***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 105

cool. Energy. that gives me a direction. Does Energy have another big competitor in the inexpensive market that is as good as Energy?

Thanks Greg.

Most brands have a budget line. Those Energys are kind of on special right now, so you might have to shop around to find any better deal.

I purchased the Energy Classic 5.0 for $199 (at that same website everyone uses). I think I'll add a good sub to that for maybe another $100. Later I may add 2 more speakers for 7.1.

Think that's a good deal/setup for a 11 X 12 bedroom/HT? I think its good enough especially since I'm not big on music or sound in general anyway. It had a lot of very good reviews at amazon. I think 14 5-star and 1 4-star and nothing else!

Is the vx-10 the best inexpensive sub out there (~$100)?

I don't think anything under the VX-10 beats it. The Dayton Sub-120 might have a bit more output (slightly larger driver), but not really better in any other category.

Of course, there are better subs for more money, but that depends on your budget limit.

great. Then I'm going for the vx-10 I think.

Where did you find the VX-10 for $100? could you PM me?

sorry I can only find it for like 160 shipped...been looking at a lot of stuff and I think I got my wires crossed.

Hey, what about the polk PSW10? I'm going to do a search and see what I can find.

Actually I just bought the vx-10 and I didn't realize there were:

vx-10
vx-10b
vx-10c

When I checked my order, it showed not vx-10b. vx-10 is 100 watts and vx-10b is 150 watts. hmmm. I guess we have to be careful people understand they are not the same.

Is the vx-10b as good as the vx-10? Which version do people mean when they talk about the vx-10?

edit : I think 100 may be continuous and 150 peak.....so not sure what the difference is.

Well, after hours upon hours of research, upwards of ten changes of mind and a bit of frustration, I finally pulled the trigger. Here were (at one point or another) my choices:

Fluance SX-HTB+ (5.0) = $300
Yambeka Audio (5.0) = $300
TSC P6-PR's and P5-PR's (7.0) = $320
Cerwin-Vega CLS-6's and VE-5M's (7.0) = $375
Pure Acoustics Junior (5.0) = $300
Polk Audio R300's, CSR and R150's (7.0) = $400
Insignia NS-B2111's all around (7.0) = $360

I also contemplated a few other more well known brands and options as well as some combinations of my long list. So what did I end up with? NONE OF THE ABOVE! Out of right field I found a deal on newegg for a pair of Polk M20's, a CSM and four M10's for $350 with free shipping! I had originally moved away from the Polks due to the R series rear porting (though 50 bucks for an R300 tower was tempting), the M series solved that issue and added (IMO) some visual flair as well.

Still deciding on an AVR and sub, but I'm making progress. I've got the AVR narrowed down to the Onkyo 606 (naturally) and the H/K 254, leaning towards the H/K. It has some caveats, but better sound, incredible GUI and the sheer sex appeal of the case has me tempted. Sub might be a BIC F-12, PA-120 or tSc T250. Time will tell...

Thanks for all the reading material and insight this forum has provided.

I'm doing some research for my Brother, my 1st attempt for AV/Receiver was too high for him, working thru my authorized Paradigm dealer:

His big brother has too expensive taste for his current budget just now!

His total budget is $1.1k +- $100.
So, thx for this thread I am now looking at this for 5.1 for him

(1) ONKYO TX-SR606 Black 7.1 Channel Receiver
(1) Polk Audio PSW110 Cherry Powered subwoofer Single
(2) Polk Audio TSi100 Loudspeaker Cherry Pair; fronts and surround
(1) Polk Audio CS10 Cherry Center Speaker Single

$1.1k @ newegg.

Q:
Can I mount the TSi100 on side wall for surrounds or they are rear ported and need stands?? (kid trip issue for living room).

If so I'm thinking the RM8, these would give a "null" also at the seating position for a more diffuse sound field also?
Are these a mis-match for the set-up I got above?

Thx for your advice.

