AVR + Floor Standing Speakers

[johnkunju]

Hi Guys

Am relatively new to the world of AVRs and speakers but really keen to setup my budget home theatre.
As of now am looking for a AVR and a pair of floor standing speakers to start with..gradually build it up with more speakers.

I have the below requirements.

Usage - Series (25%), Music (25%), Football (20%), Movies (20%), PS3 (10%)
Budget - 1 to 1.3l

I have shortlisted the below

Harman Kardon AVR 171 - 7.2 Channel Audio Video Receiver - 60k
JBL ES90BK 4-Way - 36k x 2

or

Yamaha RX-V677 - 60k
Yamaha NS-F160 - 37k x 2

I was not pretty sure in terms of the compatibility and other aspects, so please help me out guys. And if there are any other better combinations which you guys can suggest, am more than happy.

 

[vj_box]

I am sure you do have a good budget for a AVR and pair of speakers. Getting a future proof AVR is a wise idea and almost all mid range AVRs do 4k and even Atmos on some of the select models. Denon X1200W for instance. Check out the local dealer prices as the online prices are not very realistic at times.

For speakers you can definitely get hold of a good pair at/under 50k. Wharfadale Diamond series,Dali Zensor series, Q Acoustics, Monitor Audio are some of the ones I can recommend out of my audition experience and they paired pretty well with Denon AVRs.

Listen for yourself and decide on these.

 

[RajithKumar]

You can try out following options
AVR
1 ) Denon x1200 w or x2200w
2) Yamaha a 850 or 1050
3) Marantz SR5010

Speakers(Floor stander)
1) Dali Zensor 5
2) Polk TSX series speakers
3) KEF Q 500R /Q900B

Please audition the with different combination of AVR & speakers and decide the buy based on your hearing taste.

 

[efernand1]

Hi JohnKunju

There are a lot of AVRs and Speakers out there...the key is to audition them and decide what appeals to you in performance, appearance and size.

With the budget you have stated, you can get a decent system and slowly build it up....remember, there are always constant changes to avrs etc and always something new comes up....if you are open to buying pre owned stuff, check the For Sale by owner or HiFi Ads....there are nice AVRs and speakers available...who knows, you may get lucky and get a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR with all speakers well within the budget or cheaper...the choice is yours.....all the best....

 

[johnkunju]

@rajith Just a question around the compatibility..I have seen some other threads where people have mentioned that Dali Zensor 5 wasnt performing so well with some specific Amps. So hows the experience been with Denon and did you try the other options?

@efernand @vjbox Thanks guys..I will audition and come back with some results.

Anybody suggest me a good place where I can audition most of the options in Thane? I havent seen too many places in Thane.

 

[efernand1]

Hi JohnKunju

There are a few dealers in Thane and hence the spectrum to audition systems of choice would be limited.

You may need to go to Andheri, Bandra, South Mumbai to visit good dealers and check what fits to your expectations...and budget....

Cinebels is the dealer for Jamo speakers etc. (Bandra). MZ Audio (Bandra) for Marantz and Boston Acoustics....Sound Out (Haji Ali) and Fair Deal (Crawford Market) are dealers who have multiple brands.....

Denon and Marantz are made by D&M holdings....the difference is performance and built quality...hence Marantz more expensive than Denon avrs......IMHO...Marantz is better than Denon and lives up to its reputation of performance and after sales service.....

If budget is a bit of a challenge. you can purchase new speakers and pick up a pre owned avr from hifi ads or for sale by owner section....I am sure you can get something nice.....There are Denons and Marantz on sale...check it out......

 

[johnkunju]

@fernand I have read in other threads that there is some compatibility issue of marantz and dali speakers so i will check out that combination while auditioning and see if i can make out some difference
I will try to see the places you mentioned and check out. Thanks.

 

[RajithKumar]

@ Johnkunju Dali pairs well with Denon & Yamaha AVRs (based on personal experience).
I have heard people saying it also pairs well with Marantz & Cambridge Audio too.
As said by efrnad Marantz & Denon comes from the same parent company D&M Holdings.But regarding Marantz service centers needs to be checked in your city/nearby city,Since Marantz sales support in India is somewhat less compared to the other brand.

Also Remember Dalis sound are more on brighter side .It has very good soundstage too.
Also it greatly depends upon the hearing taste of the person to decide.

 

[efernand1]

Hi JohnKunju

Its all about tweaking with settings to make the speakers sound good or bad.....besides the automatic audyssey setup, you can tweak further to make them better.....end of the day the choice is yours...depend on your ears....

 

[johnkunju]

Cool thanks guys..let me audition and come back with some results.

 

[krishnamurthy]

John,

Don't waste too much time auditioning too many combinations. It will only cloud your judgement in the end.

Make a Top 5 Shortlist of the speakers you want to audition and listen to them over a span of 2-3 days. If there is too much gap, our ears can be easily fooled.
Also during audition, listen to the same set of songs you know very well to clearly differentiate the sound (have a pop, rock, heavy metal, ghazal, bollywood types to get a good variation). Ideally you should carry a CD with those songs.
Since the good AV setups typically contain higher priced amps, you could be taken for a ride. Have a notebook and note down all the HT model numbers for easy comparision as well as the volume at which the music is played. Ask the technician to ramp up the volume to different levels (without clipping them) and observe any distortion in the sound
A 30 minute session is usually good enough. Don't worry about watching a movie sequence as the explosions, big-bang sound can cause confusion and also distract you from hearing the sounds more objectively. Ear fatigue is something you need to watch out for. Some speakers may sound very good but can cause ear fatigue very quickly. Avoid such speaker combinations.

