2.1 or 3.1 component music system under 25K

hi everybody,

i am a newbie in the HT world and am planning to buy a component music system av receiver+speakers (2.1 or 3.1) which i plan to upgrade to HT over a period of time. my usage is 100% music as of now. i mainly listen to classic rock, hard rock and heavy metal. i wish for a system that gives me rich, warm and tight bass sound without compromise on midrange and high notes.

my total budget for a pair of speakers + receiver is 25K.

can anybody please recommend me:

1. which av receiver to buy (such that it is upgradable to 6.1 HT in future and is also future technologies compatible like HDI, HD... to the extent possible in my budget)

2. which speaker system to buy (i want compact book shelf speakers due to space constraints)?

3. will a sub-woofer be reqd adn can it be included in the package within my budget; if yes which brand?

details about my room:
tyical 10x20 ft bombay flat room.

would really appreciate help. thanks and advance.

vilfy

Vilfy,

A good AV receiver will cost you around 25K. You will have to up your budget and then go for a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (around 11K) speakers. Later on you can add a subwoofer.

I would second Jagat's suggestion and say you can get a good receiver for around 25k. The best option would be the Denon AVR-1507. You can then add a pair of stereo speakers such as Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (around 12k), Mordaunt Short 904i, (also around 12k), Polk Audio Monitor 40 (14k). If you can expand your budget further, try floorstanders like the Wharfedale Diamond 8.4, Mordaunt Short 906i or Jamo S408 under 20k. Good luck.

thanks jagat for your response. today i checked out a couple of HTiBs (Onkyo and Canton) and also some book shelf speakers, stereo amps and av receivers. and what really won my heart was a pair of polk audio monitor 40 bookshelf speakers driven by a marantz pm4001 stereo amp... even the 5+1 speakers of HTiBs could not match the warm, rich sound of the polk+marantz. however after my today's auditioning i have some more doubts and it would be of great great help if someone can answer them:

1. is it better to go for stereo amp or a 5.1 receiver to drive a pair of bookshelf speakers

2. is it true that the sound reproduction thru stereo amp in any one pair of bookshelf speakers is better than that of a 5.1 av receiver in the same speakers? if so why?

3. if an active sub is conected to the amp (at inputs provided on the sub) and a pair of bookshelf speakers are connected to the sub (from outputs on the sub) then the speakers are driven by amp or sub? how?

4. if the power of a pair of bookshelf is 120 W rms per speaker then what rms power stereo amp and av receiver is most suitable to drive the speakers for optimum results? is there any rule that amp power should be "x" of the speaker power? pls explain

5. the system i liked today retailed for speakers 12 k (polk monitor 40) and stereo amp 18 k (marantz pm4001)... are these prices ok? or r they on higher side? also can anyone suggest me an aternative 2.1 combination? where can i find wharfedale's in bombay?

your responses would really be of great help to me. thanks.

vilfy

Hi,
I don't have answers to your questions, but have a question of my own.
Where did you find marantz pm4001? In Bangalore I was offerred that for 24K.

Good luck in building your system
~dichkaun

Check with Absolute Phase in Bangalore. Prithvi may be able to help you. Search this forum for their contact details.