Energy Take for $150 for AVR-1513 or something else

[Vcash]

Hello Folks,
I live in the US and I am getting my parents a dedicated Home Theater who live in India. I have already bought a Denon AVR-1513 in India and will be buying a Panasonic ST50 Plasma locally for them.

I will be visiting them in December and would like to get a 5.1 speaker system along with me since it is much cheaper to buy equipment in the US - I also travel light so transporting them is not a problem.

I came across the Energy Take Classic 5.0 on NewEgg for $150 (Expires tonight) and was wondering if these would be a good fit for the 1513? My total budget is around $250 to $300 for the speaker system so this would free up about $100 to $150 for a Sub (Though I would need a sub that would work with Indian 220V so will either need to buy it India, get a tep down or find a dual voltage model here)

They will primarily play movies on this system through a Blu-Ray player \ HTPC via HDMI. The room is not very big - It's about 10 Feet X 8 Feet with 12 Feet high ceilings. There is also a lot of glass in the room - I have attached a short diagram of the room.

Cheers,
V

 

[Velmurugan]

Energy Take Classic 5.0 is good for Movie..But for music, it is Ok...Whatever it is value for money..I heard Energy Take Classic 5.0+Denon 2112 Mid Sized friend Room, Movies it is best for the paid money...

 

[Vcash]

This is reassuring. Thank you for the information. I was wondering if there are similarly sized speakers better than the Take's at that price from either Polk or Mirage (I've seen the Nanosat 5.0 as low as $190 through WWStereo on ebay).

Also, this is very newbie question but I was wondering whether the Takes are "compatible" with the AVR-1513. The receiver is rated for the Front, Rear and Center Speakers at 75 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, THD 0.08 %) or 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 0.7%). The sub output is rated as 130W (6ohm 1kHz, 1 Channel Driven, IEC). The Energy Takes are rated at 100W (8 ohms and 110Hz - 20KHz). How does one decipher these specs into compatibility? I just want to make sure I don't damage the speakers or the AVR.

Finally, could you make a sub recommendation. I was leaning towards the Polk Audio PSW10 for around $90. The only thing is that it is compatible with only 110w electrical outlets so I will need to buy a voltage transformer in India to step the power down from the 240W to the 110W which is not a big deal but in case there are subs available in the US that have a dual power rating (such as 110\240), I would prefer to get one of those. Also these subs look pretty heavy and big and I am having second thoughts on carrying it to India (Doesn't look like it will fit in my full sized suit case and I don't want to carry it in the carton unless I absolutely have to but The price difference is tremendous with the SW110 in India costing almost 15K and in the US it is Under 5K.) Are there any other economical subs available in India that I can look at?

Opinions on the Polk sub and also any suggestions on brands that have a dual power rating?

Best,
V

 

[k11]

I am also getting some components from US. I have initially considered the Energy Takes but dropped out. I have now decided to get a proper HT system including couple of floor standers.

Best small sub I have looked at is Definitive Technology Supercube 2000. It is got 8 inch drives. Small but super powerful. I do not know if there is sub more powerful with similar size.

I do not think you can get dual power models here at cheap rates, better to buy them in India especially if you are taking big subs.

 

[Vcash]

I am also getting some components from US. I have initially considered the Energy Takes but dropped out. I have now decided to get a proper HT system including couple of floor standers.

Best small sub I have looked at is Definitive Technology Supercube 2000. It is got 8 inch drives. Small but super powerful. I do not know if there is sub more powerful with similar size.

I do not think you can get dual power models here at cheap rates, better to buy them in India especially if you are taking big subs.

How are you planning on carrying Floor Standers plus the center and speakers. WWStereo had an awesome deal on Jamo 5.0 including FS for $199 but I could not go ahead with it because of the bulk.

Also the Definitive Tech is way over budget at $500. I did not follow your comment about the sub - Do you mean, get a sub in India or a step down?

 

[k11]

I meant, if you are going to need a large sub, it might be better to look into subs there itself and get some second opinion.


For me, I have not decided yet.

Jamo, first it looked odd, but overall I started liking the look, plus it is made of wood not MDF.
Pioneers are ugly but they are best in list. I feel it might be too much for me.

Def Tech is my favorite. I hope some sale comes on the XTR-50s.

 

[Vcash]

Good luck to you - Keep checking slickdeals.net - That's where I got the sale details for the Energy Takes.

