Home Audio System Advice

[Gamingphreek]

Hey Everyone,
Having just graduated college, I will be moving in an apartment near my job in the near future. Since campus cable left A LOT to be desired, this is my current setup.

40" Samsung 1080p hooked up via HDMI to ION based HTPC with Logitech z5300e speakers.

When I move into the apartment, I would like to move the HTPC to my bedroom and have a combination of the PS3 and Cable Box (FiOS) handle the duties in the main room.

Thus, I basically need an entire speaker system and receiver.

Receiver wise, I am torn between the Onkyo TX-SR508 and TX-SR608 and the Pioneer VSX-920K. I am leaning towards the SR508 because of the price.

Speaker wise, I already have (from a while back) 1x set (2 speakers) of these http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia...&skuId=7705307. From what I understand they are quite impressive. In my mind, these would be FAR superior than a bunch of small satellite speakers, correct? Would it be a good idea to pick up another set of these speakers?

From that point, I still need a center channel and a subwoofer for the system. Any suggestions?

I am seriously considering a 7.1 system; however, I don't know where I would put bookshelf speakers for the side channels. I'm guessing that I would then have to go with a prepackaged system? Would a 7.1 system be that much nicer than a 5.1?
Edit: For example, perhaps this HTiB http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5300...4481114&sr=1-1

Thanks,
-Kevin

 

[alkemyst]

Hey Everyone,
Having just graduated college, I will be moving in an apartment near my job in the near future. Since campus cable left A LOT to be desired, this is my current setup.

40" Samsung 1080p hooked up via HDMI to ION based HTPC with Logitech z5300e speakers.

When I move into the apartment, I would like to move the HTPC to my bedroom and have a combination of the PS3 and Cable Box (FiOS) handle the duties in the main room.

Thus, I basically need an entire speaker system and receiver.

Receiver wise, I am torn between the Onkyo TX-SR508 and TX-SR608 and the Pioneer VSX-920K. I am leaning towards the SR508 because of the price.

Speaker wise, I already have (from a while back) 1x set (2 speakers) of these http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia...&skuId=7705307. From what I understand they are quite impressive. In my mind, these would be FAR superior than a bunch of small satellite speakers, correct? Would it be a good idea to pick up another set of these speakers?

From that point, I still need a center channel and a subwoofer for the system. Any suggestions?

I am seriously considering a 7.1 system; however, I don't know where I would put bookshelf speakers for the side channels. I'm guessing that I would then have to go with a prepackaged system? Would a 7.1 system be that much nicer than a 5.1?
Edit: For example, perhaps this HTiB http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5300...4481114&sr=1-1

Thanks,
-Kevin

what's your budget? Most are not doing 7.1 setups. You need a big room to work it.

a 5.2 would be a better choice if you can support it with the neighbors.

Also say you are in a high-end condo or private home...please 🙂

 

[Gamingphreek]

what's your budget? Most are not doing 7.1 setups. You need a big room to work it.

a 5.2 would be a better choice if you can support it with the neighbors.

Also say you are in a high-end condo or private home...please 🙂

5.2? The .2 is one channel of LFE and one return channel right? Or are you talking about 2 LFE's 😉

I'm in a very nice apartment complex that just was built- so noise SHOULDN'T be an issue if anyone knew anything about building construction 😉

That is a good point about 7.1. I really only started thinking about it when I went to a movie and was able to hear bullets whiz by from front to side to back- something that doesn't happen on my 5.1 system.

-Kevin

 

[alkemyst]

It's 2 subs.

also if you aren't hearing things move around you and past with 5.1 something is wrong with the setup.

 

[alcoholbob]

Only a few receivers have dual sub outs IIRC. Also I've never heard of a 5.2 receiver. I've heard of a 7.2 receiver. Not that either has a second LFE channel.

 

[Gamingphreek]

It's 2 subs.

also if you aren't hearing things move around you and past with 5.1 something is wrong with the setup.

I can, but not to the level of the 7.1 system. Watching Private Ryan on BluRay was sweet 🙂

So in perusing the AVS and BluRay forums so far this is a prototype so far:

1x Polk CSR http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107CSR/...SR.html?tp=189

2x Insignia 6.5" Bookshelf Speakers (Linked from earlier)

-Kevin

 

[Tiamat]

x.2 is actually a misnomer unless you are using the 10.2 or 12.2 nomenclature. The LFE requires only 1/10 the bandwidth of a normal channel, thus, it gets "x.1" status. Multiplying the same signal by two (or more) does not increase the bandwidth sent down the LFE channel. The 10.2 or 12.2 nomenclature is "x.2" because the LFE now has dedicated left 1/10 bandwidth plus right 1/10 bandwidth which are not the same signal, and thus are a true "x.2" system.

