Help a newbie out. Thanks!!

[reallyslow]

Hey guys!

I just bought a Samsung 46" LCD 1080P (LN-T4665F) and a Philips upscaling dvd player DVP5982.

I'm looking to spend about $1200 on 2.1 speakers and a receiver. This is before tax, shipping, cables, etc... =)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Davemcc]

A couple questions first if you don't mind. What size room do you have? Would you prefer floorstanding, bookshelf or on-wall speakers? What percentage movies/music do you expect to use the system for? Are there appearance considerations to fit the room?

I'll assume that with the other devices, you will want HDMI, so you may as well look at the Onkyo TX-SR605 since it's the most up-to-date receiver, feature wise that could fit that price range.

For subs, while it depends on the size of the room, you could look at Hsu, SVS or AV123.

As to speakers, there are just too many choices each with its own unique sound. I think you should be out listening to speakers to get an idea of what you want and then run your ideas past the forum members to gather opinions on value, quality and performance.

 

[mazersteven]

Hey guys!

I'm looking to spend about $1200 on 2.1 speakers and a receiver.

Towers or Bookshelf speakers? How large is the room?

 

[reallyslow]

Thanks a ton guys!

Movies 75% Music 25%
My room is about 12' X 15'.
I would probably go with bookshelf because of the size of the room.

But what are the tradeoffs between bookshelf/floorstand speakers besides the size of them?

 

[Davemcc]

But what are the tradeoffs between bookshelf/floorstand speakers besides the size of them?

I don't see any trade-off when you're using a good sub. Most good bookshelf speakers will go well below the standard 80Hz crossover point with the sub and your budget should allow for some very good speakers. One benefit of bookshelf speakers is that they are generally less expensive than their floorstanding equivalent, yet when used with a sub, usually sound just as good because they use the same drivers, crossovers, etc.

I could see a system with that Onkyo receiver, a set of Energy RC-10 and an Hsu STF-2 coming in at/under budget and sounding sounding fantastic, but you will have to do your due diligence before you plunk down your hard earned cash on something.

 

[mazersteven]

Just one more question. Are you going to expand this syetem one day to a surround sound system? OR is this always going to be a 2.1 system?

 

[Davemcc]

Just one more question. Are you going to expand this syetem one day to a surround sound system? OR is this always going to be a 2.1 system?

Good catch, I did find a nice Onkyo stereo receiver at Vann's the other day, 100wpc for the ridiculous price of $229. http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/540299007

 

[reallyslow]

Just one more question. Are you going to expand this syetem one day to a surround sound system? OR is this always going to be a 2.1 system?

I will be upgrading to a 5.1 system one day. Or maybe I can squeeze in a center channel right now...

Thanks again!

 

[mazersteven]

Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver can be had for around $400. This will give you the ability to up-grade in the future.

Speakers

Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE $568

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

AV123

I would recommend the MTM towers or the X-CS's as mains. If you want to do a center it's up to you.

http://www.av123.com/products_category_brand.php?section=speakers&brand=55

SVS

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-scs01.cfm

Subwoofer

I'll give you a few choices

HSU STF-2 $349

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html

AV123 Rocket Rocket UFW-10 $599

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=subwoofers&product=1.1

AV123 is coming out with a new X-series sub, x-plosive $399

http://av123forum.com/showthread.php?t=22692

SVS PB10-NSD $429

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

SVS

 

[reallyslow]

Thanks Mazer!

I live in Southern California... Are there any speakers at Circuit City or Best Buys I could listen to before I buy? I'm set on a Onkyo 605 already...

Thanks AGAIN!!!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks Mazer!

I live in Southern California... Are there any speakers at Circuit City or Best Buys I could listen to before I buy? I'm set on a Onkyo 605 already...

Thanks AGAIN!!!

I wouldn't buy any speakers at Circuit City or Best Buy

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hey guys!

I just bought a Samsung 46" LCD 1080P (LN-T4665F) and a Philips upscaling dvd player DVP5982.

I'm looking to spend about $1200 on 2.1 speakers and a receiver. This is before tax, shipping, cables, etc... =)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I recommend Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 350 ($200 each) plus SuperCube III ($575), so it's $975 for a 2.1. Then later, you could get 3 more of the SM350 for a 5.1 HT.

 

[gus6464]

I recommend Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 350 ($200 each) plus SuperCube III ($575), so it's $975 for a 2.1. Then later, you could get 3 more of the SM350 for a 5.1 HT.

Last time I heard the Supercube III at MHT I was very impressed. It's so small but yet still puts out a lot of bass. I would definitely recommend you check out the Def tech SM if your best buy has a magnolia, they are great for HT.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I didn't realize Magnolia carries Def Tech.

