3.1 (or 2.1) channel setup for under $1500?

[415bluray]

I can use some help with deciding receiver, speaker, sub choices for my living room.

I'm leaning towards:

Receiver: Yamaha RXV663. Can this receiver be setup for 3.1 or 2.1 channel? Is it a waste to get this receiver to run 3.1? I wish it had 3 HDMI inputs though.

Sub: Klipsch Sub-10 or Sub-12.

Speakers: open to suggestion here.

Thanks!

[Kai Winters]

Take a couple of your favorite music cd's and movies then go audition speakers at your local shops.
Speaker's sound affects us differently and makes giving suggestions difficult. We generally suggest "our" favorites which may not be yours.
I prefer Paradigm. I prefer their sound compared to others in their and my price class.
I you get the 663 for $400ish that leaves $1100 for speakers. Depending on the room I would buy a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7's, $700ish a pair at 6thave.com, and use the rest for a sub. As I saved more money I would buy a pair of surrounds and call it a day.

Depending on what you are going to connect to the 663, meaning hdmi inputs, you may want to spend another $150 and move up to the 683. It has 3 hdmi inputs compared to 2 on the 663, a bit more power and perhaps some better innards. I would compare them also if at all possible.
If you went the 683 route you could still get the 7's and have some money left over to save for a good sub, then the surrounds.

You can do a lot with the $1500 you have. Be patient, shop well and like Capt Kirk says "negotiate" you may be able to do better than you expect.
Good luck and keep us informed. We all love pics too hehehe.

[Johnny Vinyl]

+1 on Kai's post above.

Is your plan to expand to a 5.1/7.1 system later down the line? If it is, then I suggest (as Kai did) you go with the better receiver, especially since it has an additional HDMI input. One can almost never have enough HDMI inputs. A solid receiver up front will last you many years, so it's a good consideration. However, it's not the end of the world if you don't.

Once you've decided on a receiver, the next step should be to get a good set of fronts. These are THE MOST IMPORTANT speakers in any setup, so don't cheat yourself on those. The Paradigmn suggestion is a good one, as are DefTech's, Polk, Energy, Mirage and Klipsch. All of these offer tremendous value and are solid performers. I would personally skip the Sub-woofer option for now and use the money you can save there to add to your budget for the Front Speakers. You can save up for a sub later, as they don't have to be astonomically expensive. Two real good value-oriented (but very good) subwoofer manafucturers are SVS and HSU. For the record, I am still not running a sub-woofer and am quite happy for now.

One last thing, a good-quality 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 or 3.1 system is nothing to sneeze at and is superior to a crap 5.1 system. Your $1,500 budget is very nice and a good receiver with 2 good front speakers will give you tremendous satisfaction.

John

[415bluray]

So if I decide to got 5.1/7.1 receiver for now, I can program it to do 2.1 or 3.1?

Thanks for all the help!

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by 415bluray

So if I decide to got 5.1/7.1 receiver for now, I can program it to do 2.1 or 3.1?

Yes.

[415bluray]

Yamaha RX-V863BL is $729 on Amazon with free shipping. Should I jump on this?

6ave.com has it for $899.

[mykrlz182]

I just purchased the Onkyo TXSR 806 and I love it! I have a similar budget as you. I love the fact that it has 5 hdmi inputs and a massive amount of features and connections. I bought from Circuit city (which is going out of business 30 percent off!!)for $699. I actually saw it online for about $600 shipped. Check it out.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by 415bluray

Yamaha RX-V863BL is $729 on Amazon with free shipping. Should I jump on this?

6ave.com has it for $899.

I'm going to say "No"

That will eat a LOT of your speaker budget..... There are a LOT of good options at $1,000 per pair compared to $500 per pair..... Price isn't everything, but like I said, that receiver, compared to the 663 (which I think would be a good choice for you) is a huge price jump.

Also, are you set on that subwoofer? Already have it or found a good price on it?

For a 2.1 I'd spend the $300 on the E.D. sub $350 or so on the Yamaha AVR, and then audition a lot of speakers.... and don't limit yourself to towers, I'm not sure why so many people do that


NOW.... that's what I'd do for a 2.1, but in all honesty, if it were me I would go with a 3.0 Left/Right/Center.

$350 for the AVR again, and then you've got a lot of options for speakers at $300-$350 each, and I'd check Audiogon etc. for used speakers.... there are a lot of great ones out there.

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by 415bluray

Yamaha RX-V863BL is $729 on Amazon with free shipping. Should I jump on this?

6ave.com has it for $899.

Yes. I have the previous version, the 861, and it is a fantastic receiver. The 863 has everything you'll need for now and the future if you expand your system to 7.1.

Also, for speakers, I would suggest auditioning several different types to determine what's best for you. Speakers I would strongly consider in your price range include:

Monitor Audio's Bronze or Silver line - great detail and extension with really nice build quality. Here's a review of the fantastic RS6 towers, which are part of the Silver line: http://www.stereophile.com/floorloud...rs/306monitor/ They retail for $999, but you can often find them on sale for around $750 or so a pair. They're not sold via the internet, so you'll have to visit with local shops. They're my top pick for 2.1 channel stuff in your price range and worth the search though.

Paradigms - great detail and tight bass. They're monitors have been fantastic for years. If you want towers, their Monitor 7s are great and only $758 a pair.

Both sets pai

[kingofgrills]

Oh, is your budget $1,000 total? I would agree with Beta and stick with the 663, which you can find online for around $370 or so. With the difference, I'd try to find the Monitor Audio RS6's or the BR5 floorstanders which you can see here:

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/produc...br/br5/reviews

Either of those speakers, along with the 663, will give you a good 2 channel setup that can be expanded eventually to 7.1 . Yamaha receivers and Monitor Audio speakers are very musical, so they're great for music or home theater.

[415bluray]

Originally Posted by 415bluray

Yamaha RX-V863BL is $729 on Amazon with free shipping.

Price back to $899 today, so it is kinda out of reach.

I keep hearing good things about Paradigm over Klipsch. I'll try to audition these speakers this weekend.

I'm thinking maybe the 663 with left, right, center and a sub.

I'm trying not to spend more than $1500 as I'm kinda on a budget right now.

A sound system is probably not the most responsible thing to be buying at this time because I just bought this Samsung TV, but it feels like I'm missing out on the full experience if I don't have a good sound system to go with the good picture.

But, I also don't want to settle for something that I'm going to be unhappy with long term.

[s0nIc]

Look This is what You do get the paradigm titan monitors for 348.00 a pair thats a deal.Then you get a reciever most mid levels are 500.00 so your at 848.00 then you get a sub that you dont have to upgrade later.Will say a good one 650.00 thats at your budget and u got a great sound,Save up money buy 2 Front tower speakers that you love and push you titan monitors to the back later.

http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/...4-1-2.paradigm
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/...-4-18.paradigm