[achohan]

Update 4: After month of trying and researching. This is what it has come down to. In the mean time I returned the polks and was able to snag JBL Loft 50 and Loft 20 for $140 but sound quality is not even close to what polk was delivering, Since bestbuy has 30 day return policy, I returned my sub too. I am going to sell the Loft 50 and Loft 20 for close to 200 on craigslist easily.

This is what my final build looks like, I would love some advice:
1. Polk PSW125 ($150 on Craigslist, excellent quality)
2. Polk Monitor 65T ($298+Tax at Visions)
3. Polk CS2 Center Channel ($85 at craigslist)
4. JBL Loft 40 ($70 CDN, got from Frys, going to states next week) or Polk Tsi200 for $100 or Fluance AVBP2 FOR 60 (Both on craigslist)
5. Sony STRDN850 ($330+Tax)

Also I have found someone selling the Fluance Bipolar Speakers for $60 which I can do but I might have to return the Loft 40 ( I think for $70 its worth it). After some research it looks like people are moving away from bipolars as surround speakers as it diffuses the sound and sound is not accurate as it seems to move both ways. I am not sure if that is the case, has anyone used bipolars as surround rear speakers?

Thanks once again!



Update 3: How are the Klipsch RF600B which seem to be RF-62 first gen, I am able to get it for $180 for a pair, excellent condition (almost brand new). Some advice would be great.


Update 2:


I got the following now:
1. Sony STRDN850 (340+tax)
2. Precision Acoustics HD12S (140+tax)
3. Polk Monitor 65T Front (300+tax)
4. Polk Monitor 15C Center Channel (130+tax)


Total spent so far: 910+taxes

I still gotta clean my room and sell the z5500. Lol


Hi guys, I am new to this forums but have been reading all the posts as I was going to buy the STR850 in Canada.

I upgraded from z5500 with Soundblaster z card to the following setup couple days ago:

1. Sony STR-DN850: $340+tax
2. Fluance AVHTB: 173+tax
3. Precision Acoustics HD12S 150watt 12 incches: 140 + tax

I am very happy with the setup, sound is crystal clear and sub is more than enough for my needs. I also tried energy take classics side by side but preferred fluance with sub over take classics. Take classics were also more expensive.

I spent around $800 in total on the setup with 5 years extended warranty on the receiver for 50 bucks

Any advices or suggestion would be great?
Thanks

 

[Elihawk]

Typically people ask for advice BEFORE they buy a system, however, my advice is enjoy what you have and I hope the upgrade bug doesn't hit too soon!

 

[achohan]

Typically people ask for advice BEFORE they buy a system, however, my advice is enjoy what you have and I hope the upgrade bug doesn't hit too soon!

It is all bought from bestbuy and is under 14 day return policy, Thing is none of the stores around had anything on display that I could hear so I had to take a plunge n buy them to try them out. So far have only tried energy classic and fluance. I am in Canada so its more expensive than US.

 

[Elihawk]

Okay...
1. You spent as much on a AVrec as you did speakers/sub. A great receiver won't make mediocre speaker sound great. It is usually recommend that you set a budget and spend no more than 20-25% of it on Amp/reciever and the rest on speaker/subs.
2. Fluance is fine if that is all you can afford, but keep in mind there are better system out there. Fluance does not make great speakers.
3. With your budget, you would be best off getting a 200 dollar rec from accessories for less, and then the best two front speakers and sub you can afford. Buy the center and surround in round two. I think Ascend Acoustic sells in Canada, a pair of the 170s runs about 300/pr in the US and would be a big step up from Fluance.

 

[achohan]

Okay...
1. You spent as much on a AVrec as you did speakers/sub. A great receiver won't make mediocre speaker sound great. It is usually recommend that you set a budget and spend no more than 20-25% of it on Amp/reciever and the rest on speaker/subs.
2. Fluance is fine if that is all you can afford, but keep in mind there are better system out there. Fluance does not make great speakers.
3. With your budget, you would be best off getting a 200 dollar rec from accessories for less, and then the best two front speakers and sub you can afford. Buy the center and surround in round two. I think Ascend Acoustic sells in Canada, a pair of the 170s runs about 300/pr in the US and would be a big step up from Fluance.

I see, I am located in Canada so I don't have much variety here since all the stuff available in US is expensive here. For $200, I don't see any good receiver, Pioneer vsx 524 is around 250+tax and has no features that the sony one had so I ended up buying sony(bluetooth, dlna, especially the UI is so refined and easy to use). 250 is bare minimum I am looking at for a receiver.

Also Fluance was 250 and Subwoofer was 300, I got good discounts on those but yea it makes sense to buy fronts and then rears later. I am just finishing up university so I am debating on spending lot of money since I might be relocating for job. I was thinking I can use the speakers+sub for maybe 3 years and sell them off for 200 with sub and get sub $1000 speaker systems once I buy the house and have a job.

