Advice appreciated. Small living room with 5.2 speaker system (1 Viewer)

[AIW]

Hi there. We're about to decorate a new flat and considering setting up a "home theater" in our small living room. Movies and music will be 50/50. Will not upgrade unless absolutely necessary afterwards. The layout is set forth below. Very likely the rear surround speaker will need to be wall mounted. Considering the wife approval factor, it's not possible to move the sofa away from the wall or place the TV against the bay window. I'll be using a 77-inch LG G4 flat TV and the newly launched Zidoo Z3000 pro media player. I'm considering the following four options. They are generally much more expensive here in Hong Kong than in the US. Which one is more advisable? Much appreciated!

Option 1:
Front speakers: Polk Audio Reserve R700
Center speaker: Polk Audio Reserve R400
Rear surround speakers: Polk Audio Reserve R900
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 40
Total cost: Around US$7,700 - 8,000

Option 2:
Front speakers: Klipsch RP-8000F II
Center speaker: Klipsch RP-504C
Rear surround speakers: Klipsch RP-502S II
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 40
Total cost: Around US$9,700 - 10,000

Option 3:
Front speakers: Focal ARIA EVO X N°2
Center speaker: Focal ARIA EVO X CENTER 2
Rear surround speakers: Focal Aria SR900
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 30
Total cost: Around US$11,800

Option 4:
Front speakers: KEF R5 Meta
Center speaker: KEF R6 Meta
Rear surround speakers: KEF R8 Meta
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 30
Total cost: Around US$13,500

 

[JohnRice]

I’d lean toward the Focals or KEFs, and the surround receiver. I also have a Zidoo Z2000, so have experience with it.

 

[Albertfun]

I'm looking for some thoughts here. I am setting up a small listening/TV room. After reading all the glowing reviews and being quite pleased with my KEF q150s in my business, I am ready to pull the trigger on the KEF LS50 Meta. My question is do I settle for watching movies in stereo and get the Arcam A5 or go with a surround receiver at a similar price like the Denon AVR-X2700H so I can make future upgrades to full surround?

Hi there. We're about to decorate a new flat and considering setting up a "home theater" in our small living room. Movies and music will be 50/50. Will not upgrade unless absolutely necessary afterwards. The layout is set forth below. Very likely the rear surround speaker will need to be wall mounted. Considering the wife approval factor, it's not possible to move the sofa away from the wall or place the TV against the bay window. I'll be using a 77-inch LG G4 flat TV and the newly launched Zidoo Z3000 pro media player. I'm considering the following four options. They are generally much more expensive here in Hong Kong than in the US. Which one is more advisable? Much appreciated!

Option 1:
Front speakers: Polk Audio Reserve R700
Center speaker: Polk Audio Reserve R400
Rear surround speakers: Polk Audio Reserve R900
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 40
Total cost: Around US$7,700 - 8,000

Option 2:
Front speakers: Klipsch RP-8000F II
Center speaker: Klipsch RP-504C
Rear surround speakers: Klipsch RP-502S II
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 40
Total cost: Around US$9,700 - 10,000
Similar pricing which Circle Translations provide in their English to Chinese Translation
Option 3:
Front speakers: Focal ARIA EVO X N°2
Center speaker: Focal ARIA EVO X CENTER 2
Rear surround speakers: Focal Aria SR900
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 30
Total cost: Around US$11,800

Option 4:
Front speakers: KEF R5 Meta
Center speaker: KEF R6 Meta
Rear surround speakers: KEF R8 Meta
Subwoofers: SVS SB-1000 Pro (two)
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 30
Total cost: Around US$13,500
View attachment 228873

If your main focus is music and stereo quality, the Arcam A5 would be a great pick. But if you’re leaning towards movies and want the option to upgrade to surround sound in the future, the Denon AVR-X2700H is a more flexible choice.