Help a noob in selecting speakers for home theater

[rojo]

There's no technological limitation preventing mixing brands of center with lr. But the center should ideally be timbre-matched with the lr, which usually means getting a center from the same brand and series. Otherwise the mains could sound full while voices sound tinny, or some other similar sort of mismatch that distracts from the blend. So the advice was mostly correct, but the reason was bs.

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[shadyJ]

There's no technological limitation preventing mixing brands of center with lr. But the center should ideally be timbre-matched with the lr, which usually means getting a center from the same brand and series. Otherwise the mains could sound full while voices sound tinny, or some other similar sort of mismatch that distracts from the blend. So the advice was mostly correct, but the reason was bs.

+1, he was basically right, you want your front stage speakers to match as much as possible. It's not as critical for the surround speakers to match the front stage though. The Ideal is to have identical speakers all around, but most setups can not accommodate vertically oriented center speakers due to the way entertainment centers are made, thus the need for horizontal centers. If you can swing it, the best center speaker would be the exact same model as the left and right fronts.

 

[zieglj01]

the guy at Fry's(who did not even know that infinity primus has center channels also) was saying that i can't use any other brands center channel (e.g. pioneer etc) with infinity speakers since the technology is diff ... which didn't make sense to me cuz as per him infinity doesn't even make center channel but they are selling the rest of the speakers so we should just setup the system without center channel ???

Some reading info - from Bluray forum
Blu-ray Forum - View Single Post - Timbre Matching?

 

[JackD121]

go for the c351 center if you can, it is a beast of a center speaker and performs very well. Well worth the extra $100. Consider that the center channel is the most heavily used channel in the home theater, and the vast majority of the dialogue is handed to the center, as well as lots of music and effects.

What do you think about using P163 as center channel, recommended/not recommended ?

 

[zieglj01]

What do you think about using P163 as center channel, recommended/not recommended ?

Yes, that would be a real good option with Infinity Primus speakers.

 

[shadyJ]

Yes, that would be a real good option with Infinity Primus speakers.

+1, recommended, but only if you can use it vertically. Don't use it on its side. It is not made to operate horizontally.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The Infinity P163 is $86 each and P153 is $50 each on Amazon right now.

P163 x 5 = $430 or
P153 x 5 = $250.

Add $400 Denon X2000.
Add $500 SVS or HSU sub.

 

[JackD121]

+1, recommended, but only if you can use it vertically. Don't use it on its side. It is not made to operate horizontally.

I can just put it below the screen, don't think these are very tall..

Thanks. Getting p163 would save me 115 bucks..

So my final setup would be 2 363, 2 153 and 1 163 for center with outlaw sub.. If needed i can add 2 more 153 for 7.1..

Now hope to see some good deals for denon receivers..

 

[zieglj01]

Now hope to see some good deals for denon receivers..

Easy to find at Amazon and Crutchfield - the X2000 suggested in post #7
is a good option.
Amazon.com: Denon AVR-X2000 7.1 Channel Integrated Network AV Receiver with AirPlay (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

Also, Denon E400
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-E400-Integrated-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00B7X2OTY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1403044198&sr=1-1&keywords=denon+e400

 

[JackD121]

Easy to find at Amazon and Crutchfield - the X2000 suggested in post #7
is a good option.
Amazon.com: Denon AVR-X2000 7.1 Channel Integrated Network AV Receiver with AirPlay (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

Also, Denon E400
Amazon.com: Denon AVR-E400 7.1 Integrated Network AV Surround Receiver with Airplay (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

Yeah .. i was hoping the price to drop down a little more ...being greedy here

 

[JackD121]

+1, recommended, but only if you can use it vertically. Don't use it on its side. It is not made to operate horizontally.

Hi guys ... back again with a question before i start drilling holes in the wall to install the wall mount ... i am attaching the pics, can you please take a look. I am planning to install the wall mount where the stud finder (or should it be next to the speaker jack where the level is so that there is less wire visible ?) is in the first image and then run the wire from there to speaker wall jack ... is this the correct way/place to put up a wall mount ?

As always, really appreciate your help ..

 

[shadyJ]

It doesn't make a difference at this point. You might as well go with the second pic for less wire. You will still want to give the wire a bit of slack, so don't cut the exact length you need.

 

[JackD121]

Do you live near a Best Buy?

It doesn't make a difference at this point. You might as well go with the second pic for less wire. You will still want to give the wire a bit of slack, so don't cut the exact length you need.

Hi All,

I connected the 2 rear speakers and i am having an issue. The is a lot of static noise/hum on one of the speaker, the second speaker sounds great and clear when connected (testing right now with my yamaha receiver as i have not ordered the denon one yet) ..

Any clue what the issue might be as this is only happening on one of the speakers ??? TIA.

 

[shadyJ]

Have you tried swapping the speakers on their channels to make sure it isn't the amplifier? What cable are you using to connect the speakers at the moment?

