Which soundbar + subwoofer to buy

[2channel lover]

Unfortunately Goldenear doesn't sell in Holland, shame really. Bet it wouldve been recommended to me in the store if it were present there.

Neither does HSU sell here, I did find SVS but it was on an online (pretty unknown) site, dont really trust those.

Thought this wouldnt be so hard, until everyone suggested all kinds of brands. Now im mindfcked...

I think you have enough re-enforcement on the Bose sub in particular...you can and should do better, it might take a little longer to find who serves your location, but if you want that bone jarring sub for movies, it will be worth it in the end if you can get a SVS or an equivalent performing subwoofer.

 

[Omarr]

I think you have enough re-enforcement on the Bose sub in particular...you can and should do better, it might take a little longer to find who serves your location, but if you want that bone jarring sub for movies, it will be worth it in the end if you can get a SVS or an equivalent performing subwoofer.

I went on the SVSound site and took a look at (authorized) international sellers, the site I saw was on the list.

Talked to online customer support, im going to their store to test the PB 1000 (2000 is overkill).
I'm not sure which receiver I want, it's probably going to be a newer one because I want options like Dolby Atmos and it should be something equivalent to my tv. for Dolby Atmos, the Denon 4300 was recommended to me, it costs 1400 tho, which is kinda too much since that will put me on 1950 for both the sub and receiver, after which I still have to buy a center speaker.

Any suggestions or alternatives for the receiver? 1400 is a tad or two too much
Would like to hear some suggestions for the center speaker too.

 

[2channel lover]

I went on the SVSound site and took a look at (authorized) international sellers, the site I saw was on the list.

Talked to online customer support, im going to their store to test the PB 1000 (2000 is overkill).
I'm not sure which receiver I want, it's probably going to be a newer one because I want options like Dolby Atmos and it should be something equivalent to my tv. for Dolby Atmos, the Denon 4300 was recommended to me, it costs 1400 tho, which is kinda too much since that will put me on 1950 for both the sub and receiver, after which I still have to buy a center speaker.

Any suggestions or alternatives for the receiver? 1400 is a tad or two too much
Would like to hear some suggestions for the center speaker too.

Good to hear on the SVS...I understand the listening space is X and the entire space is X + Y...remember the sub looks at the entire space...you're working with roughly 1500 cu ft (not sure how to convert that to m3) at a minimum...I think the PB1000 should be okay, if it's not you can always add another one later when the budget allows.

Denon makes 7 channel AVR, the 3400. Less than the 4300 and still offers Atmos surround...maybe that's available there.

 

[Omarr]

Good to hear on the SVS...I understand the listening space is X and the entire space is X + Y...remember the sub looks at the entire space...you're working with roughly 1500 cu ft (not sure how to convert that to m3) at a minimum...I think the PB1000 should be okay, if it's not you can always add another one later when the budget allows.

Denon makes 7 channel AVR, the 3400. Less than the 4300 and still offers Atmos surround...maybe that's available there.

The 3400 was suggested to me aswell, though they didnt have any information about the 3400 in the specs tab. Mind telling me whats different between the 3400 and 4300?

And yes the space is indeed 1500 cubic feet, give or take.

 

[2channel lover]

The 3400 was suggested to me aswell, though they didnt have any information about the 3400 in the specs tab. Mind telling me whats different between the 3400 and 4300?

And yes the space is indeed 1500 cubic feet, give or take.

Doing a quick A/B comparison.

The 4300 has 9 channels of processing vs 7 for the 3400

125 watts per channels vs 105

Doesn't note the DAC and processing chips on the 3400 for me to know it they're same or not.

Of course the cosmetics...the 4300 gets the more upscale "Marantz" looking front panel.

The extra 20 watts per channel is definitely not reason enough to buy the 4300...maybe someone can shed more light on the differences.

 

[Omarr]

Doing a quick A/B comparison.

The 4300 has 9 channels of processing vs 7 for the 3400

125 watts per channels vs 105

Doesn't note the DAC and processing chips on the 3400 for me to know it they're same or not.

Of course the cosmetics...the 4300 gets the more upscale "Marantz" looking front panel.

The extra 20 watts per channel is definitely not reason enough to buy the 4300...maybe someone can shed more light on the differences.

