Audiophiles: Design the best Receiver/Speaker setup with a budget of 5K

[Viperoni]

<< Viperoni, how do these speaker(also kits) you're recommending compare to the popular british speakers like B&W or Epos? >>



I would say that they'd be as good as the B&W's, but note that these are primarily designed to be home theatre speakers (neutral sounding, controlled dispertion, precise imaging, that kinda deal), not really music (stereo) speakers.
I've never heard of Epos....

You'll probably know these brands: Morel and Audax. The HT kit I linked to (Vance Dickason designed) uses Audax woofers all around, and Morel tweets across the 3 fronts and Audax tweets in the rear dipole speakers. If I had the money, i'd probably build the fronts....alas that's when I sell my other stuff

 

[Flashram]

Sugadaddy has good taste. Can't go wrong with what he posted. And whatever you do, make sure to get youself at least one SVS Subwoofer. They are amazing.



<< receiver: Pioneer Elite VSX-47TX 1900$

center: Paradigm Reference Studio CC 400$

Mains: Paradigm Reference Studio 60 800$

Surround and Rears: 2 pairs of Paradigm Reference Studio 20 2x 500$=1000$

subwoofer: from SVS subs, Two 20-39CS With Samson S700 amp 1199$



Grand total: 5299$ >>

 

[teriba]

Agreed ^^^

 

[cybergrave]

Mister T,

Well I get the picture. I apologise for my stupid remarks ....just had a bad day. I was just being an a s s.

Now that I know about your backgropund, I have lot of respect for you and your parents.
Again, sorry.......sincere apology

About my job, I was woking in Detsche Bank as a Web Developer and that paid some of my tuition bill. So with that gone (for no fault of mine), its loan time.
I am applying to MIT for masters in CS > wish me luck. ( I am finishing undergrad from Columbia in comp eng this semester).

Now lets talk about audio :

Go to Audioreview and read some reviews and the message board on mid end HiFi/HT systems. Look here in BEST PRICE for amazing speaker deals on JBL Studio Series (they are good) and JAMO Speakers.

For your budget, here is a nice setup:

1). $1000-1500
Receiver >Onkyo TX-DS898 A/V Receiver (7.1 THX, and all goodies also do not forget the true 7 x 110w/channel pity thy neighbours)

2). $ 1000
DVD/CD Player >Sony DVP-S9000ES Reference DVD/CD/SACD player with progressive scan (Top of line)

3). $2000/pair
Main Speakers >Infinity Interlude? IL60 4-Way Floorstanding Speaker with 12" C.M.M.D. 500-Watt, Integrated Powered Subwoofer and R.A.B.O.S.: Infinity's exclusive Bass Optimization System.

4). $500 - 600/pair
Surrounds >Infinity Interlude? IL30 Tower speakers

5). $400 -500
Center > Infinity Interlude? IL36c Center channel speaker

6) Sub > Infinity Interlude? IL120s Powered subwoofer (you do not need one but in case you do) add $600 - $700

7). Make sure to get a nice AV rack to display and keep 5k worth of goodies.

(All prices I quoted here are from Crutchfield and local J&R store in Manhattan)

Infinity not just sounds good but looks nice too. BTW, those IL60 towers are killers.

If you want more info e-mail me at cybergrave@yahoo.com.

Hey have a good time with this setup.

 

[Metropolis2000]

Receiver:

Denon 3802 : $1,000
or

Denon 4800: $1,000
This is last year's model but is an awesome receiver. Great close-out price.

Both receiver's do component video switching but why do you want this?
The XBR WEGA has plenty of video inputs (at least 2 component).

Speakers:

Fronts: Paradigm Studio 60 : $1,200

Surrounds: Paradigm Studio ADP : $900

Center: Paradigm Studio CC : $500

Subwoofer: Velodyne SPL1200 (1500 watts!!) : $1,200

TOTAL: $4,800

Use the other $200 towards good quality cables.

 

[AmigaMan]

Hey Viperoni, that website for the Vance Dickason home speakers has great info on building your own. The speaker building tutorial brought back many memories of when I designed my own sub enclosures for my car. Back then I didn't know much, but I tried to educate myself with my local car audio dealer/installer. Anyways, I think I might build some home speakers just for the heck of it.
Good luck Mister T on your system!

