5-6k HT Build

[dzirkelb]

My friend wants me to build him a HT, and he gave me a 5-6k budget. He loves my setup, so I'll explain mine quick:

Pioneer 500m
Denon 1909
Oppo 83
Polk Monitor 60's for R and L
Polk Monitor 30's for Back Left and Back Right
Cambridge bi/di polar (can't remember model) for Surround left and right
Polk CS20? for center, I can't remember off the top of my head, but it is the polk that goes with the monitor series, and is the expensive one
SVS SB12Plus sub

He wants a bigger TV, a 55+ I beleive. Otherwise, he wants that system. Here is what I have pieces together for him...let me know what you guys think:

TV: Panasonic 58" TCP58V10 2200
Towers: Polk TSi 500 (x2) around 550 for pair on ebay, 350 each everywhere else
Center: Polk CS20 around 200
Surrounds / Rears: Polk TSi 200 (x2 sets or x4 speakers) around 400 total
Sub: SVS PB 12 Plus 800 - 1300 online
Reveiver: Denon AVR 2310CI for around 550

Figure in around 4-500 dollars for random mounts, cables, remotes, TV Stand, etc. He will be using his existing PS3 for a blu ray player. If we have any extra money, then we'll toss it towards a better blu ray player for his system, or a 3D TV (V20's seem to be very nice)

How is that build?

He likes the Klipsch 52's, but I think this Polk system would be better. I have absolutely no reference as to why besides looking at price and experience of my system.

So, let me know what you guys think, and if there is a comparable Klipsch speaker set out here.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dzirkelb

So, let me know what you guys think, and if there is a comparable Klipsch speaker set out here.

are you set on polk or klipsch?

For his budget, he could easily go FP if he has the right space for it...... just something else to consider....


and I agree with getting a good sub..... but with that tight of a budget, you're doing so at the expense of you front sound-stage

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

are you set on polk or klipsch?

For his budget, he could easily go FP if he has the right space for it...... just something else to consider....

He's not set on Klipsch or Polk, however, they are favored (him Klipsch, me Polk). What is the advantage of FP over Polk / Klipsch?

[lojack1976]

Well if he likes Klipsch then you can look HERE on Vann's for some options. You may be able to find some better prices if you look around, but this is always a good site to start with. IMO you should skip the Synergy series though. Look at the Reference and Icon series speakers. I also wouldn't use a Denon receiver with Klipsch. Just my opinion, but I think a warmer receiver would be ideal.

Look at Marantz, Harman Kardon, or Onkyo. Yamaha and Sony are pretty neutral so they would be OK matches but the warmer receivers will go better IMO. Pioneer receivers are a tad bright so you may want to skip them for these speakers. A lot of people pair them with Pioneer and like the results, but I think if they hear them with one of the warmer receivers they'd prefer the sound.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dzirkelb

He's not set on Klipsch or Polk, however, they are favored (him Klipsch, me Polk). What is the advantage of FP over Polk / Klipsch?

sorry.... "FP" as in "Front Projection" I was off on a different tangent at that point


Edit: I will post "what I would do" as soon as I can do a little price searching without 1-finger typing while feeding a 4-month old

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

Well if he likes Klipsch then you can look HERE on Vann's for some options. You may be able to find some better prices if you look around, but this is always a good site to start with. IMO you should skip the Synergy series though. Look at the Reference and Icon series speakers. I also wouldn't use a Denon receiver with Klipsch. Just my opinion, but I think a warmer receiver would be ideal.

Look at Marantz, Harman Kardon, or Onkyo. Yamaha and Sony are pretty neutral so they would be OK matches but the warmer receivers will go better IMO. Pioneer receivers are a tad bright so you may want to skip them for these speakers. A lot of people pair them with Pioneer and like the results, but I think if they hear them with one of the warmer receivers they'd prefer the sound.

What do you mean by "warmer receivers"? I'm not sure what that means. The main thing for the receiver is 7.1 and with the EQ Audessy setup or whatever it is called, where it chirps the speakers to auto set up.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dzirkelb

What do you mean by "warmer receivers"? I'm not sure what that means. .

AVRs/Amps have different sound characteristics, just like speakers, and just like color reproduction on LCDs, Plasmas, and CRTs are different......

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

AVRs/Amps have different sound characteristics, just like speakers, and just like color reproduction on LCDs, Plasmas, and CRTs are different......

Gotcha...is there a reference for what receiver goes well with what brand of speakers? More of a master list for future reference

I hope my Denon / Polk combo work well, sounds good at least

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dzirkelb

Gotcha...is there a reference for what receiver goes well with what brand of speakers? More of a master list for future reference

I hope my Denon / Polk combo work well, sounds good at least

Nope, that's about the best way to determine....... it's all what sounds best to the user...... Audio is very subjective.

What is your friend's main goal of the setup??? Is he looking for something to really enjoy Blu-rays and DVDs in general..... or is he trying to get the best possible audio experience?

