Need advice: Should I go 5.1 or 3.1 to use in Asia?

Hi experts,

I'm moving to asia in few weeks, and have been advised by many people there that one of the things I should consider bringing from USA is good quality speakers. What I have :

-Energy Take 5.1 system (nearly 10 years ago, so I think it is not the Energy Classic 5.1 system on amzn)
- Onkyo TX-DS696 receiver (also 10 yrs old)
- Panasonic ST30 50" TV (2011 model)
- Panasonic Bluray

I will be upgrading the receiver(as it doesn't have HDMI). Even that is confusing, because all the receivers in the $250-$400 range seem to be quite good on features(I no longer have the time to obsess about 0.9% THD vs 0.7% THD). I was thinking of getting the Yamaha RX-V671($300 at amzn), it seems to have everything I will need.

In terms of speakers, I have been feeling for sometime that my energy speakers are not sounding good anymore, I don't know if its a prob with the receiver, or if the speaker(s) are somehow damaged. I thought, as part of this move, I would buy new ones. My problem is that I don't know how big the entertainment space will be (will look for apt after going there). I don't mind spending a bit more for quality stuff, but I might not be able to use it.

I thought of getting Energy floor standing speakers, but that might be overkill. Given that the space will be smaller, say average sized apartment living room here, should I

1. go for something like Energy Classic 5.1 (I guess I'm partial to this brand, since they were my first speakers!) or the Polk TL250 or TL2600 set

2. Or should I do a 3.1 system, like Polk RTi bookshelves + CS10/CS20/CSiA4 + polk subwoofer?

3. any input on receiver brands (Yamaha, onkyo, pioneer, etc). I will probably use the hdmi passthrough feature, and connect all devices to it, so it should have at least 4 HDMI inputs.

I'm not very price sensitive (option #2 will probably be higher), but I would like not to go overboard. I usually watch movies(bluray, dvd) and some TV, and will probably do some music too.

Any suggestions on other brands for either option will also be much welcome. I am sorry to not be able to provide more concrete requirements, but I need to order this stuff by tomorrow, so I can go back to all the other move-related activities.

Thanks very much!

Folks, thanks for the amazing quick replies!

@Cel4145 : I checked the SuperZeros. there is a 'Superzero 2.0'($99) in amazon, as well as the original Superzero($69). Which one to get? Also, it seems size-wise, the Absolute Zero(as suggested by Zeiglj01) is only .75" higher, would that be a better choice(I see its also more expensive!)

My other concern with NHT is service and support...not sure how big they are in Asia?

Given this, any other brand/model you would suggest(apart from Energy)?

Also, you feel the denon is better than Yamaha(I see that denon is definitely cheaper!)

@zeiglj01 : Thanks for the suggestion. Do you feel that the Absolute zero is definitely worth twice the amount of the Superzero? Not that I doubt your choice!

Thanks!

Thanks, that does make me feel better about them, though I'm seeing on their website that service and warranty is only good in North America

Regarding the sub, for a smaller area, would a 8" or 10" sub work?

Dang, no distributor in my country

I'm feeling tempted to just buy the Absolute zero, and take the risk that it will arrive safely. I guess the Polks don't match up?

I know i'm bugging everyone now, but i tend to make these purchases very infrequently, and would like to make sure its something that will last for a bit!

Hi again. I was about to pull the trigger on the Denon 1612, Absolute Zero (L, R), and Absolute center. Haven't picked a sub yet, but might go with energy S10.3.

However, I've been reading more reviews around the web, and it seems that the 1612 always has mixed reviews(e.g. always around 3.5-4 stars out of 5). Various Yamahas and Onkyo that I think are in the same price range seem to have really good ratings. I understand that online reviews should be taken with a grain(or maybe a whole pinch) of salt, but I wonder why the 1612 is consistently not faring well. Could it be that the competition just has more features (which are probably not useful/used), whereas the Denon just focuses on putting out good sound? On crutchfield($199!) , it only has 3.5 stars, and a couple of the reviews complain about problems with HDMI and 3D pass through.

Damn, I'm getting sucked in again, and seeming to get into the paralysis-by-analysis black hole

Hi zeiglJ01,

the voltage issue is certainly been on my mind. The plan there is to just get a voltage transformer, and plug in all the US equipment into that. Some subs already support dual voltage, and I'll check to see if the receiver has a detachable power cable.

Those links are interesting though, I thought dual voltage/non-US voltage items would be much more expensive, but they seem to be ok. I should also check the prices in the destination country, I suppose.

I guess I'm getting caught up in the will-I-really-use-this-system-enough-to-justify-the-cost mentality. I also realise that the more I read/think about this stuff, the higher my expectations will get, and then I wonder if I'm even going to be able to appreciate the difference between a decent HTIB, and this absolute zero system. I guess I want someone to say 'its ok to spend all that money!"

Thanks!

Thanks, that review of the 1612 was way more helpful. One thing I really like about it is that has everything I think I'll need, and nothing I don't (I hate buying a lot of features that I won't use):

- I don't have any apple devices, don't plan to get any, so Airplay is a waste.
- Network connectivity-where do I start! I haev connectivity from my TV, Bluray player, google TV, HTPC, I'd have to buy a new 1GB switch to connect one more device!
- DLNA : sounds good, but my experience is that the implementation of this features(user experience, that is) varies widely, and i may or may not like how it is.