With that said, you only need 4 surround speakers if your room is large enough so that your listening position is spaced from the rear wall by a good amount. Placing the listening position roughly 0.38 of the length dimension from the rear wall can enable this space. Otherwise, you are really having a very compromised setup which amounts to just having a confused sound field.

If you cannot setup surround sound correctly according to Dolby standards, I would not bother with it at all, you just end up with a bunch of speakers sounding mediocre at best. A well setup stereo system can be very convincing. With multiple viewers, adding a matching center would be a good logical next step.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/setup/speaker-setup-guide/index.html

 

[Gamingphreek]

http://www.metleesburg.com/floorplans/1Bedroom/a-14.asp

That is the model of apartment that I will be living in. I made sure that the living room was the appropriate shape for speaker placement 😉

Ugh I'm so torn on speaker decisions.

There are these Jamo S 413 - $200
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WB85PW/?tag=nzbestbook-20

Then there are these Energy Take Classic 5.1 - $399
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Take-Cl...4498090&sr=1-1

Then there is the DIY way where I have 2 of the Insignia bookshelf speakers, but need to find 2x more plus a competent subwoofer and center channel.

I suppose the only piece of equipment I am almost certain on is the Onkyo TX-SR508...

Any advice?

Thanks,
-Kevin

 

[Tiamat]

If the couch is against the wall like in your picture, 7.1 is definitely out.

For speakers, you gotta really go and listen to them. Otherwise, its a crap shoot. After room acoustics, the speakers are the next big determinate of the sound quality you get. If you buy speakers that you don't like, you just won't like them. Comparing the speakers side by side with the same music/material is the only way to know what your preferences are. You don't really need to rush this at all.

Acoustics isn't something that comes easy. You can't just buy random speakers, and place them randomly and hope for the best. That would be akin to playing billiards on a non-standard geometry table with a warped cue, and just hitting the cue ball in the general direction of the object ball. Sure, you might luck out once or twice, but really, without careful consideration of the physics, you are just gonna miss.

There are tons of details that need to be worked out before you will be in any position to determine how many speakers to get.

Some of the major details are:
1. How are you going to orient your room? (specifics, down to the "feet and inches, angles, etc.)
2. What speakers do you hate in terms of sound quality and why?

 

[alkemyst]

http://www.metleesburg.com/floorplans/1Bedroom/a-14.asp

That is the model of apartment that I will be living in. I made sure that the living room was the appropriate shape for speaker placement 😉

you are living in a 800 sq ft apartment, unless you have real nice neighbors any real home theatre is just going to piss them off.

At this level, you really shouldn't be picking 'theatre' rooms, but rather economizing your move on to a real one.

I started as a home dweller...Picked up this setup:
Rotel RB980
Rotel RB956
Rotel RSP960
Rotel RT940
Def Tech BP20
Def Tech BP10
Def Tech CLR1000
Mits. 35405
Mits HSU560
Marantz CC63SE

When I divorced I had to sell it all off due to moving into an apartment.

First one was:
Yamaha 1050
Yamaha CCD-665
Toshiba M752 VCR
Toshiba CX32G60 32" CRT.
Klipsch Quartets
Klipsch Academy
PSB 300is

Then I made the mistake of selling off the Academy. Took almost 10 years to get another at a price less than what I bought the mint in box one back in 1997.

Then I moved a few times...

ended up selling off the PSB's and going virtual.

Finally ended up in an apartment where my backwall neighbor worked nights.

Added a DVD Player.

Picked up the 'legendary' Insignia NS-B2111's. They were decent. Still didn't have another Academy until the year I moved into a home.

Moved the Insignia's to the workshop, picked up RS-25's to replace them. Upgraded to a Yamaha HTR-5960 along the way.

With the Quartet's my 16x22 room can shake.

I want a sub or two. My wife doesn't.

 

[ManBearPig]

If the couch is against the wall like in your picture, 7.1 is definitely out.

I was going to say the same thing. My room was in the same orientation as his and I had to move everything around. Kind of a PITA.

