new 5.1 theater system, n00b help!!

[ChiCubs05]

hey all, thanks for taking the time to check this out. we just finished our basement and are looking to make a "theater" room mainly for gaming and movie/sports purposes. we bought a sony 1080p 60" TV and a new samsung blu-ray dvd player... but now is where i get lost

i'm looking for recommendations for a 5.1 surround sound setup. my budget is probably $1800-$2000 all inclusive. (minus cables and stands) For the receiver i have picked the Yamaha RX-V659. its gotten great reviews, HDMI and 7.1 upgrade possibilities. now i need help with the speakers...

i have been looking at the Epic Grand Master 175 system, but its a base system and i'm afraid that its going to be too weak since it is an entry level syster

also the NHT Classic 3 series seem incredible, but are out of my price range. the classic zero set i could afford, but it just seems weak when stacked up against the 3's.

best buy offers a package from JBl and harman kordon, but its best buy...


could anybody help me with a recommended system? nobody in my family has dealt with surround sound before, so we're looking for overall sound quality and best bang for the buck option, smoebody should know what i'm, talking about. thanks alot!!

 

[swank501]

Even in the smallest towns, Home theater stores exist. This is where you will find some of the nicer stuff and people that really know what they are talking about. Best Buy isn't a bad option if they have the Magnolia section, but they have all their stuff priced at MSRP and don't usually budge.
I went to my local HT shop to demo some speakers in my price range which is actually close to yours. I found that the Klipsch reference series to meet my needs. I got a killer 5.1 setup and I felt like I was contributing to my local family owned business rather than a faceless corporation. They were willing to budge on the price a bit which you likely will not get in any big box store.

They even let me check out their Uber hi end room consisting of Macintosh pre/pros, B&W 5.0 (don't know the series but they had silly microphone looking tweets on the top) and the grand daddy of all subs ,The $12,000 JL Audio twin sub. It was pure audio nirvana. If I had 50,000 to spend, it would have been gone. That gave me the ultimate benchmark to check against lesser systems.

Demo-ing the speakers is the only way to go. It's your ears and nobody will be able to tell you what you like better than you. I was able to get my Reference 5.1 system for ~ 2,000 and it was money well spent.

 

[boboi]

hey all, thanks for taking the time to check this out. we just finished our basement and are looking to make a "theater" room mainly for gaming and movie/sports purposes. we bought a sony 1080p 60" TV and a new samsung blu-ray dvd player... but now is where i get lost

i'm looking for recommendations for a 5.1 surround sound setup. my budget is probably $1800-$2000 all inclusive. (minus cables and stands) For the receiver i have picked the Yamaha RX-V659. its gotten great reviews, HDMI and 7.1 upgrade possibilities. now i need help with the speakers...

i have been looking at the Epic Grand Master 175 system, but its a base system and i'm afraid that its going to be too weak since it is an entry level syster

also the NHT Classic 3 series seem incredible, but are out of my price range. the classic zero set i could afford, but it just seems weak when stacked up against the 3's.

best buy offers a package from JBl and harman kordon, but its best buy...


could anybody help me with a recommended system? nobody in my family has dealt with surround sound before, so we're looking for overall sound quality and best bang for the buck option, smoebody should know what i'm, talking about. thanks alot!!

If you do audition and decide to go the JBL route, you may want to consider purchasing them from here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-1493648-1760664?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=jbl+venue&x=5&y=11

They're the same ones at BB, for a lot less.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

The Yamaha RX-V659 does not have HDMI so if you need an AVR with this you need to bump up one model.

 

[rnatalli]

The Yamaha RX-V659 does not have HDMI so if you need an AVR with this you need to bump up one model.

Yes, I'd go for the 661 just so I wouldn't have to upgrade. Don't forget to audition speakers as they're the most important part of your new system.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker options

Check out the SVS bookshelf system or the AV123 X-series speakers with MFW-15 sub in your price range. Both are great options in your price range and come with a good sub. Both online companies also have good trial/return policies.

http://av123.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=21&Itemid=37
http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Check out the SVS bookshelf system or the AV123 X-series speakers with MFW-15 sub in your price range. Both are great options in your price range and come with a good sub. Both online companies also have good trial/return policies.

http://av123.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=21&Itemid=37
http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

Yeah, AV123 is a Fav around here.

If you want a totally free audition (free shipping to your house and free shipping back to the company), you might consider Aperion:

http://www.aperionaudio.com/systembuilder/draganddrop.aspx

You can get tower fronts 533-T, center 533-VAC, dipole surrounds 534-SS, and 10" sub S-10 for about $2K. Send them back if you don't like.

 

[calnbs]

After years of research, I came to the conclusion that ID was the way to go. Best bang for the buck. Unfortunately, ID is harder to listen too and less well known to the general public if you want to resell/upgrade. But I don't mind that.

My top choices were:

av123's Rockets and MWF 15 subwoofer: Amazing reviews. Awsome looks. I don't know if I like the look more or the sound. Great for HT and Music. Great company and customer services. Hands down the best Shipping and Handling....my boxes was delivered perfect...not a single dent...5 out of 5 boxes were perfect. Owner is hands on. Will give you his cell phone if you want to talk to him.

Aperions: Amazing review as well. Great return policy both ways. Loved by most who bought them. Great customer services. Amazing looking speakers.
Great for HT and music but from my research, HT have the edge over Music.

Swans: Amazing reviews, customer services, and return policy. Was my 2nd runner up. Same as the above two speaker companies. Great for HT and Music.


I believe you won't be disappointed with these 3 speaker brand. It just comes down to a matter of taste. Go to the owner's thread in avsforum and read as much as you can about these and the others you might be interested.

 

[jcPanny]

AV123 trial

Yeah, AV123 is a Fav around here.

If you want a totally free audition (free shipping to your house and free shipping back to the company), you might consider Aperion:

http://www.aperionaudio.com/systembuilder/draganddrop.aspx

You can get tower fronts 533-T, center 533-VAC, dipole surrounds 534-SS, and 10" sub S-10 for about $2K. Send them back if you don't like.

AV123 has a similar "Free Trial Policy" for all of their bookshelf speakers that includes return shipping.

 

[AUtiger]

amp

You might call Emotiva http://www.emotiva.com/ and discuss what you are looking for. They are great to work with and give lots of personal attention. If you go with separates, emotiva has a great sale going on or you may find 1used (pre/pro LMC1 $350) on audiogon.com. Then you are flexible to change things out economically. Good Luck

 

[newb]

going the Aperion route

I'm going for the Aperions myself, they look great, sound great(subjective I know), and look to have stellar customer service.
Now just to wait for the credit balance to close for the month.
March 1st....can't wait(their accessory deals ends on the 2nd).
Happy Listening