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My first 5.1ch system. Starting with 3.1. Need advice. Comming from Bose SR1 sound bar.

post #1 of 48
1/18/13 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
Hi people.

I'm trying to set up my first 5.1Ch system which will have to be purchase, pretty much all, from Best Buy.

I'm coming from Bose SR1 and Atlantic Technology PB-235 sound bars. Neither of them gave me any surround feeling. ;(;(;(.
I sill have both of them, but I'm going to return them.

My budget is $1500 for now. I want to start with receiver, two bookshelf or stand speakers and center channel speaker. If possible, I would like buy subwoofer now as well. The rear surround speakers can wait little bit longer at this point.

For receiver I was looking at Marantz 250W slim 5.1Ch @ $399.98

For front side speakers I'm looking at Bowers and Wilkins 6 1/2" 2 way @ $649.98

AT THIS POINT I DON'T KNOW WHAT CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKER AND WHAT SUBWOOFER?!?!

Here is my room set up. Notice hight ceilings and opening to left wall to kitchen.

I will have to buy wires and covers for them as well. I may have to buy speaker stands as well if it won't fit in my side shelves.

Please, give me any advice. Remember that it has to be from best buy.

Here is my room setup:




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post #2 of 48
1/18/13 at 12:54pm
You need the center to match the front speakers. B&W are some nice speakers. There are a lot of nice speakers, is there a reason for choosing that brand? Will you listen to music or just movies? What kind?
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post #3 of 48
1/18/13 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bepperb View Post

You need the center to match the front speakers. B&W are some nice speakers. There are a lot of nice speakers, is there a reason for choosing that brand? Will you listen to music or just movies? What kind?



Oh no, I want it for music and movies. Both. Why BW? Because there are not many choices on Best Buy website. Any other brand you would suggest?
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post #4 of 48
1/18/13 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bepperb View Post

You need the center to match the front speakers. B&W are some nice speakers. There are a lot of nice speakers, is there a reason for choosing that brand? Will you listen to music or just movies? What kind?



Oh no, I want it for music and movies. Both. Why BW? Because there are not many choices on Best Buy website. Any other brand you would suggest?
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post #5 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:00pm
Edit...okay, just remember the Best buy part. Don't know what they carry, so sorry...
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post #6 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:13pm
Just FYI...the Klipsch 10inch Synergy Subwoofer is 469 dollars at Best Buy and 180 dollars from New Egg! (sale until 1/21/13)
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post #7 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elihawk View Post

Just FYI...the Klipsch 10inch Synergy Subwoofer is 469 dollars at Best Buy and 180 dollars from New Egg! (sale until 1/21/13)

Looks like a great buy and I don't have problem to order that one from newegg. Rest will have to be from best buy. Thank you for tip.
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post #8 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:20pm
Thing about Best Buy is that subwoofers from Internet subwoofer manufacturers SVSSound, HSU Research, Outlaw Audio, and Rythmik are easily equal or better than subs costing twice as much MSRP at BestBuy. So unless you get a heavy BestBuy discount, would be better to purchase from one of those vendors.

And to echo would bepperb said, your center channel should be the one that matches the speaker series of the bookshelves you choose.
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post #9 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:26pm
But they still carry B&W, Definitive, Martin Logan, Polk, JBL, Klipsch, Boston Acoustics all with nice speakers in your price range. They have different characteristics.

FWIW I have some Polk Monitor series which would be cheaper then what you are looking at that are accurate and sound good, not really that loud and I wouldn't recommend them for someone who listened to a lot of rap/hip hop music, or even rock for that matter. But if you only did movies and had a sub they would fit the bill nicely. I also have some Paradigms which would fall closer in price/quality to your B&W speakers and sound better with a lot more bass. But that's not to say money buys bass just that different speakers have different styles to them. Not sold at BBY anyway.

B&W's are nice, I'd assume you'd be buying something in the 600 series which were recently redone but have been around (popular and well regarded) for awhile. I've never spent a lot of time so I'll leave opinions on them to others.
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post #10 of 48
1/18/13 at 1:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

Thing about Best Buy is that subwoofers from Internet subwoofer manufacturers SVSSound, HSU Research, Outlaw Audio, and Rythmik are easily equal or better than subs costing twice as much MSRP at BestBuy. So unless you get a heavy BestBuy discount, would be better to purchase from one of those vendors.