 

[Tiamat]

you are living in a 800 sq ft apartment, unless you have real nice neighbors any real home theatre is just going to piss them off.

I want a sub or two. My wife doesn't.

If the floors and ceiling are slab (quite possible) and walls are good, during daytime hours, the subwoofers will be fine. I'm in a somewhat modern apartment and the weakest link in sound isolation in my apartment is my apartment's door.

Why does your wife not want subs? Cosmetics? Any reason other than cosmetics can be solved by very careful calibration and setup.

I know some women who claim that they hate bass. Sneak in some very carefully calibrated subwoofers and keep the bass uniform, and suddenly bass is good.

Cosmetic game is a tough one to play for an apartment. In a house you have options like In-wall subwoofers or Infinite Baffle Subwoofers if you have a garage or attic sharing a wall/ceiling with your room.

Instead of buying an endtable for my couch, I use a subwoofer from ACI with an excellent finish.





OP: In all circumstances, you "need" to have your couch away from the wall behind it. Think of it this way, in a standard swimming pool, if you swim near the edge of the pool, you get all that back wave off of that wall of the pool into our mouth as you try to breathe. This analogy only for early reflections and does not come close to talking about room modes obviously. For room modes (areas of room with severe one-note bass or zero bass), you want to stay away from the center of the room and quarter fractions of the room. When I mentioned 0.38 of the length of the room before, that refers to a mathematical result that, in a standard rectangular room, averages all of the room mode problems as to minimize them.

A setup that can work is: Rotate the pictured setup clockwise 90 degrees. This places the TV in front of the window. Both wall-wall corners flanking that window can be some bass traps (see GIK or Real traps) to help even out the bass. You may have to get rid of one of the couches. In this case, the length dimension will be somewhere around 33', you have to measure that when you move in. Acoustics don't see invisible room boundaries, just because you call one space a different "room" does not make it so for Acoustics. So, your length dimension will include the kitchen for example. If you cannot make 0.38 of the length, try somewhere between 0.33-0.42. With this setup, you can do a good 5.1 setup. Do not get dipole surrounds as they require symmetrical rear-side and rear walls to produce the illusion of wrap around sound, your kitchen will break that up, and especially the slight "L-shape" of your room due to the disappearance of the right wall. Get normal speakers for surrounds and keep them either directly to your left and right, or slightly behind you to the left/right like in the Dolby link I posted above. If you have a TV stand, you can bring it forward of the window a few feet, hide the subwoofer centered under the window behind the TV (for example), pull the front speakers to be closer to you than the TV (see Dolby and notice the front "arc" of speakers).

If you can do this, you will be ready to talk about speakers and budget. If not, whatever speaker/budget you have will yield mediocre results for several reasons all acoustics/reflections/room modes related. Think of it this way: if you compromise on acoustics, at the very best, you get a frequency response of +/- 30 dB (which sucks compared to most speakers that offer +/- 6 dB at worst) in addition to bad soundstaging/imaging etc. Just the FR alone shows that the room can screw up even mediocre speakers!

 

[Gamingphreek]

If apartments/housing weren't so expensive in Leesburg I could have gotten a townhome. As it stands, that apartment is $1300 a month 🙁

When you say 0.38 of the length - do you mean 38% of the length of the room? I would rather not block my windows in my apartment with the TV. I may get better sound quality, but I lose all semblance of a good picture.

The apartment is new enough that I think it is insulated to the point that I don't anticipate problems from the people around me. At any rate, I can manage the volume so that it doesn't become a problem if it isn't as insulated as well. Additionally, the floors are carpet and the walls are drywall (This should absorb some resonance in my mind). Ceilings are 8ft flat drywall as well (No drop ceilings or anything). The floor plan is definitely not how the room will be set up for me, so I have no problem pulling the couch out from the wall by a foot or so (Though I am wondering to myself how in the world I'm going to hide speaker wire at this point)

When you say normal speakers for surround, are you talking mini-satellites or bookshelf?

I want this audio system to last for quite some time, thus I want to buy in anticipation of a house/townhouse configured to my specifications. I want to make this room work, but I don't want to limit myself by this room if that makes any sense.