Since the receiver also has 4k upscale and 4k passthrough, I would keep it for a minimum of 4 years.

 

[Elihawk]

Not knowing what you have available in Canada, you may have done as good as you can on your budget. AV receiver are almost impossible to future-proof, as technology changes very rapidly.
We just have thread after thread where people spend too much on AV reciever because they are attracted to certain features, then get crappy speaker. Recently, one guy who already bought a 1000 dollar Denon reciever was asking about the Energy Take classics as decent speaker! 1000 dollars for an AV Rec and 300 for speaker/sub! Those numbers should be reversed...

 

[achohan]

Not knowing what you have available in Canada, you may have done as good as you can on your budget. AV receiver are almost impossible to future-proof, as technology changes very rapidly.
We just have thread after thread where people spend too much on AV reciever because they are attracted to certain features, then get crappy speaker. Recently, one guy who already bought a 1000 dollar Denon reciever was asking about the Energy Take classics as decent speaker! 1000 dollars for an AV Rec and 300 for speaker/sub! Those numbers should be reversed...

Haha, Now that is something crazy! I do agree at that price point you can do with $300-$400 receiver and $1000 speakers. I was not looking for future proof but more towards I needed atleast a 4K passthrough receiver with bluetooth as I will be getting a 4k TV end of this year or 4k projector in 2 years. Usually Sony STR 850 is $500 here in canada but found a good deal at $340 so went in with that.
All other entry level receivers in canada are atleast $250+tax. Thanks for your input, it is appreciated! But with my budget, I think I found good deals on both speakers and receiver.

 

[MarsianMan]

I would suggest looking at the used market for AVR. You can usually get much better deals on Craigslist/classifieds with some patience. I have no experience with those speakers, so I will not comment on them.

 

[crazyrob425]

Honestly I think you got a great set-up with the Sony Receiver. Many people seem to discount them but really Sony has stepped their game up alot recently.

I had an older Sony receiver and thought I would never buy another until I have been seeing the reviews of the newer versions.

The problem lies is that you are in Canada. There are many different options IF you were in the USA, but for $800 canadian that is not a bad set-up.

 

[achohan]

You may not like this but this is my opinion:

-I would take it all back. Also don't bother with those extended warranties.
-Buy used.
-Buy 2 channel.
-Maybe budget $300 for integrated amp or stereo receiver and $500 for 2 speakers that have good bass on their own without a sub. This will let someone else pay for the depreciation and insure that you can sell them down the road for the same price you paid, provided you find a decent deal. If you are lucky you could end up with an integrated that was originally over $1000 and speakers originally $1500 which will sound a lot better than what you bought.
-since you are in Canada, try Canuck Audio Mart. http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/ Use the forum if you need help. If possible, try to increase your budget a bit since if you sell them down the road the operating cost will be close to zero no matter how much you pay, provided you shop wisely. You can often do even better on Kijiji but you have to know what you are doing or bring along a friend in the hobby.

Thanks only issue is I am in BC so there are not many ads on Canucks Audio Mart. But I am putting together a potential system:

How good of a deal is this?
Floor:
Polk Monitor 65 Pair - $300+tax = $345 (http://www.visions.ca/Catalogue/Category/Details.aspx?categoryId=159&productId=21242&sku=MONITOR65)
Polk M20 Pair - $150 (http://www.visions.ca/Catalogue/Category/Details.aspx?categoryId=159&productId=2383&sku=M20)

Surround
Klipsch Reference RB51 Bookshelf - $150 (Craigslist)

Center:
Klipsch Center RC25 - $120 (Craigslist)
Polk Monitor 15C - $130+tax (http://www.visions.ca/Catalogue/Category/Details.aspx?categoryId=161&productId=23172&sku=MONITOR15C)
Polk CS10 - $120 (Visions)

And I can keep the Precision Acoustics Subwoofer HD12S (150watt 12 inches) that I got for $140+tax or I can go for Polk Audio PSW111 which I can get for $150+tax

This makes speakers + sub = $800. I agree it will be a great setup but I spent $350 with taxes on Speakers+sub so far.
I am thinking it might be better idea to sell Fluance 5.0 set for like 150 bucks after two years and upgrade the 5.0 set and keep the sub.

Also are added warrantied that bad for receivers? I got 5 years for $50, you guys think its not worth it? Else I can just go back and get refund on warranty. Its bestbuy extended warranty.

 

[crazyrob425]

Out of what you have mentioned I like the Polk Monitor 65t's and for the center I would suggest the Polk CS15c.

Or the Klipsch RB51's as fronts with the Klipsch center, just need to get other surrounds.

You do not need towers for the front speakers Bookshelves with a subwoofer will get the job done.

 

[achohan]

Out of what you have mentioned I like the Polk Monitor 65t's and for the center I would suggest the Polk CS15c.

Or the Klipsch RB51's as fronts with the Klipsch center, just need to get other surrounds.

You do not need towers for the front speakers Bookshelves with a subwoofer will get the job done.

