[MameJunkie]

If I'm going to start with a 2.1 setup, do I bother with the center?

The plan is to transition to a 5.1 in the future.


I know the front 3 (LCR) should be from the same series. But there really isn't any 3.1 setup.


What tips or ideas do you guys have to help in my decision making process?

 

[redass]

You can always add the center channel at a later time if you have a hard time hearing / locating dialog with the 2.1 setup. Personally, I always have a hard time with dialog without the center. Not sure why you wouldn't go for the center channel if you have plans to have 5.1 in the future.

 

[toofarzong]

Don't bother with the center channel right now. A good quality pair of fronts can give you a phantom center. Save your money and buy the best sounding pair of fronts you can afford. The best way to decide what you should purchase is how they sound. Demo, demo, demo.

 

[zieglj01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MameJunkie What tips or ideas do you guys have to help in my decision making process?

Do you have a budget?

 

[MameJunkie]



Quote:
Originally Posted by zieglj01 /forum/post/20825518


Do you have a budget?

Nothing hard but thinking around ~$500-600 for the front 3.


Looking at maybe the Polk M60/70 for LR & CS2 for Center.


But honesty, don't really know. Anything will be better than the TV.

 

[jonnythan]

Not a bad choice. If you plan on listening to music you could give serious consideration to a few SuperZeroes. You could also start with a pair of Infinity P363s. What's the room like?

 

[afrogt]

the Polks or Infinity would be fine if you want tower speakers.


If you want bookshelf speakers I'd recommend the Energy RC-10 bookshelf and RC LCR center. That'll come in right around $600.
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...4/product.html


If you want 2.1 maybe the RC-10 and a quality $300 sub.

 

[MameJunkie]

Its for use in the family room (~15' x 13') but also open to the kitchen on one side.

SuperZeroes? I'm a newbie in the AV/speakers market so haven't really heard of them. Only been looking at the main players thats been mentioned on AVSForum threads.

 

[jonnythan]

NHT has been a big name in audio for a long, long time. They're an established brand, on the order of B&W and Paradigm and whatnot. The SuperZero is one of the most reviewed and lauded speakers in history, and they've recently brought it back for a ridiculous price of $100 each. I remember listening to them back in maybe 95 or 96 and being blown away. They have a bit of a reputation for being exceedingly accurate and detailed and maybe a little unforgiving of poor recordings or inferior equipment. They absolutely require a decent sub since the -3 dB point is very high (it is a very small speaker). I've always always wanted some but have never had the place for them.

 

[MameJunkie]

Isn't bigger better? ;P


That is the main reason I'm looking at floorstanding speakers. Actully hard for me to find a good spot for floorstanding speakers with my layout. If I can get similar quality sound from bookshelves, it would be better.

 

[jonnythan]

Your room isn't very large. Mostly movies? What sort of volume levels? You can probably get away with bookshelves just fine.

 

[4DHD]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MameJunkie /forum/post/20826098


Nothing hard but thinking around ~$500-600 for the front 3.


Looking at maybe the Polk M60/70 for LR & CS2 for Center.


But honesty, don't really know. Anything will be better than the TV.

Spend that $500~600 on the L/R only, forget the center for now.


But while you auditioning the mains, pay attention to the matching center, as to how it performs.

In years past, I've walked away from some speaker series because the center channel speaker was sooo bad.


Check out the JBL L820, or L830 bookshelf speakers. Right now both are selling for

 

[jonnythan]

$600 would get you a pair of NHT Two's also

No, there are better ways to spend $600 for a home theater setup in reality. I really want to own a set of NHT's for a music setup and would seriously consider some for a budget HT setup.


$600 for bookshelves in a dedicated HT setup I'd look at the Klipsch RB-51 at $400, then save up for a bit to get the $350 RC-52 center channel.

 

[MameJunkie]

I would say 80/20...movies & music. I try to keep the voilume level around low/mid. One problem with that is the dialog is hard to make out.

 

[jonnythan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MameJunkie /forum/post/20826250


I would say 80/20...movies & music. I try to keep the voilume level around low/mid. One problem with that is the dialog is hard to make out.

What do you use for sound now? Built-in? Many receivers have built-in features to compress the dynamic range. Audyssey has a pair of functions that help with dialog in lower volume settings - Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. Dynamic Volume limits how loud the loud sounds get, so you don't have to lower the volume during them. Dynamic EQ adjusts the frequency response in relation to the volume level to account for human hearing differences at different SPLs, also making dialog clearer. Both of these are available on a number of receivers using Audyssey, and many receivers that don't include similar functionality.

 

[4DHD]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MameJunkie /forum/post/20826250


I would say 80/20...movies & music. I try to keep the voilume level around low/mid. One problem with that is the dialog is hard to make out.

Bumping up the center channel in the AVR menu can always be done.

But having a set of speakers, either LCRs or just the mains, with a good mid-range driver is even better. That is where the dialogue is.

 

[MameJunkie]

I'm using the TV so no AV receiver atm. Like I said...almost anything would be better than nothing.

 

[jterp7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MameJunkie /forum/post/20826098


Nothing hard but thinking around ~$500-600 for the front 3.


Looking at maybe the Polk M60/70 for LR & CS2 for Center.


But honesty, don't really know. Anything will be better than the TV.

I was initially going with the Polk M70 + CS2 for ~470, but the infinity equivalent, P363s with its insane center (PC351) is only 25 more @Electronics expo using the dealsofamerica code.

 

[postrokfan]

I think it would be worth it to go with the Infinity setup since it's a negligible price difference.

 

[MameJunkie]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jterp7 /forum/post/20851240


I was initially going with the Polk M70 + CS2 for ~470, but the infinity equivalent, P363s with its insane center (PC351) is only 25 more @Electronics expo using the dealsofamerica code.

Thanks for the discount code.