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opinions on my 5.1

post #1 of 27
12/11/12 at 10:03pm
Thread Starter 
Hi everyone, I'm almost ready to order my first 5.1 system and thought I could run it by some more informed people than myself. Just wondering if speaker/avr combo seems ok. I'm also shooting for bang for the buck since my budget is only around $2000.
If anyone thinks I could do better for sound quality with some other components for the same price any feedback would be welcome.

I'm looking at the wharfedale diamond 10.2 for fronts
Wharfedale diamond 10sr for surrounds
Wharfedale diamond 10cc center
HSU STF-2 sub
And a Denon 1712 avr
That's about $1680 and I am still looking for a blu-ray player.

Thanks in advance for any opinions.
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post #2 of 27
12/11/12 at 10:15pm
looks like a solid setup. How big is your room?
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post #3 of 27
12/11/12 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
Lol, massive.
48' x 25' with 8' ceilings frown.gif
I'll be looking into a second sub when $ is there.
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post #4 of 27
12/11/12 at 10:45pm
Yeah.... You're likely going to need to re-think things. How far away are you sitting from where the speakers will be?
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post #5 of 27
12/11/12 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 
I can adjust the seating position from 20' away to 1' away as needed. But with the 82" screen I probably will back a bit.
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post #6 of 27
12/11/12 at 11:09pm
So likely around 4 meters. The speakers might be a little low on the sensitivity for your space. Your sub situation is definitely not going to be great, and you would likely need to drop the entire $2k on subs to really attempt to do that space justice. For something realistic within your budget I would consider a pair of these Klipsch RW12D'd while theyre on sale for $300 ea

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780078&Tpk=rw-12d

For speakers, you can get a pretty good deal on some Focal Chorus right now

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/FOCAL814V/FOCAL-Chorus-814V-716v-Dual-6-Floorstanding-Speakers-Gloss-Black-Pair/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/FOCALCC814V/FOCAL-Chorus-CC814V-800V-Dual-6-Center-Speaker-Gloss-Black-Each/1.html

These are 91 db, which is 5 db greater then the wharfedale's. That means they take almost 4x less power to equal the same SPL. Yes this will push your budget right to its limit...
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post #7 of 27
12/11/12 at 11:24pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I was originally looking at floorspeakers but I thought I could get better quality for the price if I went with bookshelf. And I didn't know how much of a difference it would make.
And for the sub I know I'm never going to really fill the room without dropping a few grand but my experience with home audio consists of $100 htib so I figured anything would sound like a huge improvement.
I haven't heard much about klipsch subs, I'll have to look into those, that price is crazy.
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post #8 of 27
12/13/12 at 2:44pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks jay1 for your suggestions, I appreciate you taking the time to post those.

As for the sub, a lot of the reviews kind of scared me away from them. Seems like quite a few quality issues (loose wires, rattling, rear port falling off, etc.)
But I will take your advice and look for a set of 12". Probably one to start, bic pl-200, or a lava 12" maybe, if anyone has any input on those I'll listen.

And the focal towers were often refered to as "bright" this scares me without being able to listen to them, the only "bright" speakers I have listened to are klipsch, and to me it's torture hearing those piercing highs.

Again I'll take your advice and up my spending to get some towers. Hopefully something thought to be a bit on the warm side. If my link works I'm looking at these arx-a5's if anyone cares to comment on those I'm all ears.

If I go with the arx-a5 I'll fill out the 5.1 with matching speakers.

Thanks again for any advice.

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=arx-a5-floorstanding-loudspeaker&products_id=216&
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post #9 of 27
12/13/12 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

I can adjust the seating position from 20' away to 1' away as needed. But with the 82" screen I probably will back a bit.

About 10-12 feet would be the max distance I would go. I sit about 9-10 from a 70 and I would have no problem with an 80" set at that distance.
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post #10 of 27
12/13/12 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kini62 View Post

About 10-12 feet would be the max distance I would go. I sit about 9-10 from a 70 and I would have no problem with an 80" set at that distance.

I sit 12.5 feet back from a 125" screen and it is perfect for me. Recommended THX viewing distance with an 82" screen is 9.2'. I would stay within 9-10ft:
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

As for speakers, I would focus on getting some efficient bookshelves and a potent sub. Hsu has some package deals that are very close to your budget:
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hybrid15pkg.html

I also would look into this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1387083/list-of-reference-level-high-sensitivity-spl-speakers

As stated above, I would look no lower than 91-92db sensitivity to drive speakers in that room, otherwise you will need gobs of power. I also would concentrate on getting the best sub you can and then potentially adding a second later. Two of the Klipsch at $299 each is not a bad idea..
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post #11 of 27
12/13/12 at 7:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

Thanks jay1 for your suggestions, I appreciate you taking the time to post those.
As for the sub, a lot of the reviews kind of scared me away from them. Seems like quite a few quality issues (loose wires, rattling, rear port falling off, etc.)
But I will take your advice and look for a set of 12". Probably one to start, bic pl-200, or a lava 12" maybe, if anyone has any input on those I'll listen.
And the focal towers were often refered to as "bright" this scares me without being able to listen to them, the only "bright" speakers I have listened to are klipsch, and to me it's torture hearing those piercing highs.
Again I'll take your advice and up my spending to get some towers. Hopefully something thought to be a bit on the warm side. If my link works I'm looking at these arx-a5's if anyone cares to comment on those I'm all ears.
If I go with the arx-a5 I'll fill out the 5.1 with matching speakers.

