Thoughts on this combination. . .

[Aristocles]

I posted in the sticky but got no replies, thus I deleted. . .

Possibly, there is no interest in this, surely if not superfluous then at least redundant, interrogatory.


Nevertheless. . .

"Hello All:

"Just thinking about my options. . . perhaps some input?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...A=endecaSearch

http://www.thenerds.net/MONSTER_CABL...=17-41703668-2

http://www.fluance.com/fluanceavhtb.html

I am quite uninitiated in this world so all advice is appreciated. Compatibility? Quality? (Using, of course, the clear paradigm that the above links should indicate that I exist in financially )

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by Aristocles

I posted in the sticky but got no replies, thus I deleted. . .

Possibly, there is no interest in this, surely if not superfluous then at least redundant, interrogatory.


Nevertheless. . .

"Hello All:

"Just thinking about my options. . . perhaps some input?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...A=endecaSearch

http://www.thenerds.net/MONSTER_CABL...=17-41703668-2

http://www.fluance.com/fluanceavhtb.html

I am quite uninitiated in this world so all advice is appreciated. Compatibility? Quality? (Using, of course, the clear paradigm that the above links should indicate that I exist in financially )

That is a pretty nice receiver. The only downside is that it doesn't have pre-outs for an external amp. There are not really many at that price point. I think Yamaha is the only one with their 66x series.

I don't know much about those speakers, but I would look at a different sub. The towers supposedly go down to 38Hz and the Monster sub goes down to 35Hz. I'm not sure what the sub may bring. If $200-300 is your budget, I would look at the Audio Acoustic subs.

[sinister184]

first of all, what is your intention with this setup? just some casual listening and hear your movies through surround, or you want the best bang for the buck theater that you can take advantage of high res audio? What type of equipment you should get is entirely based off what your needs and expectations are for it.

[Aristocles]

I do not understand your questions?

"just some casual listening and hear your movies through surround,"

Why would anyone consider purchasing the Pioneer amp linked above who had such a whimsical use? (Granted there are much more expensive amps but clearly it is not a toy.)

"or you want the best bang for the buck theater that you can take advantage of high res audio?"

I am still confused. . . I am on a forum that has as its raison d'etre the discussion of Blu-ray discs and their employment (within budgets). I am uncertain that anyone on this site on any budget would not want what you have stated. I guess I am missing your point.

[sinister184]

Fair enough, i could have worded that a little better. Yes your choice of receiver does not necessarily portray that you plan on "whimsical use" but your speaker selection does. My point was, I got the impression you may not necessarily know what you want/need and was trying to help with a recommendation. For example, if you've read the reviews on that 5.1 from cnet (which i have) and that sounds like what your looking for, getting that Pioneer isnt necessary. You could accomplish the same goal with a $250 Onkyo or Yamaha and save yourself some money for other stuff. On the other hand, If your looking for a high quality sound your going to have to start looking at piecing together your own speaker system from companies like Polk, Klipsch, Energy, Definitive, etc. While you'd probably be overall satisfied with the 1019 Pioneer with the majority of speakers, as Lou mentioned, you lose the ability to externally amplify the speakers later on. Which does make a difference.

"I am uncertain that anyone on this site on any budget would not want what you have stated" - Believe it or not alot of people here are perfectly content on watching blu-ray's through TV speakers and are here strictly here for the oooo ahhhh visuals

[Zman2k2]

I'm a big fan of Pioneer products, and have been for a few years now. But I must say something about the receiver you've chosen. It was recently reviewed in Home Theater Magazine, and this is the power output they found.

HT Labs Measures

Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 28.7 watts
1% distortion at 34.3 watts

Not exactly impressive. The whole article can be found at this link.

As mentioned above, there are probably better choices out there for power output. Onkyo and Yamaha come quickly to mind.

I can't speak to the subwoofer, as I've never heard of it before. So I can't give you an objective opinion.

As for the speakers, you could definitely do better, but for the price, that seems like a decent set.

I'm not sure of your total budget, so I won't start throwing out other prices and products. It may help us to help you if we had some numbers to play with. I like spending other people's money.

[Travis]

$250 for sub
$200 for fronts, center and surrounds
$450 for AVR
seems a bit lopsided.

If you are set on the AVR work from there. Sure the 5.1 in the OP is probably OK, but I think a different 2.0 setup would be better. Even if you aren't listening to music, 2 solid front speakers will bring a lot of joy and happiness into your life while watching movies.

I believe in, you get what you pay for, and $200 or $300 for 5 speakers doesn't sound like quality. I've never heard Fluance speakers in action and have never heard of the brand, so I really can only speculate. But I have heard similarly priced stuff from Radio Shack, Future Shop, Best Buy, etc. They were not worth $200. You may get them and have a desire to replace them very soon afterwards.

Subs aren't all they are cracked up to be either. Shouldn't spend more on that than all the other speakers. Many people run systems without a sub, Hi-Fi (2.0) or even 5.0, and really enjoy their Blu-rays. If I was building piece by piece, the sub would be my last purchase.

Building piece by piece is where I am going. I'd get the AVR for $450 and then get 2 towers, or bookshelves with stands, for $450. When finances are better you can get surrounds, then a center, then a sub. Take the time to build a system that you can have for 10 or 20 years. Buy cheap. Buy twice!

2 channel is a good start, and if you create a thread about which pair of fronts to get for $450 that will be used in a HT setup someday, you'll get a tonne of suggestions.

I paid $350 for my front pair almost 10 years ago. I was planning on moving them to the surround position after buying bigger fronts. Never bought bigger fronts. I was too happy with them. My living room wasn't huge and they filled up the space with excellent sound. So, I just bought another pair for the back. Even with the sub turned off, and my sub is great, they still sound awesome.

[sinister184]

Originally Posted by Travis

Building piece by piece is where I am going. I'd get the AVR for $450 and then get 2 towers, or bookshelves with stands, for $450. When finances are better you can get surrounds, then a center, then a sub. Take the time to build a system that you can have for 10 or 20 years. Buy cheap. Buy twice!

Yeah that

[Aristocles]

Thanks for thoughts and suggestions. Food for thought

Much obliged

[DougMac]

No knowledge of the receiver, so no opinion.

The Monster Sub is another matter. It's an overpriced POS. Just look at the specs. You can do far better elsewhere. Try Outlaw audio for a modest priced sub. Besides, NEVER buy a Monster Cable product. They are evil!

I googled Fluance. The info wasn't quite as bad as I expected, but there's no way you're getting decent speakers at that price point. The consensus is for $200,they're not that bad, but they certainly won't be mistaken for real speakers. You just can't get good sound on the cheap.

I suggest you look at SVS and Ascend.