questions / concerns for building a 5.1.. or 7.2

[derekotto420]

hi all, i am new here and have done lots of my own research, to try and answer my own questions. but the more i read, the more i realize how uninformed i really am.. anyways i just bought my tv after two months of comparing and back and forth to different stores. decided on the Samsung UN60J6200 and i am very satisfied (800.00). i don't care about 4K now, but maybe in 5-10 years i'll consider the upgrade. of course, that's a whole different topic for another day..
A little background: my living room is roughly 16 X 16 with a connected den separated by the couch i'm sitting on (which is about 11 ft away from the system). i am equally concerned about music and movie quality / experience, so 5.1 is what i initially wanted, then just switch to 2.0 / 2.1 for music. i have gone many years with the blu ray system in a box, but now want to do it the right way.. moving on.. all my purchases are limited to a military base because it's tax free and they price-match, which i have taken full advantage of. this limits my selection, but they have pretty good low / mid level options for a HT. SO, I started with the Yamaha RX-V479 AV receiver. (350.00), Polk PSW10 sub and Yamaha NS-6490 bookshelfs. these speakers are huge, but produce great sound. i have not even hooked up my sub and these things rock, for the price at least (99.00). I am planning on picking up another pair for surround, unless you think it's overkill..? the Polk bookshelf speakers were light and seemed weak (to try and match all the speakers) as others have stated in reviews. plus they were $80 more..?. no center yet, but the same Polk-series center is available (99.00), i just don't know where to put the damn thing!? i would either have to wall mount the tv or buy a new stand. i was thinking of a smaller center, but i assume i would have to sacrifice on quality..
so i guess i have already asked a couple questions, but my first main concern is the AV. i was looking around yesterday and they have a Sony STR-DH750 on sale for 159.00. at first glance i assumed this price was due to a cheap product. i came home a did lots of searches and all i could really find, other than the occasional lemon, (which can happen to almost ALL brands in this level of quality) the only consistent one star came from no user manual and a very simplified remote.?. OK, so 7.2 never really concerned me until i watched your two - sub woofer video the other day (which makes complete sense to me). i realize i am in a smaller room, but hey.. why not buy another PSW10 for 95.00?

SO first, would you advise exchanging the Yamaha for the Sony so i could run two subs? or again, do you think it's overkill? quality is more important to me than price, but 350 was my cut off for an AV, since now-a-days that's all you really need to spend for this level of HT expectations.

Second, i am willing to buy a separate amp, if needed. i have only done light reading on this, but they don't seem to be cheap. the reason i bring this up is because i don't trust manufacture's specs and i do not want to under power the speakers. the Sony AV is rated at 145 @ 6 ohms. i have been reading about ohms recently, but it's another subject i don't fully understand. But an obvious observation would tell you that the Sony will drastically out-perform the Yamaha (80 or maybe 85 watts per channel ) plus two more channels and another sub..but this claim sounds ridiculous to me.

Lastly, for now, i am wondering if i can run a second sub if it's powered? (through the same AV, regardless of 5.1 or 7.2). there are speaker packages available from JBL and Yamaha for a reasonable price, and then the speakers would match, except my current Polk sub..?.

well, i have other questions and concerns, but i realize that this and other websites could give me the answers. i prefer to ask questions in person, but it's either they are only pushing 4K tvs and 200.00 HDMI cables (um, BB comes to mind) or, i know more about electronics than they do..

So in advance, i appreciate any response from anybody and look forward to your advice / opinions..

 

[herbu]

Wow. You write a lot and ask a lot of questions. Gonna be hard to find somebody who will take the time to answer all. I pick the first two and get it started.

"I am planning on picking up another pair for surround, unless you think it's overkill"
Surrounds don't get a whole lot of sound in movies/TV. Mostly sound effects like door closing, car horn, doorbell, background noise, etc. That's in a 5.1 system. The rear surrounds in a 7.1 get even less. So for movies/TV, you really don't need to spend a lot for your surround speakers.

However, the other thing they're used for is music during a party. When you have a bunch of people over, and want background music, you can use All-Channel-Stereo on your AVR. It will send music to all the speakers so you can fill your room with a pretty level volume. With just stereo, people near the front get loud music, while people in back of the room don't get much. So if you're a party animal and expect this use a lot, the quality of surround speakers becomes more important.

"no center yet... i would either have to wall mount the tv or buy a new stand"
Or wall mount the speaker. It could be as easy as installing a shelf on the wall over the TV. Plus there are a number of speaker wall mounts available. I think you'll be glad you got a center speaker, if you do.

 

[Seth=L]

Wow. You write a lot and ask a lot of questions. Gonna be hard to find somebody who will take the time to answer all. I pick the first two and get it started.

Challenge accepted.

hi all, i am new here and have done lots of my own research, to try and answer my own questions. but the more i read, the more i realize how uninformed i really am..

No worries, I'll see if I can help.

anyways i just bought my tv after two months of comparing and back and forth to different stores. decided on the Samsung UN60J6200 and i am very satisfied (800.00). i don't care about 4K now, but maybe in 5-10 years i'll consider the upgrade. of course, that's a whole different topic for another day..

Good choice, most people won't benefit from 4K anyway.

