Building first good home theater system - Looking for Setup (1 Viewer)

[kaos473]

Hey there,


I used to have a ~$300 Sony 5.1 speaker system a couple of years ago but it was literally worse than my TV speakers. Now I'm looking to get a solid surround system, and from what I've gathered it is best to build your own rather than going with a HTiB, and to get a real receiver. I would like to keep it around $700 (including receiver) but will go to $1000 max, if there is significant performance improvement. This will be mostly for daily watching and movies, and some music.


Here's what I'm working with: 40" Sony Bravia TV, 14' x 24' living room (ceiling 10' on one side, 16' on the other along the length of the room). The room also open up into a dining room on the side.


I think I'll stick with 5.1 instead of 7.1 for now because I've read that it's better to spend more money on quality speakers than to get more crappy speakers. Also, it seems that lots of movies only support up to 5.1 anyway. I've been looking at the following receiver: Onkyo TX-SR508 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver, which I can get for $200 shipped, but open to suggestions. For the sub, the F-12 looks good. As far as the speakers, I have no idea, though. I don't know which ones would be powerful enough for this room.


I wanted to get suggestions from you guys on a decent system that would produce good sound and make the walls shake. Do you have a setup that could work? I know that this is a large room and the budget limit doesn't help, but it should be possible to get a decent system.


Come on, help this newbie . Thanks

 

[gene c]

That's a pretty good size room. You should make sure whichever speakers you buy have an SPL of 88 or higher.


The Onkyo 508 is a nice little receiver. They seem to have stronger amp sections than many entry level receivers


It looks like Newegg.com still has pretty decent deals on Polk/Monitor and the CS series center channel speakers.


Others to consider would be the Infinity Primus series, Klipsch, JBL, etc. You'll going to need to find those on discount to fit your budget though. Try and listen to as many different speakers as you can before buying.


My brother has a BIC V1220 and it seems pretty good for the price.

 

[kaos473]

Thanks for your reply,


So far it looks like the Polk monitor 50/monitor 30/cs1 center would be best the best bang for the buck. However, after considering how I would mount or place these speakers in the room, I'm seriously considering in-wall speakers because I can run the wires more easily and they make for a cleaner look.


What have been your experiences with in-wall speakers? Do they offer the same quality/loudness as regular speakers? What are some good ones in this price range?

 

[gene c]

Ceiling and in-wall speakers aren't as popular around here as free standing speakers are. First of all, they tend to me more expensive than regular speakers although that has been changing lately. Also, there are fewer placement options compared to regular speakers.


But mostly, the decisions made with ceiling/in-walls are often based on other things besides sound quality like running wires and a cleaner look. Engineering costs are used for mounting apparatus and limited enclosure volume instead of tweeter or cross-over designs. It's all a compromise but ceiling/in-walls are gaining in popularity. Just make sure sound quality isn't lost in the shuffle.


Look at Monoprice.com (also a great place to get in-expensive wires and cables-many are CL-2 rated) and Partsexpress.com. I don't have any direct experience with these or any other in-waal speakers but others around here give them the . Good companies to deal with, too.

 

[beastaudio]

I bought my speakers from ascend audio. I started with just buying the fronts and keeping my center and rears from my last setup, I have been completely happy with the purchase and they sound incredible. My rears are still good enough for fill and mix well with the ascends. these will be the last I replace as I need to get the ascend center channel next. I decided to do this so I can get an even nicer set of speakers and replace my older system over time! Its a win-win! once the rest of my setup is all done, the rear speakers will be on deck! check out the ascends, they are great and you can order straight from their website.

 

[Phil Taylor]

In-wall also speakers have a tendency to transmit sound to nearby rooms more readily than on-wall or floor speakers.