# I need help choosing a Home Theater System



## Novice (Jun 28, 2012)

I'm not sure where to start. I am a Physics student and am leaning towards either Materials or Sound, but I haven't had a chance to take any classes about sound and haven't the slightest clue what to look for or what anything means.

I just moved into my house. The house was recently remodeled before I bought it, and it appears the previous owner set up the living room for a surround sound system. The room is rectangular, and in the four top corners of the room there are boxes that I assume he placed there so he wouldn't have too much work when he decided to hang speakers. So assuming it is a good idea to have speakers mounted in the upper corners of the room, I won't have to do much remodeling . 

I don't watch television or movies, so there is no problems there. I am, however, an avid fan of music, podcasts, audiobooks, dramatized audiobooks, 3d recordings of landscapes, and audio dramas (like the old time radio before and/or during the early times of television). I listen to music of all qualities from 128 mp3 to .flac (best quality file I know of so far). I don't play video games, but I may decide one day that I want to. Or marry someone who wants to... or have children who want to (assuming I don't upgrade my system by then). So I want a home theater system that would allow me to enjoy these things more than my cheap pair of earphones. 

I started out going to the Bose website and decided I couldn't afford their system. I have since discovered on this forum that either Bose isn't generally liked, or is considered overrated. I really don't know what to look for. I tried reading articles about this. One guy said that you don't want your three primary front speakers on the ceiling unless you mount them to point down, another said you don't want cubed speakers. I am not sure if he meant literal "cubes" or if he was referring generally to all rectangular prisms. 

I don't know. Also, I am not rich. I don't really want to spend a lot of money, but I also want good stuff and am willing to start small and add to it. So I would be willing to spend more on a good receiver and a good pair of speakers/subwoofer(I need Bass), if I can add more speakers to it as time goes on, and I have more money. 

Hope my post wasn't too long, so I'll cut my losses now and stop typing. If any additional info is needed, please ask.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. 

Bose does tend to be 'Better Sound Through Marketing' rather than their real slogan, "Better Sound Through Research" would have you believe. Bose is overrated, as you had heard, and Im glad you decided to ask around first. 

The first gentleman was correct, ideally you want your speakers at ear-level, high mounting can be only slightly corrected with a downward tilt. I myself have a pair of bookshelf speakers high corner mounted and it creates imaging that seems a little too high for the image on the screen. "Imaging" means the sound seems to be coming from the display and not from the speakers themselves, this is the ultimate goal of the front three speakers. A small form-factor, a big appeal of them cube speakers you read about, almost always comes at the cost of performance. Physics teaches us that a small speaker can only produce so many frequencies. Some manufactures have managed to make these small form factor systems, with a powered sub providing additional frequencies, but these package systems are not nearly as good as larger full-sized speakers and a sub. The smaller form-factor systems lack the punch and dynamics of a full-sized system and often do not nearly have the frequency range youll want for a home theater system. A good sub is also critical, you want to start with sub that has a verified (IE tested) meaningful output down to at least 20Hz and accomplished speakers that can faithfully go from 80Hz-20Khz. If you are on a severe budget, and starting from scratch, then yes its not a bad idea to start with a pair speakers, a good sub and a receiver. Speaking of budget, we'll need to know what your specific budget is and the length and width of your room.


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## Novice (Jun 28, 2012)

Firstly, thanks for your reply I appreciate your help.

my living room is about 18' by 12' give or take a few inches from either dimension (the only tape measure I have on hand is 10' long, so there is a margin of error).

the right wall is 18' long and 8' of that (in the front of the room) opens up into a dining room attached on the side. so the entire space is actually L shaped, but I am not really concerned about the sound in the dining area. But that area might affect the sound or something in the living area, so I thought I should mention it in case it affects the type of system I should get.

my budget is, I don't really want to spend more than $1,000 unless I have to. In reality I can always save up for what i need if I need to, or start with a few essential parts of the system and add to it over time. (start with a 2.0 or something and build up to a 5 or 6. Something like that was suggested on another thread). Point is, I would rather save up for, or build up a system that I'll enjoy in the long run and can be proud of, than run off to the store and buy whatever I can afford, or is cheapest at the moment, and then curse myself for being impatient every time I turn it on and/or feel embarrassed when I have company over.