My DefTech has a SuperCube sub. I never knew what real bass was until I heard them. My previous sub was an NHT SW2P. It was good, but the bass just did not sound like the SuperCubes. Now I'm just listening to all kind of music just to hear what kind of bass I get from them.
I think some people think DefTech is all about bass. That's not true. The midrange and tweeter sound great as well.
My uncle just listened to my DefTechs for the first time. The first words that came out of this mouth were "The sound is extremely clear".

 

[gus6464]

I didn't realize Magnolia carries Def Tech.

My DefTech has a SuperCube sub. I never knew what real bass was until I heard them. My previous sub was an NHT SW2P. It was good, but the bass just did not sound like the SuperCubes. Now I'm just listening to all kind of music just to hear what kind of bass I get from them.
I think some people think DefTech is all about bass. That's not true. The midrange and tweeter sound great as well.
My uncle just listened to my DefTechs for the first time. The first words that came out of this mouth were "The sound is extremely clear".

There's a BB where I live in a pretty expensive part of town whose MHT carries the entire def tech line. They just got in the Mythos ST and man ohh man, it has got to be the sexiest looking tower speaker I have ever seen. Plus the bass output is amazing on such a thin speaker.

Hey AccuDefTech, I have a question about the BP towers with the supercubes. Can you turn the built-in sub off if you just want to listen to 2ch music? Do they have some sort of switch or does the sub have a separate rca connector that connects to the sub-out of a receiver?

 

[gus6464]

There's this big dealer in my area called Bjorn's and they currently have the Definitive SM350 on clearance for $150/each which is a steal. They sell some stuff on ebay so they might be able to ship you a couple if you call. They're in san antonio tx.

www.bjorns.com

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There's a BB where I live in a pretty expensive part of town whose MHT carries the entire def tech line. They just got in the Mythos ST and man ohh man, it has got to be the sexiest looking tower speaker I have ever seen. Plus the bass output is amazing on such a thin speaker.

Hey AccuDefTech, I have a question about the BP towers with the supercubes. Can you turn the built-in sub off if you just want to listen to 2ch music? Do they have some sort of switch or does the sub have a separate rca connector that connects to the sub-out of a receiver?

You can turn off the built-in sub, but then you would not get any bass.
I see it as 3-way tower: tweeters, midrange, and subwoofer. So if you turn off the subwoofer section, you only get the tweeters and midrange.

The beauty with the SuperTowers is that the subwoofer is actually part of the entire speaker, not a separate component. The internal speaker crossover will send the highs to the tweeters, the midrange to the midrange/bass drivers, and the low frequency to the subwoofer drivers. I listen to 2-channel music a lot using a pair of the BP7000SCs. The SuperCube part also has a bass level knob you can set.

There is also a separate RCA (LFE) input to the SuperTowers for the SuperCube section. Most reviewers don't even recommend using this RCA input, but I do just for the heck of it. But this is just for movies, which has the separate subwoofer output (5.1).

So for 2-ch music, the SuperTowers are just getting speaker wires. For 5.1HT, they're getting bass from the speaker wires and LFE input.

 

[PopDisplay]

More questions from a newbie

I just purchased a Sony 55" LCD and an OPPO DVD. Both of these devices as well as my cable box are connected via HDMI cables. Now it's time to deal with sound. The room is 12x12 and given the restrictions in the walls and ceiling, I believe that floor speakers are the only way to go. I will conceal the cabling in some sort of wall mounted racetrack. The "theater" is used 90% for movies.

With a budget of $700-800, what do you suggest for a receiver and speakers? I'll add to this the cost of cables.

Do I want to limit my search to receivers that are HDMI equipped?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[gus6464]

I just purchased a Sony 55" LCD and an OPPO DVD. Both of these devices as well as my cable box are connected via HDMI cables. Now it's time to deal with sound. The room is 12x12 and given the restrictions in the walls and ceiling, I believe that floor speakers are the only way to go. I will conceal the cabling in some sort of wall mounted racetrack. The "theater" is used 90% for movies.

With a budget of $700-800, what do you suggest for a receiver and speakers? I'll add to this the cost of cables.

Do I want to limit my search to receivers that are HDMI equipped?

Thanks,

Dave

Is the $800 budget for both receiver and speakers? Because if that's the case it will be kinda hard considering the recommended receiver will be half your budget (Onkyo TX-SR605 $400 at J&R).

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Is the $800 budget for both receiver and speakers? Because if that's the case it will be kinda hard considering the recommended receiver will be half your budget (Onkyo TX-SR605 $400 at J&R).

I vote for the Onkyo SR605 for $400 and the Def Tech Procinema 60 for $525.

http://www.definitivetech.com/reviews/PrCn60DVD4C.pdf

http://www.idealav.com/item.aspx?eid=1&pid=106690