And to echo would bepperb said, your center channel should be the one that matches the speaker series of the bookshelves you choose.


Center speaker is a problem for now. This one got quiet poor reviews and price is high:

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post #11 of 48
1/18/13 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cub4bearin View Post

Center speaker is a problem for now. This one got quiet poor reviews and price is high:


Then sounds like the B&Ws are not a good choice for you.
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post #12 of 48
1/19/13 at 12:18pm
The best B&W center for the proposed setup is another B&W 685. However, they're only sold in pairs and BB won't sell you a single speaker. If you bought another pair that would put you out of budget. You should check out the Deftech SM55 book shelf speakers. They're very good speakers, in your price range, and are sold at BB.
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post #13 of 48
1/19/13 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by postrokfan View Post

The best B&W center for the proposed setup is another B&W 685. However, they're only sold in pairs and BB won't sell you a single speaker. If you bought another pair that would put you out of budget. You should check out the Deftech SM55 book shelf speakers. They're very good speakers, in your price range, and are sold at BB.




What center channel speaker would u suggest for these:

http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=4756502&pid=1218540196643
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post #14 of 48
1/19/13 at 2:05pm
If you are considering the def tech, you should thick about the sm350/450s. I know you got some best buy credit, but these have been around 200/pr from New egg!
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post #15 of 48
1/19/13 at 2:20pm
Best buy is the king at overcharging. So much so you would still save money if you ignored them and purchased elsewhere even with your credit
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post #16 of 48
1/19/13 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
I need to stay with BB range. As much as I want go different way. I'm sure BB will have more than enough to make my movie watching, happy smile.gif
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post #17 of 48
1/19/13 at 2:51pm
you could get some Def Tech speakers at Best Buy if you have to use your gift cards. Maybe 2 or 4 of these.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+StudioMonitor+45+5-1/4%26%2334%3B+2-Way+Bookshelf+Speaker+(Each)/4756469.p?id=1218570958372&skuId=4756469&st=definitive technology&cp=1&lp=13

And a Def tech center channel
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+ProCenter+1000+4-1/2%22+Center-Channel+Speaker+-+Gloss+Black/7656413.p?id=1190678281674&skuId=7656413&st=definitive technology&cp=1&lp=1

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+4-1/2%22+Center-Channel+Loudspeaker+(Each)/1170399.p?id=1218231080436&skuId=1170399&st=definitive technology&cp=1&lp=2
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post #18 of 48
1/19/13 at 3:45pm
^ ^

That would make a very nice setup. And there is the OP's answer to picking the right center channel.
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post #19 of 48
1/19/13 at 3:46pm
Best Buy will price match a number of websites, such as Amazon.com, so you can probably save a little money on the receiver and possibly the sub that way. Frankly, though, I'd recommend an entry level SVS or HSU sub over just about anything Best Buy carries.

For receivers, Best Buy carries Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, and Harman/Kardon, which are all good. Find the cheapest one that has the features you want and look for the best price online and have Best Buy price match it. I purchased a BNIB Pioneer Elite VSX-42 from Best Buy recently for $250 on sale and am very happy with it for the price, although it's back up to the regular $450 price now. The Harman/Kardon 1700 for $200 is hard to beat for the price unless you wanted to splurge and go with the $450 Denon 1713 with Audyssey MultEQ XT "room correction".

I'm not crazy about any of the speaker brands Best Buy carries, but the B&Ws are probably the best. Due to your price cap, a pair of 686s and a HTM62 come to $900 plus tax and is pretty much the only B&Ws in your budget.
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post #20 of 48
1/19/13 at 3:47pm
^^^ (post #17) I would really look at the new Definitive Studio Monitor series - they are real nice
If you can swing it, the SM 55
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+StudioMonitor+55+6-1/2%26%2334%3B+Bookshelf+Speaker+(Each)/4756502.p?id=1218540196643&skuId=4756502

Also, it looks like you can fit the one SM45 or SM55 as a center channel - that would be cheaper
and a better option.
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post #21 of 48
1/19/13 at 4:35pm
Thread Starter 
For the definitive SM 55, would there be any central speaker in BB you would recommend!?
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post #22 of 48
1/19/13 at 4:43pm
Yes, one of the two Def Tech centers I linked earlier in post #17
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post #23 of 48
1/19/13 at 9:10pm
Thread Starter 
hi there.. thanks for all the help so far..

one more question.. if I would go with the deftech SM 45 OR 55... and central speaker http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+4-1/2%22+Center-Channel+Loudspeaker+(Each)/1170399.p?id=1218231080436&skuId=1170399&st=definitive


do You think I will need subwoofer?