Someone else recommended the Denon 1300 to me, which also has Dolby Atmos and supports 4k aswell, along with some other Dolby features. this one costs 369 euros, a huge difference. when I compared the two I couldnt really see the reason to buy either the 3400 or 4300.

Could you (or someone else) explain if one of those two would be even relevant for me to look at,after seeing the 1300? Saw the 2300 too, think the choice will be between the 1300 and 2300, after getting one of these I still have a good amount of money left to buy a center speaker.

 

[2channel lover]

Someone else recommended the Denon 1300 to me, which also has Dolby Atmos and supports 4k aswell, along with some other Dolby features. this one costs 369 euros, a huge difference. when I compared the two I couldnt really see the reason to buy either the 3400 or 4300.

Could you (or someone else) explain if one of those two would be even relevant for me to look at,after seeing the 1300? Saw the 2300 too, think the choice will be between the 1300 and 2300, after getting one of these I still have a good amount of money left to buy a center speaker.

I might lean in that direction as well Omarr, but I will pull that unit up and see what those difference are. There comes a point where the manufacturer has to start making some compromises when the price drops that much.

 

[lovinthehd]

When did Denon release the x400 series or are we talking about the 3300? 3300 is nice for including pre-outs and Audyssey XT32.

 

[2channel lover]

Someone else recommended the Denon 1300 to me, which also has Dolby Atmos and supports 4k aswell, along with some other Dolby features. this one costs 369 euros, a huge difference. when I compared the two I couldnt really see the reason to buy either the 3400 or 4300.

Could you (or someone else) explain if one of those two would be even relevant for me to look at,after seeing the 1300? Saw the 2300 too, think the choice will be between the 1300 and 2300, after getting one of these I still have a good amount of money left to buy a center speaker.

Okay...I've had some time to look at these AVRs...assuming all the DACs and processing chips are the same (I don't know that to be the case or not) the big difference for me...the 1300 and 2300 do not have pre out RCA jacks. You don't pick that up until the 3400 in the Denon line. What that means you can't connect an auxiliary amplifier to it and use the AVR as the control/processing unit only and the amp to power the speakers. That's a good way to future proof your system from a power perspective.

If this is a long term purchase and you don't see the need to upgrade anytime soon...the 1300 gets you into a new AVR with the processing features that you want. You do get preouts for 2 subs and calibration on board.

Bottom line...obviously based on the price, it's an entry level AVR. For a budget conscious buyer it looks to be a good unit. If it will allow you to get a pair inexpensive mains, and center channel in lieu of a sound bar...I would go this route.

 

[2channel lover]

When did Denon release the x400 series or are we talking about the 3300? 3300 is nice for including pre-outs and Audyssey XT32.

Safeandsound is closing out the 3300 at pretty good price, but seems like they are taking orders on the 3400...not sure when they are shipping.

http://www.safeandsoundhq.com/Denon-AVRX3400H-7-Channel-Full-4K-Ultra-HD-Network-AV-Receiver-with-HEOS?cat=41

 

[lovinthehd]

Even better time then to look for deals on the 3300 unless you need something the 3400 offers....

 

[2channel lover]

Even better time then to look for deals on the 3300 unless you need something the 3400 offers....

Yep...OP might be drifting to a AVR and mains+cc so he's trying to shave $ somewhere...if he could push his budget up a tad he could get a 3300 a SVS pb1000, and LCR monitors and be in a great position now with the ability to upgrade down the road without starting over.

 

[Omarr]

Even better time then to look for deals on the 3300 unless you need something the 3400 offers....

Yep...OP might be drifting to a AVR and mains+cc so he's trying to shave $ somewhere...if he could push his budget up a tad he could get a 3300 a SVS pb1000, and LCR monitors and be in a great position now with the ability to upgrade down the road without starting over.

The 3300 is 200 euros more than the 2300, if the 3300 will make my system future proof then I'm willing to buy it, its on sale so there's 350 euros or so off aswell, good time to purchase it. Will have to compromise a bit on the central speaker(s), but I'm sure any speaker is better than what my TV is capable of.
Would this route be good? PB-1000, denon 3300 and either one speaker of 600 eu or 2 speakers of 300 eu.

