Need AV receiver (4) tower setup.

J

justinbeaird

Audiophyte
I am new to higher end audio and need a budget av receiver for around ($400) but don't know what I need or the lingo. I have 2 elac debut 2.0 f5.2 towers, and just got a really good deal on 2 more Onkyo skf-4800 towers.
Basically I want to run 4 towers in front, or maybe 2 towers in front 2 in back. But I don't know what receiver I need or what features to look for to accomplish this.
 
L

Leemix

Audioholic General
2 front and 2 more to the side which is where the surround speakers are supposed to be. 4 at front wont work very well.


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ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Up your budget a hair and go for the Denon 3500 on sale. Possibly one of the better buys available.

Pls don't run all four towers up front. That makes for an audio nightmare if you like good sound quality. Us them as surounds. ;)
 
J

justinbeaird

Audiophyte
Up your budget a hair and go for the Denon 3500 on sale. Possibly one of the better buys available.

Pls don't run all four towers up front. That makes for an audio nightmare if you like good sound quality. Us them as surounds. ;)
Ok but what type of receiver features do I need to accomplish this? I don't know the lingo, zone 2? Height speakers? 7.1? Or do I need 9.1?
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
If you think you might expand your setup over time, you likely won't use more than 5-9 channels total. That said, Power is kind of inexpensive, so a 7-channel or 9-channel amp isn't that big of a deal.
More than anything, what is your usage going to be? HT to Music?
A good AVR will process multiple channels, give you room correction to help smooth out the sound, allow for subwoofers (highly recommended), and serve as a hub for processing all your entertainment needs and getting the signals to the right locations.
Since I don't know your usage, I won't speculate as to your needs. I only bring that Denon up because it is a great deal. There are many other options out there.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Ok but what type of receiver features do I need to accomplish this? I don't know the lingo, zone 2? Height speakers? 7.1? Or do I need 9.1?
An avr with 5.1 capability or more will do. Your speaker setup so far would only be 4.0, and if you do use surround audio the avr can deal with the lack of a center speaker (and don't use them all up front). I like the Denon 3500 suggestion....$400 isn't really going to cut it except maybe used. What gear do you want to use with it? Is this for music only or with video?
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I am new to higher end audio and need a budget av receiver for around ($400) but don't know what I need or the lingo. I have 2 elac debut 2.0 f5.2 towers, and just got a really good deal on 2 more Onkyo skf-4800 towers.
Basically I want to run 4 towers in front, or maybe 2 towers in front 2 in back. But I don't know what receiver I need or what features to look for to accomplish this.
Here's the 3500 being suggested and I like it as well.


It's more than worth the additional cost if you can swing it. After you get that and get your speakers set up properly (not all 4 up front! :eek:) that AVR can help get things dialed in proper for you.

Before you buy any more equipment, like a subwoofer or more speakers hit us up here. There are a lot of products out there that look good, but end up being expensive missteps. Just like you're doing now, do your homework before buying and always, always take customer reviews with a huge grain of salt. Most folks won't write up a crappy review for something they just bought, or oftentimes don't have a good point of reference for hifi audio.
 
J

justinbeaird

Audiophyte
Here's the 3500 being suggested and I like it as well.


It's more than worth the additional cost if you can swing it. After you get that and get your speakers set up properly (not all 4 up front! :eek:) that AVR can help get things dialed in proper for you.

Before you buy any more equipment, like a subwoofer or more speakers hit us up here. There are a lot of products out there that look good, but end up being expensive missteps. Just like you're doing now, do your homework before buying and always, always take customer reviews with a huge grain of salt. Most folks won't write up a crappy review for something they just bought, or oftentimes don't have a good point of reference for hifi audio.
I plan on running my rapberry pi (mopidy) music server hooked up to it and my TV and adding a sub. And other atmos/satalite speakers later.
I didn't think ahead on my purchases :(. I already have small Jamo Studio Series S 803 ($199) 5 speaker souround system setup, I bought before Christmas hooked up to old early (2000s?) receiver, but then a weak ago bought 2 Elac Debut 2.0 F5.2 Floorstanding Speakers ($460), than a few days ago someone locally was selling 2 Onkyo SKF-4800 for ($100). so I thought a receiver for around ($400) would keep me happy for a few years, my spending got out of hand real fast and I probably overpaid. thanks for everyones help, I am a bit over extended money wise right now and getting stressed over this. I have new toys to play with but no power, to play with them and tight budget LOL
 
