Advice on first home theater system

[cds231]

I am starting to research what I can get for my first home theater system and stay within my budget. I'm open to either HTIB or buying individual components. Here are some details about the room / requirements:

Price: $500-$1,000(ideally somewhere in the middle)

Receiver: I already have a Blu-Ray player/PS3/Wii/1080p HDTV so all I need is a receiver.

Speakers: 5.1, front speakers need to be bookshelf speakers (not standing) and rear speakers will be mounted on the wall and I would like them to be wireless. Sub can be whatever.

Accessories: I would also like to be able to connect my laptop or iPhone to play music.

Room: I already have a wall mounted home entertainment center cabinetry, so I would like to put speakers within. I am trying to avoid standing speakers since I have a dog and beacuse of the entertainment center. I have about a 1' x 1.5' space for speakers on either side of the TV and it is located near the floor (I can place them higher if necessary, but I lose some space). I need wireless wall mounted speakers for the rear speakers, again because I am trying to avoid standing speakers. Unfortunately I have a staircase / vaulted ceilling on the left side of my couch so the rear left speaker will be father away than the rear right speaker (if that makes any difference). The room is a vaulted ceiling room that is very open and has the dining room in it as well as connecting directly to the open kitchen.

I'm having trouble finding the right system since I have all these requirements and I am hoping that someone might have advice for me.

Thanks!
Clay

 

[bandphan]

IMO, you could start out with 2.1 or 3.1 system and add the surrounds when you can. The front soundstage with the sub is going to give you the most impact.

Speakers like these from Ascend are well received. So are these from SVS. Both being good values, but ultimately up to your ears.

Subs from SVS and HSU have good value also.

As for AVRs here is a good read and keep in mind that these are msrp not street prices.

 

[pthoresen]

I do not own them so i cannot vouch, but you may want to consider
"The Speaker Company", when you are facing those budget constraints.

20% off is good through November. good luck!

 

[lsiberian]

Wireless on that budget just isn't feasible IMO. Plus you still have to plug in the speakers somehow. Running the wire is your best bet either via the carpet, baseboards or attic.

Surrounds are best put more toward the side than the rear so maybe that opens up more options. The angle of preference on surrounds is from 90 to 120 degrees from the seating area.

Putting speakers in a cabinet gets you a lot of resonances so you will want to line the cabinet interior. I'm thinking peel-n-seal would work fine for that on a budget.

You don't need a center unless your speakers are at a wide enough angle to warrant one.

For fronts use a pair of Behringer 2030p's. Unless you don't want a sub. In which case I'd suggest the 2031p's.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHB2030P

For a receiver get an Onkyo 606.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR606/Onkyo/Tx-sr606-90w-X-7ch-Hdmi-Theater-Receiver-Black/1.html
300

 

[jinjuku]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to AH. One option if you can is as always DIY (table saw or buddy w/ table saw).

Check out Newegg.com also. They are constantly blowing out Polk speakers.

Ascend and SVS are really good choices also.

What are your limitations on WAF? (wife acceptance factor).

 

[jinjuku]

Here is a Polk setup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290095 for the fronts and surrounds

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290105 Center

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0006DNW6U/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1255622457&sr=8-1&condition=new Sub alternative 1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001W3FXAQ/ref=sr_1_olp_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255622538&sr=1-1 Sub alternative 2

Your cost would be ~ $749 with the Sub alternative 2 or $680 with the Sub alternative 1. I have put in the H100 and it absolutely rocks. So I would
save the money and go with the $680 setup.

 

[jinjuku]

Another and less expensive Polk setup:

Monitor 30's in Cherry or Black at $99 pair. Get three pair for 5.0.

Add a $250 h100 so you are at ~$550. $450 for a more than competent receiver.

 

[pthoresen]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to AH. One option if you can is as always DIY (table saw or buddy w/ table saw).

Check out Newegg.com also. They are constantly blowing out Polk speakers.

Ascend and SVS are really good choices also.

What are your limitations on WAF? (wife acceptance factor).

If i am reading his post, he still needs a receiver as well.
and wants to connect his iPod/Laptop.

 

[jinjuku]

If i am reading his post, he still needs a receiver as well.
and wants to connect his iPod/Laptop.

Ya, I read the post too. What is your point? Once he gets his speaker choices lined up then he will know how much he has left over for a receiver.

 

[jinjuku]

To the OP: Wireless speakers still require wires for power.

 

[pthoresen]

Ya, I read the post too. What is your point? Once he gets his speaker choices lined up then he will know how much he has left over for a receiver.

ah, i was just checking to see if you had a recommendation for him.
no agenda beyond that

 

[DJ in TX]

Wireless on that budget just isn't feasible IMO. Plus you still have to plug in the speakers somehow. Running the wire is your best bet either via the carpet, baseboards or attic.

Surrounds are best put more toward the side than the rear so maybe that opens up more options. The angle of preference on surrounds is from 90 to 120 degrees from the seating area.

Putting speakers in a cabinet gets you a lot of resonances so you will want to line the cabinet interior. I'm thinking peel-n-seal would work fine for that on a budget.

You don't need a center unless your speakers are at a wide enough angle to warrant one.

For fronts use a pair of Behringer 2030p's. Unless you don't want a sub. In which case I'd suggest the 2031p's.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHB2030P

For a receiver get an Onkyo 606.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR606/Onkyo/Tx-sr606-90w-X-7ch-Hdmi-Theater-Receiver-Black/1.html
300

To the OP...if you like Pioneer, 3 of their entry level receivers have iPod/iPhone connectivity, including a connecting cable and on screen display for song info and album artwork. The VSX-819, VSX-919, and VSX-1019 all have this, but may or may not fit your eventual budget. Although I can't speak for how they compare to the Onkyo that Isiberian recommended. Maybe he prefers the Onkyo, hence his recommendation.

 

[Soundman]

To the OP...if you like Pioneer, 3 of their entry level receivers have iPod/iPhone connectivity, including a connecting cable and on screen display for song info and album artwork. The VSX-819, VSX-919, and VSX-1019 all have this, but may or may not fit your eventual budget. Although I can't speak for how they compare to the Onkyo that Isiberian recommended. Maybe he prefers the Onkyo, hence his recommendation.

Considering the OP's budget, the VSX-819 might be the way to go since he is interested in iPod support. It's on Amazon for $268 right now.

 

[cds231]

Thanks for everyone's responses. Looks like I have some thinking/research to do.

Based on your responses, I think I will just start with the 2 fronts, a middle, and a sub. I can always add the other speakers later if I feel the surround sound experience is lacking.

Thanks,
Clay