Athena VS Sapphire(and more needed ht help) (1 Viewer)

[AustinS]

Let me explain my situation:
I am going to go into ministry (Salvation Army, fyi) in a year and will never be able to afford a decent ht system. I want one that will basically last me a min of 10 years, but i do have rather firm budget constraints (called a Wife). My budget is about $1500-$2000, all said an done, out the door, in my house price(ie taxes, cables, EVERYTHING)

before i start, i want to say i want an SVS sub, *badly* for my system, pref a pci model, so if u know of any config that would be decent and include an svs sub i would be most happy

i am looking at a sapphire sys from tweeter:
2 st1's
2 sap surounds
1 sap center chan
velodyne vsx-10
sony strda1000es
progressive scan dvd player
$1625(inc cables)+ taxes

athena is running at bestbuy at 25% off, so i was looking at:
complete athena audition speakers(2 towers,1cs,2ss)($730ish)
yamaha htr 5760($360ish on nextag)

progressive scan dvd
cables
$1600ish+tax

i know a lot of people hate sony, but this is an 'upper' line receiver, so just tell me if it still stinks.
i would like to have tower mains and if at all possible an svs sub, but i don't know how to build it into my budget.

i know there are a lot of really smart dudes on this list, so i would love any advice.

 

[DanaA]

It will be very hard to fit a receiver, five speakers, and an SVS in your budget.

Here's a possibility. This speaker package is $999 with a sub and it is pretty amazing for the price. I wouldn't be recommending it to friends if this wasn't the case. If you ask Mike, and explain your mission, I'm pretty sure he would consider free shipping. Good cables and interconnects can be found at places like bluejeans for a very decent price or even the accoustic research at Best Buys will do the job right. That will leave you a nice budget for a receiver. The new Panasonic digital amp receivers go for, I think, under $400 on line and some are saying some very nice things about them, although I haven't heard them myself.

If your ministry is overseas, you'll need to make sure about what electrical current you'll need.

Most of all, congratulations for devoting your life to your beliefs. Here's hoping that your ministry brings yourself and others joy and fulfillment.

 

[DanaA]

Oops, forgot the link.

 

[DanaA]

One more idea crossed my mind. Again, I've never heard them personally, but I'm sure owners will chime in. Check out Ascend. Owners rave about them as being a great bargain for great sound, although their appearance isn't for all. Without the sub, you might get the five speakers for something in the arena of $800. If you can get a receiver like the Panasonic for $350 or so (not sure about the price), that would leave you possible room for one of the SVS subs and your cabling/interconnects. As far as the DVD player, I'd check out brands like Toshiba, which offers good value for the money.

Still, it'll be hard to fit it all in for the $2000 budget. I really wish I could help more.

 

[DanaA]

Sorry to keep on taking up space here, but another thought came to mind. Chu, our resident engineering guru, recently started a thread as to what systems to get for under $2000. While not exactly the criteria you mentioned, there are many suggestions there as to sytems that could be had for this price, including Chu's own recommendation. You might want to check it out. Link

 

[AustinS]

thank you, i am seriously considering all systems and all ideas (i am giving myself a 1 month+ buying window, so i have time)

 

[greg baker]

Aperion makes a great system. This would give you enough to get a good receiver.

Greghttp://www.aperionaudio.com/system-b...preconfig.aspx

 

[Phil Volk]

don't buy without auditioning EXTENSIVELY, and don't take advice from those who haven't....this being said ,I am very familiar with both brands and prefer the saphires