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Help: Best $1100 build with Warm or Neutral speakers and a Denon AVR-S750H

1427 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by cgm246, 8 mo ago

AG9

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2021

I am open to help and suggestions on how to build a 5.1.2 surround sound system at home. Some folks have suggested I go with Klipsch R 52C over the Sony SSCS8 for the central speaker. https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-R-52C-Powerful-Detailed-Channel/dp/B07FK41FGL/

I understand, while still very much a rookie, that its best to focus on a solid front 3 build first then, build off of that. Center, L and R. I'm open to any brands and prefer a sound that is more warm or neutral for movies.

How would you build out a $1100 system for a first floor 10ft by 10ft space and 8 ft ceilings.

Any insights are appreciated and welcomed.

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Ryan Statz

· #2 · Jun 28, 2021

Emotiva T0+, C1+ and B1+ can be had for less than $1000 shipped.

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afrogt

· #3 · Jun 28, 2021

Here is one option
2 Infinity R253 towers for front left and right

Infinity REFERENCE 253 | 5-1/4" Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Infinity REFERENCE 253 three way floorstanding speaker has powerful sound, deep bass response and elegant design that accommodates any home theater system.

www.harmanaudio.com

1 pr RS152 surrounds

Infinity REFERENCE RS152 | 5-1/2" Surround Channel Speakers

Infinity REFERENCE RS152 2-way surround channel speakers deliver smooth & crisp surround sounds and are strong and durable, yet incredibly lightweight.

www.harmanaudio.com

1 RSL Speedwoofer 10

RSL Speedwoofer 10S - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

All these items go for about $830 total.

Leaves your plenty for the Infinity RC252 center which is not on sale right now but probably will be next month for around $100

Infinity REFERENCE RC252 | Dual Center Channel Home Speaker

Infinity REFERENCE RC252 center channel home speaker has high-quality crisp surround sound, slender design and elegant details that blends well with any decor.

www.harmanaudio.com

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Garet Jax

· #4 · Jun 28, 2021

Is this were me, I would get RSL Speedwoofer 10S $400 + Emotiva C1+ $250 + Emotiva T0+ $400. That is $1050. This gives me 3.1

I would save a little more money to get Emotiva B1+ $250 for a 5.1 system for $1300.

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Reactions: 1

rennyrb

· #5 · Jun 28, 2021

afrogt said:
Here is one option
2 Infinity R253 towers for front left and right

Infinity REFERENCE 253 | 5-1/4" Floorstanding Loudspeaker

Infinity REFERENCE 253 three way floorstanding speaker has powerful sound, deep bass response and elegant design that accommodates any home theater system.

www.harmanaudio.com

1 pr RS152 surrounds

Infinity REFERENCE RS152 | 5-1/2" Surround Channel Speakers

Infinity REFERENCE RS152 2-way surround channel speakers deliver smooth & crisp surround sounds and are strong and durable, yet incredibly lightweight.

www.harmanaudio.com

1 RSL Speedwoofer 10

RSL Speedwoofer 10S - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

All these items go for about $830 total.

Leaves your plenty for the Infinity RC252 center which is not on sale right now but probably will be next month for around $100

Infinity REFERENCE RC252 | Dual Center Channel Home Speaker

Infinity REFERENCE RC252 center channel home speaker has high-quality crisp surround sound, slender design and elegant details that blends well with any decor.

www.harmanaudio.com

I can corroborate a few of these: I just got the Infinity Reference 253 ($150 each x2) and RC 252 (currently $175 on Amazon) last week and I really like them, with two channel music and movies/TV/games.
For now they’re paired with Pioneer BS22 as surrounds and SW-8MK2 subwoofer (the fronts replaced 2x FS52 and C22) and for $475 I think they’re a very strong value. Leaves room for a quality sub like the RSL 10S and some surround speakers for a great 5.1 setup under $1100!

My receiver is only rated at 80W 2ch driven, similar to the 750H, and it doesn’t feel like it’s struggling.

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Reactions: 1

Zorba922

· #6 · Jun 28, 2021

Again, if "warm" describes any part of the sound you're looking for, why on earth do you keep coming back to KLIPSCH???

Completely barking up the wrong tree there.

It's like going to a brothel in search of a virgin.

AG9 said:
I am open to help and suggestions on how to build a 5.1.2 surround sound system at home. Some folks have suggested I go with Klipsch R 52C over the Sony SSCS8 for the central speaker. https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-R-52C-Powerful-Detailed-Channel/dp/B07FK41FGL/

I understand, while still very much a rookie, that its best to focus on a solid front 3 build first then, build off of that. Center, L and R. I'm open to any brands and prefer a sound that is more warm or neutral for movies.

How would you build out a $1100 system for a first floor 10ft by 10ft space and 8 ft ceilings.

Any insights are appreciated and welcomed.

Save

Reactions: 1

AG9

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 28, 2021

Zorba922 said:
Again, if "warm" describes any part of the sound you're looking for, why on earth do you keep coming back to KLIPSCH???

Completely barking up the wrong tree there.

It's like going to a brothel in search of a virgin.

@Zorba922 Because I'm an absolute rookie, like double AA baseball rookie, maybe even single A... hahaha! I don't know my palm from my hand when it comes to AVR technical specs. I just learned the difference between warm, neutral and bright sounds... only reason I learned this is because my existing soundbar that I am returning kept hurting my ears, and I was like why is this so uncomfortable after long listening... then someone online mentioned it may be a bright speaker and/or combination of not a good one.

