Help me spend 5k the right way. The tale of a suburban husband.

[RyanMN]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum but have been utilizing it for years. My hobbies include cooking, eating, remodeling, gaming, and most importantly over researching products to buy. I will think nothing of dropping $200 for liqueur and steaks just to come home and lose sleep over a $25 phone charger. That’s one of many reasons I am reaching out for your help.

Here is my deal. About 11 years ago I got my first “system.” It was an old Onkyo receiver and a 5.1 set of Polk TSi300,100s,ect. It wasn’t but a week later I got a call from a store manager from Circuit City. See I am a painting contractor and he happened to need some work done. Somehow I worked a deal out. He would trade me all his speakers for some painting work because he was upgrading. A day and a half later I was the proud new owner of some Mirage OMD-15s, OMD-5s, OMD-C1,and a Definitive tech Super Cube I. I returned my Polks and picked up a Yamaha RX-V2050 and a power conditioner.

Then I bought a new house and was under a budget. I scrapped together a few bits and pieces along the way. Things are going well for me now and I want to upgrade my system. The problem is people who are lucky if they have a sound bar come over to the house and rave about my “system” in front of my wife. This makes it difficult to justify spending 20+k on a new rig.

The good news is my main floor receiver is an old Onkyo without HDMI. I patched things together using optical cables and lots of button pushing. This was all in an attempt to convince my wife how responsible and thrifty I was. Finally the Onkyo went a little crazy one day and I proclaimed we should move the Yamaha upstairs and buy a new one for down stairs. Then she asks “how much is a nice receiver, like 5 grand or so?” Jackpot….

So, I have like “5 grand or so” to play with. After that I can probably invest about $1,500 a year. I would like the forums opinions on what I should really do with my system given the budget and circumstances. My original thought was to go blow 5 grand or so on the best pre amp and amp I could make fly. Like the Yamaha CX-A5200s pair. Then I started wondering if I really “need” that much hardware. So I started looking into the new Anthem MRX 740/1120. Then I would have some change left over for some other upgrades that might actually benefit my system more.

I do plan on upgrading everything at some point. But I need to find the right path to building an awesome future system. I think my speakers still sound great. That being said I don’t have a lot to compare them to. I am planning on upgrading them and that's part of the reason I find myself maybe going overboard with my av decision.

I feel like my system is lacking some punch and I don’t actively notice my surrounds producing that “what was that behind me” factor. I have toyed with the system a lot. Even buying some mics and trying to run programs that proved over my head and I got frustrated. That's why I was attracted to the Anthem series and their room correction tech. I feel like my space is not ideal but I should be able to produce better results than I have.

We stream movies and TV about 50%, game 30% and loudish music 20%. Will my current speakers even benefit from a new AV? Should I just buy a cheaper receiver and a 3 channel amp? Is it a bad idea to buy say the Anthem MRX740 then down the road buy an Anthem 3 channel amp? My main concern is building for the future. I am definitely a buy once cry once kind of guy. Unless I know I am just putting a Band-Aid on something. I have a lot of questions and I am sure I will ask them all. Definitely in shorter form than this mess. I have listed my gear below if that helps. Also, I have attached a few photo diagrams I put together for reference. Thanks in advance.

Yamaha RX-V250 Trying to run a 7.2 system.
Mirage OMD-15s
Mirage OMD-C1
Mirage OMD-5s
Polk 70RTs
Definitive Technology Super Cub I.
BIC Acoustech PL200.

Monster power HDP-2800 power conditioner.
Epson 3700 LCD Projector.
Sony UBP-X800 Blu-ray.
NVIDA Sheild Pro Android streamer.
XBOX one.
Harmony Elite remote.

 

[Gmoney]

All you gotta do is Research the Pre-Pro or Flagship AVR you like. The ones you mentioned are all great picks. Thing about forums you'll get a lot of go with Denon or go with Yamaha or what ever. Thing is only You can do the Research. Find a dealer they will give you the best price.

 

[highfigh]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum but have been utilizing it for years. My hobbies include cooking, eating, remodeling, gaming, and most importantly over researching products to buy. I will think nothing of dropping $200 for liqueur and steaks just to come home and lose sleep over a $25 phone charger. That’s one of many reasons I am reaching out for your help.

Here is my deal. About 11 years ago I got my first “system.” It was an old Onkyo receiver and a 5.1 set of Polk TSi300,100s,ect. It wasn’t but a week later I got a call from a store manager from Circuit City. See I am a painting contractor and he happened to need some work done. Somehow I worked a deal out. He would trade me all his speakers for some painting work because he was upgrading. A day and a half later I was the proud new owner of some Mirage OMD-15s, OMD-5s, OMD-C1,and a Definitive tech Super Cube I. I returned my Polks and picked up a Yamaha RX-V2050 and a power conditioner.