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ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
I plan on running my rapberry pi (mopidy) music server hooked up to it and my TV and adding a sub. And other atmos/satalite speakers later.
I didn't think ahead on my purchases :(. I already have small Jamo Studio Series S 803 ($199) 5 speaker souround system setup, I bought before Christmas hooked up to old early (2000s?) receiver, but then a weak ago bought 2 Elac Debut 2.0 F5.2 Floorstanding Speakers ($460), than a few days ago someone locally was selling 2 Onkyo SKF-4800 for $100. so I thought a receiver for around ($400) would keep me happy for a few years, my spending got out of hand real fast and I probably overpaid. thanks for everyones help, I am a bit over extended money wise right now and getting stressed over this. I have new toys to play with but no power, to play with them and tight budget LOL
Don't stress. That makes this much less fun. ;)

Press pause for a day or two and read about the speakers you have. Learn about setting them up in a surround system. Lots of good stuff here at AH can help you out!

When it comes to upgrading gear, you have to have a plan. With that, you make anything happen. (Almost anything.)

Cheers!
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Is your old receiver gone now? It may not be much use for 4 channels/speakers, but you could use it still?
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Know also that most people don't set a system up with 4 speakers up front for a reason. Comb filtering, frequencies overlapping and makes a mess of your soundstage and imaging. 2 up front is plenty (or 3 with a center channel). Adding more speakers to the front stage might look cool or seem like a good idea, but it's not. You would almost be just as well off using each set of speakers in a different setup, but mismatching surrounds isn't too bad. It's the front 3 you want to make sure that match.

Speaking of surrounds, most music is recorded in stereo and is meant to played back that way tho you can up mix if you like. For the most part the surround speakers are really just for effect so they don't actually get a ton of play.
 
Bucknekked

Bucknekked

Audioholic Samurai
Know also that most people don't set a system up with 4 speakers up front for a reason. Comb filtering, frequencies overlapping and makes a mess of your soundstage and imaging. 2 up front is plenty (or 3 with a center channel). Adding more speakers to the front stage might look cool or seem like a good idea, but it's not. You would almost be just as well off using each set of speakers in a different setup, but mismatching surrounds isn't too bad. It's the front 3 you want to make sure that match.

Speaking of surrounds, most music is recorded in stereo and is meant to played back that way tho you can up mix if you like. For the most part the surround speakers are really just for effect so they don't actually get a ton of play.
@Pogre
I believe the OP said he doesn't speak the lingo and doesn't know the terminology.
Maybe I can help. I am good at translating arcane techno speak in to plain english.

1. Don't run all 4 of the talkey boxes up front. That will sound like shitt.
2. Spend a day reading about your talkey boxes and big radio they will plug in to. Time well spent.
3. Start with just 2 talkey boxes and see if you can get it to sound good first.
4. Experiment and have merriment every day there after.
 
J

justinbeaird

Audiophyte
@Pogre
I believe the OP said he doesn't speak the lingo and doesn't know the terminology.
Maybe I can help. I am good at translating arcane techno speak in to plain english.

1. Don't run all 4 of the talkey boxes up front. That will sound like shitt.
2. Spend a day reading about your talkey boxes and big radio they will plug in to. Time well spent.
3. Start with just 2 talkey boxes and see if you can get it to sound good first.
4. Experiment and have merriment every day there after.
I am not that ignorant. I just didnt know what to look for in a receiver in order to get full range out of a 2nd set of towers in back of room or side of room, instead of just bells and whistles, my knowledge is outdated, limited only to my early outdated magnovox receiver, and early car audio wiring , with my Solo-Baric L7S , car amps, and crossovers, i also understand impedance, and cliping.
My knowledge is like like all from the 2000's when if you bought a souround sound all the speakers and receiver came in the same box with rca cables. Lol
 
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BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
So, a big statement you through out, without likely understanding what it really meant in the real world was this:
" adding a sub. And other atmos/satalite speakers later "

Adding 'other speakers' later isn't a well thought out plan. It's like buying a car and saying I plan to upgrade the wheels AND ADD MORE WHEELS TO IT LATER!

Well, a car that's designed for four wheels, can't really have additional wheels added to it later.

