[tattooedfilmfrk]

Ok, so after bouncing back and forth between brands, deals and research I'm starting to suffer from cranial bleeding and thought it was time to localize my questions and get some of the excellent advice I've seen on this forum.


So, I'm putting together a system in the price range of $1000-1200.


System Components and Usage: Currently have a 55" Sony Bravia LCD, DirectTV HDDVR, XBOX 360 with HD-DVD Player, Sony PS3, Universal DVD Player w/ Upconverting and HDMI Output. I am probably a 90% Home Theater/10% Music user.


Room Setup: To be honest the place I'm using couldn't be worse for Theater Setup. Large studio guest house with Vaulted Ceilings. Rear speakers will HAVE to be mounted to the ceiling because running speaker wire anywhere but up really isn't an option.


Other Considerations: Floor space is at a premium in this studio so much that I am taking up garage space so that I can build recessed shelving into the house to house all the dvd's. Hopefully this will allow me to mount the TV on the wall, put these components on a smallish tower and get rid of the entertainment center.


So, preferably, I'd like to have a wall mounted system so as to not take up too much space but am open to the possibility of floor standing speakers. I started looking at systems at Fry's that were 7.1 packages. Either an Onkyo 606 w/ Polk Rm8 speakers, or a H/K 254 with Infinity TSS-800s. After considering those packages I felt like I could probably get better bang for my buck elsewhere and with speaker placement being weird in this place 7.1 might be more hassle than it's worth.


Since then I've been leaning towards something more along the lines of a Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K Receiver with the Energy RC-Micro 5.1 System.


At the end of the day, I'm not going to get amazing sound in this venue for this budget, but I'd like something decent and eventually I'll move on and take the system with me and hopefully end up in a better space.


So, am I remotely on the right path here? Should I go in a completely different direction?


Prior to reading reviews of the Pioneer, I was seriously considering the H/K 254, because I can do without the 4th HDMI. Am I better off going with something like that and putting more money into the speakers? If so what should I be looking at?


Any and all advice welcome, if you need more info please don't hesitate to ask!

 

[ack_bk]

Just to be clear is the $1000-1200 budget just for speakers, or does this price include the receiver also? What are the room dimensions (length+width) and how far away will you be sitting from the main speakers typically?


Do you like to watch movies loud (ie higher SPL) or at normal volume levels?

 

[tattooedfilmfrk]

1000-1200 budget for receiver and speakers.


The room is 20x30ish... I tend to sit about 10-12 feet from the screen.


I will watch movies at a normal volume the majority of the time but it's fun to crank it up once in awhile.

 

[Jay1]

 Ascend HTM200 SE x5 $610

ED A2-300 $350

Denon AVR 1709 $200

 

[m_vanmeter]

I don't believe the Denon 1709 decodes Dolby-TrueHD or DTS-HD, the Denon 1910 does. Other receivers to consider are the Onkyo SR606 or SR607 and the Yamaha V665.


A killer deal if you can use towers, from Jamo http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...103__0_0_0_-1/


adding the Elemental Designs A2-300 subwoofer will put you a couple of hundred over budget, but you will have an outstanding system. http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_...77ed64e21ae74a

 

[Ethenolas]



Quote:
Originally Posted by m_vanmeter /forum/post/16842813


I don't believe the Denon 1709 decodes Dolby-TrueHD or DTS-HD, the Denon 1910 does. Other receivers to consider are the Onkyo SR606 or SR607 and the Yamaha V665.


A killer deal if you can use towers, from Jamo http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...103__0_0_0_-1/


adding the Elemental Designs A2-300 subwoofer will put you a couple of hundred over budget, but you will have an outstanding system. http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_...77ed64e21ae74a

IMO TrueHD in most real listening environments and on speakers of this caliber is a waste of money. People are throwing money at tin can garbage with pretty blue lights.


I think his money is better spent on getting some good clean power behind his speakers with an older receiver than trying to find a shiny new receiver with lossless decoding that would better be used as a paper weight.

 

[Cleveland Plasma]

Pinnacle SYS 6000
http://www.pinnaclespeakers.com/S-FIT_SYS_6000.html


Denon AVR-1610
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4865.asp

______________________________________________________


Energy RC-Micro 5.1
http://www.energy-speakers.com/na-en...icro-overview/


Denon AVR-1610
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4865.asp


______________________________________________________

(little over buget below)


2 front speakers below
http://www2.kef.com/us/Loudspeakers/C-Series/C5


2 rear speakers backs
http://www2.kef.com/us/Loudspeakers/C-Series/C1


1 center below
http://www2.kef.com/us/Loudspeakers/C-Series/C6


Denon AVR-1610
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4865.asp


we could go on and on.

 

[shadyJ]

That is a large room to fill with that budget. One piece of advice that I would give is to get full range tower speakers, and skip the sub for now. No subwoofer that you could get on that budget is going to sound that great in your large room, and it will eat into your budget that could otherwise go to good speakers and receiver. You will get less of a overall system if you try to work a sub in your budget for that room.


Besides that, subwoofers eat up floor space, and if floorspace is a premium in your situation, you will need a sub that has a small footprint, but a good sub with a small footprint will not be cheap.


If you do go with a sub, keep in mind that you can add another one later if the one you get isn't doing the job for you. Dual subs can go a long way, especially in larger rooms.


I would look at accessories4less.com for receivers, they have great deals for good receivers. Here is their receiver section.


You might consider the ELT525 5.0 sale they have at AV123. com. $600, not including shipping. That is one of the best deals out there right now, however I would make sure the package is in stock or you might be in for a real long wait.


Look into a package from Elemental Designs. You can shape a nice 5.0 package from them for seven to nine hundred dollars, using the A6 6T6 towers as fronts, and a A6 MTM center. Here is their speaker package builder.


HSU research has a terrific sale going on now with their HB series speakers. You can get a 5.0 package for $870 after shipping, and those speakers would do an excellent job with a large room. They are bookshelf speakers too, so you don't have to worry about floorspace with them.


Any of those packages would be slamming, and still leave budget room for a good receiver, but if you throw a sub into the mix, you really have to take a step down in the quality of speakers and receiver you can get. If you really want a sub, check out The Speaker Company for decent speaker packages that come with subs.