How on earth the front klipsch bookshelf perform better than the towers on Fluance? Defeats the whole point of spending that much money, doesnt it?

I maybe wrong, towers usually have 3-4 speakers and klipsch has one. That's why I asked

 

[achohan]

Out of what you have mentioned I like the Polk Monitor 65t's and for the center I would suggest the Polk CS15c.

Or the Klipsch RB51's as fronts with the Klipsch center, just need to get other surrounds.

You do not need towers for the front speakers Bookshelves with a subwoofer will get the job done.

Would Polk be a big upgrade over the Fluance? Sale runs till tomorrow only so I will need to decide today. Thanks man

I am thinking of getting Polk Monitor 65 + Polk Monitor C15C ($480 with taxes) and add in rear channels later. What do you think??

 

[zieglj01]

Would Polk be a big upgrade over the Fluance? Sale runs till tomorrow only so I will need to decide today. Thanks man

I am thinking of getting Polk Monitor 65 + Polk Monitor C15C ($480 with taxes) and add in rear channels later. What do you think??

How do you know that you may like them better - you can always save up
for the future upgrade.

 

[achohan]

How do you know that you may like them better - you can always save up
for the future upgrade.

I don't know that's what I asked. I am going to go buy the Polk Monitor 65 and center channel right now. I will put them right next to Fluance and do the comparison. If I like Polk, I will return the Fluance as it is still under 14 days else I will go return Polk. That's my plan.

Also how are Polk Monitor 65 if you have heard them?

 

[zieglj01]

I am going to go buy the Polk Monitor 65 and center channel right now. I will put them right next to Fluance and do the comparison. If I like Polk, I will return the Fluance as it is still under 14 days else I will go return Polk. That's my plan.

Also how are Polk Monitor 65 if you have heard them?

Since you asked - I am not a fan of Polk Monitor - however, they may float your boat.

However as you planned, do a shoot-out and pick a winner. Make sure to post back
with your final decision.

 

[Elihawk]

Absolutely the best way to determine YOUR speaker preference is to A/B them in your room, with your music and your ears! pick the winner and enjoy.
Some speakers are so bad I wouldn't listen to them with stolen ears!

 

[achohan]

How many ads do you need? Try speakers: KEF Q100, PSB Stratus Bronze, Meadowlark Audio Swift, Epos Epic 1, Epos Epic 2. all $379-529/pair. That's in the last week alone! But try the Polk too. They might be fine.

Absolutely the best way to determine YOUR speaker preference is to A/B them in your room, with your music and your ears! pick the winner and enjoy.
Some speakers are so bad I wouldn't listen to them with stolen ears!

I did the research and made the move, I just got the Polk Monitors 65T (298+Tax), Polk Monitor 15C ($128+tax) and I am using the Precision Acoustics HD12S with it. It is so much better, definitely keeping it! The guy at visions was ready to give me some discount on Polk TSX110B bookshelf speakers for $150 a pair. I am gonna do some research and see if I can get bookshelves from craigslist or something else just get it from there.
What do you guys recommend?
1. Klipsch B10 - $90 for a pair Craigslist
2. JBL LOFT30 - $90 for a pair Craigslist
3. Energy C-50 - $70 for a pair Craigslist
4. Polk TSX110 - $150 new
5. Paradigm Monitor 3 - $120 on Craigslist
6. Polk M10 - $88 Brand New
7. Fluance AVBP2 Bipolar ($120) new : Does Bipolar makes sense for rear speakers? Heard really good things about this bipolar
8. Klipsch RB-51 - 150 on Craigslist
Thanks everyone!

 

[crazyrob425]

I like the Fluance AVBP2's for surrounds. They are the cheapest bi-polar speaker out there which really can add to the surround effect.

Polk M10's would work as surrounds as well.

Glad you like your Polk Monitor 65t's and 15c Center. Make sure you run your Sony auto set-up. You might want to verify its settings here. The easiest would be to set all the speakers as Small with 80hz crossover. You could try the Monitor 65t's with a crossover of 60hz and the 15c to 80hz

 

[achohan]

I like the Fluance AVBP2's for surrounds. They are the cheapest bi-polar speaker out there which really can add to the surround effect.

Polk M10's would work as surrounds as well.

Glad you like your Polk Monitor 65t's and 15c Center. Make sure you run your Sony auto set-up. You might want to verify its settings here. The easiest would be to set all the speakers as Small with 80hz crossover. You could try the Monitor 65t's with a crossover of 60hz and the 15c to 80hz

So If it was you, Which one would you use?

I can go for either Polk M10 for 88+tax or Fluance AVBP2 for 118+tax. I dont see the point in spending around 150+tax on Polk Tsx110.

Also how does the crossover work, what should I keep my sub crossover, you said fronts 60 and center to 80hz. Right now its has set the front and center to large via Sony calibration (I think large means it sets the crossover frequency automatically).