Making a "home theater" need some help

[GranteedEV]

also check out speakers by emotiva and svs m series

lol.

 

[jakebake]

also check out speakers by emotiva and svs m series

lol.

Why the lol?
What about ushers? aren't they a good choice?

Anyways, I have a few choices I can decide from for speakers now..

so what about receivers?

 

[GranteedEV]

Why the lol?

Just cuz I added more onto an already full plate of choices

What about ushers? aren't they a good choice?

Ushers are an interesting case because in your price range they don't really have any tower speakers. There are the S-520s plus Bass Stands which in effect creates a truly fullrange 3-way speaker (crossover at 200hz) but I don't think anyone here has actually heard the S-520s with bass stands. The Mini dancer comes in at $4000 MSRP OTOH

so what about receivers?

Marantz, Denon, and Yamaha are all great right now. I would personally look into the Denon 4311CI and pair it with a two or three-channel amp but really it's not necessarily necessary. I would lean towards a marantz SR5005 on that note as the auto-EQ on the SR6003 gave me good results but past that the speakers and the room give you the sound, the receiver gives you the EQ, amplification, and management. Some prefer the sound of source direct mode anyways at which point even room EQ is useless. I personally had better results with the more lively audessey flat for music and don't mind audessey for movies. I think my speakers in my somewhat dead room end up too dark and distant without room EQ.

Of course Room EQ is no excuse for paying real attention to your room. The room is a huge part of the sound you hear so you should budget a good deal towards getting controlled late reflections and minimal early reflections among other things. You'll find this especially helps at louder listening volumes where reflections are more harsh.

Regarding sufficient amplification, that will depend on your final choice in speakers. Some speakers are perfectly happy being driven by a 100 dollar sony and other speakers will require a separate amp costing half of their own value to be properly driven. Your best bet is always to buy speakers for which an impedance/impedance phase/sensitivity graph is readily available. Never trust a nominal impedance rating. There's some nominal 8 ohm paradigm speakers that dip to like 3 ohms for example.

 

[jakebake]

Just cuz I added more onto an already full plate of choices



Ushers are an interesting case because in your price range they don't really have any tower speakers. There are the S-520s plus Bass Stands which in effect creates a truly fullrange 3-way speaker (crossover at 200hz) but I don't think anyone here has actually heard the S-520s with bass stands. The Mini dancer comes in at $4000 MSRP OTOH



Marantz, Denon, and Yamaha are all great right now. I would personally look into the Denon 4311CI and pair it with a two or three-channel amp but really it's not necessarily necessary. I would lean towards a marantz SR5005 on that note as the auto-EQ on the SR6003 gave me good results but past that the speakers and the room give you the sound, the receiver gives you the EQ, amplification, and management. Some prefer the sound of source direct mode anyways at which point even room EQ is useless. I personally had better results with the more lively audessey flat for music and don't mind audessey for movies. I think my speakers in my somewhat dead room end up too dark and distant without room EQ.

Of course Room EQ is no excuse for paying real attention to your room. The room is a huge part of the sound you hear so you should budget a good deal towards getting controlled late reflections and minimal early reflections among other things. You'll find this especially helps at louder listening volumes where reflections are more harsh.

Regarding sufficient amplification, that will depend on your final choice in speakers. Some speakers are perfectly happy being driven by a 100 dollar sony and other speakers will require a separate amp costing half of their own value to be properly driven. Your best bet is always to buy speakers for which an impedance/impedance phase/sensitivity graph is readily available. Never trust a nominal impedance rating. There's some nominal 8 ohm paradigm speakers that dip to like 3 ohms for example.

oh ok lol that's what i thought.

Dang that denon is pretty pricey $1,794.00 on amazon. Do I really need to spend that much for a good receiver?

 

[psbfan9]

Anyways, I have a few choices I can decide from for speakers now..

so what about receivers?

PSB Alpha T1 - $599.00

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PBALT1

Onkyo TX SR608 - $379.00 at Vann's.

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538569707/onkyo-txsr608?s_c=site_search

 

[KEW]

Doesn't look like vanns has the energy rc50 in red

The Energy RC series has been on closeout for a long while. They must have had one heck of an inventory built up!
I see that the RC-30's appear to be completely gone!
At this point, I'm afraid you'll have to scratch RC-50's from the list if you don't want black.
At least that narrows your list!