A receiver is the same way. Some can handle Atmos, some can handle two or four Atmos speakers, some cannot. Reading about surround formats and the speakers utilized is important so you can understand the basics. But the most typical basic surround sound setup is five speakers, plus a subwoofer. Often called 5.1. The first number is the main speakers, the .1 is for the subwoofer. If you add Atmos speakers, then those speakers are added after the subwoofer. A full on surround sound w/Atmos setup and a couple of subwoofers may be referred to as 7.2.4 audio. But, you need a receiver capable of decoding all those channels of audio properly for your room, and those receivers are still stupidly expensive.

So, for now, one of the better values is that Denon AVR-X3500H - But, it is designed to power up to 7 speakers plus send audio to a powered subwoofer in some very specific configurations. Learn about those configurations before you dream up a room with 100 different speakers in every possible location. That's not how things work.

Quality over quantity is the goal. It is the talking point. It will be the go to on these forums and from almost everyone involved. There will be a ton of recommendations to do research before you buy. Always ASK FIRST - buy second. If you can't wait that long, then at least do some decent homework and read reviews if they exist before spending your cash.

I have found that good speakers are one of the best investments in audio that people can make. Not expensive speakers, but good speakers. Especially good subwoofers. A good subwoofer almost always costs a fair bit of cash as well. Throw out the budget when it comes to a good subwoofer, but a good subwoofer can be a thirty year purchase.
 
J

justinbeaird

Audiophyte
So, a big statement you through out, without likely understanding what it really meant in the real world was this:
" adding a sub. And other atmos/satalite speakers later "

Adding 'other speakers' later isn't a well thought out plan. It's like buying a car and saying I plan to upgrade the wheels AND ADD MORE WHEELS TO IT LATER!

Well, a car that's designed for four wheels, can't really have additional wheels added to it later.

A receiver is the same way. Some can handle Atmos, some can handle two or four Atmos speakers, some cannot. Reading about surround formats and the speakers utilized is important so you can understand the basics. But the most typical basic surround sound setup is five speakers, plus a subwoofer. Often called 5.1. The first number is the main speakers, the .1 is for the subwoofer. If you add Atmos speakers, then those speakers are added after the subwoofer. A full on surround sound w/Atmos setup and a couple of subwoofers may be referred to as 7.2.4 audio. But, you need a receiver capable of decoding all those channels of audio properly for your room, and those receivers are still stupidly expensive.

So, for now, one of the better values is that Denon AVR-X3500H - But, it is designed to power up to 7 speakers plus send audio to a powered subwoofer in some very specific configurations. Learn about those configurations before you dream up a room with 100 different speakers in every possible location. That's not how things work.

Quality over quantity is the goal. It is the talking point. It will be the go to on these forums and from almost everyone involved. There will be a ton of recommendations to do research before you buy. Always ASK FIRST - buy second. If you can't wait that long, then at least do some decent homework and read reviews if they exist before spending your cash.

I have found that good speakers are one of the best investments in audio that people can make. Not expensive speakers, but good speakers. Especially good subwoofers. A good subwoofer almost always costs a fair bit of cash as well. Throw out the budget when it comes to a good subwoofer, but a good subwoofer can be a thirty year purchase.
I have returned some stuff and decided to plan better, I have quit a large living room with tall ceilings. that is why I planed on having 2 towers front and 2 back or side, I don't think atmos speakers would be good in this space unless I wall mount them.
I do however think I am going to get a Denon AVR-X3500H receiver, but now I am also looking into external amps.
Not sure what speakers I am going to end up buying yet, but I would like to start with 2 towers,
 
G

Gmoney

Audioholic Ninja
I have returned some stuff and decided to plan better, I have quit a large living room with tall ceilings. that is why I planed on having 2 towers front and 2 back or side, I don't think atmos speakers would be good in this space unless I wall mount them.
I do however think I am going to get a Denon AVR-X3500H receiver, but now I am also looking into external amps.
Not sure what speakers I am going to end up buying yet, but I would like to start with 2 towers,
Okay now you gotten a lot of good input on starting up a good HT system and you’ve picked out a good AVR. Stop and Research some nice Tower speaker’s a good pair can be had anywhere’s from 1000 to 1500 hundred. Don’t know what your Budget is for LCR but spending the most money you can on those three are the most important in putting together a nice setup. That alone will keep you from having Buyers remorse and you won’t be thinking down the road, maybe I should upgrade for a while. Welcome to AH and your Journey to better Audio/Video! ;)
 
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