 

[Texmaster]

Amen to a big budget. You abviosuly want to do it right.

This is what I would go with:

Paradigm Studio 100s 1800/pair (get the best)
Reference Center 450
Studio 20s rear 600/pair
Servo 15 Sub 700
YamahaRX-V3000 1300

Total: 4850.00

One thing about Paradigm that perhaps not everyone knows. They are ASSHOLES when it comes to who they sell to. Their policy is only selling to one distributor in every major city. But, sometimes if you are willing to make the trip, a few hours can save you big mula.

Example. I bought a pair of studio 100s, the center channel and a pair of studio 20s in Oklahoma instead of Dallas

Save 700 smackers.

Its worth the drive sometimes

 

[Draco]

Receiver: Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha (Avoid Pioneer, even their Elite line isn't that great)
DVD Player: Sony 9000 ES I supose.
Speakers: Paradigm, Energy, Klipsch (There are plenty others, but I have heard these. I'm partial to Energy).
Sub: Velodyne, Paradigm, or if you really want something amazing, SVS Subwoofers.

Once again, study audioreview.com for help.

 

[DanJ]

Ya gotta go with an SVS sub for sure...

 

[Mrburns2007]

SVS subs are over rated and ugly. Stick a 12" car sub in a water heater and sell it for 5 times the price......

Truthfully you could build the best sub around since you have $5000 budget. Order a Seismic systems 8196 18" 5000 watt raw driver and build a cabinet for it then find a used amp to drive it.

18" ss 8196..............$500
cabinet.......................$100
amp............................$300

total............................$900

for $900 you would have a wall breaking sub with incredible sound quality !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW: the Seismic system sub is used in the wilson Audio XS sub which cost $18,500.00 and it doesn't even come with an amp. If people ask you can tell them that you built a Wilson Audio XS Clone.

 

[Z24]

If you're going with Paradigm, I suggest you get them from Canada if you can. Being a Canadian company, I think their sticker price in Canada is the same as in the US--except that it's in Canadian funds. Keep in mind, $1US ~ $1.55cdn.

There are even companies that will ship them I believe. Lemme know if you need any Canadian contact info.

-dave

 

[luvya]

gotta try dynaudio speakers before you decide on anything!
they make great car speakers too, but it's their loudspeaker that really impress me.

 

[blues008]

MisterT,

If you have that much to spend, take a look at the Arcam line of products. I have one of their older amps, but they've entered the home theater market a few years ago, and their products sound great. Expensive, but very nice.

www.arcam.co.uk

blues

 

[GasX]

Fronts: Swans Diva 6.1 $1299/pr
Center: Swans Diva C3 $499
Rear: Swans Diva 2.1 $399/pr
Sub: SVS Model 25-31PC $699

Speakers total: $2896

Check here for info on the Diva's

How good are the Diva's? AVSForum.com has a very active thread about them being the best speakers for the money ever.

Amplifier: Onkyo 898 $1500

Total price: ~$4400 plus shipping.

I would also recommend checking out Audiogon to see if you can get any of this stuff at a big discount (used or demo, etc...)

 

[ATLien247]

<< Order a Seismic systems 8196 18" 5000 watt raw driver and build a cabinet for it then find a used amp to drive it...you would have a wall breaking sub with incredible sound quality !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>



Don't you think that a "pro-sound" driver like the SS 8196 is a little overkill for HT purposes?

 

[Pennstate]

They are having a package sale now on the Divas


http://www.av123.com/popup.html

 

[Viperoni]

<< SVS subs are over rated and ugly. Stick a 12" car sub in a water heater and sell it for 5 times the price......

Truthfully you could build the best sub around since you have $5000 budget. Order a Seismic systems 8196 18" 5000 watt raw driver and build a cabinet for it then find a used amp to drive it.

18" ss 8196..............$500
cabinet.......................$100
amp............................$300

total............................$900

for $900 you would have a wall breaking sub with incredible sound quality !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW: the Seismic system sub is used in the wilson Audio XS sub which cost $18,500.00 and it doesn't even come with an amp. If people ask you can tell them that you built a Wilson Audio XS Clone. >>



Or you could get a BluePrint drivers 1803 (18inch) with nearly 50mm of linear stroke (80mm suspension limit), a nice Crown K1 amp to drive it, throw it into a 15cf box, tune it to around 16-20hz, and you can have your 115db @ 20hz ANECHOIC and eat it too
BTW: 115db anechoic would probably be like 125-130db in room.....and that my friend, for less than $800.....is UNTOUCHABLE.

