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[1livingston]

Not really sure where to start, 5,000.00 budget looking mostly for two speaker stereo sound, I am wanting it to sound like the band is playing in my gameroom. The surround comes second and then any money left maybe ceiling speakers for the other rooms? Where does a fellow begin
Thanks

 

[Pyrrho]

You might want to list everything you want. For example, does that $5000 need to buy a TV, BD player, receiver, speakers, maybe something else? Is it fewer things than that?

For speakers, it is a good idea to go listen to all of the types of speakers you can find (e.g., ribbon, horn, dome, whatever), of as many brands as you can stand to listen to, with all of the types of music to which you normally listen, with music with which you are familiar (making a CDR for this is a good idea).

It is also good to keep in mind that speakers make the most difference for how your system will sound. A receiver can be pretty inexpensive and sound great, if the speakers are not difficult to drive. And if they are particularly difficult to drive, you probably want a receiver with preamp outputs for all channels, and then use separate amplification to drive them.

I personally am fond of Magnepan speakers, and recommend that you audition them. You should obviously listen to other brands, as your taste may be quite different from mine.

If I were in the market for speakers at the moment, I would also consider auditioning the bookshelf speakers at:

Philharmonic Audio

I would probably go with the bookshelf speakers for all channels, if I went with that brand. And since I would be using a subwoofer or two, it would not matter that they cannot do really deep bass (though their rating for bass is really good for a bookshelf speaker).

With subwoofers, there are several really good brands to consider, but you cannot go wrong with SVS. They make great subwoofers, are all a good or great value, and they have good warranties and good customer service.

But I should stop and wait for you to say what pieces of gear you expect to get for your money. If it is just the audio portion of your system, you should be able to get something that sounds really good.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

How big is your game room?

 

[lsiberian]

Philharmonic 3s. They are TLs that don't need subs. If you have any questions about them don't hesistate to ask Dennis he's a local forum guy.

JBL lsr6332. These are the speakers Harman Kardon uses as a baseline in their demo rooms. Yeah that would be a good speaker to have would go great with the Cinema Surrounds down the line for a sick theater setup.

JTR Triple 12HT. These are great if you like it loud and proud without sacrificing good sound.

 

[ImcLoud]

I would definitely listen and demo stuff when spending that kind of money... A local hi fi shop will bring you speakers to test out rite in your space...

If it were me and wanted a music only system I would start with getting the electronics set up, so the hi fi shop can bring over speakers and you can just plug them into your gear...

a preamp and amp would be ideal for keeping the path as short as possible {unless you go integrated}
USP-1 Stereo Preamp | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplif
XPA-2 | 300W x 2 | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplifier
that will give you 600w and preamp control with sub control for around $1300

then for speakers if you don't want subs there are tons of options, I really fell in love with the PSB T2's when I heard them and depending on the room they can get by without a sub... Ascend sierra towers are nice too...

One of the best systems I ever heard was a emotiva xsp1, xpa2, with dual HSU ULS15 subs, and ascend sierra towers, It will cost around $6000 but I haven't heard anything better for under $12K...

But I would look around A LOT, another nice system would be a basic integrated or stereo receiver with a pair of bookshelfs and a pair of subs... like svs sb2000's with ascend sierra 2's...

 

[1livingston]

Lots of good stuff thanks everybody. The game room I mentioned is 34X20 the 5000.00 would not include anything but the reciever and speakers but there is so many choices of recievers and equipment.... Now with that said, will that budget support more than just great sound or can I include for the price surround sound with speakers without sacrifice to quality and if so what would you use? Inwall speakers? stand alone, bookshelf. Also worth mentioning the drywall has not been installed yet the builder has told me I have three more weeks before they (drywallers) show up.

 

[sawzalot]

Lots of good stuff thanks everybody. The game room I mentioned is 34X20 the 5000.00 would not include anything but the reciever and speakers but there is so many choices of recievers and equipment.... Now with that said, will that budget support more than just great sound or can I include for the price surround sound with speakers without sacrifice to quality and if so what would you use? Inwall speakers? stand alone, bookshelf. Also worth mentioning the drywall has not been installed yet the builder has told me I have three more weeks before they (drywallers) show up.

You should definitely sketch up some layout plans to include screen/panel location , seating , that will show you where you will ideally want speaker placement then run your speaker wires in wall , cable lines in wall, hdmi in wall/ceiling as needed , any cat5 and so on. I think this should be done even if you are un-decided on speakers as in wall or stand alone that way all wires will be there no matter which ones you decide to go with .

 

[ImcLoud]

I would have all your wiring laid out. If you are just doing stereo and need no switching you can get away without wiring your speakers through the walls.. but if you are thinking surround sound in the future I would wire it in now...

You need to start demoing or listening, I would choose the electronics, get the room built and them demo demo demo.... If you are going to mostly use the system for music, I would go 2.2, with an amp and preamp {you can hook the tv in if you get a tv with analog audio outputs}, if you are looking for more of a home theater setup I would get an avr and let it handle all of your switching and hdmi stuff.... I like the sound of pream and amp, or stereo receiver, or integrated since its shortest signal path and sounds cleanest to me, but others like avr's too...