Thanks for all of your insights on my various posts, have learned a lot from you! Greatly appreciated! Learning a thing or two... especially the importance of first focusing on a 3.1 or 3.0 and building from there with high-quality speakers. My mind was stuck on atmos on 5.2.2 just for the sake of getting to5.2.2.

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Zorba922

· #8 · Jun 28, 2021

AG9 said:
@Zorba922 Because I'm an absolute rookie, like double AA baseball rookie, maybe even single A... hahaha! I don't know my palm from my hand when it comes to AVR technical specs. I just learned the difference between warm, neutral and bright sounds... only reason I learned this is because my existing soundbar that I am returning kept hurting my ears, and I was like why is this so uncomfortable after long listening... then someone online mentioned it may be a bright speaker and/or combination of not a good one.

Thanks for all of your insights on my various posts, have learned a lot from you! Greatly appreciated! Learning a thing or two... especially the importance of first focusing on a 3.1 or 3.0 and building from there with high-quality speakers. My mind was stuck on atmos on 5.2.2 just for the sake of getting to5.2.2.

Ok, well if I were you I'd focus on Wharfedale and Emotiva if you want to avoid repeating your current soundbar experience.

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Reactions: 1

AG9

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 28, 2021

Zorba922 said:
Ok, well if I were you I'd focus on Wharfedale and Emotiva if you want to avoid repeating your current soundbar experience.

@Zorba922 Thanks, first I'm hearing about Wharfedale and I've seen Emotiva's name come up quite a bit. Seems to be a lesser-known brand or up & coming brand (for the masses) that creates truly quality speakers. Their name pops up a lot on the AVS forum and some other places on Reddit.

I'm sure there is a purpose for bright-sounding speakers, but I just don't know what that would be. Thanks again for the heads up on Klipsch, I see their name come up quite a bit too, but had no idea they're known in some circles for bright or harsh sounds when someone is listening for prolonged periods of time.

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Zorba922

· #10 · Jun 28, 2021

AG9 said:
I'm sure there is a purpose for bright-sounding speakers, but I just don't know what that would be. Thanks again for the heads up on Klipsch, I see their name come up quite a bit too, but had no idea they're known in some circles for bright or harsh sounds when someone is listening for prolonged periods of time.

Some people are simply used to a smiley-shaped EQ curve, with treble and bass tone controls maxed out, because that's all they've known...e.g. any time I rent a car the first thing I do is reset all the tone/EQ settings to zero, same when test driving new cars at a dealer. The treble emphasis can make some HT content stand out more and seems more "exciting" to them. This is the consumer market that brands like Polk and Def Tech are squarely aimed at.

It's mainly Klipsch's entry level products that are notoriously bright/harsh. The RP series are reportedly not that bad in this regard, and their higher end lines esp. the Heritage series, don't suffer from it at all.

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sigpig

· #11 · Jun 28, 2021

AG9 said:
I don't know my palm from my hand when it comes to

This is a hilarious phrase in answer to @Zorba922 comment about virgins in brothels... lol
Wharfedale is a British speaker company that's been around for a long time. Elac is a German company that has been in business since 1926, and make some outstanding high-priced speakers.
They hired Andrew Jones (the guy who designed the Pioneer BS22 and associated speakers) that got a TONNE of initial hype on CNET and the like. It wasn't until people actually started to listen to them in a HT environment and found that they basically suck for HT. They ARE decent entry-level speakers, and the CNET hype probably got more people to actually go out and buy a sound system for music (where they are actually fairly good).
ELAC and AJ put out a speaker called the Debut B5 - a 5.25" bookshelf speaker that came with a TONNE of initial hype. Then people started listening to them in a HT environment, and history repeated itself.
Then he made the Uni-Fi UB5, a 5.25" bookshelf with a co-axial tweeter/4" midrange driver that came with a TONNE of initial hype. Then people started listening to them in a HT environment, and history repeated itself again. The "budget audiophile" speaker has such a low sensitivity and impedence, that it actually takes better amplification than the average AVR can put out. So much for "budget"...
Then he made the "Debut 2.0" which attempted to account for the (many, IMHO) faults of the original line. They are better, but there are many other speakers at the same proice (or less) that out-perform them.
Then he made the Uni-Fi 2.0 speakers. The jury's still out on them, but I am skeptical.
FWIW, the ELAC speakers you find at BestBuy are likely better than the entry-level Polk, Klipsch, Insignia, etc trash that they sell. While they can be half-decent bookshelfs and towers, their centre speakers are complete jokes. Many people complain about dialogue intelligibility. With a company like Emotiva being able to make a 3-way, 5.25" centre channel speaker and sell it for $250, you have to wonder why the Great and Poerful Oz (Andrew Jones) can't be bothered to do something similar.

Tl;Dr: I don't like the AJ-designed ELAC speakers. At all. With a $1100 budget, I would highly suggest you start with a 3.0/3.1 setup to maximize your budget. While you CAN get towers, a pair of bookshelfs and a decent subwoofer will poerform better in your room. Heck - if you decide in the future that you want towers, then you can move your bookshelfs to your surround channels.
Three HTM-200SE speakers from Ascend Acoustics: HTM-200 SE Home Theater Monitor paired with a Rythmik LV12F would be about $1100 when shipping and taxes are added. I believe that Ascend still gives you a 5% discount on subs if bought as a package. If the sub's too expensive for you, then the RSL Speedwoofer 10S is $400, and the SVS PB-1000 Pro is $600.

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cgm246

· #12 · 8 mo ago

Ryan Statz said:
Emotiva T0+, C1+ and B1+ can be had for less than $1000 shipped.

Awesome setup I love mines!

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