Newbie needs help with home theater system...

[MaxSpeedM3]

hello,

i'm a newbie to all this and wanted help from the forum to get my home theater system off the ground. this system will strictly be for home theater. i have a B&O system to listen to music.

i just purchased:

-Rotel RSX 1057
-B&W M1 speakers
-B&W PV1 sub

i bought this setup with the recommendation of a friend. after purchasing the system, i read the Rotel RSX 1058 was available for $1999.00 (a grand more than what i got the RSX 1057 for). I started looking around and there was also a Denon 3808CI for around $1599.00.

my questions are...should i stick with what i have or spend a little more and get the newer av receiver? Rotel vs Denon? i like the way the speakers look and sound...so i'll probably keep those. also, what cables do i get and where?

thanks in advance for the help!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

i bought this setup with the recommendation of a friend. after purchasing the system, i read the Rotel RSX 1058 was available for $1999.00 (a grand more than what i got the RSX 1057 for). I started looking around and there was also a Denon 3808CI for around $1599.00.

my questions are...should i stick with what i have or spend a little more and get the newer av receiver? Rotel vs Denon? i like the way the speakers look and sound...so i'll probably keep those. also, what cables do i get and where?

thanks in advance for the help!

Between the two, I would get the Denon 3808. However, I would personally get the Denon 4308CI, which is retailed for $2,500, but I'm sure the actual street price will drop.

For speaker cables, I would get Blue Jeans Cables.
For HDMI cable, I would get the Fish-net HDMI from Monoprice
For interconnect (if you are even using), I would get Blue Jeans Cables.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

There he goes again with the fish-net...

For HDMI cable, I would get the Fish-net HDMI from Monoprice

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There he goes again with the fish-net...

That's the theme of the day: Fish-nets
If you don't come away with anything from this forum, just remember: F-I-S-H-N-E-T-S

Oh, I'm sorry. Were we talking about receivers or somthing?
Oh, yeah, DENON + FISHNETS = COOL

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

now the cables are taken care of. need more input on the receivers...

 

[mazersteven]

There is not a chance I would spend Over $1000 on a receiver for those speakers. Unless there are features you can't live without that the receiver provides.

In fact I would most likely be all over this receiver.

Onkyo TX-SR605

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

There is not a chance I would spend Over $1000 on a receiver for those speakers. Unless there are features you can't live without that the receiver provides.

In fact I would most likely be all over this receiver.

Onkyo TX-SR605

i did spend $1,000 on the Rotel RSX-1057. should i spend more and get better speakers? okay, would you spend more on the receiver now or more on the speakers? is it easier to upgrade into a receiver or speakers? does that make sense?

 

[mazersteven]

Speakers give the biggest impact in sound quality.

 

[Matt34]

i did spend $1,000 on the Rotel RSX-1057. should i spend more and get better speakers? okay, would you spend more on the receiver now or more on the speakers? is it easier to upgrade into a receiver or speakers? does that make sense?

Ideally, you want to spend more on the speakers than the components.

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

Speakers give the biggest impact in sound quality.

Ideally, you want to spend more on the speakers than the components.

thanks guys, that gives me some direction. i'll probably spend more money on the speakers and get a good receiver to push them. when i get a little more experience with this, i'll probably look into getting something better.

so, for the money, are the B&W XT series speakers worth the money? or can i get into something close and save some money? keep in mind, it will only be for a home theater setup.

much thanks!

 

[mazersteven]

so, for the money, are the B&W XT series speakers worth the money? or can i get into something close and save some money? keep in mind, it will only be for a home theater setup.

much thanks!

I have never auditioned the XT series so I can't comment on their sound quality.

Why did you choose the XT series? Looks?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I dont think I would get the XT series. In my audition I wasnt impressed in B&W until I got pretty high up in their food chain. I would keep looking if I was you.

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

I have never auditioned the XT series so I can't comment on their sound quality.

Why did you choose the XT series? Looks?

i went to my local home theater store and tested them out. have a baby on the way so i am trying to stay close to my budget. i heard the speakers and they sounded pretty good. i was going for the XT2, smaller bookshelf speakers and they looked good. they didn't carry much. been to a few places but the salesmen really didn't give me much information.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

If you are sticking with the M1s or the XTs; all you need is a 300 buck AVR. You are way out of balance on your gear. Are you willing to start over?

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

I dont think I would get the XT series. In my audition I wasnt impressed in B&W until I got pretty high up in their food chain. I would keep looking if I was you.

maybe i rushed into getting the system. i thought i did enough research. i did try the Philips soundbar with ambisound, and didn't like it a bit. tried the bose and felt they were overpriced and too bright for me. so i decided to get something nice. now that is where the confusion sets in. also, they had a 12 month same as cash promotion.

 

[MaxSpeedM3]

If you are sticking with the M1s or the XTs; all you need is a 300 buck AVR. You are way out of balance on your gear. Are you willing to start over?

i haven't opened my system yet and they said i can always bring it back. guess i wanted to be sure that is the system i wanted. i can always start over and get something that better fits my needs. where should i begin?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You begin with speakers. so if you start over tell us what your entire budget is, what you do with the system and how big your room is.

i haven't opened my system yet and they said i can always bring it back. guess i wanted to be sure that is the system i wanted. i can always start over and get something that better fits my needs. where should i begin?

 

[mazersteven]

If you are sticking with the M1s or the XTs; all you need is a 300 buck AVR. You are way out of balance on your gear. Are you willing to start over?

I disagree they are not easy speakers to drive from their specs.

 

[mazersteven]

i went to my local home theater store and tested them out. have a baby on the way so i am trying to stay close to my budget. i heard the speakers and they sounded pretty good. i was going for the XT2, smaller bookshelf speakers and they looked good. they didn't carry much. been to a few places but the salesmen really didn't give me much information.

The XT2 is not an inexpensive speaker at all.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Well you are correct about the Sensitivity (85dB) which further enhances my comments about an unbalanced system. So are you recommending >1k of amps to drive these 1K speakers?

I disagree they are not easy speakers to drive from their specs.