Best 5.1 system for my apartment

[samhfoley]

I have a budget of 1000 dollars for a 5.1 system. I am content to buy just speakers and no sub at the moment. As of right now I am looking primarily at the SVS SCS-01(M) system which would be 819 +150 for shipping. Anyone think I can do better than that the same price range ...less than $1000

Also buying a reciever and debating Onkyo's 2 new models TX-SR607 or the TX-SR507. Wondering if I should save the 200 bucks and go with the 507 since I am only buying a 5.1 system. Thoughts??

Thanks in advance for your help!
-Sam

 

[Alex2507]

I have something similar to this but with 2 subs:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Amazing-Primus-Package-Deal-5-1-for-only-799_W0QQitemZ140314084041QQihZ004QQcategoryZ3276QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I would get 152's instead of the 162's and really rethink the sub on this.
The best place to buy that stuff is here:

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Harman-Audio__W0QQ_armrsZ1

You may need to be patient for the items to show up but I am confident they will. I have seen the SVS option recommended here at AH many times.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[FirstReflection]

First...Welcome!

Second - it's great that you've thought about what you want and decided (roughly) on a direction.

Third - it's excellent that you've come to a forum BEFORE making your final decision

Selecting the very best 5.1 surround sound system within your budget is all about meeting your needs and also understanding what makes a system either more than the sum of its parts or less than what you would hope for. The absolutely most important thing we can tell you is that the quality of sound you will hear does not depend solely on what speakers and receiver you buy! The other half of the equation is:

Your room.

We would like to help you to spend your money in the very best way possible. But in order to do that, we need some more details.

To put it plainly, you can buy the best speakers that you can afford, but if they are going into a poor acoustic environment (ie. a "bad" room), then you will not get the performance you hope for. You can ultimately get better performance with slightly less expensive speakers while using a portion of your budget and time to make your room better.

So...before any recommendations for speakers, receivers or other gear can be made, please provide the following details:

1) Please describe your room.

- What are its dimensions (length, width and height)?
- Is it rectangular, or some other shape? (Please describe the shape)
- Is it enclosed or does it have openings to other parts of your home?

2) If at all possible, please provide a rough sketch of your room.

- It doesn't have to be perfect or to scale, but just something we can look at to get a better idea of your room.
- Try to include the placement of your seating and where your gear will be.

3) Please describe to us how you will use this system.

- Is this mostly for movies? Mostly for music? Some of both?

4) Do you have any preferences for certain audio qualities?

- Do you like really detailed audio? Do you like it to sound really energetic? Or do you prefer things to sound a little more mellow? Or maybe you're a bass head? There is no wrong answer

5) Do you have any particular preferences for the looks of your speakers?

When we know the size and shape of your room and have a decent idea of how it is laid out and where furniture is placed within the room, then it allows us to suggest ways that you can first improve your room from an acoustics standpoint. Once the room itself has been dealt with, we can then select speakers and a receiver that will work best within that environment and also meet your needs for the way in which you will use this system and for your personal preferences.

 

[jamie2112]

What color is your rug?...........



Just kidding welcome, and Alex and FR already answered you pretty well IMO.

 

[Alex2507]

What color is your rug?...........

LOL! ... and does it match the drapes?

Just kidding welcome, and Alex and FR already answered you pretty well IMO.

Especially FR. Some people are just better at that kind of thing.

 

[Highbar]

Personal I would look into the SBS series from SVS. If you got them instead of the larger SCS's, which I only see you needing if your apartment is pretty big, you could get the PB10 sub for under a grand all together or the PB12 for a little less than $1100. Either one of them will have enough power in most apartments.

 

[lsiberian]

I have a budget of 1000 dollars for a 5.1 system. I am content to buy just speakers and no sub at the moment. As of right now I am looking primarily at the SVS SCS-01(M) system which would be 819 +150 for shipping. Anyone think I can do better than that the same price range ...less than $1000

Also buying a reciever and debating Onkyo's 2 new models TX-SR607 or the TX-SR507. Wondering if I should save the 200 bucks and go with the 507 since I am only buying a 5.1 system. Thoughts??

Thanks in advance for your help!
-Sam

For your receiver see the harman kardon store or accessories4less.com enough said!