Thanks again for any advice.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=arx-a5-floorstanding-loudspeaker&products_id=216&

Those Arx look like a really good choice

The HSU 15" option is also a good one with a room of your size.
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post #12 of 27
12/13/12 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

But I will take your advice and look for a set of 12". Probably one to start, bic pl-200, or a lava 12" maybe, if anyone has any input on those I'll listen.
And the focal towers were often refered to as "bright" this scares me without being able to listen to them, the only "bright" speakers I have listened to are klipsch, and to me it's torture hearing those piercing highs.
Again I'll take your advice and up my spending to get some towers. Hopefully something thought to be a bit on the warm side. If my link works I'm looking at these arx-a5's if anyone cares to comment on those I'm all ears.
If I go with the arx-a5 I'll fill out the 5.1 with matching speakers.
The so-called word that Focals may be bright is subjective - I have owned Klipsch
and Focal speakers - and the Focal is not bright to me, I do not like bright speakers
and I do not get ear fatigue with Focal > > Focal has one of the best tweeters that I
have listened to.

Also, I would put the Cadence CSX12 sub on a short list.
http://www.cadencesound.com/products/CSX12-Mark-II.html
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post #13 of 27
12/13/12 at 7:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks alot for all the info and suggestions guys, now even more options to consider!
Damn I wish I could listen to all this stuff, it's maddening trying to narrow down my options when I can't even hear them.
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post #14 of 27
12/15/12 at 1:10pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, thanks for all the input guys. After thinking about what you guys suggested, and reading about 10,000 reviews, I believe im going to pull the trigger on this set up.

Focal chorus 814v, fronts
Focal chorus cc814, center
Hsu VTF-2 MK4
Denon AVR-1913

After stepping up my spending on the focals I''ll have to settle for the 3.1 setup for a bit until I can pick up the focal chorus bookshelf speakers and another VTF-2 MK4 to finish off the 5.2. Hopefully it's worth it.

Thanks again everyone, I'll let you know how it sounds.
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post #15 of 27
12/15/12 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

Ok, thanks for all the input guys. After thinking about what you guys suggested, and reading about 10,000 reviews, I believe im going to pull the trigger on this set up.
Focal chorus 814v, fronts
Focal chorus cc814, center
Hsu VTF-2 MK4
Denon AVR-1913
After stepping up my spending on the focals I''ll have to settle for the 3.1 setup for a bit until I can pick up the focal chorus bookshelf speakers and another VTF-2 MK4 to finish off the 5.2. Hopefully it's worth it.
Thanks again everyone, I'll let you know how it sounds.

That sure seems like a winner.
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post #16 of 27
12/15/12 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk View Post

That sure seems like a winner.

+1
enjoy
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post #17 of 27
12/16/12 at 9:14am
smart going with a 3.1 that you're happy with and waiting to add the rest. That's a helluva nice setup so far. I didn't see it mentioned before, are you getting your Denon from accessories4less as well? I got my Marantz from there and would do it again in a second. You may be able to get more receiver for your dollar if you weren't considering it before... What were you budgeting for the amp?
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post #18 of 27
12/16/12 at 12:32pm
Thread Starter 
Honestly I was looking at amazon. I'm thinking around $500.
I didn't even think to check A4L, I definitely will. Thank you.
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post #19 of 27
12/16/12 at 12:44pm
Thread Starter 
A4L has the Denon AVR- 1912 for $349!!! Damn, nice call. That's $100 cheaper than I was looking at.
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post #20 of 27
12/16/12 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone have any experience with factory refurbished equipment? Seems like a great bargain if they are like new again.
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post #21 of 27
12/16/12 at 1:02pm
[/QUOTE]
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

Anyone have any experience with factory refurbished equipment? Seems like a great bargain if they are like new again.

I have ordered multipled refurbished receivers from AC4less and have had zero issues. Keep in mind they are an authorized Denon reseller, so you get a full manufacturers warranty.
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post #22 of 27
12/16/12 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk View Post

I have ordered multipled refurbished receivers from AC4less and have had zero issues. Keep in mind they are an authorized Denon reseller, so you get a full manufacturers warranty.[/quote]

Awesome, thanks
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post #23 of 27
12/16/12 at 1:56pm
You don't get a full mfrs warranty but you do get a 1 year warranty. Normal warranty for Denon is 2 or 3 years depending on which model you buy.
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post #24 of 27
12/30/12 at 4:44pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, quick update and one last question.
I ordered the focal 814v towers and the matching center. And since outlaw was having a sale I ended up ordering a LFM-1 plus for $499 shipped.
So for now I just need the avr. I was going to step it up a bit and order the denon 2312 for $499 shipped. But I saw newegg had a new pioneer sc-1222 for $549 shipped.

So any thoughts?
Refurbished denon 2312
Or
New pioneer SC-1222
The $50 price difference really isn't a factor for me so which would you guys choose?
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post #25 of 27
12/30/12 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billg221 View Post

Hey guys, quick update and one last question.
I ordered the focal 814v towers and the matching center. And since outlaw was having a sale I ended up ordering a LFM-1 plus for $499 shipped.
So for now I just need the avr. I was going to step it up a bit and order the denon 2312 for $499 shipped. But I saw newegg had a new pioneer sc-1222 for $549 shipped.
So any thoughts?
Refurbished denon 2312
Or
New pioneer SC-1222
The $50 price difference really isn't a factor for me so which would you guys choose?

IMHO i prefer audyssey over Pioneer's MCACC
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post #26 of 27
12/30/12 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
That seems to be a big plus for most people. I've just been reading that the D3 amps in the pioneers are a beast with all channels driven. Didn't know just how much of a difference Audyssey really was.
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post #27 of 27
1/2/13 at 7:34pm
honestly, id go with the Denon 3311 from A4L for $499 over either of those.
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