Recommendation on home theater system

Get an onkyo TX-SR504 from Shoponkyo.com for ~$210. For a sub look at the SVS PB-10 NSD from www.svsound.com for ~$430. For speakers, look for a pair of Athena B1.2 for front L/R, a C1.2 for a center and either another pair of B1.2s for the back or R1.2 if you prefer bipoles. For a 5.1 system, you should be able to find these 5 athena speakers for around ~$500-$600 if you shop around on the net. This combination will give you a much better setup than any HTIB out there.

Look at the reviews on CNet, the JVC RX-D702 seems to have some quality issues.

I could find the 5 speakers for 440$.
1) it seems that the B1.2/51.2/C1.2 are a big improvment, compared to Athena's Micra 6, which can be found at 330$, but includes a subwoofer ; do you agree, and it is worth the price (knowing that one has to add a sub)
2) what cheaper subwoofer would you recommend ? I'll have to go back to Europe in 2 years, so don't wan't to pay big bucks for a sub I won't be able to use there. I'd be looking for something around 150$ or less, if that makes sense.
3) I've never heard a bipolar speaker. What are the pro/cons ?

Thanks in advance for the replies !

Eya,

What kind of budget do you have for 5.1 speakers and the receiver? You could get equal quality speakers from Advent and get a better sub for the same price. Check out the Advent Heritage speakers discussed on the following thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=715151. You can get the H300s for the fronts and H100s or H200s for the back and the Advent Center for ~$220 + shipping. And then for a subwoofer, if your budget is large enough, get a PB10 from svsound.com for $430 + shipping. If you can't stretch that far, look at either the Athena P4000 ($150) or either the Bic H100($250) or Athena P6000 ($250).

At first I wanted to buy a Onkyo HT-S580 (200$), than a Harman Kardon CP15Z (320/350$ on ebay). Now I think I'd better invest in some quality loudspeakers I can bring back to Europe, and add some refurbished receiver/loudspeaker.
Say, I'm ready to spend 300/400$ for the speakers, the least possible for the sub, and between 100 and 200$ fro the receiver.
I also have a pair of Mission 731 Pro back in Europe (hooked to an Onkyo Integra 9511), so I could bring them back, and just buy a 3.1 to complement.
For the receiver, I'm currently looking at the Pioner VSX-816, the Yamaha RX-V640 and the Denon AV-1705.


I'm going to check that out, thanks !

Edit : been checking.. $226 inc S&H from accessories4less for 2xH300+2xH200+1xCenter... if it's the same qulity as the Athean, I'm sold !
note : other prices I quotes were also inc S&H
Edit 2 : I forgot to mention, I live in an apartment, with a wooden construction for floor/ceiling. And want to stay in good term with my neighbours, so I don't need a powerful sub. I just need one with a clean bass.

Shipping for all speakers is free from accessories 4 less. It should cost you $180 total.
http://www.accessories4less.com/

use "shipspeakers" code to get free shipping from accesories4less. What's the max you can spend on a sub?

Got that ;-)
I would rather thnik : what is the min I can spend...
I think the 8 inch Advent that can be found on eBay for 68$ will suit my need. Reviews say it's clean but not powerful : just what I need.

Since you have both, how would you compare the H500 with the H200 ? I found a pair of H500@134$(couldn't find H400 cheaper), so I might take one pair instead of H300 for front speakers.

I wish I could find more review for those speakers, especially compared to better known one (Athena, Wharfedale, ...). Hope none of you is affiliated with accesories4less ;-)) kidding :-)
On top of the Amazon reviews, if found :
Hcenter (detailled review) : audioreview com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/advent/PRD_120854_1594crx aspx

I just heard about them yesterday from someone elses post showing how cheap they have the Advent speakers for. The H500s will mainly give you a lot more output (can go louder) and greater extension (deeper bass when not crossed over). When crossed over at 80hz, you will not notice a huge difference between the H200 and H500. When not crossed over, the bass extension of the H500 is mind boggeling considering all the bass is coming from 4" woofers. To be honest, you may get cleaner and louder bass from the H500s than you will from the 8" athena subwoofer. The H500 made me realize how poor quality the bass is from both my Yamaha (dual 8") and Onkyo(10") subwoofers. While the subs can go lower and shake the walls more than the H500s, the bass is clean and defined with nothing added from the H500s. You could go without a subwoofer for a while with them and save for a much better, more musical sub. If you found them for $134, that is awesome. If you have the room for floorstanders and enjoy listening to music, get them.

