Speaker set up for Denon AVR X3700H

[leavingbose]

Ok totally new to home theater that is not Bose. I inherited my father's old Lifestyle 28 several years ago. It has been great for a small home theater; running my blu-ray and Xbox One thru optical connections. However, having purchased a 4K TV, ready to upgrade to the Xbox Series X, and wanting to join the 2020's with Dolby Atmos, after researching the new Lifestyles, reading reviews and the general opinion of the diminished quality in today's Bose systems, I've decided to end that relationship. After much research, and given my budget, I've landed on the Denon AVR X3700H. While, I will be likely starting with a 5.1 setup, I want the flexibility to add additional channels for Atmos. Also, I like that it is already designed for the inevitable 8k, so I wont need to be upgrading again in the (hopefully) the next decade.

My question is, what fucking speakers are best to buy? I'm only used to a Lifestyle system where receiver and speakers are a package. For watching movies, I love being able to hear the little nuances and have an "immersive" feel with the surround sound. I've been looking at Klipsch and they seem to be a good go-to, but they are pretty pricey.

My budget for the whole setup is $3,000. The receiver is $1200, so I'm giving myself $1800 for the speakers. I can go over a little if need be, but would rather pick a 5.1 setup to start that I can add to. Thoughts? Advice?

 

[mazersteven]

I've been looking at Klipsch and they seem to be a good go-to, but they are pretty pricey.

My budget for the whole setup is $3,000. The receiver is $1200, so I'm giving myself $1800 for the speakers. I can go over a little if need be, but would rather pick a 5.1 setup to start that I can add to. Thoughts? Advice?

What are the dimensions of the room? Include any areas with large opening to other areas

 

[leavingbose]

What are the dimensions of the room? Include any areas with large opening to other areas

It's an open living room in a standard rambler house. From view point, Front wall w/ tv is about 10', full left wall at 20' and full back wall. Right side is open to partially walled kitchen and then completely open to the back right. Below is a rough outline of what i'm working with. It probably won't show up properly on mobile, but on desktop you can probably see it. Vertical and horizontal lines are the walls. EDIT: Nevermind, didn't work when i posted it.

|
________________ |
| TV
| | Kitchen
| |
| |__________________
| SOFA
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[mazersteven]

Listen let's not make this difficult just give me the dimensions of the room. Is it 10x20 how high are the ceilings
And I'm hoping you're in the US

 

[mazersteven]

This receiver

TSR-700 7.2 Channel 8K Home Theater AV Receiver – Yamaha USA

Experience the theater at home. This 7.2-channel, 100 Watt AV receiver expands your entertainment possibilities for an advanced home theater with the latest in video and audio, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, wireless streaming and more.

usa.yamaha.com

Purchased here for $329

https://www.costco.com/yamaha-tsr-700-7.1-channel-network-av-receiver.product.100686465.html

With these speakers

SVS Prime Pinnacle Speaker Surround System

Stunning cinema-grade output from 5.0 system with crisp dynamics, room-energizing bass response, revealing clarity and head-turning surround effects.

www.svsound.com

And this Subwoofer

PB-2000 Pro Subwoofer | SVS

The PB-2000 Pro subwoofer features legendary SVS technology for immersive home theater experiences.

www.svsound.com

 

[mazersteven]

Or keep that Denon 3700 which is a good receiver and get lesser speakers

 

[mazersteven]

This would be a great budget system

CMT-340SE MINI-TOWER PAIR

Uncompromising Performance, Our Best Value! "These speakers’ levels of design, capability, and refinement far exceed what could previously be expected from this price range. Those considering buying far more expensive speakers would be well advised not to ignore the Ascends simply because of...

www.ascendacoustics.com

CBM-170SE BOOKSHELF MONITOR PAIR

The Benchmark Bookshelf Loudspeaker "The State Of The Art Of Budget Loudspeakers" -Jeff Van Dyne, GoodSound Setting new performance standards for affordable accurate sound reproduction for two channel stereo reproduction and multi-channel home theater. Signature Edition... Legendary performance...

