Looking for help on new entry level system. (1 Viewer)

Hey, like the title says, I'm new to the whole world of home theater audio, but decided to take a leap into better quality movie sound. My current setup is having the TV in the main floor living room. I am looking for an entry level system (Receiver and speakers) between $500 and $1000 usd. The speakers would have to be able to be mounted to the walls and/or ceiling due to the room being multi-purpose. At some point in the future I plan on moving and having a tv in the living room for casual entertainment and with the added room plan on using space for a nice theater space so this system could just stay as a living room casual system or be used in the home theater.


This system would mainly be used for Movies as I don't really listen to music (Wife does on occasion but not a huge requirement).


A couple of questions I have:

1. Is it feasible to build a system from scratch for my budget (I know nothing so any suggestions for a system would be great on this)

2. Do speakers have height requirements for mounting in different set ups? ie 5.1 vs 7.1 My rear speakers would be mounted in the ceiling (Toddler rampage on the floor and all that).

3. I found an Onkyo HT-S5600 7.1 on accessories4less at a really good price (329.99) that's way below my budget... Is there a better/higher end system that I could get for a bit more money for better sound that you would recommend or is that system something I should really consider purchasing.


I do admit I don't know much about speakers or home audio and have to put out there that I was originally considering a bose system until I started reading some of the posts here that made really good point for avoiding them. I've spent the last few days trying to research so I can better understand all the information out there, but I am not really sure where to start (Hence this post!).


I am grateful for any and all advice you guys and gals may have for me. Thanks!

Jason

That 5600 would be a good start. The speakers included aren't "too big"? (cause anytime we read "small, hang on wall" we see Klipsch Quintet or Energy Take)...

But if those are a good size...

BIC DV62(with 52 rears if you don't want 62 all over the place)
Infinity Primus(if they are still available)

Polk has a killer deal on RTi at their Ebay store.

As for AVR...

Needs? (Airplay, networking, Spotify?)

Have? (Wii/VHS, Apple TV, Roku)

Use? (BD player, PS3/4, XBOX360/one, Cable/Sat)

Thanks for the quick reply. To elaborate.


My dad and I are pretty good and mounting things to walls and ceilings (He's a contractor) so I wasn't sure what is considered reasonable to mount. the speakers in the 5600 look small enough to mount and I saw on amazon people have mounted them. We can build a shelf for the AVR too if needed.


For the AVR I use a WD TV Live streaming box to run blu ray content from a home media server with a HDMI output and I have a ps4 for gaming. The WD streaming box supports airplay with certain things and other than that I am not too worried.


Also have a shitty ass cable box from comcast (Basic - included in my rent otherwise I'd not have at all).


Really just looking for something to do movies and maybe some gaming very well for my budget.

You don't need much AVR then. To save some dough...I'd buy a refurb.

The main issue with the 5600(and all pre-package)...the speakers suck. The AVR itself is fine.

If you want 7.1 I'd buy the lowest priced one on A4L...no matter if Yamaha, Denon or Onkyo. You realistically don't need the AVR to offer many features...so all of them are going to have stuff you don't need.

As for speakers. The Focal Sibs(A4L again) come in a package with an AVR (A4L keeps rotating the package with different AVR). Any of those(when 7.1 is part of the AVR) would work. Then you could pick up another pair of Sib.

Otherwise...BIC, Primus and Polk(don't have to buy RTi...but they are leaps better than Monitor and TSi)

As for sub...

Dayton 1000/1200/1500
BIC F12(hard to beat this on at the price point)
NXG(I forget if that is the brand...or the model, but go to Amazon and search "NXG subwoofer" and you'll find it)

Are the bargain end stalwarts.

So, the 5600 is a HTiB? I thought it was more of a packaged system.

For AVR's, other than added features, are they all created equal or do I need to worry about power output?


So, playing around a bit how does the following set up look?