 

[JackD121]

Have you tried swapping the speakers on their channels to make sure it isn't the amplifier? What cable are you using to connect the speakers at the moment?

i think u r right, it might be the receiver .. i just unmounted the speaker from wall and connected directly to receiver (was trying to find if there is any issue in wiring)... even when connected to the recevier with a small 2 feet wire, the surround left sounds very low with noise and when i connect it to surround right it sounds great... do you know why the receiver might be doing this ? i mean is there a setting i need to change or the surround left circuit is going bad ???

using this cable -- Amazon.com: AmazonBasics 16-gauge Speaker Wire - 50 Feet: Electronics

 

[rojo]

2 feet of 16 gauge wire, I think that's adequate troubleshooting. Which receiver did you end up getting? (Backlog is tl;dr.) Is your receiver still within its return period? I'd contact the vendor, or contact the manufacturer directly if in warranty but out of return.

 

[JackD121]

2 feet of 16 gauge wire, I think that's adequate troubleshooting. Which receiver did you end up getting? (Backlog is tl;dr.) Is your receiver still within its return period? I'd contact the vendor, or contact the manufacturer directly if in warranty but out of return.

I didn't get any yet . i am testing the speakers with my old yamaha v667 receiver. Wll be ordering denon x2000 soon. I just couldnt wait till it gets here so started to setup the home theater ..

Do you think this might be because i haven't connected all the speakers and haven't run the YPAO setup ? I don't think that would fix it since atleast the sound should be clear ... jsut a thought ..

 

[rojo]

If surround speaker is crackly while attached to one channel but not to the other, I'd be inclined to believe your old Yamaha has a channel going bad. AFAIK there is no "sound like garbage" setting you have to disable. Running YPAO couldn't hurt. Probably won't help, but I suppose it is possible that the speakers that were corrected previously had the bass boosted so much that it's playing through the tweet of your new speaker. A better indicator might be to turn YPAO off and test in pure direct.

Put it back on the wall and play it with the good channel again. Crackle still gone? Play left surround on the right surround channel, and right surround on the left channel. Crackle moved to the previously good sounding side? If so, your wiring is fine and your receiver needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Even though it's probably overkill for troubleshooting, make sure your source signal and your receiver are plugged into the same outlet to rule out a ground loop as the cause. I doubt it'll make a difference, given the troubleshooting you've already performed though.

 

[JackD121]

If surround speaker is crackly while attached to one channel but not to the other, I'd be inclined to believe your old Yamaha has a channel going bad. AFAIK there is no "sound like garbage" setting you have to disable. Running YPAO couldn't hurt. Probably won't help, but I suppose it is possible that the speakers that were corrected previously had the bass boosted so much that it's playing through the tweet of your new speaker. A better indicator might be to turn YPAO off and test in pure direct.

Put it back on the wall and play it with the good channel again. Crackle still gone? Play left surround on the right surround channel, and right surround on the left channel. Crackle moved to the previously good sounding side? If so, your wiring is fine and your receiver needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Even though it's probably overkill for troubleshooting, make sure your source signal and your receiver are plugged into the same outlet to rule out a ground loop as the cause. I doubt it'll make a difference, given the troubleshooting you've already performed though.

I figured out what the problem was ... it was the fm station ... the speakers are working fine ... sound good .. still waiting for front and center speaker ..

my bad about the issue .. i apologize ..

I should be getting the sub on Monday, i just need to connect it to receiver using the sub cable i got from amazon and power it up .. that should be it correct ?

 

[JackD121]

Here's another option:

2x Definitive Technology towers -- $400
Def Tech center -- $349
Def Tech monitors, pair -- $218 (see new and used from $199 for the deal)
Dayton 15" Sub -- $199
Denon AVR-E300 -- $190
---
Total: $1356 shipped. Or upgrade to the AVR-E400 for $60 more.

This still leaves some for interconnects, wire, and speaker stands for the rear monitors.



Or this:

2x Definitive Technology towers -- $400
Def Tech center -- $349
2x NXG Pro 4.1 satellites -- $90
Hsu STF-2 -- $375, which I think will be a tighter sub with a more inert cabinet and better amp than the Dayton suggested above, not to mention possibly higher wife-acceptance factor.
Denon AVR-E300 -- $190
---
Total: $1404. The NXGs will be wall-mountable with some $10 wall mount brackets.



Actually, the more I look at this, the more I like zieg's suggestion:

HTD Level Two tower pair -- $399
HTD Level Two center -- $129 (on backorder / preorder, shipping mid-July)
2x NXG Pro 4.1 satellites -- $90
Outlaw LFM1-EX -- $599 for a very grown-up sub (Father's Day special, probably only good for this week)
Denon AVR-E300 -- $190

... which puts you at $1407, but will be the best sounding system I think.



In any case, whichever combo you choose, everything everyone has suggested ought to be much better than that Klipsch / Onkyo combo.

You guys are INSANE ( and i mean in a good way ). I got the sub today (a day earlier then it was supposed to be delivered) and i LOVEEE it .... thanks a lot for suggesting it ...

But i am more comfortable using it at volume leve 4 (max 5) .. is that usually where everyone uses it (unless someone just loves bass too much ) ? i know this is not a constant and everone has diff level of bass they like/dislike

How would you compare the outlaw sub with the HSU STF-2 sub (it's 225 bucks cheaper) .. ??? would that be a significant downgrade (i wont even go there if it is) ..

thanks