Large room speaker and amp recommendations

[BrianC]

So I get to help my buddy set up a system in his new house. With a budget of around $4000, what amp/ht speaker combo should he go with in your opinion?

Large room, 40'Wx30'Dx10'H
80% ht useage
Waf is important
$4000 budget
Preferably a receiver, but separates a possibility

Thanks!
-Brian

 

[shadyJ]

Big room and high WAF is in conflict here. The problem is you can not have powerful bass without large subs in a large room, unless you can really shell out for some JL Audio subs. Some speakers I would be looking at are the EMP Tek e55ti towers and an e56ti center with e5bi for surrounds. Those should be able to handle a large room while being affordable and high on the WAF. You might also look at a Hsu speaker package in Rosenut, again, high WAF, affordable, and can handle a large room. For subs, I would go for a dual sub setup. If you can swing it, go for a dual ULS-15 drive, lots of output and high WAF. Another great sub setup with high WAF would be dual Rythmik D15SE subs. For a receiver, I might go for one of the new Denon AVRs.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So $4K for speakers + subs + AVR?

How far is the listening distance from the TV screen the seats?

Maybe some Jamo THX Ultra2 Certified D600 speakers x 3 for front + D500 x 2 for surrounds + subs + Denon X4000.

 

[Irvrobinson]

F WAF. About a month ago I was helping a former colleague pick out an audio system. His wife was such a PITA I just gave up. I recommended he get the best headphones he could find. I was polite enough not to recommend divorce, but I was thinking it.

 

[GranteedEV]

Well I would get a pair of these:

POWER SOUND AUDIO — XV15se Home Audio Powered Subwoofer

Which puts you at 1800

a pair of these:

EMP Tek E55Ti Tower Speakers

Which bumps you up to 2495

four of these:

EMP Tek E5Bi Bookshelf Speaker

which gets you to 2945

and one of these (or the countless other receivers being suggested in this thread... it doesn't really matter):

MARANTZ SR5008 7.2 Network Home Theater Receiver with AirPlay | Accessories4less

which puts you at $3500

And top it off with one of these for no reason at all:

Crown XLS 2000 | Sweetwater.com

And that puts us at $4000

 

[JohnnieB]

Might look into a pair of those subs myself. The espresso finish might be close enough to my towers.

Probably throw an Oppo 103 in as opposed to the Crown, if "your buddy" needs a player.

 

[ImcLoud]

How about
10.4 towers WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10.4 TOWER SPEAKERS (ROSEWOOD) **PHOTO SHOOT** at Music Direct $559
surrounds WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10.SR SURROUND SPEAKERS (ROSEWOOD) **DEMO** at Music Direct $189
center WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 10.CC CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKER (ROSEWOOD) **DEMO** at Music Direct $200
so that is a little under $1000 for speakers, now for an avr he can go with something on a4l like a denon 3313/3312 or marantz 5008 6006 ect, you can easily find something on there for around $600...

So that leaves around $2400 for subs, ULS15's in rosenut would be my pick but if she is against duals a single svs sb13 could work {if she can live with black}... That would be a decent setup for that kind of money..

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

F WAF. About a month ago I was helping a former colleague pick out an audio system. His wife was such a PITA I just gave up. I recommended he get the best headphones he could find. I was polite enough not to recommend divorce, but I was thinking it.

Irv, c'mon, man, that's a little harsh.

I'm sure there is something his wife will accept.

 

[Plexmulti9]

So I get to help my buddy set up a system in his new house. With a budget of around $4000, what amp/ht speaker combo should he go with in your opinion?

Large room, 40'Wx30'Dx10'H
80% ht useage
Waf is important
$4000 budget
Preferably a receiver, but separates a possibility

Thanks!
-Brian

How large is the display? Is it wall mounted? describe what the room looks like. Pics would be helpful!

 

[Irvrobinson]

Irv, c'mon, man, that's a little harsh.

I'm sure there is something his wife will accept.

This woman is a piece of work. My friend settled on a pair of Revel F206s, which his wife had given approval for at the dealer. The dealer was very helpful, and let him take home the demo pair for a day to try them out, and to his spouse the 206s apparently looked a looked a lot larger in their living room than in the dealer's showroom. She insisted he take them back, dictating much smaller speakers, no sub, and they had to be up against the wall and near the corners. That's when I recommended headphones.

I realize I'm probably one of the top five most spoiled members here, but I thought her demands were over-the-top. I don't know about you guys, but when my spouse is passionate about something I try to be as supportive as possible.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

This woman is a piece of work. My friend settled on a pair of Revel F206s, which his wife had given approval for at the dealer. The dealer was very helpful, and let him take home the demo pair for a day to try them out, and to his spouse the 206s apparently looked a looked a lot larger in their living room than in the dealer's showroom. She insisted he take them back, dictating much smaller speakers, no sub, and they had to be up against the wall and near the corners. That's when I recommended headphones.

I realize I'm probably one of the top five most spoiled members here, but I thought her demands were over-the-top. I don't know about you guys, but when my spouse is passionate about something I try to be as supportive as possible.

It's probably because we are so spoiled that I think it can't possibly be THAT bad. But I guess it COULD.

It's probably one of those cases where a person would have to see it to believe it.

My wife sees my 24 speakers and 11 subs and just says, "Wow, you have a lot of speakers there".

