Building a 5.1 setup- Need help to finalise decision

[Siddharth]

Hello,

I am in the process of setting up a 5.1 system. Initially I will be purchasing only tower speaker + AVR + Subwoofer. A month or 2 later I will be adding the Centre speaker + Rear speakers.

I have made a decision on the AVR - Denon AVR-1713

I need your help on choosing the towers + sub. Given below are the brands I have auditioned(listed in the order of my preference) :

1) Polk TSi 400 + PSW 110

2) Magnat Supreme 1000 + Magnat 201A

3) Tannoy Mercury V4 + Magnat 201A(or any other)

I usually download my movies(Blu Ray Rip/mkv format). The salesman in the BOSE showroom said that it would not be possible to get the 5.1 effect from a downloaded movie. I asked the same question in an other showroom(where I auditioned my choices) & the salesman there said that a media player would help me get the 5.1 effect. So my second question is - Do I need a media player?

Thanks in advance for your opinions & advice.

 

[elangoas]

Hello,

I am in the process of setting up a 5.1 system. Initially I will be purchasing only tower speaker + AVR + Subwoofer. A month or 2 later I will be adding the Centre speaker + Rear speakers.

I have made a decision on the AVR - Denon AVR-1713

I need your help on choosing the towers + sub. Given below are the brands I have auditioned(listed in the order of my preference) :

1) Polk TSi 400 + PSW 110

2) Magnat Supreme 1000 + Magnat 201A

3) Tannoy Mercury V4 + Magnat 201A(or any other)

I usually download my movies(Blu Ray Rip/mkv format). The salesman in the BOSE showroom said that it would not be possible to get the 5.1 effect from a downloaded movie. I asked the same question in an other showroom(where I auditioned my choices) & the salesman there said that a media player would help me get the 5.1 effect. So my second question is - Do I need a media player?

Thanks in advance for your opinions & advice.

Either a Media player (or) if your TV has Optical/Co-axial out assuming you have an flat screen.

You didn't mention your budget for FS + Subwoofer...

Consider Sonodyne Sonus 2605 + Roar 108/210 Subwoofer also...

 

[saikatbiswas82]

Hello,

I am in the process of setting up a 5.1 system. Initially I will be purchasing only tower speaker + AVR + Subwoofer. A month or 2 later I will be adding the Centre speaker + Rear speakers.

I have made a decision on the AVR - Denon AVR-1713

I need your help on choosing the towers + sub. Given below are the brands I have auditioned(listed in the order of my preference) :

1) Polk TSi 400 + PSW 110

2) Magnat Supreme 1000 + Magnat 201A

3) Tannoy Mercury V4 + Magnat 201A(or any other)

I usually download my movies(Blu Ray Rip/mkv format). The salesman in the BOSE showroom said that it would not be possible to get the 5.1 effect from a downloaded movie. I asked the same question in an other showroom(where I auditioned my choices) & the salesman there said that a media player would help me get the 5.1 effect. So my second question is - Do I need a media player?

Thanks in advance for your opinions & advice.

Excellent choice and I believe you made the right decision to go ahead with stereo setup first! Congratulations!
One thing I must say. I feel pity for the Bose guy for his limited knowledge. First of all it depends on the file you are downloading. If the file has 5.1 audio, you'll get it from your amp output, otherwise not.
Any player which is able to play that file - like a hd media player, a blu ray player with usb playback or a laptop/desktop will be able to sent that 5.1 o/p to your amp. Just connect your player to AVR with HDMI and voila you are done with the setup.
Enjoy!

***EDIT***
One more thing I almost forgot.... Denon blends better with the Polks (audiophiles say so)

 

[prosenjit]

denon polk is a sure shot for cinema..
try rti than tsi..much better and worth it
for music and cinema
also include wharfedale and sonodyne in your list

and yes onkyo is very good for cinema..

 

[prosenjit]

Excellent choice and I believe you made the right decision to go ahead with stereo setup first! Congratulations!
One thing I must say. I feel pity for the Bose guy for his limited knowledge.

happens..before some day i encountered a profx guy who said changing fronts into small from large selection will distort signals and harm speakers...
his rule was...if its floorstander..its large..if bookshelf..its small..simple.
i did not argue with him..

 

[Siddharth]

@ elangoas - There is a Sonodyne showroom in Bangalore & I shall visit them this week. The choices I mentioned cost 70 to 80K on an average(Not factoring the discounts).
I am willing to spend about 90 - 95K for the entire setup.

@ Saikat - Thanks. I will hold on to the media player idea and focus on the speaker setup first.

@ Prosenjit - Did not try the RTi since they are 20K above my budget. Will definitely audition Wharfedale. Have read a lot of +ve reviews about them.

However could someone throw light on the other two brands - Magnat & Tannoy? I was able to find reviews for Tannoy V4. However nobody seems to have reviewed Magnat.

 

[shuv]

In the OP's shoes, I would opt for the Tannoys. Have heard the V4s with a 2113 and it was better than decent. Polk TSi, Magnat Supreme, Sonodyne could be good for movies but the V4s would be good for music as well. Why not give stand mounters a try? KEF Q100 and the Q300 should be auditioned once at least.

 

[prosenjit]

an idea
get sub,centre and avr
or
tower,avr

within 1 lakh now.
and buy others later...this seems costly..but you will get uncompromised quality.