# Best 7.2 set up for Onkyo TX-NR709



## Raikugen

I have been wondering lately after reading so many different threads and hearing different recommendations from the helpful people of home theater shack. What is (in your opinion) the best speaker/sub combination using the Onkyo TX-NR709 as the receiver. I noticed a lot of people have the 709 or at least have it recommended it to them by this site. So I thought it would be interesting to hear everyones opinions.


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## nova

Wow,... that's a loaded question. Could go anywhere from Infinity, Polk, Paradigm to JM Labs, Wilson, German Physiks and anything in-between. 

I think I'd recommend 7 Status Acoustics Decimo's and a pair of JL Audio Fathom f212 sub woofers. Um, that is unless you have a budget in mind?


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## Raikugen

Nope sky is the limit, the only requirement is it has to be able to run efficiently on the 709. I am curious of hearing what everyone's opinions are. Also if everyone would try to give a brief explanation as to why they believe their set up is ideal I would appreciate it. I really enjoy learning about speakers, and since this is a hobby I most definitely want to pursue further I would like to know more about the brands you all like.


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## MUCHO

Since you enjoy hearing everyone's opinion I'll tell you that your question makes little sense and here is why.

Define "best". Is the speakers that are most accurate? Is it the speakers that sound the best to you? To your wife? Is it the speakers that look the best?

Ditto the subwoofers.

Other than ruling out a number of speakers that the Onkyo might not be able to drive to reference levels there is too much subjectivity.


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## tonyvdb

If your planning to just use the on board amplifires your going to want to use efficiant speakers like the Klipch RF-82s the matching centre RC 62 and for sorrounds the RS-52 

If you go to anything much larger and less efficient your 709 wont be able to drive them to decent levels without some distortion.
For a sub I really like the SVS PB13Ultra I have one and they out preform just about everything in or near the price. Getting two of them would put a smile on even the toughest critic.


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## Raikugen

MUCHO said:


> Since you enjoy hearing everyone's opinion I'll tell you that your question makes little sense and here is why.
> 
> Define "best". Is the speakers that are most accurate? Is it the speakers that sound the best to you? To your wife? Is it the speakers that look the best?
> 
> Ditto the subwoofers.
> 
> Other than ruling out a number of speakers that the Onkyo might not be able to drive to reference levels there is too much subjectivity.


What I mean by "best" is up to you. I want to hear what speakers everyone here likes the best and why, it doesn't have to be an undisputed fact of life like these speakers are best period and here's why. Just don't look into it too much and just tell me what you would do if money wasn't an issue, but all you had to work with was a Onkyo TX-NR709.


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## Raikugen

tonyvdb said:


> If your planning to just use the on board amplifires your going to want to use efficiant speakers like the Klipch RF-82s the matching centre RC 62 and for sorrounds the RS-52
> 
> If you go to anything much larger and less efficient your 709 wont be able to drive them to decent levels without some distortion.
> For a sub I really like the SVS PB13Ultra I have one and they out preform just about everything in or near the price. Getting two of them would put a smile on even the toughest critic.


I keep hearing mixed things about Klipsch, some people love them and other say they sound too bright and have too little bass. If you were to match a good pair of Klipsch speakers with an amazing sub like the one you listed. Would that balance out the speakers?


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## tonyvdb

Raikugen said:


> If you were to match a good pair of Klipsch speakers with an amazing sub like the one you listed. Would that balance out the speakers?


Oh for sure, that sub has more output than most and even if you ran the crossover at 80Hz would sound fantastic.


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## Raikugen

Interesting, so then given the circumstances without a separate amp Klipsch would be very difficult to beat due to the power efficiency and sound quality. They aren't even too bad price wise either, with the exception of that sub. How would a HSU VTF-2 MK4 Sub (http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk4.html) fair in comparison to the one you listed?


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## tonyvdb

The Mk 4 is a great sub also but the SVS would have a lead on it for sure in over all quality. Someone else may have a different idea.
Personally there are better speakers out there but given the restriction of you wanting to only use the on board amps they would certainly sound great. I dont agree that they would be too bright.


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## phreak

If I was buying $30 speakers, I wouldn't buy something as expensive as a 709. If I was buying $30,000 speakers I wouldn't buy something as cheap as a 709. Onkyo's products are competitively priced and many people would consider the 709 to be near the top end of entry level, so it makes sense to pair it with speakers that are also at the top end of entry level, arguably the pricepoint with the best bang/buck ratio. Paradigm Monitor 11 gets my vote, at least from V3 to V6. I have not heard V7 yet.


