Home Theatre Advice

[kareface]

Honestly in that price range, I'd spend at least 300 (if not 400) on the receiver. Get something that'll last you a while. Honestly for the price, if you don't mind a referb that receiver I posted above is a kick ass deal. Or something like what was mentioned by fisban (which can also be bought here with free shipping) There are a couple ways you could do this. If you get a full 5.1 right now, I'd be willing to bet that in less then a year you'll be dumping more money into it. I'd say get a 3.1 now, give it a month or two, and if you're sure you won't be upgrading save a little more for a couple more speakers to use as surrounds. This way if you want something nicer down the line you can just use your current front speakers as your surrounds. That's just my suggestion.

Considering the size of the speakers and the price point I'd consider maybe starting out with a company like polk, picking up fronts and a center at a modest price and getting a good sub to make up for the lack of low end on the fronts.

Something like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290011
$130

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290023
$120

http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.asp...sku=ONKTXSR507
$300

Which would leave 450ish for a sub, I'd call HSU research and give them your room size and budget and see what they would reccomend. They'll find something in your price range that you'll love. Either that or I'd spring for a PC12-NSD which would put you a little over budget, but I would eat my hat if you regretted it.

I think what I suggested above would take a hot steamy dump over what you posted eariler. There are other options as well, lots of different speaker makers to chose from, but I don't think you'll be unhappy going that route.

[Stiker]

Thanks for all the advice. I definitely don't mind going referb in the least. I always consider referbs and recerts great money savers personally.

I never really thought about going piece-by-piece for my setup, and I think that might be the direction I should go. I definitely want to get a solid system in the long run, so I think going 3.1 and making sure the receivers and speakers I get are good I think would be a good idea.

Also, that cylinder sub is awesome and I think would fit perfectly for the space I have to put it. The room isn't tiny (off the top of my head, I think it's like 20' x 14' or so); however, the way I have the room set up, my TV is in a corner of the room and there really isn't too much space at all on the sides for the front speakers or behind the TV, hence the reason I'm looking at smaller satellites.

Completely reconfiguring the room down the road is always another option too. If I go 3.1 with the smaller speakers and don't like it, I can use them for the surround speakers and get cabs for the front.

[Fisban]

I would have to say i agree with kare

300-400 for the receiver
300-350 for a sub from HSU, SVS, or Elemental Designs

Use whatever you have left over for 2 fronts and a center channel.

I am having a hard time putting together a 5.1 w/ receiver for under 1000$ that I think would be worth spending the money on.

For good entry level speakers i would recommend looking into PSB, Paradigm, and Anthony Gallo for starters. I would suggest going to their web sites, finding any local dealers, and go in to listen to them.

[Stiker]

Yeah, after reading thinking about it, putting my budget into a nice 3.1 setup with expansion plans sounds like a much better idea.

Again, much appreciated as this is definitely the one area of electronics in which I quite literally know dick lol

[kareface]

I've never been a fan of entree level paradigms. I think their tweeters are shrieky. If you aren't going to spend enough on the fronts to get something that is transparent enough to not notice huge flaws in the sound you're better off getting one that colors the distortion well so you don't hear it. The lower end paradigms don't do this well. I think they were aiming at celerity over warmth but miss the mark with cheaper drivers. Not to say I dislike paradigms, I have a pair of their surrounds I'm using now. Just the lower end ones can be harsh.

Also, something you should note. If possible make sure that your speakers are all from the same company. If you must select ones that aren't try and make sure at very least your front 3 speakers are all from the same line of speakers. This does not include subwoofers tho. You can mix and match subwoofers with any speakers (with a few exceptions that won't apply to anything you're doing).

Also, ED subs sound great but their amps have been known to die off pretty fast (made in china if I remember correctly). They are still good subs and I wouldn't let this stop me from buying them, but do so informed.

[Amastacia]

Paradigm! Paradigm! Paradigm!

Look into Paradigm. They make amazing speakers and their entry level ones are not too expensive. One of the best values when you look at cost vs. quality of any speaker company I have listened to.

http://paradigm.com/en/paradigm/fron...1-2-2.paradigm

Check out their Cinema series.

I love Paradigms, but it's going to be a struggle to find much that'll stay in budget.

I don't know that I'd recommend anything smaller than Cinema 110s for front channels, and looking new is going to totally hose his budget (a 5.1 setup with all new Cinema 110s is over a grand). I did a quick look on Ebay and there was a pair of new-in-open-box 110s up for $160, but that's bordering on too good to be true.