I would bet, that for the casual consumer, he'll want a huge screen, a fairly capable set of speakers that can be had for as small of a percentage of his budget as possible, and a solid sub that can looooow without getting muddy/distorted..... (the sub you picked was great, but again, it's a heck of a chunk of his budget)

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Nope, that's about the best way to determine....... it's all what sounds best to the user...... Audio is very subjective.

What is your friend's main goal of the setup??? Is he looking for something to really enjoy Blu-rays and DVDs in general..... or is he trying to get the best possible audio experience?

I would bet, that for the casual consumer, he'll want a huge screen, a fairly capable set of speakers that can be had for as small of a percentage of his budget as possible, and a solid sub that can looooow without getting muddy/distorted..... (the sub you picked was great, but again, it's a heck of a chunk of his budget)

He is a huge gamer for one, so he'll have a xbox 360, wii, and ps3 hooked up to it. And, he watches a lot of TV.

I have a feeling with a new setup, he'll get big into watching Blu Ray movies.

but, I'd say the main usage would be for games / TV. And, for games, he loves he surround audio experience.

I don't think he wants to skimp much on the speakers after hearing my setup (mine is nothing worldly by any means, but it is also no HTIB).

The sub I found for around 800 online, so that helps the budget. I love mine, and it is a step down, so I know he'll love his.

[lojack1976]

There's no real rule of thumb, but in my own experience I feel that a brighter speaker should be matched with a warmer receiver just as a warmer speaker should be matched with a neutral or brighter receiver. This just seems to give a good balanced sound.

Sometimes a speaker just doesn't match up well with a specific receiver at all. Some speaker makers actually suggest certain receivers because their characteristics bring out the best in their speakers, and some makers will actually suggest avoiding the pairing of certain brands with their speakers.

Of course one's personal opinion is all that really matters. If you like the sound then you can ask for nothing more. I do think a lot of people will agree that Klipsch speakers fare a lot better with warmer receivers though. I personally like Klipsch a lot myself, but I would never pair them with a Pioneer receiver for instance and I love Pioneer receivers by the way.

As an example I own JBL and Harman Kardon speakers. These are pretty neutral speakers that slightly veer towards being bright. My Onkyo receiver was initially used with them and sound good. Onkyo is slightly warm, but when I connected my much warmer Harman receiver the sound difference was night and day. I mean the difference in sound was dramatic.

I've since connected my Onkyo to my Energy speakers and they matched up extremely well, so it worked out very well for me. In the future I will always consider the matching of receiver and speakers more closely because results can definitely vary greatly depending on this pairing. You can listen to a speaker with one receiver and be underwhelmed, but then listen to them another day with another receiver and be completely blown away.

[Beta Man]

Not really what I would get for myself, but what I would get for my brother, neighbor, friends etc. who just want to enjoy Blu-rays........

Panasonic PT-AE4000 $2,000
Elite 100" Electric screen (could be bigger if he has the room, and go for about 1/4 of the price if he is fine with a manual or fixed screen) $325
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-...9547886&sr=1-2

Paradigm Monitor 7 fronts $1,200 pair
Paradigm CC-190 Center $600
Paradigm Cinema ADP v3 surrounds ( 4 @ $130 each)
Elemental Designs A2-300 Sub $415

That puts him at $5,060 (he can probably get a better deal too) and he really only needs about $40 worth of speaker wire, and $35 worth of HDMI (figuring a 25' HDMI for $25 plus an extra 6' one )

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

There's no real rule of thumb, but in my own experience I feel that a brighter speaker should be matched with a warmer receiver just as a warmer speaker should be matched with a neutral or brighter receiver. This just seems to give a good balanced sound.

Sometimes a speaker just doesn't match up well with a specific receiver at all. Some speaker makers actually suggest certain receivers because their characteristics bring out the best in their speakers, and some makers will actually suggest avoiding the pairing of certain brands with their speakers.

Of course one's personal opinion is all that really matters. If you like the sound then you can ask for nothing more. I do think a lot of people will agree that Klipsch speakers fare a lot better with warmer receivers though. I personally like Klipsch a lot myself, but I would never pair them with a Pioneer receiver for instance and I love Pioneer receivers by the way.

As an example I own JBL and Harman Kardon speakers. These are pretty neutral speakers that slightly veer towards being bright. My Onkyo receiver was initially used with them and sound good. Onkyo is slightly warm, but when I connected my much warmer Harman receiver the sound difference was night and day. I mean the difference in sound was dramatic.

I've since connected my Onkyo to my Energy speakers and they matched up extremely well, so it worked out very well for me. In the future I will always consider the matching of receiver and speakers more closely because results can definitely vary greatly depending on this pairing. You can listen to a speaker with one receiver and be underwhelmed, but then listen to them another day with another receiver and be completely blown away.

What would be a good receiver to go with the Polk set up then? I'd probably go with Onkyo for the Klipsch as I hear all good things about them.

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Not really what I would get for myself, but what I would get for my brother, neighbor, friends etc. who just want to enjoy Blu-rays........