JMO but I think you can better for a subwoofer. Take a look over in the Sub forum for info on BIC H-100, TSC T-250, PA-120, eD A-300, etc. Prices range from $250 to $350 and all generally will garner higher marks than the Polk Audio PSW110. Like I said, JMO.

Thx for advice, I'm looking at other subs than the Polk now.

My brother wants to wall-mount the speakers, and I see their RM85 line-up can be wall mounted, sealed design. Also read their TSi100's are wall mountable.
Is the RM85 package a step down from the TSi100's/CS10, or just different?
RM85 package:


vs
Center CS10:

Main TSi100 RH/LH and Surrounds:



I've always followed the di-pole viewpoint for 5.1 surronds, these are direct firing......
If I used these RM8's for the surround would it then not be tonal/timbre matched to the TSi100 fronts? The RM8's carry a slightly higher MSRP than the TSi's.
RM8

please see my separate post on M10 vs Take Classic.

I think you'll find that the small 2.5" driver in the RM speaker won't match the 5.5" drivers in front very well. Some effects might sound thinner in the surrounds.

I am just starting to build my HD. Last week I bought my first item -Sony LCD.

Like many novices, I looked to buy a HTIB (SC-PT760 - high marks at cnet). Then I chanced upon this forum and realized I could do a lot better by investing a little more.

I decided on the following Energy speakers:
2xC-300
2xC-50
1xC-C50
1xEWR-8
2xC-R100

My room is prewired with 4 speaker bases built into the walls. Are the above speakers mountable or should I go with Energy Take Classic speakers (I think they are smaller in size).

I am planning on HK 254 Receiver.

I don't have any other HD item excepting my old DVD player & an even older VHS player. So, I will be need a Receiver that can enhance the sound the video and I was hoping HK254 does that. Any suggestions, please.

Finally, thank you to all the 'gurus' in this forum - you saved my $400 from going down the HTIB drain.

I would upgrade to the C-C100 instead of the C-C50.

http://www.buy.com/prod/Energy-C-C10...210807863.html

Please suggest front and centers for me...or changes to the rest
Room is 16x16x9 and open in the rear. It is prob 70% TV/movies 20% gaming and 10% music.

I'm looking to do 5.1 and use a pair of in-ceiling surrounds in the rear. I know those are generally hated around here but I am going that way anyways.

At present I am looking at the following:

Receiver: HK AVR 254 refurb - eBay ($330ish shipped)
Sub: Hsu STF-2 ($380 shipped)
Surrounds: Two of the Klipsch CDT-2650-SC b-stocks ($334 shipped)
Fronts:?
Center:?

Can anyone reco 2 fronts and a center for $300 shipped?

For fronts I am looking for bookshelf speakers probably. I have a baby and I don't want to see her crushed by a floorstand. Hopefully I'll get some furniture setup where I can just set the L and R on BluTac on the furniture itself.

Am I skimping in the wrong places by having this $300 target for the fronts and a center? Should I skip the center for now and get better fronts? Should I get a smaller sub or cheaper in ceiling surrounds? The Klipsch in-ceilings were about the best in-ceilings I could find that are aimable and seem like they are expensive enough they might be able to sound decent.

Looking to keep the total right at $1300 max.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello All,

I just joined avsforum today and am looking for some help. I have read up on the other threads about HTiB and how building your own system is better. Well, what I am looking for is to build a 7.1 system. I am looking to spend around $1,200.00 at this point. Could someone please recommend speakers, subs and receiver.

My suggestion would be to get cheaper surrounds. I've never seen a setup in which the surrounds cost more than the fronts and center combined. Surround speakers are not nearly as critical as the front sound stage because they do not receive nearly as much content, and that content is generally less complex in nature (surrounds are often used for ambiance, whereas the fronts need to form a coherent, well-matched sound stage). If you really must have those surrounds, I'd definitely skip the center channel for now and just get the best two front speakers you can. The subwoofer is a good choice. A good subwoofer can really "make" a home theater, and Hsu makes quality subs. The STF-2 should do well in that setup.