Thank You..
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post #24 of 48
1/19/13 at 9:17pm
Yes, you'll need a subwoofer. The bass in a bookshelf speaker cannot replace a decent sub, especially if you plan to watch movies.
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post #25 of 48
1/19/13 at 9:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

Yes, you'll need a subwoofer. The bass in a bookshelf speaker cannot replace a decent sub, especially if you plan to watch movies.

I am thinking about this receiver: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Yamaha---575W-5.1-Ch.-A/V-Home-Theater-Receiver/4566104.p?skuId=4566104&productCategoryId=abcat0202003&id=1218487065632

yamaha 575W 5.1

set of these: for front left and right : http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+StudioMonitor+45+5-1/4%26%2334%3B+2-Way+Bookshelf+Speaker+(Each)/4756469.p?id=1218570958372&skuId=4756469&st=studiomonitor&cp=1&lp=1

Deftech SM 45

and maybe one more for central

or this one for central:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive+Technology+-+ProCenter+1000+4-1/2%22+Center-Channel+Speaker+-+Gloss+Black/7656413.p?id=1190678281674&skuId=7656413&st=deftech&cp=1&lp=2


and then subwoofer:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Definitive-Technology---ProSub-1000-10%22-300-Watt-Powered-Subwoofer---Matte-Black/7656431.p?skuId=7656431&productCategoryId=abcat0205008&id=1185265823305

prosub 1000 10"

that would hopefully give me some quality sound and at some point ad rear speakers ...
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post #26 of 48
1/20/13 at 7:39am
FYI, Newegg is selling that AVR for $299.00 with free shipping and no tax. Just so you know smile.gif

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115374
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post #27 of 48
1/20/13 at 8:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by arabprince View Post

FYI, Newegg is selling that AVR for $299.00 with free shipping and no tax. Just so you know smile.gif

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115374

Going to BB today. Ill see if they willing do price match. Thank you for info.
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post #28 of 48
1/20/13 at 11:52am
It's too bad they don't have a decent subwoofer selection at BB. Deftech really inflates the specs on their subwoofers. You'd be better off getting something from Newegg but I know that's not an option right now.
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post #29 of 48
1/21/13 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
so.. after my trip to BB, I am please with my choices.. BB matched price of receiver with amazon and also was willing to match price with newegg. I ended up with Pioneer SC 61 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-2664578305309005484&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=pioneer+sc-61&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=n&usc=All+Categories&ks=960

BB cost $1099, but after matching price with amazon it was $749

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SC-61-Channel-Network-Receiver/dp/B008530P7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358786358&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+sc+61

Bought Energy CB 10 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=883179770307304096&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=energy+cb-10&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960

Energy central channel CC 10

and finally Energy sub ESW - C8 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Energy+-+8%22+240-Watt+Subwoofer/2762352.p?id=1218348986084&skuId=2762352&st=energy%20subwoofer&cp=1&lp=2

for price of amazon $217 !!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-ESW-C8-8-Inch-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B0021L9BMO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358786633&sr=1-1&keywords=energy+sub

For my small apartment, I think this is more than I need.. Now I am just waiting for tower Energy speakers to drop down in price somewhere.. and buy those for my front and move bookshelf to rear..

Thank You for all Your help guys.
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post #30 of 48
1/21/13 at 9:09am
Nice job...your budget is a bit out of whack, IMHO (it is usually recommended that you spend 2-3 times MORE on speakers than AV receiver), but still I think you will be happy with the speakers!
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › My first 5.1ch system. Starting with 3.1. Need advice. Comming from Bose SR1 sound bar.