 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
Having spent way too much time obsessing over the stereo, I know little of the HT world and what products to consider. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at a $3,000 budget for speakers, amps/control center and cabling.The TV, DVD, and VHS are already in place. The room is smallish (15x20) and will be dedicated to typical home movie viewing.
Thanks!
Follow Ups:
Try this out for your budget:Used:
Rotel RSP 976 -$650.00 (sed)
5 Marantz blocks (MA 500 - 100 watts per) = $750.00 ($150.00 each used
PSB Image 5Ts (I'd recommend paradigm, but wanted to be different, besides PSB are more mellow and much "beefier" for HT - these suckers can be LOUD). - $600.00 (new)
PSB 9C $400.00 (new)
PSB 3LR's $380 (new)
There. I just put together a system that will SLAM for under $3000.00. My point is, be more creative than Klipsch, M&K, Yamaha, etc. Also, I agree with the outlaw recommendation. The key in HT is value.
Here is what I would recommend
1. receiver- this technology changes so fast, todays gem is tomorrow $300 jobbie. Get an Outlaw 1050 for now, $500, well worth it, and when some new thing comes out, you will upgrade without loosing much.2. amps - Personally, I think HT asks cries for tube amplification even more than stereo, because the sources I find to be generally harsher than a well mixed CD. Get 5 ASL AV8 tube mono blocks $500 total. Only 8wpc so you need some efficient speakers
3. speakers- JM Reynaud Twin MK II - get 4 of em. $800 a pair I think, but get a deal, you're buying 2 sets! $1500- 90db @4ohm
(I personally hate center channels, so I am not including one, with mains this good I don;t think you need it at all)4. subwoofer- HSU VTF 2 - under $400 used, $435 new, shipped.
5. cables - start with anything for now, when you get a coupla bucks together go DIY if you are handy. There is no better way to save than DIY cables IMO. If you have more money, but less initiative, check out DIYCable.com and have them do them for you.
I think great speakers are critical. Tubes will work if you use a subwoofer.
As an alternative I would love to suggest nOrh 4.0's all around, but you may need a more powerful amp for them...good luck
dg
A buddy of mine had the same question. First of all, goto a specialty audio/video store. Not Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. Go into the yellow pages and look up Stereo for the specialty stores only. $3000 dollars gives you some room to work with. I would look at a solid receiver like Yamaha. It has an elegant look and does an awesome job on Home Theater. Their receivers are very flexible and you want Dolby Digital/DTS capabilities. What I like about Yamaha is that if you ever go towards seperates, like I did, it has outputs for seperate amps vs. using their internal amp. Also, the remote is very user friendly. Look for flexibility in the hardware. If your choosing between a receiver of 85W vs 110Watts, go with the cheaper 85Watts because your not going to get a sonic differance with an extra 15Watts only if it jumper from 85 to 150W.As for speakers, there are a lot of good speakers (DONT GET BOSE!!!). Listen to them and find the one that sounds best to you. My buddy got Klipsch Quintet because if came with 6 speakers (Fronts, back, and sub). I do recommend a sub and when you get the sub, you'll need a quality sub cable like Monsters 351 ($59 for 4M). Not all speaker wire is the same but don't break your budget. You'll probably need to make sure you have 2 good digital cables (about $75-$200 for two)to goto your receiver (DVD and satalite/cable box).
You'll probably need about 120 or 150' worth of speaker wire (which is about $100 to $250, pending cable and length, could me more if you go crazy with wire).
Speakers can be tough to recommend. I originally bought Klipsch because they were a very efficent speaker and I liked the sound for the budget. I now have M&K speakers that kick ass (S-150) for movies and I think the music is outstanding. (((Personally, I think Martin Logans look way cool and play wonderful music but I prefer a dome tweeter for movies)))
Lot of good speakers, you need to decide if you want small speakers or floor standing speakers and listen to them with your music/DVDs.
Also, pricing is negotiable. Ask them if you buy this, this and this, what kind of discount will you give me. They'll work something out to keep you within your bidget.
Good Luck and have fun shopping.
Kurt:If I were you, I'd take a look at the Arcam AVR-100. It is a nice piece man, and they just announced a $200 price break on them!!! Down to $999, and you WILL not find a better receiver with better sound on HT, and 2 channel. I am using mine for my main system, and I listen to a lot of music on it. Many will say that it is really sweet for music, but not that good for theater. Those are the people who haven't sat down and watched a movie on it. Even my friend with a AVR-5800 said it does well on movies, and better than he expected.
So, I have done a bit of tweaking to mine, and I love it!
That said, if I had it to do again, and could afford it. . . I'd look HARD at the new Bryston SP-1. I believe they spent 3 YEARS developing it, and the circuit path in bypass mode is the SAME as their best selling stereo pre-amp! I'd love to have one in my system if I could swing it.
Also, for speakers, depending on what you like, I'd take a look at Martin-Logans. I think they are great for HT b/c they give such a convincing dimensionality, and are capable of throwing sound in places that other speakers just are not! Good for when gunshots ring out in a place your other speaks can't accurately reproduce! heh. . .
Also, I have heard the Dunlavy's (SM-1), and I like those fairly well. You may want to be careful and test the Arcam with ML's IF you decide to get those. The Arcam only has 70x5 and 90x2 to 8 ohms. So, it may or may not push ML's. I have not tested that.
Cabling is simple. Get some 4TC, and then run like some 4PR for the rears.
I hope maybe I helped you find something to go listen to before you buy. Let us know what you decide!
Brandon
Hantra you have picked out some great gear but I think you will blow the budget. The reciever and a pair of "cheap" Martin-Logans will be in the mid $2K ballbark, without buying the surrounds, center or sub. The ML center is great but it is very pricey and it is very important to match the center with the mains.The Arcam reciever is one of the best recievers I have heard, it does have very limited bass management though. Another reciever to look at is the NAD T761; it doesn't sound as good as the Arcam (by a little) but is a bit more flexible. Another reciever is the Marantz SR-8000, good sound and a few more bells and whistles. I think Marantz is going to end the SR-8000 soon so you may get a deal on it. Marantz is preparing a new reciever for Dolby Pro Logic II.
I would love to put together a full Martin Logan HT system but budget does not permit it. I have always been fond of electro-statics ever since I owned a pair of Acoustat Model 2. I would probably look at KEF Q series for your budget. Very smooth sound and musical they can be had on the internet for fairly inexpense (I think the Q55.2 is about $500/pair, lists $800/pair). Definitive Technology makes some good home theater speakers but I don't like the way they sound with music. If your system will pull double duty as a 2 channel system i would stay away from DefTech. Paradigm makes some very good speakers in their price range; however, I find them a little to bright for my tastes. I also like Linn very much but it may also break your budget.
For cable I would pick main stream quality cables from either: Kimber, Tara, AudioQuest or Van den Hul. Don't get to carried away with cables they can make a difference but concentrate on quality electronics and speakers.
Another note I would like to make about HT recordings. Most DVD recordings are very bright. This is done so that theaters which are very damped with seats and people can still sound good. Also electronics and speakers in most theaters are of poor quality. If you were ever to put a theater amp and speakers in your home your would be horrified at the sound. If your HT system is smooth it will sound that much better by taming the overly bright recording.
Good Luck and have fun
I have a friend that sold his SR-7000 and bought the Arcam. It is THAT much better than the Marantz. . .Also, I owned the KEF Q-15, and I found it to be a good speaker, but I was able to beat it like a drum with my Aliante Stiles. I also have a friend that has a few pair of Stiles new for a REALLY good discount!!
B
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