For your speakers get a pair of Primus towers and that 350 center. Pair it with a pair of 152s for the rear. For you sub grab a dayton 10 or 12 and move on.

Use the other money on the real good stuff.

 

[motomech]

Build your own system.
The Polk Monitor series is being blown out at 50% to 70% off(plus free shipping) @ Newegg.
I have both the new TSi series and the some Monitors and they are the same except for the cosmedics.
I researched long and hard for the best speakers for the money and these are them.

 

[ack_bak]

I have a budget of 1000 dollars for a 5.1 system. I am content to buy just speakers and no sub at the moment. As of right now I am looking primarily at the SVS SCS-01(M) system which would be 819 +150 for shipping. Anyone think I can do better than that the same price range ...less than $1000

Also buying a reciever and debating Onkyo's 2 new models TX-SR607 or the TX-SR507. Wondering if I should save the 200 bucks and go with the 507 since I am only buying a 5.1 system. Thoughts??

Thanks in advance for your help!
-Sam

As others have mentioned it would really help if you posted the dimension of your room, including ceiling height and how far away you will be sitting from the speakers. In addition do you listen to a lot of music, watch a lot of TV, or is it a mix of both?

Also, keep in mind that those SVS speaker are designed to have a sub for the most part. While you could always add a sub later, I would recommend getting a 3.1 setup first and add surrounds later. IMHO, a sub is often the most important component in a room.

Check out Elemental Designs and their package builder. You can definitely get a 5.1 setup shipped for under $1K using the package builder option.

http://www.edesignaudio.com/htpackage.php

 

[samhfoley]

wow!

I am blown away by the responses thus far. Sorry to have been away from the PC for the last few days. About the room...As I said it's part of an apartment. The room measures 12 feet left to right, 8 feet front to back and 8 feet high. the entire left side is an open entryway into the dining/kitchen area. The TV sits about 5 feet in front of the sofa. Behind the sofa is a sliding door leading to the bedroom.

Another thing to consider is this, I live in Japan and will be coming back to the US to buy gear this summer and take it back with me to Japan. Therefore I also have to take into consideration weight and space requirements. This is one reason I am leaning towards just buying speakers and not a sub on this trip. My family and I will have 5 23kg bags allotted to us. At least 2 of those will be clothes, leaving 3 bags @ 23kg each for audio gear. I can buy another @ roughly 200 bucks for another 20kg. That is another reason I am thinking to buy the AV receiver here in Japan to save on space and weight.

Again not knowing a lot about HT set-ups, my idea was to have the 2 front speakers on top of bookcases on either side of the television, the center channel speaker just under the flatscreen (which would aim right about navel high while sitting on the sofa) and the rear satellites mounted on the side walls towards the rear of the room, about ear level facing the sofa.

I am buying these speakers exclusively for movie viewing. I almost never listen to music, except on my iPod, headphones, and PC speakers.

So you think a 3.1 system w/sub is better than a 5.1 system w/no sub? I have that now, given it's a Panasonic system that's not so great, but I am not so sure. Of course in a perfect world I'd love to have the whole set-up on a plane headed back to Japan , but the sub alone would take up 1 bag I believe!

Thanks again for all of the input. I am eager to hear what you have to say. Many thanks ahead of time!

 

[samhfoley]

Build your own system.
The Polk Monitor series is being blown out at 50% to 70% off(plus free shipping) @ Newegg.
I have both the new TSi series and the some Monitors and they are the same except for the cosmedics.
I researched long and hard for the best speakers for the money and these are them.

Do you have a URL for which monitor speakers you are referring to? I see numerous Polk Monitor speakers @ NewEgg

 

[ack_bak]

I am blown away by the responses thus far. Sorry to have been away from the PC for the last few days. About the room...As I said it's part of an apartment. The room measures 12 feet left to right, 8 feet front to back and 8 feet high. the entire left side is an open entryway into the dining/kitchen area. The TV sits about 5 feet in front of the sofa. Behind the sofa is a sliding door leading to the bedroom.

That is not a large room, and I would recommend staying with smaller speakers that are not overpowering. Especially in an apartment. Do you have neighbors above, below, or beside you? This could definitely affect your purchase.

