignettes and the Gems and I was immediatly sold. Problem is I also auditioned the other ML speakers and not only did I end up getting a pair of Vingettes but I also bought a Depth i, a pair of Vantages, and I should be getting a Stage for the center in the next week or so.

So I personally don't think you'll be dissapionted with your purchase.

-steve

 

[Thai]

At Magnolia they auditioned the Vingettes for me which sounded fine but then they did A/B testing flipping between the Vignettes and the Gems and I was immediatly sold. Problem is I also auditioned the other ML speakers and not only did I end up getting a pair of Vingettes but I also bought a Depth i, a pair of Vantages, and I should be getting a Stage for the center in the next week or so.

So I personally don't think you'll be dissapionted with your purchase.

-steve

Steve, cool, you have my system...Vantages, STAGE, Vignettes, and Depth i. :rocker: