Where to put budget


Trying to decide where to put my money for next improvement.  Deciding between surround back speakers, better subs, or room treatments. 

Specs
marantz 8802a on dedicated 15 amp line
(2) Lexicon rx-7 amplifiers on dedicated 20 amp lines 
oppo bdp 103
revel ultima studio 2 (left/right)
revel ultima voice 2(center)
revel ultima gem 2 (side surrounds)
(4) revel c783 atmos in ceiling 
(2) Svs pb 1000 subs
panasonic tc-p65vt60

room is roughly 16 x 17 but not a perfect square as front sits under a bay window.  System may be overkill for this room but five year plan is to make this room 20x28 so don't want to underbuy

what i am solving for:  I'd really like to get stand mounted gems for rear speakers to get the full 7.1 sound system set up/ full immersion.   I do have a decent set of revel 585 in wall speakersthat I could use for surrounds however I noticed a huge improvement and sound field when I switched from low end side surrounds to the revel gems. I think having gems in the back will me a good starting point from which to do anything else as I don't plan on upgrading them ( thinking of them as foundational). 

The base in the room is not how I want it.  I do have two subs and I have played with Odyssey I have moved them around but it still seems boomy.   Not sure if different subs or room treatments will improve this. 

Imaging is another area id like to improve for two channel but I'm a little constrained on how far out I can move the speakers.  Right now they are about 1.5 feet from back wall and 1 from side/back wall(it's an angle). Granted I don't have dedicated two channel going to these speakers but the equipment upstream is mo slouch and should give at least some depth. If anyone has recordings they'd recommend that have fantastic depth please advise.  My current budget is ~5k keeping in mind I don't want to do too much to the existing room as I plan to remodel it at some point. 

esthlos13
Bang for buck would be room treatment.  You have good equipment already so adding gems for the rear would be marginal. Not to mention you plan on expanding the room to dimensions that would be better conducive for a 7.2 setup. Additionally, you could use the room treatment could be reused after the reno. It'll likely address your low end coloration and deal with reflection to help improve imaging.

You're in very good shape now. Hold off on the 7.2 until you're in better room to appreciate it.

All the best.

First thing, I don’t think the system is overkill for the room. I think you have some excellent electronics and speakers to enjoy!! The two downsides I can see are the quality of your subs and the room.

The SVS subs at $499 each are probably going to be a weak spot when matched with your higher end Revel speakers. The PB1000 is actually a pretty large cabinet, but only weighs 46 lbs. This tells me that they are using thinner wood for cabinet construction that isn’t well braced. I have heard other subwoofers that just rattle/vibrate the cabinet and it takes away from the sound quality. Also, at this price level, you are not getting a really good amp or woofer either. Don’t get me wrong, this is probably a very good value sub, but if you are listening at the $6k Revel level, you can do better! The boomy character of the sub can be from the cabinet construction, woofer quality or amp quality. Maybe look at getting a couple used JL Audio or Rel Acoustic subs. The JL e110 is a smaller cabinet than the SVS, but weighs more at 52 lbs. This means better cabinet stiffness, better woofer and better amp. There are many subs up for sale in your $5k price range -- JL Audio, Rel Acoustics, etc.

The other downside is your room. I have read that perfect square rooms are the worst scenario for acoustics. Your room is almost perfect square. You generally want a more rectangle room, but not a perfect rectangle, so your 20x28 is a good plan. If you have your speakers placed in the corners (which is the same as my room), you probably have standing waves bouncing between the corners. Check out GIK Acoustics website. My initial thoughts would be to stack two 24"x48" bass traps in each of the front corners (or the thickest acoustic panel you have space for). You can also put some bass traps with the FlexRange membrane in the rear corners. The FlexRange membrane will absorb more bass frequencies and NOT absorb the mids/highs -- used if you want to keep the high frequency energy in the room. I’ve found that there is a fine line where there is too much sound absorption. If you have carpeted floor, you can hit this point easily.

If you still feel you have problems with imaging, maybe start looking at upgrading power cords, interconnects, fuses.