 

[cpp]

This woman is a piece of work. My friend settled on a pair of Revel F206s, which his wife had given approval for at the dealer. The dealer was very helpful, and let him take home the demo pair for a day to try them out, and to his spouse the 206s apparently looked a looked a lot larger in their living room than in the dealer's showroom. She insisted he take them back, dictating much smaller speakers, no sub, and they had to be up against the wall and near the corners. That's when I recommended headphones.

I realize I'm probably one of the top five most spoiled members here, but I thought her demands were over-the-top. I don't know about you guys, but when my spouse is passionate about something I try to be as supportive as possible.

A happy wife will get you a lot further than a wife that is pissed off at you..Unless you just want to pay alimony and give up everything you have worked for.

 

[Irvrobinson]

A happy wife will get you a lot further than a wife that is pissed off at you..Unless you just want to pay alimony and give up everything you have worked for.

You're missing my point, cpp. I happen to think that spouses should support each other's passions and interests, not try to suppress them in some sort of domination play.

 

[jcparks]

Irvrobinsin: I completely agree with you and while she does sound over the top, sometimes we don't see things from all sides. Me for example, I would like a bigger sub, but the wife thinks the sub I have is too much already. I could pull the "I work, pay all the bills.." etc, but the unsaid fact here is, I have 2 kids from a previous marriage, one of which has Autism (high function), that she has adopted as her own. She has given up a lot to stay home being mother all day. The boy has fought with her, thrown stuff at her, you name it, but she is still here and she is still my partner. So in some areas I have to be happy with what I have, and appreciate that I have a WAF.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

My wife has said many times jokingly that she hates bass and subs.

Yet a few days ago we were watching "The Raid 2" at home and there was a scene at a dance club. The bass was red hot over the top. I said to my wife, "Wow, it sounds like an actual club in here."

And she replied, "Actually, that sounds A LOT better than a club".

There was also a risible scene in the movie where the protagonist was behind a door that was kept closed only by a little hinge lock. The bad guys were on the other side of the door banging to break the door. The bass was insanely hot. Our loungers were vibrating like crazy. The walls were shaking like a rag doll. And my wife started laughing uncontrollably saying, "There is no way that little lock could have kept the door closed!"

It was so hilarious. But the whole experience could not have been the same without my subwoofers. Yet, my wife does not like subwoofers and bass.

I guess she only likes it when it fits the story and makes it fun.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You're missing my point, cpp. I happen to think that spouses should support each other's passions and interests, not try to suppress them in some sort of domination play.

Yeah. We all know that life is a compromise in itself. Marriage is a compromise. Everything is a compromise.

We do want to keep our wives happy for sure. Unequivocally. No question about it.

Because of this compromise, there are things that should be tolerated. Many things are not that important and significant to fight over.

For example, if money is not an issue and the wife wants a Lexus LX 570, but you want a Porsche, even if you dislike the Lexus, you would tolerate the Lexus to make your wife happy, right?

She could drive the Lexus and you could drive a Porsche.

I am sure there are things the wife may keep in the house that the husband may not like very much. But we tolerate it because overall it is really not that important.

So for the wife to deny the husband of the Revel F206 simply because she did not like the size of the speakers (not because of financial issues) is risible IMO.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Yeah. We all know that life is a compromise in itself. Marriage is a compromise. Everything is a compromise.

We do want to keep our wives happy for sure. Unequivocally. No question about it.

Because of this compromise, there are things that should be tolerated. Many things are not that important and significant to fight over.

For example, if money is not an issue and the wife wants a Lexus LX 570, but you want a Porsche, even if you dislike the Lexus, you would tolerate the Lexus to make your wife happy, right?

She could drive the Lexus and you could drive a Porsche.

I am sure there are things the wife may keep in the house that the husband may not like very much. But we tolerate it because overall it is really not that important.

So for the wife to deny the husband of the Revel F206 simply because she did not like the size of the speakers (not because of financial issues) is risible IMO.

[Big Grin] Here we are, very likely two of the top five most spoiled spouses on this forum, talking about marriage being a compromise. Irony is alive and well.

Nonetheless, I do walk the walk. When my wife says she wants do something that means I need to make a compromise I almost always say yes. Well, truth be known, there are two things I won't compromise on, one of which is buying her Cheez-its (I'm not going to contribute to degrading her health), and the other is letting her eat Pringles in my sports car. (Her feeling is that you can't take a proper road trip without Pringles.) Of course, we can share everything except sports cars, so I'm sure she occasionally eats Pringles in hers. And, no, I won't buy her Pringles either. Sometimes a line has to be drawn!

 

[Irvrobinson]

I could pull the "I work, pay all the bills.."

Yeah, don't ever do that. That's a breach of trust. And it sounds like you're a pretty lucky guy.

 

[cpp]

You're missing my point, cpp. I happen to think that spouses should support each other's passions and interests, not try to suppress them in some sort of domination play.

True, but your speaking about someone else wife and maybe she knows something you don't while ensuring her husband doesn't do something stupid.

 

[shadyJ]

Any woman who wouldn't let me indulge in audio as a hobby is a non-starter as far as any kind of companionship, so long as that hobby does not get out of hand. There are a lot worse hobbies out there. And two Revel f206s do not sound out of hand, so long as they can be afforded.