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HardWired

Senior member
May 10, 2000
598
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76
I'm looking to replace my tired old JBL entry level 5.1 speakers. They're currently running off a Kenwood 500w 5.1 DD (no DTS) amp. So I'd like to replace the amp as well (maybe move it all up to the bedroom) and get all new. I'd like to stay under $1000. $750-ish would be even better. But hey, if the best system for my money is out there and it's $1100-ish, I'd still take a look. I just have no idea where my money is best spent on this kind of stuff. I keep up on computer industry (hardware and prices), not HTS.

Anyone got any suggestions for my price range? I'm open to any brand name since I have no idea who makes quality stuff in the HTS industry. I'd be interested in a full system (i.e., all in one/same mfgr. including amp and speakers) or amp/speakers separately if it means getting a better sounding system together.

Any suggestions, links, pointers would be most appreciated! :)
 
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Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Not that many advantages to getting a system produced by the same company unless you like the look.
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
Onkyo 602 is a very good buy for $300-350 new (OneCall.com, jr.com, for J&R check for Friday 1-day sales).

Paradigm, Take, Polk are all good for speakers (at least Polk RT bookshelves, never heard their RM packages).

Infinity is decent but a step below Polk when you compare what look like equivalent packages specs-wise (but the Infinity is often cheaper).
 
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Raincity

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2000
4,477
12
81
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Onkyo 602 is a very good buy for $300-350 new (OneCall.com, jr.com, for J&R check for Friday 1-day sales).

Paradigm, Take, Polk are all good for speakers (at least Polk RT bookshelves, never heard their RM packages).

Infinity is decent but a step below Polk when you compare what look like equivalent packages specs-wise (but the Infinity is often cheaper).
Click to expand...


What is Take ?
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
Oops, Take = brand, company = Energy

The original Take 5 speakers were the first decent set designed for 5.1 that sold for under $600. This was years before semi-decent HT-in-a-box systems from people like Onkyo appeared.
 
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HardWired

Senior member
May 10, 2000
598
0
76
Wow...dinner and a cig and a lot of responses so far! I'm going to go follow some of these links. Keep 'em coming if you want and I'll keep looking. Man that ELT set in Mwilding's post with the Cherry stained birch set is very tasty looking. That's what I'm looking for is a little more beef in my setup.

 
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rockethead

Senior member
Mar 30, 2001
488
0
76
I'm not an audiophile, but I do appreciate good sound, and I'm very happy with my Onkyo HT-S770. Full 6.1 DTS/DD. Speakers are adequate, amp is really nice, and the subwoofer KICKS. And it's only $465 with shipping from Amazon (buy through the Crutchfield affiliate).

It's quite a bit under your budget, so perhaps it's less stereo than you are looking for. But in terms of performance for the money, it's hard to beat.
 
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gscone

Senior member
Nov 24, 2004
489
0
71
I own the PAradigm Studio 100's, 20's CC570, ADP 470's and this system simply rocks when powered right. Of couirse, I have a denon 3805 with Ascent amp. Pricey, but the sound cant be beat for under $10k
 
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Rio Rebel

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,194
0
0
Originally posted by: Howard
Not that many advantages to getting a system produced by the same company unless you like the look.
Click to expand...

I hope that you mean it's not an advantage to get the amp/receiver and the speakers from the same company.

It is most certainly an advantage to get the speakers from the same company. And it is critical to get the front three to match (which pretty much requires them to be from the same company).

Anyone who disagrees with this should either 1) listen again, or 2) buy something cheap, because it would be throwing money away to buy expensive, high quality speakers just to have a mismatched sound coming from the front.
 
EvilYoda

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
Buy my Paradigms, they're only a little out of your range...I've got the upgrade bug again.

Look at gscone's post if you want to see what I'm selling :p
 
A

apac

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2003
6,212
0
71
Klipsch reference :). A bit out of your price range, but worth saving for.
 
YOyoYOhowsDAjello

YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
Aug 6, 2001
31,205
45
91
If you're going to get a $400 receiver, check out the Pioneer 1014. It really puts out 110watts x 7 from 20hz-20khz. It has the same internals as the Pioneer elite 52.

There's a huge thread on AVSforum about it. Many people consider it the best receiver deal in the past year, and that was when it was $500.

It has some really nice setup features too that optomize to give better output for your own acoustic environment and speakers. It does this through a series of automatic tests with a microphone that comes with it.

For speakers, I like the suggestions of ascend, axiom, and paradigm... they're not really a good option for your budget.
A 5.0 system of ascend 170s is already $750 and doesn't leave you much for receiver and sub.
You can't really get a 5.1 axiom system either.
Paradigm could be an option of similar cost to ascend if you went with atoms. 3 pairs would be $600-ish.

Is bass really important to you?

The 10" dayton is a really nice budget subwoofer.

You're going to get better overall sound easiest with better speakers than better electronics. Spending more on speakers vs spending more on your receiver is a good idea generally.


In my own system, I'd say my speakers are probably the weak point. I've spent about $1300 on my stuff right now.

I started off with a system that was about $800 and I thought it was a really good buy for the price. Since then I've added a couple more speakers and upgraded my sub.

My original system was
Fluance SX-HTB ($300 shipped)
Dayton 10" ($109 + shipping when it was on sale)
HK AVR-325 from the seller Harmanaudio on ebay ($365 shipped... this was for a factory refurbished unit with new warranty)

I didn't originally plan to spend that much on the receiver, but I decided I'd get something nicer than I originally planned.
If you got a refurbished onkyo receiver from ecost.com, an SX-HTB set, and that dayton sub would be a pretty nice system in your lower price range.

If you like more low-end and like when your walls shake when you watch a movie, you could even fit in an SVS PB-10 to your budget.


If you want to make it really easy, I agree that an onkyo HTIB gives you a lot of bang for the buck.

EDIT: another cheap option

3 sets of infinity entras = $360



 
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