The only drawback I can think of is that I might fall short in number of HDMI inputs (Bluray, game, HTPC, goog TV, Satellite/cable). Of course, maybe goog TV won't even work where I'm moving to, so that might free up a port. I suppose I could also directly connect to the TV's HDMI port (though my current top choice does not leave much leeway there.

Also, I don't use component video inputs for anything, but just wondering if there might ever be a time when that might come back to bite me?

Those NHT speakers...they're just growing on me! Its a shame that not too many people(outside of this forum, I mean), seem to know about them, they don't really show up in discussions, which all seem to focus on the known brands.

9-month old NHT Absolute Tower (pair) for $750 in my area(Craigslist)...that, or pair of new Absolute Zeros??

Sorry, please ignore that, don't know what I was thinking, its almost double the cost of the Absolute zeros!

I know folks have recommended subwoofers before, can I ask for one last suggestion for a sub in the $200-$250 range, that would go nicely with these speakers?

Btw, front 3 speakers and the Denon 1612 have been ordered!

Hi guys,

I spent some time in Fry's today listening to subs, and realised(again) how important it is to have something good. So i'm upping my budget to about 350-400. Can I bother you for some new suggestions?

I was thinking of going with the NHT Super 8. Not to match it with the speakers ( I believe sub doesn't need to do that). I've been looking at some schematics for some possible apartments, and it looks like the living room/family room area will probably be about 14'-14'. So I thought 8" sub might be enough.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks again!

Hi, zeiglj01 and others,

sorry about the no-show for past few days, been busy with getting on with the move. Sold 2 cars, emptied 2 bedrooms so far. Also received the Absolute Zeros and Absolute center, along with the 1612. The speakers sound AMAZING, so of course now I'm daydreaming about how freaking good the Classic 2 / 3 etc would sound. Not that I'm going to do anything about it, just no time.

Btw, I have to send the 1612 back...I was on a call, at home, when I saw the Fedex guy bring it. the box was badly dented, flaps were half open, and it seemed to be slipping from his grasp as he came towards the house. And then i heard a loud 'thump' at the door. When I got there a few mins later, the box was lying tilted on the front porch step! After hookup, I saw a problem (while watching LOTR) where the video would cut out for a split second, every 20-25 mins. I'm running HDMI from BD player to AVR, then output to TV. Also, an annoying problem with audio CDs...everytime i change a CD, the AVR needs to be turned off and On again, else the music does not play in the speakers(even though CD is clearly playing in the playe). I ordered a 1712 tonight, hopefully it'll fare better.

Still haven't figure out a sub. One thing I realised is that I would really, really like to have a sub that takes 100-250v input, so I don't have to worry about getting yet another voltage convertor if I want to place the sub some distance away from the rest of the system. (In a previous foray out east a few years ago, I blew out my Energy 8" sub when I inadvertently connected it to a 250V supply). Energy S10 (as suggested) seems good(though not as per reviews), but its 120V only.

I'm going to look at some the Hsu Research subs tomorrow, and any other suggestions. Budget is still 300-350, hopefully I can get something decent 10" in that.

Thanks again for all your help!

Hi Veda,

So I'm replacing the front speakers with the NHTs, as discussed earlier in this thread. I was thinking of using 2 of the existing Energy speakers for the surrounds, wht do you think?

One other thing I realised about my bluray player(Pansonic DMT110)...it seems to be region-locked!! It couldn't play some DVDs that I'd brought back. So its going to only be useful for the stuff I buy here(which is not a whole lot). I was thinking of selling it off and buying a BD player after I move. But are you saying the choice is not as good over there?

Thanks!

Thanks for your answers, Zeigl and Veda.

@Veda: Just checked out your 'my system' link, and its amazing! I think even your kid's room is way better than my current (pre-NHT) setup!

I'm planning to bring over my 60" tv, hopefully, there is enough space for it when its wall-mounted, else all my housing decisions are going to be affected

Regarding BD player, I saw there are many links about how to unlock panasonic players and make them regionfree. Not sure if I'm capable of trying that. I was wondering if the players in Asia are generally region free (when I used to live in Singapore, I knew that DVD players were always regionfree, in fact that was a selling point)

@Zeigl : thanks for that link to ebay. seems very tempting!

If you folks noticed, I elected to replace the AVR-1612 with AVR-1712. I was sort of surprised that I had to actually go beyond 50% volume level with 1612 to get some decent amount of sounds from the NHTs. I'm hoping the added power rating of 1712 (90W vs 75w per channel) will help with this. The sensitivity between NHT and say something like DefTech is only 4DB (86 vs 90), but I suppose that as with all things db, its not just a linear difference between those two numbers?

One more question : What stands are suggested for the Absolute zeros? I was surprised to see they are sort of rounded at the bottom. the guides do keep them from moving, but we decided yday that our current TV stand would have to go, and I'd replace it with something less wide, which means there is space for stands!

thanks!