Getting rid of my HTiB. Any suggestions for new setup?

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by yophoto91

If I’m not the type to blast the sound very loud do you think it would still be necessary for me to get a 12” sub as opposed to a 10”? I don’t want to annoy my neighbors, nor spend more on something I won’t be utilizing.

Subs have volume adjustments...you can always keep the sub output low so you won't annoy the neighbors. (but when theyre not home, you can crank it!)

As far as the difference between a 10" and 12", its usually the 12" that will go lower in bass extension. ex. 12" sub 20-24Hz whereas a 10" sub might only go down to 30Hz.

Finally, if I’m not planning on making a hobby out of home theater sound should I worry about these “pre-outs” and outlets?

from your own personal description of yourself, no these options are not mandatory/important for you.

[aramis109]

The 12AWG wire will have an issue with some of those smaller satellite speakers- definitely that Polk set, and probably the Def Techs too. If they accept bananas you're fine. However, if you already have pin connectors it's not really an issue, is it?

Biggest drawback to the Polk towers and speakers Crackin' linked is their size. They're pretty big. The Energy setup is pretty small. Expanding your budget to $1000 for everything will help for sure.

Go out and listen to some speakers! Even just a Best Buy with a Magnolia has a lot of options for listening. Some are obviously out of your budget but it's good to listen to Klipsch and Polk and Def Tech and the others they have there.

[CosmoKid]

Don't be fooled by that $200 price tag on those Energy speakers...they perform beautifully in small to mid sized rooms.

[yophoto91]

Crackinhedz, first I’ve got to say that I’m digging your avatar. Immortal Technique is awesome! A shame more people don’t know of him and the worthy message he spreads. Secondly, thank you for the information.

Aramis109 and CosmoKid, thank you both. Over the next week or so I will continue to my research and try to listen to some of these suggested speakers firsthand.

Thanks again.

Mark

[Adam.C]

The setup I have in my sig is amazing. It blows away alot of higher priced setups ive heard. Its going to be tough to find Energy C-300s right now. AudioAdvisor I know still has them.

Look into the PA-120 for a sub. Small price but amazing sound. Read through this thread here to learn about it here

[omgitsmikeyc]

personally... i love bargains. id either jump on amazon... and buy the onkyo hts6100 surround for 500 bux. oh wait... i did do that. and will kill any of the systems listed above... with exception to polk towers. but the 6100 is a starter system. upgrade possibilities.. comes in one box... 290w woofer, 130w/ch reciever, hdmi audio and video upconvert, 7.1 w ipod dock. neeed i say more... oh... and comes with 16guage wiring and a subline (subline is so/so)

[omgitsmikeyc]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

I know everyone who has Polk's is going to tell you to buy them. I like Polk's and all, but I think a better budget set-up is something like this....

Energy Take 5 from Vann's

$199 for the 5 speakers.
$299 with the 8" sub.
$399 with the 10" sub.

Free shipping and no tax. The packages with the sub are in the same link on the right side.

Then you have your usual suspects in terms of receivers...

Onkyo 606
Yamaha 663
Yamaha 565

couldnt agree more on speaker choice. used to sell the system. sub was lil weak.. but loved speaker responce. still thinkin the hts6100 works better. its a un zone 2-version of 606 onkyo reciever with their $280 woofer.

[omgitsmikeyc]

Originally Posted by Semp1

What you should get is for the front Polk tsi200-$299(pair), for the rear tsi100-$199(pair), and center cs10, for the sub go with Sony sa-w2500-$89 on Amazon, rceiver should be the Sony str-dg820 which can be found for under $300. You add all this up and you get a fantastic system for less than $900.

those who mention the sony shamefully underpowered recievers one more time will be shunned from ever talking about home theater again! the home theater gods have spoken. why would one ever buy the sony over the yamaha 465 or onkyo 606? internet shopping brings 606 to $350 bux with free shipping. RESEARCH PEOPLE!!!

[chris83]

Wow! This is some great stuff! I love those budget conscious speaker sets.

Question: say I went with the Yamaha RX-V465 recommended by Crackinhedz. I have a Samsung BD-P1500 and a DirecTV H20 HD receiver I'd like to run in to Yamaha via HDMI for video pass through and then out to my Sony KDS-50A2000. Is there a noticeable loss of video quality passing through the receiver?

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by chris83

Is there a noticeable loss of video quality passing through the receiver?

zero loss of quality.