Then I bought a new house and was under a budget. I scrapped together a few bits and pieces along the way. Things are going well for me now and I want to upgrade my system. The problem is people who are lucky if they have a sound bar come over to the house and rave about my “system” in front of my wife. This makes it difficult to justify spending 20+k on a new rig.

The good news is my main floor receiver is an old Onkyo without HDMI. I patched things together using optical cables and lots of button pushing. This was all in an attempt to convince my wife how responsible and thrifty I was. Finally the Onkyo went a little crazy one day and I proclaimed we should move the Yamaha upstairs and buy a new one for down stairs. Then she asks “how much is a nice receiver, like 5 grand or so?” Jackpot….

So, I have like “5 grand or so” to play with. After that I can probably invest about $1,500 a year. I would like the forums opinions on what I should really do with my system given the budget and circumstances. My original thought was to go blow 5 grand or so on the best pre amp and amp I could make fly. Like the Yamaha CX-A5200s pair. Then I started wondering if I really “need” that much hardware. So I started looking into the new Anthem MRX 740/1120. Then I would have some change left over for some other upgrades that might actually benefit my system more.

I do plan on upgrading everything at some point. But I need to find the right path to building an awesome future system. I think my speakers still sound great. That being said I don’t have a lot to compare them to. I am planning on upgrading them and that's part of the reason I find myself maybe going overboard with my av decision.

I feel like my system is lacking some punch and I don’t actively notice my surrounds producing that “what was that behind me” factor. I have toyed with the system a lot. Even buying some mics and trying to run programs that proved over my head and I got frustrated. That's why I was attracted to the Anthem series and their room correction tech. I feel like my space is not ideal but I should be able to produce better results than I have.

We stream movies and TV about 50%, game 30% and loudish music 20%. Will my current speakers even benefit from a new AV? Should I just buy a cheaper receiver and a 3 channel amp? Is it a bad idea to buy say the Anthem MRX740 then down the road buy an Anthem 3 channel amp? My main concern is building for the future. I am definitely a buy once cry once kind of guy. Unless I know I am just putting a Band-Aid on something. I have a lot of questions and I am sure I will ask them all. Definitely in shorter form than this mess. I have listed my gear below if that helps. Also, I have attached a few photo diagrams I put together for reference. Thanks in advance.

Yamaha RX-V250 Trying to run a 7.2 system.
Mirage OMD-15s
Mirage OMD-C1
Mirage OMD-5s
Polk 70RTs
Definitive Technology Super Cub I.
BIC Acoustech PL200.

Monster power HDP-2800 power conditioner.
Epson 3700 LCD Projector.
Sony UBP-X800 Blu-ray.
NVIDA Sheild Pro Android streamer.
XBOX one.
Harmony Elite remote.
View attachment 43976View attachment 43977

You may not want to read this, but if that was my room, I think I would move the bar to the alcove, rotate the sofa 90 degrees to the right and center the AV on the wall in front of it. Centering the screen and speakers makes it a much better experience and having one speaker next to a wall can really screw up the sound- in a home theater, symmetry is your friend. That may not be possible or practical, but it would have been the preferred placement.

 

[Gmoney]

You may not want to read this, but if that was my room, I think I would move the bar to the alcove, rotate the sofa 90 degrees to the right and center the AV on the wall in front of it. Centering the screen and speakers makes it a much better experience and having one speaker next to a wall can really screw up the sound- in a home theater, symmetry is your friend. That may not be possible or practical, but it would have been the preferred placement.

I was going to say some of the same things you just posted up. He should move that bar out of the surround area also.

 

[DigitalDawn]

I think the biggest problem you have right now is a lack of subwoofers. You have over 5600 cubic feet of space and not nearly enough low end drivers to pressurize the room properly.

 

[Pogre]

Upgrade that little, woefully underpowered subwoofer! Asap!

 

[RyanMN]

You may not want to read this, but if that was my room, I think I would move the bar to the alcove, rotate the sofa 90 degrees to the right and center the AV on the wall in front of it. Centering the screen and speakers makes it a much better experience and having one speaker next to a wall can really screw up the sound- in a home theater, symmetry is your friend. That may not be possible or practical, but it would have been the preferred placement.

I totally agree. I have pitched the idea and was told it would break up the room to much. However I am going to work up a plan I think I can sell to the wife. We waste a lot of space behind the couch. Right now I am going to focus on getting my layout right and then work on equipment. I will post some ideas once I layout the space. Thanks!

 

[Pogre]

I totally agree. I have pitched the idea and was told it would break up the room to much. However I am going to work up a plan I think I can sell to the wife. We waste a lot of space behind the couch. Right now I am going to focus on getting my layout right and then work on equipment. I will post some ideas once I layout the space. Thanks!

Did you look at the PC2000 Pro I linked? Completely different form factor (cyilinder) and in some situations can be easier to tuck out of sight, or at least less obtrusively. Also, behind the couch sounds like a nice spot for a nearfield sub. Say a PB behind the couch (assuming that's more or less out of sight) and a PC tucked into a corner on the other side of the room...

