Alright, so I have been into audio for a few years. However, while I understand and know more than the average person I am still not the most experienced in listening to various high end brands or knowing what may be the most appropriate for the given situation. That doesn't mean I would not have a good idea. More on to the point shall we?
If you don't want the unnecessary dribble of the background, skip to the summary of my needs.
======== Unnecessarily long way to tell you more than you need to know ==========
In my bedroom I have a 46" Sony TV wall mounted, as well as some higher end desktop PC's (I custom built them as I work on the IT side of things). Now, I like to be able to stream video/audio from my PC to my TV occasionally (my wife does not have her's hooked up). And my newer Radeon graphics card is a pain in recognizing the audio on my TV so I have to currently use my computer speakers. Which are a pair of M-Audio AV 40 studio monitors. Pretty good actually. That was until the left speaker decided to take a dump and won't output audio (it still forwards audio to the right speaker though). The audio comes out of an ASUS Xonar Essence STX. And when I don't use speakers I use a decent pair of headphones (Sennheiser brand). So I have reverted to a Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 setup. It sounds muddy to me, but doing the job.
So this whole thing has made me want to just get a receiver and a simple, yet good sounding setup that can enhance watching TV/movies as well as doing a good job of playing some games and music via my PC when I desire it. Thus no more cantankerous problems recognizing my TV's audio while streaming directly from my PC, and an enhanced experience via either source while whatever it is I am doing.
=============== End of being long winded ================
=============== Summary of what I need and what you need to know ================
At the end of the day I probably need a receiver, at least 2 speakers (maybe 3), and a sub so I can hook up both my TV and computer. And the end result will be great sound in my bedroom while listening to music, watching a movie (via blu ray player or HD stream), or playing games via STEAM on my PC.
Given the range of things I will want to listen to and experience, it is pertinent that the speaker can handle movies, music, and some gaming. Also, the bedroom is roughly 10x15 if I remember correctly. The TV and bed from where I do most my watching are positioned lengthwise (so the TV/computers are agaisnt one 10' wall and the head of my bed is up against the other 10' wall).
So I went to a local place that sells home theater equipment and setups. Now they had every kind of setup including your high end $30k setup. And when I told them the situation and setup.
They recommended the following:
3 (left, right, center) Paradigm MilleniaOne 3.0 Speakers - $696 total for all 3
Paradigm PDR-80 Subwoofer - $278
Denon AVR-X1000 Receiver - $419
Total is $1393
To be completely honest I just wanted to see what the recommended options would put me at price wise and to serve as a starting and comparison point. But, I was hoping not to spend that much for a bedroom setup. However, the speakers sounded pretty good. I have no idea if these prices are good or if there are better competing products/prices. For instance I know B&W, among others make speakers, and Veloydne and HSU make decent subs. Or will I find Energy speakers sound just as good? I really don't know the absolutes here, and like everyone says, sound is also objective and will have it's own color.
Please give any advice you can. Thanks.
