Hometheater setup recommendations? I'm a nub

[Fenixgoon]

My brother recommended the SVS SBS bookshelf speakers + receiver + subwoofer to start, but I have no idea about a quality receivers/subs in my price range.

I also saw that newegg has the Polk Monitor60 and Monitor70 series floorstanding speakers on sale. I know these speakers are no longer produced, hence the lowered prices.

Not going to lie, I like the idea of floorstanding speakers, but if a set of bookshelf speakers are going to be better, then that is the route I want to take.


Overall I'd be looking to spend $500 on the following:

speakers (pair) + receiver
or
speakers (pair) + receiver + sub

whichever will give the best combination of sound and future upgrading. I don't have any particular preference to brand, since I know nothing about HT setups (other than SVS makes godly cylinder subs. my brother has one and it's amazing)


Thanks all you awesome hometheater people!

 

[fralexandr]

What's your intended usage? music? movies? games?
are you planning on 5.1 or 7.1?
sound is highly subjective, and some people prefer some speakers over others.
for now since you plan on upgrading as you get more money, you should probably be looking at receiver + 2.0 speakers

denon, onkyo, and yamaha have some of the better lower end receivers.

-----
onkyo 509 5.1 $253.09
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR509.../dp/B004O0TRCO

i'm not as knowledgeable about denon, but the 1611 is pretty good

Denon AVR-1611 7.1 $300
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-1611...5438473&sr=8-4

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=31991113
thread on ~$300 receivers
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-1356919.html
the onkyo has more features, but the denon has better sound quality and 7.1

-----
at $500, most of your money should be spent on a decent receiver, so you won't be able to afford the monitor 70s.
if you move up to $400 receiver and $100 speakers (bookshelf pair) you can probably get a slightly better receiver such as the onkyo 609 or something.

for some reason i remember hearing that movies don't benefit as much from floor standing speakers (probably for the importance of a more full range of sound), so you could just get all bookshelf speakers.
for music in general you don't really need a subwoofer or surrounds, although some musics probably benefit more from subwoofers than others. Eventually you'll probably want the best 2.0 floorstandings you can afford
i suspect games will be similar to movies where bookshelf speakers + sub could be fine.

if you live in an apartment i wouldn't get a subwoofer (sound complaints)
if you have limited space, or a small living room/home theater room you could possibly go with just bookshelf speakers
if you don't plan on spending too much more on speakers in the future and definitely want a subwoofer (good, cheap subwoofers start at ~$200), you could probably go with bookshelf speakers

For the first 2.0 you could buy the monitor 60 and later keep them as fronts or use them as rears, or you could get some bookshelf speakers and move those to rears later.


most of the bookshelf speakers seem to be closer to $150 per pair :S
amazon may or may not have tax for you though

amazon
infinity primus p152 $50 + shipping ~$130 pair
infinity primus p153 ~$150 pair

newegg
polk monitor 40 $120 pair

edit: if you want to go with infinity speakers, the matching floorstanding and center are
the p363 (or 362 but you'll probably have to get them used?) and pc350

 

[Fenixgoon]

What's your intended usage? music? movies? games?
are you planning on 5.1 or 7.1?
for now since you plan on upgrading as you get more money, you should probably be looking at receiver + 2.0 speakers

right now, the gameplan is for movies and games, and some degree of music for parties.

ultimately i would like a 5.1.....7.1 just seems overkill

 

[SithSolo1]

Your budget right now isn't big enough for a sub. The Onkyo 509 and Monitor 60s that fralexander suggested would be a good start. It should be under $500. As money permits add a sub, CS1 center, and Monitor 40s or 30s for the rear.

Alternatively you can get the CS1 center, 40s up front, 30s rear, and the receiver for slightly over $500 off the bat. You'd need to buy stands(I recommend that auction site that starts with E and ends in ay) and wire so figure closer to or slightly over $600. Then you only need a sub.


If you go the all bookshelf route I would not turn them up very loud(say for a party) without a sub. You may end up over extending them.

 

[fralexandr]

oh yeah, for speaker wire i've used monoprice.com and many people recommend cables4less.com

 

[Fenixgoon]

just out of curiosity, what is the disadvantage of getting large floorstanders to start?

 

[fralexandr]

primarily, floorstanders cost more (especially when related to their "paired" surrounds*) and are larger. the size may or may not be a disadvantage though (usually dependent on room size).

so for you it might mean that if you want to buy more expensive speakers later, you would likely have to use the monitor 60 as rears (room size?) or sell them.

*you can choose to get surrounds that are different from your fronts
the front speakers and center speaker should be matching though
thus, you could in theory have 3x monitor 60 for Front Center Left, although normally this would be problematic as the center would likely cover part of the TV hence the typical vertically challenged centers

 

[Fenixgoon]

primarily, floorstanders cost more (especially when related to their "paired" surrounds*) and are larger. the size may or may not be a disadvantage though (usually dependent on room size).

so for you it might mean that if you want to buy more expensive speakers later, you would likely have to use the monitor 60 as rears (room size?) or sell them.

