Would My Setup Work? (1 Viewer)

[sasschary]

Hi y'all,

So, I'm considering getting a 7.1 surround setup. However, I'm not quite sure if it would work with what I'd like, so I'm coming here for some help.

Anyway, I would like to get the following things to make up my system:

Q Acoustics 3000 5.1 System
Denon AVR-S930H

And I already own two Tannoy speakers which I would put in to make it 7.1. Anyway, I have a couple questions.

First, I primarily plan on running the system using my laptop. However, in the audio output properties of the HDMI output, it says the maximum number of channels is 2. I assume this probably means that output will not be able to carry a 7.1 surround output, unfortunately, correct? In this case, is there anything which I could get to connect through USB to run video and audio to the receiver?

And secondly (Though this I don't think will be too much of a problem, as I'm not planning on running anything at super high power), the receiver says it outputs 90 watts, but the speaker system says its output wattage is 540 watts. This seems rather high to me, am I missing something here?

Thanks in advance,
Sasschary

 

[David Willow]

Hi Zachary,

I found the manufacturer's website to get the specs (much better than Amazon).... The first thing to be aware of is speakers don't put out watts - that's some nonsense the marketing department made up. When I see this I immediately think K-Mart cheap. Looking at the actual specs they say 15-75 watts input max. While the Denon is rated at 90 watts, in reality it won't be able to push that much out . The speakers will work (they are 6 ohm but that 'should' be OK as well with the Denon).

The active sub is 140 watts but only has 2 6" speakers. That won't produce anywhere near the bass you need for movies. In my opinion, for nearly $1000 you can do much better.

What is your budget? Do you want to stay around this price point or can you go higher? Also it would be good to know more about your room.

 

[sasschary]

Hi, David,

Thanks for your response!

I'm willing to go a little higher on the price side of things, but probably not much more than around $1500. My room is around 15'x15', so it's not the biggest room, but it's also my living room, so it has other furniture in it. The couch people would be sitting on to watch movies and such is approximately in the middle of the room. Also, a little bit more about the purpose of this, it's primarily for movies, but I would like to be able to listen to music as well occasionally. I generally listen to classical/concert band music. And I have a TV that I'm using to actually watch stuff on, I'm not just watching it on my laptop screen.

Sasschary

 

[David Willow]

I would start with a good sub. For $500 (or less at the outlet) you can get an SVS PB-1000. There are other good subs in this price range as well (I'm an SVS fan so I always list them first). That leaves you with $500-$1000 for speakers. Speakers are tough to recommend since my taste may be very different from yours. I can only tell you my experience colored towards my preferences.. Having said that, years ago I picked up a budget setup from Fluance that sounded very good. I would still recommend them.

Stick around a little while for more ideas and do your own research. If you have the chance to demo the speakers, do it.

Good luck.

https://www.svsound.com/products/pb-1000

http://www.fluance.com/home-theater-systems/

 

[sasschary]

Hi David,

I will look into what you've suggested. I still have the question about actually connecting the receiver to my laptop, however, as my HDMI output seems only to support 2 audio channels. Would something like this work for getting 7.1 audio out of my laptop?

Also, since I have my two Tannoy speakers that I'm planning on using to make the system 7.1, do you have suggestions as to what location for those would provide the best sound, or would that just have to be decided on through experimenting?

Thanks,
Sasschary

 

[David Willow]

My laptop only shows 2 speakers as well until I plug it into my receiver. Then I get 7.1.

Another option would be to find a matching center for your Tannoy speakers and use them up front. Then get the surrounds (to match if possible or something close).

What model are your Tannoy's?

 

[sasschary]

I'm honestly not sure what model they are. I got them for free, and I've tried to find the model on them, but have had no luck so far. They came with an amp that was made in the 80s, so I assume they're a bit older. They each have a 6" driver.

 

[David Willow]

I once mixed in 2 Infinity One speakers into my 7.1 setup. I used them as the rear surrounds. While they were not timbre matched to the rest of the speakers, it wasn't a big issue for me.

