budget buyers remorse

[palleon]

Hey guys, noob here. I, like a lot people around here it seems, got the itch for a home theater around black friday. I currently have no audio other than the tv speakers. Room is long and skinny, 23 by 12 with TV/DVR/PS3 on one end. I was going to get a HTIB until I came to these forums and learned just how bad they were. However I was still on a real tight budget. Under $350 now, maybe another 200 or 250 after christmas. Can't really justify more than that.

After lurking on here for a couple days I got the Pioneer BS41 pair from newegg for 85 and the matching center for 49. I got the Pioneer 822k reciever for 180 from hhgregg. Planning on using the after christmas money on a sub and then eventually surrounds.

I am sitting here waiting on em to get here and am already feeling nervous about it. Wondering if it is really much of an upgrade over HTIB. Also read some posts folks having issues with the 822k and just wondering if I am doing the right thing here.

I know my budget is a sliver of most on here but is this going to be it for me as far HT goes. Probly not many upgrades for me in the near future. Any thoughts? I appreciate any feedback.

 

[monkish54]

I am sitting here waiting on em to get here and am already feeling nervous about it. Wondering if it is really much of an upgrade over HTIB.

It's going to be massively better than any HTIB I have ever seen. Especially at the price point we're talking about! What HTIB were you going to buy?

Also read some posts folks having issues with the 822k and just wondering if I am doing the right thing here.

I don't know much about the 822K, but if issues were to arise, we are here to help. If the product is defective, you can always return it.

I know my budget is a sliver of most on here but is this going to be it for me as far HT goes. Probly not many upgrades for me in the near future. Any thoughts? I appreciate any feedback.

Low budgets are fun because they are challenging.

I think you are most definitely doing the right thing. The BS-41 will blow out any HTIB and any competitor well beyond it's price point. They are excellent performers for the money.

You probably don't know how to read measurements (more accurately what good measurements look like) but this is as good as it get's at your price point and price points far above it.

Pioneer SP-BS41-LR loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

The measured performance of Pioneer's SP-BS41-LR would not be out of place in a $1000/pair speaker, let alone one costing just $150/pair. Color me impressed.

I don't say this often, but I agree with John Atkinson.

 

[monkish54]

Also, if you invest $250 into a sub (or less) do consider DIY. You can DIY a pretty decent subwoofer for $200, and it will be worlds better than most (anything?) you can buy retail. You can even buy pre-made cabinets if woodworking sounds scary!

We can help you pick everything!

 

[palleon]

thanks

that makes me feel better. I thought I might have rushed into this due to black friday fever. The speakers got here last night and the reciever should be here today. Can't wait to hook em up. I knew people had said the BS41 and C21 were big but WOW. The bookshelves are ok but the center is very large. It wont fit in my entertainment center, going to have to sit it in front of the TV and raise the TV with books or something...

Hadn't thought about the DIY sub. I would not consider myself a handy/toolsy kind of guy. These forums can be kind of overwhelming. Before I go wading in to those DIY forums is there a particular build that would be easy and in my price range?

thanks again

 

[agarwalro]

The sub should definitely be your next purchase. In $100-200 there are not many worth the money, but, here are a couple, Dayton Audio SUB-1200 on sale right now for $111 shipped which is the same price as the 10" version and Bic America F12 for $198 shipped.

 

[zieglj01]

I am sitting here waiting on em to get here and am already feeling nervous about it. Wondering if it is really much of an upgrade over HTIB. Also read some posts folks having issues with the 822k and just wondering if I am doing the right thing here.

I know my budget is a sliver of most on here but is this going to be it for me as far HT goes. Probly not many upgrades for me in the near future. Any thoughts? I appreciate any feedback.

No one needs to feel low key, for owning the Pioneer speakers -
also the Pioneer receiver will drive them.

Weigh out your sub options before making a purchase, I would
not be quick to buy a subwoofer with a Dr. Boom Mushy flavor,
if listening to a lot of music.

 

[markw]

Here's a trick of the trade to remember.

I knew people had said the BS41 and C21 were big but WOW. The bookshelves are ok but the center is very large. It wont fit in my entertainment center, going to have to sit it in front of the TV and raise the TV with books or something...

When you're scoping out the goodies (particularly speakers) on the internet, they generally list, somewhere around the specs, the dimensions of the units involved. By paying attention to these, you can know what you're in for and plan accordingly.

 

[monkish54]

Hadn't thought about the DIY sub. I would not consider myself a handy/toolsy kind of guy. These forums can be kind of overwhelming. Before I go wading in to those DIY forums is there a particular build that would be easy and in my price range?

thanks again

Surprisingly, subwoofers are not hard to DIY. Pretty much you find a subwoofer, throw it in a box, and go on about the rest of your day.

If you want to create your own box, we can model a box for you and some of us can even draw pretty pictures to make it easier!! If you want a pre-made box, we can find a good subwoofer to throw in there. You might want to add a few wooden dowels to make the cabinet more stiff, but most $200 subs aren't going to have bracing anyway, so you might be able to get away without.

