5.1 Speaker Setup - Same brand or different?

[kamalgaur]

#4 - 5.1 Speaker Setup - Same brand or different?

I'm told that the first step towards becoming an audiophile is to stay away from HTIBs. Hence, going in for a 5.1 speaker set from a given brand seems to be similar to going in for a HTIB.
Then again, people say that you should not mix speakers from different brands, lest it lead to a term I think was called timbre-whacking.
So what's the right approach, stick to a family, or just look for the best speakers for the role you want them to play, irrespective of brand or family?

My research has currently led me to look at -
AV Receiver - Denon X1200W
Floorstanding - Polk TSx440T
Surround - Elac B6
Center - (not sure yet)
Subwoofer - Polk DSW Pro 660

What do the experienced folks on HiFiVision think of the above selection? Is there anything I'm getting wrong?

 

[efernand1]

Hi

The setup you listed is decent enough and if you are ready to spend, you can go for more higher end stuff...

The key is to audition systems based on your expectations..most of us would have started with HTiBs and moved on to proper systems over the years...experience with them would be different as we all have different tastes...

You can mix and match anything provided the technical aspects are kept in mind...

All the best

 

[sushantsah]

hi what is itemwise costing for your config, as i am also looking for av and 5.1 speakers
and still confused...

i got these price from dealers, which are way higher than online amazon and other...

Option 1
Tannoy Eclipse 3 Series 5 speakers 72000
Sonodyne Roarr 108 1 subwhoof 18900
DENON AVR-X1200W (any best rates ???? recent buy forum member)

Options 2
QACOUSTIC 3000i 5.1 Home Theater Package (99000)
DENON AVR-X1200W (any best rates ???? recent buy forum member)


Also they are asking the following extra money, which i feel is onhigher side
1.) Wall mount price @ 3200/- each pc.
2.) Wiring and Accessories approximate Rs.5,000/-
3.) Installation charges 10% of product value. (my case 15000)
installation outside delhi at dehradun

thanks

 

[kamalgaur]

My budget is 1.5 L

The config below has the MRP of -

54000 - AV Receiver - Denon X1200W
42000 - Floorstanding - Polk TSx440T
33000 - Surround - Elac B6
25000 approx - Center - (not sure yet)
41000 - Subwoofer - Polk DSW Pro 660
195000 - Total

I plan to push for 15% discount at least, which will bring it down to 166K.

I might mix/match change the center/floorstanding to see if I can get a deal close to 150K.

I don't plan to spend anything additional for installation/wiring/etc, and I expect the dealer to set it up for me as part of the deal.

Let's see how the negotiating goes... fingers crossed.

 

[MaSh]

My budget is 1.5 L

The config below has the MRP of -

54000 - AV Receiver - Denon X1200W
42000 - Floorstanding - Polk TSx440T
33000 - Surround - Elac B6
25000 approx - Center - (not sure yet)
41000 - Subwoofer - Polk DSW Pro 660
195000 - Total

I plan to push for 15% discount at least, which will bring it down to 166K.

I might mix/match change the center/floorstanding to see if I can get a deal close to 150K.

I don't plan to spend anything additional for installation/wiring/etc, and I expect the dealer to set it up for me as part of the deal.

Let's see how the negotiating goes... fingers crossed.

To me everything is on the higher side. B6 for sure. I had bought my pair in May for 28k with bill. I believe it is 26k now, availability is a question though. Where did you get a quote of 33k from? BTW why B6 as surrounds? B5 or Polk Rti1 might be a better option I feel.

Have you heard this setup? Do audition before you buy.

MaSh

 

[kamalgaur]

Unfortunately, I haven't heard most of these. I would want to find a dealer who can arrange for me to hear all of these before I buy, but most dealers only have higher-end stuff in their HT rooms that they try to upsell. The other challenge is finding dealers who can arrange for different brands together for one home demo.

You're right about the availability part, and I know of a dealer who has B6 in stock, but can't demo it for me as he has only one sealed pair in stock.

As for why I'm looking at B6 for surround/bookshelves, the research I've done shows a heavy favour to B6 speakers compared to any other speakers out there. The reason why I didn't go for B5 is because B6 is close-by in terms of price, and supposed to be better. I haven't really looked at the RTiA1 though, although the specs show it has a smaller driver (5.25") as compared to the B6 (6.5").

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Polks RTi series is good....go to ProFx and audition the same.....they also rope in the usual 10-15% discount....

