Help out a noob

[epitome1170]

I am finally creating my first home theater system and have the Yamaha 675 AVR but now am looking for speakers for a 15x15 living room. The problem is that I have no clue what to look for in a 5.1 setup. Any advice?

Is the whole Speaker set in a box junk? Woot has Pinnacle MB 11500 set for 400 but I am not familiar with that brand.

Looking for under $700 speaker set that can be used for movies, music and tv.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Midwesthonky]

Ok, you opened up a can of worms as there are more opinions than there are people on this forum.

First, some questions that can help.
1. Will this be primarily for watching movies? Or listening to music? 50/50 mix?
2. Is the room in a house or an apartment? Basically, are you worried about neighbors hearing every sigh and moan if you watch a porno...
3. Is the room full of hard surfaces or soft? Carpet? Glass windows?

So more detail would help. But here is my opinion and since it's free take it for what it's worth.

Basically, $700 is not much of a budget. Let's be honest. You could start with a basic box package and be fine for years. Especially if what you are after is a basic 5.1 system and music is not a priority. There is stuff out there. Plus you could look at clearance and open box deals and piece together something not bad at all.

Anther way to go if you want some quality is to build your system a few pieces at a time. Such as taking your $700 budget and building a 3.0 system to start. Then save up your bucks and ad a decent sub. Then add surround speakers.

Now from a way to spread your budget, basically, you want the money to go into the front 3 speakers and a decent sub (if you can). That is where the bang for the buck will happen. For rear surrounds, there is a brand on this forum that people speak highly about but is low cost...I think the name was Behringer or something similar. They had decent bookshelf type speakers at a decent (low) price. Use these or other cheap pair for the rear surrounds as they provide ambiance, but the primary sounds comes from the front 3 (left, right, center). That is where the money needs to go.

If you want earth shattering explosions that rattle the fillings in your teeth, then your money needs to go into the sub. If you want decent sound, focus on the front 3 speakers. You can always add later.

Do some research and go listen at some stores. Especially if you will be playing music. Everyone has a different set of ears and different likes for the sound of a speaker. Some sound harsh to me and after listening for 15 minutes, I start to feel fatigued. But then I can be picky.

 

[j_garcia]

You are the second person to ask about Pinnacle. Just because they told you it was a good deal doesn't mean it is. They aren't bad speakers, but IMO, they're not as good as their MSRP suggest.

For $700, you can definitely get a decent starter setup including a decent sub. 2 pairs of Pioneer BS22s, matching C22 center (Newegg, amazon, tiger, bhphoto, etc...) and a HSU STF-2 would come in right around your budget.

Bang for your buck, I agree that a 3.0/3.1 setup to start will get you a higher value for your money spent, so it depends on if you want it all now or if you can piece together.

 

[shadyJ]

5.1 for $700, ouch. I would just go 2.1 for now. I would get a pair of JBL LSR308s from Crutchfield and a Hsu STF2, that should sound very good and comes out to about $700 shipped. I think it would be worth it to save more for a good sub though, I would save up for a Rythmik LV12r, a Hsu VTF2 mk4, and that new Reaction BPS 212 Turbo looks pretty killer. Your receiver has pre-outs so you are set to go straight to active speakers.

 

[JMJVK]

Try looking for used/vintage stuff on Craigslist and Kijiji. If your in a sufficiently populated area, for your modest 700$, you should find 2 full sized 3-way towers, a pair of 5" bookshelfs and matching center with a decent 8" or 10" sub, all in mint or near mint condition. There's a slew of people "moving-up" that have very nice mid-level gear for sale, you should be able to find something really nice without much trouble. It may take a week or two, but you can find something much more "civilized" than whatever your currently looking at.

Also, if the look doesn't clash with your decorum, don't be afraid to try Vintage stuff. You can get a modern Sub and center, and for the other four, look for high quality vintage towers. They can equal or even outperform modern stuff, can be found for very, very cheap, and if you don't like them, you will be able to offload them without taking much more of a loss than what it cost you in gas to go and get them.


My two cents.

 

[DSound]

I have to say my speakers were about 700$ and they sound terrific(to me..) I think you should
1st visit your local audio store (frys, bestbuy, etc..) test things out.. See what sounds best to your ear, maybe buy it on credit and return it if you don't like how it sounds at home (make sure to check store return policy).. Good luck!

 

[epitome1170]

Ok, you opened up a can of worms as there are more opinions than there are people on this forum.

First, some questions that can help.
1. Will this be primarily for watching movies? Or listening to music? 50/50 mix?
2. Is the room in a house or an apartment? Basically, are you worried about neighbors hearing every sigh and moan if you watch a porno...
3. Is the room full of hard surfaces or soft? Carpet? Glass windows?

So more detail would help. But here is my opinion and since it's free take it for what it's worth.

Basically, $700 is not much of a budget. Let's be honest. You could start with a basic box package and be fine for years. Especially if what you are after is a basic 5.1 system and music is not a priority. There is stuff out there. Plus you could look at clearance and open box deals and piece together something not bad at all.

Anther way to go if you want some quality is to build your system a few pieces at a time. Such as taking your $700 budget and building a 3.0 system to start. Then save up your bucks and ad a decent sub. Then add surround speakers.

Now from a way to spread your budget, basically, you want the money to go into the front 3 speakers and a decent sub (if you can). That is where the bang for the buck will happen. For rear surrounds, there is a brand on this forum that people speak highly about but is low cost...I think the name was Behringer or something similar. They had decent bookshelf type speakers at a decent (low) price. Use these or other cheap pair for the rear surrounds as they provide ambiance, but the primary sounds comes from the front 3 (left, right, center). That is where the money needs to go.

If you want earth shattering explosions that rattle the fillings in your teeth, then your money needs to go into the sub. If you want decent sound, focus on the front 3 speakers. You can always add later.

Do some research and go listen at some stores. Especially if you will be playing music. Everyone has a different set of ears and different likes for the sound of a speaker. Some sound harsh to me and after listening for 15 minutes, I start to feel fatigued. But then I can be picky.

Thanks for the advice. Right now our living room is 15'x15' so my thought is to get a box 5.1 system like Energy Take Classic 5.1. A large part of this reason is because within the next year we will be moving and I know that I will want to put In-Wall Speakers and a nice front 3 at that time. So this set is kind of a "throw away" set, if that makes sense to just get me by.

 

[zieglj01]

Thanks for the advice. Right now our living room is 15'x15' so my thought is to get a box 5.1 system like Energy Take Classic 5.1. A large part of this reason is because within the next year we will be moving and I know that I will want to put In-Wall Speakers and a nice front 3 at that time. So this set is kind of a "throw away" set, if that makes sense to just get me by.

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