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Keep Energy Take Classic 5.1 or switch to Sonos 5.1 using Arc, Sub and Sonos One?

1343 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Jeremyd5, 
J
Hello All,

I currently have a energy take classic 5.1 in a small bedroom hooked up to a Marantz receiver. It sounds pretty good given the less than ideal arrangement of the room, but I've been toying with the idea of switching over to a Sonos 5.1 setup by adding the Sonos ARC and Sub. Reason for doing so would be to reduce wire clutter as I can't go in the wall and (more importantly) reduce the heat coming from the Marantz which makes my room somewhat uncomfortable in the summer.

Cost isn't an issue here. Even if I keep the classic 5.1 speakers I'll need to upgrade the Marantz to something that supports HDMI 2.1 as I have both of the new consoles and a Sony X90J that supports HDMI 2.1. That new receiver is going to be expensive. I can probably live without DTS since the ARC from what I understand supports LPCM 5.1.

The biggest downside would be having to find a quality HDMI switcher with HDMI 2.1. Also, while I like how the Sonos Ones sound with music, I can't find any reviews from sites directly compare how a small, well reviewed satellite speaker system like the classic 5.1 compares to the Sonos 5.1 for regular TV watching, gaming, and movies. I mean RTINGS does comparisons, but I was looking for something from a more A/V enthusiast perspective.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Zorba922
Jeremyd5 said:
I currently have a energy take classic 5.1 in a small bedroom hooked up to a Marantz receiver. It sounds pretty good given the less than ideal arrangement of the room, but I've been toying with the idea of switching over to a Sonos 5.1 setup by adding the Sonos ARC and Sub. Reason for doing so would be to reduce wire clutter as I can't go in the wall and (more importantly) reduce the heat coming from the Marantz which makes my room somewhat uncomfortable in the summer.

Cost isn't an issue here. Even if I keep the classic 5.1 speakers I'll need to upgrade the Marantz to something that supports HDMI 2.1 as I have both of the new consoles and a Sony X90J that supports HDMI 2.1. That new receiver is going to be expensive. I can probably live without DTS since the ARC from what I understand supports LPCM 5.1.

The biggest downside would be having to find a quality HDMI switcher with HDMI 2.1. Also, while I like how the Sonos Ones sound with music, I can't find any reviews from sites directly compare how a small, well reviewed satellite speaker system like the classic 5.1 compares to the Sonos 5.1 for regular TV watching, gaming, and movies. I mean RTINGS does comparisons, but I was looking for something from a more A/V enthusiast perspective.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
My experience with Sonos is that they are ok at moderate volumes, but when cranked up there is a noticeable "midrange hole" due to the smiley shaped EQ curve. OTOH, I doubt the Energy TC is that much better to begin with, given their small size.

Can't help wondering because of your AVR heat issues: How loud do you listen? Get an SPL Meter like this
Or, (less precise) you can download a free SPL Meter app to your smartphone and find out.
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J
I don't listen very loud. The room is small so the volume doesn't need to be cranked that loud to fill the room. Neighbors also are a factor in noise levels. My Paradigm reference towers, sub and the receiver are in a storage closet because of complaints about the noise when it was set up in the living room. The Take 5.1 sub I have lowered so that at my normal listening level it's present, but not to the point where it would start rattling doors or walls.

My SPL is in a box but the lowest volume on the Marantz starts at - 79 db and max is +5 or +10. I listen to it in the 30 - 40 range. If I could crank the volume to movie levels, it would probably be around the 10 - 15 range if it plays like previous Marantz receivers.

The Marantz in the bedroom puts out a lot of heat, to the point where it will shut down every once a while in the summer due to overheating. I live in Florida so it gets pretty hot here and the AC is just okay in that room. I have it on the top of an A/V rack about a foot from the walls for ventilation. It would likely have no problems in a larger room.
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force10
Sonos system would be great, you lose clutter and sound is really good. I have two rooms with Sonos 5.1 setup,I just have a Apple TV hooked up and have just the apple remote to control the system. I have a theater room if I want the full 9.4 experience.
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Zorba922
Jeremyd5 said:
I don't listen very loud. The room is small so the volume doesn't need to be cranked that loud to fill the room. Neighbors also are a factor in noise levels. My Paradigm reference towers, sub and the receiver are in a storage closet because of complaints about the noise when it was set up in the living room. The Take 5.1 sub I have lowered so that at my normal listening level it's present, but not to the point where it would start rattling doors or walls.

My SPL is in a box but the lowest volume on the Marantz starts at - 79 db and max is +5 or +10. I listen to it in the 30 - 40 range. If I could crank the volume to movie levels, it would probably be around the 10 - 15 range if it plays like previous Marantz receivers.

The Marantz in the bedroom puts out a lot of heat, to the point where it will shut down every once a while in the summer due to overheating. I live in Florida so it gets pretty hot here and the AC is just okay in that room. I have it on the top of an A/V rack about a foot from the walls for ventilation. It would likely have no problems in a larger room.
Click to expand...
I would simply get one of these which should allow you to keep the Marantz receiver for a mere $50:
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: AC Infinity AIRCOM S7, Quiet Cooling Fan System 12" Top-Exhaust for Receivers, Amps, DVR, AV Cabinet Components : Electronics

Buy AC Infinity AIRCOM S7, Quiet Cooling Fan System 12" Top-Exhaust for Receivers, Amps, DVR, AV Cabinet Components: Case Fans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

or:
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: SXDOOL 120mm 110V 115V 120V AC Powered Fan with Speed Controller DC 3V to 12V, for Router Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Component Cooling : Electronics

Buy SXDOOL 120mm 110V 115V 120V AC Powered Fan with Speed Controller DC 3V to 12V, for Router Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Component Cooling: Case Fans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

