# setting up from scratch: what to look for?



## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

well, its time to really set up my home theater. i have a few days off and a few bucks to spare for mounting hardware. im going to use my current setup and replace each component one by one until i have what im looking for. currently, this is the setup im running with:

reciever - sony STR-K840P
front speakers - sony SS-MB215
center channel - sony SS-CN550H
rear speakers - SS-b1000
Subwoofer - Boston acoustics PV800

i figure i will probably replace the front speakers first , since one of the midrange cones managed to get slightly pressed in and i have no clue how to pull it back out without damaging it. the center sounds pretty good and the rears sound good as well. im not looking for something overly expensive, but i know sonys are not even entry level for a real home theater.

my setup will of course be in my living room, which measures 15.7' x 14'. ive been looking at other articles about hiding my wire behind the base board. problem is, ive never removed a baseboard before (but im pretty handy with woodworking tools) and was looking for pointers on what kind of stuff ill need to repair the drywall along the bottom that im eventually going to remove to tuck in my wires.

so the first question is, what tools / materials will i need to remove and repair the baseboard/drywall once its removed and my wires are tucked in behind it?

second question is, which speakers in my setup need to be replaced?

third question is, how does my AV receiver rate in regards to whats available today?

many thanks for your answers, please ask any questions you have for me!


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Budget?
What are your sources (HTPC, Blu-ray, Cable Box)?
Are you using HDMI with your TV?


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

eugovector said:


> Budget?


money really isnt an issue, but i dont want to go crazy. i dont need a 'professional' setup, more something 'entry level' so to speak.

i stupidly sold some bose 301 series III speakers i aquired for 10$ each (20$ total) which sounded way better than what i have now 

sources:

HDMI dvd player
Direc TV box connected VIA svideo
Nintendo wii connected with r/g/b (component)


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Entry level, by my definition, would be $500 worth of speakers, and $400 worth of AVR for a total of $900. Would this match your definition?


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

eugovector said:


> Entry level, by my definition, would be $500 worth of speakers, and $400 worth of AVR for a total of $900. Would this match your definition?


that sounds about right, but i would opt for holding out for a good AVR for a cheap price. by 500$, youre not including a sub, are you? im pretty fond of the boston i picked up and really dont want to sell it, even though i could make a pretty penny if i did resell it.

until i get better speakers, am i better off running in stereo+sub or 5.1?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

No, your sub should be fine. If you've been listening to 5.1 these years, I'd try to keep it otherwise you may be disappointed.

Current budget darlings are the Behringer 2030 and Infinity Primus series. You should be able to complete a set of either for $100 per speaker. Behringers are $150 a pair, you'll need 3 pair with one speaker going into storage. Infinity Primus can be found from the HK reseller on ebay, refurbed, for a great price.

For an AVR, Onkyo from shoponkyo.com and accessories4less.com tend to be popular, and you can also check the shack store: http://www.hometheatershack.com/hometheaterstores/electronics-retailer/

If you keep your eyes open, you should be able to find a 600 series for $400-500, maybe even a 700 series if you're patient.


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

so, the only thing worth keeping out of my setup is the sub, or would you replace that also?

-edit-

your link came back up to this thread, like a redirect or something.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

If you were on more of a budget, you could keep your surrounds also, but if you're not, you might as well get a matching system all the way around. Now, if you wanted to increase the budget for your fronts, I'm a fan of Aperion, JBL Studio, and Paradigm, and others are fond of SVS, Ascend, and PSB. Plan on $150-200 per speaker for the next step up in quality.

The problem is that most of what is easy to listen to in person and available at Best Buy, Fry's, etc. is, generally speaking, not a good value compared to internet and more exclusive brands that are harder to come by in person.


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

eugovector said:


> If you were on more of a budget, you could keep your surrounds also, but if you're not, you might as well get a matching system all the way around. Now, if you wanted to increase the budget for your fronts, I'm a fan of Aperion, JBL Studio, and Paradigm, and others are fond of SVS, Ascend, and PSB. Plan on $150-200 per speaker for the next step up in quality.
> 
> The problem is that most of what is easy to listen to in person and available at Best Buy, Fry's, etc. is, generally speaking, not a good value compared to internet and more exclusive brands that are harder to come by in person.


what about audiofile, not audiophile the white van junk speakers? there was a pair at the 'shop where i got my sub from for a *really* decent price. ive read reviews about audiofiles (real ones) and they were pretty good.

not sure on the model #, theyre towers about 3ish feet tall, dual 6 1/2" woofers, a midrange and a tweeter. the woofers were a beige colour.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

I can't find a legit speaker company called "Audiofile" so I think those are white van. Where did you see them? Can you link the reviews in question? Are they from knowledgeable reviewers, or just duped customers?

Either way, it sounds dicey, and I'd stay away.


