Decision Time, MB20/MB27 vs Northcreek Echo vs GR A/V1 for HT/Music

[dcourtney]

Hi Guys

Ok over the past few weeks I've been researching through these forums for my first dabble into DIY speakers.

Basically I'm looking at building a set for 5.1 that will be predominantly used for TV/DVD/Xbox but also music (rock/acoustic)

I'm now looking at making the final decision and ordering the components (Need to import them into Australia) and it's come down to a few different options. Basically I'm hoping to gather people's opinions on the options.

1st contender is Dennis Murphys mb20's or mb27's http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=MB20.html
These are tempting because they have Dennis's name attached to them (so we know the crossover is amazing) and they are a cut down version of the highly rated mbow1's. I've email Dennis and he actually recommends I leave out the port or stuff it as I will be using it with a sub and very close to the walls. Downside is they will probably end up costing more because I have to order from multiple places and I don't think they were specifically designed for ht usage.

2nd contender is north creeks Echo http://www.northcreekmusic.com/Echo/EchoInfo.htm
These are tempting because John Krutke who knows his stuff added them to my list and it would be convenient being able to buy them all from one place. They also seem to of been designed around HT usage and have a mtm style centre available but I've heard horror stories about mtm style centres, if I was to go for this setup would you recommend a standard mt speaker for the centre?. Downside is I can't really find much information or reviews on them other than northcreeks site so don't know how they compare to the other options.

3rd and final contender is GR Researches A/V1 series. I hadn't considered these but Danny told me to consider them while I was emailing him (claiming the tweeter is better than the one in mb20's) . Once again these are tempting because I could purchase everything from the one place. They also packages for home theaters http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/v...ic.php?t=13407

Now I havn't read much about the AV1's yet (only found them this morning) so don't how they compare to the units above (crossovers, designs etc)

What do you guys think about the surround designs they have for the A/V-1RS? I can't say I've seen a design like that (upwards firing) so really would appreciate input on that. Once again they offer a mtm style centre which I'm not sure about but a standard mt centre is also an option.

They also offer a sonicap upgrade to all of the designs but it's fairly pricey and I have no idea if it's worth it?

That's pretty much it for now, as I mentioned it's decision time so I'd like as much input from everyone so I make the right decision (in theory atleast I know every room and persons ears are different)

Thanks in advance