And instead of bothering with Sonos I'd get 2 pairs of Emotiva B1+ with C1+ center for $750 all in ... these provide incredibly satisfying detail/fullness at the low to moderate volumes you listen at. I used to have some and they saved me a crapload of marital strife i.e. my wife having very sensitive ears and hair trigger "Turn it DOWN!!!" responses whenever we watched movies together. :D

And I'd wait a couple weeks/months for this sealed sub to go back on sale for $180-200:

SUB 550P | 500W, 10-inch powered subwoofer

What makes you feel the music in a professional venue is the same powerful force that will make you feel it at home: massive amounts of low-frequency bass. Through its light yet rigid PolyPlas™ cone frame, the Studio 550P subwoofer delivers powerful, nearly tangible deep notes and effects that...
www.jbl.com www.jbl.com

Will play much cleaner faster tighter than the NHT sub, but with far less danger of rattling things than a big ported sub.
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J
2
So I decided to not do the Sonos and bought the aircom, but it looks like the emotiva are too big for my room. (It’s a small room with very limited placement options). Max height for the fronts and center is 6.8 inches. Surrounds can be bigger and the room can accommodate a sub.

The other option I have (which is how I am leaning) is to use my existing setup and rerun Audyssey to see if I can improve the sub integration and the slight treble issue with the “ess” sound. If I did that, how would you suggest placing the mic in this room for each position? (I have a mic stand.) The black chair is the main listening position. Ignore the speaker in the middle of the surrounds. That's a Sonos one that I use for background noise when I go to bed at night.

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L
First position at where you have your head when sitting on the chair and then the other positions around that but no more than a foot away from another measuring spot. You are not measuring the room, the whole room cant be worked on, its just a small area around the chair. (Which often helps in the rest of the room also)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Zorba922
Jeremyd5 said:
So I decided to not do the Sonos and bought the aircom, but it looks like the emotiva are too big for my room. (It’s a small room with very limited placement options). Max height that the front, center and surrounds can be is 6.8 inches. Sub is the one thing that can fit comfortably in the room.

The other option I have (which is how I am leaning) is to use my existing setup and rerun Audyssey to see if I can improve the sub integration and the slight treble issue with the “ess” sound. If I did that, how would you suggest placing the mic in this room for each position? (I have a mic stand.) The black chair is the main listening position.
Click to expand...
That photo appears to show you do have ample space between the bottom of the TV and the cabinet for at least the Emotiva C1+ which is just 7 and 3/4" tall.
emotiva.com

Airmotiv C1+ Center Channel Loudspeaker

The Airmotiv C1+ is a three-way center channel loudspeaker that delivers a superb listening experience with surround sound music and movies. The Airmotiv C1+ combines exceptional accuracy, amazing precision and detail retrieval, and unsurpassed smoothness - all in one truly great sounding...
emotiva.com emotiva.com

If you want something even smaller, the Ascend 200SE would fit, just do 3 of them up front:
www.ascendacoustics.com

HTM-200SE HOME THEATER MONITOR PAIR

High Performance Compact Speaker "The new 200SE continues the Ascend tradition of offering unmatched component quality and performance at affordable pricing." With a linear frequency response and bass down to 70Hz, this compact versatile loudspeaker is the perfect solution for space limited...
www.ascendacoustics.com www.ascendacoustics.com
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J
Zorba922 said:
That photo appears to show you do have ample space between the bottom of the TV and the cabinet for at least the Emotiva C1+ which is just 7 and 3/4" tall.
emotiva.com

Airmotiv C1+ Center Channel Loudspeaker

The Airmotiv C1+ is a three-way center channel loudspeaker that delivers a superb listening experience with surround sound music and movies. The Airmotiv C1+ combines exceptional accuracy, amazing precision and detail retrieval, and unsurpassed smoothness - all in one truly great sounding...
emotiva.com emotiva.com

If you want something even smaller, the Ascend 200SE would fit, just do 3 of them up front:
www.ascendacoustics.com

HTM-200SE HOME THEATER MONITOR PAIR

High Performance Compact Speaker "The new 200SE continues the Ascend tradition of offering unmatched component quality and performance at affordable pricing." With a linear frequency response and bass down to 70Hz, this compact versatile loudspeaker is the perfect solution for space limited...
www.ascendacoustics.com www.ascendacoustics.com
Click to expand...
I could get the C1+ in there since it is horizontal. Could I use the C1 for left, right and center? I'm assuming that would cause problems.
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Ryan Statz
Jeremyd5 said:
I could get the C1+ in there since it is horizontal. Could I use the C1 for left, right and center? I'm assuming that would cause problems.
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If you have the room, you could easily use three of those speakers as your LCR.
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Zorba922
Jeremyd5 said:
I could get the C1+ in there since it is horizontal. Could I use the C1 for left, right and center? I'm assuming that would cause problems.
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No, the C1+ is designed to be placed horizontally so that would be fine.
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J
Decided to buy some cabinets to have enough room to accommodate the suggested bookshelf speakers. This has solved the left and right speaker height problem and the AC Infinity appears to be keeping my AVR cool. (There is a small gap between the top shelf and AC Infinity for the fans to blow air out.) However I can’t decide how best fix the height issue if I wanted to add a higher center channel. I see three options:

1. Place foam padding on top of the sub and then place the center channel on it tilted up. (Not thrilled by that idea due to the effect of vibrations.)

2. Buy some kind of adjustable bracket to attach to the bottom of the top shelves that can support a bigger/heavier speaker. (Not sure that exists and a web search for ideas didn’t yield any results.)

3. Buy a center channel stand and put it and the center channel in front of the sub. My concern is the effect this would have with subwoofer.

Any other ideas that might work?

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