Eya,

The review you found is most likely from an early since one reviewer said they were discontinued in 2003 and the Heritage line here was discontinued just a few months ago, if that. They are still probably similar in terms of quality and output.

Thanks a lor for the all the advice !
Here's what I plan to purchase :
- a pair of H500 (front)
- a pair of H100 (rear)
- a center Heritage (center :-)
- no sub
As I go 5.0 to 7.0 I might expend that later with a pair of H300, that I will use as surround, using the H100 as back surrounds (or back center if I go 6.0)

As far as the receiver is concerned, I'm considering (mix of AVS advice, HCFR advice (french equivalent of AVS), online reviews and What-Hi reviews)
- Denon AVR 1705 or 1905
- Pionner VSX D812 or 815
- Yamaha RX-V 440/640/657
They retail(ed) for around 500$, but can be found beween 150 and 250$ on ebay. But I might as well go for an Harman Kardon DPR 2005 (just above 400$ on ebay), cause I just love it, and because I'm doing a lot of headphones listening, and it has Dolby Headphone.

Sounds like a great setup! Let us know how it sounds when you get it all setup.

Was about to buy the H500, but I figured out the price was par unit not per pair :-(
So I'm still considering the H300 for front.
BTW, here are the specs (from accessories4less, if not noted otherwise) :
Edit : specs from Audiovox
(parent company for Advent)

H100 [HECO Krypton 100] :
* 4" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 75Hz-30kHz (50-40000 on HECO site)
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 85dB
* Recommended Power : 15-75 Watts
* Power handling RMS/max 60/100 Watt (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >20 Watt (from HECO site)
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 9.5" H x 5.3125" W x 8.125" D (240x135x210 mm)
* Video Shielded

H200 [HECO Krypton 200] :
* 5.25" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 55Hz-30kHz (35-40000 on HECO site)
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 87dB
* Recommended Power : 15-85 Watts
* Power handling RMS/max 90/150 Watt (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt (from HECO site)
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 11" H x 6.75" W x 10.5" D (280x70x270 mm)
* Video Shielded


H300 [HECO Krypton 300] :
* 6.5" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 45Hz-30kHz
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 90dB
* Recommended Power : 10-100 Watts
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 12.25" H x 7.38" W x 10.5" D (311x190x270mm)
* Video Shielded

H400 from (amazon)
* Single 2-way silver-finished tower speaker for stereo or home theater use
* Dual 6.5-inch cellulose woofers and 1-inch silk dome tweeter
* Recommended amp output of 10 to 175 watts
* 35 Hz to 30 kHz frequency response
* Magnetically shielded against video interference
* nominal impedance of 4 to 8 ohms
* Measures 7.37 by 37.5 by 12.12 inches (W x H x D); 5-year warranty
* 35 pounds (pair)


H400 (on HECO site for Krypton 400) :
* 2-way bass reflex, double-bass
* Power Handling RMS/max. 150/250 Watt
* Frequency Range 22 - 40.000 Hz
* Impedance 4-8 Ohm
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt
* Dimensions 185x950x310 mm

H500 (from Amazon)
* Single 3-way floorstanding speaker
* 1-inch soft-dome tweeter plus four 4-inch woofers
* video shielded for distortion-free use near TVs and computer monitors
* Full-range, 35 to 30,000 Hz frequency response
* nominal impedance 4 to 8 ohms
* High 89 dB sensitivity
* recommended for use with 10- to 200-watts-per-channel amplifiers and receivers
* Measures 5.3 x 45.1 x 10.5 inches (W x H x D) (it is less wide and less large than the H400...)
* 39 pounds ? (pair)

H500 (on HECO site for Krypton Tower - I assume this is the H500) :
* 3-way bass reflex, 4 bass driver
* Power Handling RMS/max. 200/300 Watt
* Frequency Range 24 - 40.000 Hz
* Impedance 4-8 Ohm
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt
* Dimensions 400x135x225 mm

HCenter :
* (2) 4" Woofers (2-way bass reflex, double-bass)
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq. Response : 55Hz-30kHz
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 88dB
* Recommended Power : 15-150 Watts
* Power Handling RMS/max. 80/140 Watt (from HECO site)
* Frequency Range 38 - 40.000 Hz (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >20 Watt
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims. : 5.25" H x 15.75" W x 9" D (135x400x225 mm )
* Video Shielded

Seems like the German don't measure the frequency cut with a larger dB ratio than the US...