I'd consider something like Paradigms to be a good second speaker. They're a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for. A great option once you've had a home theater and decided you want better within a reasonable budget.

Edit: I feel I should specify... I haven't spent much time listening to Paradigm Cinemas. Paradigm's higher-end speakers are excellent, however, and I'd recommend them easily (I own Monitors and love them, my old man has Studios and they sound incredible). I mention Cinema 110s or higher for fronts, because I don't like 1-woofer main channels, but I don't know that I'd go with Cinemas over, say, Axioms (among others) for the price range the OP would be interested in. Mini's list is a good one for decent entry-level speaker brands.

[Isiolia]

SVS's regular speakers are also solid and not outrageously priced. I bought a pair last year for my brother to use on his PC and *cough* broke them in for a couple weeks myself. They're clearing out the SBS-01 line right now for $149/pair, $119/center, or $399 for a 5.0 set, which would be a pretty nice deal. http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm

One sort-of caveat I would mention is that they're a sealed design, really need a sub for the type of use you're talkin' about. Which, of course, is SVS's specialty anyway, and something you'd want for home theater regardless...but worth a mention.

[zoobernut]

I love Paradigms, but it's going to be a struggle to find much that'll stay in budget.

I don't know that I'd recommend anything smaller than Cinema 110s for front channels, and looking new is going to totally hose his budget (a 5.1 setup with all new Cinema 110s is over a grand). I did a quick look on Ebay and there was a pair of new-in-open-box 110s up for $160, but that's bordering on too good to be true.

I'd consider something like Paradigms to be a good second speaker. They're a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for. A great option once you've had a home theater and decided you want better within a reasonable budget.

Edit: I feel I should specify... I haven't spent much time listening to Paradigm Cinemas. Paradigm's higher-end speakers are excellent, however, and I'd recommend them easily (I own Monitors and love them, my old man has Studios and they sound incredible). I mention Cinema 110s or higher for fronts, because I don't like 1-woofer main channels, but I don't know that I'd go with Cinemas over, say, Axioms (among others) for the price range the OP would be interested in. Mini's list is a good one for decent entry-level speaker brands.

I use a pair of Studio 20's paired with a Rotel Processor/pre-amp and an Adcom amp. Tributaries solid strand speaker wire.

[Amastacia]

I use a pair of Studio 20's paired with a Rotel Processor/pre-amp and an Adcom amp. Tributaries solid strand speaker wire.

The 20s sound good, I still don't think I could use them as mains though.

I have older speakers. Front L/R are Monitor 7 v.3s, center is a Monitor CC-350, rears are Mini Monitors. All being driven by a Yamaha RX-V861 with no pre-amp (the 7s can take more than the 105W/channel the Yamaha can push, but I live in a multi-unit condo building, so yeah, don't want to annoy the neighbors too much).

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but my current speaker wire is good quality lamp wire. I had it laying around, and since where I am now was never meant to be a long-term abode, I went with cheap and available since I knew I'd be tossing it within a year or two at most and re-doing everything. The acoustics in the room are also bad enough that I'm sure I wouldn't be bothered by the difference in any case, lol.

My old man has Studio 100s, I chub up every time I hear them.

[Mrf]

Someone brought this site to my attention, this is worth a look:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

It is factory renewed, but it does come with a 1 year warranty and lots of people buy receivers referb. There are also a ton of other good deals on that site.

This is actually the place where I bought my refurbished Onkyo HTIB. Even though it was a refurbished unit you would have been unable to know that from just looking at them, they were in great shape.

Another thing to remember when looking at your receivers, you want it to be a HDMI repeater not HDMI Passthrough.

http://www.blu-ray.com has multiple audio forums that have some good advice as well.

[zoobernut]

The 20s sound good, I still don't think I could use them as mains though.

I have older speakers. Front L/R are Monitor 7 v.3s, center is a Monitor CC-350, rears are Mini Monitors. All being driven by a Yamaha RX-V861 with no pre-amp (the 7s can take more than the 105W/channel the Yamaha can push, but I live in a multi-unit condo building, so yeah, don't want to annoy the neighbors too much).

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but my current speaker wire is good quality lamp wire. I had it laying around, and since where I am now was never meant to be a long-term abode, I went with cheap and available since I knew I'd be tossing it within a year or two at most and re-doing everything. The acoustics in the room are also bad enough that I'm sure I wouldn't be bothered by the difference in any case, lol.

My old man has Studio 100s, I chub up every time I hear them.