 

[2channel lover]

The 3300 is 200 euros more than the 2300, if the 3300 will make my system future proof then I'm willing to buy it, its on sale so there's 350 euros or so off aswell, good time to purchase it. Will have to compromise a bit on the central speaker(s), but I'm sure any speaker is better than what my TV is capable of.
Would this route be good? PB-1000, denon 3300 and either one speaker of 600 eu or 2 speakers of 300 eu.

No one can't promise the 3300 will make your system future proof, obviously we don't know what the next surround processing update will be. From that stand point all of the AVRs we've been talking about are the same.

But, say 4 yrs from now, your income status changes and you get a larger space. Maybe you're in the same space but want larger LCR speakers that might require more power...the pre outs on the 3300 allow you add a 3, 5, or 7 channel amp to give you that extra power without having to buy a new AVR. Even if you keep the same speakers an auxiliary amp will take that load off the AVR. It will run cooler and perhaps extend the shelf life as a result.

Speakers...I wouldn't be overly concerned about getting a specific center channel...3 good book shelf speakers will work just as good. There are a lot of good options you can get 3 speakers for $500US. I have a pair of RBH RB5i...nice book shelf speaker, $120 or so each US.

If you don't mind custom. these will be even better at around the same price from a well respected company.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/aa.html

I keep forgetting you're not stateside, but I'm sure there are options available to you.

In short, yes, that's a good route, a far better than the track you were on initially with the sound bar.

 

[Omarr]

No one can't promise the 3300 will make your system future proof, obviously we don't know what the next surround processing update will be. From that stand point all of the AVRs we've been talking about are the same.

But, say 4 yrs from now, your income status changes and you get a larger space. Maybe you're in the same space but want larger LCR speakers that might require more power...the pre outs on the 3300 allow you add a 3, 5, or 7 channel amp to give you that extra power without having to buy a new AVR. Even if you keep the same speakers an auxiliary amp will take that load off the AVR. It will run cooler and perhaps extend the shelf life as a result.

Speakers...I wouldn't be overly concerned about getting a specific center channel...3 good book shelf speakers will work just as good. There are a lot of good options you can get 3 speakers for $500US. I have a pair of RBH RB5i...nice book shelf speaker, $120 or so each US.

If you don't mind custom. these will be even better at around the same price from a well respected company.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/aa.html

I keep forgetting you're not stateside, but I'm sure there are options available to you.

In short, yes, that's a good route, a far better than the track you were on initially with the sound bar.

Couldnt find the Philharmonic here, will have to search other brands. Going back to the AVR, The 3300 is most likely going to be the one, has what I looked for mostly (4k & Dolby Atmos) and the price is do-able. Budget is just too small for the 4300/4400, maybe in seven years when im most likely done with university.

As for the speakers, I was thinking about the SVSound Prime Center. It would be better to have speakers of the same brand, right? Furthermore I heard center speakers are very good for dialogues, I often have trouble hearing whats being said. Or will 3 books shelf speakers deliver the same quality of dialogue with some kind of surround effect with it aswell (when something moves from left to right).

I'm feeling good about all this, if budget allowed I would've gotten the 4300/4400, but what can you expect from a 20 year old student...

 

[2channel lover]

Couldnt find the Philharmonic here, will have to search other brands. Going back to the AVR, The 3300 is most likely going to be the one, has what I looked for mostly (4k & Dolby Atmos) and the price is do-able. Budget is just too small for the 4300/4400, maybe in seven years when im most likely done with university.

As for the speakers, I was thinking about the SVSound Prime Center. It would be better to have speakers of the same brand, right? Furthermore I heard center speakers are very good for dialogues, I often have trouble hearing whats being said. Or will 3 books shelf speakers deliver the same quality of dialogue with some kind of surround effect with it aswell (when something moves from left to right).

I'm feeling good about all this, if budget allowed I would've gotten the 4300/4400, but what can you expect from a 20 year old student...

Phils are custom, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't be available to you. SVS make good speakers in addition to subs.

Traditional horizontal center channel vs a vertical speaker...you can google that or maybe even research a thread hear for that...I know it's been discussed here. From my point of view if the speaker has good dispersion you will be fine using a regular book shelf as a center channel...particularly in a smaller space.

@Pogre has the Ultra SVS and I think he's using a book shelf as a center channel.

