Definitive Tech - Speaker set

[TeamZissou]

Hi all,

Doing research for my first true surround sound project ever.

For no reason whatsoever I'm drawn toward a speaker set from Definitive Tech (Pro Cinema 600?) that costs about $500. I was also leaning toward a Sony 4k Receiver for about $599.

Question - in the $500 range - is there a different 5.1 setup of speakers I should be looking at? Is it worth my money to start with something like this - or is it more like "if you can't spend $1000 on speakers, don't bother")?

For instance, my knowledge is strong with iPhones - I always tell people to avoid getting an iphone without upgraded storage. It'll leave you disappointed.

Is it the same with the speaker situation? Is there a minimum quality level that makes sense?

I have a cheapo vizio faux soundbar 5.1 setup right now and it is OK, but nothing that really wow's me.

[Gravy4547]

That receiver seems expensive. If you are running satellites (small speakers) you probably don't need that much power to run them. (I don't have any experience with the Pro Cinema 600, you may want to verify this)

If I were you, I would buy a set of Pro Monitor 800's (bigger woofer than the 600) to go along with your Pro Cinema 600. And I would buy a 7 channel amp. Run the Pro Monitor 800's as your mains, then you have a choice of how to use your two additional speakers. For this I would suggest an Atmos configuration of either front heights or top. Or you could go with a traditional 7.1.

This will give you more options, and more speakers. More speakers = better sound. So instead of paying 600 bucks for a receiver, pay 500 bucks and divert the leftover 100 to more speakers. For the same price you could be running 7 channels instead of 5.

[Gravy4547]

http://www.abt.com/product/102366/De...AVRX2300W.html

http://www.abt.com/product/26155/Def...R800BLACK.html

BAM!

[TeamZissou]

Originally Posted by Gravy4547

That receiver seems expensive. If you are running satellites (small speakers) you probably don't need that much power to run them. (I don't have any experience with the Pro Cinema 600, you may want to verify this)

If I were you, I would buy a set of Pro Monitor 800's (bigger woofer than the 600) to go along with your Pro Cinema 600. And I would buy a 7 channel amp. Run the Pro Monitor 800's as your mains, then you have a choice of how to use your two additional speakers. For this I would suggest an Atmos configuration of either front heights or top. Or you could go with a traditional 7.1.

This will give you more options, and more speakers. More speakers = better sound. So instead of paying 600 bucks for a receiver, pay 500 bucks and divert the leftover 100 to more speakers. For the same price you could be running 7 channels instead of 5.

What is a seven channel amp?

[Gravy4547]

Seven channel receiver/amp. One that is capable of powering 7 speakers.

Me thinks you need to do a bit more research on your HT build. Take a few hours and do some reading. Dolby.com is a good place to start. Other tech websites can help you too. Proper planning is vital to a good theater build. There is also a legend that some sage used to post on this very site. His name was BigDaddy. Look up some of his old posts.

Once you understand some key concepts, you will have an easier time with speaker placement and configurations.