Have 1,500 to 2,000 to spend - what would you choose for speakers & receiver?

[cpo]

I have $1,500 to $2,000 to spend on a home theater system. Here are the parameters:

Family Room: 18x25 10' ceiling connects to adjacent kitchen with no wall. total area including kit and eating area is approximately 1100 square feet. The floor is wood over concrete. There are no draperies. I have a Pioneer 5040 Plasma above the fireplace which is centered on the far wall of the room.

Here is what the room looks like:

I would like to have a home theater system which will provide me with an exhilarating experience when watching movies. Music is also of interest but not as important. 70/30

The receiver that I want must have the ability to have an amplified second zone/input.

Can you recommend a receiver and a set of speakers? that will work well within this area and within my budget (utilizing street prices not list prices) Please give me the reasons for your choices.

Thanks!!!

 

[jaxvon]

Erg, this sounds like a multi-phase project. Multi-zone capabilities really jack up the price on this stuff. Just for starters, you may way to peruse B&K Components. Things you need to really look into doing:

• Room Treatment (Acoustical, like drapes, rugs, etc)
• Wiring scheme (what kind of video, etc)
• Where your equipment will be

As a good rule, if you're NOT doing multi-zone, Budget about 500-600 for the Reciever, and the rest for Speakers, room treatment, and cables. I reemphasize room treatment, because you have wood floors, no drapes, and a big room. You're going to need to invest money into deadening your room in order for your system to sound like it's worth anything. Big furniture can help, but drapes and rugs will also be a necessity. I suggest you peruse this area of Audioholics. It will give you some insight on how to deal with acoustics.

For cabling, I'd recommend that you go with Blue Jeans Cable. It's high quality stuff, much of it identical to stuff from Cobalt Cable and River Cable, but less flashy and much less expensive.

Speakers...There are SO many possibilities with these, that I can't say anything for sure. Look into:

• Magnepan
• Axiom
• Athena

I must say though, these are just basic suggestions. It may be possible on your budget, but I forsee the second zone thing possibly being dropped.

 

[zumbo]

Yamaha RX-V1400/1500, or RX-V2400/2500.


http://www.paradigm.com/

 

[cpo]

How about...

What do you think about the KEF KHT5005 Speaker System or the Polk RM7600 Speaker System or the Definitive Technologies ProCinema 100?

What about combining them with a Pioneer VSX-1014TX receiver (many have said that it is the same receiver as the Elite 52)?

How would these pair up?

cpo

 

[cpo]

List of speakers and why I was considering them...

I was thinking about the Polk 7600 speakers because they have good reviews from owners and a Sound & Vision reviewer. the speakers are built to install on the wall, are only 5 1/2 inches deep and the driver sizes are: 5 1/4" Mid-Wfr / 1" Twtr, Freq Rspns: 25Hz - 25kHz. <a href='http://www.polkaudio.com/home/specs.php?recent=1&category=2&speaker=133' target='_blank'>http://www.polkaudio.com/home/specs.php?recent=1&category=2&speaker=133</a>

I was thinking about the Definitive Technology ProCinema 100 because they have had good reviews for years and are built to install on the wall. They are just short of 6" deep and have 5 1/4 Mid-Wfr / 1" Twtr, Freq Rspns: 50Hz-30kHz (<i>without a sub</i>). <a href='http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/procinema/procinema.html' target='_blank'>http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/procinema/procinema.html</a>

I was thinking about the KEF 5005 because they are built to install on the wall and I have always heard good things about the KEF line. (<i>Is it because people think that the English can build great speakers?</i>) They are only 5" deep and have 3" Mid-Wfr / .6" Twtr and come with a 250 watt subwfr, Freq Rspns: 30Hz-30kHz. <a href='http://www.kef.com/KHT/KHT5005/home.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.kef.com/KHT/KHT5005/home.htm</a>


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Regarding the Klipsch, I like the sound of the speakers but have been reluctant because many folks say that the sound is bright and can become somewhat abrasive/annoying after a while. This may be emphasized by the openness of the room and the lack of sound treatment. Also the speakers that you have recommended are bookshelf speakers not designed to mount on a wall and are 7.75" deep. <a href='http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=657&s=specs' target='_blank'>http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=657&s=specs</a>

Has anyone on this forum compared these speakers?

 

[zumbo]

How about this for a wall speaker:http://www.yawaonline.com/mbquqls23052.html

http://www.mbquart.com/2003/en_US/products/prod_detail.asp?isArchive=&cat=home&series=s line&strt=1&model=QL+S230

Did you miss these?http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/Cinema/Cinema_Series.html

 

[gmauriello]

$1500-2000 home theater

I have two home theater setups...and both feature yamaha receivers and def tech speakers...and couldn't be happier. In my family room (24x16x15) I have 4 Def tech procinema 100 monitors (fronts and surrounds), the procenter c2 center and the pro sub 200 TL hooked into a yamaha rx-v1500. I think you can pull that off in your budget, but i agree not to forget about good cables and some acoustical treatments. In my dedicated home theater room (30x15x10) i have the bp7002's in front, clr2500 center, bpvxp surrounds and bpvx rear surrounds powered by a yamaha rx-v2500. I own a pair of old polks for 2 channel listening in my living room and love them, but i think they are in the "bose mode" now...marketing speakers that are not as good as the competition. Klipsh just don't sound good to my ear...i find the horns too harsh. I would recommend cheking out the def techs, b&w, psb and energy in your budget. good luck.

 

[gmauriello]

def tech setup

for the record, the theater setup definitively sounds better than the family room setup, but for 1500 - 2000 bucks I think you will be hard pressed to equal the sound out of my family room setup. the pro 100 monitors are very impressive for the size/cost of the speakers.

 

[jcPanny]

Axiom on-walls

Axiom has a new line on on-wall speakers that would look nice in your HT. Otherwise, consider their M22ti's with brackets for for fronts, VP100 center, and QS8 surrounds.

SVS and HSU make some nice subs. You will need at least one 12" sub to provide decent LFE in your large, open room.

 

[beta5alphamu]

believe it or not there are so many options that can be had

the trick here is that you have speakers and a receiver to buy. So you don't want to necessarily blow half of your budget on the receiver and half on the speakers...with a receiver you want something that can provide substantial power and process all the formats out there.....with that said I recommend the Denon 3805....it can be had for about 6-700 dollars, maybe even less who knows. that will leave you with about 3 quarters to spend on the speakers.....lets say 1350. There are alot of speakers that come to mind....but here is where advice simply doesn't help because you hear things differently from me. The receiver part was easy because I know what the 3805 is capable of.....but with speakers go out and listen to ones in your price range or you can go the route I went and give the internet direct brands a chance as well. (Aperion, Axiom, Ascend...just to name a few)