Good Reciever Speaker Combo?

[canadaisintexas]

Hey guys,

So im fairly new to HT and all those good things but have put together a basic HT setup that i plan to use in the Windowless media room that is about 20x20x8 in my new house and was wondering if you guys could give me any pointers or show me anywhere that i could have picked something better for the same kind of money

Reciever .............. Yamaha RX-V2500 .........around $600
Surrounds ............ Axiom Audio QS8's x 2 ....$500 a pair
Front L & R .......... Axiom Audio M50Ti.........$700 a pair
Center Channel ..... Axiom Audio VP150........$385
Some kind of DLP Projector for between $2200 and $3000
Carada Criterion 142" Screen..............$1100ish
Playstation 2 & Xbox
Some kind of HDTV DVR/Cable Box combo
Unsure about DVD as i want to wait and see what happens with the new dual layer technologies

I plan to be watching mostly Action & Comedy Movies and listen to mostly Classic and modern/alt. rock

Do you have any recommendations as far as a different reciever or speakers?
Do you think i should have put less money in 1 area and more in another?
Recommendations for a DVR/Cable Box?
Anyone have any ideas for a good projector?

Thanks, Robert

 

[runninkyle17]

The Yamaha receiver is a good choice, but if you are going to spend the money on the 2500 you might wait a little while and get the 2600 because it has HDMI inputs and outputs on it, plus I think it has HDMI upconversion. As far as the Axiom speakers go I have heard many good things about them, but if you want to save a little money you might look at some BIC speakers, you could probably get two front towers, a matching center, two surrounds, and either an SVS sub or a matching BIC sub all for right around $1100. Good BIC towers are the DV64's, DV84's, and DV5312's (my favorite). BIC's Venturi line is more musical I think than their other speakers but they are really great speakers.

I think if you have anywhere to put a little extra money it is in the speakers because you can use speakers for a very long time and if you spend a little more on quality speakers you will be very happy with your system. Also do not forget to budget some money for some decent cables and interconnects because if you have a great system and crappy connections you will be very unhappy and angry. That is pretty much all I am going to risk saying about that, hope it helps. If you want, google "BIC speakers" and read their specs and read some of the reviews on the net, they really do have great reviews. Have fun it sounds like you are going to have a very nice HT setup. I am jealous!@!!!!

 

[Snap]

Kyle has some good points. I too agree about the RX-V2600 instead of the 2500. It comes out in a week. (Give or take a day or 6)

I have not heard the speakers that you listed. But I am a HUGE fan of Phase Techs. I also like Energy speakers. For Subs....SVS or Velodyne.

Everything else is balls on.

 

[jcPanny]

Speakers

Hey guys,

So im fairly new to HT and all those good things but have put together a basic HT setup that i plan to use in the Windowless media room that is about 20x20x8 in my new house and was wondering if you guys could give me any pointers or show me anywhere that i could have picked something better for the same kind of money

Reciever .............. Yamaha RX-V2500 .........around $600
Surrounds ............ Axiom Audio QS8's x 2 ....$500 a pair
Front L & R .......... Axiom Audio M50Ti.........$700 a pair
Center Channel ..... Axiom Audio VP150........$385
Some kind of DLP Projector for between $2200 and $3000
Carada Criterion 142" Screen..............$1100ish
Playstation 2 & Xbox
Some kind of HDTV DVR/Cable Box combo
Unsure about DVD as i want to wait and see what happens with the new dual layer technologies

I plan to be watching mostly Action & Comedy Movies and listen to mostly Classic and modern/alt. rock

Do you have any recommendations as far as a different reciever or speakers?
Do you think i should have put less money in 1 area and more in another?
Recommendations for a DVR/Cable Box?
Anyone have any ideas for a good projector?

Thanks, Robert

Sounds like you have the makings for a great HT setup. I recommend the Yamaha and the Axioms you selected. The new 2600 model is almost twice that of the 2500 and I think the HDMI switching feature is overrated, IMO.

Also, I would go for the M60's or M80's for fronts as you could use the higher SPLs in your large room. You have a large room, so consider adding 7.1 or pressence speakers later on.

Don't forget a subwoofer in your budget. HSU and SVS offer great performance in the $400-600 price bracket.

Concerning projectors, check out the BenQ 7700 DLP for about $2500. The new Panasonic AE9000U and Sanyo Z4 LCD projectors are also worth a close look. See projectorcentral.com for more info.

Your screen is on the large end but might be feasable with a totally light controlled room. I would get the projector and experiment on a white wall before ordering the screen. Basically larger screen = less brightness and more pixalization. Also, the projector mounting location and zoom range will effect the possible screen size.

 

[canadaisintexas]

almost forgot about the subwoofer i was planning on using was the
Rocket UFW-10 Subwoofer......$600 any better suggestions?

and i will be using 7.1 (note the 2 sets of QS8's)

As far as the newer Yamaha that releases later this week is concerned i plan on just using the 2500 as the 2600 will run about double the price.

As far as wiring is concerned. Any reccomendations for a company to use for wiring. I plan on using Axiom Audio's speaker wire.

i have the ability to mount the Projector up to 16ft back in the room and the seats will be around that far back also

oh yea and the room will be completely blacked out.....the door is even getting a weather seal (that thing on your front door to keep the wind out) the only light will be from the displays on the reciever dvd player and the little LED on the PS2

any reccomendations on remotes guys.....somewhere between $150-$250
Thanks for all the great responses so far guys!

 

[runninkyle17]

SVS PB12-ISD
http://www.svsubwoofers.com/subs_pb12_isd.htm

or
SVS 20-39PCi
http://www.svsubwoofers.com/subs_pci_20-39.htm

You really cannot go wrong with SVS. They are awesome and you will think you are listening to a $2000-3000 sub for the $600 that you spend. Trust me they are the sub of choice for many of the audiophiles on this forum and for good reason. Have fun!

 

[jcPanny]

More info.

Sub: I agree with the above recommendation. You will need at least one 12" SVS sub for your large room.

Wiring: The axiom wire will work but it's a little expensive. Check out belden 5000UP(12 AWG) and 5100UP(14 AWG) from westlake electronic. It runs about $0.17 / foot and it also meets all fire codes for inwall installations.

Projector: Run the projector calculator on projectorcentral or other sites. With a given projector mounting distance, you can tell what screen sizes are achievable using the zoom in/out on the lense.

Remotes: Check out the harmany remotes on logitech.com