Bracing makes the cabinet more stiff so it doesn't "talk". Vibrations are transferred from the drivers to the cabinet. When the cabinet vibrates at low frequencies, it will add to the sound and change the timbre a bit. When one adds bracing, the cabinet is essentially separated into smaller panels. The smaller panels will vibrate at higher frequencies and much less, eliminating the change in timbre.

 

[palleon]

Surprisingly, subwoofers are not hard to DIY. Pretty much you find a subwoofer, throw it in a box, and go on about the rest of your day.

If you want to create your own box, we can model a box for you and some of us can even draw pretty pictures to make it easier!! If you want a pre-made box, we can find a good subwoofer to throw in there. You might want to add a few wooden dowels to make the cabinet more stiff, but most $200 subs aren't going to have bracing anyway, so you might be able to get away without.

That actually sounds like something I might enjoy. Any recomendations as to where to start looking for the right parts and setup? I would probably go with the pre-made box. Again, not very handy. Still probably not wanting to go over 200 or 250.

 

[monkish54]

That actually sounds like something I might enjoy. Any recomendations as to where to start looking for the right parts and setup? I would probably go with the pre-made box. Again, not very handy. Still probably not wanting to go over 200 or 250.

If you intend to make a hobby out of audio, I would recommend learning the T/S parameters. If not, we can easily give you suggestions for boxes and the drivers themselves. Parts Express is the place I'd look. They own Dayton; Dayton makes some very good budget drivers. When I get home (I have class in about 30 min) I'll look at some drivers for you.

 

[palleon]

I hooked up my setup tonight and you were right, it is much better than a HTIB. Very pleased so far. Haven't got to tweak it or anything yet but right out of the box I was impressed.

Now I just need to find a sub. I want to get a good value but as happy as I am with this I don't think I need a world beating sub either. Coming from nothing I will think just about anything is an improvement. If there is an easy/cheapish way to build one I would look into it. Not sure I would be interested in this as a hobby as much as a means to an end. Sounds like a pretty expensive hobby if your always trying to one up and improve everything.

 

[KEW]

About what percent do you plan to listen to music vs movies/tv?

Generally, a sub can be a bit sloppy if it is playing explosions or Hulk stomping the ground. With music, the sub needs to be more refined.

Once you figure out your sub, you may want to test music with and without the sub to see if the sub improves the sound or if it makes it worse. We get pretty picky; but the bottom line is, compared to a HTiB, you have great sound!

Here are some of the boxes you would use if you are not set-up to build your own. Note that some have the cut-out for the driver and/or plate amp and others do not.

Subwoofer Speaker Cabinets in the Speaker Components Department at Parts Express | 289

 

[palleon]

About what percent do you plan to listen to music vs movies/tv?

More movies than music. maybe 70-30?

Those enclosure are expensive. They would definitely blow my 250 budget.

 

[monkish54]

More movies than music. maybe 70-30?

Those enclosure are expensive. They would definitely blow my 250 budget.

Those enclosures are very expensive. They're nice looking, but too costly. PE sells lesser cabinets for much cheaper, but I was thinking Flat Pack would be far more appropriate for your budget.

 

[monkish54]

Dayton audio Sub

This sub might be worth looking into. Great price!

 

[palleon]

Voices seem a little off

So I set my stuff up and listened to it a little last night. i was very impressed. I got home today and ran the room analyzer thing. It made sounds and music even better, however something it did made voices sound very crisp. For instance, the word "Perhaps" was said and the "puh" and the "sss" sound at the end really jumped out. It is not all the time but every now and then some words just really jump out at you. Is that something to do with the setup or is it just me not being used to better quality sound like this?

 

[zieglj01]

The Dayton sub is an option price wise - and should
at least, be better than some old RadioShack subs.

 

[zieglj01]

So I set my stuff up and listened to it a little last night. i was very impressed. I got home today and ran the room analyzer thing. It made sounds and music even better, however something it did made voices sound very crisp. For instance, the word "Perhaps" was said and the "puh" and the "sss" sound at the end really jumped out. It is not all the time but every now and then some words just really jump out at you. Is that something to do with the setup or is it just me not being used to better quality sound like this?

Sometimes it is the source - and sometimes it is the set-up
options, doing a poor job.

 

[monkish54]

The Dayton sub is an option price wise - and should
at least, be better than some old RadioShack subs.

They don't give you enough info to really determine sound quality. However, the OP just need realize he has a very low budget. A good sub, could be had for around ~$500. An excellent sub--a world class sub, can be had for ~$1300 with/box and possibly the best sub ever made can be had for $2-3 thousand dollars w/box

He isn't going to be getting world class performance, but based off of reviews the sub sounds decent. The shipping is only $15. If the OP isn't pleased with the performance, he can always send it back for a full refund (minus the $30 for shipping.)

 

[palleon]

I liked the look of the flat pack boxes. I think I could pull that off. What about the sub and amp? Any suggestions? I've looked at em but I really don't know what any of the stuff I'm looking at means. I have tried to look at some of the other forums and threads but there is so much unfamiliar territory to wade through...