[jking12]

I am in the process of setting up my first Home Theater and I am very new to this so I was hoping someone could give me some suggestions. I really don't know much about speakers:


I have a friend that can get me the following speakers at a great price: Polk, Infinity, Boston Acc, or maybe Ascend. I need a 7.1 setup and I am looking to spend around $800.


3 Fronts: bookshelf

4 Rears: ceiling

Room Size: 12w x 16l


1) I know I should hear them and decide on my own which sounds best but I was hoping someone could share their thoughts as to which is the best bang for the buck - sound, quality, etc?


2) Is it OK to mix and match the brand of speakers/sub or should I get the same brand (fronts, rears, sub, etc)?


3) I am looking to get a Denon 2308ci or Onkyo 705. Do any of those speakers sound better with either of these avr brands or are there issues that I should not use one of these speakers with either avr?


4) Their seems to be so may specs for a given speaker. What should I be looking for to get great (I like it loud ) sound for my setup (size, watts, ohms, frequency, etc - not to sure what all these specs mean

)


5) What should I look for in a sub (don't know anything about subs

)?


Thanks,

Joe

 

[deneb]

1) the Ascend will probably be the best 'bang for the buck' as the internet direct brands tend to give you more for the $. However, if you like the sound of something else, by all means go with those.


2) It is not necessary to match speakers with the sub. You should match the front and center speakers (get the center that most closely matches your fronts). It's not a bad idea to match the surrounds as well - smaller versions of your front speakers from the same manufacturer is a good way to go.


3) Either reciever will work great with whichever speaker package you go with of the brands you list.


4) If you like it loud, look for speakers with a high sensitivity/efficiency rating, given in db. Most speakers will have sensitivity ratings of 87-90 db. Higher ratings mean a given speaker will go louder with the same power as a speaker with lower sensitivity rating. Keep in mind a speaker with an 87 db rating takes double the power to achieve the same volume as a 90 db rated speaker. In other words, a 90 db speaker with a 50 watt amp will go just as loud as an 87 db speaker with a 100 watt amp. Also keep in mind that sensitivity rating has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the speaker or how good it sounds.


5) All else being equal, best things to look for in a sub - driver size, amp power, solidity of the cabinet. Generally, a bigger driver will go lower. You want a sub that has rated response to as close to 20 hz as you can afford.


I'd recommend you do some searching, a lot of the questions you ask have already been answered many times eslewhere in this forum.


Also, does the 800 include a sub? Gonna be tough to meet all your criteria for 800 bucks.