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## phreak

Forgot about the other 5.2 in the 7.2 setup. Keeping bang/buck in mind, match the Monitor 11 with CC390 for an impressive front stage. Save some cash on rears and get 2 pair of Pioneers for $99 ea. @ Parts-Express. Put that money into 2 subs from HSU or SVS, or pony up for Paradigm Sub12 or bigger. Or build your own subs, DIY style.


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## JBrax

This thread could really go on forever as all replies are personal opinion. I can tell you that I have a setup pretty similar to the one Tony suggested and am extremely satisfied with it. With Klipsch speakers there doesn't seem to be much middle ground when it comes to opinions. Most either love them or hate them. I am in the love them group and as my setup is mostly for movie watching they really do excel. The most important thing to do with speakers is listen to them yourself and form your own personal opinion. Joe a.k.a. Almfamily has done some pretty extensive research on his quest for speakers and even has a Google document showing many of the more popular speakers out there. You might check that out.


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## JBrax

Raik, did you read Almfamily's Google doc?


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## MUCHO

Raikugen said:


> What I mean by "best" is up to you. I want to hear what speakers everyone here likes the best and why, it doesn't have to be an undisputed fact of life like these speakers are best period and here's why. Just don't look into it too much and just tell me what you would do if money wasn't an issue, but all you had to work with was a Onkyo TX-NR709.


I would get seven SHO-10 monitors from Chase HT, dual SubMersives from Seaton sound and I would pay Mark to dial everything in.

Of course I would expect Mark to make major suggestions on how to improve my room including more or less room treatments/bass traps.

So while it makes little sense to me to spend $3000 on speakers, $4500 on subwoofers, and who knows how much to have Mark Seaton set everything up around my $500 reciever ... I have answered your question.


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## JBrax

MUCHO said:


> I would get seven SHO-10 monitors from Chase HT, dual SubMersives from Seaton sound and I would pay Mark to dial everything in.
> 
> Of course I would expect Mark to make major suggestions on how to improve my room including more or less room treatments/bass traps.
> 
> So while it makes little sense to me to spend $3000 on speakers, $4500 on subwoofers, and who knows how much to have Mark Seaton set everything up around my $500 reciever ... I have answered your question.


There is one of many possible scenarios.


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## Raikugen

JBrax said:


> Raik, did you read Almfamily's Google doc?


Sorry about not responding at all yesterday. I was home visiting my family for a majority of the day and busy getting a power drill so I could lower my center speaker. However, I did look at his google document and I thought it was an awesome tool to check out some other speakers that I haven't heard of. I only wish he gave more specific data on which speakers he liked most while he was auditioning them. Nonetheless, thank you for telling me about his google document and if Almfamily should read this thank you for writing it.


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## Raikugen

MUCHO said:


> I would get seven SHO-10 monitors from Chase HT, dual SubMersives from Seaton sound and I would pay Mark to dial everything in.
> 
> Of course I would expect Mark to make major suggestions on how to improve my room including more or less room treatments/bass traps.
> 
> So while it makes little sense to me to spend $3000 on speakers, $4500 on subwoofers, and who knows how much to have Mark Seaton set everything up around my $500 reciever ... I have answered your question.


Those SHO-10 monitors still look absolutely amazing, and while it may be silly to get such great speakers for a receiver that may not be on the same level. The 709 can still drive them since it can output 110 watts per channel and they call for 100 watts. I still can't believe how expensive subwoofers are in comparison to the rest of the home theater set up. I never would have imagined them being that much more expensive than the speakers.


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## tonyvdb

Raikugen said:


> The 709 can still drive them since it can output 110 watts per channel and they call for 100 watts.


Dont get to caught up in "watts" there are many other factors that you need to look at for speaker choices. such as efficiency The Klipsch are around 92db efficient where the SHO 10s are in around 88db so you need less power to reach decent levels on the Klipsch. The 709 wont output more than 90Watts per channel all channels driven (Very good for a receiver in that price range as most do much less)


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## Raikugen

tonyvdb said:


> Dont get to caught up in "watts" there are many other factors that you need to look at for speaker choices. such as efficiency The Klipsch are around 92db efficient where the SHO 10s are in around 88db so you need less power to reach decent levels on the Klipsch. The 709 wont output more than 90Watts per channel all channels driven (Very good for a receiver in that price range as most do much less)


How does the db sensitivity work? I keep forgetting to ask that. Is it tied to energy efficiency, or does it have something to do with how loud it plays? Also, I thought the specs for the 709 said it played 110 watts per channel. Is there a site that has the actual statistics that I could use in the future for reference?