 

[glen]

I second the Pioneer receiver with Paradigm speakers suggestion.
Make sure you get their Reference Active series. I think you can run them off a conventional receiver, but check. It may force you to get a fairly expensive passive unit like a Lexicon. But, try to spend most of the money on speakers. I use a Pioneer I paid about $200 for on a custom sub and Legacy Audio speakers costing about 50 times that.

 

[Mrburns2007]

<< Don't you think that a "pro-sound" driver like the SS 8196 is a little overkill for HT purposes? >>



NO life is short....listen to the best sub and it isn't exactly a pro sound sub although that is were they market them. They show up all the time in ultra high end sound systems like Wilson Audio and Snell and several others but they sell for 5 to 10 times what they can actually be bought for.

 

[Mrburns2007]

<< Or you could get a BluePrint drivers 1803 (18inch) with nearly 50mm of linear stroke (80mm suspension limit), a nice Crown K1 amp to drive it, throw it into a 15cf box, tune it to around 16-20hz, and you can have your 115db @ 20hz ANECHOIC and eat it too
BTW: 115db anechoic would probably be like 125-130db in room.....and that my friend, for less than $800.....is UNTOUCHABLE. >>




Wouldn't exactly put the Siesmic and BluePrint in the same class, the blueprint is a knockoff driver selling for $250 cause it sounds like a $250 sub or less. I have yet to hear or feel anything better then the siesmic sub.

 

[spidey07]

lot of good suggestions.

Hard to say "best" spearkers or "best" receiver because it is all what you like and want to hear. I haven't seen anyone mention definitive technology for speakers. I think they sound great for home theater, but I prefer other manufacturers for music (B&W, polk, Thiel)

I believe polk and definitive make a 7.1 speaker package for close to 4000, then throw in 1000 for the receiver. THat's how I'd break it down anyway - speakers are WAY more important then anything else.

I'm lucky, get the best of both worlds. A music system upstairs and HT downstairs.

 

[glen]

<< << Don't you think that a "pro-sound" driver like the SS 8196 is a little overkill for HT purposes? >> >>



Let's see,
I have six 12" drivers and four 15" drivers, so put me in the "no, its not too much catagory."

 

[ATLien247]

<< Let's see, I have six 12" drivers and four 15" drivers, so put me in the "no, its not too much catagory." >>



Damn, dude! What kind of HT setup do you have? And how big is the room that contains such power?

 

[Viperoni]

<<

<< Or you could get a BluePrint drivers 1803 (18inch) with nearly 50mm of linear stroke (80mm suspension limit), a nice Crown K1 amp to drive it, throw it into a 15cf box, tune it to around 16-20hz, and you can have your 115db @ 20hz ANECHOIC and eat it too
BTW: 115db anechoic would probably be like 125-130db in room.....and that my friend, for less than $800.....is UNTOUCHABLE. >>




Wouldn't exactly put the Siesmic and BluePrint in the same class, the blueprint is a knockoff driver selling for $250 cause it sounds like a $250 sub or less. I have yet to hear or feel anything better then the siesmic sub. >>



No, I wouldn't put them in the same class.....but the blueprint is still a great sub. It has a BL factor of 21.....I'm almost positive that's higher than the Aura's. The driver itself weighs nearly 50lbs....strong frame and huge magnet
I know for a fact that the owner of BluePrint personally took a 1503 (little 15inch brother to the 1803) and pumped the crap out of it for a weekend using a K1 or K2 (I dont remember which, but likely the K1....which still puts off like 1500watts bridged)........

Also, the Aura's a shielded driver, isn't it?

 

[glen]

<< Damn, dude! What kind of HT setup do you have? And how big is the room that contains such power? >>



I have a 1000 watt Hafler amp and a Symetrix 551 running 4 Adire Audio Tempests mounted on a baffle which replaced the door on the coat closet in my living room, and Legacy Audio Focus speakers.