System advice

[Telco]

Hello, new member here. I am putting up a new house and need some system advice. I'd like a component system, middlish quality, that can run my TV. I'd also like it to play CDs and DVDs, radio, perhaps a vinyl turntable ,and be able to add satellite radio in the future. I'll also need the system to be able to divert sound from the living room to a deck. If possible, I'd also like it to be able to do 2 things at once, like run the TV in the living room and a stereo in a den/outside.

I have no brand preferences, and a budget of 2000 dollars. This is a starting budget though, can probably increase it if necessary. I am not looking to bring the movie theatre or the dance club into my house either, just want good, crisp, clean sound.

The living room is about 12x20, carpet and drywall, open to the kitchen. The den is about 15x20, carpet and drywall. The deck is the great outdoors, sitting in the middle of 15 acres.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Telco]

Wait, I do tell a small lie. I have a soft spot in my heart for Yamaha and Denon, from a system I heard in the early 90s.

 

[TheWarrior]

I'm not going to tell you what to buy, brand-wise, because you are on a budget and there are deals out there to be found! However, I will strongly advise you to start with just a stereo 2.1 set up, thats a Front Left and Right speaker with a subwoofer. I'd go as high as $1200 for those 3 items, that way you get the best quality up front, and can then add surrounds in the future. Search Amazon for previous generation Denon receivers (the ones withOUT Atmos) that are on sale, pick a disc player, a spool of 12 gauge speaker wire and a pair of 1m HDMI cables(Disc player to receiver, and then receiver to TV) and a decent surge protector.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I agree, large space needs better sub, which would cut into 5.1/7.1 budget
Start with 2.1 or 3.1
Atmos-less Denon would be good choice (like this one)
Unfortunately the features you want only found into mid-hi end model so you need go with refub to stay in budget.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx4000/denon-avr-x4000-7.2-4k-ultra-hd-networking-receiver-w/airplay/1.html#!specifications
Main Speakers:
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html
Add optional stand to make them look like tower speakers
and matching center:
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340c/cmt340c.html

Sub:http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-3mk5HP.html

 

[herbu]

Agree w/ BSA on the Denon X4000. I have one, like it, and it does everything you said you want. And you can now get one for half what I paid.

 

[Telco]

The 2000 dollar budget is just a start off to see what can be done. What if we upped the budget to 5 grand? Can also go higher than that if necessary. From what I've gleaned from this board I'd be wanting to do a 5.1 system and unless the quality's gone to crap in the last 20 years I'd like to stick with Denon or Yamaha for the audio side of things. DVD or CD players I'm not so concerned about. Would also like the ability to play off flash memory sticks, and perhaps plug a laptop into it. Turntable's a possible future upgrade. The ability to switch to other rooms is a must, running two rooms with one on the TV and one on the stereo is nice but not necessary. Thanks.

 

[TheWarrior]

Well if that be the case, buy the afore mentioned receiver, that'll connect with just about anything you can imagine, and then hit up some of the ID speaker companies. SVS for example allows a 45 day in home trial. You don't like it, they'll pay to ship it back! There's a dozen other options as well, you can even do your own review and the winner gets kept, the loser gets shipped back!

 

[PENG]

For a 5K budget the Denon AVR-4520 can be considered. It was the previous top of the line Denon. It has gone as low as $999.99 on Amazon.com recently but if you can't wait for it to be on sale again you can also consider the slightly lower model Marantz SR7008 for $999.99 http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR7008-9-2-Channel-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00CS4X8S2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1438685672&sr=1-2&keywords=marantz+sr7009

You can't go wrong with those previous top D&M AVRs.

 

[herbu]

The 2000 dollar budget is just a start off to see what can be done. What if we upped the budget to 5 grand?

That means the same AVR w/ nice speakers. Remember, your L/C/R will each cost at least as much as your AVR... maybe much more.

With a total budget of $5k, it would be a huge mistake to spend more than $1k for the AVR. 5 decent speakers and 1 decent sub will quickly eat up $4k. Then you still have your Zone 2 to populate. I would still go w/ the $700 X4000.

 

[agarwalro]

The 2000 dollar budget is just a start off to see what can be done. What if we upped the budget to 5 grand?

Irrespective of the amount, keep speaker+subs to receiver ratio 4:1.

A great speaker and subwoofer setup can be a life long purchase. No amount of electronics can fix bad sound due to poor speaker/sub choices. On the flip side, today's bleeding edge electronics will be outdated in 2-5 years. Good speakers sound good on any receiver/amp not being pushed beyond specified limits.

Receiver sweet spot seems to be Denon X4000/4100 (or equivalent from other brands). These are running $700 (refurbished).

With $4000 left for speakers/subs, it would be a crime not demoing in-home. If you're hesitant about internet direct brands, try to find local enthusiasts and demo their setups. If you like what you hear, spring for an in-home demo.

 

[Telco]

OK, thanks folks.

 

[herbu]

Irrespective of the amount, keep speaker+subs to receiver ratio to a minimum 4:1.

It's not difficult to exceed 4:1 with very nice speakers. In fact, you can easily hit 4:1 with each speaker.

 

[agarwalro]

It's not difficult to exceed 4:1 with very nice speakers. In fact, you can easily hit 4:1 with each speaker.

That would be a tough sell for anyone except an established Audioholic .