Am I mad for thinking this way?

[Shadow_Ferret]

We just got a home and now I can start thinking about my home theater. I have a nice sized rec room and since it's mine (Mine! Mine! All mine!) the wife has said I can decorate as I please.

So my budget has been around $700 for an entire home theater: receiver and 5.1 system.

I was considering the Bic America DV62 configuration with 4 DV62si, the center DV62CLR-S, and the V1220 subwoofer. This system with an entry-level Pioneer or Yamaha receiver would have been about $700.

Then I started thinking. It's my man cave. No WAF so size doesn't matter. I have two Sansui SP-6300 4-way speakers with 12" woofers and a freq. response of 30-20000hz.

As a temporary solution, I was thinking of taking that $700 and putting the system together piece meal. All I'd need is a center and two satellites and I can set the system to large and my Sansui's should take care of the bass, correct? (If I'm wrong in this, please let me know.)

So here's is my starting grid:

HK AVR235 (50wpc) or maybe the Pioneer 1015
2 NHT SB1
1 NHT SC1

Then somewhere down the road I can add SB2s as fronts and a subwoofer (SVS or Hsu).

Or

2 Paradigm Atom
1 Paradigm CC-170

then add a pair of Titans later.

or
2 Polk Audio RTi4
1 Polk Audio CSi3

then add a pair of RTi8s.

(Anyone know if the HK at 50 watts will be enough to drive the NHTs which are rated at 86 spl?)

Is this a better solution, piecing the system together with better parts, than starting with a cheaper entry level system?

And if anyone has a better suggestion for the center/rears, I'd really appreciate it. I understand I should be timber matching (how do you timber match to 26 year old speakers?), but since it is temporary (temporary could be up to a year) does it matter?

 

[j_garcia]

Out of all those, the NHTs are the best sounding IMO. I'd opt for SB2s and SB3s rather than the SB1s. Yes, the cost is higher, but they're worth it. Yes, you will need something that has pretty decent power to drive the NHTs though, and certainly as surrounds, it shouldn't be a problem. The H/K should be OK as long as you aren't looking for extreme levels or have a big room. THe 1015 is probably a slight step up in power, but not necessarily in sound quality. Check www.ac4l.com , they carry NHT and they are having a sale on all speakers this month, last time I looked.

I've owned those 'digms, and I am not a fan of the Polks. Both are OK, but neither compare to the NHTs in this case.

"It is not I who am crazy; it is I who am MAD."

 

[Nomo]

Shadow, Congrats on the home. Welcome to the joy and nightmare of home ownership.

I have not heard the NHT's or that particular model of Paradigms. I am a fan of the Polk sound. I think of the "big box store" brand speakers they are the best. But they are rather power hungry.

Most importantly, don't forget about timber matching the fronts with the centers. I hate to admit it but it is a reality. My Technics fronts and Yamaha center are as close of a match as I could find but some times there is a noticable difference. If you can audition some speakers in your home, do so.

 

[brian32672]

THe 1015 is probably a slight step up in power, but not necessarily in sound quality.

The 1015 is a huge step up in power at 125 watts per channel. Compared to 50 for the HK. And he will need it to run those 86db speakers. As far as the sound, well I posted something on that over at this post.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12616

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I was considering the Bic America DV62 configuration with 4 DV62si, the center DV62CLR-S, and the V1220 subwoofer. This system with an entry-level Pioneer or Yamaha receiver would have been about $700.

Congrat's on the house.

I must state my case here. Don't assume because the other speakers cost more, that they sound better than the BIC's. You would be amazed at the sound from those bookshelves or center. My brother in law has a full set of NHT's, and he's heard my older DV62's. He's in agreement that they are a much better speaker than his NHT's (he has no idea of the cost). The look of the NHT's are nice, and they do sound very good, but in our opinions, they really require separates. The spl ratings are much too low, even for a Pioneer 1015.

 

[j_garcia]

The 1015 is a huge step up in power at 125 watts per channel. Compared to 50 for the HK. And he will need it to run those 86db speakers. As far as the sound, well I posted something on that over at this post.

That's claimed power. The H/K will actually put out 50w or more with all channels driven, ie; conservatively rated. I know the 1014 could not do the same, and a guy who's opinion had one said the power rating was definitely overrated. So, I wouldn't exactly call it a HUGE step up in power.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

Wow.

I just got around to hooking up my "stereo" and placed my Sansui's on the floor (first time I've ever had them on the floor, usually they were on a bookshelf or record crates) and holy cow! do they give off the bass! It was rumbling the floor upstairs and I only had the volume on my 45 watt Pioneer at about the 10 o'clock position.

Another question for the experts: The Sansui's have a horn tweeter. Would the BIC Acoustech center (horn) be a closer match (I know I'll never get a perfect timber match) until I can afford that whole system? Or even the Klipsch reference series?

Thanks.

 

[farscaper]

That's claimed power. The H/K will actually put out 50w or more with all channels driven, ie; conservatively rated. I know the 1014 could not do the same, and a guy who's opinion had one said the power rating was definitely overrated. So, I wouldn't exactly call it a HUGE step up in power.

Not to be a pain but, how do you know this about the Pioneer 1014? From what i understand the Pioneer 1014 (1015) is internally 90+% of a Pioneer Elite 52txi, specifically the power supply. Therefore a review of the 52txi should closely resemble the 1014/1015. See 3rd page of this review by Home Theatre magazine on the 52 txi:
http://hometheatermag.com/receivers/1204pioneer/

I'm not trying to start a argument, just if you have any different info, I would definitely like to read it.

 

[j_garcia]

I listened to the model prior to the 1014, which was basically the same thing - 90% of the entry level Elite model, but even the Elite model didn't impress me, so that wasn't saying much. I'm not saying it is a bad receiver, just that it isn't a silk purse made from a sow's ear. In fact, I often recommend this receiver for people with budget in mind, but some people seem to want to believe that these are the greatest receivers on the market and they simply are not. There are plenty of good receivers out there, and I personally find H/K and Marantz to sound better for the $$.

I'm hoping to have a 1014 in my hands this week to put through it's paces.

 

[Spiffyfast]

I listened to the model prior to the 1014, which was basically the same thing - 90% of the entry level Elite model, but even the Elite model didn't impress me, so that wasn't saying much. I'm not saying it is a bad receiver, just that it isn't a silk purse made from a sow's ear. In fact, I often recommend this receiver for people with budget in mind, but some people seem to want to believe that these are the greatest receivers on the market and they simply are not. There are plenty of good receivers out there, and I personally find H/K and Marantz to sound better for the $$.

I'm hoping to have a 1014 in my hands this week to put through it's paces.

A marantz is great if you want something without all the features. But to get anything close to the power and feature set of the Pioneer 1015tx you have to go all the way up to the Marantz 7500 at double the price.

 

[farscaper]

You may want to include the Yamaha 1500 or even the 2500 as an option in your price range. There seems to be a few deals around on these models lately.

HK has a re-conditioned units you can buy with a full warranty. www.harmanaudio.com (I probably wouldn't go less then the HK435 for your speaker set-up, but that just me).
Ubid.com a few months back was selling extra stock of Marantz receivers. Great prices if you can wait till they get some more. They have full mfg warranties as well.

You have a few options. I'm sure there are a few others.