Also, keep in mind, everything will probably sound really good to me. I had a Logitech Z5300e system that I couldn't center properly in a dorm room. Even with that, my Dad's system I had even less flexibility with and is probably even worse than that. Don't get me wrong, I've worked with Pro-Audio equipment for quite some time, I understand that differences between good sounding and bad sounding systems, but at the same time ANYTHING will be a large step up.

-Kevin

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I would suggest getting a receiver with Audyssey MultEQ since it sounds like you have some placement issues and are pretty particular about how your surround sounds. Having it all set up correctly is important and MultEQ does a pretty good job of it.

The cheapest receiver with MultEQ is the Denon 1610/590, which can be had for ~$280 now

 

[Gamingphreek]

I would suggest getting a receiver with Audyssey MultEQ since it sounds like you have some placement issues and are pretty particular about how your surround sounds. Having it all set up correctly is important and MultEQ does a pretty good job of it.

The cheapest receiver with MultEQ is the Denon 1610/590, which can be had for ~$280 now

See before I started researching which receiver to buy, I hadn't really heard too much of Denon. Are they a good reputable brand? I've always heard great things about Onkyo and Pioneer.

-Kevin

 

[Anubis]

I hadn't really heard too much of Denon. Are they a good reputable brand?

yes they are

the 1610/1611 is the model you should be looking at as suggested above. the 1910/11 is more expensive and has more features (room to grow) if you want to go that route

also did i miss if you posted a budget? if you have a grand to spend on speakers this might tickle your fancy
http://svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

it'll blow any HTIAB setup out of the water and the sub can def annoy neighbours

if you dont want to spend that much newegg was/will be running a special on the Polk Monitor 70s for 150 ish, and then you could pick up a center (C2) for another 100 and some of their rears for not much more, you would be out a sub but its a cheaper route

 

[Gamingphreek]

yes they are

the 1610/1611 is the model you should be looking at as suggested above. the 1910/11 is more expensive and has more features (room to grow) if you want to go that route

also did i miss if you posted a budget? if you have a grand to spend on speakers this might tickle your fancy
http://svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

it'll blow any HTIAB setup out of the water and the sub can def annoy neighbours

if you dont want to spend that much newegg was/will be running a special on the Polk Monitor 70s for 150 ish, and then you could pick up a center (C2) for another 100 and some of their rears for not much more, you would be out a sub but its a cheaper route

I don't think I did post a budget. I guess ~300 for speakers and ~350 for the receiver? Price can fluctuate a bit both ways.

Since I have a month with little to do before the move, I was actually thinking of building my own subwoofer (Perhaps large enough to negate the need to purchase and end-table 😉 ). Any advice either way on that?

-Kevin

 

[cheesehead]

Option 1: Get a really good set of headphones (DT990s?) and a soundcard that can fake 5.1 through them. This can work surprisingly well.
Option 2: Get some more of those Insignias. They're not bad speakers, and the coax design makes them suitable for center-channel use. You'll want a subwoofer, though; expect to pay a few hundred bucks for anything decent.
Option 3: Go buy a 5.1 set from a well-known manufacturer like Paradigm. This will cost more, but involve a minimum of fuss.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Option 1: Get a really good set of headphones (DT990s?) and a soundcard that can fake 5.1 through them. This can work surprisingly well.
Option 2: Get some more of those Insignias. They're not bad speakers, and the coax design makes them suitable for center-channel use. You'll want a subwoofer, though; expect to pay a few hundred bucks for anything decent.
Option 3: Go buy a 5.1 set from a well-known manufacturer like Paradigm. This will cost more, but involve a minimum of fuss.

Headphones are not viable in the slightest.

The Insignias used to be like $50 but now Bestbuy has them at like $80. I'm searching eBay and elsewhere for a better price. I think it is a forgone conclusion that there is no point in wasting the set that I have.

What do you mean the "coax design" regarding a center channel?

I would love to make the subwoofer in the month leading up to my move-in. I'm just having trouble finding what type of sub to make as well as what driver and amp.

-Kevin

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I'd suggest getting the denon 1610, 2 polk monitor 70s from newegg, a cs2 center, and use your insignias as surrounds. Then build your own sub if you feel confident doing that.

 

[Tiamat]

yes, 0.38 of the length is 38% of the length of the room. Check my pix in the pics thread stickied above. I have my TV blocking the windows. There is 4' between the windows and the TV so I can get my beautiful view when I want to, and the black shades seal out quite a bit of light when I need the plasma to do its thing.

