Well i am a jounor in HS and i want to put together one hell of a 7.1 surround system for now and when i go to college. I am going to base it around a Denon reciever not sure which one but i was looking at this one.. this one seems to be promising. i have no clue where to go about speaker so this is where i need your help. i want to keep the whole thing ~$800. so please help me out.
Putting together my dream sounds system
- Thread starter twitchee2
- Start date
jdogg707
Diamond Member
- Jun 24, 2002
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From experience I can say that it may not be a good idea to spend a ton of money on a surround sound system for college, unless you will be living off campus. I would say to save your money and by a good set of headphones instead, it will save you from complaints from both your dormmates and roommate(s). I would suggest something like the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro if you aren't looking to invest in an amp or something a little more potent like the 580's if you want to spend the money on an amp.
well i was thinking about it earlier and realized that it kind of alot, the problem is i just hate headphones....i need to feel the music, be one with it. i really want something with really good sound but something that will last me to when im off on my own
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
- Aug 6, 2001
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You probably want to stick to 5.1 or even 3.1 in a dormroom/college place depending on how much space you have.
Speakers are probably going to be the most important decision you make. That's where you want to spend the bulk of your money too for the system.
Maybe on $800 I'd do a ~$150 sub, a $250 receiver, and half the total on speakers?
Dayton 12" would be a good budget sub, a $250 to $300 receiver, and then the best speakers you can get.
I could give some suggestions for speakers, but you should really get out and demo some stuff.
Speakers are probably going to be the most important decision you make. That's where you want to spend the bulk of your money too for the system.
Maybe on $800 I'd do a ~$150 sub, a $250 receiver, and half the total on speakers?
Dayton 12" would be a good budget sub, a $250 to $300 receiver, and then the best speakers you can get.
I could give some suggestions for speakers, but you should really get out and demo some stuff.
For college I would definitely go with a smallish HT in a box setup for now. I agree with the other poster about not dropping too much cash for now. Some HT in a box systems nowadays can push some attitude
RussianSensation
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- Sep 5, 2003
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jimbob200521
Diamond Member
- Apr 15, 2005
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a good starter home theater sub to check out would be the mirage lf-100. its got an 8" driver, drops to 27hz, is rated for 400 watts peak (if i remember correctly), and does a good job on movies. i suggest this sub because its small, so that means it would be easy to place in a dorm, and puts out a lot for a small sub, also good for a small dorm room. not sure of the price, i think it would be a bit more than the 150 that yoyo suggested for the sub budget, but its sound quality may be worth it.
so i should stick wiht just 5.1..i guess that makes sense. i need more of an idea on who makes the best speakers. i will be getting a Denon reciever no questions asked its just which one. my dad works for DTS so i will go talk to some of the people and see what they sugest. so basicly what brand of speakers would you sugest? the dayton for sub and what about for the rest.
$800 won't get you very far. it's better to slowly build up a speaker package than getting 5 cheap speakers. you should take a look at some ascend acoustic speakers. they are an online only retailer, so you'll get great bang for the buck. as for the receiver, take a look at the pioneer 1015tx, about $450. as y0y0 has said, you should spend most of your money on the speakers. receivers change every year, but good speakers will last you for at least the next 10 years.
those are OK for a small room, but once he moves out to a bigger room/house, those satellites won't be good enough.
that Denon is a good choice. I have one of its big brothers (3806) and I am quite pleased. I had a Denon AVR-2700 all through college and while it was more than enough power, it was nice. I hate headphones. Always have, always will.
jimbob200521
Diamond Member
- Apr 15, 2005
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:thumbsup:
also on receivers; if you can find a good deal on a yamaha rx-v2300 or newer model (ive seen them dirt cheep online), that would also be something to consider. they are very nice receivers. pleanty of clean power, inputs, etc.
Pghpooh
Senior member
- Jan 9, 2000
- 791
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HI
The rule in audio is to spend the most money on the speakers. It's best to start off with 2 of the best speakers you can afford.
