piece together system.

[sholling]

im looking for a nice setup. budget is 2500.00. need everything. i am a complete newb at home audio but am pretty advanced in car audio. i have no idea what is out there in home audio and dont know what is good.

Let's start with some basics:

• First don't expect a home subwoofer to thump like a car subwoofer. You aren't supposed to even be aware of your sub in a home theater - the bass is just there but doesn't draw attention to itself.
• Second without a room size it's impossible to give a knowledge based recommendation. That's because a properly sized subwoofer can suck up a big chunk of your budget and without the total cubic footage (including attached spaces that are open to your room) nobody has a clue how much subwoofer you need.
• Speakers are highly subjective and your taste may be completely different from mine. All anybody can do is make suggestions for candidates. Personally for a small to medium sized room I like Ascend Acoustics' CMT-340SE across the front and and CBM-170SEs on the sides. That'll set you back about $1200 shipped. On the other hand a larger room may need real towers like the EMP E55Ti.
• Nobody can give you an informed receiver recommendation without knowing the needs of the speakers they'll be driving.

1. Start with the basics like measuring your room size including attached spaces. Next measure the distance from the speakers to where you'll be sitting. Then figure out what kind sound levels you'll need.
2. Contact Rythmik Subwoofers, SVSound, and Hsu Research and have them size a vented subwoofer with enough capacity to fill your room. Once you've completed step 2 you'll know how much money you'll have left for speakers.
3. For small to medium sized rooms I would start researching Ascend Acoustics, EMP speakers (but not their subwoofers), and a few others. Both offer good bang for the buck. On the other hand if you have a very large room you may have to do this project in stages. In other words starting with 3.1 and growing it as money allows to 5.1 or 5.2.
4. The general rule of thumb is to put roughly 25% of your budget aside for a receiver but in your case you may not need to spend that much. Again sit down and figure out your needs and what your speakers need. For example figure out if you need network features in your receiver. If you've selected 4ohm speakers you'll need a receiver capable of driving a 4ohm load. On the other hand 8ohm speakers are easy to drive and as long as the receiver has enough power to meet their needs and your tastes you're good to go.

Accessories for less can be a great resource for deals on factory refurbished Denon and Onkyo receivers. A Denon AVR-2312 is probably a good candidate for most rooms but I can't say for sure without knowing the room size and the speakers. That's because it isn't rated for 4ohm loads.

 

[B2WJ4.7]

ill give a little more background with my car audio setup. my vehicle is geared towards sql. i run a fully active setup, i like my mids and highs crisp and transparnt. but i do like my bass loud. but that is not what i am looking for in a home audio system. i want everything to blend together and be more about sound quality. but i would enjoy for the bass to be there when it calls for it ie: explosions in movies.