Another thing to consider is this, I live in Japan and will be coming back to the US to buy gear this summer and take it back with me to Japan. Therefore I also have to take into consideration weight and space requirements. This is one reason I am leaning towards just buying speakers and not a sub on this trip. My family and I will have 5 23kg bags allotted to us. At least 2 of those will be clothes, leaving 3 bags @ 23kg each for audio gear. I can buy another @ roughly 200 bucks for another 20kg. That is another reason I am thinking to buy the AV receiver here in Japan to save on space and weight.

I can understand your concern about the sub. I highly recommend the HSU STF-1 for your room. It is small and made for smaller rooms but will still deliver very nice bass. You may also want to look at the HSU HB-1 MKII bookshelf and center speakers for your front and the smaller ventriloquist speakers for the rear. This would probably come out to close to $1K after shipping. Here is their website:
http://www.hsuresearch.com/index.html

The STF-1 sub should fit into a large bag for shipping.

But there should be other options, and if you do just buy speakers some of these companies may ship a sub to Japan. I am also guessing that there are some good subs sold in Japan locally? You do not have to match a sub with your other speakers, but it is essential that you buy speakers that match (make and model) for your front and center speakers. Rear speakers also do not need to match.

Again not knowing a lot about HT set-ups, my idea was to have the 2 front speakers on top of bookcases on either side of the television, the center channel speaker just under the flatscreen (which would aim right about navel high while sitting on the sofa) and the rear satellites mounted on the side walls towards the rear of the room, about ear level facing the sofa.

I am a little concerned about the height of those bookcases. Ideally, the tweeter on the front speakers would be at ear level from your normal seating position. With the center speaker you have a little more flexibility if you can adjust your tweeter as well.

I am buying these speakers exclusively for movie viewing. I almost never listen to music, except on my iPod, headphones, and PC speakers.

So you think a 3.1 system w/sub is better than a 5.1 system w/no sub? I have that now, given it's a Panasonic system that's not so great, but I am not so sure. Of course in a perfect world I'd love to have the whole set-up on a plane headed back to Japan , but the sub alone would take up 1 bag I believe!

Honestly, I would definitely recommend spending the bulk of your money on a 3.1 system. Keep in mind with most movies that the vast amount of audio will be coming from your fronts and sub. Depending on the movie you may not have that much active surround sound. And it is always easy and inexpensive to add surround speakers down the road. So I would recommend focusing on those fronts and sub first. The more I think about it, the more I like the HSU speakers for your environment and budget. Elemental Designs would be overkill for that space.

Thanks again for all of the input. I am eager to hear what you have to say. Many thanks ahead of time!

Hopefully there will be others that have had similar experiences and can chime in

EDIT: You may also want to checkout the EMP EF30 bookshelf speakers and matching EF30 center speaker on sale at the audioholics store. You can get a pair of the bookshelf speakers and the matching center for $510 shipped. These speakers are clones of the RBH TK-5C bookshelf speakers which are very solid speakers. If you throw in the HSU STF-1 subwoofer for $325 shipped you have a nice 3.1 setup for under $1K and enough for some surrounds (EMP makes some good ones and they are on sale in the audioholics store).

 

[ack_bak]

EDIT #2:
Axiom also makes some great little bookshelf speakers with matching centers that will be in your price range even after adding the HSU STF-1 sub.

 

[samhfoley]

answers

I am not 100% stuck on the idea of bookshelf mounted front speakers. In fact I now have floor standing speakers for fronts. The bookshelves are, however, right at ear level with small speakers mounted on top of them. Another reason I was considering putting them there is my 1 year old. I don't want her poking her little fingers into the speaker cones for fun. If I had towers where the speakers were high enough not to reach that would be ideal.

As far as neighbors go we have one above us, no one below us and noone on either side of us.

The reason I am buying in the States is that things here are prohibitively expensive unless you're buying JP product. I just bought an espresso machine from Canada for 1600 dollars. Same machine in Japan was 3335. I got the espresso machine, a grinder and all accessories & shipping for cheaper than I would have paid for just the espresso machine here in JP.

Hope this helps

 

[jamie2112]

Nobody anywhere around you... in Japan thats a rare find. I would recommend 3.1 as most movie soundtracks sound comes mostly from the Fronts and Center speakers. Surrounds are effects most of the time. I would check out Acsend speakers as well http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/spkrlist.html

 

[samhfoley]

So I could get the EMP EF30 bookshelf/center channel speakers for 510 + a VTF-1 Subwoofer for 404 for a grand total of $914 or 809 with the
STF-1 Subwoofer which would leave roughly 200 for rear satellites.