 

[MaSh]

Unfortunately, I haven't heard most of these. I would want to find a dealer who can arrange for me to hear all of these before I buy, but most dealers only have higher-end stuff in their HT rooms that they try to upsell. The other challenge is finding dealers who can arrange for different brands together for one home demo.

You're right about the availability part, and I know of a dealer who has B6 in stock, but can't demo it for me as he has only one sealed pair in stock.

As for why I'm looking at B6 for surround/bookshelves, the research I've done shows a heavy favour to B6 speakers compared to any other speakers out there. The reason why I didn't go for B5 is because B6 is close-by in terms of price, and supposed to be better. I haven't really looked at the RTiA1 though, although the specs show it has a smaller driver (5.25") as compared to the B6 (6.5").

Have you tried Profx, htstore, etc? However, i doubt any will offer home demo.

B6 is an excellent speaker and in my opinion will be wasted as a surround speaker. Your main focus should be on front and centre channel speakers. If you are planning to put B6 as rear then you are setting the standard quite high for your front and centre speakers.

MaSh

 

[elangoas]

#4 - 5.1 Speaker Setup - Same brand or different?

Yes & No..

I'm told that the first step towards becoming an audiophile is to stay away from HTIBs. Hence, going in for a 5.1 speaker set from a given brand seems to be similar to going in for a HTIB.

Not exactly..In a HTIB it is a package of AVR and speakers, which are generally not upto to regular speakers... While they are good for movies, not so good for stereo/music playback..(Am referring to the speakers)

AVR is still good, albeit ripped off features.. Bare bones..

Then again, people say that you should not mix speakers from different brands, lest it lead to a term I think was called timbre-whacking.So what's the right approach, stick to a family, or just look for the best speakers for the role you want them to play, irrespective of brand or family?

Yes for front, center, right from same family & Preferably No to center speaker from different family..

Surrounds can be from different family / different brand..

My research has currently led me to look at -
AV Receiver - Denon X1200W
Floorstanding - Polk TSx440T
Surround - Elac B6
Center - (not sure yet)
Subwoofer - Polk DSW Pro 660

What do the experienced folks on HiFiVision think of the above selection? Is there anything I'm getting wrong?

Some more additioanl information will help FM to comeup with suggestions/choices..

What are your room dimensions ? Is it mostly for movies (or) casual listening to music..

 

[BassHead]

Hi,

As someone rightly said above, you should not use B6 as your sorrounds, they are awfully good speakers to be used as rears.

How about a complete Polk setup?

Fronts - Polk TSX440 - 42k
Surrounds - Polk TSX220 - 20k
Center - Polk TSX250c - 20k
Sub - Polk 550 Pro - 35k

Considering 12% discount you should get the above set for approx a lakh and the Denon X1200 should cost you anywhere between 42-44k.

Goodluck

 

[kamalgaur]

Yes, BassHead, based on inputs I've received, the setup selection at my end also seems to be tending towards an entire Polk family, in fact the same selection you've mentioned of 440, 220, 250 and 660.

However, it's interesting that you're quoting the street price for the X1200W at 42-44K, currently the best offer I have is 10% off which gets it to approx 49K.


Elangoas, as for my room, it's 18x18 ft, with half of the rear wall of the room opening up into the living room... so from a length point of view, it'll kinda become an 18 width x 30 ft length.

I plan to use it for all purposes - music during parties, movie nights during weekends, and PS3/PS4 gaming through the rest of the week.

 

[sushantsah]

Hi,

As someone rightly said above, you should not use B6 as your sorrounds, they are awfully good speakers to be used as rears.

How about a complete Polk setup?

Fronts - Polk TSX440 - 42k
Surrounds - Polk TSX220 - 20k
Center - Polk TSX250c - 20k
Sub - Polk 550 Pro - 35k

Considering 12% discount you should get the above set for approx a lakh and the Denon X1200 should cost you anywhere between 42-44k.

Goodluck

any shops in delhi with above or less rates.....

 

[efernand1]

Hi

PROFX

ProFx ropes in discount so demand for it....say all stores in India give it.....

All the best!

 

[elangoas]

Elangoas, as for my room, it's 18x18 ft, with half of the rear wall of the room opening up into the living room... so from a length point of view, it'll kinda become an 18 width x 30 ft length.

Thats huge room.. Hope your seating position would be in the centre of the room..

