Help with HT Equipment

[davedmsu]

I'm in the process of finishing up my basement, and as part of that I'm putting in a projection system (96-100" screen) and I need some help with the A part of the A/V.

First, I'm torn between two receivers:

ONKYO TX-SR674 and the Yamaha 6090. The Yamaha is about $150 more, but the specs seem about the same. I'm a long-time Yamaha lover, but it has been a _long_ time since I bought a receiver. My main concerns are 7.1 abilities and upscaling to HDMI output (the projector I plan on buying only has a single HDMI input). I've heard the 6090 at a local best-buy in a HT setup with their best Klipsch setup (simply amazing), but I have yet to hear the Onkyo. Any opinions?

Secondly, speakers:

This is the one area that I've got to skimp on, at least for now. I've got an old Yamaha 5.1 CLS-200 setup that if need be I can use the sub from. The NS-FP9500 has caught my eye, but I have yet to actually hear it. The price seems pretty good too (~$300). The Klipsch Quintet III seems appealing, but the only setups I've heard so far have been less than stellar. Lastly, the Yamaha NS225 series, while a bit more expensive than the other two, seem like they may fit the bill. Or should I forgo the smaller speakers and get true front towers, like the 555s or 777s?

Thanks in advance,
- D

 

[Nick250]

My suggestion is, if you have to skimp somewhere, don't do it on the speakers. If that means buying only two good mains at the moment and add other speakers as funds become available, that's what I would do. I also can understand the desire of having complete a package ASAP, it's all a trade off and what works for me may well be different that what works for for you, but the speakers are the heart of the system so a stragty that allows you to do this is the one to pick IMO.

Nick

 

[davedmsu]

My suggestion is, if you have to skimp somewhere, don't do it on the speakers. If that means buying only two good mains at the moment and add other speakers as funds become available, that's what I would do. I also can understand the desire of having complete a package ASAP, it's all a trade off and what works for me may well be different that what works for for you, but the speakers are the heart of the system so a stragty that allows you to do this is the one to pick IMO.

Nick

Okay, makes sense. I've been doing quite a bit of reading and it seems that the Yamaha speakers (overall) may not be the best road to go down... any other suggestions for good HT setup first, music second? Klipsch or Athena?

 

[no. 5]

I've been doing quite a bit of reading and it seems that the Yamaha speakers (overall) may not be the best road to go down...

perhaps. I don't own any Yamaha speakers, but the ones I have listened to were not all that bad, not KEF mind you, but way better than KLH.

Klipsch or Athena would both be good choices, Polk has some well priced stuff, Aperion Audio, Infinity, Energy, to name a few, and a lot of people around like Onix too.

 

[mike c]

I have heard the NS-555's and NS-777's for HT ... they are very decent for the price. I was comparing them with the Infinity Primus range (same price range) but the EF series had a piano gloss finish

 

[jcPanny]

Yamaha products

Dave,
You might consider branching out from the products available at BB. Depending on your budget there are some higher quality and performance products availble from local B&M dealers and internet direct companies.
Also check online prices from Authorized Yamaha dealers for the HTR-6090 and HTR-5990 models. It will be significantly less than the BB price unless you have a significant employee discount.

 

[davedmsu]

Dave,
You might consider branching out from the products available at BB. Depending on your budget there are some higher quality and performance products availble from local B&M dealers and internet direct companies.
Also check online prices from Authorized Yamaha dealers for the HTR-6090 and HTR-5990 models. It will be significantly less than the BB price unless you have a significant employee discount.

I'm not buying anything directly from Best Buy unless absolutely necessary. I only use them as reference because there seems to be a real shortage in dealers for what I'm looking for here in the Lansing, MI area. J&R seems to carry the best prices for what I'm looking for, but I'm one of the people that wants to touch and hear what I'm plunking down hard-earned cash for.

I'm open to all makes/models/etc. I've been reading quite a bit about Acoustech speakers as a possibility. There is a dealer on ebay that seems to have really decent matched sets for this line... anyone have any experience with it?