# Need advice on equipment I should get for a new HTS ..



## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

Hi guys ... I need help on deciding equipment I need to get for a new Home Theater System for our new house ... We have a basement there which has been specifically designed for watching movies in a cinema-like environment ... There is a large wall which will have both a HDTV, and a slide-down screen on which a projector can throw its image ... I need help with the audio setup for this HTS, as I'm very new to this 

Specifically, I need to finalize on which A/V Receiver to use, along with which speakers to use, etc ... So I'm looking for suggestions on this 'open' question. I know there's other kind of equipment as well such a separators and amplifiers, but I'm not sure if I'll be needing those or not ... I intend to use a PS3 for playing back DVDs and Blu-rays .. Additionally, I'll also have other equipment in the room, such as a Xbox 360, Apple TV, a projector, and maybe a few other TV related devices I can't think of right now ... All these things would need to use the audio setup that I put in this room ..

Currently, my budget for an A/V Receiver is maybe about $1000 ... For speakers, no budget has been currently set, but it will probably be a max of $1000 as well ..

I have currently looked at the Denon AVR-3313CI and the Onkyo TX-NR818, and find them both interesting ..

So any suggestions of any kind will be really helpful !


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Being able to even hear differences between various AVRs is often debated ad-nauseam but there is no debate at all to the fact speakers sound different than one another.
While I really appreciate higher line electronics its not really because I think they sound appreciably better, it is one of those “just because” things.
Bottom line is any mid grade (even low mid grade) AVR will get the job done in fine style. There are differences in AVRs mostly related to features and the type of auto room correction they use and while the fans of any particular technology are quite vocal reality is they all sound good.
Spending extra money on speakers will yield much better bang for the buck than spending it on the AVR.
So with that in mind with a $2k total budget I would structure it so approximately 30% goes to the AVR and the rest on speakers.

I think these are all very nice packages.
Hsu Hybrid 2, 5.1 http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hybrid3pkg.html (I have not heard these, recommended based on user reviews)
Klipsch RB-61 system http://www.sounddistributors.com/bu...rid=692&crid=63&cat_name=Home+Theater+Systems (I have heard these, and in full disclosure I am a Klipsch fan)

This following sustem is highly discounted and is a discontinued line, I have heard it and I think it represents great value at the current pricing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780082
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780078
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780087
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780085

Look for a deal on an AVR with a to the door price of ~$500, there are fans of all the brands.
I have a Pioneer and my brother has a Denon, both of us like each other's AVR.
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538026437
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538972435


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

I just saw this thread, at this price jump on it http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...-3d-ready-v-receiver-279-00-a.html#post547058


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Acessories4less has an awesome deal of the Denon AVR-4311. It is slightly over $1000, but offers Audyssey XT32/SubEQ HT and tons of flexibility. It has also been exceptionally reliable. Here is the link:http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...-Channel-Network-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html
Cheers,
JJ


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## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks chashint for your advice, and everyone else as well !

So I guess I should focus most of my 'audio' budget on speakers and subs, and just get a decent A/V receiver .. I guess this makes sense as the speakers technology really isn't changing, so I guess they need to be good enough to last 10-15 years maybe ..

Here is some information for my overall budget ... I don't want to spend more than $5000 for everything in this room .. This means, I want to get the TV and/or the projector, and the audio stuff, all within $5000 ... There is a possibility that I might not get a TV right away and only get a really good projector for now, which can increase my budget for audio related things ..

Okay, so some questions:

1) Suppose I have $3000 for all audio related stuff, what part of it should I reserve for just the speakers then (excluding the sub) ?
2) Do I need one sub, or two ? What are the pros/cons ?
3) What brands should be on top of my consideration list as far as speakers and subs are concerned ?
4) Apart of the speakers, a sub, an A/V receiver, and the connecting leads, is there anything else I need to buy as far as audio is concerned ?
5) How do Onkyo and Yamaha A/V receivers compare with Denon's ?

I'm also sharing the plan of my home theater room in the basement, in case it helps out in the suggestions ... The main home theater room is 15'x18', but there is an additional space added to the back for additional seating .. This space is 8'x15' ... So altogther, you can imagine the room to be maybe 23'x18', with a 3'x8' section cut out from the back right side ..

