Ordering 5.1, for brotherinlaw how does this sound for $2500..

[ImcLoud]

Lately I feel like I work at a HT store. I am on light duty at my business and I have been running everything from my home office {comparatively, this is a slow time of year for us} since my shoulder surgery, and I am bored. We have had so many people over lately because Im actually home, so I have been showing off my new home theater setup, this makes my family and friends also want to upgrade...

Well over the weekend my brother-in-law and his family came over and we watched a couple movies, he was amazed at my new system... Yesterday he texts me and asks what exactly I bought and where... So I dont want him having the exact same system as me {what fun is that}, and he only wants to spend $2500 MAX, he would rather spend less...

Heres what I told him he should buy...

Sr4003 $250 has preouts, I know some people dont like the marantz lines, but they have preouts and look good for $250...
Marantz Sr4003 Dolby Digital Ex/dts Es Surround Receiver | Accessories4less

3 carver ma202 amps $375- these are the same as the emotiva bpa1 and apa150, I opened mine next to my apa150 and it has some physically larger components, such as transformer and some caps, as well as the volume control unit... but it is generally the same amp, its a good a/b class amp especially for less than $1 per watt... Bridged as Mono blocks they make 200watts, which is pleanty for the front 3, and that will free up the avr's power for the surrounds... I use a pair of these to power a 2.1 setup and they rock, run super cool and clear, no complaints at all... {I know the whole carver group story, but I was told Emo designed this amp and the apa150 gets all good reviews...} Its a powerful little box...

Speakers of course Ascend- 3-340's and a pair of 200s $1100, I have listened to so many speaker sets, and this combo can not be touched... I dont care if you have a $3000 budget this set still has better audio quality than anything else in that range...

And for a sub HSU VTF2 $615, this is the best part of a system, the vtf2 is amazing for the money... His room is 18 x 16 x 9 this should do fine...

That comes to around $2100... I ordered him some tartan cables he needs, and some and a set of stands for the 200's... He is looking into some kit to build room treatments, so I will be interested to see how that works out, and he should have everything in a week or so...

Its going to sound just like my system, since the only difference is the the avr/amp setup... But I am interested in seeing how it sounds in a different room... His room is more closed off with a smaller opening where my room is open to the kitchen and a huge hall way...

So what do you think, would you order anything different? I really like useing separate amps, I know some people would just buy a $600 avr, but I can hear the difference between a stretched out avr amps section and a decent oversized amp just idling the power out... I know my 200x5 ht amp hardley breaks a sweat for my theater, but I think thats where some of the sound quality comes from...

 

[Steve81]

So I dont want him having the exact same system as me {what fun is that}, and he only wants to spend $2500 MAX, he would rather spend less....
So what do you think, would you order anything different? I really like useing separate amps, I know some people would just buy a $600 avr, but I can hear the difference between a stretched out avr amps section and a decent oversized amp just idling the power out... I know my 200x5 ht amp hardley breaks a sweat for my theater, but I think thats where some of the sound quality comes from...

Well you really took things in a totally different direction from your system with those Ascend speakers and the Hsu subwoofer

Seriously though, given that he likes your system, there's not a lot of reason to switch things up too much, and it doesn't look like you have.

On the power side of the equation, I'm not a big believer in separate amplifiers unless you're using fairly difficult speakers (the Ascends aren't particularly) or you're listening fairly loud. I'd probably start him off with something like the SR5006 which is not only more powerful than the 4003, but has Audyssey MultEQ XT vs MRAC on the 4003, HDMI 1.4a vs 1.3a on the 4003, and a few other nice features. The only drawback is that it comes with 2 channel preouts vs a full set, though that still leaves room for adding something like a UPA-200 later if he feels he wants more juice (I'd expect something like a 5006 could handle the center and surround channels just fine). Of course, there are other brands which offer a full set in this ballpark, the Onkyo TX-NR709 for example.

 

[ImcLoud]

Well you really took things in a totally different direction from your system with those Ascend speakers and the Hsu subwoofer

Seriously though, given that he likes your system, there's not a lot of reason to switch things up too much, and it doesn't look like you have.

