I need a few suggestions...(Reciever/Speakers) (1 Viewer)

[Mike~Sileck]

Hey guys, Im building a brand new addition to the house, and I need some tips on how to spend 2,500 dollars. This money needs to go to the receiver and the speakers only. I already have a tv picked out, as well as money set aside for a dvd player, xbox, cabling, and hdtv dtv receiver. So Im coming to you guys. 7.1 sounds intriguing, but I do need to stay close to that 2500 level (of course, 2600 is fine, but, you know...) Anyways...any suggestions on the receiver type (as in, should i go 6.1 or 7.1?, and which brand/model number)...as well as if you guys have speaker choices to go with your receiver recommendation, that would be awesome. Thank you guys so much

Mike

 

[BillSune]

hey man,

I would suggest looking at a decent harman kardon or Denon receiver for around the 1000 dollar mark. This will give you a good 7.1 receiver for a good backbone of your system.

Speakers on the other hand you'll have around 1500 to play with. Go to your local retailer (NOT BEST BUY) and listen to a bunch of different speakers in the 5.1 set up and possibly in the 7.1 set up. Look at some Polk Audio RTi series speakers and also at the Infinity Alpha soon to be Beta series.

Bill

 

[MuneebM]

I recommend the Yamaha RX-V1400/RX-V2400 and a nice set of Paradigm or JBL Studio Series speakers. Match that with an HSU or SVS subwoofer and you'll have a kick-a$$ system!

By the way, my opinion is not biased at all

 

[Dah-Dee]

I think MuneebM is on the right track. When putting a system together, look around and find the best current deals on good products. For example:

Receiver: The Harman Kardon AVR7200 is marked down numerous places on the internet right now. OneCall, an authorized H/K online seller, has it for $832.26 (marked down from $1800!), but a coded link is available on FW that will bring it down to $788.67 [plus shipping for either price]. Fantastic deal on last year's flagship H/K. Approx. $840 shipped.

Speakers: The JBL S36IIPM (an excellent bookshelf speaker, can also be easily wall-mounted) is marked down to $150/pair (from $500/pair) at BestBuy.com although it *is* sold out online, some have reported success (more have not) getting their local Best Buy B&M to match that price (versus the current in-store price of $300/pair).

In addition, however, Best Buy B&M is also clearing out the JBL S36II (gray cabinet, soft grill vs. silver cabinet, hard grill for PM version) for the silly price of $129.99/pair!!! It's a total YMMV situation, as your local store may or may not have these still in stock, hiding up on the top shelf or in back [no longer on display]. You'll just have to check. If you can find either model (and please feel free to mix and match the two models, as they sound exactly the same, same drivers etc. -- I did!), I would *highly* recommend buying 3 pair of these to set up a 6.1 system (4 pair to set up 7.1, have a spare; or hunt down a JBL S-CenterII [approx. $150-200; the Harman Kardon factory outlet website at HarmanAudio.com has them refurbished once in a while] for the 7.1 setup). You will be *very* happy with the sound, IMHO. Speaker total approx. $520-600 before tax.

Subwoofer: If I'm adding correctly, the rgeat deals on the receiver and speakers above will leave you with at least $1,000.00 for a subwoofer, so you'll get to blow something up! Anyway, seems like you'll be able to look at the good stuff: Velodyne, SVS. Have fun!

 

[MuneebM]

I agree with John David, the JBL Studio Series speakers are incredible and they are worth 2-3 times more than the prices they are going for these days. I upgraded from a HTiB mainly because the JBL Studio Series were disappearing and I wanted to get my hands on them dirt cheap. I got the S310II floorstanding beasts for half of what they would've costed me at a retail outlet here in Canada ($550 CDN total vs. $1050 CDN total at retail outlet). I had a really hard time finding the S-CenterII (paid a little more than I expected, but still much less than MSRP when the speaker was not discontinued) and managed to get the S36IIs off of ebay at a good price.

As for the AVR, I went with the Yamaha because I love the detailed and crisp sound of it. IMO, the H/K AVRs sounded very warm and almost muddy to my ears. I bought the Yamaha from a local retailer here in Canada and it costed me much less than what I would've paid for an equivalent H/K or Denon, because H/K and Denon is extremely overpriced up here. On the other hand, the H/K 7200, if you like the sound of it, is a steal at $800!

As for the sub, use the money you saved on speakers and get yourself an HSU VTF-3 or SVS PB1-ISD.

If you start looking for the JBL Studio Series speakers right now, you should still be able to get your hands on them. I'm in Canada which made it much harder for me to find stuff south of the border, but I managed it about a month ago. You might have less luck at this point, but it'll be easier given you're in the US. Here's what I recommend:
- fronts: JBL S310II or S312II floorstanders, S38II bookshelves (for the price of bookshelves + stands you could get the floorstanding beasts) (try www.bhphotovideo.com)
- center: S-CenterII, try eBay, harmanaudio.com Best Buy, al.ness on this forum
- surrounds: S36II, try eBay, harmanaudio.com Best Buy

Good luck and start shopping!

 

[Mike~Sileck]

Thank you guys very much for all of the help~

One other question, will the recievers that you gave me have enough power to use the 200+ watts I have available to me in some of these speakers, or do I need an amp of some sort, and is that even necessary for all practical purposes?

~~Oh and I hope I'm assuming right that I can buy four of the surround speakers you recomended for a 7.1 system?

Mike

 

[MuneebM]

Mike, my JBL S310II floorstanders are rated at 200 watts and my 120 watts/channel Yamaha RX-V2400 has plenty of power for them. I'm sure if I add an amplifier, I'll be able to get more juice from them, but do I really want my ears to bleed? I'm serious, my Yamaha goes so loud and so clean I don't think I'd add an amplifier unless I moved into a detached home with a dedicated sound-proofed HT room.

Yes, you can use those 4 surround speakers for 7.1. I went 6.1 because I didn't have room to place a 7th speaker in the back. With Dolby Pro Logic IIx on the Yamaha RX-V1400/RX-V2400 you will truly enjoy 7.1!

 

[Mike~Sileck]

Alright I'm definitely going to look into that then. I believe I am going to be buying the JBL S-312II's for the front left/right. The center I am going to look for the JBL Studio Center. 7.1 as far as I know it then goes a left/right middle, and a left/right back. The middle's are going to be the S36II PM's, and the back will be the S36II's. I am going to look for sub's next.

Correct me if Im wrong Muneeb, but aren't there 3 back speakers in 6.1 as opposed to only 2 in 7.1? I thought 6.1 was like:

X X(sub)X (front)

X X X (back)

where 7.1 was a:

X X (sub) X (front)

X X (middle)

X X (back)

setup? Perhaps I'm wrong, please confirm that for me though. Thank you guys so much for all of your help!

Mike

 

[MuneebM]

Ya, 6.1 is similar to 7.1 in the following respects:
- front left/right/center speakers
- surround left/right speakers
- single surround back speaker vs. 2 surround back speakers as in 7.1

try contacting al.ness (from this forum). I will PM you his email address because he may still have a brand new Studio CenterII for sale. They are impossible to find otherwise.