# First Home Theater Questions



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

So i am currently shopping around for my first legit home theater i already have a 55" samsung 8000 series led with a bluray player. My first question is with the receiver i am only thinking i want 5.1 surround, but it seems that all the receivers nowadays are 7.1 minimum i was thinking about the onkyo NR 616 first but moved onto the NR 717 and recently heard that last years 809 was a great receiver. Could I have some guidance on the receiver thoughts. My speakers i am either going to do the SVS speakers for the front and back and find a center channel, energy classic speakers, or klipsch quintet speaker set. Im also leaning toward one of the lower end SVS subs the room is part of an open downstairs floorplan so i need some good sound to fill the space.

Thanks for any help

Brad


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Brad,
The 717 is honestly a pretty major downgrade from last years TX-NR709. The biggest loss is the 717 using Audyssey's most basic 2EQ whereas the 709 uses MultEQ XT. This is huge. I had a late night and am on fumes so I will put something together more concrete in the morning.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

I would aim higher, than the Energy or Klipsch.


----------



## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I think you're on the right track with an SVS sub. As for the receiver unless you're looking at this years Onkyo tx-nr818 I would also look at last years Onkyo lineup. I personally would steer clear of the small satellite speakers you are currently looking at. The SVS speakers would most certainly be a better choice. Jack will surely chime in with some solid advice in the morning.


----------



## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

Good morning, Brad. If I have not welcomed you to Home Theater Shack, welcome.

Many of our members, me included, have purchased factory refurbished receivers from Accessories4Less with great success:

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...iver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html

Great savings and the receivers look and perform like brand new. My favorite brand is Denon, but Onkyo also makes great gear as our other members have noted.

As for 5.1 vs 7.1, who knows, maybe you will get the itch to upgrade later on and the provisions will be there.

I encourage you to try to listen to speakers prior to purchasing if possible. Speaker preference is highly subjective. 

You may want to consider one of Hsu Research's package deals:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/packages.html

Since they are internet direct, you won't be able to audition them first, but Hsu has a 30 day evaluation period. I have not heard their bookshelf speakers, but I have 5 of their subwoofers and am very pleased with them. Customer service is great as well.

Happy shopping!


----------



## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Do you have a budget in mind?

I second using A4L for an AVR - they offer a year warranty on any product they sell and have extremely competitive pricing. I would suggest taking a look at a few and deciding which features are most important to you. As an example, if you really want Airplay, that would remove Onkyo from consideration. 

As far as speakers, Harry hit it right on the head - speakers are a very subjective area. What one person likes, another does not. If you have the ability, I highly recommend listening to as many as you can to get an idea of what sounds best for you.

For example, when I was searching, I auditioned the Klipsch Reference speakers. I found them to have a soundstage that was just too forward for me, so as I was reading reviews of other speakers, if there were several references to them sounding forward, I passed on them.

SVS is a great choice - I personally have 2 PB-13 Ultras.  There are many great subs in this range, so if you would like, take a look through some of the subwoofer reviews here at HTS - they provide quite a bit of data on what each can handle, build quiality, etc.


----------



## jgourlie (Jun 16, 2012)

zieglj01 said:


> I would aim higher, than the Energy or Klipsch.


Ouch....I almost feel like my feelings should be hurt....I am going to disagree and say Energy is a great choice!!


----------



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

^^^ Definitely easy to have the ego take a hit on here ^^^

I think Energy makes nice speakers, also. You should be stoked about yours! ;-) 

I, however, would hesitate to give a big thumbs up for the Energy Take Classics (which I think the OP was referring to...). I had them in my house for about 3 days once. Didn't like them... they just felt... lifeless and flat.


----------



## jgourlie (Jun 16, 2012)

27dnast said:


> ^^^ Definitely easy to have the ego take a hit on here ^^^
> 
> I think Energy makes nice speakers, also. You should be stoked about yours! ;-)
> 
> I, however, would hesitate to give a big thumbs up for the Energy Take Classics (which I think the OP was referring to...). I had them in my house for about 3 days once. Didn't like them... they just felt... lifeless and flat.


My feelings weren't hurt at all it's just fun to have an differing opinions. 

I have to agree about the Classic's...I started out with the Take Classic's in my condo and outgrew them once I got into a house...but they are a great speaker, not so good in a big room though.


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

jgourlie said:


> My feelings weren't hurt at all it's just fun to have an differing opinions.


No problem - fun is fun!
However, I believe the Takes are over-rated > however, a lot of
people do like them.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

The budget is an interesting question haha I keep raising it little by little. I want a good receiver that i will have for years and the possibility to upgrade speakers and the sub so i definately want to spend a few dollars here. The speakers im looking for something decent so i appreciate being steered away from inferior quality speakers. I am limited on my center channel height as it sits below the tv and theres limited room before the tv hits the ceiling. That all being said probably somewhere between 1500-2000 for the total package hopefully on the lower side i was only hoping to spend 1000 but have since increased it to the 1500 area. 

Thanks again for the advice.
Brad


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

coaks6 said:


> I am limited on my center channel height as it sits below the tv and theres limited room before the tv hits the ceiling. That all being said probably somewhere between 1500-2000 for the total package hopefully on the lower side i was only hoping to spend 1000 but have since increased it to the 1500 area.


How much center channel space, do you really have?


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

At the most it can be 5" tall and thats gonna be pushing it im looking for something shorter. Width and depth isnt too much of an issue, but id rather keep the depth on the smaller side if possible.


----------



## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

edited


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

The Hsu reasearch speakers look pretty good id be able to get all but the center channel, how are their subwoofers compared to SVS better? worse? I was just looking at their black friday deals might pull the trigger tonight on them.


----------



## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Honestly, both are really good subs. I do not think you would be disappointed with either.

