AV Guidance Needed For a Cavern of a Room

[jhu]

I've been toying around with the idea of a home theater system for a while now, but I've been discouraged by the (probably) bad acoustics of my living room, running wiring to achieve surround sound (I'm not very handy), and the likely cost of the whole project. With that said, I'm getting tired of listening to TV speakers. My ideal setup is a system that will allow me to scale it up over time. I'm thinking about building it initially as a 2.1/3.1 system and eventually scaling it out to a 5 or 7 speaker system. I'm trying to keep my initial build to around $1000... and then to add on to the system as needed over time. I can probably go up to $1500 if that's the smart thing to do. I'm patient and can wait for sales - if there's a good place to watch for deals on AV equipment, please let me know.

For starters, my living room is openly connected to the dining area. The combined space is 12.75 x 24 with vaulted ceiling that peaks at around (guessing) 16 feet. On top of that, there is hallway that leads to other rooms.

From what I understand, the only hardware in a home theater setup that rapidly gets dated is the receiver. I only have a 1080p TV (don't forsee going to 4K anytime soon) and I doubt my sound system will ever get beyond a 5.2 setup so I'm thinking that a cheap receiver is in order (used on eBay? The local Frys seems to have specials all the time...) Most of the content I play come in the form of music and video files stored on a NAS and Youtube videos via Chromecast. Tech features that would be nice (but not necessary) to have are the ability to play music and video files off of a NAS (connected by wifi/ethernet) and maybe the ability to control the receiver through a web application/android application. I would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions on the receiver with this in mind.

From what I've read, it seems like the subwoofer is a real issue here. I've heard that I'm going to need 2 matching subwoofers to get good sound. I was thinking about starting with 1 ... getting a feel for the system... and maybe buying a second sub sometime in the future. Does the 2nd sub have to be the exact same as the first? Will it be difficult to find a sub to pair with the original in a few years time?

As for front speakers, I've heard the Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers are the best bang for the buck. I imagine I would need to buy a matching center speaker as well. Any thoughts/opinions on this? I'd appreciate any suggestions on this front.

Thanks!

 

[shadyJ]

For $1k in a big room, I would be looking at a 2.1 system for now, if not a 2.0. If you don't have a big budget for subs which can tackle that room, I would be looking into near-field placement, which is placing the sub very close to the listening position, such as an endtable or right behind the seat. By doing this, you do not need a sub which has to pressurize the entire space since you are getting hit by its acoustic energy right away. I would be looking at some good bookshelf speakers instead of tower speakers. Ascend Acoustics has good speakers for the price, you might give the CBM-170s a look. I might also look at a Hsu Hybrid 2 2.1 package. Those speakers can handle a large room and the sub is perfect for endtable duty. Another very good sub for an endtable role is the Outlaw Audio Ultra X12. As for the AVR, I would stick with Denon, Marantz, Pioneer Elite, and Yamaha. Those seem to be the most reliable brands.

 

[TheWarrior]

Unless you are sold on the marketing wizardry that is Atmos/DTS:X (which by your comments, you're not), you can find brand new receivers that are (now) two years old but new in box that simply lack that processing info. They probably have better amps in them anyway, due to the inclusion of Atmos in newer receivers, they had to skimp somewhere!

 

[jhu]

For $1k in a big room, I would be looking at a 2.1 system for now, if not a 2.0. If you don't have a big budget for subs which can tackle that room, I would be looking into near-field placement, which is placing the sub very close to the listening position, such as an endtable or right behind the seat. By doing this, you do not need a sub which has to pressurize the entire space since you are getting hit by its acoustic energy right away. I would be looking at some good bookshelf speakers instead of tower speakers. Ascend Acoustics has good speakers for the price, you might give the CBM-170s a look. I might also look at a Hsu Hybrid 2 2.1 package. Those speakers can handle a large room and the sub is perfect for endtable duty. Another very good sub for an endtable role is the Outlaw Audio Ultra X12. As for the AVR, I would stick with Denon, Marantz, Pioneer Elite, and Yamaha. Those seem to be the most reliable brands.

I hadn't considered the approach of starting with bookshelf speakers instead of tower speakers. I like it - that keeps me from having to buy that center channel from the get go and I can migrate these bookshelf speakers to the back when/if I'm ready to have a real surround sound system. Hsu is a local company for me, so I'll be able to drop in and get a demo and get around the shipping charges when I do buy. The only question I have is whether I should spend a little bit more for their higher packages to get a better sub. While I'm thinking I will probably be fine with near-field placement, I'd like the option to add a second sub to get the sound 'right'. Are two VTF-2 MK4 enough for my room?... or would I need two VTF-3 MK5 HP to do that?

Unless you are sold on the marketing wizardry that is Atmos/DTS:X (which by your comments, you're not), you can find brand new receivers that are (now) two years old but new in box that simply lack that processing info. They probably have better amps in them anyway, due to the inclusion of Atmos in newer receivers, they had to skimp somewhere!

Good idea! Is there a good way to shop for these 'old' receivers? eBay?

 

[shadyJ]

In near-field placement, the VTF2 would be sufficient for most people, but the VTF3 would absolutely rock. It has roughly three times the output of the VTF2 and is not even twice the price, so it is a real bargain. Anyway, set up an appointment to go demo Hsu's stuff. As for bookshelf speaker fronts, you don't quite understand. Tower speakers are no more capable than a decent set of bookshelf speakers when you use a properly integrated sub. Yeah, you can migrate the bookshelf speakers to surround duty if you replace them with towers, but they better be some seriously good tower speakers to net you an audible gain.

As for receivers, whatever receiver you should get depends on the features you want. Regarding used receivers, you might want to go with craigslist on that one. One time I bought a used Pioneer Elite off of ebay, and this 70 lbs behemoth was sent in a box with only a smattering of foam packing peanuts for protection! Nedless to say, the chassis arrived bent on that receiver. You have to be cautious when buying from ebay.

 

[TheWarrior]

Good idea! Is there a good way to shop for these 'old' receivers? eBay?

Search Amazon!