|   Receiver and Speaker Assistance | ChipD1
Nov 5, 2003 10:11 PM | | I am looking to buy my first home entertainment system and am looking for some assistance. I am interested in buying a receiver and speakers, and would like to keep the total price around $2000 - $3000. Please see my questions below
Receiver:
From reading this forum, it appears Yamaha is a popular brand. I would like to buy a solid receiver that will last me a long time. I am willing to spend more money if a receiver is worth it over the cheaper models. Since this is my first system, I want to make it a worthwhile purchase. Any suggestions? Below is a list of misc Yamaha receivers that Ive read about. What are the differences between these receivers? For example, the htr-5540 is considerably cheaper than the rx-v1400. Why would I want one over the other? Htr 5650 vs. 5560? There are some many to choose from and Im not sure where to start. Any information would be helpful.
RX-V2400
RX-V1300
RX-V1400
RX-V740
HTR-5540
HTR-5550
HTR-5560
HTR-5650
RX-V540
RX-V640
RX-V620
Speakers:
With speakers, I have even less of an idea of what to look for. I want speakers that will sound good with music or movies. How much should I expect to pay for a good set of speakers (see above: last a long time, spend more money if necessary, make it a worthwhile purchase)? Any suggestions on brands or specific speaker sets? Once again, any suggestions or misc info would be helpful.
Some sets Ive read about:
Klipsch Reference Package (rf-3,rc-3,rs-3,ksw-12)
Definitive Tech BP2006LT Package
NHT Super Audio System
Paradigm System 3
Polk Audio RM7200 System
Thanks! |
| re: Receiver and Speaker Assistance | midfiman
Nov 6, 2003 11:06 AM | | Most of the choices for recievers you have will last you as long as you want. In MOST cases, people do not buy new recievers because their old one fried or anything like that. It's usually because they want the latest format, more power, more flexibility etc. Reliability is usually not an issue (there are always exceptions).
That being said, anything for Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, H/K as well as others will fit the bill. Just look for a decent amount of power (50 watts per channel or more), flexibility for future upgrade (pre-outs), the latest surround formats (6.1, Dolby Prologic II, etc) and a decent level of user friendliness. |
| re: Receiver and Speaker Assistance | F1
Nov 7, 2003 8:38 AM | | Ok, with your money you can get quite decent receiver that should last long time. Here are some popular models:
Yamaha: 1400/2400
Denon: 2803/3803
Marantz: 6300/7300
Onkyo: 701
Harman Kardon: 525
To make life easier, just flip a coin. All have similar feature and can produce good sound with proper setup. User-friendliness is one of the deciding factors, but sometimes you cannot really predict until you have the receiver in hand. Normally the higher model offer more power and more advance surround processor. Don't worry about 6.1/7.1 surround format. 5.1 format is plenty for most of us.
On a side note, don't spend so much on cables. Thick wire from Home Depot is good enough for speaker cable. Another thing, speaker placement and room treatment can make big sound difference.
Good luck! |
| re: Receiver and Speaker Assistance | gorilla196635
Nov 6, 2003 4:26 PM | | I have a Yamaha RXV995 and Polk RT 16 speakers. Basically you need to do the listening with the music and movies you like and come to your own conclusions. Try doing AB switching with your eyes closed so you are not swayed in any way.
Denon is another good name. I had a Denon before my Yamaha and I thought it was better musically but te Yamaha performed better on movies.
All of the speakers you have written here are good names, whether they sound good is totally up to you. Good luck |
| Room size? | Bryan
Nov 7, 2003 9:13 AM | | As this is an important question. Additionally, are you looking for a 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 setup? Without knowing the intricate details, my suggestion would be:
SVS PB2-Plus subwoofer - $1,249. May be overkill for your room but that is TBD. svsubwoofers.com
Denon AVR-3802 - $648.06. Last years model but still will pack a punch. 6ave.com
Ascend Acoustics system 33-2200 - $1,345 (or thereabouts). Should perform admirably for what you want. Includes 3 CMT-340s and 4 CMT-170s. ascendacoustics.com |
| Oops! | Bryan
Nov 7, 2003 9:21 AM | | Just realized I was over the $3K. You can substitute either the HSU VTF-3 ($850 - may be able to get a discount if you order this with the above Ascend Acoustics system) or SVS PB2-ISD ($949) and be under budget. |
| Room size? | ChipD1
Nov 7, 2003 1:16 PM | | I live in an apartment with a room size of about 17x15. What is the general rule of room size vs. speaker power/output? Also, for now, I'm only interested in 5.1. But the possibility of upgrade in the future is always nice. Thanks for the help! |
| Room size? | Bryan
Nov 12, 2003 8:31 AM | | With just over 2K cubic feet to fill, you can go with a lesser sub, such as the SVS 25-31 PC+ (in case you move plus will put out a lot of output even in the 16Hz range), Adire Audio Dharman, HSU VTF-2 or VTF-3, SVS PB1-ISD, or ACI Force. Mainly the room size will dictate what speakers you will use and how many subs you may need. If you had a very large room, for example, you would want to go with a couple of subs and highly efficient speakers. |
| |
