New to Audio/questions

[rdub05]

Hi All,

So as the title says, I'm basically a complete newbie.
My wife and I watch tv and movies in our living room with the built in TV-speakers, and I've got a 6 or 7 year old $80 set of 2.1 Logitech speakers that I listen to music on in my home-office.

We've got an extensive movie/music/game collection. Due to the recommendation of a friend long ago, I've always ripped my cd's in FLAC and have a fairly large music library(currently organized and played through MusicBee).

The equipment that I currently have:

• Aforementioned Logitech speakers in office
• Sharp 42 inch LED TV(only sound currently in the living room)
• Xbox-One
• Bose AM-500 Acoustimass Subwoofer(not in use, received from a friend who upgraded)
• Yamaha rx-v563 receiver(not in use, received from a friend, missing remote)

What I'm wanting to buy/do:
I'd like a set of speakers that would work for both music and movies/tv
I'd also like a way to play my music collection in the living room. The files are currently housed on my desktop located in my office. I can stream mp3s fine to the Xbox-One, but I'd like a way to listen to the much larger FLAC collection without converting them all.

The setting:
I'm a little concerned about the layout of our living room. The living room is actually fairly small, but our house has a pretty open floorplan and with the way the living room is currently laid out there is no "back" wall as it opens straight up into the breakfast nook/kitchen area. So if possible I'd like something that would still sound good despite this limitations. Due to the lack of a back wall, I'm not really looking for something that is 5.1 or 7.1 surround as I think it might be hard to place the rear speakers.

The Budget:
This will probably be the kicker. I don't have a lot to spend for all that I'm asking. I'd like to keep whatever I end up with under $400 with $500 being the tops for now. I'm okay with piecing together a system over time as more money becomes available, however if I were to do that I'd like to at least start with something I could enjoy listening to in the mean time.

As stated, I'm basically a newbie to this genre of technology so I'm not entirely sure of what all is needed for what I'm wanting to do. Any tips/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Edit to original post: In case it's helpful; we would probably use whatever we decide to go with for around 50% TV/Movie watching, 40% music, and 10% gaming

 

[herbu]

Welcome.
$400-500 for a complete system will whet your appetite, so ideally it will be something that is friendly to future upgrades.
Look at this one: YHT-399U - Home Theater in a Box - Home Theater Systems - Audio & Visual - Products - Yamaha United States

It is the Audioholics top pick in 2014 for a budget all-in-one Home Theatre in a Box.

Audioholics.com says:
"Want a 5.1 system for less than $500? Want
that system to use a real A/V receiver so
you can upgrade down the line? Meet the
Yamaha YHT-399U. Based on Yamaha’s
HTR-3066 receiver with 70W of power per
channel, YPAO auto-setup and calibration,
and support for 3D and 4K video, you also
get a quintet of satellite speakers and an
8” subwoofer backed by another 100W of
amplification. At this price point, there are of
course compromises to be made. However,
as a starter system with room to grow, it’s
hard to beat for the cost."

 

[rdub05]

I had looked at a few bookshelf speakers.
The audio engine p4 and the
Klipsch reference rb-61 II.

I was a little concerned about the layout of my living room for a 5.1 system. Is it still recommended to go that route for starters over something like the ones mentioned above? I was thinking that already having the receiver might give me a little more to spend elsewhere. Is the one I mentioned not worth keeping? Sorry for all the questions, trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[rdub05]

Ok, after doing more research I'm trying to choose between the following:

Klipsch Reference RB-51 II - $420/pair
or
Polk TSx110B - $229/pair + Polk PSW108 Subwoofer $180 (or Polk TSx150C Centerchannel $199) not sure if I should get a center channel or a subwoofer first, thoughts?

or
AudioEngine P4 - $249/pair + not sure what to go with these?


This would be using the receiver mentioned in the original post.

Thoughts on these ideas?

 

[markw]

You say you don't have the remote for that receiver. Many functions involved with setting up modern receivers require the use of it's dedicated remote.

Check your owners manual to see if this is the case for your receiver.

 

[rdub05]

Will do, I was thinking of just ordering a replacement remote for the system

 

[zieglj01]

Ok, after doing more research I'm trying to choose between the following:

Klipsch RB-51, or Polk tsX110, or AudioEngine P4

This would be using the receiver mentioned in the original post.

My choice, and they do have some good bass - and are really good for music and home theater
JBL Studio 530
Amazon.com: JBL Studio 530 Two-Way Bookshelf Loudspeakers (Pair, Black): Electronics

Your call

 

[agarwalro]

Klipsch Reference RB-51 II - $420/pair
or
Polk TSx110B - $229/pair + Polk PSW108 Subwoofer $180 (or Polk TSx150C Centerchannel $199) not sure if I should get a center channel or a subwoofer first, thoughts?

or
AudioEngine P4 - $249/pair + not sure what to go with these?

IMO, you can do better than those in $400. My recommendation,

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

and

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400009816&sr=1-1&keywords=f12+subwoofer