Budget 5.1 Home Theatre Suggestions

K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
Hi All,

I have done some reading , comparisons of different brands as a package and standalone but finally getting only more and more confused on the options.

Also am on a tight budget between 30,000 - 50,000 Indian Rupees.

My living room size is 12 x 12.

Based on my research till now I have found the following to be necessary and also aligning to my requirements,

1) Powered Subwoofer
2) Floorstanding speakers ( I am always fascinated by how awesome and cool they look in a living room and project me as a serious audiophile. :) sounds funny but I just have that impression :) and makes my inner soul to believe that a home theater should have these to give that complete feeling :) )

I would love to hear suggestions on the following products that I have shortlisted and also help in choosing the better one for the money ,

Yamaha 2910 Home Theater Package ( INR 45,000 )
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/hometheater-systems/home-theater-package/yht-2910_w/?mode=model

Yamaha 299 HTP ( INR 36,000 )
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/hometheater-systems/home-theater-package/yht-299__g/?mode=model

Yamaha HTR-3067 ( INR 25,000 ) ( will awesomely fit into my budget )
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr-3067/?mode=model

Yamaha HTR-2067 ( INR 23,000 )
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr-2067_black_g/?mode=model

Pioneer HTP 823 MKII, HTP-RS39, HTP-RS33, HTP-RS43 ( All the models range between INR 45K - 55K max )
http://pioneer-india.in/product-category/home-entertainment/home-theater-solutions/home-theater-bundles/

I personally got impressed with HTP-RS33 when I heard it in a showroom playing an animation movie clip. I loved that bass and shaking effect ( But I know am wrong here after reading so many forums and experts opinion )

Pioneer VSX-329-K ( priced at 20K )
Pioneer VSX-524-K, VSX-824-K ( priced between 27k - 37K )
http://pioneer-india.in/product-category/home-entertainment/regular-av-receivers/

Onkyo hts3700 ( priced at 33k. It has passive Sub but given the fact its Onkyo is this factor negligible ? )
http://www.onkyoindia.com/ht_hs-hts3700.html

Onkyo HT-S5805 ( priced at 75K )
http://www.onkyoindia.com/ht_hs-hts5805.html

It is totally out of my budget but is the only AVR with Dolby Atmos offering below 80K. I want to know if this is worth it to save money and invest on this even if it takes time ( Its priced cheaper at 799 US$ in US and 700 Euros in Europe . Not sure why this high pricetag for the Indian market :(

onkyo txsr333 AVR + Energy RC Micro 5.1 ( 60K. The dealer says this is a steal deal offered at special price. Read that Energy RC Micro 5.1 is a good 5.1 set but not sure about the AVR )

http://www.onkyoindia.com/av_rec-txsr333.html
http://www.prodigiindia.com/energy-rcmicro51ce.html

Following are the speaker packages that I have shortlisted if am planning to buy the AVR seperately,

Pioneer ( models in below link priced between 20K - 35K )
http://pioneer-india.in/product-category/home-entertainment/home-theater-solutions/todoroki-speaker-solutions/
Yamaha NS-P40 ( 21k)
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/speaker-systems/speaker-packages/ns-p40_w/?mode=model

ns-p380 ( 25K )
http://in.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/speaker-systems/speaker-packages/ns-p380_black__g/?mode=model

Jamo S 426 HCS 3 ( 27K )
http://www.jamo.com/speaker-types/home-cinema-systems/?sku=S426HCS3

Boston Acoustics XS-5.1 ( 23.5K )
http://www.bostonacoustics.com/US/Product/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatId=HomeAudio(BostonAcoustics_US)&SubCatId=SoundWare(BostonAcoustics_US)&Pid=SoundWareXS51(BostonAcoustics)
 
K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
Just want to add that , I like Virtual CINEMA FRONT offered by Yamaha AVRs but want to know the effectiveness of the technology.

I may initially jus place the 5.1 speakers next to TV and on ground and may not wallmount. Hence this technology is kind of attractive for me.

But I would love to hear suggestions
 
K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
HTP-924 is too costly at around 100,000 INR and not within my budget
 
agarwalro

agarwalro

Audioholic Ninja
HTP-924 is too costly at around 100,000 INR and not within my budget
See if you can pick up that speaker package as a 5.1 set with a receiver that fits the remainder of your budget. Aim to spend at least 75% on speakers and no more than 25% on the receiver.

What other speaker brands are available in your area?
 
K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
I think those are Andrew Jones speaker package....too expensive to get here....costs between 50k - 75k the entire 5.1 ....without AVR

What about the other options that I have mentioned above ?? I think i have mentioned a comprehensive list of my options above from Yamaha , Pioneer and Onkyo. Also i have listed speakers above in the list of options available for me in the price range that am aiming for
 
agarwalro

agarwalro

Audioholic Ninja
Man that sucks. Everything is at list price compared to the equivalent USA domestic pricing. Is there no option the bargain with the dealer? A 10-15% reduction should still leave a decent margin for them. Anyhow...

