speaker/receiver?

[Porno Pete]

Hi all,
For a while now I have been using a set of Promedia 5.1's for my DVDs and music, however now that I have moved into a somewhat bigger apartment they seem to be a bit on the weak side for my tastes.

I am rather intrested in getting a receiver based setup but I have no idea where to begin other then the fact I would like it to be 5.1. Is this possible for $1000 or less and if so, can anyone give any reccomendations on good receivers and speakers?

Thanks.

[rabidmoose171]

Denon 1705- reciever-300$ish
Paradigm titans/atoms/whatever
dayton 12" sub.


This thread will get moved to the other specilized section though, so watch out.

[Hypo_Luxa]

Denon 1705- reciever-300$ish
Paradigm titans/atoms/whatever
dayton 12" sub.


Can't argue with that. :)


Just be sure to take your time and do some research before you buy. $1000 is a decent starter budget and you'll have alot of options in that price range. See the other receiver/speaker threads in this forum for good quality brands to look for. Basically you'll need 4 bookshelf type speakers, a matching center channel, a powered sub and a receiver.

[Hypo_Luxa]

This thread will get moved to the other specilized section though, so watch out.

I thought the same thing :) Although most of the time those threads get moved because of the magic words .....sssshhhhhhh .......home theater :D As long as the discussion is strictly about sound cards and speakers hooked up to them, then this is the appropriate forum I would think. Kind of a fuzzy line though.

[Idiot356]

I am going to recommend at least 1 pair of Axiom M2i's. I personally own these speakers and I love them. They are some of the nicest speakers you can get in this price range.

Axiom M2i hompage (http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2i_main.html)

I can't say enough about these speakers, they are truley awesome. Not to say that Paradigm or any other high quality speaker companies speaker wouldn't be great also. But I do think that Axioms are extremely hard to beat in this price range.


As for the components, I am a Yamaha fan myself, I think they make some great recievers across many budgets. But Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer and many others also make excellent products, so go with a budget and check out reviews of all these brands and see which one fits your bill, audtion them if you can.

The sub that was already recommended is an excellent choice, cheap and good.

[rock]

For $300, I'd take a Yamaha HTR-5860 over the Denon. Much nicer in the same price range.

[SprySpectre]

I'd go H/K over Yamaha, however I haven't actually listened to any Yamaha's...I just happen to love my H/K AVR 225.

For speakers, I recommend checking out Ascend Acoustics as well. Very "neutral" sounding, in that it's not engineered to have a brighter or boomier sound, it's just natural. I prefer to let the receiver or EQ deal with those types of things. I own the CBM 170's, absolutely amazing imo. You could also check out paradigms entry levels, or Mirage's entry level's if you can find a good deal on them.

[ewitte]

I thought the same thing :) Although most of the time those threads get moved because of the magic words .....sssshhhhhhh .......home theater :D As long as the discussion is strictly about sound cards and speakers hooked up to them, then this is the appropriate forum I would think. Kind of a fuzzy line though.

Sounds like soundcard/speaker to me ;) The mod in there is kinda anal though. Just put the word "receiver" in there and the rest of your message is ignored.

[Kero-chan]

dont forget about cables... when i was done wiring all my HT stuff, i probably spent like $200 in cables/speaker wire. (and i used the generic stuff)
just saying, if you buy $1000 worth of audio stuff, make sure you have some extra to spare for other stuff...

[Buster Sword]

dont forget about cables... when i was done wiring all my HT stuff, i probably spent like $200 in cables/speaker wire. (and i used the generic stuff)
just saying, if you buy $1000 worth of audio stuff, make sure you have some extra to spare for other stuff...

Don't tell me you bought into Monster :p
IF not, what brands of speaker wire are you using? :eek:

[Kero-chan]

Don't tell me you bought into Monster :p
IF not, what brands of speaker wire are you using? :eek:
generic... but i had to buy 2 spools of 100ft 16guage and a bunch of generic optical and 25' component cables...

[sc03979]

Your best bet is to listen to different brands of speakers in and above your price range. Get a sense of what you like and go from there. Don't blindly buy something, you might not like them.