Immediate Gratification is never so gratifying.


OH! and the ceiling is about 8' tall. lol. I can't believe I forgot to measure that.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

According to Ed over at SVS:



> We are launching a new high-end loudspeaker family this fall. Floor standers, center, bookshelf, and bi/di surround.
> 
> Both the S-series and M-series are outstanding speakers and a great value at their normal prices. At these close-out prices - they are the steal of the decade. Get them while the getting is good - because they are moving really fast (in fact we've put a temp hold on the MBS-02 just to build more crossovers because we can't keep up).



The nice thing about catching the end of a product cycle is you can often get much better gear than your budget might otherwise allow.

Heres a Home Theater Review:

http://www.hometheater.com/content/svs-scs-02m-speaker-system


A review by our very own Dr. Doan:

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/speaker-reviews/38793-svsound-mbs-02-speaker-review.html

SVS speakers:

http://www.svsound.com/speakers

Ed reference


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

I would also check out some reviews and sale prices on Emotiva

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2011/12/26/review-emotiva-x-ref-speakers

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/speakers


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## Novice (Jun 28, 2012)

those speakers look nice. Hopefully, I'll those prices will stick around for a little while longer till I can get them. But if the new line comes out and is priced as much as these, $500 more isn't too bad. What about the receiver? Any recommendations for that?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Your getting some great advice from Ty, What do you have for a budget for the receiver? Accessories4less is a great place to look.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

IMO room correction is quickly becoming the sole feature to look for with selecting an AVR, most all other features are equal among receivers in the same general price range. Currently Audyssey MultEQ® XT can be had for $500-$600. The next generation room correction, Audyssey MultEQ® XT32 is available but currently admission will set you back $1000+. There is a wild-card with the Trinnov room correction system, a wildcard as it can only be found in one discontinued receiver, the Sherwood 972. I would imagine Trinnov would give any Audyssey XT system a run for its money in the sound-quality category. However, being an owner, I can tell you that the Trinnov-equipped receiver may be impractical for someone with limited patience and experience and, unless youre hardcore about sound quality, it might be one to pass on as a starter receiver.

I would search reviews for these models, and in this price range, to start... 

Onkyo 809

Marantz 6006

Sherwood 972


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

$1000 gives a couple options on how to start. You had a very wise suggestion on starting with a few pieces and building up a full system over time. I think your room would ultimately benefit from 5.2, so the next question is what would you want the total value of the final 5.2 system to be. Knowing your ultimate goal will help guide you on which direction to go with the first $1000.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

All great advice so far - and, I 2nd Tony's suggestion for A4L. They are an authorized dealer and have very good customer support / service.

One receiver I would add to the list - the Onkyo 709. The biggest reason is that it is almost $200 less right now (unless you can find a great sale on the 809 - Newegg runs fantastic sales on weekends) and has the same version of Audessey as the 809. The biggest difference in the two is the video processing. 

I have seen it said a few times - spend 1/3 of your budget on electronics and the remaining 2/3 on speakers. IMO, that seems to be a good rule of thumb.


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## Novice (Jun 28, 2012)

I'm really not sure how much. I think this is going to cost more than what I thought. So what I'll go ahead and do, is just start saving money. and when I have a good chunk that I am willing to spend, I will come back.

Thanks for all of your help. I'm gonna watch the Onkyo 809 and SVS.


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

Novice said:


> my budget is, I don't really want to spend more than $1,000 unless I have to. In reality I can always save up for what i need if I need to, or start with a few essential parts of the system and add to it over time. (start with a 2.0 or something and build up to a 5 or 6. Something like that was suggested on another thread). Point is, I would rather save up for, or build up a system that I'll enjoy in the long run and can be proud of, than run off to the store and buy whatever I can afford, or is cheapest at the moment, and then curse myself for being impatient every time I turn it on and/or feel embarrassed when I have company over


We can help you decide how to best spend $1000 for a total system, or how to spend $1000 now that will be integrated into a $2000 system when finished, or a $5000 system when finished. Starting at $1000 is great, but the best advice needs an end-goal in mind.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Good find on that 709 Joe, guess I went through A4L a little too fast this morning.