I plan to use it for all purposes - music during parties, movie nights during weekends, and PS3/PS4 gaming through the rest of the week.

Music during parties.. Think two sub's in your room ( 18 x 18) would help than a FS..

Consider satellite + sub based system than a BS/FS + sub system

 

[kamalgaur]

Thats huge room.. Hope your seating position would be in the centre of the room..

Music during parties.. Think two sub's in your room ( 18 x 18) would help than a FS..

Consider satellite + sub based system than a BS/FS + sub system

Yes, the projector screen is 3 ft away from the wall, and my seating position is 13 ft in front of the projector screen.

My previous setup was satellites plus one sub (actually it was the Logitech Z5500), but that wasn't loud enough. I'm on the verge of closing on a regular 5.1 setup that includes floorstanding speakers, and I'm not sure if I'd want to go back and revisit a satellite+sub setup now.

 

[Naturelover]

Hope your seating position would be in the centre of the room.

That's not a good idea at all.

http://www.hifivision.com/showthread.php?t=63781

 

[elangoas]

Yes, the projector screen is 3 ft away from the wall, and my seating position is 13 ft in front of the projector screen.

My previous setup was satellites plus one sub (actually it was the Logitech Z5500), but that wasn't loud enough. I'm on the verge of closing on a regular 5.1 setup that includes floorstanding speakers, and I'm not sure if I'd want to go back and revisit a satellite+sub setup now.

Logitech Z5500 is a PC based multimedia speakers...So not fair to compare its performance with HT based satellite + sub system..

That's not a good idea at all.

Subwoofer Placement with Middle of the room Seating position

Since his room was too large, was juz guessing how far his seating position would be..

 

[BassHead]

Hi Kamalgaur,

The prices that I mentioned are all MRPs. You can check the Profx website. If they are willingly giving you 10% discount I'm sure you should be able to negotiate for 12%.

The Denon X1200 is available in Amazon for 41,900.

Amazon.in: Buy DENON AVR-X1200W 7.2-CH NETWORK AV RECEIVER WITH DOLBY ATMOS, WI-FI, AIRPLAY, BLUETOOTH, 4K & 3D PASS-THROUGH Online at Low Prices in India | Denon Reviews & Ratings

I got a quotation of 46k from a local dealer. I'm sure I can reduce it to 44k. So try visiting as many local stores as you can, you may end up getting a better deal.

Also, do try out the Jamo S626 package. I quite liked them during my audition. The floor standers are three way unlike the Polks and which are two way and also the Jamo's have 8" woofers at the bottom, which means better lows. The S626 5.0 package is around 65k. You can separately add a sub like the Velodyne impact 12 which should be around 35k or even less.

 

[kamalgaur]

Hi Kamalgaur,

The prices that I mentioned are all MRPs. You can check the Profx website. If they are willingly giving you 10% discount I'm sure you should be able to negotiate for 12%.

The Denon X1200 is available in Amazon for 41,900.

Amazon.in: Buy DENON AVR-X1200W 7.2-CH NETWORK AV RECEIVER WITH DOLBY ATMOS, WI-FI, AIRPLAY, BLUETOOTH, 4K & 3D PASS-THROUGH Online at Low Prices in India | Denon Reviews & Ratings

I got a quotation of 46k from a local dealer. I'm sure I can reduce it to 44k. So try visiting as many local stores as you can, you may end up getting a better deal.

Also, do try out the Jamo S626 package. I quite liked them during my audition. The floor standers are three way unlike the Polks and which are two way and also the Jamo's have 8" woofers at the bottom, which means better lows. The S626 5.0 package is around 65k. You can separately add a sub like the Velodyne impact 12 which should be around 35k or even less.

Thanks for the tip on the Jamo package. Can you tell me where you heard it? The Jamo website only throws up one dealer in India, who is based out of Yeshwanthpur in Bangalore.

Btw, I heard the Dali Zensor 7, Dali Zensor Vokal Center, Wharfedale DFS 10 and the Impact 10 today. It was pretty decent, and now I'm wondering if the Jamo S626, or the Polk TSx, or the Polk RTi will end up being better than the Dali+Wharfedale experience.

 

[BassHead]

Hey Kamalgaur,

How was your experience with the Zensors and Wharfy? The Zensor 7 is suppose to be in a different league. How good is it compared to the Polk 440T? The price difference is double...Is it worth spending so much extra cash?

Do check out the Polk TSX550 and RTi 5.