Need help budget $5k

[pmo]

Hello. I'm looking for suggestions on what to purchase for my Stereo. It will be light on (movies) and more of a stereo for my man cave. I would like to stay below $5,000


something along the lines of this; (or any other suggestion)

• Pair of m707 Floor Standing Speakers
• Pair of m703 Bookshelf Speakers
• Single m706c Center Speaker

Suggestions on AMP/AV receiver and anything else I would need (e.g. Subs) would be appreciated

 

[lovinthehd]

What does light on mean? You want a tv included in the budget? Generally stereo refers to 2ch (maybe not accurately, tho).

What brand are the speakers you mention, model numbers aren't familiar to me in any case? Links would be nice when you get a higher post count when you're mentioning gear.

Where are you? How big is your room (cubic) and is it open to other areas or sealed off? What is the distance from the speakers you sit? What are your spl goals (how loud do you want)?

 

[shadyJ]

The Polk Lsi series, assuming that is the speakers you are naming, are actually not bad. At least the previous Lsi's measured well. If I were you I would skip the floor standing speakers though. Just get a couple of subwoofers, for bass, don't worry about tower speakers for handling that range. They don't do as good of a job, generally. Floor standing speakers have reduced advantage over bookshelf speakers when subwoofers are used. I would also use a bookshelf speaker for the center speaker if possible. Typical center speakers like the one you mention use an inferior design in order to trade height for width. I think Lsi 703s are overkill for surround speakers as well. I think you could step down to something like these Signature S20s for surrounds and not know the difference.

For a receiver, I would stick with Marantz, Denon, or Yamaha, whichever has the feature set that appeals to you the most. For your purposes I think they will all be good. For subs, I would be looking at a couple of Hsu VTF-2 mk5s, RBH I-12s, Rythmik LV12rs, or Outlaw Ultra-X12s. If you like your bass very powerful, step that up to a couple of VTF-3 mk5s, but if you don't need heavy duty bass, step it down to a couple of VTF-1 mk3s or Speedwoofer 10S subs. Yes, get two.

 

[pmo]

What does light on mean?;
I will only watch movies occasionally, so the surround isn't a priority.

You want a tv included in the budget?;
I already have a TV.

Generally stereo refers to 2ch (maybe not accurately, tho). Sorry I don't speak the Audiophile language. I would like a 5.1 ish surround sound. but the focus being Music

Where are you? How big is your room (cubic) and is it open to other areas or sealed off?
Bedroom, 12ftx12ft pretty much a square box with a door and a window.

 

[pmo]

ShadyJ. That's correct, the Polk Audio LSi M707... That's a lot of good info. So no floor standing speakers? I like the looks of them. Are there any other floor standing ones that you would recommend. I'm currently looking at a couple of Marantz receivers. would you recommend an amplifier?

 

[lovinthehd]

You want both a receiver and an amplifier? How much of the budget do the Polks eat up? I'll defer to shadyj on the Polk speakers. His sub suggestions are pretty much where I'd point you to other than DIY

 

[Littlefoott]

goldenear triton two's
SuperCenter XL
Marantz SR6011

 

[shadyJ]

ShadyJ. That's correct, the Polk Audio LSi M707... That's a lot of good info. So no floor standing speakers? I like the looks of them. Are there any other floor standing ones that you would recommend. I'm currently looking at a couple of Marantz receivers. would you recommend an amplifier?

Well it doesn't hurt to go the floor-standing speaker route, it's just that you will be paying a lot of money for nothing. The only real advantage that a floor-standing speaker has over a similar bookshelf speaker, like the 707 vs the 703s, is bass extension. The thing is, when subwoofers are used, that extra bass extension on the floor-standing speakers is completely wasted since the subwoofers take over the frequency range where they hold an advantage over bookshelf speakers. And what is more, subwoofers reproduce that bass range much better than the floor-standing speakers. So there is no practical reason to get floor-standing speakers, unless you are after particular designs. If you really wanted some kick-ass 'floor-standing' speakers, just use the subwoofers as speaker stands! They will massively outperform those floor-standing speakers, as long as you don't get some janky subs.