Brands...yes, you want the front 3 speakers to be from the same brand. Ideally from the same class within the brand as well. Go Prime all the way instead of mixing Ultra with Prime from the SVS line. When dialog pans across the screen say from center to right...you want the right speaker to have the same tone as the center or it won't sound natural.

It's not the end of the world though...My mains are B&W and the CC is Paradigm. My system started out as strictly 2 channel music. Several years later when I eventually added surround sound, a B&W CC to match my speakers was far outside my budget, so I just bought the Paradigm to finish the darn system off since my wife liked movies. It sounds okay. Now I'm upgrading those speakers and doing it right this time. I'm getting a center channel to match.

 

[2channel lover]

Phils are custom, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't be available to you. SVS make good speakers in addition to subs.

Traditional horizontal center channel vs a vertical speaker...you can google that or maybe even research a thread here for that...I know it's been discussed here. From my point of view if the speaker has good dispersion you will be fine using a regular book shelf as a center channel...particularly in a smaller space.

@Pogre has the Ultra SVS and I think he's using a book shelf as a center channel.

Brands...yes, you want the front 3 speakers to be from the same brand. Ideally from the same class within the brand as well. Go Prime all the way instead of mixing Ultra with Prime from the SVS line. When dialog pans across the screen say from center to right...you want the right speaker to have the same tone as the center or it won't sound natural.

It's not the end of the world though...My mains are B&W and the CC is Paradigm. My system started out as strictly 2 channel music. Several years later when I eventually added surround sound, a B&W CC to match my speakers was far outside my budget, so I just bought the Paradigm to finish the darn system off since my wife liked movies. It sounds okay. Now I'm upgrading those speakers and doing it right this time. I'm getting a center channel to match.

 

[Pogre]

Couldnt find the Philharmonic here, will have to search other brands. Going back to the AVR, The 3300 is most likely going to be the one, has what I looked for mostly (4k & Dolby Atmos) and the price is do-able. Budget is just too small for the 4300/4400, maybe in seven years when im most likely done with university.

As for the speakers, I was thinking about the SVSound Prime Center. It would be better to have speakers of the same brand, right? Furthermore I heard center speakers are very good for dialogues, I often have trouble hearing whats being said. Or will 3 books shelf speakers deliver the same quality of dialogue with some kind of surround effect with it aswell (when something moves from left to right).

I'm feeling good about all this, if budget allowed I would've gotten the 4300/4400, but what can you expect from a 20 year old student...

If you can swing it, check SVS' outlet and get 3 Ultra bookshelf speakers. Their B Stock has been very good to me and the Ultras show up in the outlet fairly often for $399 apiece.

I've never heard the prime speakers, but have read lots of good about them too. I love my Ultras though. Even starting with just 2 of them and adding a center later would be perfectly acceptable and add the center when you can afford it.

The typical center channel design is more for aesthetics and having room to place it. A matching bookshelf will always sound better.

 

[lovinthehd]

The 3300 is 200 euros more than the 2300, if the 3300 will make my system future proof then I'm willing to buy it, its on sale so there's 350 euros or so off aswell, good time to purchase it. Will have to compromise a bit on the central speaker(s), but I'm sure any speaker is better than what my TV is capable of.
Would this route be good? PB-1000, denon 3300 and either one speaker of 600 eu or 2 speakers of 300 eu.

As was mentioned future proof and avrs don't always go well together. There are avrs that don't even have digital inputs that probably looked pretty future-proof in their day I think you could be happy with the tech of something like the 3300 for some time to come, though. I would start with L/R speakers if I couldn't afford all three L/R/C speakers (and use what is called a phantom center) at first.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you can swing it, check SVS' outlet and get 3 Ultra bookshelf speakers. Their B Stock has been very good to me and the Ultras show up in the outlet fairly often for $399 apiece.

I've never heard the prime speakers, but have read lots of good about them too. I love my Ultras though. Even starting with just 2 of them and adding a center later would be perfectly acceptable and add the center when you can afford it.

The typical center channel design is more for aesthetics and having room to place it. A matching bookshelf will always sound better.

He's in Holland, doubt the distributor there hass the b stock thing going on but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. Three identical speakers if you can manage it would be my choice also.