Hello AV Community,
I am new to the AV forums and a novice with it comes to purchasing AV equipment and/or setting it up. I am seeking the communities advice on which receiver and speakers would be the best bang for my budget for my current room setup (and is scalable for a bigger and/or smaller room in the future).
Budget
Currently, my budget is around $500 -$600. Yes, I know that may not be much, but as the rest of the year goes on and into 2015, I will slowly add to the collection. I know that I won’t be able to buy everything brand new and the latest and greatest (which I am okay with); however, I am open and have been looking at some older systems/speakers. I addition to my budget price, room space is going to come into play. From what I have read, certain types of speakers and brands are only good for certain room types. Which is why I would like to purchase one that is scalable up to a bigger room or down to a smaller room.
First, before we get into what brands I have been researching, let me give you my room dimensions.
Back wall (leads into the Kitchen)
- 214” full wall - part of it is a 72”wall with a window that overlooks into the kitchen
Left side wall (leads to front door and hallway)
- 187” full wall - part of it is a 72” wall that leads to the front door and hallway
Right wall
- 187” full wall
Front wall (Entertainment center)
- 219 1/2” full wall - the left part of the wall is open to the doorway and hallway
I also uploaded a diagram of the room to point out the open spots.
Receiver
The receiver brand I have been looking into is Onkyo for three reason. One, from the research I have done, the brand offers quite of bit features for a reasonable price. Two, from what a buddy has told me, the best receivers come from companies that don’t make speakers, i.e., Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, and so on. Three,
The Onkyo model I am looking into purchasing is TX-NR535. This model includes six HDMI ports and had built in WiFi. In addition, if I were to purchase Bose, this receiver brand and model is recommend by Bose.
Speakers
I find this to be the most difficult decision when planning out my home setup. There are literately a dozen brands of speakers to choose from. As I mentioned in my budget, I would like to purchase speakers that are scalable to a bigger and smaller room.
Bose
The first set of speakers/sub I have been looking at is Bose. Mainly because many people rate them as the “cream of the crop” when it comes to speakers (plus the bonus to the small sleek size). I have been to the Bose store a few times and I am impressed with the sound they are able to pack in a small 3” cube!
Bose is fairly expensive for their packages. However, their Acoustimass 6 Series III is only $699.95 brand new. I found some used Acoustimass 6 Series I (1996) and Series II (2001) on Craigslist, bay, and our local AV resale for $100 - $250.
There is one major downfall to Bose though. From what I have been told and read on the forums, Bose speakers only work well in a certain size room for all four walls. If the sound doesn’t have room to bounce off of or is too big, the quality is diminished. With that said, I am not 100% sure if Bose would work for my current setup and/or is scalable.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W)
I do not know much about the brand; however, I read a few forums and B&W was recommended several times for their quality.
Polk Audio
Again, I don’t know much about the brand; however, my buddies home theater setup consists of Polk Audio speakers, and he swears up and down about the brand. The downfall to his speakers is they are huge floor standing speakers. I do like the look of the small sleek size though.
Conclusion
My budget is sort of small and I have an oddly shaped room with several openings which might make it difficult to keep the sound contained. The good thing is this will not be the theater room forever! Based on the information that I have provided and my budget, what would you recommend as the "best" bang for my budget?
I am new to the AV forums and a novice with it comes to purchasing AV equipment and/or setting it up. I am seeking the communities advice on which receiver and speakers would be the best bang for my budget for my current room setup (and is scalable for a bigger and/or smaller room in the future).
Budget
Currently, my budget is around $500 -$600. Yes, I know that may not be much, but as the rest of the year goes on and into 2015, I will slowly add to the collection. I know that I won’t be able to buy everything brand new and the latest and greatest (which I am okay with); however, I am open and have been looking at some older systems/speakers. I addition to my budget price, room space is going to come into play. From what I have read, certain types of speakers and brands are only good for certain room types. Which is why I would like to purchase one that is scalable up to a bigger room or down to a smaller room.
First, before we get into what brands I have been researching, let me give you my room dimensions.
Back wall (leads into the Kitchen)
- 214” full wall - part of it is a 72”wall with a window that overlooks into the kitchen
Left side wall (leads to front door and hallway)
- 187” full wall - part of it is a 72” wall that leads to the front door and hallway
Right wall
- 187” full wall
Front wall (Entertainment center)
- 219 1/2” full wall - the left part of the wall is open to the doorway and hallway
I also uploaded a diagram of the room to point out the open spots.
Receiver
The receiver brand I have been looking into is Onkyo for three reason. One, from the research I have done, the brand offers quite of bit features for a reasonable price. Two, from what a buddy has told me, the best receivers come from companies that don’t make speakers, i.e., Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, and so on. Three,
The Onkyo model I am looking into purchasing is TX-NR535. This model includes six HDMI ports and had built in WiFi. In addition, if I were to purchase Bose, this receiver brand and model is recommend by Bose.
Speakers
I find this to be the most difficult decision when planning out my home setup. There are literately a dozen brands of speakers to choose from. As I mentioned in my budget, I would like to purchase speakers that are scalable to a bigger and smaller room.
Bose
The first set of speakers/sub I have been looking at is Bose. Mainly because many people rate them as the “cream of the crop” when it comes to speakers (plus the bonus to the small sleek size). I have been to the Bose store a few times and I am impressed with the sound they are able to pack in a small 3” cube!
Bose is fairly expensive for their packages. However, their Acoustimass 6 Series III is only $699.95 brand new. I found some used Acoustimass 6 Series I (1996) and Series II (2001) on Craigslist, bay, and our local AV resale for $100 - $250.
There is one major downfall to Bose though. From what I have been told and read on the forums, Bose speakers only work well in a certain size room for all four walls. If the sound doesn’t have room to bounce off of or is too big, the quality is diminished. With that said, I am not 100% sure if Bose would work for my current setup and/or is scalable.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W)
I do not know much about the brand; however, I read a few forums and B&W was recommended several times for their quality.
Polk Audio
Again, I don’t know much about the brand; however, my buddies home theater setup consists of Polk Audio speakers, and he swears up and down about the brand. The downfall to his speakers is they are huge floor standing speakers. I do like the look of the small sleek size though.
Conclusion
My budget is sort of small and I have an oddly shaped room with several openings which might make it difficult to keep the sound contained. The good thing is this will not be the theater room forever! Based on the information that I have provided and my budget, what would you recommend as the "best" bang for my budget?