Alternatively I could get the Ascend (2) CBM-170 SE and a CMT-340 SE center for 688 + the STF-1 Subwoofer for 299 for a grand total of 987.00

Or I could go with Axiom (2) Millennia M3 Bookshelves and a VP150 Center for 800 bucks delivered to my door in Japan (althought the VP150 says it is designed for med. to lg rooms, maybe better off w/ the VP100? so roughly 630 dollars delivered.

Of course it is convenient to have items delivered to my door, but I don't want to be sacrificing quality either.


Which do you think is the better system for my room? Or other suggestions?

What about receivers in the 400-700 dollar range, preferably Japanese models I could buy here locally....Onkyo? Denon?

 

[jamie2112]

I would go with the Ascend myself.....

 

[FirstReflection]

Welcome back! With the information you have provided, here are my thoughts:

1) you need speakers that have wide dispersion.

You are sitting quite close to your TV and front speakers. If you were to go with speakers that have a narrow dispersion (more focus), it would be too easy to pin-point them as three individual speakers. You want them to seemlessly blend across the front so that the illusion of a seemless soundstage is convincing.

2) you need physically small speakers.

This is a small room, you are close to the TV, and aesthetically, you would not want the speakers to look out if place by being too large. Also, for your travel and shipping purposes, smaller speakers are better.

3) you need speakers that will not sound harsh, but will still maintain excellent clarity and detail.

In a small room and with a hard flat surface (your sliding door) behind you, the high frequencies will reflect and bounce around the room. This can make the sound muddy and can also emphasize the high frequencies, making them sound harsh. One solution is to acoustically treat your room with absorptivr panels. But in an apartment, it is unlikely that you will want to glue or hang 2"-4" thick panels on your walls! Another solution is to use speakers that have a slight roll off in the high frequencies. This is a compromise that makes sense for your room acoustics and space constraints.

4) you need a subwoofer that will make sense for your room size and setup.

Physically small speakers really do need a subwoofer to handle the bass for them. But in your situation, you do not want the sub to be too large and you do not want to bother your neighbors.

When I consider these needs, one particular speaker package really stands out as being a perfect fit:

The EMP Tek HTP-551 speaker package, which consists of two pairs of EF50 small bookshelf speakers, one EF50C centre and one EF10 subwoofer.

As luck would have it, the Audioholics Store (store.audioholics.com) has a tremendous sale on EMP speakers at the moment!

I strongly recommend this particular package because it meets all of your needs particularly well. EMP designed these speakers specifically for small room setups exactly like yours and they have followed allbod the sound characteristics that I have identified and recommended.

There are three more pieces if advice that I have for you:

A) the trick to using a subwoofer in an apartment without bothering the neighbors is to decouple it from the floor.

When a subwoofer plays, it shakes. That shaking shakes the floor; the floor shakes the walls; and the walls shake the ceiling, which is why you can here bass throughout your entire building usually! Decoupling -which is to say, putting a shock absorber inbetween the subwoofer and the floor - stops this transfer of energy and greatly reduces the bothersome bass that would typically annoy you neighbors.

So with the savings in your budget, I cannot recommend highly enough that you spend $50 on an Auralex SubDude! The SubDude is a 15" x 15" shock absorbing riser, the perfect size to fit beneath the 14.5" square EF10 subwoofer. If you listen to nothing else I've said, at least follow this one recommendation because the SubDude is the best $50 you'll ever spend for your audio!

B) regarding your receiver - with your room size and the efficiency of the EF50 speakers, you really do not need to worry about amplifier power. You could certainly get good performance from the Onkyo TX-SR507. The only real reason to go up to the TX-SR607 is if you have component or composite video sources that you really really want to translate into HDMI output.

C) finally, regarding speaker placement - I recommend following the Dolby and THX setup guidelines. Visit their websites to read the diagrams! If particular note, all three front speakers should be as close to seated ear height as possible, but your surround speakers should be 2-3 feet above your head when you are sitting

Best of luck!

 

[lsiberian]

I must disagree with the arguments for 3.1. You want to watch movies only.