In your case, speakers for a dorm or even a apartment must fit the size of the living area.
Listening levels of the music are determined by your room mates and the apartments next to yours.
For the dorm area get the best headphones you can afford. I've used Sennheiser headphones for over 25 years. Sennheiser
They can be expensive but they will give you quality sound for years to come.
When you are done with college and working, look at speakers made by Ohm and other mid to high end companies.
One thing to remember. Quality audio doesn't translate to the loudest that you can feel, etc, etc. Continous exposure to high SPL's (sound pressure levels) or the loudness will damage your hearing. If you play the music loud or go to concerts and the music is above 80 to 90 db for extended periods and all of a sudden your ears are ringing you have suffered PERMANENT DAMAGE and your ability to hear the higher frequencies are gone. The loss is very small at first. Then as you get older say into your mid to late 20's it gets worse. In your 30's it fades more. In your 40's you might not be able to hear anything above 8000 hertz. Then, you need a hearing aids and they only go to 4500 to 5000 hertz. The next time you go to a concert look at the performers. They all wear ear protection!!!!!
If music is a important part of your life, keep the volume down now so you can hear the quality later in life.
Pghpooh
The rule in audio is to spend the most money on the speakers. It's best to start off with 2 of the best speakers you can afford.
In your case, speakers for a dorm or even a apartment must fit the size of the living area.
Listening levels of the music are determined by your room mates and the apartments next to yours.
For the dorm area get the best headphones you can afford. I've used Sennheiser headphones for over 25 years. Sennheiser
They can be expensive but they will give you quality sound for years to come.
When you are done with college and working, look at speakers made by Ohm and other mid to high end companies.
One thing to remember. Quality audio doesn't translate to the loudest that you can feel, etc, etc. Continous exposure to high SPL's (sound pressure levels) or the loudness will damage your hearing. If you play the music loud or go to concerts and the music is above 80 to 90 db for extended periods and all of a sudden your ears are ringing you have suffered PERMANENT DAMAGE and your ability to hear the higher frequencies are gone. The loss is very small at first. Then as you get older say into your mid to late 20's it gets worse. In your 30's it fades more. In your 40's you might not be able to hear anything above 8000 hertz. Then, you need a hearing aids and they only go to 4500 to 5000 hertz. The next time you go to a concert look at the performers. They all wear ear protection!!!!!
If music is a important part of your life, keep the volume down now so you can hear the quality later in life.
Pghpooh
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
- Aug 6, 2001
- 31,204
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Since you're a junior in HS, it seems like you have some time to build up before your college debut It might be best to not get everything right away and leave yourself and upgrade path. Even just getting a receiver and a pair of speakers would be an excellent start and you'd be on your way to an excellent surround system eventually. If you know this is something you're interested in and want a quality system, building up a great system slowly is more cost effective in the long run than getting a cheaper 7.1 system to start with and then wanting to start all over to upgrade the whole thing.
You can certainly get a HTIB solution like the Onkyo one, but with $800 you can do better, especially if you don't get a full system right away.
Would you be willing to go used at all? A refurb receiver can save you a lot vs going new. At close to $350 or $400 depending on where you get it, a Denon 1706 would be a really big hunk of your budget.
Panasonic's digital receivers at around $225 are supposed to be a nice solution for a new budget receiver. You could get a Pioneer 515 new for under $200 or something refurb from Onkyo for under $200.
Assuming you'll get the Panasonic receiver and a Dayton 12" sub (you just missed the deal for $120 shipped, now it's back up to $150 + shipping) that would leave you with about $530 for speakers.
I think if you called partsexpress you might be able to get them to pricematch the old deal for $120 free shipping on the 12" sub. If so, that would help out a bit for the budget.
The most important part of your system is going to be your front three speakers. If you're doing mostly music, getting quality front stereo speakers is going to be the key. If it's mostly DVD watching, the center channel is where the vast majority of the sound comes from.
Before you buy something, listen to some different options. There isn't a correct answer for everyone, this is a personal preference thing.
