$1350 for a reciever and fronts, any suggestions/advice etc? :). (1 Viewer)

[Anthony N]

Howdy guys, I need some help .

I've got about 1350 (U.S.) bucks to burn, and I've always wanted to improve my dvd and music listening experience. I currently have a $200 or so, two speaker mini system hooked up to to my TV. Even though it's a nice improvement over the horrible sound quality of my TV, I need something better .

I need to squeeze a reciever and speakers out of this budget. So I was thinking I should get the reciever and some fronts and maybe a sub, then 6 months down the road grab a center and some surrounds. Does this sound like a good idea? Will I be alot happier in the long run by doing this instead of stretching this budget to cover a 5.1 speaker setup and a reciever?

If I go the 2.1 speaker route, plus a reciever, can anyone give me any suggestions as to which models I should look at? The room they're for measures 14Lx10Wx9H give or take a few inches, and even though it's a small room speaker size isn't a concern. Also they'd be used 65-70% of the time for movies, and 30-35% of the time for music if that matters.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh and if theres any spelling mistakes I apologize, I'm quite tired .

 

[Paul_Scott]

my knee-jerk answer ( and of course, what i own myself)
ascend cbm 170s.

i would get three of these to start- i prefer a dedicated center channel myself, maybe because all my listening is off-axis.
on sale these three would run about $450- if you are committed to just the left and right, that would be $300 and under $350 not on sale.

i would recommend throwing the rest of the money at the electronics and not getting a sub at this point because
-even though electronic evolve faster than the speakers, meaning more frequent upgrades, there are plenty of features availble now that are necc. and quite a few more that are wholly unnecc. for most people.

the speakers are a big part of the sound, but i see a lot of people underestimate the electronics.
no matter how good the speakers are you settle on, your only going to get so much quality by mating them with a mediocre reciever.

the ascends are, especially for their cost, very high grade speakers, and will step up their game as you step up the electonics feeding them.

investigate NAD or Rotel for high quality high current amplification in this price range ( i have a NAD 752).

if you are not convinced of this line of reasoning, you can get something like a HK 525 a/v reciever (a wholly decent unit) and probably still have enough left over to get something like a HSU vtf-2 for a sub.

the ascends however are superlative speakers for people on a budget. i would definitely reccommend investigating them at some point.

you can start by doing a search on this board

 

[JakeMcM]

Its a pretty tough call but since you are going to upgrade several months down the line I would go with around a 500-600 receiver. If that was your whole budget I would say spend most of the money on the speakers and get something like a Pioneer 811s for about $350. I don't know how anyone else feels about this but I think a 2.1 system will hold you over for 6 monthes better than any other initial configuration.

If you live near Canada I would recommend looking at Paradigm speakers as they can be had for good prices with the exchange. I got Monitor 7's and the center channel for about 700 with tax all together. The deals vary from dealer to dealer. I haven't listened to too many other speakers so I can't help you there but hopefully some other people will give you some more ideas. I am happy with my Monitor 7's but if I could do it over again I would have more seriously considered going with Mini-Monitors all the way around. The Monitor 7's in my opinion have the advantage in music listening because of the tower design but the differences in HT from the mini monitors will be less if you are using a sub. The Monitor 7's are great with Ht...more than I had hoped for for my budget but the increase in price may or may not be worth it for you. I suggest you research the tradeoffs between bookshelfs and floorstanding before you make a final decision. Unless I am wrong bookshelfs with a sub would be better than floorstanding with no sub (in our budgets). To be honest I am unsure how bookshelfs and floors compare both with subs. You might have trouble jumping up in price.

I'm rambling I am sorry. My reccomendation would go mini-monitors and HSU VTF 2 (will be on sale for $500 total in a few days I think). Can't give you a good recomendation because it depends on if you plan on buying them from an e-tailer. Good luck and don't be hasty.

 

[Chris Quinn]

Anthony-I second Ascend as one of the best buys in speakers. Check out these reviews. http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/a...ics_cbm170.htm and http://www.ascendacoustics.com/Main/...endreprint.pdf

For a receiver look at the Outlaw 1050 at outlawaudio.com. If you buy "B" stock it is around $430. Or look at refurbished Marantz receivers at accessories4less.com.