As for amplifiers, I would go with either the Outlaw Model 5000 or Emotiva A-500. Remember that you will need to get an AVR with pre-outs! Here is a Marantz AVR with pre-outs I would be looking at in your budget.

If you are interested in Polk and Marantz, here is a decent system for $5k:
3 x Polk LsiM703 speakers: $1800
2 x Polk Signature S15 Bookshelf speakers: $460
Marantz SR5011 AVR: $900
Outlaw Model 5000 amplifier: $600
2 x Hsu VTF-2 mk5 subwoofers: $1200

Killer system for just a hair under $5k, although you still have to buy the cables and accessories. That might add up to one or two hundred more, depending on what you need.

 

[Pogre]

I completely agree with Shady on going with bookshelf speakers unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket. For the same you'd spend on towers, you could get some very nice bookshelf speakers. With a sub(s) you won't be missing anything.

 

[pmo]

Thank you so much shadyj, I will take your advice and start putting together my system!

 

[shadyJ]

A couple more bits of advice:

If you need bookshelf speaker mounts, these Videosecu ones are by far the best inexpensive ones out there. Also, avoid overpriced 'premium' speaker or HDMI cable types like Monster cables. Get your cables from Blue Jeans or Monoprice. Blue Jeans cost a tad more but are absolutely solid and a very good value. Remember since you are doing separate amplification, you will need to buy a bunch of line-level cables. Make sure you know the run distances of all your cabling, so you can get enough length without the cables turning into a spaghetti mess, but you will also want a little bit of slack in the cable runs as well, so there is no tension at the terminals.

One thing about the separate amplifier is that it will help your AVR last longer. I am recommending it for long term reliability of your system, not for sound quality or extra headroom. Your AVR's onboard amplifier will probably be able to handle the outlined speaker load, however the Polks are a tad demanding on the amps, and that will create heat. Heat would reduce the life span of your AVR, but those separate amplifiers will be able to handle it much better. However, if you wanted to save some money, you could just use the AVR's amp and you would probably be fine for some years.

 

[shkumar4963]

Great advice. I just bought KEF LS50 with external sub. A lot better and cleaner sound than my floor standings.


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[vsound5150]

So no floor standing speakers? I like the looks of them.

I'm running SVS floorstanding speakers (I like the looks too) and dual SVS 10" subs/ported which sits side by side to the tower's due to a small room size.

After running Audyssey on my Marantz SR7010 to calibrate room acoustics it set the floorstanding's crossover to 40Hz (selfish to the subs). I use to bump it up to 100Hz to drive the subs more and floorstanding less (like others mentioned a waste) but for some reason the last time I ran Audyssey it sounds great at 40Hz and the mids and highs are crystal clear, maybe a break-in thing I only had the complete system for 3 months. The sound of the subs blend in very nice without over or underwhelming the floorstanding speakers in a small family room 12' x 14' gives a fuller sound but I believe it's due to Audyssey's work. I'm guessing it would sound even better in a larger room moving the subs to the far left and right sides away from the floorstanding speakers but may require larger subs depending on room size.

One thing I like about the Marantz SR7010 are the separate discrete sub outputs and Audyssey SubEQ HT that comes with it. When EQ'ing the room, Audyssey SubEQ runs first to sync the subs by adjusting delay and levels for each sub separately. If your sub gain is too high it will display a dB gauge on the TV screen and let you adjust each sub to 75dB level, then Audyssey continues on its normal calibration. My subs gain ended up at 10 o'clock with decent sub trim levels in Audyssey settings.

Some good recommendations mentioned in this thread, you can't go wrong with Marantz if you're looking for sound quality for music. I mostly listen to music and at higher volume levels and the Marantz doesn't give in and sound has much clarity and clear separation. I never enjoyed listening to music as much as I do now, my previous mid-range Onkyo with the same speaker/sub setup was rubbish compared to this.