*you can choose to get surrounds that are different from your fronts
the front speakers and center speaker should be matching though
thus, you could in theory have 3x monitor 60 for Front Center Left, although normally this would be problematic as the center would likely cover part of the TV hence the typical vertically challenged centers

the room size is approximately 16x15, but really it opens up into a kitchen as well....so its like...30x15 if you include both the living room and the kitchen.

 

[Rio Rebel]

There is no such thing as bookshelf speakers being "better" than floorstanding, IF you're talking about the same line of speakers (exact same internal components/drivers, and only the box size is different.) There is certainly a difference if you're comparing across brands like your original post. But there is only ONE qualitative difference between bookshelf speakers and floorstanding (from a strictly audio standpoint) - the floorstanding speakers will go a bit lower in frequency, and are better if and only if you don't use a sub. (If you go with bookshelf speakers as fronts, then you also have to factor in the cost of either stands or shelves). HOWEVER...

EVENTUALLY, you absolutely are going to want a sub. So as you purchase, do it in the mindset that you are buying in phases, and your eventual setup will be 5.1 or 7.1 with a quality subwoofer which handles all the lower frequency.

What does this mean to you right now? You will not benefit from the fact that the floorstanding speakers can go just a little lower, because you will have a subwoofer and you won't want the speakers to do the job of the sub. Go with either floorstanding OR bookshelves strictly based on price and which appeal to you more visually. From an audio standpoint, it will not make a difference.

 

[sdifox]

the room size is approximately 16x15, but really it opens up into a kitchen as well....so its like...30x15 if you include both the living room and the kitchen.

floorstandings are needed for that much space.

something in the 130lb range. Each.

 

[Rio Rebel]

floorstandings are needed for that much space.

something in the 130lb range. Each.

WTF are you talking about? That answer was from outer space. A floorstanding speaker doesn't "fill a room" any more than a bookshelf.

OP, please don't get led astray by some of the comments in this thread. Look at the specs on the speaker, not the size of the box that holds them.

 

[Fenixgoon]

WTF are you talking about? That answer was from outer space. A floorstanding speaker doesn't "fill a room" any more than a bookshelf.

OP, please don't get led astray by some of the comments in this thread. Look at the specs on the speaker, not the size of the box that holds them.

turns out one of the guys i work with is an audiophile, he suggested the primus as speakers as well.

which leads me to the question - what's the point of floorstanding speakers in the first place, if bookshelves can be just as good?

 

[SithSolo1]

A lot of people use floor standing speakers for 2 channel music listening. It's more common to find 3-way or higher designs in floor standing models. Also you don't have to worry about buying stands but that's not really a huge issue. This isn't to say set of bookshelf speakers and a sub can't accomplish the same thing. Its mostly preference and space constraints imo.

The infinity P162/3s get good reviews. A setup with those wouldn't be bad.

 

[Aikouka]

which leads me to the question - what's the point of floorstanding speakers in the first place, if bookshelves can be just as good?

Wouldn't that depend on the speaker itself? For example, I have Polk Monitor 50s as my surround speakers. Monitor 50s have the same internals as the Monitor 40s, except the 50s are floor-standing. I looked at it this way... if you don't have speaker stands or a cheap way to prop them up in a good (aural-wise) spot, floor-standing might be easier on you.

Although, I've heard it's better to place surrounds above you, which would make bookshelf ideal for that.

EDIT:

One interesting thing to add is that you can actually get some pretty decent deals on receivers if you call up the company. For example, I paid $450 for my Denon AVR-2112ci, which has a retail of $600 (and that was the price on Amazon).

Electronics Expo has the newer 1612 for $350 normally... I'm betting you could get them to go down to $320.

http://www.electronics-expo.com/make...AVR1612/1.html

The 1611 is also cheaper there:

http://www.electronics-expo.com/make-a-store/item/DENAVR1611/Denon/AVR1611/1.html

 

[SithSolo1]

Also wanna toss out http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...iver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html on the Onkyo side. The appear to be a highly rated referb outlet of sorts for Onkyo and some other brands.

 

[velillen]

turns out one of the guys i work with is an audiophile, he suggested the primus as speakers as well.

which leads me to the question - what's the point of floorstanding speakers in the first place, if bookshelves can be just as good?

the primus are good speakers. Got the p352 (or 1?...they are all the same except cosmetic lol) for my dad. Sounds good. I personally didnt care for the lower end but it was fixed via sub and crossover (set it tow 80hz with sub and it was a lot better IMO) though my dad liked it all the way. Sound similar to my vr1's to be honest

As for floor standing....i just went with it cause i didnt want to have to deal with stands

 

[sdifox]

WTF are you talking about? That answer was from outer space. A floorstanding speaker doesn't "fill a room" any more than a bookshelf.

