5.1 speaker recommendation for small living room - Page 2

Hey Mike,

When I first got into the home theater world I was thinking just like you. I thought I had to have a 5.1 system to satisfy my needs. I even came to this sight and a couple others looking for ideas/advice. I ended up taking the advice that has already been given to you...piece the system together. I started out with a pair of bookshelves, then later added a center and sub once I saved up enough money. I ended up sticking with a 3.1 system in my living room which was about the same size as your's and was very happy with the decision.

If you were to take this advice and piece a system together, Newegg seems to always have deals on Def Tech. Right now they have the studio monitor 350's for $180, which would be a very good starting point for a system.

If you want a 5.1 system for $400 or under it will definitely have its limits. Newegg has the Def Tech ProCinema 60 for $230 + an extra $30 off with promo code.

Mike,

We are not pushing you to "buy" anything. You get what you want, but the main reason I went with the Polk 5.1 is the simple truth that is the best bang for your dollar right now. A Polk 5.1 for $471 that includes the PSW505 ( which is a great, great bottom dollar sub), will beat the 5.1 HTIB easily. I have heard the MLT-2 and I have heard the Polk system, so I think I have the right to say which one I like better. If you get the HTIB, sure, you will be very happy with it.

People that have the Energys are not stupid for saying they like it. I like my Toyota Tacoma, but Im not gonna argue with someone if they tell me that the Toyota Tundra has more power, will go faster, haul more, and rides more comfortably.

To each his own.

If you want to get the 5.1 Takes or the MLT-2, thats great and those are very nice HTIB. All we are trying to do is suggest speakers for you, you are the one thats going to have to pull the trigger and buy it. Good luck and Im sure no matter what you get, you will be happy with your purchase.

IMO, you'll be more dissatisfied with an inferior 5.1 system the first time you wonder why the subwoofer sounds anemic or your hear chuffing from its port, or when you get tired of the shrillness of the cheap tweeters.

IMO, the best way to start is with two good mains and a sub. Add a matching center speaker, then add surrounds. And, aside from the sub, buy gently-used.

I do the same thing when it comes to building a computer. Computer components tend to drop in price 1/3 to 1/2 in 18 months as newer, better components are developed and released. Given your "build" choice philosophy and interest in the Denon 1913, look at the Onkyo TX-NR809. Onkyo came out with a new model this year to replace that one, so it's heavily discounted. See if it has the features you want.

However, I would also point out that your purchasing philosophy, while it does work somewhat for receivers when it comes to features, doesn't work for speakers and subs. Speakers and sub technology does not change nearly very rapidly. So I agree with everyone else. Better to spend less on the receiver and put more money into the speakers and sub and avoid HTIB small satellite speakers sets.

Hello Mike,
I'm not sure if you have purchased your system yet, but I thought I would share this with you: my brother had the energy take classic 5.1 system for a few years. His HT room is a little bigger than your area. I always thought they were nice little speakers, certainly nicer than what I had at the time. I remember watching a movie at his house and I thought it sounded pretty good. Basically, the Energy Take Classic setup he had turned me toward energy speakers and I had to have some too. I wanted to get the Take Classics but I didn't for two reasons: I didn't want to get the same stuff he had (it's one of those weird things I have not wanting to steal his stuff) and I wanted to really upgrade and not half-a** it. Everyone here has provided some really good advice, it's just different ways to getting you to your ultimate goal. In short, if you want the Energy or MLT 2s, and if you are the guy who is able to enjoy the setup for a year or two without getting the upgrade bug, I'd say go for it. I don't think you will be dissatisfied with either one. My brother had his for two years and he got every red cent out of it and then some. Good luck with your purchase.

Hey Mike,

What changed my mind was going out and auditioning different brands and systems. I found out that the compact systems just didn't cut it for me. There were some that sounded decent, but auditioning made me realize that you will get what you pay for. I purchased my 3.1 system from a audio/video shop a little over an hour away from where I live. The guys there were a great source of information and educated me on a lot of things that I was not aware of. One of the first things they mentioned was that I might not need surrounds in a room that size. When I first set the 3.1 system up, I thought I was going to buy 2 surrounds to complete it. But once I started tweaking it and playing with the different sound field options on my receiver, I realized that I didn't really need them. I spent a little more than I initially planned to, and was glad I did. The sound from my Paradigms was better than I would have imagined.
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This is why most of us who are suggesting the piece together approach are doing so. We all get the "upgrade bug" at some point, but the good thing about a good set of speakers that you really enjoy listening to is that they can last years. This is why I think getting a nice set of bookshelves would be the best option. If you are already talking about upgrading down the road, the best bang for your buck is piecing it together.

I would suggest listening to a couple of these systems before you buy. If they satisfy your needs, then pull the trigger!

If I came off as a pushy used car salesman that was not my intent. I was only offering other options, a different viewpoint. I wasn't implying that you would regret your decision. My viewpoint comes from hours of reading through the Audio section on AVS, which in some respects has shown me the light, and on the other hand has turned me off from HTIB. You have to consider that there are some hardcore HT enthusiasts here (I'm not one of them), so to many of them HTIB is blasphemy. I'm not as hardcore, but still want a nice sounding system. Since my budget is a little higher that opens up options beyond HTIB. If I was restricted to or only willing to spend $300-400 I would probably be pleased with a HTIB.

