Complete Home Theater Setup

Hi All,

I am planning to set up my home theatre audio setup soon..

Did lots of research in the net and is now very confused
Many of my shortlisted speakers are not available in india.

I am new to this so please help me in this. So far I have come down to this:
My budget is below 50 k (but can change )

A/V Receiver:
1) Pioneer Elite Series
or
2) Onkyo TX-SR674 (has got great reviews from cnet)

Sub woofer:

1) Any 200W+ with amplifier from Yamaha
or
2) JBL Northridge E Series E250P

Speakers:

This is where I have no idea what should I buy...after the receiver and sub woofer i wont have much money left so i need a budget speaker set up with 100W+ power ( I need a 5 speaker set)

1) Onkyo SKS-HT530
OR
2) I dont know

I also liked athena TECHNOLOGIES speakers but dont know if they are available in india..

Also any other good brands are most welcome...also if you could provide me where can I get one in bangalore it will be great

Thanks a lot
Deepak

You may have to relook at your budget - the Pioneer Elite and Onkyo 674 receivers will eat up your budget easily. A decent sub will set you back at least 15k. A 5 pc speaker package from Jamo (S406 package) or Wharfedale (9HCP) costs at least 30k rs.

How big is the room where you'll set up your HT? Athena speakers are distributed in India by Sound Advice located in Mumbai (tel # 23800555). They have a showroom in Inorbit Mall.

CR

hmm..my room is not big...the mater is that a separate room is on its way for my home theatre...(5 x 5 m.may be)

I believe my receiver will set be back by 30k
and sub woofer 15 k

then again if spend 30 k for speakers mmm .. total 75k is little over budget..

and how about the Onkyo SKS-HT530, it comes with a 230 W amplified sub woofer..will that be powerful..in that case i can save some cash for my speakers and may be ill buy a better sub woofer next year

ill also have to checkout Jamo (S406 package) or Wharfedale (9HCP)
any bangalore branches where i can go for a demo...

ill push my budget to 60 k lol

Also any idea about Pioneer VSX-1016TXV...seems like its good one for a lesser price than that of Elite

I have had no experience with Pioneer receivers.

Entry level A/V receivers of Onkyo (TX-SR 504), Denon (1507 not sure about the model #), Marantz (SR4600), and Yamaha (357 or 457) will set you back anywhere between 17-25K with bill and warranty here in India. Last time I checked the Onkyo TX-SR674 costs more than 34k.

If you’re setting up a system more for video Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha receivers will be where I’d go. If it’s going to be more for music I’d look to Marantz for a receiver.

A 5mx5m room is quite large. You’d need decent bookshelf speakers for the front and surround channels…if you can afford it a pair of floorstanders for the front channels will be great. The front and center speakers should be from the same manufacturer to ensure proper timbre matching.

Stay away from sub-satellite speaker (especially the really small ones) combinations (HTIBs) for HT set ups if you can. In my experience Satellite speakers because of their size leave your system with a lot of frequency gaps.

I’d recommend you audition the ff. combinations:

AV Receiver – Onkyo 504, Denon 1507, or Marantz 4600
Speakers
a. Jamo S406 package (you’d need to buy a sub separately)
b. Wharfedale 9.1’s for the front, a pair of 9.0’s for surround, 9CC for the center channel, and the SW150 sub
c. Wharfedale 9 HCP 5.1 package
d. Athena’s Point 5 system – S.5 small bookshelfs for the front and surround channels and the C.5 for the center
e. Mordaunt-Short Avant 5.1 system

Search the web for reviews on these speaker packages. You can also check their websites for dealers in Bangalore.

At the end of the day keep in mind that you and your ears alone should decide which system to buy.

Happy hunting!

CR

Thanks mate...that was indeed helpful. I know for many other visitors to this thread as well.

Ill do a bit more research and will go for detailed demo for each of them...

looks like Wharfedale speakers are really good.. i never considered them..should hear them . hmm

and i love the idea of floor standing speakers..thanks for that

and my room would be 3x3...you know its under construction only..plans plans...

Glad to be of help. We were all newbies to this passion of ours in the past.

So room size is 3mx3m and not 5mx5m as you stated in an earlier post. What's the ceiling height? Assume it’s also 3m. You have to ensure that the system you'll end up buying matches the room it'll be situated in. If you overdo it (a relatively big system in a smallish room) you'll end up having a boomy sound.

The Wharfedale SW150 will be more than enough for your requirement. I have one in my main HT room (4.5mx4mx2.5m)…its partnered with a pair of Wharfedale 9.5’s up front, a 9CS in the center, and a pair of 9.1’s for surround. A sub is an essential component of any HT set up. Although some people I know first purchased a 5 speaker system and later saved for a decent sub to complete the set up. The sub need not really be from the same manufacturer. A lot of people say that Polk Audio’s PSW 10 sub (10” front firing 100W active sub) is a good VFM (11k rs) addition to a HT set up in a relatively small room. You may want to check this out.

Take your time. Don’t be in a hurry. Research, ask questions, validate recommendations, AUDITION all your options, and then make an informed decision. Believe me half the fun is in deciding which system you’ll finally get!

CR

I edited out my post abot the sw150.. bcos i found out that its enough for me.

So i plan to audition for Wharfedale 9...i think it will suffice my music needs..i am not into much rock or metal. Also Wharfedale has dealers in my hometown. So better support. Also in my list is Mordaunt-Short Avant but i think they are costly.

And I liked the reviews of Marantz 4600..but they have not much power...if i go for a higer Marantz it costs too much..whats the opinion..should i go for

onkyo TX-SR604

http://reviews.cnet.com/Onkyo_TX_SR6...5.html?tag=sub

OR denon AVR 2106

http://reviews.cnet.com/Denon_AVR_21...9.html?tag=sub

OR Yamaha RX V659

http://reviews.cnet.com/Yamaha_RX_V6...-31855319.html

specifications look cool...any thoughts...another thing that haunts me id the fact that audition will br done with different speakers so i ahve to check for user opinions as well.

The Marantz 4600 will drive the Wharfedale 9HCP package with ease. No need to worry about this. In fact the Wharfedale dealer here in Mumbai in fact only recommends the entry level Yamaha (357 or 457 not sure here) AV receiver to drive the 9HCP package.

Besides power output, connectivity of the AV receiver should be looked at before taking the plunge. Are you after HDMI connectivity? Do you want your receiver to have an auto set up feature? Another factor I take a look at is bass management – capability to adjust cross-over points per speaker channel.

The Marantz 4600 is not HDMI capable, does not offer an auto set up feature, and bass management feature is quite limited – only allows you to set one x-over point for all channels -> 80, 100, and 120hz. That said I have the 4600 driving Athena Point 5’s in my second HT set up I am very happy with the 4600 - Athena set up.

The Onkyo 604 on the other hand has HDMI connectivity, automatic set up feature (the Denon 2106 also offers this feature I think), zone 2 capability, and an independent bass management feature -> allows you to set different x-over points per channel (from 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, and 200hz). That said I have the 604 driving the Wharfedales I noted above in my main HT set up

For music I prefer the Marantz over the Onkyo and vice versa for movies. The Marantz to my ears is relatively warmer than the Onkyo. The 604’s key strength based on my experience is delivery of movie soundtracks – timing is admirable. Processing/delivery of soundtracks to the surround channels are also very good in my book.

CR