Panasonic PT-AE4000 $2,000
Elite 100" Electric screen (could be bigger if he has the room, and go for about 1/4 of the price if he is fine with a manual or fixed screen) $325
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-...9547886&sr=1-2

Paradigm Monitor 7 fronts $1,200 pair
Paradigm CC-190 Center $600
Paradigm Cinema ADP v3 surrounds ( 4 @ $130 each)
Elemental Designs A2-300 Sub $415

That puts him at $5,060 (he can probably get a better deal too) and he really only needs about $40 worth of speaker wire, and $35 worth of HDMI (figuring a 25' HDMI for $25 plus an extra 6' one )

A projector is out of the question, the girlfriend shot down that idea.

What would you put for a receiver with that? And, I'd probably upgrade the sub a bit, but that's my personal preference.

And where in the world do you find Paradigm for sale online? I looked but couldn't find anything.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dzirkelb

A projector is out of the question, the girlfriend shot down that idea.

What would you put for a receiver with that? And, I'd probably upgrade the sub a bit, but that's my personal preference.

And where in the world do you find Paradigm for sale online? I looked but couldn't find anything.

1) I was thinking it was $4-$5k my bad.... I'd get the A3-300 for $600 as the sub.

2) you don't find Paradigms for sale online..... gotta go to a dealer.

3) I'd probably look at the Denon/Marantz offerings..... I haven't listened to that many models, but a great "bang for the buck" would be the Marantz SR-7001 since he'll be using a PS3, it'll decode the audio for him, making this a nice receiver for the price.....

4) The T.V. you suggested earlier seems nice, and happens to be about the same price as the projector/screen I suggested..... so budget stays the same


EDIT: and he needs a new girlfriend

[callas01]

I posted this in another speaker thread today, and I will put it here again, but for that budget, I would move well beyond Klipsch and Polk speakers. Yea, they can make some nice stuff, but why not go onto something that will be even higher end and make more sense from a sound perspective?

58" Samsung Plasma $1499

Buy yourself this Marantz Receiver. $650 It has a nice strong Amp.

These Dynaudio Excite X16s $1300 or so

and the Dynaudio Excite X22 C $750 or so

Then add a sub for your setup
Hsu VTF-2 MK3 $600

And last for surround speakers try these
Axiom QS4 $428

Total is $5227

This system would rock over any of the ones you guys have thought up.

Dynaudio is a very high end speaker MFG and make some of the best in the world. Axiom makes some great speakers also, and the design of the QS speakers are completely unique for creating a rear sound field. The Hsu Sub is easily as nice of a sub as you can find, and right there with the SVS subs. The Marantz receiver starts by building from the Amp up to the features and they are owned by the same company that owns Denon, so many things are similar.

[lojack1976]

For the Polk setup you probably would be good with most receivers. Polk speakers are not nearly as bright as Klipsch so they go with pretty much everything. I'd look for the best bang for the buck if I went with Polk. Check out the Pioneer VSX-9040TXH HERE on Amazon for $535 shipped. Its basically an Elite model without the label. Some say its the same as the VSX-21TXH, but if you look at the weight it actually compares more to the VSX-23TXH. It just doesn't have the extra HDMI output. Its one of the best values out there.

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

1) I was thinking it was $4-$5k my bad.... I'd get the A3-300 for $600 as the sub.

2) you don't find Paradigms for sale online..... gotta go to a dealer.

3) I'd probably look at the Denon/Marantz offerings..... I haven't listened to that many models, but a great "bang for the buck" would be the Marantz SR-7001 since he'll be using a PS3, it'll decode the audio for him, making this a nice receiver for the price.....

4) The T.V. you suggested earlier seems nice, and happens to be about the same price as the projector/screen I suggested..... so budget stays the same


EDIT: and he needs a new girlfriend

Is that marantz only a 1.2 receiver? Would I want 1.3?

There is one retailer for Paradigm, and they have, for example, the cheaper surrounds listed above, on sale (30% off), a pair, for 440...so, I think I'll pass on them as they will be outrageous.

[callas01]

Another great setup could be

Focal Chorus 714V $1095/pr
Focal CC 700V $500
Axiom QS4s $428
Hsu VTF-2 MK3 $600
Denon 2310 or Marantz 5004 $850 for either

TV Panasonic Plasma V10 $2138

Total $5611

The Focals and Receivers could be found cheaper and you could negotiate with a dealer on a better price if you buy them all at once.

[dzirkelb]

Originally Posted by callas01

Another great setup could be

Focal Chorus 714V $1095/pr
Focal CC 700V $500
Axiom QS4s $428
Hsu VTF-2 MK3 $600
Denon 2310 or Marantz 5004 $850 for either

TV Panasonic Plasma V10 $2138

Total $5611

The Focals and Receivers could be found cheaper and you could negotiate with a dealer on a better price if you buy them all at once.

I'm liking the Axiom speakers I see in a couple posts here, I almost bought a set for myself, but didn't.

Question is, however, where do I place those in a 7.1 setup and what would the other 2 speakers be?