A few critical questions from a first time planner.

[Snake Storm]

Hello. My name is A.J. and I'm looking to invest in a really longtime dream of mine: My first surround sound system.

My father had one when I was a kid in the early 90's, but I barely remember it. What I remember most is playing around with the placement of a pair of speakers I had hooked up to my Sega CD in '93 or so. Q-sound just blew my mind, heh.

Nostalgia aside, I recently bought a 32 inch HDTV, and while the audio was fine for a little while it seems to be severely lacking, especially for Blu-ray discs. I've spent the last two days getting a feel for what's out there, but I have some questions I need answered before I buy anything.

My budget will be around $3,000-$3,500, depending on whether or not I need to stretch it (And how far.) Also this setup would ideally be solely for watching blu-rays and DVDs, with very little music.

My first question may seem like a joke, but it's been a couple decades since I last paid attention to this stuff and it needs to be asked.

I'm mentally ill to a slight degree, I get by just fine, yet I suspect part of my illness limits the amount of decibels my physical auditory system can handle. My question is this: are there any speakers that sound like garbage at a reasonable volume? I'd like to avoid them if there are.

I realize it's an odd question, but it's important considering the circumstances.

For my second question, What should I look for in a TV to help minimize the headaches in putting it all together?

Third (And last for now), My new living space will be a whole wing instead of just a room. If it was completely open (Need to see the blueprints again), would a sound system even be worth it?

Sorry for the super basic questions, I really don't know what I'm doing here beyond setting the system up.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[tyhjaarpa]

3000-3500$ budget for 5.1/5.2 system with receiver should be pretty nice start point. Is speakers and receiver everything you need in this budget? Or is there more components included in this budget?

Yes, there are speakers you should avoid, Bose for example.

Your space is no problem for speakers unless you want to blast them really loud, but for subwoofers it will be challenging as they will need to pressurise the whole space, so you will need big subs for this task. How big is your listening area and how big is the whole space?

When you answer to these I'm sure we can recommend you something. How ever it would be worth to go audition as many speakers as you can in your budget and see what sound you prefer, as every one prefers different things. When you go do this use songs you are familiar with as it will make the comparison much easier.

 

[herbu]

I recently bought a 32 inch HDTV... What should I look for in a TV

1. Is a new TV part of your $3000-3500 budget?
2. Don't worry about room size. Think about your seating position(s). If your seats are 12' away from the TV, it doesn't really matter how it sounds 20' behind you.
3. High quality speakers will give you high quality sound at all volumes. And there are some features in a good receiver to enhance detail at lower volumes.

You are wiser than many/most. You'd be surprised how many people buy junk, then come here to find out why it doesn't sound good. Stick with us, continue this conversation and we'll help you build a system you'll be proud of.

 

[Snake Storm]

Thanks for the help so far. A New TV is definitely in the plan as I plan on using the 32 inch set as a computer monitor when it's all said and done. I'll also be upgrading my Blu-ray player as the current one looks and feels like a cheap piece of junk. It works though, so it'll do for now.

I personally wouldn't want an Oppo player, as it seems a bit...extravagant for my needs (And even with this sort of money it still makes my wallet go 'ouch'), but I want a solid player that can stand up to near constant use. I realize that may be asking a lot out of a product, but I really do watch that much material. Even now I'm watching something.

I definitely want to get a solid receiver, but I have no need for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X at the moment. Nothing I have is in either format.

And as for the television, I'm primarily an animation fan so there's a limit to how much the level of definition can help. I'm looking for something in the 40-50" range, at 1080p only. My eyes can't tell much of a difference beyond that point.

As for the audio, I personally don't care to blast it. Bass is not a concern at the moment, but it may help at times.

And even though I'm aware how important the layout of the space is, I'm afraid I have nothing on that presently. My whole family is moving and they're letting me come along as well. As such, the house actually hasn't even been built yet. My father and older brother handled the blueprints, and I've only seen them once or twice.

Lastly, I'm nearsighted so even with my glasses I have to sit relatively close to see the screen. For the seating, I'd say probably be seated 6-8 feet away. That's just a guess though.

I apologize if this makes things more difficult. I'd just like to know this stuff in advance so I don't screw it up. As was said, I want a system I can be proud of.

I'll have more details as it all comes together, of course, and I'll definitely be sticking around, as I'll surely have many more questions as things progress.

Addendum: One thing I can say with absolute certainty, though, is that aesthetics actually matter to me to some degree, but especially with speakers. I can't stand the way bare speakers look and they draw my attention away from what I'm viewing with annoying regularity. The appearance of most other things barely matters to me, but the speakers...they need to sound great and at a minimum look decent. I am aware this may limit my options quite a bit.

Thanks again.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... As such, the house actually hasn't even been built yet. My father and older brother handled the blueprints, and I've only seen them once or twice.
...

Welcome.

