# Dedicated Home Theater room speaker recommendations please



## shayne54 (Jun 20, 2014)

Hello everyone, I am in the process of building my own dedicated home theater room. I am looking for some advice on speakers. The room is going to be 23 x 13 x 8 once completed. I am building it out correctly (fairly good soundproofing/acoustics/etc.). I am wanting do to 7.1 or 7.2. My Budget for speakers & subwoofers is $7000.

For my receiver I have the Denon AVR-4520CI. My plan is to run that at first, but if I am lacking power I will spring for a dedicated 5 or 7 channel amp.

The fronts will be behind an acoustically transparent screen wall.

I do not have a lot of experience listening to speaker brands. I did hear some B&W CT7.3s this weekend that I thought sounded great, but I am not completely sold.

Thanks for any input.


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## gazoink (Apr 17, 2013)

How about a THX Select system? The room is a good size for that, and you won't need more power if you stay with Utra2 speakers. All time favorites here are M&K S150mkII for the LCR, S-150t tripole surrounds, but that would kill your budget, so take a look at the LCR 950s, SUR-95T tripole surrounds. You won't have enough budget left after 7 channels to do a pair of M&K subs, but you can still do a pair of subs from other manufacturers. 

M&K's site doesn't show pricing but these guys do.


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

You're definitely going to want at least one subwoofer (preferably 2). I settled on Rythmik 15". I use and recommend Ascend Acoustics (who also sell Rythmik's). I went with Sierra 2's in the front ( they also offer a Sierra tower) with Horizon center. For the rears I chose Axiom Quadrapoles. I would also look at Golden Ear, SVS, and if you like smooth, mellow laid-back sound, Warfdale. 
It would be wise to invest in some room treatment also. I would recommend GIK acoustics, and they offer a free room analysis and about the most reasonable prices of the major players.
Hope this is helpful, and please keep us updated as your theater progresses..


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## shayne54 (Jun 20, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions. Do dealers usually give a discount when you purchase a complete speaker system off of them?


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## davidjschenk (Jan 30, 2011)

Good ones do. The mark-ups on audio are huge compared to video.

Yours,

David


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## gazoink (Apr 17, 2013)

shayne54 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. Do dealers usually give a discount when you purchase a complete speaker system off of them?





davidjschenk said:


> Good ones do. The mark-ups on audio are huge compared to video.


It depends on a few things. Margins are higher on some audio components, but not all. To say the margins are higher on audio than video is true, but then TVs are sold practically at a loss, there's literally no margin left on them at all, which is why you get pitched on $75 HDMI cables. But there's more room to wiggle on some audio gear than others.

I always discount, for any purchase over $100. Complete systems with installation can be discounted even more, but there's no reason not to provide every customer with prices they can feel good about.

Then there's Amazon...the bane of every AV dealer. You MAY get a better price, you MAY not have a valid warranty, and you sure won't have any support.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

$7000 is a very nice budget for a surround sound set up. 

1) Call Sonnie @ SVS about a set of Ultras, he will calculate your sub needs.

Sonnie Parker
Customer Service Associate
SVSound
http://www.svsound.com/
http://www.svsound.com/support/customer-service

2) Call Jon about an Arx system or Craig about a Theater 10 system @ Chane Music & Cinema. Craig will help you with SW selection. Very good bang/$.

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/
http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/index.php?route=information/contact

They both let you return them if not satisfied, so you can hear them in your room...which is critical. I think you'll be satisfied either route.


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## PlanetZoom (Jul 15, 2013)

You're off to a great start in terms of budget and AVR. 

As far as picking speakers, here are some ideas.

1. Let your ears be the main judge of that. In other words, go with what sounds good to you. 

2. Take your time to figure out number 1. Audition many different speakers. Keep in mind that the acoustics at the store are likely to be different than the acoustics at your house. 

3. Bring your own music for the audition. Bring music you are familiar with and use the same music for testing. [Personally, I like to bring a few samples from different genres -- typically one from each of classical, jazz, hard rock and pop.] 

4. When auditioning, choose (or ask the salesperson to use) a receiver that is the best match for yours. For example, avoid vacuum tubes since you won't be using that yourself.

5. While a good sub is important, arguably the most important speaker in a home theater setup for watching movies is the center. In order of importance (i.e. allocating your listening time and budget), I would place the center and fronts as the most important speakers, then the sub, then the rest. 

6. I would make sure that at least the center and fronts are the same brand, and, further, probably in the same series or family of speakers. 

7. If the seller provides you ability to audition speakers at home, that is a bonus.

Hope that helps.


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