just removed onkyo HTIB and placed in garage. What do you recommend now?

[ethansdad]

I am a newbie to the A/V world and the wife has told me that I am getting a new surround sound system for the living room as a christmas gift. I just put my Onkyo system in the garage because we had new hardwoods put in. My old 5.1 system had the stands for the back and front speakers. She did not want the wires coming up thru the floor anymore. Since she is wanting to buy this for me for christmas, i can't turn it down!

Here is my problem. I'm not a guru in this field and knew that the in wall speakers for a room that is 16' x 16' x 20' is not the choice. She does not want anything bigger than cubes and I agree. What is the best 5.1 speaker system and receiver? I have a blu-ray all ready.

I can purchase A/V products such as Samsung and Panasonic thru my buying group at cost but I thought Bose was great until I came here! I would rather pay retail and get a good system than pay wholesale for something you guys would laugh at!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I would like to stay @ $2000

Marty

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Marty, and congrats on the soon-to-be-yours system!

You say 16x16x20. Is that 16x16 with a 20' ceiling? That's a decent amount of volume, which comes into play when we discuss the subwoofer. The larger the volume of the room, the more capable of sub you'll want if you like bass.

I'm not a fan of cube speakers because they have such limited frequency response. You said "cubes," but what size of speakers are you trying to stick with?

I'm focused on the speakers at the moment because they will help drive the choice of receiver. I'm betting that you'll be able to get a receiver that will fit your needs for under $500.

 

[ethansdad]

The room size is correct. 20 foot ceiling in the living room. The model Onkyo that I moved to the garage is DR-S2.2 The sub model is SKW-120. 70 watts. It was fine with me. I would have used this system again except it is several years old and does not have any hdmi outputs. I could always have had the wires run thru the walls instead of the floor.

The cubes that came with this system are 6" high by 3" wide. The center speaker is twice as big. The sound was fine with me. I will be hooking this up to a panasonic 42" 1080p tv. My blu-ray is the best panasonic on the market as well.

The tv is above the fireplace and the sub will be placed behind it. The center speaker is not a problem but the rear surround speakers could be of a larger size and look ok but the front ones need to be small for cosmetic reasons.

Thanks for helping a moron out! I own and operate an Appliance Store and will be glad to answer those questions because I am an expert in that field!!!

Marty

 

[sholling]

First I'd get away from cubes and here is why. I like the mains - the right and left front speakers to reach down comfortably to at least 80hz. That way when the subwoofer carries the deep bass you won't notice what direction it's coming from. Deep bass is not easy to locate the way high pitched sounds are. This will make for a smooth transition. Second if it were me I'd go with full towers and use them as a decorative element. If that's a no-go then at least some good bookshelf speakers on stands, and if that's a no-go then at worst I'd look at the best on-wall speakers that I could find to frame the TV. Just remember that the center channel speaker needs to be an acoustic match to the two mains.

On-wall speakers can be sized to frame the TV. They won't rock with full towers but they are a huge step up from cubes. These are from Boston Acoustics but you need to look at more than one brand.

As far as specific brands of speakers - well that's too subjective to even guess what you would like. You will want to get out and listen to a lot of speakers. Force the sales guy/gal to set the receiver's tone controls flat and spend a few days. I'd audition Energy, Mirage, Boston Acoustics, and as many others as you can find. Decide what sounds good to you. If you're feeling brave enough to buy Internet direst you might consider a package from SVSounds. I've never listened to their speakers but I own and love one of their subwoofers. They'll analyze your room dimensions and make a recommendation. The important thing is to put most of your audio budget into getting the best speakers that you can afford.

Next with a room that size I'd consider either a larger single sub woofer or better yet a matched pair and use them as design elements in the room. I ran my subwoofer cable outside and then into the back of the room and use my subwoofer (it's huge) as an end table. Because my front speakers handle mid-bass the location of the subwoofer isn't something you notice.

For receivers it's pretty hard to beat Onkyo and I'd just figure out how much receiver you can afford after choosing speakers and watch for a sale. Onkyos are always on sale someplace online.

