Need help on speaker purchase

[HDwannaB]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post on this website but I have been watching from afar for several weeks. Thanks in part to this website and others, I have narrowed down my search for home theater speakers to three systems. The Athena Micra 6, the SVS SBS-01, and the Orb Audio Mod1. I am fairly certain I will be going the route of the Denon 2807 receiver unless anyone thinks this may be a bad move for a relative novice. The big question is which one to go with. I realize I will only be receiving opinions on this forum and what one person likes maybe completely different from someone else, but any words of wisdom would be much appreciated. Here are the details:

Purpose: 90% dedicated to movies, otherwise CD's/Music DVD's

Room Size: Currently an L-Shape, 10'x22' for the long leg of the room in which the TV will be setup at the far end. Will be moving within the next 2 years but future living room will most likely not exceed 15'x20' (9' ceiling)

Speaker Budget: $1000 (max) however if I can spend half of that without compromising too much of the quality than can be achieved by a $1000 system I would go that route

Visual Appeal: No preference

Other: Hopefully the speakers I choose will last for many years to come

Goals: Optimal surround sound audio quality for movies with plenty of power to impress the friends and family at parties when I have my Stevie Ray Vaughn Live At Texas DVD cranking out Texas Flood and Voodoo Chile.

Thanks Everyone!!

 

[Matt34]

The SVS package would be a good choice for the kind of use you described.

 

[j_garcia]

I heard them in a room that was ~14'x19'x9' and that package did quite well. Based on what you said, I think it would work for you as well. $500 will NOT be able to buy you something that will be in the same league.

 

[markw]

Quick question...

Are you insistent on a mini system?

If not, can suggest a few things for you.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26063

 

[Nick250]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post on this website but I have been watching from afar for several weeks. Thanks in part to this website and others, I have narrowed down my search for home theater speakers to three systems. The Athena Micra 6, the SVS SBS-01, and the Orb Audio Mod1. I am fairly certain I will be going the route of the Denon 2807 receiver unless anyone thinks this may be a bad move for a relative novice. The big question is which one to go with. I realize I will only be receiving opinions on this forum and what one person likes maybe completely different from someone else, but any words of wisdom would be much appreciated. Here are the details:

Purpose: 90% dedicated to movies, otherwise CD's/Music DVD's

Room Size: Currently an L-Shape, 10'x22' for the long leg of the room in which the TV will be setup at the far end. Will be moving within the next 2 years but future living room will most likely not exceed 15'x20' (9' ceiling)

Speaker Budget: $1000 (max) however if I can spend half of that without compromising too much of the quality than can be achieved by a $1000 system I would go that route

Visual Appeal: No preference

Other: Hopefully the speakers I choose will last for many years to come

Goals: Optimal surround sound audio quality for movies with plenty of power to impress the friends and family at parties when I have my Stevie Ray Vaughn Live At Texas DVD cranking out Texas Flood and Voodoo Chile.
Thanks Everyone!!

Speakers make the system IMO. Take $400 off your receiver budget and add to your speaker budget. The speakers are they heart of the system, especially the front mains. I doubt you will hear a difference between a 1906 and a 2807.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Yq32r06f0U9/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=10420&I=033AV1906B

The 1907's are out so you probably can get 1906 for $450 or so (not from Crutchfield probably).

The SVS PB10 sub is a killer HT sub in the mid four hundreds. And if I was going ID on speakers, I would choose Ascends to audition first.
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/

Good luck, Nick

 

[HDwannaB]

Markw,
If I switch to the Athena package of speakers, which is impressive BTW, the total price if i included the SVS sub would be about the same price as the SBS-01 package. Is there a recommended sub that would "match" well with these speakers yet come in somwhere below the $450 pricetag of the SVS sub? If not, do you or anyone else have an opinion on which package would be better for my situation seeing as how the price adds up to being almost identical (again I will audition these speakers first but I figure why not ask the experts in the meantime).

Nick,
I agree about switching to a more inexpensive receiver, however, one of the things I liked about the 2807 was the HDMI inputs/output as this system will be matched with an HDTV and I can only assume that connection would be the ideal connection between the two devices. If I'm wrong please set me straight as I am still feeling my way around in the dark as far as the HT world is concerned.

 

[markw]

Good subs are universal, and the subs you mentin are very good subs. You can match any good sub with virtually any speakers. Generally, the rule of thumb is to go with the best sub you can afford, particularly with a system like the one I suggest, which can pretty much stand alone without a sub. You can always turn down a more powerful sub but you can't turn a weak one up beyond a certain point.

As for an opinion, I might be a little biased. Check out my sig line.

Actually, if you wanted to get more sub for your budget, you might think about swapping those $250 floorstanders for another pair of the &120 speakers suggested for the surrounds. That would free up an addtional $130 towards the sub and you will still have larger mains and surrounds than the packages allow. But, personally, I prefer the towers when playing music.

 

[Nick250]

Nick,
I agree about switching to a more inexpensive receiver, however, one of the things I liked about the 2807 was the HDMI inputs/output as this system will be matched with an HDTV and I can only assume that connection would be the ideal connection between the two devices. If I'm wrong please set me straight as I am still feeling my way around in the dark as far as the HT world is concerned.

[EDIT Yikes! I ment to post HDMI DOES NOT provide better audio or video]HD, HDMI does provide better sound or superior video, plus it's still in it's infancy so I will stick with my thinking to save on the receiver and put the savings towards better speakers or better sub. That WILL make a noticeable improvement in sound quality.

I can appriciate feeling your way along, there is a lot to take into consideration. Audioholics is "newbie" friendly so fire away with questions.

Nick

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver and speakers

I agree with the above.
The SVS system is a great option and spend less on the receiver. For about $350, a Yamaha HTR-5960 would be a good option for your system. You can always add an HDMI switch down the road.

Also, the Onix X-LS speakers from av123.com are a good alternative to the SVS system. Check it out and read the reviews on this site.

 

[HDwannaB]

Ok, thanks to Markw's posts and everyone else's in this thread and many others, I have decided to go with the Athena package with the SVS 10" sub. This leaves me with two other variables, the receiver and the DVD player. I have been impressed to a certain degree to what the Oppo 971 offers at $200 although I have read on this site and others that the bass management is lacking and with the SVS I don't want to prevent it from performing at the levels it is capable of achieving. As for the receiver, I am interested in the street price range of $400 or less which really limits my selection of quality receivers but I think I can still find something and be happy with it. The two that have really caught my eye are the Yamaha RX-V659 and the Pioneer SX-1016TXV (http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Pioneer_SX_1016TXV_Receiver,__24048980). I couldn't find a review for the 1016 on this website but i have seen others and it seems to be rated very well.

In short, which of these two receivers (or a mystery player below $400) is more appropriate for the athena and SVS speaker setup? Also, should I avoid the Oppo for the bass management issue (crossover control) or are there workarounds to this problem? If i avoid it, is something like the Panny S97 a better option?

 

[jcPanny]

DVD Player

I think that the Athena speakers will be the weakest link in your new system, but if they sound good to your ears, then that is what is important.

Concerning DVD players and bass management, when watching regular DVDs, the player will send a Dolby Digital or DTS signal to the receiver and the receiver will decode the digital signal and do the bass management.
When playing DVD-Audio disks, you will use the Oppos analog outputs and the Oppo will do the bass management. Unless you get a high end Denon DVD player, the bass management will be less sophistocated than your receiver. You will probably never play DVD-A's and use this feature so don't worry about it.

Also check out the $150 Oppo player which includes SACD playback but the upscalling is not quite as good as the $200 model.