Since you are sitting close to the Tele and weight is limited. www.accessories4less.com sells the KEF 3000 series for 1000 US. This is a 1600 dollar speaker package for 1000 dollars. It has a light sleek sub and is satisfactory for most people with intimate rooms. Don't underestimate these speakers. They are very capable of filling your room with sound. Even at their smaller size. Plus they don't take up the space of much larger speakers. There design is excellent in appearance and they use coaxial drivers to present a wide soundstage. The speakers can be used in a 7.1 setup someday if you get a larger room and want some towers. Kef makes great towers. I know they are international and they may sell in Japan. You can give them an audition perhaps. The KEF3000s are what Bose tries to be but fails to be(good small speakers)

 

[lsiberian]

Welcome back! With the information you have provided, here are my thoughts:

1) you need speakers that have wide dispersion.

You are sitting quite close to your TV and front speakers. If you were to go with speakers that have a narrow dispersion (more focus), it would be too easy to pin-point them as three individual speakers. You want them to seemlessly blend across the front so that the illusion of a seemless soundstage is convincing.

2) you need physically small speakers.

This is a small room, you are close to the TV, and aesthetically, you would not want the speakers to look out if place by being too large. Also, for your travel and shipping purposes, smaller speakers are better.

3) you need speakers that will not sound harsh, but will still maintain excellent clarity and detail.

In a small room and with a hard flat surface (your sliding door) behind you, the high frequencies will reflect and bounce around the room. This can make the sound muddy and can also emphasize the high frequencies, making them sound harsh. One solution is to acoustically treat your room with absorptivr panels. But in an apartment, it is unlikely that you will want to glue or hang 2"-4" thick panels on your walls! Another solution is to use speakers that have a slight roll off in the high frequencies. This is a compromise that makes sense for your room acoustics and space constraints.

4) you need a subwoofer that will make sense for your room size and setup.

Physically small speakers really do need a subwoofer to handle the bass for them. But in your situation, you do not want the sub to be too large and you do not want to bother your neighbors.

When I consider these needs, one particular speaker package really stands out as being a perfect fit:

The EMP Tek HTP-551 speaker package, which consists of two pairs of EF50 small bookshelf speakers, one EF50C centre and one EF10 subwoofer.

As luck would have it, the Audioholics Store (store.audioholics.com) has a tremendous sale on EMP speakers at the moment!

I strongly recommend this particular package because it meets all of your needs particularly well. EMP designed these speakers specifically for small room setups exactly like yours and they have followed allbod the sound characteristics that I have identified and recommended.

There are three more pieces if advice that I have for you:

A) the trick to using a subwoofer in an apartment without bothering the neighbors is to decouple it from the floor.

When a subwoofer plays, it shakes. That shaking shakes the floor; the floor shakes the walls; and the walls shake the ceiling, which is why you can here bass throughout your entire building usually! Decoupling -which is to say, putting a shock absorber inbetween the subwoofer and the floor - stops this transfer of energy and greatly reduces the bothersome bass that would typically annoy you neighbors.

So with the savings in your budget, I cannot recommend highly enough that you spend $50 on an Auralex SubDude! The SubDude is a 15" x 15" shock absorbing riser, the perfect size to fit beneath the 14.5" square EF10 subwoofer. If you listen to nothing else I've said, at least follow this one recommendation because the SubDude is the best $50 you'll ever spend for your audio!

B) regarding your receiver - with your room size and the efficiency of the EF50 speakers, you really do not need to worry about amplifier power. You could certainly get good performance from the Onkyo TX-SR507. The only real reason to go up to the TX-SR607 is if you have component or composite video sources that you really really want to translate into HDMI output.

C) finally, regarding speaker placement - I recommend following the Dolby and THX setup guidelines. Visit their websites to read the diagrams! If particular note, all three front speakers should be as close to seated ear height as possible, but your surround speakers should be 2-3 feet above your head when you are sitting

Best of luck!

I must point out that there are those that don't like EMPs. I know they are good for the price, but I think the KEF series is a better option for you because they will be easier to match with large speakers down the line you. Plus if you need service KEF actually exists in Japan.

Start at http://www.kef.jp/ maybe you can find a dealer and give them a listen. Then you can pick em up cheap here or maybe even there.