Generally if the speakers sound good with music they will sound good for home theatre. Some brands to look at are jbl (which I have and really like), axiom, athena, klipsch, bic america, and there are others.

I would also look at bhphotovideo, jandr, buy.com, and vanns.com as places to buy speakers and receivers. For example my jbl e90s cost me $460 at bhphotovideo while at best buy you're talking $750 for the jbl speakers a step down from what I got.

As far as receivers look at yamaha, h/k, pioneer, onkyo, and denon. I would check out www.avsforum.com.

[Buster Sword]

generic... but i had to buy 2 spools of 100ft 16guage and a bunch of generic optical and 25' component cables...

200 feet? oh hey that makes sense...
If it were really Monster, it would of costed you a grand :eek:

I picked up some decent quality 16 gauge wire (100 ft) for 20.00 with plugs. :)
The RCA interconnects are 6.00 too

[Kero-chan]

also something that will save some money is buying some decent RCA audio/video cables instead of component cables. they do the same thing, only the color coding is off, and the marketing usually makes the component video cables cost more. i know there's bandwidth issues, but you should be fine as long as you get some decent generic cables. same goes for spdif cables. also there is no real difference in optical or coax(despite what some people say, IT IS DIGITAL so either it works or it doesnt), so if the coax is cheaper, grab it.

[Buster Sword]

But i can get Component (thick and professional) jsut as cheap as RCA, and i know for looking at it, that Component is better, more differences than svideo.
your mileage varies on your source and TV display.

[Kero-chan]

But i can get Component (thick and professional) jsut as cheap as RCA, and i know for looking at it, that Component is better, more differences than svideo.
your mileage varies on your source and TV display.
oh, i know that component is one of the best I/O, but i was saying that you can also use decent rca cables as component cables, you just have to find an alternative for the sound. my point was in most cases, rca/composite cables are cheaper because of marketing...

[Hypo_Luxa]

http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?id=ID740616&rsite=&rcode=&action=Search&search=COMPONENT

I ordered all the cables for my theater from these guys. Super cheap and very good quality. For those prices there is no point in using other cables. If you want to DIY....get some RG-6 coaxial cable cut it into whatever lengths you wish and put some F-connectors on each end and then some F - RCA adapters on as well. Very cheap and high quality solution. You can label the cables with some red/green/blue electrical tape. All the needed parts can be picked up at radio shack (tape included) and for longer cable runs it's very cost effective. You can also use these for regular audio cables or coaxial digital cable as well. I am using a 35ft run of RG-6 coax in the wall of my home theater to feed my subwoofer. Works like a champ.

[Kero-chan]

http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?id=ID740616&rsite=&rcode=&action=Search&search=COMPONENT

I ordered all the cables for my theater from these guys. Super cheap and very good quality. For those prices there is no point in using other cables. If you want to DIY....get some RG-6 coaxial cable cut it into whatever lengths you wish and put some F-connectors on each end and then some F - RCA adapters on as well. Very cheap and high quality solution. You can label the cables with some red/green/blue electrical tape. All the needed parts can be picked up at radio shack (tape included) and for longer cable runs it's very cost effective. You can also use these for regular audio cables or coaxial digital cable as well. I am using a 35ft run of RG-6 coax in the wall of my home theater to feed my subwoofer. Works like a champ.
great idea! also, those look exactly like the component cables i use(bought mine at parts express though) but they work like a champ.

[camaro]

I have a H/K 525 and love it. The model that replaced it is the 630 I believe. They are the only company with true power out put ratings. Their 100W/channel is like Sony saying 500W/channel. They measure with all the channels driven at the full frequency. Most everyone else measures with one channel driven at only 1KHz. Denon would be my second choice. Yamaha's top models are nice also.

I have the Rocket UFW-10 Subwoofer from www.av123.com. It's pricey, but that's what you pay for quality. It's a 10" with 500W and I have to turn it down when playing games on my XBOX. Their speakers are to die for. You will not believe the wood finish on them until you see it for yourself. If you're looking for a full blown home theater system, I'd highly recommend them. They have a low range line coming out late this year, early next. Read their forums if you have any questions about anything.

Less SQ, but just as much SPL. http://www.svsubwoofers.com/ Their cylinder subs are popular. Their amps have less power then the Rockets and don't have the uber luxurious wood finish. Personally, I wouldn't look past these two companies when looking for subs.

