Sound Systems

[Forresttheman]

Any recomendations for a system i should get for my home theater?

[WriteSimply]

Do you have a US$2000 or a US$20,000 budget?


fuad

[THE STUD]

Hey man, do what I did, get a Marantz Receiver, JBL speakers, and whatever blu-ray u want, I'm gonna wait for the sony released one this summer. that's only if you have that kinda budget though.

[Forresttheman]

What kind of budget is that?

[sokrman14]

There is an endless amount of possibilities, none of which can be explored unless you give us a budget to work with, and what size speakers you would like, etc. Just detail on what you would like.

[Forresttheman]

5-6 speaker set up. no concern for money right now. just spew ideas

[sokrman14]

Denon is coming out with new receivers in July, they will all be HDMI 1.3, the most up to date version. They can run all prices from $500-$5000. For speakers I recommend going to as many places and listening to all of them. Personal recommendations are Boston Acoustics, Quad (I own these and love them, but hard to find), B&W, Vienna Acoustics, Martin Logan. All good brands, can run from $1000-$6000 or more for a 5 speaker set up. Subs I like Martin Logan Dynamo, Definitive Technology Supercubes, the new REL T series, HSU research (Have it and like it), Velodyne. All of these go from $250-$1000.

[Gremal]

You might as well go 7.1...here's what I did.

B&W Nautilus 802 for front L/R
B&W Nautilus HTM1 for center
B&W Nautilus SCM1 for rear L/R
B&W Nautilus 805 for surround L/R
B&W ASW800 for sub

VAC Avatar for driving the front L/R
Audio Refinement Multi-5 for driving everything else.

Still need to figure out what preamp to use.

Alpha Core Goertz MI2 biwire cable to the front L/R and Goertz MI1 biwire cable everywhere else.

Alpha Core Silver Sapphire interconnects.

[theknub]

gremal, love the setup, but pricey


to add to sokrman's post, i also really like m&k subs as well. i can't disagree with any of the companies he spoke of.

see my sig for current setup

[jbuttler007]

I'm using a sony 7.1 system with HDMI an Infocus projector with a 100 inch screen. In my spare room.

[sokrman14]

I agree with the M&K subwoofers, just dont see them as much anymore for some reason.

[Forresttheman]

Any of these wireless?

[cdblu]

Originally Posted by Forresttheman

Any of these wireless?

ive never actully had the chance to hear wireless but from what ive read in reviews they r not recommended. maybe grem has more insight on this. sound isnt my forte.

[Heavens Downfall]

From what i have heard, wireless speakers are not very good.

[Forresttheman]

Yes, since you need the balenced HDMI cables for true HD sound... good point

[buckshot]

I am a budget kinda guy personally. I got an onkyo home theatre in a box. then after a year of looking around I started acquiring speakers I liked that were on sale. some jbl floor standing speakers from frys for $99 each, a velodyne 10'' sub for $150, cables and wires from monoprice.com. I moved my old front channels to the rear, made my old subwoofer a secondary sub behind the couch. now when my neighbors come over to complain they end up hanging out for a while.

cost me a total of about $900. before my new receiver which i'll get next month.

[WriteSimply]

There are balanced cables which is for high end pre-pro/amps or professional studio recording use but there are no balanced HDMI cables.


fuad

[Filterlab]

Originally Posted by Heavens Downfall

From what i have heard, wireless speakers are not very good.

Indeed they aren't - completely rubbish. Many many audiophiles will tell of the benefit of quality interconnects and speaker cables, some costing hundreds or even thousands a metre. They make a huge difference to audio quality.

Can wireless compete? Don't be daft!

[nhaase]

Originally Posted by Filterlab

Indeed they aren't - completely rubbish. Many many audiophiles will tell of the benefit of quality interconnects and speaker cables, some costing hundreds or even thousands a metre. They make a huge difference to audio quality.

Can wireless compete? Don't be daft!

I recommend Klipsch speakers. I know a number of people with them, all satisfied. They're subs are excellent, as well.


Many times when people say what is the most important part of any home theater, it's the interconnects. I've found that online prices are better than stores, and it's worth spending the extra money. About 7 years ago I got my first home theater, I was in high school, and used the speaker wire that came with the satellite Sony speakers. I thought it sounded great, until I read something about the wires and upgraded. I almost didn't like the new wires, because the music was almost too loud at low volume for night listening. The quality was so much higher. I now always go for the best interconnects.

I found out first-hand that you're really cheating yourself if you don't maximize interconnect quality. It's almost worth getting slightly lower quality components so you have the money for the interconnects.

[Edwin78]

I recommend Axiom, they sell through their online store only (www.axiomaudio.com). I have Axiom Epic 60-500 Home Theatre system and they're awesome. 6 speakers (2 floorstanding, 1 center, and 3 surround speakers) plus 1 500-watt sub. They cost about $3200.

They also have a range of speakers from bookshelf, floorstanding, and in-wall speakers, ranging anywhere from $1300 for the bookshelf system all the way to $9000 for floorstanding plus 4 subs!

Of course there are other good brands such as Klipsch, B&W, Infinity, Aperion, Athena, Paradigm, etc. The only way to know which brand you like the best is to listen to them yourself. At the end of the day, you're the only person who can decide which speakers is the best for your taste and budget. Just do not get Bose please... Might as well get a doorbell if you do...

As for the receiver, Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, Marantz are all good receivers.