Normal speakers mean monopole designs, not dipole. Examples you listed are typically monopole.

Insulation of the room for sound has nothing to do with the in-room acoustics (well, actually in many ways, they work against each other). The hard surfaces will reflect the waves back into the source wave causing problems in the acoustics. Things like Slap echo are one of many audible problems that are related to such hard surface reflections.

Pulling the couch 1' from the wall will be a little improvement, but not by much. This is because the direct wave is coming from the speaker and hitting your ears. At the same time the reflection off of the back wall hits your ears slightly delayed causing cancellation. The length of that delay is related to how far the reflection has to travel. The damage the reflection does to what you hear is related to the same.

I just want to get the point across that your 'audio system' that you want to keep for a long time - the room and how things are setup are a bulk of that 'audio system'. The speakers play partnering role, but you cant have one without the other. Upgrading speakers from another one would be a drop in the bucket improvement compared to proper acoustical setup.

Hiding wires, well, if you set the speakers up as I mentioned above, the wires would be going along the floorboard along the walls in an easy symmetrical length. There isn't too much you can do in this regard because it is an apartment and you cannot run wires through the walls.

As to your point about anything will be a step up from computer speakers, sure I can give you that point. But my advice in this thread is about maximizing that step up. Chasing after small steps can lead to spending too much money for too little improvement. We all can appreciate price/performance certainly! Working with proper setup of equipment costs zero dollars and is, thus, the leader in price/performance.

While your thread is about Home Audio System Advice, I can understand you probably just wanted advice on equipment. If you want to take room acoustics advice to PM, feel free to do that so that your thread can concentrate on equipment to put on your short list.

If apartments/housing weren't so expensive in Leesburg I could have gotten a townhome. As it stands, that apartment is $1300 a month 🙁

When you say 0.38 of the length - do you mean 38% of the length of the room? I would rather not block my windows in my apartment with the TV. I may get better sound quality, but I lose all semblance of a good picture.

The apartment is new enough that I think it is insulated to the point that I don't anticipate problems from the people around me. At any rate, I can manage the volume so that it doesn't become a problem if it isn't as insulated as well. Additionally, the floors are carpet and the walls are drywall (This should absorb some resonance in my mind). Ceilings are 8ft flat drywall as well (No drop ceilings or anything). The floor plan is definitely not how the room will be set up for me, so I have no problem pulling the couch out from the wall by a foot or so (Though I am wondering to myself how in the world I'm going to hide speaker wire at this point)

When you say normal speakers for surround, are you talking mini-satellites or bookshelf?

I want this audio system to last for quite some time, thus I want to buy in anticipation of a house/townhouse configured to my specifications. I want to make this room work, but I don't want to limit myself by this room if that makes any sense.

Also, keep in mind, everything will probably sound really good to me. I had a Logitech Z5300e system that I couldn't center properly in a dorm room. Even with that, my Dad's system I had even less flexibility with and is probably even worse than that. Don't get me wrong, I've worked with Pro-Audio equipment for quite some time, I understand that differences between good sounding and bad sounding systems, but at the same time ANYTHING will be a large step up.

-Kevin

 

[Gamingphreek]

I'd suggest getting the denon 1610, 2 polk monitor 70s from newegg, a cs2 center, and use your insignias as surrounds. Then build your own sub if you feel confident doing that.

Well since I have a month, I'm thinking of waiting for the Denon 1611 instead - it seems to be a bit more future proof. The Onkyo 508 seems very comparable as well (Though Audyssey MultEq isn't included in the 508)

The Polk Monitor 70's look very nice and I wish I had earmarked money for them, but they are a bit expensive given that each one is $200.

yes, 0.38 of the length is 38% of the length of the room. Check my pix in the pics thread stickied above. I have my TV blocking the windows. There is 4' between the windows and the TV so I can get my beautiful view when I want to, and the black shades seal out quite a bit of light when I need the plasma to do its thing.

Normal speakers mean monopole designs, not dipole. Examples you listed are typically monopole.

Insulation of the room for sound has nothing to do with the in-room acoustics (well, actually in many ways, they work against each other). The hard surfaces will reflect the waves back into the source wave causing problems in the acoustics. Things like Slap echo are one of many audible problems that are related to such hard surface reflections.