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

me either anymore. not sure what i googled, but it seems that theyre all white van junk.

anywho.

a few updates:

the midrange in my bigger sonys has bit the dust, which explains why i could hear more out of the left than right. as such, ive moved my bookshelf rears to the front and disconnected my center and am running in stereo now.

they dont have near the bass my taller bookshelf sonys did, so i was wondering how high i should set my sub (what hz) to compensate for their lack of bass?


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

nerk said:


> me either anymore. not sure what i googled, but it seems that theyre all white van junk.
> 
> anywho.
> 
> ...


 Recent receivers will auto calibrate for you and set the crossover. The rated FR of those surrounds is beyond dicey (80-50kHz). No indication if that`s +/- 9db or +/- 3db or 2db etc. 

For all we know your ideal crossover might be 160hz. If we ASSUME the +/- 3db point is in fact 80hz, You could try 90hz and see if that's decent, though, by my (purely random) guess, i'd wager on 110hz being the ideal crossover point.

Before you get new fronts (which, mind you, i think is probably important) I think you should look into a new receiver. For starters I think they'll improve your sound quality.

My reccomendation?

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...lby-TrueHD-PLIIz/dts-HD-MA-AV-Receiver/1.html

Next you should spend on some decent entry-level towers and a matching center. While decent bookshelves aren't a bad choice and possibly better bang-for-buck, you should make sure you've got stands that can hold them. The receiver I suggested can handle up to a 6 ohm nominal load rather well (even a 4 ohm load although it's not recommended). Now for speakers, I know that i may be getting well out of your budget, but I can't help but resist recommending this amazing clearance deal:

http://www.emptek.com/special_f300t_e10s.php

As long as you're okay with that rosewood finish (which IMO is beautiful anyways)...for 800 dollars, you're getting an MSRP worth of 1700 dollars. But also on that note, keep in mind that the towers in that package alone used to retail for around 900 dollars, and were regularily compared to 2000 dollar towers in terms of value. So your 800 dollar system could possibly be on the level of some people's 4000 dollar systems.

Yes, I know they're throwing in a sub. Sorry. Yeah, I realize we're now sitting at 1200-1300 dollar budget instead of 900. Sorry. If you bite on both, you won't be sorry.


Your other questions:



> so the first question is, what tools / materials will i need to remove and repair the baseboard/drywall once its removed and my wires are tucked in behind it?


Quite literally, all you need is a hammer and a few nails. I've removed baseboards so many times... hell i used to pry them out with screwdrivers when i was like 8 years old and i'd get yelled at by my parents for leaving baseboards lying around in the kitchen (...yeah...)



> second question is, which speakers in my setup need to be replaced?


Need? I don't know, that's your call on how much of an improvement you desire. I do think the stuff I posted would blow you away, though



> third question is, how does my AV receiver rate in regards to whats available today?


What's available today is *significantly* better. I've never trusted sony's power ratings first of all, so I'd wager that's more like a 60w receiver than a 100 watt receiver. More importantly, my experience with sony receivers is that they muddle up the audio quality. You'd actually be surprised how much better your speakers are "supposed" to sound compared to how they actually sound. 

Next, that's a receiver from 2002. Modern receivers will have

- auto calibration and room correction filters
- video scaling
- anywhere from 7.1 to 11.4 outputs
- HDMI inputs and outputs
- decoding of many newer codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master - these sound amazing
- great surround processing modes
- advanted GUIs for setup.

Really, like I said, the best place to start would be a new receiver.


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## nerk (Sep 3, 2010)

GranteedEV said:


> Recent receivers will auto calibrate for you and set the crossover. The rated FR of those surrounds is beyond dicey (80-50kHz). No indication if that`s +/- 9db or +/- 3db or 2db etc.
> 
> For all we know your ideal crossover might be 160hz. If we ASSUME the +/- 3db point is in fact 80hz, You could try 90hz and see if that's decent, though, by my (purely random) guess, i'd wager on 110hz being the ideal crossover point.
> 
> ...


im probably going to end up waiting til tax season comes around before i upgrade anything honestly. im gonna try and sell the half-working bookshelves if i can, then piece out the rest once i get a healthy influx of cash.

for now, im trying to make the best out of a situation 

ps - nothing wrong with running 2 subs, no? i know my pv800 is the best part of my system, but i really dont wanna replace it if i can help it.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

I edited my post before you could read the entire thing..anyways..



nerk said:


> ps - nothing wrong with running 2 subs, no? i know my pv800 is the best part of my system, but i really dont wanna replace it if i can help it.


Nothing's wrong with 2 subs on the condition that whichever one has the less low frequency response has a high pass filter so that the one with the lower frequency response can produce lower. IE

Sub A is rated 25hz to 200hz
Sub B is rated 20hz to 150hz

if your crossover is at the ideal point of 80hz, then what you want is for sub B to receive the signal right down to 20hz. But if your receiver is sending a 20hz signal to Sub A, you just need to make sure that subwoofer's got a high pass filter built in (which AFAIK it should).

Now on that note, 2 subs is actually better than one. It smooths out frequency response in-room...read this articlue

http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/get-good-bass/two-subs


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