Marantz NR1606 Needs Speakers

[G-Unit]

Hi I'm new on here and it's my first time building a speaker setup. I recently found a used Marantz NR1606 and I'm going to buy it tomorrow. I was hoping you all could help with deciding what speaker setup I should go with.

My budget is around $600 but I'm pretty flexible. My house was previously wired for a 5.1 in ceiling, and I would like to try the Dolby Atmos. However, the surround wires are already in line with where the couch is. Should I just use the front ceiling wires as the high, and two bookshelf speakers at ear level up front or have the rear surround ceiling wires be the high, and find a way to hold speakers at ear level behind the couch?

I listen to music a lot so that would be my main priority, but I also watch many movies and would appreciate the immersion. Is it better to ditch Atmos for now and focus on nicer speakers?

Thanks for any recommendations!

 

[everettT]

Welcome to the forum. $600 isn't really going to do anything for 7 speakers and a sub. What size is you room and what are your listening habits? There are some bargain speakers like the Pioneer bs22 that sell for $80 a pair and the or matching center for $80. Combine those with a high value sub like this rythmik would put you at $730 for the front three and the sub, then you could add the surrounds as you go.

 

[Latent]

That unit will do atmos 5.1.2. You get two height channels. Ideally these would be in top middle position which is directly above the main seating position and horizontally in line with the front ear level speakers. They can be a bit in front of your seating position as well but should not be behind by much. Measure the distance those speakers are from your seating position and the height from ear level to your ceiling and you can get the angle to compare to dolby recomendations.

 

[G-Unit]

I could do more than $600. What would be a good budget for quality speakers that don't break the bank? I would like the best speakers that the receiver can power that aren't more than $200 per speaker. The room is a combination kitchen and living room but the space for the system would be about 15' X 23' X 9'

 

[Latent]

Having a quick look at the NR1606 manual it shows it can do 3 height channel positions. Front Height at the top of the front wall, Top Front and Top Middle. The angles it suggests from horizontal are FH=30-45degrees TF=30-55degrees TM=65-100degrees.

Top Middle will give you the best experience I think and the other two options will probably be about equal and depend on how close you are to the front wall and ceiling height. To work out if your existing speakers fit into the top middle position you just have to check the angle. Lest assume your ears are 4 feet from the ceiling when seated in which case the maths is that the speakers would need to be anywhere from 23" in front of your ears to 9" behind your ears with the ideal position being 9 inches in front.

For Top Front assuming the same 4 feet from ceiling to ears would come out as between 83" in front of your ears to 33" in front of your ears with an ideal position of 48". Your in ceiling front speakers may line up with this spec fine.

If your ceiling is further away from than 4 feet then you need to increase these distances accordingly.