The Jamo set you listed is considered pretty good value here. These would be my next pick. You can see the buyer reviews on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Jamo-426-HCS-WENGE-5-Piece/dp/B003GGXGU6

For the Yamaha 2067 receiver will be more than enough. I wager this combo (even without a subwoofer) will sound better than then 60K Onkyo + Energy RC Micro set.
 
K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
Thanks a lot for the suggestion .....I will plan on Jamo 5.0 with Yamaha HTR-2067 or 3067....

I ll plan on a subwoofer later once I can allocate some money at a later point in time....

Yes....the difference in costs in US\UK\European market and India is really ridiculous and the options here are better only if the budget is more from the consumer....
 
K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
Ok, Finally after a lot of research I no more have HTiB in my mind and decided to move on with a proper FS fronts , good subwoofer that is able to play the best range of frequencies with a a deep bass. Just to give a heads up on what is in my mind at this moment, I have decided to finalize something from the below,

AVR
Yamaha RXV 579
Denon AVR X1200 ( 1st choice )

In one store where they mainly deal with Yamaha and Pioneer AVR, When i told them that my first preference is Denon AVR x1200 because of its value for features concept and the fact that it is going to give Dolby Atmos and also DTS:X in future with a firmware upgrade, the dealer immediately told me that real Dolby Atmos can only be experienced on a 9.2 or a 11.2 AVR and not on a 5.1.2 system and hence he said it is only available in top end models in Yamaha , Pioneer and Marantz unlike Denon.

THe other thing he told me was Denon India has its service centre only in Mumbai and hence every time something happens the AVR has to be sent all way to Mumbai and that it might take months to get it back from a successful repair. I think this is just a deviation or turn off that he is providing to stick with Pioneer or Yamaha that he deals with currently. But am equally concerned with an effective service centre backup for any major product that I buy.Another dealer later confirmed me that Denon has its service centres throughout India and I actually met the Denon rep when I was having this discussion with this dealer.

My intention is even if Denon x1200 does not do justice for a Dolby Atmos experience, I wish to use it as a normal 7.2 Ch AVR.

I have auditioned the below speakers and also will be soon shortlisting ,

Pioneer Andrew Jones with the S-51W subwoofer.AVR was some Yamaha aventage high end receiver and BenQ W1400 was the projector.

Scenes witnessed :-
Dark Knight ( high octane Car chase scene approximately 15 to 20 mins )
Had an insanely theatre like experience. was just spellbound.

Also listened to some FLAC tracks from Bang Bang and other english music. was just mindblowing.

On another day , Jamo S 426 HC with Velodyne Impact-12 subwoofer & Pure Acoustics RB-6 5.1 Package :-

Scenes witnessed on both the package:-

Jurassic World - Masrani intro scene where he pilots an helicopter and lands in Jurassic world ( 5 mins ), 10 Mins scene where the Indominus Rex escapes from its closet and wreaks havoc.

Music ( FLAC ) :- Star Wars Opening theme credits scene by John Williams, Scorpions Rock You like a hurricane, a Bob Dylan song and Hotel California by the Eagles.

My Impression :- I played the above content back to back on the above speakers. Just didnt like the way Pure Acoustics sounded after hearing it on the Jamo. Clearly Jamo S 426 HC stands out above for its amazing price definitely a very high value speaker set. Liked its amazing clarity in voice and effects. The floor standers and the Center channel sounded awesome.

Other speakers that I want to audition :-

1) Yamaha NS 8390 FS with NSP 150 package center and rear channel
2) Yamaha NS F160 and NS F150 FS with the NSP 150 package
3) Onkyo SKF 4800 FS with SKS 4800 ( not sure I will do as it costs 58K as a package and NR 646 AVR with Atmos and DTS:X costs 65K which makes it 123K in total and that is slightly out of my budget.There are still other chea;er AVR options like TX-SR444( 7.1 Atmos ) and TX-NR545 ( 7.2 Atmos No DTS:X in both which still makes Denon x1200 the choice for a budget AVR that offers both.
4) Polk T50 FS + T30 Center + T15 Sub + PSW110 SUB
 
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K

kittaboy

Audiophyte
Bumping on this thread again and still doing my research, I would like to know , what is the probability that a 5.1 speaker may go bad in the course of its run. I find an attractive offer for Audio Pro Avant0 5.0 at a price of my budget online but am not sure if I will find service or repair if needed when something goes wrong with the speakers.Below is the link of Audiopro avanto that I can find at an attractive price ,

http://www.audiopro.com/products/avanto-50-hts

They dont have service centres through out India and hence am worried about its warranty and its after warranty run.

However I dont have an option to audition this set because it is only available online. But there are some pretty good reviews from the following sites,

http://www.trustedreviews.com/audio-pro-avanto-5-0-hts-review

http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/equipment-menu/466-audio-pro-avanto-5-0-hts-home-theater-speaker-system
 
Last edited:
D

download_007

Audiophyte
Hi,

@kittaboy - i am in a similar position as your.. did u finalized any thing and how much did u spend on same

TIA
 
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