i recently purchased a sony 40" xbr2 lcd and now im looking for a home theatre system. the receiver i have now is the pioneer vsx 1015tx. I was looking to put two floor standing speakers like the definitive 7002. Does anyone just use two front speakers anymore or are the newer receivers set up mainly for 5.1 and 7.1 set ups. Should I pick up a amplifier for these speakers? I appreciate your help!

Not being an ******* but there are numerous threads on this subject in the past couple weeks = lack of responses.


That being said. Yes you can go 2.0 or 2.1 and a lot people on this forum say that's still a viable way to go. I tend to think a good surround system is still better than any real nice floorstanders but that's just my opinion.

That Pio 1015 is supposedly a very good receiver but I've never heard one personally.

I dont know if you will like the sound but look into the magnepan speakers. I think there lower end models are wall mountable...800 for a 5.0 systems. You can push them against the wall like shutters when you are not using them and mangle them to 30 degrees(?) when you want to use them. I heard some at an audio dealer. Nice speakers but not great.

You don't need 5.1 or above for a good HT. In fact, a good 3.1 system will always beat a mediocre 5.1 system. But I do think you should be looking at 3.1 rather than at 2.1 as most (if not all) dialogue comes out of your center speaker. There are those you do without a center (using phantom mode) but that is not optimum and only really works if you are the only person watching the movie and can thus sit in the sweet-spot.

If you can do it, consider getting three of the exact same speaker for your L, R, and C speakers. If you can't, at least ensure that your center is the same brand and timbre-matched to your L and R fronts. You should also get a good sub (there is no need for your sub to be the same brand as your speakers; SVS, HSU, and Outlaw Audio are good brands to look at for a good value sub). And an amp is usually a good idea.

Unless you are a 2.0 fanatic, you may want to consider getting a pair of good bookshelf speakers and 1-2 subs rather than floorstanders. They will sound virtually as good (or even better) for a lower cost. Bookshelf speakers and separate subs let you position the treble and mids--the bookshelf speakers--where they sound best and the bass--the sub(s)--where it sounds best. You are not forced to place both the treble and mids and the bass in the same place as with floorstanders, thus perhaps compromising one or the other. Also, if you ever move up to full surround sound, the optimum is to have the same speaker all the way around. It costs a lot less to buy 5-7 bookshelf speakers than it does to buy 5-7 floorstanders. And it is more efficient to route the bass to 1-2 subs than it is to route it to all those floorstanders.

I have full-range floorstanders and while they sound great on their own, I have noticed that they are more problematic as to placement. And the maker of my speakers has noted that I could have obtained virtually the same sound by buying a pair of his bookshelf speakers and 1-2 subs, saving myself several thousand dollars in the process. At the time, "virtually" the same sound was not good enough for me. But having had my speakers for a while now, and using them for both music and HT, I have to admit that I would not have noticed any difference unless I used my speakers in 2.0 mode, which I never do. And even then, I am not sure if I would have noticed any difference.

So my recommendation is get the best 3 bookshelf speakers you can, get a decent amp, add 1 (or even better 2) good subs, and then sit back and enjoy your HT. Then, if you ever move to a place that will allow you to add surround speakers, just add some more of the bookshelf speakers and you're done.

thanks for your help.

I live in proximity to 4 high-end AV stores and 2 insist that a pair of floorstanders is all I need (i.e. just get the best pair of speakers you can afford) and the other two insist that 3.1 is the way to go. I guess you will need to listen for yourself. Personally, I'm starting to recognize Tnilsoon's point as to speaker placement and I may switch my focus from floorstanders to bookshelfs for that reason. While I definitely prefer the sound of floorstanders in a "listening room" I'm concerned that space constraints will keep me from setting them up properly causing them to disapoint in my home.

As for an amp a lot will depend on the speakers you get. Some require a lot more juice than others to show off their potential, but it certainly won't hurt.