Spending that kind of money I would consider the higher Marantz models as the SR6010 and SR7010 even worth going over budget. Besides stronger amplification they also come with a phono preamp if you decide to connect a turntable and spin some vinyl, although you can always add an external preamp but this is Marantz's version of preamp, I know you mentioned more for music listening, enjoy!

 

[pmo]

Amazon has this set for $3,000 I know it has floor standing speakers but it comes with SR7010 and two subs. Is it worth it shadyJ? or should I wait for the Polk LsiM703 to go on sale. I've read that they usually go on sale for $650 a pair from time to time.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Small Room, Mostly 5.1 Music - these requirements simply beg for 5 identical bookshelf speakers with as accurate as possible.
I recommend Ascend CMT170SE's and pair of Rythmic subs (maybe 2x Rythmic F12's)
Mid-tier Denon or Marantz avr. Like Denon X3300 - often on sale for $800 on amazon

Edit: I changed L12 to F12 due to higher range extension option, allows easier integration with smaller bookshelves. but really pair L12 would be fine crossed at 90-100hz with CMT170's

 

[Bucknekked]

Great advice. I just bought KEF LS50 with external sub. A lot better and cleaner sound than my floor standings.

I have been working on a speaker purchase this year and the LS50's were on my short list. You could perhaps do a speaker test and evaluation of your LS50's. I would enjoy reading a good evaluation. Send me a link if you decide to do it.

 

[ski2xblack]

Amazon has this set for $3,000 I know it has floor standing speakers but it comes with SR7010 and two subs. Is it worth it shadyJ? or should I wait for the Polk LsiM703 to go on sale. I've read that they usually go on sale for $650 a pair from time to time.

Those speakers are overkill for such a small room, and suffer from the same things that Shady mentioned (towers are expensive excess, compromised center channel design...). I also agree w/ BSA on using identical speakers all around, and think that if Klipsch is your flavor then five RP-160M and a pair of (non Klipsch) subs would be far superior to that package.

 

[shadyJ]

Amazon has this set for $3,000 I know it has floor standing speakers but it comes with SR7010 and two subs. Is it worth it shadyJ? or should I wait for the Polk LsiM703 to go on sale. I've read that they usually go on sale for $650 a pair from time to time.

Like ski2xblack says, you don't need towers like that, they will probably do a worse job in a small room than some decent bookshelf speakers. They will be able to get louder but they won't have the accuracy or sound quality of the Polk Lsi bookshelf speakers, and the Polks will get plenty loud. The Klipsch subwoofers are not terrific either, probably should be avoided if you can afford to do so (and you can with a $5k budget.)

I would say its not worth waiting for a deal on the Polks if it doesn't occur frequently, because there are so many other comparably good bookshelf speakers. The aforementioned KEF LS50s are excellent. Some Ascend Sierras would be great as well, as would be some Revel M16s. If you want something with a bit more dynamic range and punch, there are these Mackie XR824s which look promising, plus they have their own amplification so you don't need to buy an outboard amp for those. There are also these upcoming Hsu CCB-8s which are a bit of an unkown quantity as they have not been released yet, but, knowing the designers, they are bound to be very good.

 

[Pogre]

You can usually get a pair of SVS' Ultra bookshelf speakers in their outlet for just under 800 bucks. Awesome speakers. I found 2 undamaged on there and grabbed them up.

 

[shkumar4963]

I have been working on a speaker purchase this year and the LS50's were on my short list. You could perhaps do a speaker test and evaluation of your LS50's. I would enjoy reading a good evaluation. Send me a link if you decide to do it.

I had relied on a very detailed review in Stereophile for my purchase. And then I met (online) with head of R&D for KEF who had designed the LS50 and learned about many tradeoffs.

LS50 is great at accuracy and imaging. But not so good at higher volumes. Also not so good below 70 hz so definitely needs one or two good subs.

So for small rooms (think London apartments) and for one person critical listening, they are great at their price range.

Also audition Harbeth and PMC. Specially PMC. They make great small speakers.

Good luck.

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