$5,000 5.2 Channel Recommended Home Theater System

[admin]

If you've ever been on our forums, you'll have run into a post (or made one yourself) along the lines of "I have $XXXX to spend, please help me build a home theater." If $5,000 happens to be your magic number, to you we say: have no fear, the Audioholics are here! Today we're put together a killer 5.2 channel system that combines affordability, high performance, and respectable WAF. Curious to see our component choices? Click to keep reading.

Read our $5k 5.1 Channel Recommended Home Theater System

Do you own any of this gear? Please share your experiences but try to avoid the temptation on how you would build a better system for the same price using different or used gear. Thanks.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Very good 5.2 system.

My turn (cheating with my unfair street pricing ):
1. RBH SX-61 speakers x 5
2. RBH SX-1010N subs x 2
3. Denon X4000
4. Monoprice cables

 

[gene]

Very good 5.2 system.

My turn (using my street pricing ):
1. RBH SX-61 speakers x 5
2. RBH SX-1010N subs x 2
3. Denon X4000
4. Monoprice cables

Lol that's an even better system but exceeds the $5k budget and lacks a source device.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Lol that's an even better system but exceeds the $5k budget and lacks a source device.

Yes, that was cheating on my part.

Well, you know how some guys start with a "$5K budget", but then say, "I'm willing to spend a little more if it's a worthwhile improvement".

It's a good brainstorming exercise. There are so many ideas.

And there are dealers with available b-stock items with bigger discounts. Brand new vs. b-stock if the b-stock gives you a better system?

 

[decline67]

5.1 or 5.2

Aren't these systems actually 5.1 regardless of how many subwoofers there are?

 

[decline67]

Hey guys, what does anybody think about a system using 3 Emotiva Stealth Pro 8s, 2 Pro 6s, an Oppo bdp 105 and some kinda sub, while this is not a "traditional" kinda set-up, I think it might give an amazing bang for the buck, would this even work? could you get by without an AVR?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Aren't these systems actually 5.1 regardless of how many subwoofers there are?

It's not like it's English grammar or anything.

I think it's up to anyone's interpretation. But I think 5.2 is more accurate since it leaves no room for guessing how many subwoofers you actually use.

My HT room system is 5.7 for videos and 2.7 for music. My family room system is 2.4 for both videos and music. You can see exactly how many speakers and subs are being used.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hey guys, what does anybody think about a system using 3 Emotiva Stealth Pro 8s, 2 Pro 6s, an Oppo bdp 105 and some kinda sub, while this is not a "traditional" kinda set-up, I think it might give an amazing bang for the buck, would this even work? could you get by without an AVR?

Of course you could get by w/o an AVR since these speakers are powered. The Oppo BD player could output 5.1 sound to your speakers and sub.

There are many possibilities.

Bang for your buck or cost effectiveness is measured differently by everyone. For example, some people think DI companies offer better cost effectiveness. But you usually can't get much discounts from DI companies. In contrast, you could get 30-50% off on some major big brand companies if you know whom to ask.

And the minimalist "getting by" approach isn't welcomed by everyone, as you have noted.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

It's not like it's English grammar or anything.

I think it's up to anyone's interpretation. But I think 5.2 is more accurate since it leaves no room for guessing how many subwoofers you actually use.

My HT room system is 5.7 for videos and 2.7 for music. My family room system is 2.4 for both videos and music. You can see exactly how many speakers and subs are being used.

more like 5.insane . You and Basspig are probably relatives

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

more like 5.insane . You and Basspig are probably relatives

It might have gotten a little out of hand.

But really, my HT system is actually more like 5 Towers + 2 Subs.

The reason is because KEF 201/2 + RBH SX-1010N = one large bi-amped tower. So it depends on one's perspective.

 

[3db]

Hmmm .. To make room for my turntable, I would swap out the SVS pair for a pair of Rythmik LV12-R and use that money towards a turntable. After all its 2 channel sound, non???

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hmmm .. To make room for my turntable, I would swap out the SVS pair for a pair of Rythmik LV12-R and use that money towards a turntable. After all its 2 channel sound, non???

It's funny how you are always adding a source player and I'm always subtracting the source player altogether.

 

[3db]

It's funny how you are always adding a source player and I'm always subtracting the source player altogether.

I'm old school and prefer physical media over computer files. Its too easy to loose computer files compared to physical media. Its just my personal quirk.

 

[shadyJ]

Computer files are easy to backup. The best system is to keep the physical media as backup for digital files. After all, the more you use analog media, the more it degrades.

As for my 5.2 $5k system, it would probably look a lot like the one described in the article. I might swing for monopole surrounds as opposed to those bipoles. My ideal source would always be PC. I would probably go for a less expensive Hsu or Ascend/Rythmik speaker/sub system, and bring the source up to a $1k PC. But I think the system listed in the article is a very intelligently thought out and high value setup.

 

[shadyJ]

It might have gotten a little out of hand.

But really, my HT system is actually more like 5 Towers + 2 Subs.

The reason is because KEF 201/2 + RBH SX-1010N = one large bi-amped tower. So it depends on one's perspective.

Actually I don't think that system is out of hand. Bass is the hardest to playback linearly, and is the most susceptible to distortion. Subwoofer bass is the most physically demanding end of the frequency range. There is a huge difference between the amount of air that has to be pushed to create a 40 Hz sound as opposed to a 4000 Hz sound.

 

[Steve81]

But I think the system listed in the article is a very intelligently thought out and high value setup.

I think this one is favorite for the cash so far; probably not a coincidence that there wasn't much back and forth between Gene and myself on it either. On the downside, it sets the bar high for the 10K theater system.

 

[zieglj01]

For $5000 budget, I still will not spend $1300 of it on a receiver.

I would also look at some different sub options.

Also interesting, no alternatives were giving on speaker selection,
as has been giving in other lists.

 

[Steve81]

Also interesting, no alternatives were giving on speaker selection, as has been giving in other lists.

Not all of them have had alternate speaker selections; the 1K system done by Tom only specified the NHT SuperZeros, though it tossed in an alternate sub possibility. For this system, as implied earlier, I think it's fair to say both Gene and I felt the EMPs fit like a glove, and the price definitely allowed nice touches like dual subs and an AVR to make full use of them. With the 10K and 4K two channel systems, things weren't quite as clear cut; Gene mentioned he wasn't totally enamored with the KEF choice for example which led to the addition of RBH. Of course, there is an alternative system of sorts coming; a 6.5K high WAF multichannel setup is in the pipeline.

 

[zieglj01]

Of course, there is an alternative system of sorts coming; a 6.5K high WAF multichannel setup is in the pipeline.

So, something different than this former version? > It would be interesting to see
if something different is chosen other than EMP/RBH.
http://www.audioholics.com/recommended-systems/6k-home-theater-system

 

[Steve81]

So, something different than this former version?

Indeed; we'll be spreading the love around