A little background: my living room is roughly 16 X 16 with a connected den separated by the couch i'm sitting on (which is about 11 ft away from the system). i am equally concerned about music and movie quality / experience, so 5.1 is what i initially wanted, then just switch to 2.0 / 2.1 for music. i have gone many years with the blu ray system in a box, but now want to do it the right way.. moving on.. all my purchases are limited to a military base because it's tax free and they price-match, which i have taken full advantage of. this limits my selection, but they have pretty good low / mid level options for a HT. SO, I started with the Yamaha RX-V479 AV receiver. (350.00), Polk PSW10 sub and Yamaha NS-6490 bookshelfs. these speakers are huge, but produce great sound. i have not even hooked up my sub and these things rock, for the price at least (99.00).

I had heard the NS-6490 are good bang for buck. Nothing earth shattering, but not bad.

I am planning on picking up another pair for surround, unless you think it's overkill..?

Not at all, especially for the money.

the Polk bookshelf speakers were light and seemed weak (to try and match all the speakers) as others have stated in reviews. plus they were $80 more..?. no center yet, but the same Polk-series center is available (99.00), i just don't know where to put the damn thing!? i would either have to wall mount the tv or buy a new stand. i was thinking of a smaller center, but i assume i would have to sacrifice on quality..

If it is possible you could use another NS-6490 as a center speaker. I know it's big, but I don't know if Yamaha makes a center that matches with them. Ideally the front 3 speakers should match as close as possible. The surrounds do not need to match.

so i guess i have already asked a couple questions, but my first main concern is the AV. i was looking around yesterday and they have a Sony STR-DH750 on sale for 159.00. at first glance i assumed this price was due to a cheap product. i came home a did lots of searches and all i could really find, other than the occasional lemon, (which can happen to almost ALL brands in this level of quality) the only consistent one star came from no user manual and a very simplified remote.?.

I'd skip the Sony and 7.2 and stick with 5.1. The receiver you have now is fine.

OK, so 7.2 never really concerned me until i watched your two - sub woofer video the other day (which makes complete sense to me). i realize i am in a smaller room, but hey.. why not buy another PSW10 for 95.00?

The Polk isn't a great sub, but it's not bad for the money and I get that your options are limited. It's also important to note that you do not need a 7.2 receiver to run two subwoofers. You can connect two subwoofers to the Yamaha with the aid of a Y-Adapter.

SO first, would you advise exchanging the Yamaha for the Sony so i could run two subs? or again, do you think it's overkill? quality is more important to me than price, but 350 was my cut off for an AV, since now-a-days that's all you really need to spend for this level of HT expectations.

Answered above, no to the Sony, yes to the extra subwoofer. Just add a Y-Adapter and you are golden.

Second, i am willing to buy a separate amp, if needed. i have only done light reading on this, but they don't seem to be cheap. the reason i bring this up is because i don't trust manufacture's specs and i do not want to under power the speakers. the Sony AV is rated at 145 @ 6 ohms. i have been reading about ohms recently, but it's another subject i don't fully understand. But an obvious observation would tell you that the Sony will drastically out-perform the Yamaha (80 or maybe 85 watts per channel ) plus two more channels and another sub..but this claim sounds ridiculous to me.

1. Neither of those receivers accommodates the addition of an amplifier.

2. You are correct, amplifiers are not cheap.

3. The power difference between those two receivers does not matter with the speakers you're using. Either has enough power for them. You aren't under powering them with the Yamaha. The Sony isn't even rated by the same standard, I'd guess their per channel performance is very similar.

4. Ohms is a measure of resistance. The less resistance a speaker has the more current it draws from the receiver. Most receivers can comfortably handle 8 ohm speakers and less so with 4 ohm, but still feasible. Depends on the listener's habits.

Lastly, for now, i am wondering if i can run a second sub if it's powered? (through the same AV, regardless of 5.1 or 7.2). there are speaker packages available from JBL and Yamaha for a reasonable price, and then the speakers would match, except my current Polk sub..?.

Yes you can run two subwoofers off the Yamaha receiver you presently have. It is recommended that the subwoofers are identical. It is also recommended that the front 3 speakers match as closely as possible. It is less important that the surrounds match.

well, i have other questions and concerns, but i realize that this and other websites could give me the answers. i prefer to ask questions in person, but it's either they are only pushing 4K tvs and 200.00 HDMI cables (um, BB comes to mind) or, i know more about electronics than they do..

Don't spend $200 on an HDMI cable, that is a waste of money. It's not that 4K does not have its merits. The best display technologies are being put into 4K televisions therefore despite the lack of real world benefits of the bump up in resolution many of these televisions have other improvements coming as well such as OLED and HDR technologies that are a significant improvement over a standard LCD or LED television.

So in advance, i appreciate any response from anybody and look forward to your advice / opinions..

We try, good luck.

 

[derekotto420]

hey thanks to the both of you for the response.!. I know it's a long post but there is alot of basic information that most people don't care to truly understand.. just plug and play.. like i've been doing..

anyways, thanks again and after i re-read your posts, i'm off to the store to check out that y adapter and wall mount for the center speaker.. great advice all around! cheers