Picked Up My Receiver now I need your help!

[powderhound]

Building my new home currently, I had the eletrician wire in the 15'x20' living room for surround sound. I picked my receiver. ( ONKYO NR-616)
It says it has 165 watts per channel. I found a killer deal on a set of speakers. Unfortunately they are only rated for 100W.
I am considering these but obviously concerned the higher wattage i will be throwing at them. Do you suppose I'd be alright if I regulated the volume or am I just playing with fire. The speaker set is:
Sony SAWM250 Sub-Woofer; 100W; 8 inch;
(2) Polk Audio Tsi300 Floor Speakers; 150 watt;
Bose VCS-10 Center Channel Speaker;100 watt;
(4) Bose 161 Side and Rear Surround Speakers, rated to 100w

Should I just go out and drop down the big $$$$ I currently do not have for something else.
If so, what is a good set of speakers and a sub box for an affordable price that would mate well with my 616?
Thanks For Any Help You Are Willing To Share

 

[zieglj01]

I would scrap your speaker list > what is the max budget
you have for speakers and sub.

I would not be overly concerned about speaker watts >>
Since Bose is in a league of their own - I would not mix
them with other speakers. I would try to mate the center
channel with the left and right channel speakers.

 

[NewHTbuyer]

I agree with above. The one point that is pretty much agreed upon by everyone, and not many ponts are, is that the front 3 speakers should match. Ideally, people recommend three identical speakers across the front, but at least the center should be from the same line of speakers to totally match. The sub does not need to be from the same brand. The surrounds are not as important to match, although good if you can.

Some people are very good at finding quality used deals on eBay, Craigslist, or audiogon, but I have never been good at that.

Accessories4less.com has some good prices on refurbs or new speakers with minimal cosmetic blemishes.

Finally, invest in a good sub, even if you need to put off the purchase a bit. It really makes home theater so much more enjoyable. Look at some threads here and at AVS forum for budget subs.

 

[ImcLoud]

I agree, start over with the speaker list, post your budget on here, and someone will come up with something 20 times better than that...

Check out the new Pioneer speakers at Tigersdirect, Are you set on 7.1 or will 5.1 be good?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I picked my receiver. ( ONKYO NR-616)
It says it has 165 watts per channel.

You mean 115wpc (probably x 2ch), not 165wpc.

Yeah, I agree with the others. Think different speakers.

If you go cheap, think Pioneer or Infinity/ JBL.

If higher up, think KEF, Revel, B&W, ATC, Focal, Dynaudio, Paradigm, PSB, NHT, Ascend, Salk, Philharmonic, etc.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Some people are very good at finding quality used deals on eBay, Craigslist, or audiogon, but I have never been good at that.

Some dealers sell on AudiogoN. Some offer 50% or more off MSRP. Buying from authorized dealers on AudiogoN and paying via PayPal + Credit Card offers good protection.

 

[gtpsuper24]

If you go cheap, think Pioneer or Infinity/ JBL.

Or SVS's clearanced S Series.
S-Series Home Audio Speakers - SVS

3 Pairs of SBS bookshelfs and a center channel comes to $550 shipped. 7.0 surround for that price and those speakers makes its a damn good deal IMO.

 

[powderhound]

Well thanks for the honest answer to those speakers. I knew I didnt want to mix brands but the guy was gonna sell me all of them for $500. Thought that was a great deal, not right for my Onkyo though.
So You know me receiver, and I would like the best sound possible for $800.
I might be able to buy a nice sub in about 4 months from now. Need to suck up all those closing cost on the house and see whats left to play with.
I like in Alaska, so often times I cant buy from certain businesses due to them only shipping FedEx or UPS. There prices are crazy to get stuff up here.
So with that budget, what you recommend?
Would like to Watch movies and Listen to the Stereo Loud and sound good.
Thanks Again

 

[powderhound]

You mean 115wpc (probably x 2ch), not 165wpc.

Yeah, I agree with the others. Think different speakers.

If you go cheap, think Pioneer or Infinity/ JBL.

If higher up, think KEF, Revel, B&W, ATC, Focal, Dynaudio, Paradigm, PSB, NHT, Ascend, Salk, Philharmonic, etc.

So my receiver is not a true 165W?
lol
That is what they CLAIM it is on the specs. Honest watts are much lower you are saying?
I wouldnt be amazed if that was the case.

 

[markw]

Watt ratings are not all the same.