This is interesting and good that the house was not started to be built yet.
Hopefully it has not yet been approved by the planning department as it is now to change things still in the design phase.
Wherever the setup happens, you'll be able to have it pre-wired.
The type of wire should be specified as well as the locations of the outlets and central location where the wires will be coming from. Wiring is relatively cheap but later, remodeling gets expensive.

You may want to also suggest the family about cable TV locations, computer and wi-fi considerations with usb cabled places and perhaps a central termination box?

 

[shadyJ]

For a speaker that sounds nice and looks nice in that budget, I would be looking at Revel Concerta2 series, also KEF R series. SVS Ultra speakers may do well.

 

[Snake Storm]

I don't have a clue about the wiring, but I'll be getting a look at the blueprints over the next couple days so I'll at least have a solid grasp of the space I'll be dealing with.

Also, It will be being built in Idaho, which seems to be much more lax in the codes than my current residence in California.

As for the placement of other devices, I can suggest it, but everything's rather likely to be set up pretty much where everyone wants their stuff to be set. I really won't know about this level of details until it's all said and done, sadly.

I know my way around most consumer electronics, but I'm more of the artistic sort so my opinions have little weight in matters like these in the family.

My father is actually hiring contractors to build the new place instead of building it by hand like he did with our current residence. What this signifies is they'll have a bit more say than would be normal, even with him overseeing everything personally.

So the details of it's construction is unknown to me. The only thing I'm sure of is it'd probably be of a good quality since he knows what I want to do, and loves new "gadgets" himself.

I know a nebulous term like that probably doesn't help, but I'm taking this seriously and not trying to waste anyone's time here.

Edit: Thanks for the recommendations! I don't plan to get too elaborate with my setup, but I'll definitely take a look, though KEF's price ranges tend to really hurt in the wallet. I'll still check them all out in a bit more detail ASAP. I just wish all the dedicated home electronics shops in our area didn't close all those years ago. I may be buying deaf, with no way to audition the hardware I order.

Edit 2: My father advises wireless speakers, and since I'm not the most coordinated person around, he may be right. I wouldn't want to junk the system by tripping over a speaker wire...

Are there any out there that sound decent? I've heard a lot of conflicting things about 'em.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...

My father is actually hiring contractors to build the new place instead of building it by hand like he did with our current residence. What this signifies is they'll have a bit more say than would be normal, even with him overseeing everything personally.

...

One reason to get things on the plans before construction starts, if that is still possible.

I am just suggesting to get cat cables where it will be needed, same for wireless routers, maybe ceiling mounted. Same with cable TV? Not sure how extensive wireless speakers are and available.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I don't have a clue about the wiring, but I'll be getting a look at the blueprints over the next couple days so I'll at least have a solid grasp of the space I'll be dealing with.

Also, It will be being built in Idaho, which seems to be much more lax in the codes than my current residence in California.

As for the placement of other devices, I can suggest it, but everything's rather likely to be set up pretty much where everyone wants their stuff to be set. I really won't know about this level of details until it's all said and done, sadly.

I know my way around most consumer electronics, but I'm more of the artistic sort so my opinions have little weight in matters like these in the family.

My father is actually hiring contractors to build the new place instead of building it by hand like he did with our current residence. What this signifies is they'll have a bit more say than would be normal, even with him overseeing everything personally.

So the details of it's construction is unknown to me. The only thing I'm sure of is it'd probably be of a good quality since he knows what I want to do, and loves new "gadgets" himself.

I know a nebulous term like that probably doesn't help, but I'm taking this seriously and not trying to waste anyone's time here.

Edit: Thanks for the recommendations! I don't plan to get too elaborate with my setup, but I'll definitely take a look, though KEF's price ranges tend to really hurt in the wallet. I'll still check them all out in a bit more detail ASAP. I just wish all the dedicated home electronics shops in our area didn't close all those years ago. I may be buying deaf, with no way to audition the hardware I order.

Edit 2: My father advises wireless speakers, and since I'm not the most coordinated person around, he may be right. I wouldn't want to junk the system by tripping over a speaker wire...

Are there any out there that sound decent? I've heard a lot of conflicting things about 'em.

There is no 100% wireless speakers. All available wireless speakers have power cords so keep this in mind. Sonos is supposed to have decent wireless speakers but imo you will get much better quality with traditional wired speakers.

 

[Snake Storm]

What would be the significance of said wire?

Also, My gut says "Go wired." It'd cost about the same, if not less, but the wireless setups are getting pretty neat these days.

One thing I know I'll require is a speaker setup that can handle HDMI. Unfortunately they seem pretty rare in both wireless and wired speaker sets. I hope that's not truly the case.

As for my father's concern of the wiring, he may have a point. I don't plan on running the wires through the walls, ceiling or anything else of that sort. I believe they could be an ugly hazard.

I may have to do some brainstorming on that one, and a bit more research.