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best HIFI setup for the money... pick one from each category

C

chinman75

Banned
FLOORSTANDING MAIN/REAR SPEAKERS
$1000-2000 range
[*]magneplanar series <-- i chose that one (2.5r &amp; MGIIb)
[*]vandersteen 2 series

SUBWOOFERS
$500 range
[*]hsu research <-- i chose that one (vtf-2)
[*]vandersteen 2w (used)

RECEIVERS
$1000 range
[*]marantz
[*]nakamichi <- i chose that one (av-10)

CENTER (still deciding)
$400 range
[*]energy ac-300
[*]magnepan mgcc1 <-- do i need a center???

DVD (still deciding)
$500 range
[*]nakamichi dvd-10 <-- i chose that one
[*]sony dvp-s7000/7700
[*]other

SPEAKER CABLE (still deciding)
[*]alpha core goertz mi series
[*]nordost
[*]generic <-- i chose that one (thx certified)

UNIVERSAL LEARNING REMOTE (still deciding)
[*]phillips pronto tsu-2000 <-- i chose that one
[*]marantz rc2000i mkII
[*]other

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FS: TDK 16/10/40 BURN PROOF burner (yes, the blue tray one!) , 1 day sale

FS: Sony 36XBR200 - only Wega TV w/ 9 P-I-P must see + Magnepan 2&quot; thick spkrs
 
As far as the floorstanders go the PSB and Monitor Audio are both good. My choice in that range would be the Theils or Martin Logans.
 
If you're looking for a pair of speakers that performs in the $1,000-2,000 range, you should check out the AR.com DIY speaker kit. It's a kit for speaker builders and for about $320 you can build a pair which sounds as good as most $1,000-1,500 speakers. One guy who built them, is replacing his $2,500 NHT 2.9's and coupling them with a subwoofer. He said for the price difference he would choose these over the NHT's as the quality was near identical.

As far as subwoofers go, it's hard to beat the quality of the JBL PB12 which you can find here for under $300 and you'll walk away with a $500+ sub that will compete with any of the ones you've listed for less money. Check out some reviews of the JBL PB12 here.

If you are set on the choices you have listed so far, I'd go with the SVS 16-46CS. It can play down to 16hz and is super neutral/clean with 300w of power. If you don't have the mids and highs to go with the huge amount of bass you'll get from this sub though, go with the Velodyne CT series subwoofer.

As far as your floorstanding's go, the PSB are certain the better of the products you've listed.

Hope this helps.

dm
 
the thing is...i don't wanna pay retail for them

i have friends @ hifi.com &amp; circuitcity.com ..but they only carry polk/velodyne/marantz

hsu &amp; sv are direct from manufacturer so no breaks there
also the hsu are not powered so i would hafta buy an amp??

the acoustic research sub goes to 18hz also
 
From the choices you posted I'd go with...

Monitor
Hsu Research
Marantz

But I'd probably go with a Denon over the Marantz... the AVR-3801 is simply an awesome piece of hardware. I can be had on the Net for $800-900.

Another option is to build your own sub, check out this Link. It's surprising what you can build for $300.
 
FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS
$1000-2000 range

monitor audio silver i series
or
psb stratus silver i series

SUBWOOFERS
$500 range
hsu research

RECEIVERS
$1000 range
nakamichi


CENTER
psb
or
energy (I perfer enegry, but the psb might match your system better)

if you want mains in that pricerange that sound great, try out the Magneplanar MMG at $550 for a pair - Audioreview 170 reviews, 4.63/5 (its in the hall of fame)
 
Grab some PSB for mains, center, and surround.

Build your own sub- go here for drivers:
linkified
grab a Shiva, Tempest, or the new 18&quot;

Pioneer makes most of the recievers...so why not go with them?
The outsides look completely different, so open the case of the Marantz and look inside if you have any doubts.
 
magneplanars are simply AWESOME! But you need some room for them to sound there best. Unless you have a pretty big room (20x20), I would stick with something else.

Also, I would stay away from Nak HT stuff. It's still lacking from the others you mentioned.

With center and surround speakers, you really need to get similar speakers to your mains.

No, the HSUs don't always come with amps (depends on the model), but he sells amps made for the speakers. If you're looking for something cheap, I think Walmart sells some Fischer subs...otherwise, HSU stuff is great!
 
Any reason why I can't pick the Denon AVR-3801 for $1000 range of recievers? That reciever is just great and it can be had for under $900 I believe.
 
if you want to get an outboard amp for the MMG, the NAD C340 has plenty of power and can go down to 2ohms
you were looking in the &quot;$1000-2000 range&quot;
MMG = 550
(NAD C340 = 350)
$900 for a great setup that'll beat the pants off anything out there especially since you are getting a sub to go with them. For the MMG's, get the fastest sub you can. From your list, hsu research looks the best, with velodyne ct series second.
 
