Decided on Receiver - Need Speaker recommendations.

[ebterp]

Ok. This is my first foray into home theatre. I have decided on the Pioneer VSX-815 as my receiver. Looking for ideas for speakers. Looking to go 5.1. Very small living room. 16 X 13, which mean space is a concern. TV somewhat in a corner. Probably don't want to spend much more than 1K on speaker set, willing to put in a little more as I know the important.

Give me your ideas.

EZ

 

[jaxvon]

I'd look into going for a BIC system. No, not the lighters, their website is here. While the speakers are inexpensive, ask around on the forums here and you'll find they are highly regarded, especially the center channel. My recommendation would be (it's what I'm buying/have bought for my system in the works):

2 pair DV62SIB bookshelves for mains and surrounds
1 DV62CLR Center
Sub of your choice

The Bic subs are good in their price class (circa $200), but an offering from Hsu or SVS would be much better, but obviously at a higher cost.

As for prices, the best deal on the Bookshelves is currently at ubid. Here's a link to the product page. The shipping cost is $20 for the first pair, $14 for the second.

The best price on the center is at X-10. I plan on ordering from them. They have good customer reviews, as well as a good price on what I want.

Your total cost will be $226 for the bookshelves, shipped, and $110.49 shipped for the center. Thus, your total outlay, excluding the subwoofer will be $336.49. If you decide the speakers are too bright and want the crossover mods done by Ed Frias (I plan on doing this eventually, it's supposed to really bring out the good sound of the speakers), that will cost 80$ for the 5 Bic units, plus shipping. Figuring $20 for shipping (you only ship him the crossovers), that brings us up to $436.49, leaving us a healthy budget of >$500 for a subwoofer. This will put you in the running for an SVS PB-10 ISD or a Hsu VTF-2. Either of these subs would be an excellent choice. If you wanted, you could also get two Bic subwoofers for around the the same price.

Edit: The Bic Acoustech Sub (designed by Dr. Hsu) can be had for $268 shipped. While it won't compete in the same league as the subs listed above, it's still a good option. The Bic Venturi sub (part of the same series as the bookshelves and center that I mentioned) can be had for $190.99 shipped from X-10. This sub is also rated very highly. Many users have said that the quality of the bass improved a lot when they added some polyfill to the enclosure because it was somewhat lacking.

If you plan on watching some movies and want to really feel those low frequency sounds, then I suggest that you go for one of the more expensive Hsu or SVS options that I listed. These will both do 20Hz no problem, and in your room, will deliver subsonic response. Besides, this stuff is an investment. You can go for either the Hsu or SVS and be good for quite awhile before you get upgraditis again

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Jaxvon is correct. That is going to be your best bet for the money. If you really like your highs (tweeters), consider the BIC Acoustech 5.1 set that comes with an HSU designed 12" subwoofer for around $900 shipped. The system suggested by Jaxvon will work better with audio and video, but the Acoustech system will weigh in more with HT/video.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32861&item=5785740929&rd=1

You can get a killer system with what Jaxvon suggested and an HSU or SVS sub for less than the Acoustech, but the Acoustech is the next best option IMHO.

 

[ebterp]

Guys,

The Bic's sound like a great option. Since its such a small room I am a little concerned about the size of the sub and placement. What about just going with one of the BIC subs??

E

 

[jaxvon]

I just edited my post above to include the bic subs. You can find reviews of them here:

For the V1220...

H100


I just read some stuff over at the Hsu forum. A user there said that he bought the V1220 bic Sub and was pleased with it. He then upgraded to a Hsu STF-2 (cheaper than the VTF-2 I mentioned by $100). In his own words:

I can't say I was terribly disapointed with the BIC v1220. It is well worth the
almost ridicuously low price (think I paid 180.00). That said, it doesn't begin to
compare with the stf-2. The rest of the speakers in my system are BIC speakers
(3 BIC 62 center speakers in front and 2 BIC 62 bookshelf speakers as surrounds.) I just didn't do enough research when I bought the BIC sub. In large part, it was out of satisfaction with the BIC products I already had and a wish to match the other speakers in the system. The stf-2 does what I was hoping the BIC would do in the first place. I don't know if BIC and Hsu have some sort of working relationship, but I will credit the person at BIC for getting me thinking about the upgrade in the first place. In so doing he has made a very satisfied customer of both companies.

I think that pretty much sums up why I recommended going for a Hsu sub. Even the STF-2, which is $424 shipped, would be a much better investment than the Bic sub, IMHO. That said, the Bic isn't a BAD option, but since your budget permits, I think it would be best to go for the Hsu and not worry about the "Could I have done better?"

 

[ebterp]

Jaxvon,

Thanks for the recommendation. One quick question. Since the living space is so small would it actually make sense to get towers that would produce more base and skip the sub or should i be against this option???

E

 

[Takeereasy]

With your budget you are better off going with bookshelfs and a sub. Going this way will allow you to hear more of the sound spectrum. Towers that can play as low as subs are pretty expensive.

I do have an alternative setup for you. 2 pairs of Paradigm Titans with an msrp of $219 a pair. A paradigm cc270 for an msrp of $279, and I'm going to say SVS PB-10 for $479 shipped. That comes to $1196 but you can get a deal if you get all your speakers at once. I figure you could knock about $100 off of that pricetag and come within $100 of your $1000 budget. I haven't heard those Bics yet but next week when I get back from camping I'm going to start auditioning subs for myself and the first store I'm going to is an authorized Bic dealer.

 

[rideDPU]

I would recommend getting a subwoofer, especially if you are going to be watching movies. Rarely is the best position for a speaker the same as the best position for a subwoofer. Additionally, the subwoofer will generally give you much better extension and a cleaner, more controlled sound -- especially in this price point.

Mark

 

[Khellandros66]

I'd say piece an Axiom system together or perhaps the Definitive ProCinema 80. Either way you can't go wrong cause ultimately what sounds great to you is what is best.

~Bob