Another good resource for you is cheaphometheater.com

 

[Ben_wood]

Anthony, heres another vote for the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170s. Combine these with a Hsu VTF-2 sub and you'll have GREAT sound at a bargain price!

 

[ernie.bin]

as a canadian, definitely check out paradigms. I checked out some energy connisseurs, but ended up with studio60s and a studio CC for $1500CAD (~$1000US).

In your budget, you could easily get studio20s and a nice sub (pw-2200) and a decent receiver.

You could skip the sub and just get a nice fuller range tower speaker as well. Great for music, but maybe not as earth shattering for movies until you add the sub.

 

[Iver]

Right now I have a Denon AVR-1602 and a pair of Paradigm Focus fronts. Originally I went with this for budget reasons, as you are now planning to do. But the performance is so good that I'm not in a hurry to upgrade.

I had originally planned to next get a center-channel speaker (Paradigm CC-270) and came pretty close to buying it with the fronts. But the imaging is so good with the L/R speakers that I don't feel any big impetus towards getting the center now.

With music, of course, the stereo pair satisfies all my needs.

As far as getting a sub, there's no rush on that either as the Focus speakers have fairly good bass extension.

In your budget, I would try to listen to some of the Paradigm models, such as the Focus, Esprit, Mini Monitor, Monitor 5, or Monitor 7. The Studio line is quite a bit higher priced, but a pair of Studio 20's would probably be in your price range, maybe even the 40's.

Denon receivers are pretty good values. Not flashy but they seem to put the money where it counts (in the signal path, that is). You might check out the AVR-1803 or, when it comes out, the 2803. You can also find some AVR-2802's still available, a 2002 model so you might find a local dealer willing to discount it quite a bit.

 

[Phil*K]

I'll throw in my biased opinion. I'd go to Harmanaudio on ebay and bid on some remanufactured Interludes by Infinity. Here's what you could get. The IL50s have a built in 250 watt sub. They are sold by the manufacurer with full 5 year warranty.

IL50 pr $400
IL25C $150
IL10 pr $200

Total $750

Denon 3082/1082. The 1082 is cheaper but has only a 1 year warranty. I'm sure you could find one for less than the $600 you have left in your budget and you would have a complete 5.1 system for the budget you have right now. Later add an IL36C and move the IL25C to the rear center or add a couple more IL10s for a 7.1 system. The Interludes are excellent for HT and match well with the Denon. Just food for thought. BTW, the speaker set I mentioned is used by Hometheater Mag in their reference system.

Phil

 

[JoeyTadeja]

Check out the home theater shootout before you make your decision.

http://www.cheaphometheater.com/index.asp

Acoustic Energy Aegis EVO1
http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/reviews/aegisevo.html
http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/pro...dspeakers.html

Aperion Audio's 522D (with DiAural technology)
http://www.aperionaudio.com/products/pr_index.html
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_135039_1594crx.aspx

 

[Phil*K]

Joey,

Interesting site with some very nice speakers. I did find it a little bit of a stretch calling the Sony sub better than anything under $500. I would think it would have a hard time competing with some of the subs in that price range.

Phil

 

[Todd_RIC]

I would recommend adding a receiver, center channel, and sub for the most dramatic impact on movie watching. Most of your HT sound is going to come from the center channel and of course, subs make an HT system. I would recommend using your current speakers for the fronts and add the following:

Receiver: Denon 1603 $400
Center Channel: Mirage Omni CC $400
Sub: SVS 25-31 PCi (320 watts/12") $550

Total: $1,350

All you would need to add later would be a pair of fronts (Mirage Omni 50s $400/pair) and rears (Mirage Omni FX $400/pair) and you would have a system that would have a DRAMATIC impact on your movie watching experience. Good luck.