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## tonyvdb

Put simply (I know many will want to take this and make it sound confusing) The efficiency of a speaker is how much power it will take to drive the speaker to a certain volume level. Some speakers will need lots of power to attain reference levels. You will also see an Ohms rating. A 4ohm speaker will be harder on an amp to drive than a 6 or 8ohm speaker.

Sadly the specifications you see written on the box of most receivers is one or two channels driven using a 1Khz test tone and not realistic at all. A great resource for reviews and bench tests is here


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## 8086

If you are looking for a nice set of affordable speakers, id look at the Paradigm Millenia One System. But, I am wondering what happened to those Pioneer Speakers you bought just a few months ago? How did they turn out, Did they die?



http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ar...gm-milleniaone-speakers-milleniasub-subwoofer


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## Raikugen

8086 said:


> If you are looking for a nice set of affordable speakers, id look at the Paradigm Millenia One System. But, I am wondering what happened to those Pioneer Speakers you bought just a few months ago? How did they turn out, Did they die?
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ar...gm-milleniaone-speakers-milleniasub-subwoofer


No no, they're doing great I wrote a thread about them not too long ago giving my impressions. (http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...95-great-entry-level-home-theater-system.html) I just noticed the Onkyo TX-NR709 is one of the most recommended receivers on this site. So, I was just curious of what the people here would recommend as their optimal speaker package to go along with the receiver. I will most definitely be demoing out all of the speakers recommended here in the future though.


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## 8086

I have taken the time to listen to these speakers and absolutely love them. Bowers and Wilkens can never do any harm. They do make better stuff, but these are good. My next set of speakers might be B&W.

.
http://www.hometheater.com/content/bampw-cm9-speaker-system
http://www.hometheater.com/content/bw-683-surround-speaker-system


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## needspeed52

Raikugen said:


> No no, they're doing great I wrote a thread about them not too long ago giving my impressions. (http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...95-great-entry-level-home-theater-system.html) I just noticed the Onkyo TX-NR709 is one of the most recommended receivers on this site. So, I was just curious of what the people here would recommend as their optimal speaker package to go along with the receiver. I will most definitely be demoing out all of the speakers recommended here in the future though.


Take a look at Ascend Acoustics, the 340's LCR and 170's surrounds, package deals are available. I don't know your budget but this package should be in your ballpark, the 709 will drive these with ease. Remarkable speakers in their price class, I believe you will need to spend a lot more to get the SQ of the Ascends, just my opinion. Customer service is second to none. Hope this helps.
jeff


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## 8086

needspeed52 said:


> Take a look at Ascend Acoustics, the 340's LCR and 170's surrounds, package deals are available. I don't know your budget but this package should be in your ballpark, the 709 will drive these with ease. Remarkable speakers in their price class, I believe you will need to spend a lot more to get the SQ of the Ascends, just my opinion. Customer service is second to none. Hope this helps.
> jeff


I have an older generation ascend speaker. Its quite nice; no argument there. The ascend forums are on fire and almost agree the newer version is the best yet. Probably one of the best bookshelf speakers under $2000, but they only charge $800. The NrT option adds a long awaited improved driver and elecrical package (which I haven't heard). I can only imagine that it's worth it. 

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM1/srm1.html
http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=4526 (these are upgrade instructions for older Sierra 1 owners)


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## needspeed52

8086 said:


> I have an older generation ascend speaker. Its quite nice; no argument there. The forums are on fire and almost agree the newer version is the best yet. Probably one of the best bookshelf speakers under $2000, but they only charge $800. The NrT option adds a long awaited improved driver and elecrical package (which I haven't heard). I can only imagine that it's worth it.
> 
> http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM1/srm1.html
> http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=4526 (these are upgrade instructions for older Sierra 1 owners)


The NRT option adds $300, that's for the Sierra 1's in natural finish the pair, the OP can get the 340SE LCR and 170SE surrounds for about that $ for five speakers and save up for a decent sub, Epik legend, Rumba 12, HSU or Ryhmik in the $500 range.


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## ambesolman

This should be all you need. The satin black is a nice finish (my vtf 3 mk3 has it) but the rosenut (my HB-1s) is really great and highly recommended. Wish my sub had it . A great deal on an incredible package (gigidy).

Hsu research Hybrid 15 pkg

Sorry, still in my first 5 posts so no link


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