Here is a detailed drawing showing my schematics, and where I imagine everything to be: http://i.imgur.com/V9x6L.jpg

Thanks for your help !


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

My target ratio for budget is not going to change regardless of the budget. 
Aproximately 30% (less is better) for the AVR and the rest for speakers.

Overall I still think my original suggestions are solid, there is good value represented there and when you factor the discounted prices on some of those pieces you have to spend lots more money to do better.

It seems crazy but even with a budget increase of 50% you are still looking at the same level of speakers if you go with a high end AVR.
Don't get me wrong, the Denon 4311 is a great AVR and if that is what you want I think you should get it.
I buy plenty of stuff myself just because that is what I want and every time I rationalize getting something less I end up regretting it.


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## yoda13 (Feb 14, 2012)

OP, I would strongly recommend following chashint's advice on how to split your budget (and the gears recommendation for that matter). And if I may go 1 step further, I would take at least 30% or the remaining 70% and choose a sub that won't leave you asking "what if".

cheers


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## tadespr2 (Sep 8, 2012)

ahmadka said:


> Hi guys ... I need help on deciding equipment I need to get for a new Home Theater System for our new house ... We have a basement there which has been specifically designed for watching movies in a cinema-like environment ... There is a large wall which will have both a HDTV, and a slide-down screen on which a projector can throw its image ... I need help with the audio setup for this HTS, as I'm very new to this
> 
> Specifically, I need to finalize on which A/V Receiver to use, along with which speakers to use, etc ... So I'm looking for suggestions on this 'open' question. I know there's other kind of equipment as well such a separators and amplifiers, but I'm not sure if I'll be needing those or not ... I intend to use a PS3 for playing back DVDs and Blu-rays .. Additionally, I'll also have other equipment in the room, such as a Xbox 360, Apple TV, a projector, and maybe a few other TV related devices I can't think of right now ... All these things would need to use the audio setup that I put in this room ..
> 
> ...


Ive been following this issue and waiting for an answer.
I am also confused what to get between a Denon 3313 & an Onkyo 818.
Can anyone suggest which one for this my first time in investing in an expensive AVR.
Thank you .


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

tadespr2 said:


> Ive been following this issue and waiting for an answer.
> I am also confused what to get between a Denon 3313 & an Onkyo 818.
> Can anyone suggest which one for this my first time in investing in an expensive AVR.
> Thank you .


Hello,
The 818 offers Audyssey XT32 which has 32 times the filtering power of MultEQ XT and is fantastic. In addition, the 818 offers the best Video Processing tandem on the market with HQV Vida and Marvell Qdeo. The 818 also offers THX Post Processing.

The Denon offers Apple's Airplay Support, Denon Link, and Denon makes a very reliable AVR. However, I would still go with the 818. 

However, Accessories4less is selling the $2100 AVR-4311CI for $1149 and offers XT32 along with SubEQ HT. SubEQ is not offered on the 818 and is amazing for Subwoofers. The 818 is actually the first XT32 AVR/SSP that is not bundled with SubEQ HT. I would go with the 4311 personally.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tadespr2 (Sep 8, 2012)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> The 818 offers Audyssey XT32 which has 32 times the filtering power of MultEQ XT and is fantastic. In addition, the 818 offers the best Video Processing tandem on the market with HQV Vida and Marvell Qdeo. The 818 also offers THX Post Processing.
> 
> The Denon offers Apple's Airplay Support, Denon Link, and Denon makes a very reliable AVR. However, I would still go with the 818.
> ...


Thank you so much for your advice. Actually i tried getting both ( onkyo 818 & denon 3313 ).
I tried the denon last week and having the onkyo now to try too. 
I could not tell the difference being very new to all of these and the price are about the same.
The people in FRYS were the ones who recommended to me these units to try but i think they don't know much as they were only after the commission. 
I just have a very simple home theater set up but I'm planning to upgrade my system starting with my AVR. I am using BOSE acoustiimas 15 for now with an old avr which is an onkyo tx-sr 602.
I might go with your advice with the denon 4311 rather than the the two choices i had.