I only have the one pair at the moment. This system has been about 6 years in the making. They do fine in stereo and can get so loud you can't be in the same room with them without clipping. Eventually I would like to put them in the rear and use Studio 60's in the front.

[Mabubeezareel]

Hijacking this thread with my own question:

I picked up a Denon AVR-1910 over the summer that I have paired with a Kenwood 5.1 set from an HTB that I bought about 6 years. The model on the 5 speaker set is KS-706HT (appears to be same model # for the entire set of fronts/satellites/center), and the sub's model is SW-36HT. This set has suited me well, and I really don't have any compaints with it, but I've been considering upgrading recently. The trouble is, I simply don't know exactly what I've been missing all this time using these speakers, and how much of a difference I would hear with a better set.

I live in an apartment complex, so I can't get anything TOO over the top. The room in which I have my HT equipment isn't very large either - 8x10 off the top of my head. I use the system mainly for gaming, TV, and movies, with some music thrown in on occasion.

I have to admit that there's really nothing wrong with the current speaker set, and I'm not sure even why I'm looking to upgrade. I think it's just that I didn't pay very much for the set ($200), and am really interested in knowing how these current speakers might compare to more expensive units.

[kareface]

Honestly, you're in a great position to start a DIY project. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck building your own speakers and you'll learn so much more about the nature of sound when you do.

Otherwise, I'd say go to a local speaker dealer and ask to demo the most transparent speakers they have vs. a very warm set of speakers. Depending on which you prefer I'd recommend a different route.

[Trelution]

Been mulling around the idea of upgrading my surround set for awhile. My birthday is coming up so I might get some extra loot to do just that. Mainly wanting to get a good receiver first, if need be I can use these old speakers for awhile. Kindly eyeballing the Onkyo TX-SR607. Any of you guys have any experience with it or any input on it? 400ish at Crutchfield seems like a steal for it.

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...?tag=mncol;lst

And in looking around I know HTIB stuff is usually crap, but for simplicities sake these speakers seem pretty tasty for the price. Anyone have these or think they are worth dropping that money on? It doesn't have to rival Movie Theatre systems, just looking for some nice solid sound

http://reviews.cnet.com/surround-spe...?tag=mncol;txt

[cdgreg]

Been mulling around the idea of upgrading my surround set for awhile. My birthday is coming up so I might get some extra loot to do just that. Mainly wanting to get a good receiver first, if need be I can use these old speakers for awhile. Kindly eyeballing the Onkyo TX-SR607. Any of you guys have any experience with it or any input on it? 400ish at Crutchfield seems like a steal for it.

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...?tag=mncol;lst

Mini mentioned this receiver on page one and linked us to a recondition sale for $329
http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

[Amastacia]

The one I have is also available refurbished for about the same price ($15 more).
http://salestores.com/yamaharxv861.html

I haven't dealt with salestores.com, so I can't speak from experience about how good/bad/otherwise they are, but the RX-V861 is a hell of a receiver for a bit over $300.

[Trelution]

Oh damn I misread that as a 507 refurb, I wondered why it was such a "deal" when it was just like 20 bucks cheaper than new. Hmmm, I might have to really look into that now!

[kareface]

That is a good receiver. Depending on how long you'll need to wait before buying more surrounds I might be selling mine, lol. I'll likely be placing the order for my second sub in the next week or so and after that I'll be looking into testing out a new set of surrounds to see how well they match the front speakers. Which ever pair matches the best I'll keep and the other I'll be selling. Either way the speakers will be almost new and I'll be selling cheap, but the sub comes first.

[Trelution]

I did end up ordering that refurb 607. Hope its in good condition! Yeah I might be interested in those speakers. I could use a real over haul. I've been using an old Sony htib for yearrrrs that is really starting to show its age. A buddy of mine might be getting rid of some of his theater stuff. I think he might have some those Polk 40s you linked earlier. And I've always been a fan of polk. Might try to build a set of those. What would be a good polk for surround?

Also what do you guys use in the way of wire management? (Aside from Kareface building a sanctuary of sound, which is beyond words amazing btw) I've got a webbed mess of wires that a spider would be afraid of behind my tv. Prob will just going to go in and take a million cable ties with me when the new receiver comes in. Unless you guys know of some fancy tidy wire managament doohickey. (How's that for technical jargon?)

[Amastacia]

I think most of us would be ashamed to admit that we have a rat's nest of cabling behind our home theater area.

I didn't expect to live where I am long enough to make it worth going nuts trying to get everything perfect, and I'll probably make more of an effort once I close on my house next month.