www.ascendacoustics.com

CMT-340SE CENTER SPEAKER

High Performance Center Channel "Lead vocals through the CMT-340c are clear and natural, and are free of mid-range honk or thinness." -Felix Martinez, DVD Etc. Perfectly timbre matched to our other models, this center will add shockingly realistic dynamics combined with our already renowned...

www.ascendacoustics.com

 

[leavingbose]

I'm pretty sold on the Denon. Keeping it simple, call the room 10 x 20. 8 foot ceilings. Yes in the US. Any reason not to go with the Klipsch? Costco has this:

https://www.costco.com/klipsch-reference-dolby-atmos-surround-system.product.100665767.html

and then purchase separately a Klipsch sub for around $300?

I guess the real question I should be asking is, is the money better spent investing in the speakers or the receiver? Your recommendation is a $350 receiver + $2300 speakers. I viewed it as an equal split: $1200 receiver + ~$1400 in speakers? What's the right play?

 

[mazersteven]

I'm pretty sold on the Denon. Keeping it simple, call the room 10 x 20. 8 foot ceilings. Yes in the US. Any reason not to go with the Klipsch? Costco has this:

https://www.costco.com/klipsch-reference-dolby-atmos-surround-system.product.100665767.html

and then purchase separately a Klipsch sub for around $300?

I guess the real question I should be asking is, is the money better spent investing in the speakers or the receiver? Your recommendation is a $350 receiver + $2300 speakers. I viewed it as an equal split: $1200 receiver + ~$1400 in speakers? What's the right play?

Money is better spent on speakers that's where the sound quality begins is your speakers. If I would have put it into percentages 75% speakers 25% Electronics

Klipsch subwoofer

 

[leavingbose]

I'm really appreciating the advice, don't feel like you have to keep responding to my dumb questions. The Yamaha receiver for half the price seems to be almost the same wattage as the Denon. The only clear difference to me is a 7.1 versus a 9.2. Am I missing something else in the price point? Is there something more the Denon offers?

For example, let's say I buy the SVS speakers and Sub you recommended, what difference would i find between the Yamaha and the Denon in a 5.1 setup? In terms of sound quality, room calibration, etc?

 

[mazersteven]

I'm really appreciating the advice, don't feel like you have to keep responding to my dumb questions. The Yamaha receiver for half the price seems to be almost the same wattage as the Denon. The only clear difference to me is a 7.1 versus a 9.2. Am I missing something else in the price point? Is there something more the Denon offers?

For example, let's say I buy the SVS speakers and Sub you recommended, what difference would i find between the Yamaha and the Denon in a 5.1 setup? In terms of sound quality, room calibration, etc?

In my opinion you wouldn't find any difference in sound quality at normal listening levels.
There is a difference in the room correction feature between the Denon Audyssey vs. Yamaha's YPAO and that comes down to a personal preference but most seem to like the Audyssey

I'm not here to say that that Yamaha can hang with the Denon. the Denon it is a solid unit it has a solid amp sections. Has tons of features. It tested better on the bench testing. But based on your budget I would go that route with better speakers.

But you could also use the Yamaha receiver for a few years save up for the Denon and then sell the Yamaha for almost what you paid for it based on its sale and based on its MSRP and basically lose hardly anything that's my thinking. Also the price of that Denon will come down

 

[Sachb]

I'm really appreciating the advice, don't feel like you have to keep responding to my dumb questions. The Yamaha receiver for half the price seems to be almost the same wattage as the Denon. The only clear difference to me is a 7.1 versus a 9.2. Am I missing something else in the price point? Is there something more the Denon offers?

For example, let's say I buy the SVS speakers and Sub you recommended, what difference would i find between the Yamaha and the Denon in a 5.1 setup? In terms of sound quality, room calibration, etc?