 

[ethansdad]

I've owned Onkyo for a long time and after looking around here, it seems to be a safe bet. I could possibly make a set of bookshelfs work in the front but they would have to be no wider than 6". Any ideas?

 

[Adam]

There are a lot of choices for speakers out there, and we'll just be giving out suggestions. The best thing to do is to establish your requirements (size and cost being two of them), like you are doing, and then listen to speakers that meet those requirements. It really comes down to what you and your wife like the best.

One place that I recommend is Aperion Audio, and they are an internet-direct company. There are two reasons why I recommend them. First, I've never heard or read anything bad about their speakers. Second, they have a 30-day no-risk trial, meaning that you can return the speakers within 30 days and pay nothing (no shipping, no restocking, nothing). The bookshelf from Aperion that I think might work for you is the Intimus 4B (linked here). Would that be small enough?

 

[ethansdad]

Thoughts about the Boston Acoustics CS2310 speaker system?

 

[sholling]

I've owned Onkyo for a long time and after looking around here, it seems to be a safe bet. I could possibly make a set of bookshelfs work in the front but they would have to be no wider than 6". Any ideas?

If you're limited to 6" and sitting flat against the wall then I'd look seriously at on-wall speakers like the Boston P442 (~$300ea) above. Book shelf speakers need to sit a bit away from the back wall. Note I have not heard that specific speaker but personally love their high-end tower speakers.

If that's too expensive I'd look at something from The Speaker Company just because of their return policy. If you don't like the speakers they pick up the tab for the return trip.

But with a room that size I'd budget some good money for the subwoofer. Hsu Research and SVSound would be great choices.

EDIT: A word to the wise. If money is tight then wait on the surround speakers and put that money into the mains and subwoofer. Later when you have more money you can look at surround speakers.

 

[Adam]

I don't have thoughts on that BA system, but I have a question. How large is the area is that you want to use for the subwoofer (behind the TV)?

 

[ethansdad]

The space above my fireplace is 46" wide, 36" high and 36" deep. My tv is only 3" deep so there is plenty of space. I built a stand for the tv to sit on and my blu-ray and receiver will sit below it.

If I am trying to stay within 2k, what would you break down the cost for the 4 speakers, 1 sub, and 1 receiver. I have wire and hdmi cables.

Marty

 

[sholling]

The space above my fireplace is 46" wide, 36" high and 36" deep. My tv is only 3" deep so there is plenty of space. I built a stand for the tv to sit on and my blu-ray and receiver will sit below it.

If I am trying to stay within 2k, what would you break down the cost for the 4 speakers, 1 sub, and 1 receiver. I have wire and hdmi cables.

Marty

Not 4 speakers - either 3 or 5 plus the subwoofer. Front left, center, and front right. As said you can always add the surrounds later. I tend to do things in stages so personally I'd probably give priority to the 3 front speakers and if necessary (if it's even possible) live with the old sub until your birthday. On the other hand you might want earthquake like bass and may want to spend on a huge sub.

One thing that bothers be about sizing a sub is the size of the room combined with hardwood floors is going to make for some strange acoustics and that will effect the sub most of all. I'd talk with SVSound and Hsu Research and get their feed back on how much sub you need with those conditions. Make sure they know about the wood floors.

 

[njedpx3]

Ethansdad,

First Welcome to the Forum.

Here are some small (6x9 x 4 1/2) bookshelf speakers that have excellent sound: Cambridge Audio S30 . The are small enough you could get 3 pair and use for all of your speakers. The cost abouts $199/pair. You could also get a small SVS subwoofer PB10-NSD for $449.

Anoter possibility is the SVS system for $799 S-Series SBS-01 Systems


Another possibilty is to get a C/L/R ( Center/ Left/ Right) 2500 $899 or C/L/R 3000 $1099 from Defintive Technology . You can normally get 10-15% discount at HT stores. You can possibly just use this with a pair of surrounds.

As far as AVRs get one with repeating 1.3 HDMI. I would suggest Onkyo TX-SR707 as low as $499 or Marantz SR5003 as low as $479 refurbished from Amazon.com

Good Luck!

