Speaker selection woes

[kidintraffic]

I'm not sure if this should go into the forum or not. I am a new member here and hope to learn as much as I can.

I'm currently in the market for a low-ish budget speaker setup. I currently have a Denon AVR-787 receiver which is capable of 85watts RMS at 8ohms. I am looking for a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup that will sound good in a room that is a bit smaller then 20x20.

I've been looking at these two setups (which is about what I would like to spend):

• EMP HTP-551 $419
• Mirage Nanosat 5.0 + a sub that I haven't done the research on. $250 + ?

Any comments about either of these speaker sets? Any recommendations on a decent sub for the Mirage set that would put the price around that of the EMPs?

 

[jamie2112]

Emp is a very nice sounding system and has been reviewed favorably.....

 

[alexwakelin]

The Dayton subwoofers from parts express offer some good bang for the buck.

They have 8, 10 and 12 inch versions.

http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?srchExt=CAT&srchCat=620&CFID=6674640&CFTOKEN=43793284

If you have a few tools and are handy, the madisound recession buster kit can't be beat for the price. IMO, it will hold it's own against speakers in the $200 - $300 per pair price range. Buy 3 pairs and you will have a very nice home theater setup.

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8525

 

[Exit]

I would look at the EMP HTP-351 bookshelves 5.1 system for $489. The speakers are supposed to be comparable to RBH models. The subwoofer is rated down to 30 Hz, and it sounds very good as do the other speakers in the set. If you price out the invidivual speakers in the set on the AH site you will find this set is a real bargain at $489.

EMP HTP-351 5.1 (bookshelf) Speaker System (list $1319) $489 (AH Store)
2 pairs of EF30 Bookshelf Speakers (2x$299 sale = $598)(AH Store)
1 EF30C Center Channel Speaker (1x$190=$190 sale)(AH Store)
1 E10s Powered Subwoofer (1x$349.95=$349.95 sale)(AH Store)

Total price bought separately = $598+$190+$349.95=$1137.90
Package on sale is 57% off individual pieces on sale.

RBH TK-5C review comparable to EMP EF30 bookshelf
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/tk-5c

I thought they sounded great for the price and the subwoofer sounded great hooked up to an Onkyo 606 with Audyssey frequency and time domain equalization.

 

[lsiberian]

I suggest you build a set of Infinity Betas. The refurbs come with full warranty and can be had off ebay for about 70 each including shipping.

I think they are the best budget speaker out there. The main reason they were discontinued was due to their size and bulk. The 20s can go very low for a bookshelf. 4 paired with a 360 center or 250 center would be an amazing budget setup.

 

[rnatalli]

Dayton and TSC make decent, inexpensive subs. Either would work with the Nanosats. The EMP setup is great for the money. You could also look at a full TSC setup which was reviewed favorably by AH recently.

 

[GlocksRock]

My parents have the Mirage nanosat + Denon AVR combo that they got from Tweeter several years ago. It sounds really good, and the 8" sub that comes with it isn't too bad for an 8"er.

 

[greggp2]

I have Mirage Omni-Sat speakers in my Master Bedroom. They sound pretty good. Their open tweeter design gives a decent sound field. They make a pretty decent sub, but for the money Def Tech makes a good sub too... You may want to find some pre-owned Def tech speakers too. For the money, their speakers sound very good especially for Home Theater...

 

[bandphan]

I suggest you build a set of Infinity Betas. The refurbs come with full warranty and can be had off ebay for about 70 each including shipping.

I think they are the best budget speaker out there. The main reason they were discontinued was due to their size and bulk. The 20s can go very low for a bookshelf. 4 paired with a 360 center or 250 center would be an amazing budget setup.

You like infinity the op might have size limitations or waf.

 

[bandphan]

They make a pretty decent sub, but for the money Def Tech makes a good sub too... You may want to find some pre-owned Def tech speakers too. For the money, their speakers sound very good especially for Home Theater...

Dt makes "A" good sub as in 1 and then not for the buck

 

[tbergman]

I suggest you build a set of Infinity Betas. The refurbs come with full warranty and can be had off ebay for about 70 each including shipping.

I think they are the best budget speaker out there. The main reason they were discontinued was due to their size and bulk. The 20s can go very low for a bookshelf. 4 paired with a 360 center or 250 center would be an amazing budget setup.

I bought these per his advice, and I must say, I am not yet disappointed. They replaced a pair of Onkyo HTiB speakers that had been originally replaced by Yamaha NS-6490's that I returned. I bought the yahm's but wasn't really pumped about them but the infinity's have yet to disappoint.

 

[kidintraffic]

Whats the general view of omnidirectional sound from speakers? Worth it? Advantages? Disadvantages?

 

[kidintraffic]

Does anyone recommend any other speaker systems for a budget of around $500 give or take?

 

[jostenmeat]

Does anyone recommend any other speaker systems for a budget of around $500 give or take?

I had to look at the beginning of the thread to see if you wanted bookshelves or towers. But, this is for the whole kit n kaboodle? Sorry, no suggestions, except for considering the idea of building over time.

if you cared to research, and post, in a forum like this, I am led to believe that it's definitely worth considering.

JMO. I bought an all in one system too, before I upgraded like a madman after just half a year. I actually decided to upgrade after only 3 months, but had to take at least another 3 months to research and audition. YMMV and good luck.

 

[kidintraffic]

I was thinking about piecing a system together, but then again I wouldn't know where to start. I know I would want a good center channel, two fronts, and a decent sub to start with. I'm not looking to go all out on a system though. I want something that will sound good and be built on a small budget. I know further down the road I would like to piece a system together and spend some money on it, but for what I'm looking for for an apartment, I don't need much.

 

[jostenmeat]

If in an apartment, I'd think about the sub last. If at all. If you have towers that are full-range (ok, at least close to it), you can still run LFE to the towers, by selecting full range in the receiver, and telling the receiver that sub is OFF.

The LFE gets routed to the mains, but AFAIK at a significantly reduced level in order to protect both receiver/amp and speakers.

 

[kidintraffic]

What do you think about the Polk R50s? Fry's has them on sale right now and I was thinking about picking two up to start piecing things together.

I do have a decent set of older speakers that I could use for my rears. So that would leave me with needing a decent center channel to go with the Polk R50s. What would be a good match for these speakers? Would rather stay within Polk if I end up with the R50s.

 

[Adam]

What do you think about the Polk R50s? Fry's has them on sale right now and I was thinking about picking two up to start piecing things together.

They have them for $170/pair shipped now, right? I've seen them on sale there for $150/pair shipped a few times lately, but I don't know if/when they'll have that again. Just thought that I'd mention it so that you don't think this sale is something special.

I haven't heard those speakers, so I don't have any opinion on them.

 

[kidintraffic]

http://shop4.frys.com/product/4005092 $70/each right now

 

[Adam]

http://shop4.frys.com/product/4005092 $70/each right now

Yep, and $15 shipping/each if you order them one at a time (which is cheaper than shipping if you order two on the same order).