(keep in mind, the Yamaha 465 is a 5.1 only system. Cannot upgrade to 7.1, unless you get a higher model)

[lojack1976]

OK, how about THIS Mirage Nanosat 5.1 speaker package with a 300watt sub as another option? Just a little something different from the usual. You could later buy two more satellites for 7.1 or buy front towers and a center. This is a very upgradeable setup and its $510 shipped. Then you can go for THIS Yamaha receiver for $429.99 shipped or THIS Harman Kardon receiver for $389.99 shipped. You can also look at THIS Pioneer receiver for $499 shipped. THIS Panasonic digital receiver just got a price drop to $299.99 shipped. These Panasonic receivers seem to have a good following for those who like to run separates which you could always do as a later upgrade down the road. Of course you could do the same with the other receivers mentioned, but the Panny seems to be noted for this in some circles who are fans of the digital sound. I'm sure some others will have some good suggestions to add to these.

[repete66211]

Thanks to Newegg you can have a great setup for under $1,000.

Fronts - Polk Monitor 50 - $100 each
OR
Polk Monitor 60 - $130 each
Center - Polk CS1 - $80
Rears - Polk Monitor 30 - $100/pair
Sub - Polk PSW110 - $180

That's $560-$620 for all your speakers and sub. That's a really nice setup for the price and much better than the satellite sets. You might get lucky on the Polk Direct eBay store where all the [refurbished] items are up for bid.

The Onkyo TX-SR606 used to sell for around $400, but they've been hard to find at that price ever since the 607 was released. The cheapest I can find it for now is around $500, which is the same price as the 607. So you may want to consider picking up the newer model or you could try to find a 605.

I just noticed that when you buy the 607 on Newegg ($494) they throw in a free Polk PSW10 subwoofer. It's normally $120, so there's some money saved right there, bringing the total cost of receiver, speakers and sub to $880-$940. Newegg usually doesn't charge for shipping and you may not have to pay taxes either.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by repete66211

I just noticed that when you buy the 607 on Newegg ($494) they throw in a free Polk PSW10 subwoofer.

that's excellent!

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

that's excellent!

Yeah, it seems so much easier finding great deals for other people. (Where are these deals when I'm doing the buying?) The 607 can do 7.2, so you could get another sub to go with the free PSW10 for a sweet dual sub setup.

[Adam.C]

Originally Posted by repete66211

Thanks to Newegg you can have a great setup for under $1,000.

Fronts - Polk Monitor 50 - $100 each
OR
Polk Monitor 60 - $130 each
Center - Polk CS1 - $80
Rears - Polk Monitor 30 - $100/pair
Sub - Polk PSW110 - $180

That's $560-$620 for all your speakers and sub. That's a really nice setup for the price and much better than the satellite sets. You might get lucky on the Polk Direct eBay store where all the [refurbished] items are up for bid.

The Onkyo TX-SR606 used to sell for around $400, but they've been hard to find at that price ever since the 607 was released. The cheapest I can find it for now is around $500, which is the same price as the 607. So you may want to consider picking up the newer model or you could try to find a 605.

I just noticed that when you buy the 607 on Newegg ($494) they throw in a free Polk PSW10 subwoofer. It's normally $120, so there's some money saved right there, bringing the total cost of receiver, speakers and sub to $880-$940. Newegg usually doesn't charge for shipping and you may not have to pay taxes either.

I would not go with a Polk sub at all. Much better options $200-$300 range.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by Adam.C

I would not go with a Polk sub at all. Much better options $200-$300 range.

And no doubt even better options in the $300-$400 range but, as with the $200-$300 range, that would put the OP over the stated budget. That said, why not offer suggestions in the $200-$300 range?

[Adam.C]

BIC-F12, PA-120, H100, and the best option imo would be a ED A2-250. All of those are great choices if a HT experience is what he wants.

[CosmoKid]

I think he ruled out the Monitor 50s due to size. Could be wrong.

Newegg has the Yamaha RX-v665 for $380 shipped which is a steal and I would buy it today if I was the OP. Too lazy to link.

Those Energy Take 5s may not last long at that price. Audition quickly.

[Adam.C]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

I think he ruled out the Monitor 50s due to size. Could be wrong.

Newegg has the Yamaha RX-v665 for $380 shipped which is a steal and I would buy it today if I was the OP. Too lazy to link.

Those Energy Take 5s may not last long at that price. Audition quickly.

Yea that Yamaha for that price is very good bang for the buck. Id pick that up asap while at that price.

You will always get better pricing by going with an ID seller than retail.

Your best bet is to audition as many speakers as you can and listen for yourself. Only you can really decide what sounds best to you.

As far as a Sub goes, you will get more bang for buck with a ID seller than retail.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

I think he ruled out the Monitor 50s due to size. Could be wrong.

Newegg has the Yamaha RX-v665 for $380 shipped which is a steal and I would buy it today if I was the OP. Too lazy to link.

Those Energy Take 5s may not last long at that price. Audition quickly.

I think he said it'd be in a small room now but it might be moved to a larger space later. Either way, the Monitor 50's footprint is no larger than the speaker stand I had for my RM6750 fronts.

And that Yamaha is quite a deal, especially since the TX-SR606 has apparently disappeared of the face of the Earth.