looking for a 5.1/6.1 setup for ~$500 (1 Viewer)

[Jon W]

I was thinking about getting a htib setup just so it would be easier to pick one, but got persuaded against that. Right now I have the panasonic sa-he200 receiver that can handle either 5.1 or 6.1. 6.1 isnt really nesasary, so 5.1 would be fine. the budget is for speakers alone, i already have everything else.

thanks in advance.

 

[John S]

And you want a powered Sub, and 5/6 speakers I take it?

You can get 3 pair JBL S26II's for around that.

If you need a sub, that drastically changed that pricing dynamic.


I heard a $300 Cerwin Vega 15" Sub, that performed really well this past Monday night, he had it paired with a JBL NSP1 5.1 speaker system or something like that, it was impressive. He was using a lower end Yamaha AVR too.

 

[Jon W]

which cerwin vega do you have in mind? I see a couple 15 inchers around the net. And, would it be better to put more into the 5.1 set than into the sub? would a 12 inch be enough for a medium sized room?

 

[CurtisSC]

Have a look and listen to the Hsu Ventriloquist System with the STF-2 sub.
http://www.hsustore.com/vt12.html

As a package deal, it is $500.

I have heard on a few different occassions and it is always impressive.

 

[John S]

HT as far as the Sub is concerned has become way more demanding over the years. The THX2 spec that many film makers are starting to take advantage of specs massive output at 15hz. That requires a mean sub. I have all but given up un single driver 12" subs entirely, in all but the most bargain of installs.

For me with modern HT, a mean sub with average speakers all the way around has way more impact than if one has even very nice speakers all the way around with a weak sub.

Just my opinion of course, others may feel differently.

 

[Mike^C]

Jon, just out of curiousity, what sub would you recommend for the budget conscious among us? I was looking personally at something like the Dayton 10" DIY but that doesn't even come close to 15hz.

 

[John S]

Well, I did install the Sony SA-WM500 12" a few weeks ago, found it good for HT, but definetly not so good for music at all.

The spec is almost insane, the only under $500 sub I have heard that seems to work well is a Velodyne CHT-15. I have not heard any SVS subs yet though, so I have to beleieve owners here when they say they blow away the CHT-15...

Like I say this is all just my opinion on it. Just play the newer THX trailer sometime at reference level, you will see if your sub truly cuts the mustard or not! lol

I am not sure which Cerwin Vega 15" sub the guy had, but he said he paid $299 for it, I can ask and postback. It rocked hard, I know that it played the new THX trailer on the newer Indy Jones Box set with potential structural damage type performance at reference type levels.

 

[Jon W]

any other opinions? looking on the hsu forums it sounds like the ventriloquists can be a pain to wire up

 

[greg baker]

Fluance sx-htb $249 from fluance.com and the dayton sub from http://www.partsexpress.com for about $130. This would give you a nice 5.1 setup for under $500.

Greg

 

[Jon W]

update: price range is now from about 500-800, depending on how good of an arguement you can make for the setup

 

[Jon W]

anyone? or at least some links to some halfway decent speaker buying guides?

 

[Jon W]

Are there any other opinions about a setup in this price-range? The ventriloquists are looking nice, but I would like to spend a bit more on a setup now that I have a bigger pricerange to work with. The room is about 400 sq feet in size and the rear speakers will most likely have to be mounted on the wall.

thanks in advance and if you need any more information about where they are going ill be happy to tell you .

 

[Blaine P]

Some thoughts:

The Athena Micra 6 looks good for $500, got a great review and has a single-screw, built-in bracket. I haven't been able to audition it yet though.

For a little more $$, you could look at Polk 6700 which is around $600 - $700 depending on which sub you get.

I also think the Infinity TSS750 for $700-750 sounded decent.

 

[Daman]

Well i bought my Polk RM6700(125 watts each) series recently for 600$ which have proved to be absolutely amazing..i am extremely happy wit the system.. also Polk has a scheme running in which they give a free sub worth 200$(50 Watt 10 inch one) along with that.. i upgraded the sub to a 300$ PSW303 instead(100watts 8 inch sub) and paid the 100$ difference.. total cost 700$ If you dont like the 303 sub you can get the PSW 404 sub instead,which is like 200$ extra,so the total cost would be 800$

 

[Blaine P]

Daman:

How do the Polk 6700 do for music? I know they are excellent for HT.

 

[Daman]

Well i find them absolutely amazing for music as well.. earlier had RM6005 which really lacked in midrange,RM6700 really covers up everything which they lacked.Also before i bought these i compared them with a similar satellites of Infiniti and the Polk sounded more richer to me..i had the demo both with DVD and music and was extremely satisfied. Suggest you got CircuitCity and take a demo with music.Im sure youll love it.

 

[Alex-F-V]

I have to reccomend the Energy Take 5.2... its $600 without a sub but I absolutely love it. Stay away from their subs not the best bang for your buck. So check out one of the other subs everyone else is reccomending.

I have these and they are great. Plus in the Maple finish they are aboslutely gorgeous. Good WAF. And they are good for music in my opinion.

 

[Drew_W]

Gah! I've been beat to recommending the Take 5.2s. BUT, they are available on e-bay for $400 or so. Quite good.



I'm not sure if I agree with this. The S8.2 completes the bottom end of the Take 2.2s quite adequately, which as a satellite speaker doesn't have enough of a low end (at least for me). The match though is fantastic. I could ask for a bigger punch for movies, but considering the fact you're using satellites, this seems to tip the teeter-totter one way in my mind. If you want big sound, don't dabble in satellites. The Energies come highly recommended and deserve an audition. And although I ran them with an H/K, I did hear them with a Panasonic receiver and it was still very good.

 

[Jon W]

its between the polk and the takes. which should i go for and what sub?

 

[Drew_W]

What do your ears tell you?