 

[Pogre]

I also agree with highfigh. Stuffing a sound system into a corner like that creates a lot of issues acoustically speaking. You sound like you have some flexibility tho. Could also try reminding the other half that the room is a shared space. Offer some compromises, but also explain why the current layout is problematic. AV gear isn't cheap and it's a shame to cripple it right out of the gates with poor placement. Room and placement have much, much more of an effect on audio than a lot of folks realize.

 

[highfigh]

I totally agree. I have pitched the idea and was told it would break up the room to much. However I am going to work up a plan I think I can sell to the wife. We waste a lot of space behind the couch. Right now I am going to focus on getting my layout right and then work on equipment. I will post some ideas once I layout the space. Thanks!

I'm not sure it will break it up anymore than it is- the bar will be in the corner, so the space where it is now will be free, the line where the side of the sofa is now will be the back, the left rear surround speaker could stay and become the right rear surround, the other one could be moved to the wall where the bar is and the only trick seems to be in locating the projector. If the room has attic space over the ceiling, that shouldn't be terribly difficult. You have what seems to be sliding doors behind the sofa- access to them won't change. You could still put the sofa table behind it if you rotate it and put the square item at the side near the sliding doors.

 

[highfigh]

I think the biggest problem you have right now is a lack of subwoofers. You have over 5600 cubic feet of space and not nearly enough low end drivers to pressurize the room properly.

The sub is near the right main speaker.

 

[RyanMN]

Ok guys. Good news. Once I drew this up I already got it approved by the wife. Id always just thought about it but never put it into 3D. I think it actually flows better this way. I think I am going to loose the pool table. The late night drinking sections with the buddies has come to a screeching halt after kids. The only problem I have with this is the walk though areas are a little tight. I like to keep walkways 3' and these would be 2'8" or so but I could manage. Let me know what you guys think. Then I can move onto execution and gear.

 

[Trebdp83]

Very nice, with pool table gone, how bout’ small round table and comfy chairs to play cards and have nibbles? Two chairs and ottoman do look nice, though.

 

[Pogre]

Oh yeah. That looks a lot better. You have some better symmetry with your room boundaries and speakers now. I think it flows better too. Nice! Thank you Mrs RyanMN!

 

[Gmoney]

@RyanMN Very nice, but umm where's the Bar? Don't take the bar completely out!

 

[RyanMN]

@RyanMN Very nice, but umm where's the Bar? Don't take the bar completely out!
View attachment 44014

Never! Its built in wet bar over by the couch. Can't sit at it but I can add a built in fridge to keep the beer close! Only problem now is I have to build all this stuff. Researching new smart lighting options now..

Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

 

[Mr._Clark]

Did you look at the PC2000 Pro I linked? Completely different form factor (cyilinder) and in some situations can be easier to tuck out of sight, or at least less obtrusively. Also, behind the couch sounds like a nice spot for a nearfield sub. Say a PB behind the couch (assuming that's more or less out of sight) and a PC tucked into a corner on the other side of the room...

For what it's worth, one of my systems has a pair of SVS PC12- NSD subs. They are to the sides and slightly behind a sofa that faces a TV and the front speakers. I had very few choices so I gave it a try. It works surprisingly well.

 

[Gmoney]

Never! Its built in wet bar over by the couch. Can't sit at it but I can add a built in fridge to keep the beer close! Only problem now is I have to build all this stuff. Researching new smart lighting options now..

Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

Oh okay, I just clicked on your pic to super size it I see the wet bar now.

 

[Pogre]

For what it's worth, one of my systems has a pair of SVS PC12- NSD subs. They are to the sides and slightly behind a sofa that faces a TV and the front speakers. I had very few choices so I gave it a try. It works surprisingly well.

Those NSDs are pretty decent subs too, so I know that you know what good bass can do for a system. You'll get similar/better performance with the newer 2000 pro series, whether you go with the cylinder or the box. I think a pair of those in your room would work really nice.

 

[RyanMN]

Well I have started my project in the basement. I have a lot going on moving everything around. Installing new wiring and lighting. I actually found a local dealer that sells everything I have been looking into. Actually the owner is a former customer of mine. Wish I knew he owned a audio store when I was pricing his work out. Anyway, he has a few interesting items.

He has a close out on the Anthem 1120 for $2,900.

He also has a pair of SVS Ultra towers that he used as a demo for $1,200 a pair. After some research I noticed Pogre you have some experience with these. I am not sure how they would work with my Mirage OMD 15s though. I was wondering if I could use the SVS for fronts and the omd 15s for rears. There is also the issue of my Mirage center. Those Ultras and possibly a PB 3000 should definitely help my large room fill with more bass. The Anthem 1120 is enticing but I really want the new tech in there new line up. Thoughts?