AVR - Onkyo HT-R2295

Speaker bundle - Focal Sib + Cub Sub for 5.1 (5 sib speakers and 1 Cub)

Surround speakers for 7.1 - Focal Sib


Is there a better set up for the price as this is looking around 940 usd.


What other online stores are good to peruse for equipment?

The 5600 is a pre-package.

Pre-package is not HTiB.

A4L combines the two categories.

The Sibs are good. One of the better their size.

You want a 7.1 for less than a $1000...that should be doable. It sounds like you're looking for smaller speakers to wall mount so that's not hard either. Here would my suggestion


AVR - Denon AVR-X1100w refurb $290 Has all the bells and whistles even if you don't need them at this price point why not.


Speakers - Sibs are good but if you wanted another suggestions

• Boston Acoustic 5.1 Classic set $400 + Classic 2300 system (just another set without the sub)$200 These speaker are small, like surprising small but sound great. The cost of 2 more is the same as the second set so why not get some spares. You could also take the spares and get another sub and make a nice 2.1/3.1 in another room.
• BIC DV32 $55 a pair you would need 3 pairs & the matching center $45. These are small speakers that already have three keyholes built in for easy wall mounting. They also sound pretty good for their size. Now you need a sub... I would look at this Klipsch, Boston, or Martin Logan because they are down firing. This way the kids can't poke the driver...this could be important. Which one you pick depends on the size of the room.
• Another option would be a variation or the BIC set. Take away a pair of the 32's and add in a pair of DV62 $105 for mains and replace the center with the larger DV62C $110. These are larger speakers so they might not be as easy to wall mount but it can be done. Sam mentioned this set but with all 62's or 52's. I think the 32's would be fine for your surrounds but if you can afford it and want to wall mount the 62's everywhere that would be awesome.
• Polk TL150 5 pack $260 + 2 more singles $60ea. Now add in a sub from above and you should be good. They sell a set with an included polk sub but it's front firing and normally doesn't get good reviews.

The Sibs(compared to the Polk TL and that Boston set) are in a different league.

The Sibs reach a real 80hz.
And are 90db efficient.

Boston and Polk are both mid 80s efficient(meaning they need double-ish the power the Sibs need, which means greater headroom for movies).

Yes 80hz from 110-ish from the Polk and BA is an enormous deal. Means your sub...can do what the sub is for.

The BIC DV 52(I'd skip the 32. The 52 don't cost much more) are fine. They pack a 5" woofer, so they actually achieve a usable 60hz. Slightly bigger than the Sib. But the Sib is much better built.

I agree the Sibs are much better I was just throwing out some other options.

Thanks for all the the suggestions! If I understand what you're saying, the sib package is the best, followed by the other options?

After speaking with the wife and looking at all those great options you pointed out, I think I'm going to get the sib package. Thanks for your help and advice!

I'll be sure to post a review when I get everything installed.


Edit one quick question. The Onkyo HT-R2295 pushes 130W per channel while the Denon AVR-X1100W is 80W per channel is this a big difference? I do like the options present on the Denon, but ultimately would want the one that sounds the best. Which one in your opinion is better?

Wattage from an AVR is based on 2 channels, not 7.

80 vs 130 is not significant enough to matter.

I would go with the Denon...for $50 more you're getting bluetooth, wifi, airplay, +1 HDMI, +1 optical, +1 sub out, wired network, 4k and I think a better level of Audyssey.

Will do. Thanks!

Alright, components ordered. A question about mounting the focal sib speakers. My TV room has a sloped ceiling. I know it's not optimal, but it's what I got. I have been looking for some options but am coming up short. The right wall is 85" and the ceiling height for the left satellite speakers is 104". Is there a mounting bracket that can drop the speaker about a foot and a half?

Thanks

Chief and Peerless make drop that far.

Just checking in. Got everything wired up and it works great! Still have one wall to paint and some moulding to put up. I wanted to thank everyone for the help you gave.