Receivers: Onkyo 606/Yamaha 663/HK 254 (pros and cons for each) ~$350-400
Speakers: Lot of options, look at my list (and others) on the last few pages of this thread. I went with Polk M's in the end ($350 for 7.0)
Subs: BIC F12/PA 120/tSc T250/ ~$180-250 (Hsu, Elemental Designs or SVS if you want a higher end sub)

I 2nd that sentiment. You're spending way too much on your surrounds in comparison to your mains. Your center channel handles about 70% of the sound in a movie, so it is your most important speaker. Next would be your L/R mains. The surrounds handle maybe 5% of the sound, often being fairly simple ambient effects which just about any speaker could handle, so the least amount of money out of your speaker budget should be spent here.

If nothing else, you might consider getting a cheaper sub and put that money toward your center/L/R channels.

Hi, I was hoping to get some advice on a cheap setup (grad student salaries don't leave much money for A/V equipment...).

My budget is around $600-700, and the closer to the lower end the better. I was looking at the Onkyo HT-S6100, since from what I've read the receiver is pretty good and I could gradually upgrade the speakers as I get the funds.

I think my other option would be a pair of Energy C-50s, a C-C50, and a ~$100 sub, possible the ESW-8, paired with a ~$300-350 receiver. From the prices I've seen, that would total ~$630, compared to $600 for the HT-S6100. My biggest question is what receiver to get? I've been looking at the Onkyo TX-SR606. Is there anything else in that price range that would give me a better bang for my buck? Are there any cheaper options that would work? At the moment I only have a cable box, Wii, and DVD player, so number of HDMI inputs isn't a huge deal. Because of the Wii and DVD player I was hoping to get a receiver that would upconvert those. Is upconversion worth the money? Should I hold off until Onkyo releases the 607 and see if the 606 price drops?

So, what say you? With my small budget, should I go with the HTiB, or build it myself?

Definitely build it yourself. The speakers in the 6100 aren’t very good and you can do much better on a budget with Energy. The C-50, C-C50 option would be much better than the 6100 speakers, but you might want to consider going up a level. Any combination of the following would make a nice budget set:

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...38/energy-c100
http://www.buy.com/prod/Energy-C-C10...210807863.html
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/..._84__0_0_0_-1/
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/..._84__0_0_0_-1/
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=2ENESW8

You could go for the Onkyo receiver, it’s nice and it gets recommended a lot, but it’s really nothing special. To save money, and put more of your budget into speakers, consider Craig’s List or a refurb. The Harman Kardon AVR-247 goes for about $200 at auction on the HK store on eBay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Harman-A...34Q2ec0Q2em322

Upconversion, in my opinion, is a lot of marketing hype. If you have a TV that upconverts, why would you need a unit intended for audio to upconvert and be upconverted again in the TV? The TV should do whatever it needs to do to convert the image to fit the screen properly. Further, what if you have a DVD player, audio receiver, and TV that all upconvert the image? Do you really think the picture will be 3x better? I know it’s an oversimplification, and there may a real value to upconversion, but the point is that I personally take this kind of marketing with a grain of salt – especially with a budget system.

Remember; a receiver is for features and speakers are for sound. Get good speakers if you want a good sounding system.

This is what I have come up with. I figured I could start with 5.1 and get better speakers and then add to it later.

Receiver: Yamaha RX-V665
Center: Polk Audio CS200
Front: Polk Audio TSi-400
Rear: Polk Audio TSi-200

I still don't know which sub to get. Is this a decent setup? I don't know much about speakers.

Thank you for the advice, ickysmits. The AVR-247 looked good enough for me, so I went ahead and got one off of eBay. I think for now I will go with a pair of C-100s, a C-C100, and the ESW-8, then at some point buy a pair of C-300s and use the C-100s as surrounds.