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## game514 (Jul 24, 2012)

I'm sort of in the same predicament between those 3 Avrs.

My speakers are different though and I gave a 7.2 setup.

2 Martin Logan motion 12s

4 martin Logan motion 10s 

1 Martin Logan motion c center channel

And 2 Martin Logan dynamo 500 subs


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## informel (Jun 21, 2011)

game514 said:


> I'm sort of in the same predicament between those 3 Avrs.
> 
> My speakers are different though and I gave a 7.2 setup.
> 
> ...


The moderator will probably suggest you start your own tread as it may become very confusing answring 2 guys on the same tread


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## informel (Jun 21, 2011)

yoda13 said:


> OP, I would strongly recommend following chashint's advice on how to split your budget (and the gears recommendation for that matter). And if I may go 1 step further, I would take at least 30% or the remaining 70% and choose a sub that won't leave you asking "what if".
> 
> cheers


Yoda suggestion is excellent, the hardest part to reproduce are the low frequency in movies, some movies have content all the way to 10hz, you will not hear 10hz, but you will feel it.

You will not normally find commercial ( I was going to say none, but I am sure somebody on this forum will find one) sub that are specified down to 10hz, but fortunatly there is what we call "room gain", which give a boost in the low end.

It is better to start with a few good pieces and add to it as the budget permit.
The 2 receivers that you are looking at are excellent, next thing will be 2 main speakers and a sub.
You can even try to connect your Bose speakers :gulp:for now if you do not have the budget for good speakers, but I know those have have strange characteristic; but you may give a try (please do not flame me for this suggestion, I only want him to resist to go and buy everything at once using cheaper stuff) and use Audyssey to balance their misbehavior (do not forget to use Audyssey again when you change your speakers)


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## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

Alright guys, thanks for all the advice ...

Since I'm a little busy with work these days, I can't find time to actually go out and listen to live speaker demos, so I want to use this time to look into A/V receivers a little more, as this only involves internet based research mainly ... I want to ideally come up with 2 or 3 A/V receivers which I'll later choose from, given my available budget after buying speakers, projector, etc ..

So can you guys tell me which features should I look for when searching for A/V receivers ? For example, some people have pointed out that having 'Audyssey DSX' is a big plus .. (Can someone also tell me what is Audyssey DSX ?)

What other features do I need to have as far as A/V receivers are concerned ? One feature I would like to have for example is the ability to remote control the A/V receiver via the internet or a smartphone based remote app ? Another feature I would like is if it can directly play MKVs, AVIs, etc ..

Also, my target price range for A/V receivers is now about $500 ~ $700 MAX ...


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## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

^^^ Guys, I need a little advice here regarding the AV Receivers ...


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Almost all of us are a little busy at work.
Plenty of recommendations have been made with links provided, to the places that usually have the best deals.
Since you are asking about Audyssey it would appear you have ruled out Pioneer and Yamaha so that is a start. 
It is time for you to do a little reseach. 
Google is your best friend "audyssey dsx" first hit http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/audyssey-dsx 
http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/avr-audio 
http://www.audyssey.com/products?installable=All&pid=All&ptype=5 
It is up to you to look for discounts and special deals to maximize the features you can get for your $500 - $700 budget. 
If your phone has the correct app it will control any AVR that uses infared control. 
I think the Harmony One remote control is worth every penny.
Supported formats for MKVs, AVIs, etc .. will be listed in each AVR's feature list.

My favorite places:
http://www.accessories4less.com/ 
http://www.audioadvisor.com/ 
http://www.crutchfield.com/ 
http://www.bestbuy.com/ 
http://www.electronics-expo.com/ 
http://www.frys.com/ 
http://www.jr.com/ 
http://beta.onecall.com/ 
http://www.sounddistributors.com/index.asp 
http://www.vanns.com/shop/index.jsp 
http://star-power.com/ 
http://www.edkellum.com/ 
http://www.modia.com/


http://usa.denon.com/us/pages/home.aspx 
http://www.harmankardon.com/en-US/Pages/home.aspx 
http://www.integrahometheater.com/ 
http://www.onkyousa.com/ 
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/ 
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/?adid=hometheater


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