It depends on your priorities, if Music is your priority then Yamaha will suit you more, but if you want greater flexibility like 9 channels or even 11 channels then go for Denon, Yamaha also has a receiver that does 9 channels of processing, but you will be paying more for it, also this would be 2018-19 models which are now as far as I know out of stock.

I think Yamaha V6A is the one you must have seen for half the price of Denon X3700H, as you know it's not apples to apple comparison. To match the X3700H you need to step to the Aventage series, such as the RX-A2080 or now the newer model which will be out in 2021, Yamaha A6, but either way you're not gonna lose much.

The only advice I would give you is to make sure you have at least 4-5 inches of the gap on top and sides, or the Denon will get really hot. Expect temperatures of 85F approx.

I tested my Denon X2300W which, to be honest, is a 4-year-old Denon with no juice, but even driving 2 speakers became hot that it was uncomfortable to touch. I was watching Netflix on it yesterday but with just 2 speakers connected & it was placed on a chair in an open area.

Luckily, I sold it to a guy who had an HDMI issue on his Onkyo.

 

[lovinthehd]

Choose an avr by the features and connectivity you want/need at the best price you can find. The power ratings of avrs are generally within 1-2 dB of each other and thus not particularly important, but I would recommend for the long term getting one with pre-outs for amplifier flexibility and, if going with Denon or Marantz, the Audyssey XT32 version is better than the lesser versions (XT is next down, MultEQ is the basic version). Also beware of the chip problem as far as "future proofing" goes affecting many models. Brand is not very important in choosing among the major players, they're far more similar than different. The higher up the ladder you go with avrs, the better amp section you'll get, tho.

You can get in-home trials with free returns from SVS and RSL particularly (others allow returns in similar time frames but you paying return freight), plus both offer both good speakers and subs. These are worth taking advantage of particularly vs comparing speakers at your local BestBuy on the floor. I'd tend to say spend as much as you can on the speakers/sub, even if you start with a good avr and a 3.1 (you can use your Bose for the surrounds for now, too to save money).

 

[PENG]

Also, I like that it is already designed for the inevitable 8k, so I wont need to be upgrading again in the (hopefully) the next decade.

Based on the 4K experience, I wouldn't bet on this. That's why I think it is better to wait and see what happens in 2021, or if you can't wait, spend as little as possible and then do it again once 8K is proven and media contents become widely available, assuming 8K is a must for you. So the Denon 3700 may be the one, but should try hard to get the best discount you can get.

For speakers given a $1,800 budget, I would spend most of that on the LCR and subwoofer and use those tiny and cheap satellites for the surrounds (look the Polk Audio ones that are on sale). Or even skip the center for now and add one later when you have another budget for a good one.

Front row:
Klipsch RP-8000F Tower Speaker Review | Audioholics
or the Elac Debut:
ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed - HomeTheaterReview

For sub:
SVS 12" 550W Powered Subwoofer Premium Black Ash PB-2000 PRO - Best Buy

This is the first time I recommend any Klipsch speakers. Given your budget, they may be hard to beat.

 

[leavingbose]

You guys have been awesome. I'm considering going with the SVS pinnacle speakers and sub and going with a lesser priced receiver. The odds of me ever having more than a 7.2 system is highly unlikely. What are the thoughts on the Marantz NR171 for 800 USD?

 

[mazersteven]

What are the thoughts on the Marantz NR171 for 800 USD?

I would not spend $800 for that but I would spend $899 for this a much better receiver. In fact it's one of the best

Denon 3600 on Amazon

Or just do Denon 3700 for a couple hundred dollars more

Now you would have an awesome system with the SVS's and the Denon

 

[lovinthehd]

You guys have been awesome. I'm considering going with the SVS pinnacle speakers and sub and going with a lesser priced receiver. The odds of me ever having more than a 7.2 system is highly unlikely. What are the thoughts on the Marantz NR171 for 800 USD?

The slimline receivers might be useful if you need to save the space with its form factor, but its somewhat weak amp section and limited pre-outs (only L/R and sub), not the best version of Audyssey and some other connectivity differences.....I'd go for a full size avr still.