Vizio 5.1 upgrade recommendations

[Will Deleon]

Hey everyone!

I recently upgraded to an LG OLED and the Vizio 5.1 isn't cutting it as far as sound quality. The reason I went with the Vizio 5.1 system was that it offered a "no fuzz" wireless solution, which worked perfect for where I was living. I have moved to a very modern / open floor plan home with the ability to go wired or wireless. I do have to keep our interior design aesthetic in mind, the system cannot look out of place / generic. I'm not completely sure how does the sound quality differ from a high end 5.1 sound bar system to a full blown (compact) standalone speaker / receiver system. My buddy told me to look into the Sonos Playbar 5.1 system, which is around $1,700. Would I be able to build a better "traditional" system with that budget? (apologies in advance for the newb questions!!)

Thank you!

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Yes you can build better system for budget. So I guess looks are important then? How about size? Are you fine with speaker stands or can you wall mount? How big your space is?

 

[Pogre]

You'll be able to find some very nice looking bookshelf speakers on that budget. As far as looks go, I own a set of SVS' Ultra Bookshelf speakers. The piano gloss finish and drivers they use look stunning. Great build quality and sound too.

They also come in gloss white or a real black oak veneer.

 

[Will Deleon]

Yes you can build better system for budget. So I guess looks are important then? How about size? Are you fine with speaker stands or can you wall mount? How big your space is?

Hey
As far as looks go, they have to look nice, maybe good looking drivers? They don't have to look like some B&O, just not boring black boxes. This is something we can let slide if need be!

Size we are looking from small - medium speakers. We have both options to mount or stands (front) and stands only (back).

The space in which our entertainment is located, is huge, about 1000 - 1200ft^2. This space includes: Kitchen, Dinning area and living room. 12-14ft high ceilings w/ hardwood floor. Our entertainment area is sectioned off by an area rug, a couch and a couple side chairs. I would estimate the area about 15ftx10ft.

Thanks!

 

[Will Deleon]

You'll be able to find some very nice looking bookshelf speakers on that budget. As far as looks go, I own a set of SVS' Ultra Bookshelf speakers. The piano gloss finish and drivers they use look stunning. Great build quality and sound too.

They also come in gloss white or a real black oak veneer.

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Thanks for the rec!

These seem a little large but definitely have awesome reviews. Do you of any compact systems that sound great?

 

[Pogre]

Thanks for the rec!

These seem a little large but definitely have awesome reviews. Do you of any compact systems that sound great?

They are a little large-ish for a bookshelf speaker, but they are purty. I don't have a whole lot of experience listening to much else outside of Deftech, and you won't get any recommendations here for them, but the Promonitor 1000 might be worth a look. They're compact, look nice and sound really good to my ears. I use them for surrounds. You definitely need a subwoofer(s) with them. That's what you're going to find anyway with a smaller speaker.

There are a lot of options with your budget though, so wait for some more replies. You'll get into something you like. These guys know what they're talking about.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I had been active member on this site for while and learned a thing or two, with that in mind here are my 2 humble cents:
what you have is HUGE space and trying to make great 5.1 system on your budget is unrealistic to say the least, regardless of it looks. Don't get me wrong - about same 2k budget could get you decent 5.1 but only for much smaller spaces, think 3-4 cu-ft, not 14-16k cuft.
What I would advise is to ether add a zero at your audio budget and look for professional installers (to meet your aesthetics requirements) or just buy new AVR and pair of nice tower speakers like these for example:
http://philharmonicaudio.com/slims.html
This is get you into real high quality sound (unlike your current vizio crap) and then once you appreciate it - you should come up with a real budget and get surround system pro installed.

 

[Will Deleon]

They are a little large-ish for a bookshelf speaker, but they are purty. I don't have a whole lot of experience listening to much else outside of Deftech, and you won't get any recommendations here for them, but the Promonitor 1000 might be worth a look. They're compact, look nice and sound really good to my ears. I use them for surrounds. You definitely need a subwoofer(s) with them. That's what you're going to find anyway with a smaller speaker.

There are a lot of options with your budget though, so wait for some more replies. You'll get into something you like. These guys know what they're talking about.

These look great! Their tower speakers are beautiful too! Might look into this system. Thanks for being so helpful.

Also, do you have any experience with the Bower and Wilkins MT-60D system ?

 

[Pogre]

These look great! Their tower speakers are beautiful too! Might look into this system. Thanks for being so helpful.

Also, do you have any experience with the Bower and Wilkins MT-60D system ?

I don't, and don't limit yourself to Deftech. There are better manufacturers out there. I linked that one due to its size and form factor.

You might want to look into Bored's advice. He's one of our most knowledgeable members here and really knows what he's talking about. If you have a really large room those little promonitors aren't going to cut it.