The only thing I can suggest is experiment. Put them where they sound best to you. Or don't use them at all. Unless your room is long and your seating is a good distance from the back wall, 7.1 will not be better than 5.1 anyway.

 

[sasschary]

Hi again, David,

So I've been looking into the Fluance speakers you suggested a little bit. Unfortunately, nowhere in my area seems to be a Fluance supplier, so I am not able to get a demo of the speakers. I found a YouTube video here where a guy recorded the way the speakers sound, and it sounds a bit strange to me (The vocals in the music generally seem to pop out a bit more than I'd like if that makes sense), but I'm not sure if that's the way the speakers are, or if it's a result of recording speakers and playing it back on mine, or what it is. The original music doesn't sound that way when played through my speakers. So anyway, my question is this: With your speakers, do the vocals really stick out like they do in the video?

Thanks,
Zach

 

[David Willow]

As far as I know Fluance is still internet direct.

Listening to a recording of a speaker on another speaker probably won't give a sense of how they really sound. Then add your room into the mix and everything can change. Also keep in mind that the better the speaker, the more you will hear the flaws in the sound. This is when it becomes obvious e how bad MP3's really are (and the compressed video you watched on Youtube). The best way to demo speakers is in your home with your media. At this price point it is hard to do that. The cost of shipping them back is too much. So you either roll the dice or find something locally. Either way I still recommend the SVS sub.

As for how they sounded to me, it has been 12 years since I last heard them. My bad memory and all of the changes they've made probably won't help you much. Sorry. FWIW - I eventually replaced them with Axiom Audio and I'm still rocking them today.

 

[sasschary]

Thank you for all your help, David.

I think I will trust your thoughts (And the thoughts of others, as the Fluance speakers have high reviews it seems), and go with that along with the SVS sub. One last question: You said earlier something about wattage seeming like something that marketing would have made up. So I just want to make sure that the Denon receiver I linked earlier would be able to output enough power, as the Fluance center speaker says it takes 40-120 watts and the surround speakers take 30-120 watts. Is a 90-watt receiver sufficient for that?

The specs for the speaker set I'm looking at are here.

Thanks again,
Zach

 

[Robert_J]

Thank you for all your help, David.

I think I will trust your thoughts (And the thoughts of others, as the Fluance speakers have high reviews it seems), and go with that along with the SVS sub. One last question: You said earlier something about wattage seeming like something that marketing would have made up. So I just want to make sure that the Denon receiver I linked earlier would be able to output enough power, as the Fluance center speaker says it takes 40-120 watts and the surround speakers take 30-120 watts. Is a 90-watt receiver sufficient for that?

The specs for the speaker set I'm looking at are here.

Thanks again,
Zach

Ignore the wattage ratings. Both are acceptable.

The marketing departments see "watts" and that's the only term they really understand because they have seen that for years associated with everything electric. There's so much more than watts when it comes to speakers.

To put it another way, what if you wanted to race a pair of 500hp vehicles. Which one would win? You don't have enough information to answer that question. One is a sports car and one is a tractor. Now which one will win? You just said sports car, right? The track is a muddy mess. You didn't have enough information.

With speakers, there's wattage every time. That's basically telling you how much gas it uses but doesn't give you the distance. Sensitivity or how loud it will play with a single watt is another indicator. Frequency response is another measurement that few understand. A marketing department will put 50 hz to 20,000 hz. Great. Now what is the variance? Is it + or - 3 db or a larger variance like + or - 10 db.

One thing you can't measure is whether or not you will like the sound of a speaker. Klipsch makes great speakers. At high volumes, I get ear fatigue after a while. I like silk dome tweeters producing my highs. They aren't as shrill to my ears. You have different ears.

One thing David did not mention was DIY. If you have some basic tools, you can find thousands of proven designs on the web. No tools? Get a full kit like the C-Note from Parts Express. All you need is glue and paint.