 

[GranteedEV]

Dang that denon is pretty pricey $1,794.00 on amazon. Do I really need to spend that much for a good receiver?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5004/Marantz/SR5004-90w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

is all you really need to spend for a good receiver. If you ever do need more power you can always get an external amp.

 

[zumbo]

PSB Alpha T1 - $599.00

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PBALT1

Onkyo TX SR608 - $379.00 at Vann's.

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538569707/onkyo-txsr608?s_c=site_search

HTIB avr or low-end Onk not going to work well with those PSB. Those puppies gonna need some juice.

jakebake
The simple fact is, a cheap system to get it done now is gonna sound, well, cheap.

If you are serious about building a system, and I know you are because you are here, you need to build it one piece at a time.

Buying all budget pieces is not going to yield a good result.

A 1k pair of speakers is going to need/deserve some good power. Budget avr's are not going to cut it.

.02

 

[jakebake]

HTIB avr or low-end Onk not going to work well with those PSB. Those puppies gonna need some juice.

jakebake
The simple fact is, a cheap system to get it done now is gonna sound, well, cheap.

If you are serious about building a system, and I know you are because you are here, you need to build it one piece at a time.

Buying all budget pieces is not going to yield a good result.

A 1k pair of speakers is going to need/deserve some good power. Budget avr's are not going to cut it.

.02

I am definitely for buying one piece at a time but isn't it hard to do that with a receiver? You kind of have to have one haha what order should i go in? I mean I could by my mains then use the receiver from my yamaha HTIB then should I buy a new receiver then a center etc or center then receiver.... i think you know what i mean

 

[zumbo]

I am definitely for buying one piece at a time but isn't it hard to do that with a receiver? You kind of have to have one haha what order should i go in? I mean I could by my mains then use the receiver from my yamaha HTIB then should I buy a new receiver then a center etc or center then receiver.... i think you know what i mean

At this point and time, considering we are talking about an HT system, the best thing to do is get the best deal you can on an outgoing model avr. You know, with 1.3. None of that 3d BS.

Once it arrives, throw your current HTIB on Craigslist. Take the money, with some saved, and go audition speakers. Get the best pair your money will get, being sure they have a matching center available. Or, buy all three together.

Then, later, go sub shopping.

Lastly, add surrounds.

The fact is, a great pair of speakers is going to bring you more pleasure than a thrown together system. Plus, the anticipation of the finished system is all the fun.

The other fact is, if you are like most here, the cycle starts over again.

Now, most will say to get the speakers first to be sure the avr you choose will have enough power. I am saying, get the avr that has the power in the first place.

 

[KEW]

I am definitely for buying one piece at a time but isn't it hard to do that with a receiver? You kind of have to have one haha what order should i go in? I mean I could by my mains then use the receiver from my yamaha HTIB then should I buy a new receiver then a center etc or center then receiver.... i think you know what i mean

Get a good deal on a receiver. The Marantz Grant recommended looks like a good option.
This receiver will likely be all you need, but that does depend on your speakers, how large your room is, and how hard you are going to push things (how loud).
It is rare for a speaker in your price range to be problematic for a standard receiver. There probably are some exceptions, but companies know consumers buying speakers at around $1000/pr or less are going to be driving them with mainstream receivers.
Furthermore, if you are putting a sub into the mix, you are offloading the bass from your main speakers. This saves substantial power requirements from the receiver (it takes much more power for the lower frequencies).
So, get a good receiver like this. It will probably do all you need. However, be prepared, if you buy speakers which drop to low impedance, and, especially, if you don't use a sub, to add an external amplifier to be able to crank it.
Definitely make sure the receiver has pre-amp outputs so you can connect an external amplifier (the Marantz SR5004 does).
Frankly, if I needed more power, I would always go with an external amp before spending more money on a receiver - the pre-processors in receivers are complicated and thus the potential for problems is greater than an amp and a good amplifier will last decades while you will be lucky if a receiver is not obsolete by the end of one decade (but that mainly depends on your needs/wants).