Speakers:
not on your list, but VERY worthy of an audition are Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures, around $1500. Vandersteen Speakers Incredible speakers at thier price point, I haven't heard anything in this price range come near to their sound. Kinda big, but they will amaze you.

Or save some bucks and get the Vandersteen 1C's around $800. These would wipe the floor of most sub$1000 speakers.

Warning, I am extremely biased toward the Vandy's😀 In case you haven't figured it out yet.

But sticking to your list, the PSB Silver's are nice, but are rated at 4-Ohms. So you need quality amp or receiver with ventiliation to drive them.

Subs:
HSU VTF-2 ($450) is a powered sub and very capable. The TN Series require separate amps, thus costing more than $500.

SVS, awesome subs, just ask anyone or read around at Home Theater Forum. SVS subs are available with amps or without amps. Either way they will cost you more than $500.

I live in an apartment, if I had the TN Series or an SVS I am sure I would be kicked out.

Receiver:
I wouldn't choose any of those. They are 'outdated' and don't have the latest bells and whistles (DTS-ES, THX-EX, 6-channel amps, etc).

Consider the Denon AVR-3801, Onkyo Integra DTR-7.1(similar to Onkyo TX-DS787), latest Yamaha's9if they have been updated) or wait for the new releases from Marantz later this year.

Center Channel Speaker:
You want it to be the same brand or preferabley matched to your main speakers. For the Vandersteens their is the VCC-1 ($500) which is the clearest CC Speaker I auditioned. There is also the VCC-1 Signature ($1000 ack!!!), I could not hear the difference between the two.

I am also looking into building the AR DIY'ers out of couriousity and for a second room. They are getting some great reviews.

My Setup:
Integra DTR-7
Harman Kardon Amp (powering 2Ce's)
Vandersteen 2Ce Sigs
Vandersteen VCC-1 CC
B&amp;W 602s2 Surrounds
HSU VTF-2 Sub
 
SUB:

Velodyne, I wasnt that impressed at the store, but it had great reviews, so I went with it. Excellent for the money.

RECEIVER:

Rotel, I really like the sound of their components.

The real fact is buy what sounds good to YOU.
 
<sv versus hsu>
hsu all the way

<$1500. Vandersteen Speakers Incredible speakers at thier price point, I haven't heard anything in this price range come near to their sound. >

$1600 Magneplanar 1.6 Stereophile Class A
 
Chinman,

I looked around and cannot find where I read about the Marantz's. I do recall reading about them being updated to include DTS-ES and DPL-II. With the DPL-II I would figure on late summer early fall before seeing them.

Flood,

I did consider the Maggies as they also were a very good sounding speakers. But, to my ears, I felt the Vandy's were a little more rounded in their performance and at the time I got them I didn't have the necessary juice to drive Maggie's.
 
If you're after the mest imaging/SQ, I don't see how you could be looking at different mains and centers. Obviously they *should* be the same.
Too bad mag doesn't make centers (not that I'm aware of)
 
Which RECEIVER / DVD / LEARNING REMOTE should i get?

1. nakamichi av-10 / sony dvp-s7000 / phillips pronto

2. marantz sr-8000 / marantz dvd-7000 / marantz rc2000 mkII

btw mag does make centers
 
If you want to drive Maggies loud and clean you will need a separate amp or a strong receiver. I don't believe any of the $1000 receivers will drive them cleanly with good results. I don't think Magnapane has center channel spkrs, been awhile since I surfed around thier site.

Of the two combo's you listed I would take a little of each.

SR-8000, which comes with the RC2000MkII remote, and the Sony DVPS-7700. I think the 7000 is the older version(2+years?) of the 7700.

As far as the remotes go, along with speaker selection, it is a personal preference. They are both outstanding remotes. I personally would prefer the RC2000, because it has physical buttons that I could differentiate in the dark without having to look away from the TV to find. Whereas the Pronto you have to touch the screen then go through the menus to find what you want to do.

 
i'm a big stickler for voice matching speakers/centers/subs. if you are going to spend that much, you might as well try to get as even a sound as possible.
 
Maggies do not need a lot of power. what they need is a quality amplifier. The NAD C340 is a quality amlifier at a low pricepoint - it is rated to &quot;only&quot; 55watts. With that setup, my maggies would easily get louder than my velodyne sub. You amlifier has to be stable to 4 ohms, but dont worry about the wattage too much. Dont say otherwise unless you've owned maggies like I have.
chinman75 - the magnepan center is $700 (as i recall)
for that price, you could get another pair of MMG's and do a 6.1 setup. If you want to use a different center channel with the maggies and have the sound match, you'll need a center with a very good tweeter.
I'd have to say energy center and surrounds would match up well with the maggies.
I'm not into HT that much as i am into stereo setups, so I dont know a lot about nakamichi's receivers, but their stereo components (not minisystems) are very nice (not to mention hard to find).
 
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