New to DIY, but willing to jump in head first... (1 Viewer)

[LorenzoD]

I am finishing my basement currently and have decided that a large portion of it will be more or less dedicated to HT. The room I have in mind is 25' x 13' which I believe will work nicely with a 7.1 surround sound system.

What DIY speaker kits would you recommend for this endeavor?

 

[jeff lam]

Look at kits from GR-Research, ACI, Speakerpage, Adire Audio and many more...

Do a search for kits in this area and you should find lots of info.

For that size room I would personally recommend GR's AV1+ for the front 3, and AV1's for surrounds. One thing though, the AV1+'s are 4 ohms so be sure your AMP/receiver can handle them. If not, the AV1's should do well also all the way around. GR should give you the best value/performance if you're on a budget.

If you have money to burn, ACI's high end stuff is supposedly the best. Sapphires, jags, etc... Tough to build though from what I hear.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Everything that Jeff has mentioned would be great kits. I personally have 3 ACI Emeralds for my L/C/R speakers and love them. I'll be doing a full comparison between them and my pair of AV1's if I ever get the damn things finished!

Give us an idea of what your budget is. Not just for the kits themselves but actual enclosure construction and finishing. That way we can make even better suggestions for you. If you've got the money and the skills to build them the Jaguars are truly hard to beat for the money.

Brian

 

[Rob Lloyd]

While I haven't heard them myselves, the Adire Audio Kit281s seem to get great reviews from other members.
Link Removed Sells them and he's in your area. Kyle has built them and can give you a personal review of them.
-Rob

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Sure, drive on up for a personal demo if you would like!

All the listed speakers above are very good choices though.

Kyle Richardson

Acoustic Visions

 

[LorenzoD]

Well, I am very flexible budget-wise. Of course, I'm also looking at DIY projects, so that should tell you that I'm not willing to shell out for a high-end, boutique type system.

I would say probably $2500 at the most. But that's including receiver, amps (if needed), interconnects, seven speakers, and a sub.

I also have a new TV in mind, but that's based on a separate budget.

Keep the recommendations coming, please...

 

[jeff lam]

After you buy the receiver(depending on which one you get) you may not have enough for 7 speakers and a sub. It all depends on what you are shooting for. If I had that budget, I would go with a simple receiver(Yamaha RXV1200 or similar), DIY Tempest sub, and 7 AV1's(or 3 AV1+'s and 2 AV1's for 5-ch only), You will barely make budget. And that's if you do all construction yourself.

At that budget you can pretty much count out seperate amps, and ACI Sapphires or Jags.

 

[LorenzoD]

I was looking at the Denon AVR-2802, but I am open to other suggestions.

Also, I don't think my wife will be too happy with me buying all this at once. So, I guess a more gradual approach would be in order.

I do have a lowly Sony STR-DE545 receiver, but I doubt that it's up to the task set before it...

What do you guys think?

 

[jeff lam]

Alright then, What speakers/sub do you have now with your sony? You can do this 1 peice at a time. Either receiver or front speakers first. The other second, a sub third, then surrounds last.

That's how I would do it anyway.

 

[LorenzoD]

Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but all I have are the puny satellites and sub that came with the receiver. It was one of those "home theater in a box" type deals. :b
Think I'll get laughed off this board for such a transgression?

 

[jeff lam]

My brother has those little satelite one-way speakers too. I was actually quite impressed with the sound that came out of those things. Much more than what I expected from a one-way speaker. I would say they are very similar to bose at 1/4 the cost. I keep telling him he needs new speakers so he's saving up.

Anyway, stick with the original plan. Get the denon first, then go from there. Piece it together one by one and soon enough you will have a complete HT that will knock your socks off.

 

[LorenzoD]

Would it be feasible to use my existing receiver for the time being? It's supposedly rated at 100W per channel, but I highly doubt it. And I think it can only handle 8 ohms.

Please advise...

 

[jeff lam]

Sure, you could do that too. Start with the speakers first, then when you are ready, upgrade the receiver.