Pulling the couch 1' from the wall will be a little improvement, but not by much. This is because the direct wave is coming from the speaker and hitting your ears. At the same time the reflection off of the back wall hits your ears slightly delayed causing cancellation. The length of that delay is related to how far the reflection has to travel. The damage the reflection does to what you hear is related to the same.

I just want to get the point across that your 'audio system' that you want to keep for a long time - the room and how things are setup are a bulk of that 'audio system'. The speakers play partnering role, but you cant have one without the other. Upgrading speakers from another one would be a drop in the bucket improvement compared to proper acoustical setup.

Hiding wires, well, if you set the speakers up as I mentioned above, the wires would be going along the floorboard along the walls in an easy symmetrical length. There isn't too much you can do in this regard because it is an apartment and you cannot run wires through the walls.

As to your point about anything will be a step up from computer speakers, sure I can give you that point. But my advice in this thread is about maximizing that step up. Chasing after small steps can lead to spending too much money for too little improvement. We all can appreciate price/performance certainly! Working with proper setup of equipment costs zero dollars and is, thus, the leader in price/performance.

While your thread is about Home Audio System Advice, I can understand you probably just wanted advice on equipment. If you want to take room acoustics advice to PM, feel free to do that so that your thread can concentrate on equipment to put on your short list.

Well you are partially correct in that I was originally looking for only equipment advice, but the acoustical advice is very much welcome!

I'll have to wait until I get into the apartment; however, I will definitely consider the arrangement you proposed. I can definitely see it working (Though I was originally considering mounting my TV on the wall).

Shouldn't the dry wall be a soft enough surface to absorb a good bit of the sound waves and minimize cancellation effects. Additionally, in my mind, given that the room is fully carpeted instead of hardwood floored should help significantly. Perhaps I'm overestimating the acoustical properties of these surfaces.

Out of curiosity, the computer speakers (Z5300e) were THX certified - would this not mean they will sound better in some sense than this current system given THX's tight specifications? Or am I overestimating once again?

-Kevin

 

[Anubis]

Well since I have a month, I'm thinking of waiting for the Denon 1611 instead - it seems to be a bit more future proof. The Onkyo 508 seems very comparable as well (Though Audyssey MultEq isn't included in the 508)

The Polk Monitor 70's look very nice and I wish I had earmarked money for them, but they are a bit expensive given that each one is $200.
n

rumor has it that they will be neweggs eggsaver deal this sunday (tom), they were 150 with code last week

 

[Tiamat]

Well you are partially correct in that I was originally looking for only equipment advice, but the acoustical advice is very much welcome!

I'll have to wait until I get into the apartment; however, I will definitely consider the arrangement you proposed. I can definitely see it working (Though I was originally considering mounting my TV on the wall).

Shouldn't the dry wall be a soft enough surface to absorb a good bit of the sound waves and minimize cancellation effects. Additionally, in my mind, given that the room is fully carpeted instead of hardwood floored should help significantly. Perhaps I'm overestimating the acoustical properties of these surfaces.

Out of curiosity, the computer speakers (Z5300e) were THX certified - would this not mean they will sound better in some sense than this current system given THX's tight specifications? Or am I overestimating once again?

-Kevin

Dry wall isn't acoustically soft. Dense Fiberglass or mineral wool is.

THX has different certifications based on the specific environment the speakers are to be used in. Computer speakers used as HT speakers is very unlike near-field computer applications with the desk and stuff around them etc. I would not put much worth into the THX certification for your needs.

Carpeting deadens only the upper most frequencies (10khz+) of the spectrum. Damaging reflections still occur throughout the rest of the spectrum. Slap echo is often in the 600-4khz range, which requires thicker material (like 2-4" rigid fiberglass or mineral wool). Bass frequencies require much thicker material, but this acoustics stuff gets complex very quickly and we need not dwell on it.

The main issue at hand is the location of your listening position within the room, having left/right symmetry at your listening position concerning walls, and speaker/subwoofer setup. This main issue will set the stage for what you can expect as a baseline performance regardless of speaker choice. Not even EQ or other settings (esp. within your price range and an order of magnitude above your price range) can overcome this main issue.

An idea of how a setup looks going the lengthwise of the room (these are old pictures):
My floorplan: http://www.huntingtongateway.com/pdf/randolf.pdf
Pic: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jonomega/Livingroom_sm.jpg
Pic: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/jonomega/Livingroom_angle_sm.jpg

 

[ProfJohn]

^ hang some stuff on the walls dude 🙂