That was my thinking as well. You can find the stats for the H400 and H500 on Amazon that looks closer to US measuring standards. They are both rated from 35 to 30000 hz.

I might add that I have measured the H500 with my radioshack spl meter and while at ~90 dbs at 35 hz, they were still at 85 dbs at 20 hz even though I couldn't hear much at that frequency the spl meter was showing 85 dbs.

8 years ago I could hear at 20Hz. Don't know now, will check ;-)
I update the specs with the amazon info. However 5"x10.5" looks pretty thin to me, (though it matches the 135mm of the HECO Tower). Could your measure yours and confirm the size ?
The H400 is larger and deeper. I may go for those as front speakers eventually. THey have the same frequency range (perhaps even lower), and sell for $180 (a pair ) vs $270. I don't know how the 3 extra drivers on the H500 make a difference.
I will also go with H100 for surround ; if eventually I upgrade to 7.1, I'll move the H100 to back surround, and will buy a pair of H300 for side surround.

The H400 probably do have deeper bass due to dual 6.5 woofers vs 4 4" woofers. They are only 2 way though vs 3 way on the H500s. Don't know how big a difference that would be.

The dimensions from Amazon for the H500 are accurate. If you eventually plan to have a Subwoofer, the H300s would probably do you fine.

No sub for now (and for at least 2 years)

Then the price for a pair of H400s sounds great. At my local retailer, the H400 still cost $250 each.

Yes, but the guy who did the review on Amazon got them for $135 a pair !
BTW, the h400 are $160 each on target.com, and are available at Target stores. I guess they'll go on clearance sometime... However, I don't think they'll beat 160/pair, so I won't wait.
Too bad, cause my neighbour gave me a set of 5 onkyo speakers...

BTW when I first got interested in these speakers I ran down to Target to see them because their web site says available in most stores. Well they wre nowhere to be found. The Target I went to is one of the largest and newest in this area too so if any Target would have had them, this one would be it.

I did manage to see and hear them at RC Willey, too bad they don't have many stores.

Which Advent's did they have at RC Willey that you could demo?

Well, I was searching for some a set of 4 chairs lately. I had spotted one in a Target, but it had no sticker... Only at the fourth Target I visited was I able to find them. And they had just 4 left. Maybe my good star is still shining, and I should go back for some speakers...

RCwilley.com has the H200 on sale for $70/pair, not bad. But for th brick& mortar stores.. Utah is really great, but I live in DC...

Accessories4less.com has the H200's for $59 a pair and free shipping.

RC Willey had the H200 but they also had the H100. Neither were hooked up, I sort of took care of that myself. :-)

It was crazy the H200 were tagged $199.99/pr marked down to $69.99/pr. But the H100 were marked $199.99 and not marked down! I had one of the sales people check and sure enough the H200 were marked down but the H100 were not.

That's what my sales person said as well! The reason I asked is because I bought an open box pair of H100 for $50 and wanted another pair to complete a 7.1 system but they only had the retail priced ones. So I picked up a pair of H200 for $69 instead:d. I didn't even know at that time that online prices were cheaper.

Even though the online price was $10 less, there's something to be said for being able to try them out in your home right away. That's $10 well spent, if you didn't like them you could return them easily.

If you bought the H100 online and wanted to return them, you might have had to pay for return shipping.

Good point. Although, they were "As Is"/not returnable but at least I was able to listen to them at the store before buying so I knew they worked.

micah3sixty , the H100 is supposed (in the specs) to be wall-mountable. Is there a specific device provided, do one need extra brackets, is there a hole in the back of the speaker (that wouldn't be on the H200)?