So my receiver is not a true 165W?
lol
That is what they CLAIM it is on the specs. Honest watts are much lower you are saying?
I wouldnt be amazed if that was the case.

This is from your manual (reformatted for clarity), page 99, and is the most "real world" scenario they show.

100 watts minimum continuous power per channel,
8 ohm loads,
2 channels driven
from 20 Hz to 20 kHz,
with a maximum total harmonic distortion of 0.08% (FTC)

As you can see, those numbers below the "watts" figure reflect real world conditions and contribute to lowering a somewhat exaggerated number.

All the other specs are puffed up to make it look more impressive.

So, you can count on 100 "real" watts per channel when you're driving only two channels. When all 5 (or 7) are called for, that number will shrink even more.

FWIW, here's a .pdf copy of your manual. You might want to save it. It may come in handy.

 

[ImcLoud]

Now that you see where you are power wise, you can see you are going to want as efficient speakers as possible...

Im sorry but I still have 2 questions for you...

Does the $800 include the sub?

Are you set on 7.1? this wont even work for some rooms, and I prefer 5.1 t0 7.1... The biggest factor is going to be speaker placement, for the extra 2 rear channels you will need to be able to put speakers 3 ft or so behind your seating position...

We will get you figured out...

 

[powderhound]

Now that you see where you are power wise, you can see you are going to want as efficient speakers as possible...

Im sorry but I still have 2 questions for you...

Does the $800 include the sub?

Are you set on 7.1? this wont even work for some rooms, and I prefer 5.1 t0 7.1... The biggest factor is going to be speaker placement, for the extra 2 rear channels you will need to be able to put speakers 3 ft or so behind your seating position...

We will get you figured out...

Well, I am not set on 7.1, not at all. I just want the best sound I can afford.
With my average room size I would suspect a good 5.1 or 5.2 would sound great to me. I could most likley swing about $1000 including the sub. I can take my time and find a good deal also. So if you know of a great option for me but it is more $$$$ that what I have to spend I can take my time and find the deal for my budget.
Would that other list of speakers be a good option just for the Bose Speakers, there was 3 of those!?

 

[ImcLoud]

OK, you will get a much better sound with a $1000 5.1 vs $1000 7.1 ...

So a 5.1 for $1000 isnt a bad budget, the hardest part is the sub...

Heres what im thinking...

Pioneers new speakers, everyone is raving about them, and I personally heard them they are amazing for $400!!! Tigerdirect.com just search pioneer speakers on their site, get 2 towers, the center, and the pair of bookshelfs, it comes to $400...

Next is the sub, you have $600 for the sub, so I would get the VTF2 from HSU reasearch VTF-2 MK4 Subwoofer , I use this sub, it is amazing...


Or if you dont want to spend that much this klipsch is on sale, regular $999, I never heard it, but Im sure it will get the job done, not as well as the hsu, but should be thunder for sure... Newegg.com - Klipsch Reference RW-12d 12" Powered Subwoofer Each w/ New box

Or if your room is on the smaller to medium size, you can go with an hsu stf2 which is around $320 before shipping...

I think you will be happy with this set up {especially if you go with the vtf2!!!}...
I like the Pioneers for the price, they are very well made and thought out speakers, next price bracket up would be Ascend acoustics 340se front stage and 200 surrounds, but this is over $1000 and then I like them all the way up to a $2200+ budget where there are a few more options including wharfedale diamonds, kef, psb, ascend sierra, Focal, ect... But for your price range the series 2 pioneers are the best hands down... And they are easy to drive so your avr should be just fine...

 

[WARMACHINE4444]

Well, I am not set on 7.1, not at all. I just want the best sound I can afford.
With my average room size I would suspect a good 5.1 or 5.2 would sound great to me. I could most likley swing about $1000 including the sub. I can take my time and find a good deal also. So if you know of a great option for me but it is more $$$$ that what I have to spend I can take my time and find the deal for my budget.
Would that other list of speakers be a good option just for the Bose Speakers, there was 3 of those!?

Heya, definetly you should consider the new pioneer line designed by Andrew Jones, Infinty Primus p363 towers, Fluance, Aperion Audio etc. Lots of info/reviews on these companies/speakers. Most real audio companies offer 5.1/6.1 packages, but you don't get to pick your own sub if you go this route.

If you want the best sound you can afford, and I'm assuming you want towers for your front stage of your home theater, maybe you should spend money first on your towers and center channel. Or towers and sub. Then purchase the surrounds etc later? Just depends if you want to enjoy full 5.1/5.2 right away?