 

[JoeyTadeja]

Hi Phil,

Yeah, i think so too. There are much better subs out there that costs from $400-$500. Maybe they should have said something like better than any sub

 

[Phil*K]

Hey Joey,

Me too . I agree about the purchase depending on how much money you have and your priority. I bought the mains first, then a center and then surrounds. I was just about to get a sub when I found some powered towers that I really liked and traded my mains for them. BTW, nice link and everyone has great suggestions.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[Clark F]

I just upgraded my sound system. I was in a very similar situation. My room is about 18x14 and I recently got a Sony KP-46WT500 and a Panasonic RP62 DVD. My old Sony "surround sound system in a box" needed upgrading badly. I had around $1000 to invest.
After a lot of reading on this forum, I went to a local store and settled on a Yamaha RX-V630 receiver and Paradigm speakers. The hardest part of the decision was which speakers to get first. I decided to get 2 Esprit B as fronts and a C170 center. The three speakers and receiver cost $1,050.
Originally, I was going to get a receiver and sub woofer first, but I decided to go this way after the salesman pointed out that having a matched center and fronts is important.
I have had them less than week. I am thrilled with the results. I used the old Sony bookshelf fronts as surrounds now and they do OK. DVD movies sound great and so does music. I really like the 6 channel stereo.
When I can, I will get a sub woofer. Eventually, I will probably get two better fronts and use the esprit b as surrounds.
I am no audiophile, but with the help of this forum, I have upgraded my sound system to something I am thrilled with at a modest cost. I can't wait for the sub woofer!

 

[Jeff_PxR]

Get an inexpensive receiver and the best speakers you can get. YOU can always trade up receivers later. You can get a good receiver like the Yamaha RX-V630 or some such that has plenty of watts, Prologic II, and 6.1 capability for 400 dollars max. Spend the 1100 extra on speakers.

 

[JoeyTadeja]

If you want a budget receiver and your speakers can be driven with only 80W/ch, then look no further than the brand name Denon AVR-1803. It only costs $499 MSRP!

Check out the features, it even has DTS-ES 6.1 & DD EX Surround.

http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/avr18033.pdf

You can get it for only $332 here:
http://store.yahoo.com/crazyeddieonl...avdoldigs.html

 

[JoeyTadeja]

But if you must have more power....then try the Sherwood RD-8108 with 100W/ch. I am not familiar with Sherwood but i am intrigued by the price ($202).

http://www.sherwoodusa.com/2002produ...ML/RD8108.html
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/letsgodigital/rd8108.html

 

[Todd_RIC]

I don't think power will be a concern since this is going into such a small room. 5.1 should be sufficient too, given the small space. Will this be a designated HT, or is it a multi-pupose room?

 

[Anthony N]

Thank you for all the replies, I'm very greatful. I've reviewed all your recommendations and the ones that seemed most tempting to me were the Paradigm models for, since I've discovered they are a very good deal for me as a Canadian. The Monitor 7's/9's/maybe even 11's, or the Studio 20's, or maybe try and squeeze out a 5.1 system with the mini moniters, I'm not sure, but I've decided Paradigm is the brand .

The reciever is not as straightforward and I'm undecided. The Yahmaha RX-V630, the Harman Kardon AVR125/225, The Denon AVR-1803 or models in that range, the Panasonic SA-HE200, Kenwood VR-6060/6070, all are priced very well and all seem to have people who stand by them.


And to respond to the above post, this is a multi purpose room, kind of a games/entertaintment room type thing .

 

[JoeyTadeja]

Here's something that might help you in your quest for the ultimate budget receiver (with all the features you need...a would need later).

Denon AVR-1803: This a feature packed receiver that gives the user the most bang ($332) for the buck for any receiver currently on the market. It has multi-source and multi-zone (room) capability, Dolby Digital and DTS six-channel amplification (DD-EX, DTS-ES) , Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Neo:6, component video switching (two inputs) in addition to five AV inputs (one front) with all featuring S-video. The unit also boasts five digital audio inputs (four Toslink) for connection to DVD-A or SACD player.

http://www.avguide.com/product/Audio...-1803/2405.jsp
http://www.audioreview.com/pscAmplif...5_2718crx.aspx
http://www.wvip.co.uk/cgi-bin/review...ory=Amplifiers
http://www.ecoustics.com/bbs/message....html#POST3725