Forest Man

 

[ParadigmDawg]

The advice you have recieved so far is very good.

Since you don't "want anything bigger than cubes" and the HTIB sounded good to you, I would really consider going with inwalls.

Unless you spend a lot of money on inwalls, they will be a compromise from what others have suggested here but it seems they just may work fine for you.

 

[KEW]

Good advice above. I am offering ideas if you absolutely need to stick with the compact speakers.

This Mordaunt-Short Genie system won several accolades when it was introduced in 2004. It does have a high shelf in the frequency response between 3 & 6kHz, IIRC. By reviews, this shows in music, but not for HT.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDGENIEPACKBLKSTNDS/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Genie-400-Black-Ms409w-Free-Speaker-Stands-/1.html

For a room that size you may need a second subwoofer:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDMS409WSL/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Ms409w-Genie-10-Powered-Subwoofer-200-Watt/1.html

The second link is to the sub in silver. Unfortunately black (to match the rest of the system) will run another $100. I linked to the silver, because it has more info on the sub in the description than the Black link.

The genie is nice because it includes 2 stands, and the wall mounting hardware is built into the satellites. It also includes a nice sub calibration system which is very unusual at this kind of price, but a valuable addition.

Here is the most comprehensive review I have found (note PDF files at bottom of second page).
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/speakers/769/mordaunt-short-genie-home-theater-speaker-system.html

Accessories4less can also set you up with a good deal on a factory refurb receiver (Marantz or Onkyo). I have bought several factory refurbbed items from them and will never buy new again if I can find what I want here.
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Another option to consider is the EMP Tek ECA4/ECA44/es10i 5.1 (in white or black):
http://www.emptek.com/eca_special.php

The price is way under your budget, but I think you would be pretty happy with it after your Onkyo HTIB. EMP makes great sounding speakers for what you pay and a special like this is pretty insane.

Here is a review:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/satellite/emp-eca-4

If you want a second matching EMP subwoofer, you can get one for $189 if you buy this package:
http://www.emptek.com/cs100_specials.php
Or you can buy just the sub for $300, not:
http://www.emptek.com/es10i.php

I do believe this is the best "value" package you will find in a cube-sized system.

Good luck

 

[KEW]

Compact Sub

If you are looking for a truly compact subwoofer, I think this is the best option at present:
http://www.amazon.com/MartinLogan-DYNBLD-Dynamo-10-Inch-Subwoofer/dp/B000FIJA6W
(link should be for sub shipped at $325 - Amazon is likely to change their price at any time)
I have one of these and it does a great job. I also have an SVS SB12-plus, and don't miss a thing when I switch to the Dynamo (however, I only use them for music, not for HT). At 12.9 x 11.7 x 13.9 inches (it is essentially a 11.7" cube with a grill on the front and feet underneath), it is not hard to tuck away and for $650 you could get a pair which has advantages. Another thing I like about it is you can configure for down or front firing. I don't know how old Ethan is, but I keep mine down firing so I don't worry about errant fingers, die-cast trucks, fighter jets, or cat/dog interactions (as much).

As you may have gathered, I have been looking at compact options for myself .

 

[sholling]

I just came across a Cyber Monday Sale item that might be interesting, World Wide Stereo has Energy's Take FPS 3.1 system on sale for $800. That includes 3 flat on-wall speakers to frame your TV and and a decent little subwoofer. You may at some point desire a second sub or a larger sub but this one is pretty good and might get you by. Then you can pick out the surrounds that float your boat.

Optionally you could grab just 3 of the speakers from the sale and buy a larger subwoofer that would really fill that huge space. This setup with the receiver listed below gets you in under budget.

I think the either the Boston P442 linked earlier or these Energies would be good choices but they will sound slightly different and that difference comes down to personal taste more than anything.

Accessories For Less as a decent deal on a refurbished Onkyo TX-NR807 that would probably be a good choice. I bought my bedroom's refurbished TX-SR606 from them and it's been a good receiver.

 

[ethansdad]

Thanks for all the information overload!!!! A lot to consider. I will go thru these post and look at the options. I really do appreciate the help.