It's my first HT system and I don't want to screw it up.

[ruskus]

Here is a system I have heard that sounds good to my novice ears. Listening will be 90/10 HT/music.

Deftech Mythos STS front towers
Deftech Mythos 3 center channel
Deftech BP2X rear surround
Yamaha RXV2700 receiver
Monster Power MPHSTS5100II power center

The discounted price is $4150.00. I know that the Yamaha is not the current model. Should I spend the extra $$ for the current model? Also, my room size is about 21ft x 21ft. I am going to see how the built in subs in the STS sound before I would add an external subwoofer. Anyone with experience on their sound in home? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

Russ

 

[Davemcc]

I would buck up for the newer receiver and just use a simple, inexpensive surge protector. I will let others comment on the DefTechs and the need for a sub.

 

[ruskus]

I would buck up for the newer receiver and just use a simple, inexpensive surge protector.

Every place I've walked into has the big power center displays. I didn't know if it was truly important or not. Same sort of thing with speaker wire. From what I've read, as long as you use the proper gauge wire for your distance and ohms all will be good. No need to overspend for name brand wire.

 

[Davemcc]

Every place I've walked into has the big power center displays. I didn't know if it was truly important or not. Same sort of thing with speaker wire. From what I've read, as long as you use the proper gauge wire for your distance and ohms all will be good. No need to overspend for name brand wire.

That's the Monster business model. They want you to grossly overspend on wires, interconnects and power centers.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The question of "NEED" is so variable.

IMO, the only DT towers that you might be able to do without subs are the 7000SC & 7001SC, of course, depending on your personal "need".

Another factor is your huge room, which is bigger than many "reference" THX rooms. The bigger the room to fill, your more bass you will "need".

For music, you can probably do without a dedicated sub with the STS.

But for movies, I would definitely get a dedicated subwoofer with the STS.

Of course, perhaps your "need" is quite different than mine.

For example, both Home Theater Magazine and AVRevolution set the BP7000SC's sub to 10 o'clock, while I set mine to 11 o'clock.

Of course, my wife complains about the wall-shaking bass. When we watch movies, she makes me turn OFF my Trinity Sub and turn down my BP7000SCs to 9 o'clock. For her, the STS would produce more bass than she will EVER NEED.




BTW, I got all my DefTechs at 30% off MSRP, so hopefully you will get a good deal.




Also, why not get the matching Mythos Gem XL for surrounds?




I would NOT buy that Monster Power Conditioner. Instead, I would buy a used Panamax from eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Panamax-m4300-ex-m4300ex-Surge-Protector-Suppressor-AC_W0QQitemZ170265846012QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170265846012&_trkparms=39:1|66:2|65:1|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/Panamax-Max1000-surge-protector_W0QQitemZ230294787874QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230294787874&_trkparms=39:1|66:2|65:1|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14



And just in case, Cables from Blue Jeans Cables, not Monster Cables.

 

[jcPanny]

First HT

That is a nice budget for your first HT. Have you listened to any other speaker options in your budget? I would audition several and let your ears decide. Look for Paradigm, PSB, Klipsch Reference, Energy and others in your price range. You also might consider some of the Internet Direct companies.

Also, that receiver model is a couple year old. Unless you are getting a great deal (around $500) then I would opt for a newer model like the new RX-V1900 or last years RX-V1800.

 

[Midcow2]

I would buck up for the newer receiver and just use a simple, inexpensive surge protector. I will let others comment on the DefTechs and the need for a sub.

I agree with Dave, you are overspending to buy the Monster, a less expensive surge protector would do just as well.

I have the Def Tech 7002 towers with powered sub and it sounds pretty good by itself, but you might want to think about a separate sub. You could always add later to the Mythos STS if they don't provide enough sub through their built in 300 watt subs.

 

[ruskus]

I am a big fan of internet shopping and getting the best price possible. One problem I am having is locating higher end audio shops in my area, Union County, NJ. We have lots of big box retailers. The shop I bought my Nakamichi cassette deck from all those years ago is gone. I've done some searches but haven't come up with much. Any NJ people out there?

 

[Panjsheri]

Forget the monster get a Panamax instead

 

[BMXTRIX]

I personally went with the Mythos 8 after having the 3 for a while, and I thought the upgrade was worth it. Since the majority of dialog for movies is from the center channel, having a better center is well worth it.

The L&R mains are great, but I've never been a fan of the integrated subwoofer. They sound decent, but not fantastic. If you have an amplifier issue, the speaker has to go in for repair and you lose a main speaker instead of just the subwoofer.

Meanwhile, with the Mythos 1 speakers, you save about $1,000 and you get more lower midrange and midrange speakers from the setup. A $1,000 sub is likely going to serve you far better.

As well, you will need to make sure that you have a power outlet where you want to put the L&R speakers to power them, as well as you will need to run a piece of coax cable for the subwoofer (LFE) input into each speaker. Both of these items are rarely in place where they need to be, but must be done for proper setup of these speakers.

Now, if you are prepared to get another sub, and have all the above, and the money isn't a huge issue, then I do believe that these are very good speakers. They certainly aren't a 'compromise' of a product overall, and their style is excellent.

For a receiver, I wouldn't consider a generation or two older model if it could be avoided. With more and more HDMI equipment coming to market, you would want a receiver equipped with 4 HDMI inputs all of which are version 1.3, and the receiver should be capable of decoding the newest high resolution audio formats (DTS-MA, Dolby True-HD). The Yamaha has none of this.

Instead, perhaps the Denon AVR-2809 might be an excellent choice, or look at the 1900 or 3900 receivers from Yamaha.

The Monster isn't a bad piece (IMO), but there are clearly options worth noting.

DO NOT BUY MONSTER CABLE!

www.monoprice.com
www.bluejeanscable.com

No matter what the sales guy says, if you're spending more than about $100 or so on the cabling, you are likely spending to much.

 

[mazersteven]

Every place I've walked into has the big power center displays. I didn't know if it was truly important or not. Same sort of thing with speaker wire. From what I've read, as long as you use the proper gauge wire for your distance and ohms all will be good. No need to overspend for name brand wire.

www.bluejeanscable.com
www.monoprice.com

 

[mazersteven]

Here is a system I have heard that sounds good to my novice ears.

That's all that matters is how it sounds to you. If you like the sound, and don't want to put the time, and effort into auditioning, researching more options. Then pull the trigger.

If you want to do some research, and also save some cash.


http://av123.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,273/category_id,19/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,37/