Need help with building a HT system

Thanks Venkat for such a detailed and clear response. Surely found it helpful. Thanks to all the others as well.

I am going through with a number of auditions and getting to know something new each time. The latest is that, I am moving away from sub/ sat and considering FS included combinations. Though I was willing to go with some of the best sub/sat like the KEF 3005SE or the B & W MT 20, they were not up to the mark with simple 2.1 stereo music. They were brilliant for movies, but sounded very OK for music.

In the FS systems, for the Front L & R, I am now considering B & W 684, KEF IQ5 and Jamo C60. I heard the Wharfdale 9.5, but felt that it lacked refinement. Any other I should add to the list? Just as an update, I am more or less decided on the Onkyo 705 as the AVR.

Thanks for all your comments

where did u checked out the brands
@the shop or ataria mall...

do let me know

B & W at A2V (Audio vision), Juhu, dynamix Mall
Wharfdale at Alliance Electronics (Near The Shop)
KEF at Atria Mall, Pro FX

Though I went to 'The Shop' in Andheri W, the experience was quite bad. The so-called owner put me on to a demo guy who spoke in mono sylables. He harldy opened his mouth and I had to figure things out myself. Also, he quoted a cost for a speaker package and then quoted a much lower figure even before I left. Just got a feeling that I should aviod that shop as it seemed to lack ethics and basic customer orientation. But, that was just my experience

hey i had a similar expereince in the Shop at andheri......when u ask the Questions, u will get the reply...knowledge wise a big zero.........funny guys out there......



just wanted to know the cost coming to:
B & W (Rs. )at A2V (Audio vision), Juhu, dynamix Mall
Wharfdale (Rs. )at Alliance Electronics (Near The Shop)
KEF (Rs. )at Atria Mall, Pro FX

----------------
which LCD TV and DVD player u have????

I don't have the exact cost info as I am just turning directions towards FS and have been looking more closely at sub/ sat so far. However, as far as I know,

B & W 684 series would cost about Rs 1.75 lakhs for the 5.1
KEF IQ 5 would cost about Rs 1.25 lakhs
Jamo 607 would cost about Rs 1.1lakhs
Wharfdale 9.5 was about Rs 85K

Like I said, I did not document them exactly, but to the extent my memory goes. Would have info on better shops/ prices? Thanks

After a few weeks of auditions and running around, I have purchased the Samsung 5 series 46 inch and Onkyo 705, which are yet to be installed. I am still to make a choice on the speakers. The options are

a) Wharfdale 9.5/9.1 as fronts (based on checking both and figuring what suits my room best), 9cs, 9DFS and SW150 for the sub

b) Tannoy Mercury Custom F4/F1 for the front, Tannoy Center, and Wharfdale 9DFS for the surround and Wharfdale SW150 for the sub - The dealer says that the Fsurround of Tannoy won't sound as good as the 9DFS and that it is not a problem mixing and matching the surrounds. Same reason goes with the sub, except that he does not have the Tannoy Sub.

My listening area is just 100 sq ft (10 by 10, though the area of the room is about 250 sqft) and I will sitting about 6 feet from the fronts. Also, the surround speakers are going to be parallel to my listening area as the back of the sofa is stuck to the wall. Also, I will be using it 60% of the time for movies and 40% for music.

I am confused from the auditions and following is my take.

a) The Tannoy's F4 sounded a bit brighter, but was pacier and seemed to have a bit more detail. It looked much better. The dealer said that it was a brand new piece and it will get about 30% better over time

b) The Wharfdale sounded more melodius and also seemed to have more bass. The movie experience also seemed to sound better

The Tannoys' work out to about Rs 77K while the Wharfdale comes to about Rs 60K. Both are within my budget.

The dealer has quite convinced me logically that the Tannoys are a better choice.

Can you please comment on

a) Which way to go?
b) Is mixing the brands for surround and sub going to be a problem?
c) Would Tanooy's get better over time and be able to delive better bass?
d) In case I want to upgrade in future to better speakers, which brand would be scalable?
e)In either brand, should I go for the book shelves or the floor standers? I love the way the 9.1s look when stand mounted.

Request the forum's views asap as I am hoping to close this out by the weekend, make a purchase and start enjoying it. thanks

refer to:
http://www.hifivision.com/surround-a...t-s5100-2.html
(abbey4u: Hello with a basic review of Onkyo HT-S5100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi to all audio/video enthusiast. I joined this forum in search of information for Home theatre system and this proved good for me.

Last week i bought the HTS 5100. My requirement was a good value for money home theater system and the HTS 5100 came by. I am not an audio enthusiast so I can't give a detailed review but overall I liked the system. It has three HDMI input (passthough) which serves the connectivity. I installed it in my drawing room and has to hook the speakers at a height of 8 ft, which is not recommended but since I had no option left I had to do that.

It sounds good both for music and movie. when compared to denon ( had 5.1 setup with Jamo speakers) at the time of demo, i found this better for movies and denon was better for music.

overall i am satisfied with my decision. one point i forgot to mention th ipod dock which is good to have feature as you can control your ipod with remote)
================================================== ========

HI, anand,

what was the price you got onkyo 705 for.

Thanks.

Rs 42K at 'The Shop' Andheri

Congratulations Anand!

My suggestion would be to go with the Diamonds package. The Tannoys mentioned are really good and from a HiFi point of view, the F1 might outperform the 9.1 – so musicality is there by default. But since this is mainly for the HT purposes, the Diamonds sounded better IME. Plus, on a very personal note, the Tannoys lack big when it comes to looks - the curvy Diamonds definitely looks classy to my eyes!

Mixing and matching is not really advisable due to various reasons, but if you don’t really have any other choice, then yes.

I'm not a huge believer of break-in, never really waited counting days or hours for that matter for my speakers to sound better. May be because its a very gradual process and I never happend to notice it. Anyways, lot of people believe in that concept and if they are right, then may be the tannoys might "open" up and give you more bass.

You can upgrade with in the same brands with the Evos or the Signatures. Or step up to MA RS range or the Dali Ikons etc.

If you have the space, go for the floor-standers – especially for the movie purposes am sure it will give you much more weight and scale to the sound. Otherwise, stick with the bookshelves.

Happy auditioning!