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Looking for a receiver and speakers for under $700

post #1 of 7

5/3/11 at 3:34pm

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34 Posts. Joined 5/2011
Location: Ottawa, Canada
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I've been looking at a few speaker packages and a few different receivers on Amazon but so far am not too sure what I should go for. It would be used primarily for watching sports on TV and movies through the xbox 360, as well as playing games on the xbox and wii (rarely). Having iPod support would also be great and I'm thinking about hooking up an old record player, but I'm not sure if this would work or not?

Size wise, it's not a very big room (12x12), so 7.1 is out of the question.
Also, I only have a 720p TV if that is a factor in a decision?
Altogether at the moment, there would be 2 devices plugged in through HDMI and one composite device.

Receiver-wise:
- I'm thinking the Pioneer VSX-820 or VSX-920 because of the built in iPod support.

- Have heard good things about the Dennon AVR-591

Speaker-wise:
- Everyone is saying good things about the Energy Take Classics 5.1 and the Micro 5.1s, not sure which one is better

- I've also looked at the Klipsch HD 500s and the Infinity 800CHRs

- Has anyone got an opinion about the Fluance SX-HTB speaker packages? It doesn't have a sub however so then I would need to think about that. CNET had a positive review about them

If anyone has some other suggestions that would be much-appreciated!

Thanks

post #2 of 7

5/3/11 at 5:14pm

19,884 Posts. Joined 7/2003
Location: SF Bay Area
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you don't want the 820 because it doesn't do analog to hdmi conversion. I think the 920 will be okay.

do you prefer satellites or bookshelf speakers?

here is a good Denon/Jamo package. You'll have to add a sub later.
http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CESAVR1911JAMO

post #3 of 7

5/3/11 at 6:42pm

2,914 Posts. Joined 4/2011
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Me personally...

I think it is a waste to not, at least on the front channel, have at least a 5" woofer. 2.5" and 3" "woofers" don't do much and make your sub work too hard.

I would piece together speakers and you can do that, and still make your $700 budget, with BIC DV and Polk Monitor.

I second the Pioneer 920 or Denon 591. However, adding a turntable to either will need an outboard pre-amp(which those are $30, all the way to a couple hundred)...some turntables can be bought with a pre-amp already on them.

Back to speakers....

BIC DV series...
DV62(1 pair, possible 2)
DV52 or DV32(if you don't want two pairs of 62)
DV52 or DV62 center
V1020 subwoofer.

Polk Monitor
Monitor 30 (2 pairs)
Polk Center(CS 1/2/10/20...one of those 4 numbers)
BIC 1020 (better sub than anything Polk has, at the price it is)

Pretty much any combination of those speakers with either receiver will blow the doors off any "tiny satellite" 5.1 system.

post #4 of 7

5/4/11 at 3:32pm

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Location: Ottawa, Canada
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Thanks for the advice. I think I'm leaning towards bookshelves but open to satellites.
Newegg currently has the Klipsch Quintet SL package for 379, would that be a better bang for the buck than the Bics or Polks?

post #5 of 7

5/4/11 at 3:44pm

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According to Klipsch...the front 3 speakers(because they are dual-woofered) make it to 80hz. If you take the "combined area" of two 3.5, you come close to 5...so, in theory, yes they really do make it to 80hz.

I would go listen to a Klipsch bookshelf against anything else, to see if you like "horn sound". Klipsch isn't the only company that does horn(BIC has a horn line, so does Waterfall Audio, among many others).

The price is pretty good, even though you still don't get a sub.

The "cheapest sub" to consider...
BIC V1020. It is very tough to beat. Are there better? Of course there are, but not at the price of admission of the V1020.

Klipch spec page for the Quintet SL...
http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/product...pecifications/

post #6 of 7

5/5/11 at 2:42pm

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34 Posts. Joined 5/2011
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Forgot to mention that these speakers would have to be sitting on a bookshelf that I'm adding soon. It will stretch across the entire wall, eliminating towers or stands. If i put bookshelves on a the shelf and just have them sit there does that impact anything? I'll be able to put the rear speakers on stands but not the left or right speakers.

The picture attached is very similar to what the bookshelf I'm getting looks like.