Some stuff that would be easy to get a demo for would be Paradigm, Infinity, JBL, Klipsch, Polk, etc.
With $500 for a 5.0 set that's $100 a speaker which is not going to give you a whole lot of options. If possible, just getting the front three or even just two for now would give you a lot more options.
There are some nice deals online as well. Just about everywhere you're going to have a nice trial period and if you don't like it, you'll be able to send them back (if you have to pay shipping both ways, one way, or at all will be dependent on the place). For example Aperion Audio will pay shipping both ways for you to demo. Axiom Audio includes shipping in the price, so essentially you just have to pay return shipping. Ascend Acoustics you'd have to pay both ways.
There's three internet brands all starting with "A" so you can see there's a lot of options out there
It might be best to not get everything right away and leave yourself and upgrade path. Even just getting a receiver and a pair of speakers would be an excellent start and you'd be on your way to an excellent surround system eventually. If you know this is something you're interested in and want a quality system, building up a great system slowly is more cost effective in the long run than getting a cheaper 7.1 system to start with and then wanting to start all over to upgrade the whole thing.You can certainly get a HTIB solution like the Onkyo one, but with $800 you can do better, especially if you don't get a full system right away.
Would you be willing to go used at all? A refurb receiver can save you a lot vs going new. At close to $350 or $400 depending on where you get it, a Denon 1706 would be a really big hunk of your budget.
Panasonic's digital receivers at around $225 are supposed to be a nice solution for a new budget receiver. You could get a Pioneer 515 new for under $200 or something refurb from Onkyo for under $200.
Assuming you'll get the Panasonic receiver and a Dayton 12" sub (you just missed the deal for $120 shipped, now it's back up to $150 + shipping) that would leave you with about $530 for speakers.
I think if you called partsexpress you might be able to get them to pricematch the old deal for $120 free shipping on the 12" sub. If so, that would help out a bit for the budget.
The most important part of your system is going to be your front three speakers. If you're doing mostly music, getting quality front stereo speakers is going to be the key. If it's mostly DVD watching, the center channel is where the vast majority of the sound comes from.
Before you buy something, listen to some different options. There isn't a correct answer for everyone, this is a personal preference thing.
Some stuff that would be easy to get a demo for would be Paradigm, Infinity, JBL, Klipsch, Polk, etc.
With $500 for a 5.0 set that's $100 a speaker which is not going to give you a whole lot of options. If possible, just getting the front three or even just two for now would give you a lot more options.
There are some nice deals online as well. Just about everywhere you're going to have a nice trial period and if you don't like it, you'll be able to send them back (if you have to pay shipping both ways, one way, or at all will be dependent on the place). For example Aperion Audio will pay shipping both ways for you to demo. Axiom Audio includes shipping in the price, so essentially you just have to pay return shipping. Ascend Acoustics you'd have to pay both ways.
There's three internet brands all starting with "A" so you can see there's a lot of options out there
So after some looking around here is wat i have come up with. i not really familar with speaker companys to these are from where Yoyoyo sugested.
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/243.asp#
Receiver $350
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdet...8&PID=1111557&Partnumber=295-185&DID=7
Sub $110
Total: $460
Option 1
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/htm200/htm200.html
Speakers $280
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340c/cmt340c.html
Center $298
Set total: $578
Option 2
http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp100_main.html#
Center $240
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m3ti_info.html
Speakers $300
Set total: $540
Of this, which option would you choose. I dont really want a refrub reveicer, and IWANT a denon that will last a while. My buget is flexible but not hugely flexible. I was looking in my room and I have 2 older panasonic speakers from my little 90w sterio system. I could use those for temporary rear speakers. If there are other speaker you would sugest, im open for changes. thanks for all the help
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/243.asp#
Receiver $350
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdet...8&PID=1111557&Partnumber=295-185&DID=7
Sub $110
Total: $460
Option 1
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/htm200/htm200.html
Speakers $280
http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340c/cmt340c.html
Center $298
Set total: $578
Option 2
http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp100_main.html#
Center $240
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m3ti_info.html
Speakers $300
Set total: $540
Of this, which option would you choose. I dont really want a refrub reveicer, and IWANT a denon that will last a while. My buget is flexible but not hugely flexible. I was looking in my room and I have 2 older panasonic speakers from my little 90w sterio system. I could use those for temporary rear speakers. If there are other speaker you would sugest, im open for changes. thanks for all the help
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
- Aug 6, 2001
- 31,204
- 45
- 91
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-635 <-- that's the sub I meant for the dayton.
