# Another Newb here need recommendation



## Iron_Mau (Jun 30, 2012)

Hello All,

I just moved into a new house and slowly starting to gather everything for an entertainment system. I purchased a LG 47LK450 TV today and now I'll looking to grab a receiver/speakers/etc.

The room is 12x17 with 9 foot tall ceilings.

I have the whole house wired with cat5e cable and would like the ability to stream movies/music. I'm a complete newb to this and reading through all the threads have gotten my head spinning. 

I'm looking for a 2.1 system to start out with and ability to add additional speakers later, also I'll probably be picking up a playstation 3 to game/blue ray.

If anyone could recommend me a receiver/speaker combo that would be most appreciated. I'm also trying to keep it under $1000.

Thanks in advance!


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

There are many brands that fit your budget. How speakers sound to you is highly subjective. What some folks like, you may not. Are there any stores close by that you can visit and take a listen? That will give you an idea of what to look for. Be sure to stay with a name brand (Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sony, Panasonic and many others.) For speakers, Polk, Klipsch, Hsu Research, and many more...

Don't fall for some of the marketing hype when buying your receiver. There is virtually no difference in volume between a receiver rated at 100W vs. 120W. Doubling power is audible to some folks at higher volume. Also, don't fall for the expensive cables. Do your shopping at Monoprice, Amazon, etc. $20 is too much to pay for a HDMI cable. A local store may try to sell you one for $75 or so. You won't be able to tell the difference between a $10 HDMI cable and a $100 one. Same story for speaker cables. A good quality AWG 16 is fine for most applications.

Spend a good chunk of your money on speakers. Speaker technology does not change much over the years. Receiver, blu ray players, DVD players, etc. - the electronics - technology changes a lot over time with new surround formats, 3D capability, network and streaming technology, etc. A good set of speakers will last many years. The electronics could be obsolete in 5 or so years.

Hope this helps. I am sure others will chime in with their preferred brands. But, your ears are the best judge. If it sounds great to you, then that is what you should buy.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Great advice above - I would second taking a look at anything that is close by for receivers. Once you do that, I highly recommend Accessories for Less - they are an authorized dealer that offers a 1 year warranty on refurbished units and have excellent CS.

One other recommendation that I have seen - when purchasing speakers and planning to add to your system later, find the towers that you like and purchase the bookshelf surrounds first using them for your L/R. Then, once funds allow for it, purchase the towers and move the bookshelves to surround duty.

A general rule of thumb - spend 1/3 of your budget on electronics and 2/3 on speakers. As Harry said, electronics are replaced far more often than speakers.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
For an AVR, I would go with this:http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...Channel-3-D-Ready-Network-A/V-Receiver/1.html
Truly gives you everything you need in terms of power and features and it has Preamp Outputs for upgrading to a Amplifier in the future.
For Speakers, I really think PSB makes some of the best speakers for the money:https://dmc-electronics.com/Default.htm
The GT1 retails for $1999 and are being blown out for $699. 

The total before shipping is $1038. The MSRP for both is $2998 so it represents fantastic value on products that honestly represent fantastic value at their MSRP.
Cheers,
JJ


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

I always encourage people shopping for speakers to actually listen to them. Bring the music you like to the store with you. Listen to the same tracks on every speakers and make sure you're listening at the volume you like. 

I would go do far as to suggest you go to the store early in the day. Keep the car quiet while you drive. The goal here is to listen to the speakers with "fresh ears". Then another time go late in the day listen to loud music on your way. Do this because as you go through your day your hearing gets worse. Listening both ways will give you some idea of differences in your at home experience. 

For demo material I like 3 or 4 tracks. Complex recordings with many layers of sounds. Simple male vocals. Simple female vocals. Tracks with good stereo imaging. I like to avoid electronic music only because the isn't a real world reference I have to compare against.

Is this a one or two story building? Will you be able to run wire for your rear speakers?

:Edit:
I am love B&W, Martin Logan, Paradigm speakers. Personally I'm not the biggest Klipsch fan only because they give me a headache after about an hour if listening.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I could not agree more about the importance of auditioning Speakers. Unfortunately, finding stores which actually display them has become harder and harder. It is only the fortunate few that have access to an Independent AV Store that has not become solely a Custom Installation Store. 

Due to insane and often unbeatable competition from Online Merchants, many stores who once had Rooms with a wide variety of AV Gear to choose from have instead repurposed these spaces into a single Home Theater replete with Automation, Seating, etc... With HiFi Buys/Tweeter/Sound Advice going OOB, about the only place many folks can even listen to Speakers is the Magnolia Home Theater in the back of a Best Buy.

Unfortunately, many of these Magnolia HT's are not the most conducive for auditioning Speakers. Between the crowds, noise from the rest of the BB, and sometimes Employees who have not had a great deal of training, I certainly find it difficult to focus the times I have been there.

A corollary to Online Merchants is often those who are lucky enough to have an AV Store to audition Speakers have to deal with Staff who are quite spurious of new customers as many (most) have spent hours with a customer providing auditions only for them immediately purchase the same items Online for hundreds to thousands less.

Thankfully Paradigm, B&W, Rotel, Wilson, and others have made it all but impossible to purchase their wares Online. This is thanks to vigilant searching for their equipment on the Internet and severing ties to any Dealer foolish enough to transship. That is placing a large order while diverting a large part to a 3rd Party often to meet Sales Requirements. Most of the Ultra High End Brands are like this as well, but you have places like MSS HiFi that even sell these brands "used" for huge discounts.
Cheers,
J


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## Iron_Mau (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks everybody for the responses ! they have helped me out a bunch. I'm still trying to locate where I can audition some speakers in my city.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

As part of my audition process, I did do a little travelling and it opened up a larger number of options. It may be something to consider if you are not finding anything locally. I kept mine to within 2 hours of home.


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