[JoeGuy34]

I just purchased an svs pb-10 to go with my ascend acoustics speakers all powered by and H/K 630. I was in the same boat as you coming from the promedia ultras wanting something more and man did I get it...The pb-10 is HUGE and can really push some air and sound to the lower regions...I haven't got my system calibratied correctly b/c I am moving in the next couple of months and speaker placement will be different, however everytime i listen to the speakers I grin from ear to ear. Everybody in my family says I no longer watch movies I just listen to them....

The worst thing about home theater is that to each is own...What sounds good to you might not sound good to another. When I was looking around for speakers I tried to demo stuff as much as I could and I urge you to do the same. I found I really liked the paradigm sound but in the end I was drawn in by the reputation of ascend and took a plunge at an internet direct company.

But I am sure you will be happy with whatever you choose.....Just don't go BOSE b/c of the name...

[sharkyfel]

No highs, no lows, must be a Bose!
only poking fun, but you have to hand it to Bose for their marketing.

[EnterTheSwamp]

$1000 you may need to stretch the budget a little for a quality 5.1 system that would best the promedias hands down. I will second the reccomendation of SVS subs since I own one myself. They have great customer service to boot.

[SprySpectre]

For a $1000, there's no way to get quality parts all around if you'll be purchasing an SVS sub...they're just too expensive in that budget. Save yourself $200 and pick up a Dayton 10/12" from partsexpress, it's just about as good and will last you until you really want more from your system. And yes, cabling can get expensive as well, even generic stuff, so budget yourself some extra money for that too.

I like the Axioms in this budget since you can afford to get the whole 5.1 setup then, and still have money left over for the receiver. The Rockets mentioned above also have a good reputation. But let your ears be the deciding factor. (though it may not be possible in some cases)

[JoeGuy34]

For a $1000, there's no way to get quality parts all around if you'll be purchasing an SVS sub...they're just too expensive in that budget. Save yourself $200 and pick up a Dayton 10/12" from partsexpress, it's just about as good and will last you until you really want more from your system. And yes, cabling can get expensive as well, even generic stuff, so budget yourself some extra money for that too.

I like the Axioms in this budget since you can afford to get the whole 5.1 setup then, and still have money left over for the receiver. The Rockets mentioned above also have a good reputation. But let your ears be the deciding factor. (though it may not be possible in some cases)

I disagree....The low end svs pb-10 absolutely smacks the dayton and starting thanksgiving day svs is coming out with their own line of speakers. 5.1 system w/ pb-10 for $899 Linky (http://www.svsubwoofers.com/news.htm)

[Hypo_Luxa]

"Smacks" is a relative term of course...for the money the Dayton is fantastic and compares very favorably with more expensive subs. I've never owned a pb-10 but have heard enough feedback from others to know it's a very nice sub. That 5.1 system for $899 looks like a fantastic deal, and only $100 more for a 7.1 setup. Assuming the center/sats are any good (and from svs I would give them the benefit of the doubt) that will be a hard one to beat overall.

[SprySpectre]

I disagree....The low end svs pb-10 absolutely smacks the dayton and starting thanksgiving day svs is coming out with their own line of speakers. 5.1 system w/ pb-10 for $899 Linky (http://www.svsubwoofers.com/news.htm)
I'm with Hypo_Luxa...smacks is definitely a relative term. There's no arguing that the SVS is better...but in the budget it's hard to do. One will have to lower the price range on other components, and the quality reduction on speakers will be much more noticable than in comparison with the quality of the Dayton vs the SVS.

Obviously since they're not out yet, this is speculation...but I just can't imagine that 5.1 package sounding as good as some of the other options offered here. But only time will tell on that.

I also don't see it fitting his budget/needs. First off, there's no receiver included, and to get a worthwhile receiver it's gonna cost at LEAST $200 unless you find some amazing deal or find a friend who happens to be upgrading. Then there's cabling costs, which aren't included in the package as well, assuming some great deals there, at least another $50-75, probably closer to $100 unless he's already got some of the cabling. Add shipping to the package for another $50 at least. That's looking to be $1200-1300.