As your max budget is 1.3L, i can say the following combination may work.

Dali Zensor 7 + Denon X2200W / Marantz 5010/
Denon X2200W + PSB X1T
QAcoustics 2050i + Denon X22002/Marantz 5010
Sonodyne Sonus 2605 V3 (By far the most VFM at only 35k for a pair, you can even get a centre channel speaker for 15k i think) + any better amp from Denon, Marantz, Cambridge should should suffice.

 

[karthick raja]

I had similar requirements(AVR+FS) long time back. Please refer my thread. http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/50950-need-fs-my-denon-2113-a.html

Hope, it might be of some help.

 

[johnkunju]

Guys,

I did check out some of the options suggested and was also suggested the Jamo S626 home theatre. I heard it out and it sounded pretty good, quite good for the price of around 70k. The only missing in that is the sub woofer but I can always add it later.
I am getting a bit greedy now and want to check opinions on Jamo S626 instead of two Dali zensor floor standing ones only.

Whats the suggestion guys.

 

[SwaroopKS]

Hi,

In case if you are checking out Sonodyne, do audition their avant model which is supposed to be their premium line-up. I did not listen to it but heard good things about it from few of my fellow friends.

Thanks
Satya

 

[efernand1]

@ johnkunju

So what have you shortlisted? Speakers? AVR? New or pre owned?

 

[raghupb]

John,

I will not suggest any particular brand(s). For your budget the combos are way too many.

Set yourself a time limit, say 3-4 weeks or months to nail down your basic building blocks. During this time diligently audition and re-audition. Yep you will have to make some friends at various dealerships/demo-rooms. But it is worth it just for the exposure. Since you are in the Mumbai area, you may be able to audition at fellow FMs homes (members willing).

Happy hunting!!

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[johnkunju]

@swaroop..the place i had been for auditions dint seem to have sonodyne so i will have to check other places and will keep your comment in mind when i go for auditions.
@efernand..i am focussing on new speakers as of now and once that is finalized i will start exploring avrs. I have checked out Dali zensar 7 and was very impressed. Though the guy suggested Jamo s626 and i wanted to get some views on that coz i cudnt find much reviews for that. So short listing still in progress, you have any idea on Jamo s626?
@raghu..thanks. i am currently just checking out the options available and it helps to get feedback from smone whos already using a particular brand.

 

[efernand1]

Hi John,

The S626 are studio speaker series from Jamo...they are nice ...movie experience is great, music is nice ..cant say great or outstanding....everyone would have their own tastes....my views are based on hearing all kinds of genres of music....

Key is to take your kind of music and audition the speakers available...check the C series from Jamo which is the concert series.....Cinebels (bandra)

 

[raghupb]

Well in that case, here goes.

I have Marantz IA and AVR. Currently they pair with 15 year old B&W bookshelves via Outlaw monolblocks. Individually, both of them do a good job of driving the current set of speakers when tested. I have not heard FS in my home nor will I have the opportunity due to space constraint. Will update again when my latest acquisition comes home KEF R300s.

I have heard Denon AVRs in demo rooms, my gut feel was that the higher models get it right. Music wise I have auditioned the following brands:
1. NAD - good stuff specially when paired with PSB
2. Cambridge Audio - the Azur series is good; heard good things about the AVRs too
3. Rotels - really good amps but pricey

As far as FS go, I have listened to:
1. KEF Q series - really liked them for both music and movies
2. Polk RTi series - these are good for movies but do a decent job on music; space hogs though; need a lot of breathing space
3. Polk TSx series - these are good for movies; did not impress me for music
4. Jamo - nice looking and sounding speakers; but I personally stay away from 6 ohm speakers; generally they demand a bit more form the power amp
5. PSB (Image and Imagine) - sweet set of speakers; they do things right but are a bit expensive
6. Tannoy - another worthy brand that get their act together gracefully
7. Monitor Audio - again very good for music and movies; slightly pricey though
8. Others (B&W, Focal, Triangle) - will mention them here; but are expensive

Weirdly though, I have never had the chance to audition Dali or Wharfdale. Have heard very good things about them

Here is my 2 paise of advice (though I did not follow it myself).
Nail down the speakers first. They are what you hear and it is very, very important that they impress you. Then look for a matching AVR.
In AVR, look for one that has L/R pre-out, just in case you decide later on out board amplification. I am a dinosaur when it comes to uber connectivity (WiFi/BT/streaming), so will let other knowledgeable FMs to guide you in these aspects.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Deleted member 79034]

Some shops that I am aware who have decent to good demo/listening rooms in Mumbai (NOT in order of preference) :

Total Home Theatres, Nariman point - Tannoy, Dali, Q Acoustics, B&W

Audio Desires, Goregaon East - wharfedale, Quad

Boomerang, Andheri west - Dali

Cinebels, Bandra west - Jamo, Klipsch


There are others I have been told to be good but I have myself not visited them.

There is also a guy in Bhandup, with store name Warehouse Direct. Should be nearer for you from Thane. I had visited him once, likes to talk a lot. Offers many brands and has a big demo room. But not sure if I can recommend as mine was a casual visit with a friend. Still worth a try.