As far as the CC, is there any possibility of building a stand for the TV to sit on where the CC could go underneath? JBrax did one a while back that looks really nice as his Klipsch Reference CC would not fit.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

the tv sits above a mantel and there is only so much room before the top of the tv hits the ceiling so im kinda stuck there so far i heard bic makes a good speaker on here so i found this not sure if anyone has thoughts on it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882007039


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

coaks6 said:


> the tv sits above a mantel and there is only so much room before the top of the tv hits the ceiling so im kinda stuck there so far i heard bic makes a good speaker on here so i found this not sure if anyone has thoughts on it.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882007039


I would not mix-up the front channels - and not with that Bic.

This is another option to look at - and they do make nice speakers.
You can use the HTD Level Two speakers, and mate them with the
Flat Panel L/C/R speaker for your center channel (5 inches high)

Home Theater Direct
http://www.htd.com/Products/level-two-speakers/Level-TWO-Bookshelf-Speakers

http://www.htd.com/Products/flat-panel-speakers/flat-panel-speaker


----------



## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

For $1300 ( use tv15 coupon code) could get something like:
http://www.sounddistributors.com/bu...id=820&crid=305&cat_name=HOME+THEATER+BUNDLES

Can you post a pic of the TV/fireplace?


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

This is a picture of how the tv is set right now i will have to move it up though to fit a 5" center channel. Would you ditch the idea of the Hsu speakers then and just get all HTD speakers? Thinking of still getting Hsu sub though. I also want to keep the two fronts and backs somewhat small i should have mentioned that earlier so the Klipsch Reference bundle is out of the question right now.


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

coaks6 said:


> This is a picture of how the tv is set right now i will have to move it up though to fit a 5" center channel. Would you ditch the idea of the Hsu speakers then and just get all HTD speakers? Thinking of still getting Hsu sub though. I also want to keep the two fronts and backs somewhat small i should have mentioned that earlier so the Klipsch Reference bundle is out of the question right now.


I would still get an HSU sub - however, I still would not mix-up the front channels,
HSU and another brand center, will not timbre (voice) match - this is important for
the front 3 channels.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

i think ill get the Hsu sub tonight im gonna either get the vtf2 or 3 not sure got a couple hours to decide haha and get HTD speakers as far as the receiver is there many quality differences between say a $600 denon receiver and a $600 onkyo receiver? Would the $600 get me a receiver that left room to play with bigger speakers in the future or is that still a fairly cheap receiver?


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

coaks6 said:


> i think ill get the Hsu sub tonight im gonna either get the vtf2 or 3 not sure got a couple hours to decide haha and get HTD speakers as far as the receiver is there many quality differences between say a $600 denon receiver and a $600 onkyo receiver? Would the $600 get me a receiver that left room to play with bigger speakers in the future or is that still a fairly cheap receiver?


A good Denon, Marantz and a good Onkyo receiver, can/will handle a lot of speakers > A good
way to go, is to buy a refurbish one from AC4L - they are a good company. I will not get in the
middle of a receiver debate. While I prefer Denon or Marantz, a lot of people are happy with the
Onkyo receivers. Also Pioneer has stepped it up, with some of their receivers.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

just bought the vt3 so check that off the list


----------



## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

I always try to save money on the AVR and funnel it to the speakers.
Since you need to stay small these nice.


http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Technology-ProCenter-Compact-Speaker/dp/B000TDCJHK/ref=pd_sim_e_4

http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Te...ookshelf-Speaker/dp/B000TD6QLK/ref=pd_sim_e_3

Good sub, you will really enjoy it.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

When i say small speakers i just mean i dont want huge floorstanding fronts the only limitation is my 5" maximum height on the center channel, which those definitives meet. I like the price on the HTD speakers these definitives seem pretty expensive are they much nicer than the HTD's?


----------



## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

coaks6 said:


> When i say small speakers i just mean i dont want huge floorstanding fronts the only limitation is my 5" maximum height on the center channel, which those definitives meet. I like the price on the HTD speakers these definitives seem pretty expensive are they much nicer than the HTD's?


I have owned bigger Definitive speakers >> and I know my answer.
HTD makes nice speakers and so does Definitive, The HTD speakers
will not take a back seat, against Definitive Tech.


----------



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

So now that i have ordered the vt3 the sub is all set. I believe im going to get the HTD speakers 2 pairs of the shelf speakers for the front 2 and 2 for the back 2 unless thats not a good idea for the back. 
http://www.htd.com/Products/level-tw...shelf-Speakers

http://www.htd.com/Products/flat-pan...-panel-speaker

Next off is the receivers i dont really think ill need airplay as im not sure im getting another Iphone and i mostly listen to Pandora these are probably the 3 that im looking at.

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...NR809-7.2-Channel-Network-A/V-Receiver/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...NR809-7.2-Channel-Network-A/V-Receiver/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...etwork-A/V-Surround-Receiver-w/AirPlay/1.html

Based of peoples opinions these are the 3 better brands. I am looking for the most bang for my buck obviously and at some point will be taking advantage of the multi zone and adding a couple speakers outside the back of my house. The next thing is power supply/conditioners right now i have a small rocketfish voltage stabilizer that i know wont handle all this stuff im getting. Anyone have suggestions or opinions on the need of these devices. Thirdly I need advice on what types of wire to run for the speakers and for the sub.

Again i appreciate everyones input and advice im stoked to get all this put together and watch Dark Knight Rises as my first experience.

-Brad


----------



## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Of those, I would take the 809 as it has the better video processing as well as a better amplification stage.

I do not run a power supply so I cannot provide much there, but as far as speaker and sub wire, Monoprice is great for bulk. If you are looking to have specific lengths made, check out Ram Electronics.


----------