OP, please don't get led astray by some of the comments in this thread. Look at the specs on the speaker, not the size of the box that holds them.

shrug, you believe what you want to believe. I am looking at power requirements. given the same drivers, a floorstanding speaker will be able to go lower with the same power consumed. at 450 sq ft, the bass extension is where it gets hard to do right.


the 130lb bit is a big of a jest.

 

[Exterous]

There is no such thing as bookshelf speakers being "better" than floorstanding, IF you're talking about the same line of speakers (exact same internal components/drivers, and only the box size is different.) There is certainly a difference if you're comparing across brands like your original post. But there is only ONE qualitative difference between bookshelf speakers and floorstanding (from a strictly audio standpoint) - the floorstanding speakers will go a bit lower in frequency, and are better if and only if you don't use a sub. (If you go with bookshelf speakers as fronts, then you also have to factor in the cost of either stands or shelves). HOWEVER...

EVENTUALLY, you absolutely are going to want a sub. So as you purchase, do it in the mindset that you are buying in phases, and your eventual setup will be 5.1 or 7.1 with a quality subwoofer which handles all the lower frequency.

What does this mean to you right now? You will not benefit from the fact that the floorstanding speakers can go just a little lower, because you will have a subwoofer and you won't want the speakers to do the job of the sub. Go with either floorstanding OR bookshelves strictly based on price and which appeal to you more visually. From an audio standpoint, it will not make a difference.

Eh? I guess it depends on how you consider them to be 'better'. If you look at the specs of most Floorstanding and bookshelf sets you will see that the bookshelves have 'worse' specs - typically in the areas of sensitivity, frequency and power before clipping. It is disingenuous to say they have the 'exact same internal components/drivers' when they are typically missing woofers and, in many cases, midrange as well (Although the tweeters and drivers are usuallythe same)

For example:
http://www.psbspeakers.com/content/110704155509-PSB_Synchrony_Series_English_Specifications.pdf

I also disagree that you will only notice the difference in the low ends. Depending on the set you will notice it in the mid range as well. Most bookshelves do not have the cabinet space (and - therefore room for components) to reproduce the same frequencies that floorstandings can esp in this price range

WTF are you talking about? That answer was from outer space. A floorstanding speaker doesn't "fill a room" any more than a bookshelf.

It doesn't necessarily fill the room more but you are more likely to get the output that will fill a larger volume with a floorstanding than a bookshelf in the same price range

All that aside I also have heard good things about the Primus speakers although I have never heard them myself.

If possible I would recommend going and listening to them yourself. People have different tastes in how they like their music. Some like more bass heavy (boomy), some like 'brighter'. I know many people like Polk speakers and I can certainly respect that although I do not like how they sound

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that if you end up going 5.1 your center really HAS to match your fronts. Otherwise if someone is walking from left to right the pitch of their voice will change as they cross your center speaker and what not.

So - if you are buying a set that is being discontinued and decided to get the floorstanding you need to evaluate the risks of potentially not being able to get the center later on

If it were me I would go receiver plus fronts (L,R,C) fist, then, as money allows, sub and the surrounds

You could go bookshelves first and then plan to move them to your surrounds later but you might find they don't fit you need for some reason down the road (the only reason I bring this up is because I have some cheaper surrounds that really weren't going to work for my Home Theater room and are now sitting around collecting dust)

 

[Rio Rebel]

I guess we have different speakers in mind when we are arguing this point. I said above that having floorstanding speakers doesn't make a difference if the internal parts are the same and you have the same size, type and number of drivers. Of course a speaker is going to have a more full midrange if you have two or three instead of one woofer, but that's a different conversation.

Maybe we're just talking past each other...it wouldn't be the first time for me. Cheers

 

[Fenixgoon]

hey guys i got everything setup today! i ended up going with the Polk Monitor 70's and the Onkyo NR509. Could use a dedicated subwoofer, but I am definitely happy with the setup. The additional network functionality of the NR509 is great too!

I really want to get an SVS PC12 sub (the $750 one), but that will probably be 6-12mo away, at minimum. Things are damn expensive, but totally worth it (my brother has an SVS )

 

[sdifox]

hey guys i got everything setup today! i ended up going with the Polk Monitor 70's and the Onkyo NR509. Could use a dedicated subwoofer, but I am definitely happy with the setup. The additional network functionality of the NR509 is great too!

I really want to get an SVS PC12 sub (the $750 one), but that will probably be 6-12mo away, at minimum. Things are damn expensive, but totally worth it (my brother has an SVS )

waiting til you got enough cash is the right thing to do. I waited a year to save up enough cash to buy my sound system.