First home theater system

[cduaneg]

I have a Panasonic TH-50PZ800U and PlayStation 3, and now I want to invest in a receiver and speaker system under $1,500. I love great sound, but I don't know how to design a system that will produce it. I know I want surround sound, but how do I decide whether I want 5.1 or 7.1? How do I choose a receiver and speakers? I'm willing to read a bunch of technical articles about room acoustics, but do I really need to? I'd love to hire a consultant to design an awesome system for me, but I don't think I have the money for that. Any advice you guys have is much appreciated.

 

[alexwakelin]

how do I decide whether I want 5.1 or 7.1?

IMO, 7.1 isn't really needed, especially when you are just starting out. Not many movies make use of 7 channels, so as you are just getting started that money would be better spent elsewhere.

How do I choose a receiver and speakers?

A receiver has the least impact on sound quality, the speakers the most. Spend the least you can on the receiver while still getting the features you need. The hard part is choosing speakers, only you know what sounds good to you. Listen to lots of speakers to see what you like. Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap subwoofer, a good sub is essesntial for home theater.

I'm willing to read a bunch of technical articles about room acoustics, but do I really need to?

Not really, but you will end up doing it anyway once you get hooked Your budget will get you a good base system that you can build from, future upgrades you will want to keep in mind would be things like room treatments and eq.

I would break up your budget like this:

Receiver: $300-400 (Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon)
Subwoofer: $400-500 (SVS)
5 speakers: $500-600

Remember, your surround speakers will see a lot less action then your mains/center, you don't need to spend as much on them.

Get your wire/cables from www.monoprice.com, big box stores love to price gouge on them.

Internet direct companies are a great way to get a great speaker at a great price. SVS is popular around here: http://www.svsound.com/, but there are many others.

If you have tools and are handy, building your own speakers is an option as well. There are many DIY designs that can produce excellent sound for a fraction of the price of buying pre-built.

 

[cduaneg]

Thanks for the guidance, alexwakelin. I'm going to check out the THX-certified 5.1 options from Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon. I do consider myself handy, so I'm going to consider building my own speakers. My geek coolness points would go through the roof with my friends if I actually built speakers that blew their pants off

 

[alexwakelin]

Building your own speakers is very rewarding and a lot of fun.

Here's a couple kits that are a great value, and sound as good as speakers that cost several times their price.

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8525
I built a pair of these, they are one of the best values out there right now. IMO, they will hold their own against speakers in the $200-300/pair range.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-700&FTR=tritrix&CFID=8102556&CFTOKEN=44699154
They have many other kits, but the tritrix are probably the best bargain they have right now.

Here's some websites with proven DIY designs from experienced speaker builders.
http://us.geocities.com/cc00541/

http://www.zaphaudio.com/

The Parts Express project database:
http://www.parts-express.com/projectshowcase/projectindex.cfm

A properly built DIY subwoofer will also beat out a similarly priced pre-built:

Here's a popular DIY sub build around here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45528

Here's a list of DIY subwoofer projects at AVS forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1104368

These links should keep you busy for a while

 

[lsiberian]

Another option is to mod the Behringer 2030p's

They are a pair of speakers that go for 150 and with a few mods compete with speakers much more expensive.

Wmax outlined the mods in a forum post last year.

You can probably get 3 pairs of those and have your full set. You can mount the center channel on the wall above your tv and aim it down.

Just mod them and you will have a nice setup. It would be around 450 for 6 of em.

Then watch the Harman Kardon store one ebay for an HK 354 or 254

Or accessories4less. Don't buy a receiver anywhere else. unless you can get it cheaper.

For a sub. Build a Kappa Perfect.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Although 7.1 material isn't widespread yet - 7.1 receivers are the norm nowadays. You could just get a 7.1 receiver and only use the 5.1 mode for now and later add 2 more speakers when you feel the need.

 

[Exit]

I don't like to spend more than I need to on audio equipment so below are some of the deals you might want to consider.

For a great on-sale value and a good sounding 5.1 system that has a subwoofer that goes down to 30 Hz, the EMP 351 5.1 system at $489 from the Audioholics Store is worth considering. I don’t think you could build a comparable system for that low price. My brother loves the sound of this system and it is really fairly valued near its $1319 list price. The system is black. (internet direct sales)

http://store.audioholics.com/product/1866/17/emp-htp-351-5-1-speaker-system

If you want a good sounding high value system that goes down to 20 Hz, the 5.1 SVS at $899 is generally recommended and there are positive reviews on the internet that you can read to be more familiar with the system. The system is black. The subwoofer is on the larger size, so check the dimensions to be sure you have a place for it in your room before you buy. There are other options on sale too and you can contact them for advice for your room size. (internet direct sales)

5.1 compact surround system with SBS-01 mains and PB10-NSD - Black (ships April)*
$999 $899

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

If you are looking for something not too big that has cool styling that would probably please the wife and still sounds good, I would look at the spherical shaped speaker systems from Orb Audio and Anthony Gallow. These speakers offer different color choices which is also a wife pleaser. I believe Orb Audio is more affordable than Anthony Gallow and both have had good reports from Audioholics members. (retailer sales)

http://www.orbaudio.com/

http://www.roundsound.com/