You should really listen before you buy, but if you can't, read/ask as much as you can on what you're considering on buying.

Cheers

 

[powderhound]

OK, you will get a much better sound with a $1000 5.1 vs $1000 7.1 ...

So a 5.1 for $1000 isnt a bad budget, the hardest part is the sub...

Heres what im thinking...

Pioneers new speakers, everyone is raving about them, and I personally heard them they are amazing for $400!!! TD just search pioneer speakers on their site, get 2 towers, the center, and the pair of bookshelfs, it comes to $400...

Next is the sub, you have $600 for the sub, so I would get the VTF2 from HSU reasearch , I use this sub, it is amazing...


Or if you dont want to spend that much this klipsch is on sale, regular $999, I never heard it, but Im sure it will get the job done, not as well as the hsu, but should be thunder for sure...
Or if your room is on the smaller to medium size, you can go with an hsu stf2 which is around $320 before shipping...

I think you will be happy with this set up {especially if you go with the vtf2!!!}...
I like the Pioneers for the price, they are very well made and thought out speakers, next price bracket up would be Ascend acoustics 340se front stage and 200 surrounds, but this is over $1000 and then I like them all the way up to a $2200+ budget where there are a few more options including wharfedale diamonds, kef, psb, ascend sierra, Focal, ect... But for your price range the series 2 pioneers are the best hands down... And they are easy to drive so your avr should be just fine...

Great Info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I want to take you recommendation on the Pioneer's and the HSU sub. My only issue with the pioneer is that the home is wired for surround. The rear wiring is actually placed up high, so a bookshelf speaker might not work to well for me there. I would have to wall mount the rear speakers. What would you recommend?

 

[zieglj01]

My only issue with the pioneer is that the home is wired for surround. The rear wiring is actually placed up high, so a bookshelf speaker might not work to well for me there. I would have to wall mount the rear speakers. What would you recommend?

How high up?
Check these mounts out
Pinpoint Mounts AM40-Black AM40 | Performance Audio

 

[ImcLoud]

Great Info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I want to take you recommendation on the Pioneer's and the HSU sub. My only issue with the pioneer is that the home is wired for surround. The rear wiring is actually placed up high, so a bookshelf speaker might not work to well for me there. I would have to wall mount the rear speakers. What would you recommend?

I used these Amazon.com: OmniMount Stainless Steel Speaker Mount for Ceiling (Black): Electronics

In my ceiling, both bookshelfs pointed at each other, about 40"s above the seated position on a slight downward angle, works perfect.... I tried them on stands right next to the seated position but I noticed the person in the middle of the couch gets a faint effect and the outside seats get it too strong, I prefer 3ft above your seated head, slight angle down, pointed at each other, about 8"s past the seated position {in other words 16" wider than the couch, 8 on each side....}

A lot of people think the surround placement is the most important, all it does is "pop" effects in and out of the program, a car door off in the distance, foot steps, ect, you put the left on the left, and right on the right, you are half way there... Point them at each other, have them above your head, and balance them correctly and you will be fine..

 

[powderhound]

How high up?
Check these mounts out
Pinpoint Mounts AM40-Black AM40 | Performance Audio

I used these Amazon.com: OmniMount Stainless Steel Speaker Mount for Ceiling (Black): Electronics

In my ceiling, both bookshelfs pointed at each other, about 40"s above the seated position on a slight downward angle, works perfect.... I tried them on stands right next to the seated position but I noticed the person in the middle of the couch gets a faint effect and the outside seats get it too strong, I prefer 3ft above your seated head, slight angle down, pointed at each other, about 8"s past the seated position {in other words 16" wider than the couch, 8 on each side....}

A lot of people think the surround placement is the most important, all it does is "pop" effects in and out of the program, a car door off in the distance, foot steps, ect, you put the left on the left, and right on the right, you are half way there... Point them at each other, have them above your head, and balance them correctly and you will be fine..

Perfect!
I think that might be just what I am looking for. Now to find out if HSU will not ship that sub FedEx. I dont even want to know how much that is gonna cost!
USPS is soo much cheaper

 

[ImcLoud]

Perfect!
I think that might be just what I am looking for. Now to find out if HSU will not ship that sub FedEx. I dont even want to know how much that is gonna cost!
USPS is soo much cheaper

I believe they list their shipping on the sight... unless you are outside the us..

 

[ahblaza]

I believe they list their shipping on the sight... unless you are outside the us..

Cloud I think he said Alaska