The one you have linked to is just the driver. You'd still need and enclosure, amp, etc.
I would suggest checking out the Ascend 170s rather than the 200s for mains. I think the 200s are better suited for surround duty than a music lover's dream, but I haven't listened to them, only read abou them. A 170 as the center rather than a 340 might look odd, but with that change you could go cheaper and have a perfectly matched set across the front.
My recommendation would be to have those two as options in mind and then go out with a trusty demo disc and listen to some local retail options. After you have some ideas of what's out there in your range, order a pair of M3ti's and Ascend 170s. If possible, see if you can take a pair of local speakers home for a demo too. Test them all and see what sounds best to you.
Kind of a big project, and you'll need to initially spend quite a bit before you get your refunds from the ones you reject, and you'll lose a bit of shipping, but if you take that route you'll really know you made an educated decision and you wont have to second guess yourself.
The one you have linked to is just the driver. You'd still need and enclosure, amp, etc.
I would suggest checking out the Ascend 170s rather than the 200s for mains. I think the 200s are better suited for surround duty than a music lover's dream, but I haven't listened to them, only read abou them. A 170 as the center rather than a 340 might look odd, but with that change you could go cheaper and have a perfectly matched set across the front.
My recommendation would be to have those two as options in mind and then go out with a trusty demo disc and listen to some local retail options. After you have some ideas of what's out there in your range, order a pair of M3ti's and Ascend 170s. If possible, see if you can take a pair of local speakers home for a demo too. Test them all and see what sounds best to you.
Kind of a big project, and you'll need to initially spend quite a bit before you get your refunds from the ones you reject, and you'll lose a bit of shipping, but if you take that route you'll really know you made an educated decision and you wont have to second guess yourself.
im confused by what you mean by that. take one of the 170s as a center? Rather then the 340? I need to find a retailer that has these products to go test out, and see if i can demo them.
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
- Aug 6, 2001
- 31,204
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Ascend and Axiom are both online only.
I meant get three 170s for a total of $488 + $28 shipping on them.
Ascend also just came out with an updated version and it seems like there are going to be some people possibly upgrading making some more used options available if you wanted to check that out.
If you search on audiogon for "ascend" for example you'll see some options.
If one of those people is somewhere near you, you might even be able to do a demo.
There are forums for Ascend and Axiom too so you might be able to get a meeting going with a current owner.
If you really want a bad boy (bang for the buck) receiver, Here ya go
This place has it for only $380.00
This place has it for only $380.00
YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Moderator<br>A/V & Home Theater<br>Elite member
- Aug 6, 2001
- 31,204
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Yeah, I got a good deal on a floor model of the previous version (1014) for $287 and it has been working fine for me.
i would agree with the people who told you to wait a bit on a good sound system.
1) its too loud for any dorm
2) its too loud for most apartments
3) $800 wont buy much
it looks like you have a pretty good computer system there, i would think about adding some nice speakers and a sound card to it. 7.1 digital is a pretty easy and cheap (as far as sound systems go) way to go with the computer route.
denon is great though, i had this one http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Denon-AVR3805_review01.php before going to yamaha.
1) its too loud for any dorm
2) its too loud for most apartments
3) $800 wont buy much
it looks like you have a pretty good computer system there, i would think about adding some nice speakers and a sound card to it. 7.1 digital is a pretty easy and cheap (as far as sound systems go) way to go with the computer route.
denon is great though, i had this one http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Denon-AVR3805_review01.php before going to yamaha.
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