I just checked with a Polk Dealer in India and they can sell me a Polk PSW110 for around Rs. 13,800 which is acceptable by me since I don't have to worry about the voltage ratting as well as well having to transport a big item on a long haul flight. And this is pretty much the ballpark figure for what the sub sells for on Amazon ($200), so I am not paying an extraordinarily large premium for it in India.

My questions now are:
1) Is the Polk PSW110 compatible with the AVR-1513? The receiver is rated as 130W (6ohm 1kHz, 1 Channel Driven, IEC) and the sub is rated as 100W continuous and 200w dynamic and 32Hz-250Hz frequency. I just want to make sure that sub will not put too much stress on the AVR. Again, I apologize for the newbish questions - I am just not sure how to decipher specifications for compatibility.

2) Is this is a good setup - Denon AVR-1513 with Energy Take Classic 5.0 and the Polk PSW110 sub?

Once again, I appreciate your help answering these questions.

Best,
V

 

[k11]

You have a good setup there. Takes and Polk should be good combination for your place.
Make sure you take speaker wire.

Thats a decent price. If I end up buying Jamo's, I might also try to do the same thing. I should also call up Cinebels.
Problem for me is my living room is big, 22+ X 15. Also there is a dining room on one side and french doors balcony on other.

By the way, I used to work for Best Buy before.

 

[baijuxavior]

My questions now are:
1) Is the Polk PSW110 compatible with the AVR-1513? The receiver is rated as 130W (6ohm 1kHz, 1 Channel Driven, IEC) and the sub is rated as 100W continuous and 200w dynamic and 32Hz-250Hz frequency. I just want to make sure that sub will not put too much stress on the AVR. Again, I apologize for the newbish questions - I am just not sure how to decipher specifications for compatibility.

2) Is this is a good setup - Denon AVR-1513 with Energy Take Classic 5.0 and the Polk PSW110 sub?

1. You are confused about AVR rating and Subwoofer rating. The Subwoofer is powered or active and it has it's own amplifier built-in. The AVR has no amplifier for subwoofer. You connect a line out from avr to subwoofer using RCA cable. So the subwoofer won't stress the AVR.

2. It should be good, but demo if possible.

 

[Vcash]

1. You are confused about AVR rating and Subwoofer rating. The Subwoofer is powered or active and it has it's own amplifier built-in. The AVR has no amplifier for subwoofer. You connect a line out from avr to subwoofer using RCA cable. So the subwoofer won't stress the AVR.

2. It should be good, but demo if possible.

Thanks for explaining that to me. I really need to brush up on understanding how connections work. I would love to demo but there are a lack of stores around me that would be carrying this setup. This will have to be a blind buy. I have heard good things about the Takes and read encouraging reviews on Amazon about the Polks so I hope that this ends up being a good setup.

 

[Vcash]

Can folks also let me know what kind of wires I would need for the Sub and the speakers. Monoprice has decent deals so I could pick up wires from here but I am not sure what specifications are needed.

1) Connector from AVR to Sub - What would I need?
2) Connector from AVR to 5 Speakers - I would prefer to get regular speaker wire locally in December in India unless there is a monumental difference in quality in what is available on Monoprice.
3) Connector from source to AVR to TV - HDMI Cables - Already have a bunch of these in India so I don't think I need. Is it worth picking up an optical audio cable.
4) The Takes have something called Banana Plugs - Should I buy banana plugs?

Also, please clear this for me - Will the AVR feed the Speakers directly and the speaker wires won't go through the sub right? The reason I ask this is because the Polk sub has 2 pairs of speaker in and 2 pairs of speaker out connectors at the back and I was confused.

 

[baijuxavior]

1. Subwoofer cables are similar to RCA cable. I am using a 6ft belkin coaxial cable for subwoofer. You don't need to pay for expensive subwoofer cables.

2. Get the DAC speaker cables from hifimart. Very good and VFM product.

3. Branded hdmi cables like Belkin, Bandridge etc. are very good. Optical is required only if the devices have no 5.1 sound through HDMI.

4. Not needed.

5. Speaker wires from AVR are not connected to subwoofer. Sub has its own amplifier and a subwoofer line out of the AVR is connected to sub. Most active subs have speaker level input. This is useful when your AVR or stereo amp has no subwoofer out.