First home theater setup advice?

[Zero K]

Hi all,

So I recently started putting together my first home theater setup, nothing fancy as I am still in college, but I have been working enough that I felt I should spend some of my earnings on something I would enjoy.

I was hoping that I could get some advice on a few things as I am pretty new to this whole scene.

Questions:
- What is the difference (in reference to sound quality) when using setups with book shelf speakers vs floor-standing speakers? (if a general answer wouldn't be possible/helpful to give, I specifically would like info on the second set of Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers)
- Do you guys think it would be worth it to move the equipment to the smaller, sealed off room?
- Should I finish off my set with two SP-fs52's or a second set of the SP-BS22-LR?

- I would also appreciate any thoughts on my setup. I think I did alright price/quality wise, but I feel that most people in this forum will have a better idea than I do as a complete novice.
- Any tips on placement or even any tips in general would be greatly appreciated.


Setup:
Display - Panasonic TC-P42S60 $465.63
Receiver - Denon AVR-1713 $269.99
Sub-woofer - Dayton Audio SUB-1200 $109.00
Center Channel - SP-C22 $62.63
Fronts (currently at least, might move to rears) - SP-BS22-LR $62.63
Cables/Wiring - $47.79
Total cost to date - $1,017.67
Rears - Have not been purchased at this time.
(additionally I will be hooking up gaming consoles)

Usage will be pretty evenly split between music, TV, movies, and gaming.

Viewing area dimensions 13.5' x 12.5' x 8' (opens to kitchen with arch and bar as well as stair well to upstairs, so fairly open) - 1,350 sq ft
Potential optional viewing area 9.5' x 12.5' x 8' (can be closed off) - 950 sq ft

Additional note, I do live in an apartment complex, but they are side by side and I am on an end with a neighbor who is rarely home.

 

[zieglj01]

For your first system you did fine - we all need to start somewhere.

If you can put your system in a special room - it tends to work better.

Since you have a sub and like music also - I would stay with the
bookshelf speakers up front - and finish off with another pair of
the BS22 speakers. I prefer the bookshelf over the towers when
it comes to music.

Something to look at for speaker placement
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-g5WkO7nPbpr/learn/learningcenter/home/speaker_placement.html

 

[Zero K]

Thank you for your advice, so if the bookshelf speakers are typically better for music are there any advantages to floorstanding speakers? (other than built in stands)

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thank you for your advice, so if the bookshelf speakers are typically better for music are there any advantages to floorstanding speakers? (other than built in stands)

There are theories about why one group is better than another (Sat vs Towers).

But in my reality there is utterly no advantages of Towers over Sat + Subs.

IOW, if I had to choose between either 1) Sat + Subs or 2) Towers with no subs, I would go with Option 1 unequivocally.

Bass from most towers are just lacking to me. But everyone is different.

 

[3db]

You put together a good starting system which should last a while without getting int teh upgradevitis disease tat afflicts almost everyone that joins here.

I like towers and a sub.

 

[zieglj01]

Thank you for your advice, so if the bookshelf speakers are typically better for music are there any advantages to floorstanding speakers? (other than built in stands)

There are some nice towers out there - and there are a lot that are simply built in stands, and
some of them have cheap cabinets, and can get a little boomy/mushy and muddy sounding

For me, I like the imaging that a good bookshelf speaker can give, compared to some cheap towers.

 

[Zero K]

There are some nice towers out there - and there are a lot that are simply built in stands, and
some of them have cheap cabinets, and can get a little boomy/mushy and muddy sounding

For me, I like the imaging that a good bookshelf speaker can give, compared to some cheap towers.

Do you know if this applies to the pioneer speakers I was looking at?

There are theories about why one group is better than another (Sat vs Towers).

But in my reality there is utterly no advantages of Towers over Sat + Subs.

IOW, if I had to choose between either 1) Sat + Subs or 2) Towers with no subs, I would go with Option 1 unequivocally.

Bass from most towers are just lacking to me. But everyone is different.

I understand that there is no advantage of towers over sat + subs, but what about advantages of towers + subs vs sat + subs?

Reason I am asking is that I was looking through a local craigslistesque website and found a pair of the sp-fs52 speakers. They are asking $150, but I am pretty sure that I can work it down some.

 

[afterlife2]

Reason I am asking is that I was looking through a local craigslistesque website and found a pair of the sp-fs52 speakers. They are asking $150, but I am pretty sure that I can work it down some.

Hi and welcome! $150ish is great deal get them NOW! They go for 200+ so I doubt he/she will go lower, but hey give it a try. I had them for 3 weeks(Look sig below) and they were great towers.

 

[zieglj01]

Do you know if this applies to the pioneer speakers I was looking at?

The Pioneer towers are nice for the price - and built good for the price.
I will take them over some popular budget towers out there.

 

[3db]

Do you know if this applies to the pioneer speakers I was looking at?



I understand that there is no advantage of towers over sat + subs, but what about advantages of towers + subs vs sat + subs?

Reason I am asking is that I was looking through a local craigslistesque website and found a pair of the sp-fs52 speakers. They are asking $150, but I am pretty sure that I can work it down some.

Usually, the towers have better power handling capabilities which allows them to play louder then their sat brethren. The other thing towers offer is to give you the option to play them full range when listening to music without the sub. That's a personal choice however. I prefer my music without a sub and running my towers full range.

 

[Zero K]

Hi and welcome! $150ish is great deal get them NOW! They go for 200+ so I doubt he/she will go lower, but hey give it a try. I had them for 3 weeks(Look sig below) and they were great towers.

I don't know where you are getting that information, but microcenter has them at $89.99 consistently, even after tax two of them won't break $200 and that is for new speakers.

 

[afterlife2]

I know that I posted that Microcenter link awhile ago on the Holiday sales thread. I was just letting you know that when not on sale, well you know.

 

[Zero K]

Oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I understand that there is no advantage of towers over sat + subs, but what about advantages of towers + subs vs sat + subs?

Depends on the tower. Full-range tower may act as additional subs to further help smooth out bass response.

 

[Zero K]

Got the book shelves and center channel speakers in today, going to set them up tonight. Let's hope I don't mess this up.

 

[English210]

I agree with 3db - I prefer music from my mains only, however, as was mentioned, badly engineered towers sound bad, period.

The advantage of towers in theory is that you have a more 'complete' sound from bass through treble, without 'outsourcing' the bass part to an outboard subwoofer. Integrating the sub to the satellite/bookshelf speakers can be an issue for some people, in some rooms. Sat/sub systems can be very effective, but it really will come down to personal preference. There is no wrong answer to that decision, so let your ears/budget/eyes lead you...and take your time and listen to a variety of options to educate yourself