Hi all,
I recently moved to a new place and figured now would be a good time to upgrade my existing HTiB. I have the Onkyo HT-SR800 7.1 Home Theater in a box (
http://www.cnet.com/products/onkyo-ht-sr800/,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ONKYO-AV-RECEIVER-MODEL-HT-R550-WITH-SPEAKERS-Sub-And-Remote-HT-SR800-/252450487067?hash=item3ac738bb1b:g:d14AAOSw1DtXK2qQ) and kind of hate it to be honest. I feel the audio isn't very clear. I'm trying to figure out what the most sensible course of action is.
Here's a picture of the room:
https://postimg.org/image/988mwl6h3/. I got the TV wall mounted and ran banana plug connectors (2 in the front, 2 in the back). The center speaker will be on top of the stand. I will be dropping down from a 7.1 to a 5.1. I have two sliding glass doors to the right, and an open kitchen to the left. I realize audio will not be great in this room. I'm looking for something that looks good and sounds decent.
My current plan:
- toss the Onkyo receiver and replace with a friends hand-me-down Pioneer VSX-1021-K 7.1 receiver.
- toss the center speaker, replace with something better
- toss front left, right speakers. For the left/right front speakers wall mount them.
- keep back left, right Onkyo surround speakers. Use a standardized mounting kit for when I replace them
- keep the current Onkyo subwoofer
Additional requirements:
- ideal budget $500-$600 including mounts
- I don't know where the studs are near the banana plug connectors. I would rather mount really light front\back speakers. Again using a standardized mounting bracket in case I make changes going forward
- I live in a townhome, I think speakers mounts that stick out of the wall will be less noise for the neighbors than something that is either in wall, or drywall screw mounted
- since I already ran the banana plugs, I don't want to use a speaker that has proprietary connectors
Questions:
1) Does my plan make sense?
2) What speakers would you recommend for center, front left\right?
3) What mounts do you recommend to minimize annoying the neighbors?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.