I bought my first home theater speakers

perrin · 07-17-2003, 11:57 PM

Hi,

Today, I bought the Fluance speaker package AV-HTB because I could not wait anymore on my decision on what speaker package to get. Since everyone has given high praise for these speakers, I thought why not give them a try.

Now I have to decide what subwoofer I would like to get such as SVS. I live in small one bedroom apartment that is about 12x11, so I need one that would give a good sounding bass while not disturbing my neighbors. Also, I need to buy a good speaker wire for these speakers and my Denon 2802. I hope someone can offer some suggestions what would be good buy for a subwoofer and speaker wire that will not break my bank account.

perrin

Jake K · 07-18-2003, 03:11 AM

From what I hear, SVS subs and neighbors don't get along very well. It's probably overkill in your room.

Kevinkall · 07-18-2003, 10:35 AM

Quote:

so I need one that would give a good sounding bass while not disturbing my neighbors

That would be heaven! But in reality it's impossible. For such a small apartment(like the previous post stated), I think that the SVS would be overkill. I have the Sony WM40 and I'm always having to adjust it(and it's nowhere near an SVS). My advice is to look around. Do a search to see what sub others have matched with your speakers. I noticed that on there site they sell JBL subs to go along with there speakers. It might be a good place to start. I don't know how good JBL subs are, but they do seem a little too pricey. Anyway enjoy your new home theater!

Lew Crippen · 07-18-2003, 10:45 AM

Adire Rava ($400) and Rocket UFW-10 ($600) are both excellent values. Many like the Hsu VTF-2, priced right in between—I just happen not to like the looks of the VTF-2

All of these subs have a deserved reputation (as do the SVS models) of providing accurate bass (there is not artificial boost at 40hz)

perrin · 07-18-2003, 11:07 AM

Thanks everyone for your suggestions on which sub I should get. I guess I will to go and listen to several subs in order find one that will fit my needs.

perrin

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Ben_Ly · 07-18-2003, 02:41 PM

For speaker wire go to Home Depot. .34 cents a foot is tough to beat for 12 gauge.

perrin · 07-18-2003, 02:51 PM

Thanks Ben,

That is a good price for speaker wire. Does Home Depot sell banana plugs, too?

perrin

Ben_Ly · 07-19-2003, 12:49 AM

yeah, I found them for half the price of other places. I think they are 5.85 for a set of RCA banana plugs. At Circuit City and best buy they were 9.99. When you have to buy 10 sets it really helps you out.

David Preston · 07-19-2003, 02:46 AM

I suggest go ahead and get the sub you want and keep it turned down. That way you won't have to upgrade in the near future. Lew made some very good suggestions in his post.

CurtisSC · 07-19-2003, 02:59 AM

Hsu has a new newsletter out announcing some new things for September, and some attractive pricing on B stock VTF-2's and VTF-3R's.

http://hsuresearch.com/forum/announcement.php?forumid=2

Dennis_Pow · 07-19-2003, 05:34 AM

What is the official definition of B-stock? How does it differ from refurbished or OB?

Dennis

Steve Adams · 07-19-2003, 06:54 AM

I have found that POLK subs are good for budget systems. I can get the 10 in" polk for 299 cdn. Not bad. If you have a hankerin for a little home modification, get the Sony sa-wm40, do the mod's to it, and it's a capable sub. Some people on here know that I hate sony! but this sub with the mods is an awsome bang for the buck.

perrin · 07-19-2003, 09:56 AM

Yesterday, I went to several audio/video stores, so I could listen to the some of the subs out there before I decided which one would like for my home theater setup. I went to Circuit City, which they have the worst customer service on the planet. The salesman put me in a room by myself that has several subs, but he did not demonstrate what they sounded like. I immediately left the store because I felt the salesman did not care about my future purchase.

As soon as I left CC, I went to a local audio/video store called Video Only here in the Seattle area, and the salesman there helped me choose a good sub that will not be too expensive. He demonstrated the Velodyne VX-10 with a Marvin Gaye cd, and the bass sounded very good. Next, he asked if I liked movies more than music, and I said yes. He put in the "Gone in 60 Seconds" dvd, and that really demonstrated the capabilities of this amazing sub. To hear a comparison, he switched to an Infinity sub, I forget which model that costs around $325, that seemed not to detect the suble bass that the Velodyne sub could pick up. This demonstration really convinced me that the VX-10 would be a great sub to have, and the price could not be beat for $179.99. Once I came home, I went to Velodyne's website to read more about the VX-10. I could not believe that this sub was retailed to be $350. I put some money down for this sub until I have enough to pay for it, and luckily I got some extra money from my old apartment for the deposit and the last months rent. After work I am going back to get the sub and a subwoofer cable. This store sells Acoustic Research cables which are half the price of Monster Cable.

I also went to Home Depot, and I bought 100 feet of 14 gauge speaker wire for 19 cents a foot. I did look at the 12 gauge wire, but that wire looks so thick that I imagine it would be very hard to cut. Perhaps in the future I will go back to get the preferred wire that everyone agrees is the best.

I do have a question about banana plugs. The salesman from Video Only mentioned that it is best to use bare wire to get the best optimal sound instead of using banana plugs. He said that banana plugs might impede the sound quality. Yet, he did say that the gold plated plugs are much better than the regular plugs because of the little slits on the side of the plugs. Is this statement true? Should I use just plain wire instead of the convenient banana plug?

perrin