Looking to buy the first 5.1 system

[michaelt]

I am looking to buy a 5.1 system.

Currently I have BOSE 2.1 (Acoustimass 3), with HD projector and 80" screen. Lots of movies, classical music and jazz. The living room is pretty big - about 20' x 15' - so not that much happy with the quality (or perhaps the speakers are just too tiny for such a big room), and looking to get something significantly better.

My current receiver is Panasonic SA-HE100, which was rated #1 by Consumer Report when I bought it 6-7 years ago: 6.1, 100W/channel, 6-8 Ohm, 2 front speakers can also be 4 Ohm, frequency response 10Hz-70kHz, +/- 3dB.

The budget is up to $1500. I am looking for a recommendation to get the system with the best value for the money. Ideally, I'd like to spend around $500-$700, if possible.

1) Is the receiver good enough for a $1,500 5.1 system? In other words, will the receiver be able to take full advantage of, say, Aperion's Intimus 4T Hybrid SD ($1,569) which is right at the top of my budget, or I definitely need to get a better receiver for that system?

2) Which 5.1 system with front tower speakers would you recommend for this receiver?

3) And finally, if I am really highly recommended to upgrade the receiver, which 5.1 system with a receiver would you recommend?

Thanks a lot in advance for any recommendations,

Michael.

 

[Nemo128]

Everyone will tell you that the speakers are the critical component, and I certainly agree.

Just general advice, don't insist on towers. Be open to bookshelfs. Fact is, you just want to find the best speaker for your needs and budget, form factor be damned.

 

[Pyrrho]

I would not replace the receiver until you NEED something that it can't give you.

If sound quality is what you want, put ALL of the money in speakers (including subwoofer). I would not recommend buying tower speakers at all, because you will be using a subwoofer for the deep bass anyway, and with the same money, you can buy better quality bookshelf speakers. If you set things properly, you will get the best sound this way. (However, a lot of people willfully set up their systems wrong, with the subwoofer level set too high, and then they complain that it isn't good with music. Well, duh!)

Go out into the world and audition as many speakers, and as many types of speakers, as you can stand to audition. At your price point, spending the full $1500 will make a big difference over spending $700. For subwoofers, I like SVS, and you will probably want to consider the PB10-ISD:

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

Of course, if you manage to spend less on the six main speakers than $1000, you could go up the line, but I don't think I would take that approach, as six speakers for $1000 still isn't a lot.