OK, possibly stupid question: What else do I need to set this up? Just speaker wire and banana plugs? 16 gauge wire should be ok for the front speakers, right? Oh, I guess I'll need some speaker stands. Will the Sanus BF-31B work?

I'm excited. I've just been using my TV speakers, it's going to be nice to get some real (even though they're budget) speakers.

HK stuff is nice; I think you’ll be happy with it and it has enough features/connections to last a long time. It might even be better than the 606 because it can handle PCM audio (if you get a BR player that decods internally) and it has pre-outs for an external amp (something the 606 doesn't have and not to be underestimated). It also has a one year warranty since it comes from the MFG direct on eBay. I bought an HK for my parents and it’s really neat, I like the level of control and advanced settings. I’d recommend a Harmony universal remote though - the HK remote is no worse than any other remote included with a receiver but…well, you’ll see.

I wouldn’t wait too long if you haven’t bought surrounds yet – the Energy C series stuff has been on clearance for a while and availability has been getting less and less, they may beome hard to find quick. You don’t actually need to match the surrounds with the front, but it’s nice and the price is right. It might be difficult to find a pair of speakers that have as good build quality for the same price.

For your cables look to monoprice.com for good prices. 16 gauge wire is enough. Banana plugs aren’t necessary but make it easier if you move things around a lot. It would be worth it to get other cables like HDMI, optical, coaxial, etc…while you’re at it.

Check out the Energy owners thread if you have problems or any other questions. Enjoy!

Ok, I'm in kind of similar situation as many others in this thread. Through a weird set of circumstances I've ended up with a PS3, Xbox 360, and TiVo HD and have been looking at HTIBs that would handle 3 HDMI inputs (have been strongly leaning towards the Onkyo S9100THX). However, I wouldn't mind picking up separates if I could get better or as good sound quality for the same price ... especially since I don't really need a 7 speaker setup.

Right now I'm just using what were originally my PC speakers (Logitech Z-5500's) to handle the audio but obviously it doesn't handle video switching, doesn't handle linear PCM or HD audio formats, only has 2 digital inputs, and most glaringly: are PC speakers.

The trouble comes that I've also already got a pair of Bose 301s series IV and a pair of Bose 601 series IV speakers (I received them as gifts years ago ... even after suggesting superior alternatives but have not had the cash to really do anything about it) that are conversely hooked up to an old Dolby pro-logic receiver and my computer.

I have scraped together about $800 in cash and $200 in Amazon credit and am trying to build a decent 5.1 setup that at some point will get upgraded to 7.1 when I move into a bigger space.

Should I use the Bose speakers for the front and surrounds and put my money into receiver, sub, and center channel (and then focus on upgrading the fronts and eventually the surrounds in the next year or two) or will the Bose screw any chance of getting a good sounding setup? Or maybe should I use the 301s for surround and by the 2 front and center channels (since getting all the same brand would probably get me better sound anyway)?

I've been reading and waiting for awhile (it's been quite a wait for decent affordable 3 HDMI input receivers) but with the new crop coming out this month I feel like it's finally time to get this upgrade going. My goal is just to get the best sound I can by any combination of existing components and the ~$1K I've got. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I suggest you just get a 7.1 receiver that will handle all your source inputs, hook up what you have, give a listen, and then think about whether you want to spend more on new speakers. You seem to have plenty of speakers for 7.1 -- 4 Bose and 5 satellites from your Z-5500, and you can use the Z-5500 base module as sub.

Greg, thanks for the input. I don't think I can use the sub by itself because like many surround PC setups it's got a bunch of electronics integrated into the sub and no discrete sub input. I could maybe run the sub out from the receiver through the standard audio input and not have any other speakers hooked up but it seems like a bit too much of a kludge for my liking (plus, I'm actually kind of interested in moving it into the office and hooking it back up to the computer where it belongs).

Maybe I'll just go with the receiver and a passable sub for now and see how it sounds. Since I've got downstairs neighbors and don't really see that changing--even if I do move--I don't need the worlds most powerful subwoofer anyway.