On the power side of the equation, I'm not a big believer in separate amplifiers unless you're using fairly difficult speakers (the Ascends aren't particularly) or you're listening fairly loud. I'd probably start him off with something like the SR5006 which is not only more powerful than the 4003, but has Audyssey MultEQ XT vs MRAC on the 4003, HDMI 1.4a vs 1.3a on the 4003, and a few other nice features. The only drawback is that it comes with 2 channel preouts vs a full set, though that still leaves room for adding something like a UPA-200 later if he feels he wants more juice (I'd expect something like a 5006 could handle the center and surround channels just fine). Of course, there are other brands which offer a full set in this ballpark, the Onkyo TX-NR709 for example.

I was between the 709 and the cheaper marantz with the 3 amps, and I figured for an extra $175 the separate amps are going to pay off when he listenes to music, because he listens loud, he plays music in his ht room so you can hear it on the second floor.... I once went over there and his poor Onkyo speakers where blaring so he could hear it in the garage with the door half closed... Plus for some reason he cant keep avr's, he burnt out 2 denons in less than 18 months, I want to say it may have something to do with the levels he listens at...

I know some people dont see the point in separates for home theater, but I can instantly tell the difference between my avr and my Emotiva xpa5, it seems to free up the sound a little, makes the system feel effortless... Plus it plays stupid loud...

When Im showing off my theater, I throw the movie Drive on, and FF to the scene where the father gets shot outside the store. I turn it up to 70 {which is stupid loud} and all you can hear is this quiet engine rumble for about 30 seconds {mostly through the sub and surrounds}, then the guy walks out of the store and the engines idling registers around 70db, it doesnt sound like the system is turned up much at all, then the gunshot goes off, my cheapo spl meter registers the blast at about 105db at the seating area.
Everyone jumps, even me, and Ive done it 15 times.... It sounds like someone shot a 38s off in the living room, the first time I did it, my wife came down stairs and asked if I was shooting the gun out the window...

Now I do that with the avr turned up , it sounds terrible, like a static shock through the system, no defined POP/Crackle like with my XPA5, just a noisey bang, and No where near as loud...

Welll worth the price of admission if you ask me, I remember seeing drive in the movie theater and everyone jumped when the gunshot went off, if you never tried it, give it a try, Drive is on demand, and Netflix instant rite now... Its fun to wake the kids up when they are sleeping on the couch, jk

 

[Steve81]

I was between the 709 and the cheaper marantz with the 3 amps, and I figured for an extra $175 the separate amps are going to pay off when he listenes to music, because he listens loud, he plays music in his ht room so you can hear it on the second floor....

I'd still heavily consider the 709 or 5006 with the potential for adding a separate amplifier later as needed. I mean, either one will break 100dB driving two channels with 340s with 10 feet of distance with more dynamic power in reserve (that equates to only 30 watts a side, assuming you're driving two speakers with 92dB sensitivity in room). OTOH, the added features (particularly Audyssey) are things that could come in quite handy. Part of the fun of budgeting though.

I know some people dont see the point in separates for home theater, but I can instantly tell the difference between my avr and my Emotiva xpa5, it seems to free up the sound a little, makes the system feel effortless... Plus it plays stupid loud...

What can I say, I don't need em

99dB of sensitivity at a tad under 9 feet of distance = all the volume I can handle and then some plus no concerns about compression at any volume I'd care to listen.

 

[ImcLoud]

He is hooked, he hasnt even gotten the first package yet, and he already double the sub, he ordered another one... His room is smaller than mine and the vtf2 is too much for my room, I have the sub turned up 1/2 way and the umc1 is balanced at -5.5, but I run it a little hot at -3.5 and it is A LOT of rumble...

We watched the new American Horror tonight {DVR'd} and with my volume at 48 the room was shaking and we were definitely surrounded by sound, in the beginning my wife said "ITS TOO LOUD", but before the first commercial she was into it... We have to watch that when the kids are out, I thought last season was a little racy, 5 minutes in to the premier and some chick is telling her husband "Ill let you put it in my ----" Ill stop there BUT, all of that aside its a good show... even if you dont like horror, because these have good story lines, not like most horror flicks which DONT...

 

[Steve81]

He is hooked, he hasnt even gotten the first package yet, and he already double the sub, he ordered another one... His room is smaller than mine and the vtf2 is too much for my room, I have the sub turned up 1/2 way and the umc1 is balanced at -5.5, but I run it a little hot at -3.5 and it is A LOT of rumble...

I can't judge. My room is also about 2500 cubic feet, albeit different dimensions, and as good as a VTF2 or my old PC12-NSD is...you can always have more!

Ill stop there BUT, all of that aside its a good show...

Just have to squeeze it in, ehh