Purchasing HT Components (1 Viewer)

[drty070x]

I would like to start purchasing HT components. I don't currently have a budget in mind, but am thinking around a mid grade system. Something that I could eventually upgrade if I so felt the need. I am mainly looking for suggestions on a receiver or amp/tuner/preamp, speakers, and dvd player. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Larry - a few questions to get you started:

1. What are the dimensions of the room?
2. Is this system primarily for music or for movies?
3. What music do you listen to?
4. What TV and Cable box do you currently own?
5. Do you intend to build a 5.1 or 7.1 system?

Roughly what is your budget, including speakers, subwoofer, receiver or seperates, A/V cabling, speaker/subwoofer cabling, surge protection or power conditionning, speaker stands, universal remote, etc.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Much more information needed.

And what is your budget?

"mid-grade" means a lot of things to different people, from hundreds to a couple thousand dollars, to $20-30K all easily fall into "mid-range" systems in my head.

 

[drty070x]

Ok. Here the answers:
The room is 16 x 20 with 9 ft ceilings. The system would be about 65% movies & 35% music. No specific music genre. I would say 60's, 70's & 80's rock with some newer stuff mixed in for me, for my wife it would be more newer stuff; r&b, rock, country plus some of the older stuff. Could mix in a little classical. We currently have direc tv. No cable available where we live. I'm thinking starting out with a 5.1 system unless a 7.1 system would be the better way to go. As far as a budget I would say around 5k if a little more not a big deal. Hopefully this helps. Thanks again.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Here is a system I would audition on a $5,000-$6,000 budget

Front Speakers: Paradigm Studio 60 ($1,100)
Center: Paradigm Studio CC-470 ($650)
Surrounds: Paradigm ADP-470 ($950)
Subwoofer: SVS PB12–Plus ($900)
Speaker Stands: For the surrounds ($200)

Total: $3,800

Receiver: Denon AVR-3806 ($900)
HD Player: Toshiba HD-A1 ($375)
Power Conditionner: APC H10 ($300)
Universal Remote: Logitech Harmony 880 ($150)
Audio/Video Cabling: HDMI, Component, Digital Coax, Optical Audio, etc ($100)
Speaker Cabling: 12 AWG Speaker Cabling, Subwoofer Cable ($100)

Total: $1,925

Grand Total: $5,725

--

I would also suggest auditionning the Paradigm Monitor Series, which will bring the price down to below $5,000. The Monitor Series is one step below the Studio Series.

Front Speakers: Paradigm Monitor 7 / Monitor 9 / Monitor 11 (your preference)
Center: Paradigm CC-370
Surrounds: Paradigm ADP-370

 

[drty070x]

Okay. Thanks. Now where do you purchase components? I mean online or locally and with speakers do you listen to them before you buy? Thanks again

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Larry - with speakers my best suggestion would be to audition as many speakers as you possibly can before purchasing. Don't take my word on what speakers are best, let your ears judge for themselves. Your ears won't lie to you.

Personally I prefer to audition speakers at hifi or speciality stores, as quite often they will let you try the speakers out for yourself at your own home, or will allow you to trade up your gear over time.

As for purchasing online vs purchasing components locally, just ensure that the retailer is an authorized reseller, or the component manufacturer will most likely not cover the warranty. This is especially true for most receivers.

For cabling I would recommend purchasing online from Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable.

 

[drty070x]

Ok. I haven't been in the local stereo place in a while so I'm not sure what they carry as far as speakers, but I do recall that they carry B&W. Are these a good speaker? Of course I will take your advise and let my ears do the work. Thanks again. Anybody else with suggestions on equipment?

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Yes B&W speakers are very good, here is a system you may want to audition:

Denon AVR-3806 receiver
B&W DM-603 fronts
B&W DM-600 surrounds
B&W LCR-60 center

For subwoofer, I would still recommend the SVS PB12–Plus from my post above. This subwoofer is available for purchase online, and is far superior to the B&W ASW-600 subwoofer that the salesperson will show you.

Enjoy!

 

[drty070x]

Okay. I was able to make it to the local stereo/ht store. At least the one that carries reputable products. Either way they have a Rotel RSX-1057 for $1300. Is this a good ht receiver? Thanks for the advice. What about in comparison to the Denon AVR-3806. Also, I've read something about HDMI 1.3. Is this the new version coming out? What's the difference between that and HDMI 1.1 besides a newer revision?

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Denon AVR-3806 is superior for video, Rotel RSX-1057 is superior for audio. Personally, my next receiver will be the RSX-1057. Rotel receivers feature honest wattage and extremely high build quality. However, it has less inputs and features than the Denon. Many of my friends have Denon AVR-380x receivers.

HDMI 1.1 is (for the most part) the current standard across the industry. HDMI 1.2 adds SACD support. HDMI 1.3 devices will be on the market by Spring, with new features such as deep color, higher speeds, new mini connector, new lossless audio formats, etc. If you wish to upgrade to HDMI 1.3 at some point you would require a new receiver.