Your situation is somewhat unique in that you have Amazon gift cards, which have already been applied to your account, plus your desire for 5.1 now and a $300-400 budget. I've done a lot of reading on this forum and realistically the option to look beyond HTIB starts at $500-600, which is beyond your budget and circumstances.

If you have the opportunity see if you can go to a local B&B or dedicated HT store and demo speakers similar to what you are looking at and listen to see if you prefer a same price 5.1 setup or a same price 3.1 setup. You may find you want 5.1 no matter what or that 3.1 is enough, which could open that option.

In the end only you know what you want. We are just offering different options based on personal experience and research.

You're welcome. Generally speaking, I think only you would be able to really answer when an upgrade it justifiable...but having said that, I'll try to provide you with a few scenarios that may help.

Let's say you were to pull the trigger on a good 3.1 set up and later decide its time to add surrounds. You add some additional bookshelf or bi/dipole speakers (whichever floats your boat), and then you don't have any additional speakers sitting around collecting dust and ultimately trying to sell. It took me almost 6 months to sell my old set, not saying that's how long it would take, but just throwing it out there.

Let's say you get the Take Classic 5.1 set, and then after a year you upgrade the front L & R channels. After that you decide to upgrade the subwoofer (you may want to do this one first though - if you go this route). Then you could say to yourself I need a bigger/better/kick-a** center channel. Now you have three extra speakers (if you're not using the take satellites for 7.1) and the subwoofer to get rid of.

Now those scenarios are just to help you get an idea of what would/could be down the road. The last thing you need are additional options (and I hate to do this to ya cuz I know how overwhelming speaker choices can be) but if the L & R channels are good enough, you may not need the center at the start and be able to get a pair of really good bookshelves (sorry if this has been brought up before...don't remember) for a 2.1 system and get by with the phantom center. This way could be the best way to go if you're concerned with having too many speakers around the house and/or not wanting to just buy speakers now and within a year or two just spending more $$$ to replace them with something better.

As I stated before, if you will keep whichever satellites for a while and don't mind paying a "renters fee" ( I have done that myself) then buying the system you really want, then go with 5.1 and upgrade how/when you see fit when finances allow it. If you are one of those guys that doesn't like the idea of paying said "renters fee" and would want to piece together the best system you can over time, then start with 3.1 (or maybe even 2.1). It seems that all you need to do is find out what you would rather do. As I stated before, I think everyone has provided a lot of great information for you. I hope this helps and happy speaker hunting.

I'll explain my situation. So far I've purchased a Denon 1712 and am awaiting delivery of a pair of Ascend CBM-170s. Right away I plan on using them for movies, video games, music to hear how well the sound fills my room, how much I like 2.0. Within the next 6 months, maybe less maybe more, I would like to add a sub and then a center channel. My room is small enough that I think 3.1 will still be very immersive. I'm in no hurry and will be on the lookout for sales on subs and centers I'm considering, possibly B stock. I could see myself waiting until next Christmas to get what I want, hopefully at discounted prices. I've just scratched the surface on subwoofer research, which is a whole other ball of wax. Down the rabbit hole I go!

Thanks for the recommendations to the OP. I needed a small 2nd setup and was just able find a similar Polk 5.1 on Newegg at a reasonable price. Note I went for the smaller sub for this setup for specific reasons - in lower level of small cottage and didn't want son shaking house with video games.

2 x Polk Audio Monitor30 Series II Two-Way Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Black) Pair $84.99 ea
Polk Audio PSW Series PSW10 Black 10-inch Powered Subwoofer Each $99.99
Polk Audio CS2 Series II Center Channel Speaker (Black) Each $149.99
Subtotal $419.96
Promo Codes (supplied with above items) -$70.00
Order Total $349.96

Mike, Those monitor 30's are $84 for a pair. He has 2 pair on there. This is a complete 5.1 system for $350. Pretty close to the same setup I mention except I chose a bigger sub and he chose the better center, the CS2 instead of the CS1.

Really nice setup, but like he said, the bass will be lacking (which is what he wanted for his son)

Sub crawl! Try placing it in different spots and see which sounds best to you

Seeing how you are asking these questions I can tell you are about to start a very long and incredibly fun adventure:D Next year you'll probably be posting about how you decided to build a dedicated room lol

I'd agree with this, like so many people here I started off small and in my case with bose oh god how much I hate bose now, and how much money I've spend on amazing speakers!! What I can say is if you spend good money on great speakers you will keep them for a long long time. but what ever direction you go with it will be a fun time!
also for the sub placement if you have a cord long enough put the sub where you sit the most and craw around the room looking for the deepest area of bass and place the sub in that area. its fun and it looks dumb but you will be much happier with your placement.

personally I think you will grow to like the center speaker and it might be a bit bigger but its not going to be huge like the one I have, I think you will find a happy home for it in your setup, but would agree the polks would be the better way to go over the MLT-2 speakers, So if you pull the trigger tonight enjoy them!

The PSW10 is a powered sub, it doesn't take any juice from the receiver at all. It has its own amp albeit a pretty weak one. The receiver only sends an audio signal to the subwoofer, that's it, no power.

The 5.1 Polks that I ordered from Newegg arrived within 5 days. It may be a while until I listen to them unless I get bored and temporarily swap out my Onix Rocket ELT 5.1 system that I have here at home.

OP, did you ever order your speakers?