So thats: 

$420 for 1 709 Receiver 
$500 for 4 SCS-02(M)
$100 for 1 SCS-02 
------------------------------------
$1020 and not too shabby for a 5.0 system. 

Add a decent sub, when money permits, and youve got a solid starter-system for around $1500 total.


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## needspeed52 (Aug 2, 2008)

TypeA said:


> Good find on that 709 Joe, guess I went through A4L a little too fast this morning.
> 
> So thats:
> 
> ...


Ty, I don't think he can do better than that, excellent suggestion and kudos to Joe for the 709, not shabby at all.........
Jeff


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

As a full 5.1 set up this Onkyo/PSB/HSU combination would be great for $2000.

You can start with a 2.1 set up for less than $1400:
AVR ($420)
2 main speakers ($439)
1 subwoofer ($519)
(of course you can wait to buy the subwoofer later which would give a 2.0 set up at $860)

*AVR:*
*Onkyo TX-NR709 ($420)* http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...Channel-3-D-Ready-Network-A/V-Receiver/1.html

*SPEAKERS....PSB Image series *:
----*'Image B6 bookshelf'* (3 of these for the Left, Center, Right speakers). To save money you can buy 2 from this site that sells B-stock ($439/pr) (the Image speakers are near the bottom right of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picturepages/psb_bstock.htm .
Then you can buy a single B6 speaker (for the center speaker) from this site ($275/ea) http://www.listenup.com/PSB+IMAGE+B6-p-IMAGEB6-p-.html .
(They do make and sell a special horizontal "center" speaker to go with the Image B6's but these "center" speakers rarely sound the same as the main L&R speakers, so I always suggest buying 3 of the exact same model for the front 3 speakers.)

----*'Image B4 compact bookshelf'* (2 of these for the surround speakers).To save money you can buy these from the site that sells the B-stock ($264/pr) (these B4's are directly under the B6's at the bottom of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picturepages/psb_bstock.htm .

*SUBWOOFER*:
----*HSU VTF-2mk4 ($519)* http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2mk4.html .


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

gdstupak said:


> As a full 5.1 set up this Onkyo/PSB/HSU combination would be great for $2000.
> 
> You can start with a 2.1 set up for less than $1400:
> AVR ($420)
> ...


So many ways to go. Ty gave you your $1000 system, gdstupak has your$2000 system. For the next step up start with this same 2.0 for $860. Add sub $519. Move the B6 to rears and add T5($799) orT6 ($1039) for fronts. Next add C5 center ($320). If you feel that you aren't feeling it yet, $519 for 2nd sub. Top out at $3220, or $2980 with the T5, or $2460 with single sub. All spread over 5 purchases as funds permit.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Phreak, 
excellent suggestion. 
The B6's have very good fidelity and are good enough to use as main speakers. But with your idea, if Novice finds that he wants a little better (and can afford it in the future), he can move the B6's to the rear and get the next step up to use as mains.
Or if he is satisfied with the B6's as the mains, then keep them there and buy the cheaper one's for the rear.

I like that!


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

I often recommend start by finding the towers you want. If you can't afford them, buy the matching bookshelf/monitor size to use as fronts, and swap them to back when you can afford towers.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

I've always been a tower fan myself (current usage is JBL S312), but now that subwoofer sound quality and subwoofer system integration is as good as it is, I don't think having towers is as important as it once was.
If I were to replace or upgrade my mains, now I would probably go with high quality big bookshelf speakers.

If I were building from scratch and couldn't afford a subwoofer for a long time, then I would want to have big towers for the immediate gratification of quality bass.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I would imagine the deal currently on the SVS Speakers is not going to be available for too much longer as they are both fantastic speakers and are on sale at at huge discount. I would also highly recommend PSB Speakers as they are truly excellent. DMC-Electronics has some great deals on them and are an Authorized Dealer. 

If good with a 2.0 rig, Audiogon is a great place to look for used speakers. Something like a pair of Thiel CS 3.5's and a used Acurus Amplifier and Preamp might be close to your budget. The 3.5's retailed for around $3000 in the 1990's and the current replacement retails for around $10,000. 
Here is a Review for the 3.5's:http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/189thielcs35/index.html
Cheers,
JJ


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